Like a number of other readers I found this one frustrating and disappointing... Based on the blurb I expected something more than the usual lightweight fashion fare. Based on the blurb, I was expecting more substance, more mystery, more clever banter. What I got instead felt more derivative, more unlikable. and more trite.

Heathers is one of my all-time favorite movies for its brilliant satire and snarky one-liners and The Devil Wears Prada offered an insider's look that was full of unbelievable yet still credible viciousness and behind-the-scenes insanity. The description suggested this was a blend of the two, but I didn't find any of the murderous dark humor or vicious frivolous brutality of either here. Instead it felt like a hastily assembled attempt to capitalize on the zeitgeist. I just couldn't get past Anya's personality (which I found extremely unsympathetic) or the drama queen lingo and attitude (which felt overplayed and cliched).

This just was not the book for me,,,

I was really disappointed with this title. I was expecting something a little Devil Wears Prada mixed with Hitchcock and a touch of American Pyscho but instead got a flat, frustrating book. The main character Anya, is completely horrid and unrelatable. What could have been a great peek into the mind of a psychopath turned into a disjointed mess with fashion buzzwords. Pass.

Oh! Emm! Gee! Akhtar’s #fashionvictim is an all out bloody funhouse of horror! A dark comedy with plenty of twists and turns. I could totes see this as a dramedy on the CW. I found myself both cheering for and cringing for the heroine/slasher. Hold on to your Helmut, slip on those Manalos and get ready for a wild ride!

A great "beach read" . A light, fast-paced look at both a psychopath and the fashion industry. Hardly hard hitting but clever enough and very readable.

Title. The title suggests chic and of the fashion world that I immediately liked. And after reading the book will make you grow more appreciative of the perfect ring in the title.

Cover. Design of the cover is plain yet screams a lot of chic-mysterious vibes which too I liked!

It was unputdownable read. I inhaled the words from this book, I have enjoyed the writing, it was told in Anya St. Claire POV, a fashion editor who had always dreamt of being in the fashion industry, having designer clothes, to be accepted in the social elite world, especially with fashion icon Sarah Taft. It all changed when a little competition was presented by her boss. Anya and co-worker Sarah were pitted against each other up for a promotion. Winning for Anya means more social invites, more designer clothes and getting closer to her obsession, Sarah, her bestie! A figurative cut-throat competition will not suffice the circumstances but has gotten literal.

The storytelling style is completely refreshing! Usually, in reading mystery-thrillers the author would try to hide and reveal who did it in end of a novel, #FashionVictim doesn’t. Right of the bat, you can tell who had done it. It was grim yet funny at the same time. I grow more impatient as I go further down with its drama. It will make you go itch and seek answers to the questions of; what’s is she going to do next? What is she thinking now? When will this end? What is the end game here? And how? I gripped through it all.

The characters were the typical fashion stereotypes, which is rich and filled with dramas that let out my inner drama hyped butt sucked in. There are the elites of the friendship circle, the middle circle, and the social rejects.

A point of demerit; some of the characters were way too inaccurate, the fashion world building was a little off. But despite it all, I found myself enjoying still.

A grim and funny read that will make you root for the suspect! Hooking plot arc, twists, and pacing. Surely will make you drop dead on the track of the works you’re doing.

I totes see #FashionVictim turning a movie! I recommend it to thrillseekers, fans of Devil Wears Prada, Mean Girls and Scream Queens.

This was quite the read. It was compelling and the main character a mixture of endearing and terrifying. Dexter meets Devil Wears Prada really is the perfect description of this book. It has twists and turns some very complex and confusing character thoughts and a lot of catty fashion talk.

I could see a book like this becoming a movie, though I think the first person point of view is what makes it so compelling as a book.

It intrigued me enough that I am now interested to see what else this author has written.

#FashionVictim: A Novel was on my radar for a little while before I managed to snag an ARC.

I'm struggling with how to review this book because I feel like I should have enjoyed it a lot more than I did but I was left feeling a little underwhelmed. It was FINE but it wasn't what I had been expecting.

The protagonist of this novel is an up an coming fashionista named Anya, who got a job working at a magazine with the sole purpose of becoming BFFs with a socialite editor named Sarah. It's hard to pinpoint what the real plot is here - Anya wants to be Sarah's best friend, even though she spends most of the novel actively disliking her, and will go to any lengths necessary to manifest their friendship - even if she has to resort to murder.

This book is certainly a send-up of the fashion industry but at times it felt as though Amina Akhtar had only done surface level research on the ins and outs of how that industry actually works. It seemed like the most research that was done was on designer names and 'buzzwords' used in that business. The plot meandered at times and for a book that had a lot of murder and insanity, I was surprised to find that it moved quite slow through certain parts. Also, so much time was spent on Anya's character that everyone else felt extremely one dimensional and like stereotypes of actual people. I found it hard to have sympathy for any of Anya's victims (but then, I also didn't have any sympathy for her either). Despite the fact that most of this book was focused on Anya's character, I was left feeling like I still didn't know her or understand her motivations all that well.

There's a good idea buried somewhere in these pages but it the execution fell flat to me.

I received this ARC as a courtesy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

*DISCLAIMER!* I’m writing this based on a digital ARC I received. For those who aren’t familiar with the word ARC, it means Advanced Readers Copy.

“Fashion editor Anya St. Clair is on the verge of greatness. Her wardrobe is to die for. Her social media is killer. And her career path is littered with the bodies of anyone who got in her way. She’s worked hard to get where she is, but she doesn’t have everything.

Not like Sarah Taft. Anya’s obsession sits one desk away. Beautiful, stylish, and rich, she was born to be a fashion world icon. From her beach-wave blonde hair to her on-trend nail art, she’s a walking editorial spread. And Anya wants to be her friend. Her best friend. Her only friend.

But when Sarah becomes her top competition for a promotion, Anya’s plan to win her friendship goes into overdrive. In order to beat Sarah…she’ll have to become her. Friendly competition may turn fatal, but as they say in fashion: One day you’re in, and the next day you’re dead.”

The first thing I want to mention *spoiler* is that at one point in the book there is a very, racist scene. And I do mean VERY. I willingly overlooked that because I really wanted to give this book a try. But for some of you this may be a huge red flag. So keep that in mind. But by all means, read the book and form your own opinion.

Moving on, so this is basically a murder mystery book set in the fashion district of New York. The only thing is that you know who the murderer is from the first few pages. Non spoiler spoiler, THAT BITCH GAVE ME LIFE! with that said, Anya has it all like the synopsis says, killer wardrobe, amazing job, nice apt. But she doesn’t have friends. And that is where everything begins. This is very The Devil Wears Prada but with a shit ton of murders and fab outfits. Anya climbs her way up at La Vie magazine. Which btw, that’s where the racism takes place.

Don’t say I didn’t warn ya k?

While working there her obsession with Sara E Taft grows stronger. Think The Roommate but with Manolos. Any who, Sara is your typical Paris Hilton/Kim Kardashian hybrid but with better social media game. Point is, Anya is O B S E S S E D! But I don’t really want to give anymore away than I already have. Sara’s “bestie” Jack, reminds me so mucho of my sistersister JeanRay. So fab! This book has gossip, drama, a hot cop, one bitchy boss, and murder. I have to say that surprisingly this book touches mental health in a whole new level. To the point where *insert name of character here* sees the people murdered at the work place.

My only issue with this book is that its too short! I mean I was living for the Fashion Week scenes. Not to mention the screenshots of the conversations! And the shade? oh girl I have to admit is was mucho delicioso! Its your regular day backstabbing besties! Only wearing high fashion and dishing classy T.

Everything about this book, including the murders, was juicy! I wanted more! And more I got and more I wanted! I even started thinking like the murderer and started planning the death of a few characters too!

This book is one you don’t want to miss! Its scheduled to release on September 11th, 2018. So keep a look out if you like this typo of reads! I know I’m getting myself a copy cause the drama was muy rico!

Before I leave I want to do a special shoutout to my sis JeanRay! Who inspired some of the phrases you’ve read in here today! Keep it classy, never trashy and always super sassy. “A La Vie woman, never waits in line” ( I just live for the La Vie mantras lol!)

This book was so much fun! Despite how dark it was with all of the murders, as a reader you could find the lightness and satire in being a #FashionVictim yourself, being transported into Anya's world and her thoughts and justification of why she committed the murders. I loved how this book showcased the absurdity of social media influencers, the jargon of said influencers and how obsessed people are with getting approval from people they've never met and most likely will never meet in their lives.

Thank you for a great read!

Fashion Victim is a bit of a wild ride. The book reminds me very much of a cross between The Devil Wears Prada and Heathers. The main character is trying to make her way in the fashion world and becomes obsessed with befriending her colleague. Anyone who stands in her way doesn't stand a chance. At first it didn't really hook me in but I got gripped about a quarter of the way into it and then couldn't put it down.

Anya, the protagonist, is a female Patrick Bateman ("American Psycho"/Brett Easton Ellis) in this overly acidic, biting satire of the fashion world and publishing with a serial killer twist.
The narrative seems to be made up of vacuous Barbie doll women spouting obscenities and
Anya was never a sympathetic character to me, like Dexter, a serial killer from the tv series of the same name, but this book is pretty funny and spot on if you are familiar with the fashion industry.

This is a book that I wanted it to work. In fact, I held out hope as each page was turned and I got further and further into the story. However, I just got more frustrated by the characters. Both Anya's boss and her co-worker Sarah were both horrible. They were true "mean girls". Which I might have been able to brush aside if the rest of the book had been great. Yet, it was not.

Anya, herself was not impressive. She was not such a go getter as she is a follower. The fashion world I imagine can be tough and maybe full of some fake and catty people but if they are all like the ones in this book, I would be running as fast as I could out the door. There was really no joy for me in the characters that I wanted to keep reading. Therefore, I put the book down.

#FashionVictim is a non-stop ride in the not-so-sane mind of main character Anya. I found this book so hard to put down. I ended up reading it in just over a day because it was rather addicting to know what Anya would do next. The story was both creepy and funny. The author did a great job of writing Anya as insane but someone the reader doesn't hate, even though you know you should.

Highly recommend for a great beach read.

I did not finish reading. I found especially the way the book started was too much for me and weird and not what I was expecting from the book description. Thank you NetGalley for my ARC though.

I definitely enjoyed this book! I’ve seen a lot of comparisons to Mean Girls meets the fashion world, and I would agree; however, it also evoked a brand of dark humor reminiscent of Heathers. This was a unique spin on a murderous thriller. It married fashion, chick lit and psychological thriller with wit and snark. It was entertaining to see the nonchalance with which the murders were committed, and the protagonist could definitely be described as an anti-hero.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The story is told from the POV of the killer so it is not a who did it or why did she do it but a how are they going to get away with it. And yes we do want our killer to get away with it and getting there is a lot of fun. Anya St. Clair has landed her dream job at La Vie working next to her BFF, perfect Sarah. In order to keep both she needs to remove some obstacles. The book pokes a lot of fun at fashion, fashion magazines, blogs, and crime shows. There are some surprises too. Enjoy this fun campy read

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book!

If Mean Girls, Heathers and The Devil Wears Prada had a baby this book would be that baby! There was also a bit of this that made me totally think of You by Caroline Kepnes as well.

Anya St.Claire works at La Vie THE it fashion magazine right next to her obsession and imaginary BFF socialite Sarah Taft. All Anya wants it to be Sarah's best friend no matter what it takes. when a promotion comes around and her and Sarah both up for it Anya sees this as the perfect way to get Sarah to be her best friend. With Anya as her boss Sarah will have to hang out with her, have to do whatever Anya wants and then they can be the most perfect BFFs to ever exist! The only problem is that there are so many people in her way. Oh well, Anya knows how to take care of that. She has always bee resourceful and willing to what it takes to get what she wants, even if it takes a little bit of murder to get it!

This novel is clever dark humored and sure to keep you reading. Amina Akhtar writes about the NYC fashion world with such glee. I completely enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more books by her!

3.5/5. What a fun and creepy read. The description of this being The Devil Meets Prada mixed with Heathers is pretty spot-on. Or like Gossip Girl and Scream. It’s dark, it’s funny, it’s deluded. We know right away that the narrator is a murderer with mental issues, mainly obsession. She becomes obsessed with Sarah, an icon in the fashion world, and infiltrates her life after getting a job at the same magazine.
Though the main character is, you know, a vicious murder who doesn’t let anything or anyone get in her way, you sometimes root for her because the people around her are so horrible. Plus she so legitimately buys into her own reasoning and delusions that it begins to sound logical at times - like, of course you had to cut that girl’s head off, she was talking about you behind your back and we just can’t have that. The author did an amazing job of creating such a believably crazy character. The supporting characters were almost cartoonish in their fashion world bitchiness and cliches, but they served their purpose well. Also, the methods of murder were pretty inspired and gruesome while still managing to be somewhat comical. Overall an entertaining and memorable read.

LOVE that cover design!!! I totally judged this book by its cover and turned out RIGHT this time.

I was a little surprised about how much I enjoyed it actually. Not that I expected I wouldn't, just been a bad few hypes lately. I feared this would turn out to be some sort of chick lit - thriller crossover, but nothing of the sort.

Don't get me wrong there's plenty of girls in various shapes forms and outfits, but the main narrator is nothing like your regular fashion chick.

I loved the attitude of this book. Cool, up-to-date chatty but not in a boring dialogue kind of way. More like informative and giving you the inside head of a rather complex and twisted young woman with so many secrets and skeletons in her closet that the hairs on your back are unwittingly rising up at times.

That being said, oddly enough you still find yourself sort of rooting for her in a sick way - this is a refreshing fashionista narrative, TRUST ME!

And then when you start seeing where the story goes...well, I was engrossed. She didn't have a bored (read: innocent) moment.

Without giving any spoilers I feel it necessary to sort of warn the reader that this isn't a fashion friendship story exactly. More like the synopsis says: "One day you’re in, and the next day you’re dead."

And that ending...even an experienced bookaholic won't see that outcome coming!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for this copy in exchange for my honest review. I would definitely recommend this as a refreshing beach read for all the style loving ladies.

Also, if you've ever had a moment of I-COULD-KILL-HER-RIGHT-NOW...this is definitely your read!

#NetGalley #FashionVictim
Wow, oh wow! First off this book is crazy good! Don't skip it. Second, the plot is fun and just strange. It's a fashion industry setting with really selfish characters, but not in a bad way. I hope to read more from this author.