This book was misrepresented as a thriller. I probably would not have read it without that description. It’s really a character study of a woman struggling with her mental health after experiencing infertility and then a failed marriage. There really isn’t a single thrilling thing about this story; just many cringeworthy moments. It was a quick read, just not what I expected.

This book was hard to read. Very depressing as a whole. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

While I enjoyed this quick read, I found it to be mismarketed. It was far from a woman being obsessed with an actress living on her street. It just follows the narrator's life and how her life falls apart. It's not as dark as I thought it would be, well not until the end.

Thank you Scribner and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to read this as it was/is getting so much acclaim. I am afraid I don’t get it. The main character’s actions made no sense to me. Perhaps that is the point? I don’t understand all the hype.

This book definitely sounds better in the blurb. This was honestly, a tough book to get through simply because how it is described is not how it reads and I neither liked nor cared about any of the characters so that didn't help. Just wasn't a good read for me.

This book was short, it was very hard to get into. The story was ok. For me there was no mystery at all , it was all about this lady's obsession with her famous neighbor, her divorce and her bad choices. The ending was just ok. I wish the author the best of luck with this book but it was not for me.

I had been hearing a lot about this book, and was excited to read it- a psychological thriller about a woman, whose marriage has just fell apart, and her growing obsession with the famous actress who lives down the street from her. The more her life unravels- her inability to conceive a child, the end of her marriage, problems with her job- the more, and deeper, her obsession grows. The book is strictly told through the point-of-view of the obsessed woman, as she is the narrator, thus giving the reader a good view of her slide deeper into mental illness. While this is normally the type of story that I would enjoy reading, this one just didn't do it for me. Some parts I found myself rushing to get through, and there is not a whole lot plot-wide- it is definitely more of a character study. The story ends quite abruptly, with little closure. Putting out a warning that there is a depiction of animal cruelty by the narrator, which I know is difficult for a lot of people to read through.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for providing me with an advanced copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

While I enjoyed her writing style, I did not particularly enjoy this book. There wasn't a substantial plot, and the character wasn't very likeable.
The chapters were really long and since there wasn't a stopping point most times I had to stop myself from skimming to get to the end of the chapters.
Also, I didn't like the fact that her neighbor wasn't named. I felt no connection with her either.
I'm not sure why I was under the impression that this was a thriller. This is not a thriller.

I did not enjoy this book. I don't know if it was the character or her actions or just the general sadness of her life. And maybe it's because I'm single, but it was a miserable read and a terrible way to treat this character.

<b>One sentence summary</b>
Laura Sims has a unique and interesting writing style.

<b>My thoughts</b>
I felt this book deserved more than 3⭐️’s, but less than 4. The story held my interest, but I was anticipating more suspense. I’ll admit sometimes it takes some twisted thrills to keep me flipping pages! Although I enjoyed the book, I would have devoured it in one sitting with more suspense/thrills.

<b>Likes</b>
I was hooked by the cover...FABULOUS...and pulled in by the description. This was a debut, so I’d like to see what else Ms. Sims comes out with.

The storyline of a woman just abandoned by her husband, fixated on her neighbor, as she’s bitterly reminded of the life she imagined for herself...sounds pretty serious, but bits of humor added appeal to the story.

<b>Dislikes</b>
One thing I didn’t care for was the fact that it ran on, as one long chapter. I need chapters...and shorter ones are better. I need a clear stopping point when I put the book aside. Chapters make me feel like I’ve accomplished something. But that is a personal quirk and shouldn’t reflect on the book or author!

I also yearned to give this unstable stalker a name. It’s easier to picture the character.

The book had many great reviews, so I think my opinions are in the minority.

<b>Recommend:</b> Yes...it’s short and worth trying!

<b>My Rating: </b> 3 ⭐️’s

<b>Published:</b> January 8th 2019 by Scribner <b>Pages:<b/> 182

Thank you to NetGalley / Scribner / Laura Sims for this digital ARC, in exchange for my honest review!
#NetGalley #Looker #Debut

<b>Book Blurb</b>
A dazzling, razor-sharp debut novel about a woman whose obsession with the beautiful actress on her block drives her to the edge.

I’ve never crossed their little fenced-in garden, of course. I stand on the sidewalk in front of the fern-and-ivy-filled planter that hangs from the fence—placed there as a sort of screen, I’m sure—and have a direct line of view into the kitchen at night. I’m grateful they’ve never thought to install blinds. That’s how confident they are. No one would dare stand in front of our house and watch us, they think. And they’re probably right: except for me.

In this taut and thrilling debut, an unraveling woman, unhappily childless and recently separated, becomes fixated on her neighbor—the actress. The unnamed narrator can’t help noticing with wry irony that, though she and the actress live just a few doors apart, a chasm of professional success and personal fulfillment lies between them. The actress, a celebrity with her face on the side of every bus, shares a gleaming brownstone with her handsome husband and their three adorable children, while the narrator, working in a dead-end job, lives in a run-down, three-story walk-up with her ex-husband’s cat.

When an interaction with the actress at the annual block party takes a disastrous turn, what began as an innocent preoccupation spirals quickly, and lethally, into a frightening and irretrievable madness. Searing and darkly witty, Looker is enormously entertaining—a psychologically suspenseful and fearlessly original portrait of the perils of envy.

There ought to be a special category for misdirection in marketing of books. This so-called thriller has no thrills, unless you are on the edge of your seat when an unhappy woman becomes a stalker. Did I say unhappy? Yes. Also deranged, infertile, self-destructive and boring. The plot swirls around her obsession with a well-known actress who lives close by. Neither the stalker, nor her husband, nor the actress is well-developed; the most interesting character is a neighbor who only gets an initial. There's an expression about boastfulness or raising expectations but failing to deliver: All hat and no cattle. This non-thriller is all prattle. Oh, and cat lovers beware!!

I really was not sure I would enjoy this book but I am so glad I gave it the chance. The plot was great, the characters were amazing, and the ending really got me! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller. The main character in this book had me feeling sorry for her and at the same time disgusted. I can not wait to find more by this author. This is the first book I have read by Laura Sims and I am so glad that I did! Enjoy!!

From the beginning of Looker, there's a sense of dread as the unnamed woman at the center of the story becomes less and less attached to her own life as she filters her reality through the life and movie roles of the (also unnamed) actress in the brownstone two doors down: the beautiful, confident woman with a doting husband and three perfect children (was Nathan ever “doting,” even before the years of failed fertility treatments wore them out and reminded them both of how useless she was as a woman, as a potential mother)? She remembers (doesn't she?) the joy of the love they had, before Nathan left, abandoning her to a life alone, with her students and the cat (Nathan's cat, really, but he must not have cared about Cat, since he didn't even give her a name). She's sure, really sure, that if she studies the actress intently enough, she will become the woman the actress needs her to be, so that she, too, can become perfect.
This short novel packs a real punch, as we watch the unraveling of this woman's identity as her obsession grows. A perfectly crafted psychological thriller!
Reviewer:
Nancy
www.nancysbooknook.com

Such a good book that I would recommend picking up now. Make sure that you have plenty of time to read this heart pounding roller coaster of a book. Happy reading!

Looker is an excellent read, very disturbing and very real... almost too real. The main character (no name is ever revealed for her) has recently been left by her husband and she lives alone with her husband’s cat, who she love/hates. She is a professor at a local college. She is also obsessed with a famous actress living in the brownstone across the street from her. The entire story revolves around her innermost thoughts and her obsession with the actress. In between her obsession, she also continues to live her life - teaching, venturing out, etc. - but as the story goes on, you can see that this woman is deeply burdened by her past and is most likely going through the motions as she tries to figure out who she is. What we do know is that she is a very bold stalker, with many of her actions making it so obvious that she either thinks it is perfectly normal to behave as she is, or she is just oblivious to what she does. Looker is well written and gives an inside look into the mind of someone who at first you think is mostly stable (although traumatized and pained by the course her life has taken her on), but you later become convinced she is over the top crazy with her fantasies and thoughts and actions. The story moves along quickly and is very fascinating and disturbing, all of which leads up to a finale that you will never in a million years see coming.

Thanks NetGalley for the advance read. Looker by Laura Sims.
Well, hmm. It was just not a book I would recommend. A woman’s obsession with her celebrity neighbor and total off the hinges of any type of sanity. It just did not work for me. A bitter, creepy one.
I completed the novel to give an HONEST review. Let me shaking my head wondering what others thought all 5 was about.

“Looker” is a deep look at a woman’s loneliness as she loses her husband, her dream of becoming a mother, her self-esteem, and her sense of reality. Her life is falling apart and she is sinking into hopelessness. She directs her unhappiness and fury at her neighbor, the actress, whose life has every blessing that her own life is lacking. It’s a dark story of one woman's descent into madness. It was hard reading about her plight but I kept reading to find out what happens to her. I didn’t like the ending. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Looker is the slow unwinding of a woman as she deals with infertility, the loss of her marriage, infidelity, and obsession with a neighbor. The entire book is basically a run-on of mental conscience of the woman as she makes up situations that don't happen, relates events that do take place, and falls deeper and deeper into mental illness. On one hand, the story felt very flat, just a day to day telling of her life. Thankfully, for the reader, there are a few moments that provide a story arc. I almost thought the story might end without one. At less than 200 pages, this book should be viewed more as an essay or short story rather than a novel.

This book was disturbing for sure. My issue with it was my lack of sympathy or feeling I felt for the protagonist. She just seemed nutty to me. It was a quick read, however, and it kept me interested.

Thank you to NetGalley, Scribner, and Laura Sims for an ARC ebook copy to review. As always, an honest review from me.

Looker is the tale of a sad, obsessed lady. I would consider the book more of a character study in the literary fiction genre with some aspects of suspense. The main character is obsessed with her neighbor, who is an actress. Most of her day is spent daydreaming about scenarios involving the actress. One of the great but also frustrating aspects of the book is the inability to determine what is real and what is a daydream until after the event possibly occurs. There are a thousand reasons why I don’t like the main character, which usually means that I will dislike the book. However, I ended up absolutely fascinated by the story.

The downsides: there are many inappropriate sexual fantasies … and realities. Also she’s a terrible pet owner.

Trigger Warning (and also SPOILER ALERT, but I wish someone had told me this before reading): death of a pet by murder. This deeply upset me

Overall, a horrifying yet fascinating read.