Although this may be short/small, it sure packs a punch. It was an in-depth look character study into a woman who's losing everything: her marriage, her job, her sense of reality, and her mind. I really loved the story, and flew through this one. It reminded me of You by Caroline Kepnes, as we only hear/see her thoughts and interactions. This makes the story all that more powerful. I didn't particularly love the ending, as I felt it left you in the middle of tragedy, without a final close. The ending was a twist, as I envisioned her kidnapping the star and keeping her hostage in her room. It was a great read and I thoroughly look forward to more books from this author.

I think the marketing for this book was a bit misleading. Everything I read led me to believe it was a thriller or some kind of murder mystery. I was so pleasantly surprised to discover that Looker isn't just another domestic thriller, but rather a beautifully written and very interesting character study about a woman who is slowly losing her grasp on reality. The narrator, who remains unnamed throughout the book, is a university poetry lecturer who has recently separated from her husband after years of unsuccessfully trying to have a child. As she struggles with a fragile mental state and self hatred, she becomes increasingly isolated and obsessed with a famous actress who lives down the street.

What I liked to much about Looker was that it was solely focused on one person. Rather than including a wide range of characters, the book is only about the narrator and only gives descriptions of other people through her eyes. Because of her shifting mental state, it's hard to know which of the narrator's observations are the truth, and which are spurred by delusion. She is a riveting character in part because the struggles she's faced in her life make her relatable and in part because many of her actions are completely unrelatable. She is the perfect juxtaposition of victim and perpetrator, of light and dark.

I flew through Looker in two sittings. It's not a very long book, so it's easy to read in a day or two. I was completely absorbed in this story.

2.5/5 stars
Looker is a very short psychological thriller that reads very differently from most other books.

This book has an unnamed female narrator (1st person POV). She is a literature professor.

I really liked the beginning of this book. I love reading about unhinged women. This one is a stalker. She is bitter. She is judgmental. She is obsessed with an actress who lives on her street. She stands outside her house and watches in her window.

I love it when the main character is a woman with stalkerish tendencies. But that is where my love for this book sort of ends. I could tell pretty soon into this book that the story is written very differently from most other books. We do not know the narrator's name. And the book is mostly just her observations and what she thinks. We are in her head a lot.

I definitely prefer books where there are things happening, where there is dialogue. This book has very little of that. She is teaching and going home. But her interactions with other people are very minimal. And when there are other people we hardly get to hear them say anything, but instead just get the woman's thoughts. The book is more like an internal monologue. Everything is what she is thinking.

Also the woman does fantasize and daydream and a few times it was hard to distinguish what was real.

The last part of the book starts to get dark and a bit disturbing. And there is one specific thing that I found very upsetting. And I think that some other people will be very put off by this part of the story.

This book is definitely not a thriller like most thrillers. The end was interesting. But then the story just ended. I definitely would have preferred a more detailed ending.

At first I found it difficult to get used to the story being told completely from the main character's perspective. Later on, however, I came to appreciate how the first person perspective allowed greater insight into the psyche of the main character. I believe many of us can relate to wanting to be part of the lives of celebrities. Most of us are content to watch celebrities from afar through tv shows, movies and magazines. It's when that obsession becomes all consuming that darkness takes root and grows. I really enjoyed this story and am only giving a 4 because I would have found it helpful to have had chapter breaks. I look forward to reading more by this author.

The plot is simple....it is the mental and physical anguish of a woman, who is childless and also dumped by her husband explained through her relationship with her neighbors and the few other people in her life.Some scenes and descriptions in the story are spot on and very relatable. Her obsession with an actress which starts out normal is dragged out a bit .The ending is somewhat blunt and some detail of the thoughts and reactions of others would have given the book more depth. Very few characters in the story and not much character descriptions of anyone. Still, the book manages to convey how loneliness , dysfunctional relationships and the superficiality of today's social interactions can have devastating consequences.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It was intriguing in the beginning. But pretty soon I was having several wtf moments. I didn’t know wether to feel sorry for her, or file a protective order against her.

Short, quick read though. I do wish the ending had a bit more closer.

Also, be warned, there is animal abuse in this book.