Fishnet presents a compelling premise: the disappearance of a young woman and her sister's subsequent journey into the world of sex work to uncover the truth. However, the execution falls far short of its potential, leaving the reader with a sense of frustration rather than enlightenment. While the initial mystery surrounding Rona's disappearance is intriguing, the narrative quickly becomes a tedious and meandering exploration of Fiona's obsession. The pacing drags, and the story struggles to maintain momentum, often bogged down in unnecessary and repetitive details.
One of the most significant weaknesses of Fishnet lies in its character development. While the blurring of Fiona and Rona's identities could be interpreted as a deliberate choice, perhaps reflecting the shared experiences and societal pressures they face, it ultimately hinders our ability to connect with them on an emotional level. They lack depth and distinct personalities, making it difficult to care about their fates. This lack of emotional resonance undermines the narrative's supposed exploration of complex themes.
Despite the publisher's claims of an "unflinching" portrayal of sex workers, Fishnet offers a surprisingly bland and superficial depiction of this world. For all the talk of challenging assumptions about power, vulnerability, and choice, the novel does little to delve into these issues with any real nuance. Expressing femininity feels equally shallow, failing to offer fresh insights or perspectives. Instead, the narrative presents a rather generic and uninspired view of sex work, lacking the grit and authenticity needed to resonate with the reader truly.
Even the "big reveal" at the novel's end proves anticlimactic. Rather than providing a satisfying resolution to the mystery. While the initial concept held promise, the novel's weak character development, meandering narrative, and superficial exploration of its central themes ultimately leave it feeling flat and forgettable.

I wanted to like "Fishnet," but it just didn’t fully hit the mark for me. The premise—a deep dive into the world of the sex trade and the lives it impacts—is incredibly compelling, and Innes’s writing certainly has its moments. However, the pacing felt a bit slow at times, and I had a hard time connecting with some of the characters. While the book touches on important themes, like exploitation and the complexities of human relationships, I found myself more interested in the concepts than the execution. It’s an ambitious novel, but I was left feeling like there was potential here that wasn’t fully realized. It might resonate more with readers looking for something darker and thought-provoking, but for me, it fell a little flat.

I read this book awhile ago and forgot to give feedback. It was an average book, but didn't find it particularly memorable. It gave a good look at the prostitution industry, but the story itself was unsatisfying.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

This book was very hard for me to get into. I started and stopped several times and I only finished it because I hate to DNF books. The main thing for me was that the writing was very confusing when it would jump around on the timeline with out any notice of which time we were in. That is one of my biggest peeves when reading books in different times. I had to go back and read several chapters because I thought it was a different time than it was.

Working through some of my back list netgalley titles and I'm so glad I chose this one to read. This book didn't get nearly enough attention when it was published and although we already bought the book back in 2019, I'm going to start putting it in more hands when I'm asked for recommendations.

This is a novel about sex workers in Scotland, known to some as prostitutes. Fiona's sister disappeared six years ago, and there is evidence that she was a sex worker prior to her disappearance. In searching for clues to where she is, Fiona gets involved with unknown (and maybe misunderstood) profession. Which is apparently semi-legal in Scotland. I had to google to see if some of the things were real, and they are. Even with the unusual concept, I learned a lot and maybe had my mind opened a little? #fishnet #kirsteninnes #netgalley #advancereadercopy #bookstagram #booklover #reader #lovetoread #booksbooksbooks #bookreview #bookrecommendations #sexworkers #bookloversofinstagram #readersofinstagram #booksallday #readallthebooks #takeapagefrommybook #bookrecommendationsofinstagram

I struggled with the writing and found this book thoroughly confusing. I was unable to finish it and DNF at the 20% mark.

I liked that this gives an honest look at sex work but I did not enjoy the book because I couldn't stand the main character. Plus, there is an almost pitch-perfect fairy tale ending. I'm not spoiling anything because as you read it, you see it coming.

As strange as it sounds, I always enjoy reading fiction books that center around the sex industry. Maybe it comes from my studying human trafficking for my masters degree, I'm not really sure. Fishnet is such an interesting, intriguing book that makes me question the people whoa re actually part of the sex industry and how they got there. Fiona finds out one day that her missing sister Rona had been involved in prostitution when she went missing, so Fiona decides to get involved in the industry to try and figure out just what happened to her sister. This was so poignant and good.

Rona Leonard was only twenty-years-old when she walked out of her sister Fiona’s flat and disappeared.

Six years later—worn down by a tedious job, childcare, and an aching absence in her life—Fiona’s mundane existence is blown apart by the revelation that Rona had been working as a prostitute before she vanished. Driven to discover the truth, Fiona embarks on an obsessive quest to investigate the sex industry that claimed her sister. However, as she is drawn into this complex world, Fiona finds herself seduced by the power it offers women in a society determined to see them only as victims.

In bold, unflinching prose, Fishnet offers a clear-eyed look at the lives of sex workers, questioning our perception of contemporary femininity and challenging assumptions about power, vulnerability, and choice.

Overall, this book was a quick read. It was enjoyable but i wasnt as hooked as I thought I would be.

I am sorry for not reviewing fully but I don’t have the time to read this at the moment. I believe that it wouldn't benefit you as a publisher or your book if I only skimmed it and wrote a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for not fully reviewing!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. Fiona's sister Rona disappeared 6 years ago, leaving her infant daughter for Fiona tor raise as her own. Fiona discovers that Rona had been making her living as a sex worker prior to her disappearance. Fiona searches online and also befriends some of the local sex workers in an attempt to locate Rona. The story switches back and forth in time with little clear indication of the change--that's my only real flaw with this book. The story is well written and the subject matter fascinating.

I was really really excited for this book and really really wanted to enjoy it, but the writing was thoroughly confusing, moving from first to third person tense every few chapters, as well as back and forth from present to past (I think anyway?). I found myself completely lost on who was who, and what was going on throughout, unfortunately. I appreciate an original prose and style of writing, but this just flat-out had me scratching my head at times! At the heart of this novel, there is a mystery about a missing girl that is somewhat resolved at the end, but kind of left in the open as well. Our protagonist was all over the place as well. I felt like maybe she had severe mental problems, and thought for some time we were dealing with an unreliable narrator situation. All in all, just a little bit disappointed things weren't as straightforward and fleshed out with the end, I wanted more answers and definite resolution and didn't really feel like I got that. I did not ever feel like I was going to dnf this, and was thoroughly intrigued throughout, so that's definitely a positive for me to take away from this, especially for an end-of-the-year read.

Excellent book! I couldn't put it down nor do I feel my review could do it justice. This literary thriller is fascinatingly dark and suspenseful and takes off like a rocket from the first line. I'm sorry it took so long to get to this review, and this is definitely worth a re-read. I'm also excited to see she's written two more books after this wonderful debut novel!

Fishnet was everything I wanted it to be. It was a lens into a life that I could not fathom and allowed me to view the world from a different perspective. The character development was amazing and the story is one that will pull at the heartstrings.

I was expecting a straightforward thriller, but I found the plot hard to follow. I had a hard time keeping track of characters and what was going on at any given moment, which was disappointing, because the synopsis of this book sounded so wonderful.

I really wanted to love this book. The synopsis made it sound so good. I was interested in how this thriller would tell the story of a sister's relationship when prostitution was involved. Sadly no to this book. It had some good moments in the story where I was interested in know what happened but for the most part it took turns that made me confused and not understand what the point of it was. I wanted to give it more but I guess couldn't.

Oh my
God. The intrigue and the drama. This was SUCH an interesting read and my heart was POUNDING the whole time

I tried to get into this book but I had a hard time with it. The story was slow paced and the characters difficult to connect with. I was really hoping for more out of this as the description seemed unique. I may give this one another shot at another time