Unfortunately after about 100 pages I had to put this one down.

Perhaps this is a translation or cultural issue but I felt that there was so much fat-shaming, the main character talking about her pudgy arms, obsessed with being thin and dieting. It just rubbed me the wrong way.

The main character is also just not likeable. She murdered a guy and doesn’t seem remorseful. She cheats on her husband. Is mean to her friend. I don’t mind complex characters but it just felt that it was hard to connect and understand the motivations of this character.

The breaking point for me was the sex scene as they watch the news of 9/11 🤔

Not my cup of tea 🤷‍♀️

Faye uses college as an opportunity to become a new woman, shedding her poor upbringing and dark past. She marries Jack, a golden boy from one of Sweden’s most well-known families and sacrifices her own plans to help with his business in their early years. As his business and wealth grow, Faye and their daughter fade further into the background of Jack’s life. Confronted with his indiscretions, Faye is forced out of her own luxurious life. Feeling threatened by a return to poverty, Faye develops a plan to take Jack down.

Almost put this down and boyyyy I’m glad I didn’t. Initially the writing felt short, cold, and impersonal, and this book reminded me of Leila Slimani’s The Perfect Nanny, which I didn’t love. However, after getting used to the style, I came to appreciate it for setting a dark tone at the beginning of the story. Really enjoyed the second half and liked the setting of Sweden, which struck me as lowkey super different than the US in terms of wealth, media, and law. This was eerie and I would recommend if you’re in the mood for a dark novel.

This was WILD. It is twisted, and savage, and oh so good. Faye is our resident protagonist who has loved her husband Jack ever since she met him in college, and done a lot to support him. She always thought he felt the same way. What Jack does not realize though is, no matter how much she loves him, you do NOT want to mess with Faye. But we’ll get to that in a minute. This is told in two timelines, Faye in the current day and Faye in the past, both timelines working together so that we see begin to learn who she really is, as well peel back the onion on learning about the past she has buried. 

In the present day, Jack is now super successful and therefore super rich, but he has selfishly forgotten that Faye had anything to do with that. And not only that, he has begun to put her down every chance he gets. When Faye catches him with another woman and he has the nerve to kick her out, she executes what is quite possibly the most brilliant plan short of using a carving knife on him Bobbitt style.

This could feel like a bit of a slow build with crazy sprinkled in between, but y’all, by the time we got to the end of this thing? My mouth was gaping open and I was SHOOK. And slow clapping. I did not see the end coming, meaning, what I thought Faye did was NOT what I expected and it was bloody brilliant. I will leave you with that, and highly recommend this one, it was overall fantastic. However, you should be warned this one is pretty graphic sexually, but worth pushing past if you can skip over those parts.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the egalley to review! I listened to this one on audio and it was really good, just again note the graphic parts were not as easy to skip over when done that way.

This was my first time reading Camilla Lackberg, and while I was intrigued and simply couldn't look away from this psychological thriller, I feel that I would enjoy some of her previous work much more from what I've read about her characters.

While the concept of an intelligent, rising star of a woman putting her life on hold for her husband and child wasn't new, I was impressed that Lackberg wasn't afraid to take a different spin by making Faye raw, dark and unlikable. That being said, as a reader, I couldn't fully connect with the characters, which made it hard for me to want to race through to the end. I'm all for an anti-heroine, but in this particular read, I just wanted Faye to have a little more relatability. 

I truly enjoyed the settings, the twisted secrets and the weaving format of the book. I will certainly be looking into more of this author's previous work and am excited to see what she produces next!

This book is dark and you will hate all the characters. It takes a really brave author to create terrible characters who draw you in and won't let go. Faye and Jack have been together forever. They are extremely wealthy and Faye basically gave up everything for their family. One day though, she finds out everything is a lie and the story starts spinning in an entirely different direction. 

I honestly didn't enjoy this book but I also couldn't put it down. The characters depict the worst parts of ourselves and I think that made it hard to read. I recommend this book to fans of dark mystery.

The Golden Cage is my first book from Camilla Lackberg.

"Matilda flees her old life and settles into a new one as Faye. While she's a student at the School of Economics she meets Jack. They have a torrid love affair and get married. Faye works hard so Jack can get his company up and running. They have a new baby, the company is wildly successful and Faye has the life she thought she wanted. She discovers that Jack is having an affair and he kicks her out and enforces the prenup he asked her to sign. Now Faye is determined to have her revenge. And Jack has no idea how far she is willing to go..."

There are some seriously flawed characters in this book. And there is a lot of sex. Hookup sex, revenge sex, just crazy amounts of sex. Faye seems to use it as a weapon and an outlet. There is a running theme of female repression all through the book. Jack is a terrible jerk. Even after the initial help and ideas from Faye he still doesn't accept that she can be an asset in running his business or her own business.  Faye's revenge plot was very elaborate and a little nuts. 

Faye mentions several times about the Golden Cage - what it seems like for the wives to spend time at home planning yoga and coffee outings while their husbands provide for them. What are the wives willing to put up with to maintain this outward comfortable life.

You may see the ending coming - there were plenty of hints. It was satisfying but the lenghths Faye had to go to get there were awful.

If you like messed-up, flawed characters you will probably enjoy this book. Good story from Lackberg.

Faye had a shaky past growing up in a remote part of Sweden. Alone in the world, she changes her name and heads off to the big city to attend college, determined to make a better life for herself. Faye meets golden boy Jack. He is a handsome superstar who seems to know anybody and everybody. Jack takes her under his wing and Faye leaves school in her last year to support his endeavors. Unfortunately, as Jack’s success soars Faye is left at home with their daughter. Her opinions no longer valued, it seems the more money and status Jack acquires, the less he needs Faye at his side. When an affair is discovered Faye is set for revenge. Jack has no idea of her violent past or just how far she will go to seek revenge. This fast paced psychological thriller is unputdownable. Translated from Swedish is carries a different tone that I loved. Once you find your rhythm The Golden Cage is completely unputdownable. Highly recommend for your suspenseful summer pick!

An extreme payback novel of wife scorned. Examines women's marginalization in business and family stereotypes. Strong characters and strong sexual content. A fast read.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

Having never read this author before, I do not know if this is her typical style. It’s an enjoyable beach read; don’t expect a very complicated plot.
Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really interesting thriller and was unique in its material. Faye was a compelling protagonist and her characterization was excellent. I found myself turning the pages constantly in the night, unable to put this down!

Part of me wished we got more of Faye's backstory throughout the book. I also found it a bit jarring switching from first person to third person in different sections. It was hard to get back into the third person narrative once the first person narrative was completed.

I know that some reviewers have commented on the explicit sex scenes/references in the book. I didn't mind it. I think it is important to highlight sexuality as a spectrum. I liked how female desire was portrayed in this book. I think it was real and authentic.

This is a great summertime suspense novel. I think it tackled serious themes well and still entertained me at the same time.

Also posted on Goodreads - will post on Instagram soon.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3490574936

I was lucky enough to get a copy thanks to netgalley and the publisher. When a publicist is so passionate about a book, I'm intrigued. You will not regret picking up this book.

The title The Golden Cage is everything, yet it’s deceptive, much like Faye the central character is this intriguing blend of domestic/psychological suspense Nordic Noir. For me, the back stories added so much depth to this updated story of A She Devil. .  Faye and her friends me cheering as they melted down the bars of their luxurious lives and bent them into weapons for the artful revenge of women wronged.

They say nothing blinds us like love...[but] nothing blinds as much as the dream of love. Hope is a powerful drug."

An incredibly fast read that I found impossible to put down so read today in one sitting. Domestic drama fueled by revenge, this novel reminds most women that there is more than one way to get over being betrayed by a man. Not that any of us would go to the extremes that Faye Adelheim manages as she extracts vengeance on the husband who nearly destroyed her. 

Faye and Jack have a lovely life in Ostermalm with their young daughter, Julienne. Though wealthy and socially popular, Faye feels that her husband is growing distant and may even be having an affair. It's even more upsetting when Jack dumps her and leaves her with nothing, despite the fact that Faye is the one who helped Jack get his successful business going in the first place. She gets mad and then she decides to get even. NO SPOILERS.

Lots of secrets, lies and way too much sex, but it was entertaining and a nice diversion from more serious literature and grisly thrillers. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for this e-book ARC to read and review.

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I don’t know how I have never read anything by this author before. This woman can write!!
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Faye falls madly in love with Jack, the golden boy, in business school. She sacrifices her own education to help Jack get his business off the ground, which becomes wildly successful. Thereafter, she has a baby and devotes herself to being a wife and mother, supporting Jack in everything.
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They become extravagantly wealthy and the envy of the upper echelon in social circles.
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Before long, Jack becomes cold, treating Faye with derision and disdain. He ignores the fact that her keen intelligence and her personal sacrifices were causative to the success of their company.
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Faye discovers Jack is having an affair, which leaves her completely shattered, barely able to function and totally destitute. 
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She begins to pull herself together, tapping into her inner strength and ingenuity and becomes hell bent on clawing herself out of the hole and exacting revenge on Jack. ✨
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This book is sexy, dark and tangled, full of secrets, lies, betrayal and revenge.

The woman scorned trope takes a giant leap in this intensely steamy thriller about a determined mother who brews up a plan of revenge so complex it will leave readers reeling..

Faye is a woman who transformed herself into a millionaires wife. Taut, lean body with an insatiable sexual appetite. The perfect wife & mother but it was not enough for her greedy husband. Faye even helped her husband build his million dollar empire but alas as powerful successful men usually do he cheated on Faye. The difference is Faye is not a woman to take that lying down.
This book is definitely different than any book I've read. One because it is set in Sweden and two the main character is not a woman to be messed with. I fell in move with main character Faye because instead of falling into misery and depression over her failed marriage. She got revenge in ways most women wish they could when their man does them wrong. You need to go out and buy this book!!!!!!! Thank you to Netgalley & Knopf Publishing for my honest review

First, so many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. It's available now for everyone!  This book was seriously delicious - the world Lackberg created was so dark, set against the idea that everyone in Scandinavia is ranked so high on the "happiness" scales.  I absolutely loved the main character, Faye.  I loved the Jack, her ex/husband, was just so, so very bad - Lackberg showed no mercy in creating his character.  It took me about a third of the book to get completely absorbed, but once I did, I couldn't put it down - to the point of staying up way too late to finish the book despite the lack of sleep I know I'd be facing the next day.  I definitely recommend this and can't wait to see if there is a second book about Faye

Hall hath no fury like a woman scorned can not describe this book any better! It goes to show you that you never really know someone like you think you do. The book kept me guessing on what would happen next the whole time! I was never really expecting it to go the way that it did. I really enjoyed this read!

*SPOILERS AHEAD: BEWARE* 

I was expecting a feminist revenge story but that's not really what this is and the reason for that is because in a tale like this you have to be able to empathize or at the very least sympathize with the abused but I couldn't because she is just so awful.

Faye is a very intelligent young woman that meets Jack and they hit it off. He is trying to start up a company and does so with a lot of help from Faye. You know the kind of help I mean: all of her ideas and money. Faye gives up her school and any career ambitions she has to cater to the needs of Jack. Jack is, well, a jackass. He's physically and emotionally abusive and spends most of his time letting his penis make his decisions and will sleep with any woman that has a pulse.

Faye doesn't believe the love of her life would ever cheat on her even if he is the biggest prick in the world because they are soulmates? 🤨

Imagine her surprise when she comes home one day to find her husband doing the deed with a co-worker in her bed. Shocking! 😲

He tells her he wants a divorce and leaves her high and dry thanks to that pre-nup! 😭

Faye is beyond devastated so she hatches a plan take her revenge once and for all. She will destroy Jack if it's the last thing she does. 🤬

That really does sound good but the rub here is that Faye's character is so inconsistent. For a woman of such high intelligence and confidence I found it hard to believe that she would become such a doormat. Let's not forget what she did to her ex-boyfriend (who was very sweet, btw) in order to be with Jack? Killed him! Yup, that's right she drugged him and then set him on fire! A completely innocent and kind man. 

How can I ever root for a woman that did that???? And if she can do that then I highly doubt she'd put up with any of Jack's shit and I don't care how handsome he is.

Once you hit the 50% mark it's all about Faye and how she starts her own multi-million dollar company *cue eye roll* and it all began by her starting a dog walking business which then evolved into a makeup and hair care line called Revenge. Suuuuuuurrrrreeeee. In fact it seems like every one in Sweden is a millionaire. I am clearly living in the wrong country.

I mean dog walking -> hair and makeup line -> in about a year or two MULTI MILLIONAIRE! I wish everything in life was that easy. Oh wait, this is fiction.

Now let's talk about sex! There is a ton of cringe-worthy scenes and Faye is constantly running around wet in her panties. This lady ought to start packing spare ones in her handbag! Yuck!

Did I tell you all how much pleasure she takes in Jacks new girlfriends misery? She knows that he's abusing her and it gives her the giggles. She even goes so low as to start sleeping with Jack again just so she can rub it in her face by sending her the photos. This man that she hates. This man that she loathes. This same man she's taking revenge on. She sleeps with time and time again. Huh. What message are we sending here? I don't think this is how feminism works. 

Pedophilia get's thrown in too - out of nowhere. Was that really necessary? I'll answer my own question. No, it wasn't.

I will say the writing is very good and nothing appears lost in translation as far as I could tell. I just really didn't like Faye. Couldn't root for her at all. Did I want Jack to get his? Yeah, but I kind of also wanted to take her down too. 2 *You aren't a feminist you are a conniving bitch* Stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

| BOOK REVIEW 

@lackberg’s THE GOLDEN CAGE is a wild ride of secrets, love, betrayal, and revenge. And that’s not even the half of it. I’ve been really into Nordic thrillers and crime fiction for the past few years (thanks @crimebythebook) so I didn’t hesitate to move this book to the top of my list. WOW, am I glad I did!

Faye Adelheim is 34 years old, married, and living it up in Stockholm, Sweden. She has the seemingly perfect life with her husband and daughter, but things aren’t always what they seem. She met Jack in business school and ended up choosing to waitress in order to support his endeavors. Now that Jack is successful, giving up a career to please him hasn’t quite worked out the way she thought it would. Oh did I mention she signed a prenuptial? What is Faye going to do when she figures out Jack isn’t the dreamboat she thought he was? Well, read on book lovers because things get real good from here on out.

It’s always refreshing when you happen across a cleverly written thriller and Läckberg has done just that. What’s more perfect for summer reading than a dark, titillating psychological thriller? Nothing tickles my fancy more than a story of revenge executed perfectly. And Readers: I can confirm the cover matches the words inside. THE GOLDEN CAGE is sensational, sexy, and surprising!

Someone, anyone, please tell me if you’ve read Camilla Läckberg before because I need to know what book to pick up next!

Thank you so much @aaknopf for my #gifted copy.

Is this one on your radar?!