Wow, this book! Pay attention when you read it!

At first I thought, is this ever going to have a point? And then it did, and a complicated one at that!

What a family. It all revolves around Clara Wieland, her brother Teddy, and his wife Jess. The story switches timelines at will, moving back in their lives and then to the present, when Teddy is running for senator. His campaign is in increasing turmoil, and it all starts with Clara and her sad troubled past. I wasn’t sure whether to believe Clara was telling the truth or to think she needed to be back in the hospital! But the kinks finally began to unfurl and some things were clearer and eventually it all came to light—-there was an explanation for all these terrible occurrences!

The ending was a shocker to me and not at all what I was expecting. It’s the story of a wealthy family whose money does nothing to bring them happiness—-it only makes them more physically comfortable in their misery. But the ending leaves us with some contentment for the future.

3.5 stars rounded up.

VANTAGE POINT took me on a slow slide into madness.

This story is a profound statement about social media culture, the unrealistic and often harmful expectations placed upon women, money, power, and the dangers of AI.

Pacing is a slow unfolding, but that’s okay because the journey is the point of the story.

The audiobook is narrated by Adam Ewer, Helen Laser, and Jess Nahikian. Production is fantastic. I believed their characters, and I was fully engaged throughout.

In Vantage Point you are taken on a journey that follows two main characters, best friends Clara and Jess. Clara struggles while Jess seems to keep it together. As they progress through life, we see Clara's eating disorder play a role in how she copes with life and her personal relationships. We also see how Jess deals with the pressure of being the future-senator's wife. As boundaries are crossed and relationships are tested, the true colors of the ones you think you know are coming out to plan.

I LOVED this. Everything balances perfectly between on-edge, unlikeable, unhinged - and absolutely believable. This is so well crafted: the characters, the atmosphere, the pace, the ending. I was so on the edge of my seat throughout the story, I might as well have fallen off. There's so much to unpack here and I feel like I have a lot more to say, but for now: love love love.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in return for an honest review!

I've been waiting for another book by Sara Sligar since I read (and loved) Take Me Apart a few years ago, so Vantage Point was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. In her new novel, Sligar introduces readers to the Wieland siblings, Clara and Teddy, the only surviving members of a prominent, wealthy family widely known for being cursed. During the month of April going back more than a hundred years, countless Wielands have died tragically, often in freak accidents. Now, Teddy has decided to begin a senatorial run in April. What could possibly go wrong? The problems begin quickly, when intimate videos of Clara and, later, Teddy's wife Jess, are leaked online. And then Clara begins seeing her parents everywhere...which is impossible, because they themselves were victims of the Wieland curse years before.

Vantage Point had a lot of promise, but ultimately, it didn't completely work for me. Sligar introduces lots of timely topics and ideas into the narrative -- eating disorders, deepfakes, commentary about AI, complex female friendships, toxic romantic relationships, family secrets, political intrigue -- with varying degrees of success. I found, unfortunately, that the most interesting plot points (the family curse aspect, the complicated relationships between the three main characters) weren't given nearly as much attention as I'd hoped. This is a book that is almost entirely focused on advanced technology and the concept of deepfakes; it definitely wasn't the Gothic suspense I thought it was going to be.

Sligar is a gifted writer, and her character work is strong, even if the characters in Vantage Point are mostly unlikable. It just felt like this story was missing something. I wanted more tension, and I wanted the narrative to surprise me more instead of unfolding in a way that was so completely expected. Vantage Point is full of so many fascinating, ambitious ideas; Sligar just focused on the ones that held less interest for me as a reader.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This was an interesting tech type thriller. It had a great beginning but then I felt like I kind got confused and it feel short.

I really enjoyed the author's debut novel but the plot twist to this one was so silly and scientifically not possible that it pulled me out of the story.

This book is part domestic thriller, part psychological thriller, with a dash of sci-fi thrown in. (Or at least I’m telling myself it’s a bit of sci-fi – if it’s not, the level of technology described makes it hard to suspend disbelief.) The plot was a little bit slow to get started, but once it did, it was really compelling. The story is told from the POV of Clara and her best friend and sister-in-law, Jess. The author did a great job with the dual point of view, telling different sides of the story, giving different pieces of backstory. At one point, I felt like I was reading two different, only slightly interconnected stories, which in another book might be annoying but since the characters were not speaking to each other at that point it actually worked really well. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. I do want to mention one content warning specifically, and that is that one of the POV characters struggles with bulimia. If you are triggered by disordered eating, particularly a first-person depiction of it, you may want to skip this book. Also, for people who can’t tolerate an unlikeable character or a character who repeatedly makes poor decisions, this may not be the book for you.

CW: eating disorder (1st person main character), sexual assault, explicit sex, misogyny, gaslighting, domestic abuse

Representation: Bisexual character

Great prose and character work. Loved the multiple narrators, both felt authentic yet distinct. Very obviously based on the Kennedys, but was very creative in bringing the family into the modern era.

Vantage point by Sara Sligar was a story surrounding Clara, her brother Teddy and Jess, Teddy's wife and Clara's long time friend. Clara and Teddy are from the affluent Wieland family living on a remote island in Maine at the Vantage Point Estate. Teddy is running for Senate when videos start to emerge to taint the Wieland name and events are reminiscent of the Wieland family curse.

While an intriguing story full of twists, there are trigger warnings with heavy topics throughout. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I appreciate her writing, but this story was not for me. I didn't like the technology story, didn't like the characters that much, and was very surpised by one of the character's actions. It didn't seem to match up with the their traits throughout the book.

Well written, fast paced, and very timely. This will work well for anyone who loves Succession, rich people behaving badly, and thrillers as a genre. It’s very dark, but would still be an excellent vacation read!

I enjoyed most of this, but the ending was deeply unsatisfying and not worth all the pages spent reading.
This also isn't anything like Succession. It's more akin to a fictionalized version of the so-called Kennedy Curse.

A famously cursed family? You have my attention. This plot had a lot of elements that sound like they should draw me in and keep me riveted but it fell pretty flat for me. I think in a few weeks if you ask me about this book I won’t remember much. It was fine. It could be good company for a drive. Thank you to the publisher for the free ebook and audiobook to review.

A rich privilege, old money thriller. Clara and her brother Teddy grew up fast after their family has died off mysteriously with accidental deaths coming in the month of April. Their trauma has led to many side effects, eating disorders, mental health concerns and distorted views of reality.

Teddy grows up to marry Clara’s best friend Jess and as he is running for Senate. Clara is caught up in a scandal with X rated videos surfacing that she doesn’t remember ever recording or anything about the night at all. Another video released of Clara and his wife, Jess, joking about Teddy with Clara joking that Jess married him for the money. A new tech/ deep fake technology may be being used to target the family and reveal their darkest secrets.

Loved the stories about all of the mysterious deaths, definitely gave me Kennedy family vibes.

Present and past POV that show Jess and Clara’s friendship more. Narration was excellent! Different narrators for each POV! I enjoyed this read and kept me engaged- even though the ending took an odd turn. Such a quick change for one of the characters with not a lot of rationale other than under pressure ?

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise was definitely unique—leaked videos, possible deepfake technology, a cursed wealthy family, and political scandals—initially drawing me in with strong psychological and mystery elements. What's this about the Wieland curse? However, as the story progressed, I found my interest wavering, often skipping over the Wieland curse chapters and experiencing moments of engagement followed by periods of disengagement. But holy heck, that ending!! What in the world!! Overall this one was a 3 star experience for me.

As someone who’s been devastated since it ended, the description had me at “Succession” and thank god it did because I loved this one. A messy family with one son running for office (admittedly he’s no Connor) and a curse that seems to kill off a family member every few Aprils, plus a sci fi twist. It sounds like it shouldn’t go together but I thought it was executed well and kept me engaged through the whole thing.

Sara Sligar’s Vantage Point is a clever, fast-paced thriller that explores themes of trust, deception, and the power of perspective. With sharp prose and intricate plotting, Sligar builds a tense narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The characters are engaging and well-developed, and the unraveling of the story's mysteries is both satisfying and thought-provoking. This is a thrilling ride from start to finish, perfect for fans of intricate, character-driven mysteries.

Subterfuge, deep fakes, grisly deaths and a family curse. Californian writer Sara Sligar whiplashes between Gothic family drama and outrageous high-tech caper in Vantage Point, her latest thriller which is set on an island in Maine.

We meet the Wieland family. Rich, successful and cursed. Through the decades, horrible accidents have befallen members of the family in April. From run-of-the-mill stabbings, drownings, poisonings, yacht fires, suicides, collisions and being trampled by horses to being attacked by grizzly bears, a freak badminton accident, being crushed by marquee lights and flattened by steel factory rollers – the Wieland family is not one you want to be part of.

Link to the full review: https://westwordsreviews.wordpress.com/2025/02/04/vantage-point-sara-sligar/

this was a fun and interesting and unputdownable thriller! i found the characters hard to buy, which limited my enjoyment, but i had a good time anyway.