I had high, high expectations for this, coming off a Succession high, and I’m not sure those expectations were met, but I definitely had fun! The Kennedy curse genre is alive and well.

Propulsive, twisty, stressful - I really liked it. Every character in Vantage Point has a secret and flaws, and I loved getting to uncover the mystery within.

Real Rating: 3.75* of five

Do I hope this is what happens to the richest .01% of families? Yes. Would I sit by and watch with huge schadenfreude while amplifying the most embarrassing, hurtful moments on social media despite the pain it might cause the family in question? Oh my goddesses YES! Extra speedy sharing if they issue statements deploring the hurtful invasion of privacy, and I'll find a way to automate the 24-hour-a-day posting process if they're tech scum!

This book and me? Destined to be besties.

Sounds like a five-star rave is incoming, doesn't it?

Nope. When the shock-twist ending is the same ending you've been telegraphing all along, you don't get five stars. It could be some meta thing, playing on my expectations for a twist in a thriller by not giving me one; I don't tend to read thrillers for that sort of playfulness (which is usually disappointing and annoying anyway). Why it bothered me was that the author was flagging the ending in what felt like every chapter, most unsubtly; then that's what happened; so why'd I read all this intermediate red-herring-ing?

Because this gothic, soapy, OTT strange-fest was fun. I liked reading it. It wasn't groundbreaking, or paradigm-shifting; no one promised me it would be. I was told I'd have a good time eagerly watching the twisted ending of a hypercapitalist family.

Check.

Would I have liked it more, if...fill in personal crotchet here? Sure, I can play that game all day and most of the night with almost anything. But this book delivers what it promises, and you'll have a good time getting there.

"Vantage Point" by Sara Sligar was certainly a thrilling, high tech read that kept me up late into the night wanting to read what happens next. Overall, I thought that the plot was fairly unique. As her brother Teddy is running his Senate campaign, heiress Clara Wieland is experiencing explicit deepfake videos of her posted to the internet. As the Wielands (including Clara's best friend Jess who is married to Teddy) attempt to move past the scandal, Clara starts to lose her grip on reality, haunted by the ever-looming "Wieland Curse."

I did appreciate the exploration of the impacts of these technologies and the exploration of the back stories of these characters. However, while the story was compelling, I struggled with feeling much sympathy for many of these characters. The book was described as inspired by "Succession," one of my favorite shows, but the characters were simply extremely rich. Additionally, I figured out quite quickly the cause behind these events, which made the middle portions of the book feel a bit repetitive as Clara continues to experience "the Curse."

Overall, it was a fun read, but given the length of the book, I would have liked to have seen a bit more complexity to the plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and MCD for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

4 ⭐️

I enjoyed this book a lot! I thought it was a unique concept and unlike other books I typically read. I went through a bit of a reading slump while reading it, but it genuinely wasn’t because of the book. The ending left me with so many questions still, so I’ll definitely be thinking about it for a while.

Thank you to Sara Silgar, MCD, and NetGalley for the ARC.

The descriptiveness that Clara has of the videos she finds online are just terrible. I have read some off the wall things, but this just takes away from the story. Clara is self absorbed and obsessed with the videos and breaking down every aspect of them to try and prove if they are real or fake. I was really hoping for more “thrill” from this book, as the family has a messed up past and supposed curse. It fell flat and is just not one I would recommend.

The uber rich Wieland family is cursed, or so it seems. When Clara moves back to the family camp with her brother and sister in law, she's sure the curse has passed her by. But someone is gaslighting her, a sex tape that she doesn't remember being in but can't swear it's not her, she'll have to start investigating before it's her turn to die.
the plot revolves around AI and how, with the right programming, you can make anything seem real. A thriller with the ultimate question.....is this for real?

3.5 stars- I usually love techno thrillers but this was just middle of the road for me. It wasn’t bad, and it was entertaining, but the story line felt forced and the ending was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and FSG for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Pub Date: 1/14
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I went completely blind into this book and I loved every second of it. I had no idea what I was going to be getting - but this - this was just awesome.
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I was absolutely enthralled by these characters. The Wieland family had it all, the money and the power; it just sucked they were cursed. Teddy was so interesting, charismatic but I also was sketched out by him. Clara was the family problem; she needed help in more ways that one and I really felt for her on so many levels. Jess, Teddy’s wife and Claras best friend was doing her best for both of her family members throughout the story but seemed to always get the short end of the stick. I really loved the uniqueness of each of the different ways the Wieland family members died. This story is told in multiple POV through the eyes of Teddy, Clara and Jess and I think having each POV really gave a deeper edge to this story.
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Once the videos started popping up, thats when things started to get a bit wild. I never really knew who to trust or what to believe. My head felt like it was spinning out of control with how the characters chose to act at times. When everything starts coming together in the end I was truly and utterly flabbergasted. Like this was the coolest and most terrifying outcome. I absolutely loved it.
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I listened to this one via audiobook while reading my ebook and Adam Ewer, Helen Laser and Jess Nahikian were fantastic. They each complimented one another and they created the perfect flow for this story. I highly reocmmend the audiobook if you are looking to read this one.
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Overall, this was the definition of a suspenseful mindfuck and this is one of those books that will stay with you long after you finished. Absolutely fantastic. Make sure you check this one out! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Sara Sligar, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, MCD and MacMillan Audio for the ALC / eARC in exchange fro my honest review.

Vantage point is one of the buzzy new thrillers to kick off 2025 reading season. It follows the cursed weiland siblings, teddy and Clara. The weilands have a long history of deaths in April for years, and teddy and Carla have so far survived the Curse. Their parents died in an unexpected accident years ago and now the siblings and teddys wife/claras best friend, Jessica, move back to their hometown and the sprawling family estate, vantage point. Teddy is launching a senate bid when a sex tape of Clara’s begins to circulate. Clara can’t remember who is in the tape or recognize where she is in the video, but that could be the effect of years of drinking. Are the videos deepfakes done by someone out for the family? Calara is intent on proving that it’s not her, but is she spiraling out of control? And what secrets does her brother hold on his rise to the top?

A blend of gothic and tech thriller, with family drama among the elites of society, this is a fun book! The novel bounces between Clara and Jessica’s pov both in the past and the present interspersed with “research” on the family curse. The three main characters aren’t particularly likable, but that’s not a bad thing in this type of book-just as Clara isn’t sure who to trust (including herself) neither are the readers. I like the blending of elements from various thriller sub genres. I did find the last third dragged a bit, but it was still overall a fun read!

Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

TW: Disordered eating, death

This book has a lot going on, but it all makes sense and fits together so well.

There's a RICH rich family (à la Succession), complicated friend dynamics, a family curse, hallucinations (or are they?), and the coastal Maine setting which is its own character. I truly had such a blast reading this!

Thank you MCD and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Vantage Point, a busy book with subplots and back stories, was a fast-paced page turner for me. Clara, her brother and his wife are wealthy and moving up, as long as they can avoid the family's curse. Occurring only during the month of April several mbers of the family were killed by accidents, they call the Wieland Curse. When a crippling sex video of Clara is released in social media, the status and reputation of the family begins to change. Are cyberbullying, holograms and deep fakes the Weiland Curse for Clara and her family? I found this book to be suspensful and unpredictable. The chatacters were nicely and authentically developed. The pacing of the story was fast and captivating. I will absolutely follow this author and look forward to her next book. Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy of Vantage Point.

𝑽𝑨𝑵𝑻𝑨𝑮𝑬 𝑷𝑶𝑰𝑵𝑻 𝒃𝒚 𝑺𝒂𝒓𝒂 𝑺𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒓! I was offered this ARC by @fsgbooks via @netgalley and it started so strong, so when @macmillan.audio had the audio to pair, I couldn't wait to add it.

This is another fantastic suspense that had me questioning what was real, while addressing the believability of people who have struggled. I was riveted. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

When a video begins to leak that Clara can't remember, is it just another of her lost nights? Teddy, her brother, running for senate, and his wife Jess, Clara's best friend from childhood aren't sure what to think. When Jess is the focus of another leaked video, it is clear someone is out for maximum damage to this elite family. Clara has had her issues, but the family curse must be real as she is experiencing some very strange things, and she is sure she isn't high. The closer she gets to the truth, it becomes clear there are sinister acts afloat, and she may be the only one who believes.

I had no idea where this was going and when it became clear, I was both fascinated and horrified. This taps the very real fear of doubting what we see, both online and in real life. I want to say more about this specifically, but I am afraid of spoilers, so I will refrain.

I thought the way eating disorders were discussed was well done as a way to highlight how we dismiss people who struggle and also just to inform.

I will say that this multiple perspective suspense had me on my toes. I started reading the digital ARC adding the audio after several chapters in. I thoroughly enjoyed the listening experience and recommended either format!

These people were a mess and I loved every second of it. If Succession and rich people behaving badly is your thing, this book is for you. I wasn't sure how I would feel about Teddy, Jess, and Clara's dynamic going into the story, but it ended up feeling like an intense game of Jenga in a good way. Watching Clara with Jess becoming her sister in law and no longer being just her best friend was at times intense and palpable and other times it was devastating. The tightrope Jess walked is one many of us have walked - maybe not in a romantic sense, but at work, school, or in our families. The pressure to perform for someone who holds the keys to what you hold dear even when you don't realize that's exactly what they're doing. Teddy had such "I'M THE ELDEST BOY" energy throughout the second half of the book. It was like watching a train wreck and feeling good about it because no one real got hurt.

While this thriller started pretty slow, establishing the characters and setting the scene, by the end, I couldn't put it down!
The Wieland family is old-money Maine, but their story is also tragic, raising rumors of a curse that has killed generations of Wieland's under strange circumstances. Clara Wieland has spent the last 16 years, since the accidental death of her parents, fighting an eating disorder and self-destructive behavior. She has been doing better lately, until a disturbing video of her surfaces on the internet during her brother Teddy's campaign for a Senate seat. As Teddy, his wife Jess (who has been Clara's best friend for over 20 years), and Teddy's campaign manager try to figure out how to minimize the impact of the video on Teddy's campaign, Clara starts to fall apart and the story takes on "gothic thriller" undertones. However, when another video is released that Jess knows is a deepfake, the focus on the story changes: what is real? Who can you believe? 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Vantage Point was awesome. It fed into a very real fear of AI and Deep Fake videos making it look like people are committing a crime. Utterly horrifying.

The writing in this book was electric. I was enamored from the first word, found myself questioning everything. That is the mark of an incredible thriller.

I loved this one!

This takes you into the world of a wealthy family laden with secrets. True to the nature of a dark suspense thriller, it becomes evident that the story never ends well for someone.

This novel blends the intrigue of new technology with the timeless complexities of family drama. The characters are well-crafted, each bringing their own unique and interesting dynamic to the story. From the very first page, the plot pulls you in and refuses to let go. For anyone who loves a good mystery with twists and turns, I highly recommend!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one was hard for me to rate. I didn’t dislike it, but I didn’t love it either. I was interested enough to want to know how it ended, but the ending disappointed me in some ways (felt it was kind of unnecessary). The concept behind the plot was very interesting and the characters were pretty good, but something just wasn’t there that would make it a 4 or 5 star rating. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me early access.

Part of the challenge of writing about "doomed dynasty" families is that the truth always winds up being stranger than fiction. The Wieland family are basically the Kennedys of Maine, complete with gothic deaths and patently unqualified kids running for office. In this book, the two siblings of the latest generation, Clara and Teddy, are on wildly different life paths -- Teddy as a candidate for the Senate and Clara as a drugged up mess. The action kicks off with an anonymous source sharing a sex tape of Clara -- but is it real? I won't say too much to spoil the ending, but things are twisty and propulsive and kept me guessing until the end.

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ rounded up!
TRIGGER WARNING: prevalent and severe eating disorder, domestic violence
There are certain metaphors that stick with us throughout our journey on the planet. Right down to its title, VANTAGE POINT is a life metaphor in perspective, trust, and greed.

The Wieland family has had a history of horrible unfortunate events happening in the month of April. Teddy Wieland isn’t the superstitious type. Clara Wieland is. Almost every Wieland has died in April. Teddy is running for Senate and it seems to be in the bag since everybody on the island in Maine loves the Wieland family. But when scandalous videos begin showing up online, implicating Clara, Teddy, and even Jess (his wife and Clara’s best friend) in acts they do not remember, Teddy wonders if his campaign will bring success.

This book is wildly creative and interesting in concept, especially the last half. The doubt and drive I had for the truth grew like weeds as I rapidly turned the pages. At first, I wondered if the concept itself (which I won’t disclose because it’s a spoiler) could really hold my attention til the end. But it did. And it all made sense. The ending was WILD! I really enjoyed the persistence in Clara’s character and the energy she gave to the plot. Jess’s character had a very different arc than I expected, yet it is VERY well written. Teddy’s character brought such a gravity to the storyline. Though a little slow in parts, I really liked this one.

A very special thank you to Sara Sligar, NetGalley, and Farrar, Straus, and Giroux for this captivating eARC in exchange for my honest review!