Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I am sorry, but I did not care for this :( I have really loved some of Berry’s previous books, but I think she really shines when writing about children. This one was about a group of former addicts filming a reality show. When one turns up dead under mysterious circumstances, Laurel, the show’s therapist, must investigate. A lot of it seemed pretty silly and implausible. Just wasn’t for me.

Lucinda Berry never fails to put out a quick and fast paced thriller that really keeps you engaged. I read this one in less than 24 hours. I really liked the multiple POV’s with the mystery included, it helped to keep the plot going and the reader guessing. I was interested right from the get go, the book starts off with a murder and immediately you are thrown into a whodunit mindset. Sometimes mysteries can get a little confusing with too many characters to follow, but I thought this one was very easy to keep up with, and the characters were clear and recognizable. Although the ending wasn’t something that was tied up with a nice little bow, I really did enjoy the emotional ending.

Spoiler:
What I would’ve liked is more about Noelle. For her to flip so dramatically in such a huge way over a story about a girl she never knew, it didn’t really resonate with me. That part I wanted to hear more about.

This was a really unique, fast-paced, and entertaining book! I enjoyed this little thriller/mystery.

I felt like this had a really unique and interesting concept, following grown-up child stars and their struggles (but with a little murder thrown in).

All of these characters are so questionable, entertaining and dramatic, I really did have a good time with this. You get to constantly be wondering if someone is reliable, lying or just struggling with their trauma in a less-than-healthy way and therefore coming across as suspicious.

As a mood reader who loves character-based books, I would definitely look into this if you want something like nothing you've read before.

But definitely look into trigger warnings: childhood trauma, exploitation, addiction, self-harm (those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head, there might be more).

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.