I was approved as an ARC for this book, it was such a nice thriller set in the icy mountains. I love how the twists kept coming unexpectedly and you never saw the next move until it happened. It was a good book and I really recommend reading it if you enjoy books about friendship, thriller, suspense and all. Go get your copy as soon as you can.

Book Review 📚
Title: Made You Look
Author: Tanya Grant

This book sounded so good. I was really excited when I received an eARC!

A group of influencers go on a retreat but it turns deadly. I sadly found this book really boring. It took me a long time to get through it. I just kept waiting for it to get better. It took too long for something to happen.

I really wish I had enjoyed this book but unfortunately it wasn’t for me. I’m glad I got the chance to read it but I don’t see myself reading this again.

Thank you NetGalley, Tanya and Berkley Publishing Group for the eARC!

Publication Date: November 18 2025
Rating: ✨✨✨

I have conflicting thoughts on this book. On one hand, I thought the author portrayed the vapid-ness of the influencers really well. I thought they were really shallow and borderline unlikeable, which is what I think they were going for. Solid win for character development. The author also did a great job setting the scene, and making you feel like you were in the remote wilderness, adding to the seclusion vibe. I loved that.

What I didn't love was how long it took for something to happen. There was so much background development on the characters, that nothing "thriller-like" happened until almost half way through the book. And even then it seemed/felt more accidental than suspicious of some unknown entity terrorizing them. This was not a long read, but it took me several days to get through. Unfortunately I found it pretty boring throughout most of the book.

Also having guessed early on one aspect of the twist, I didn't have that jaw-drop moment that you look for in a thriller. Where you're expecting a shocking moment, I didn't really have that. I wouldn't say this was a bad book by any means, I just would be hesitant to classify it as a thriller. It just did not have that feel through any part of the book. I would label it as a General Fiction and probably leave it at that, with snippets in the blurb that it has suspenseful moments in some parts. I wanted to love this so much, but I just couldn't get behind it all the way through.

I gave it 3 stars, but in reality it's more like a 2.5 star read for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of Made You Look by Tanya Grant due to be published November 18, 2025.

Sydney Kent, an influencer, and four of her friends are dropped off at a yet-unfinished retreat in the middle of winter. What could go wrong?

This book, in my opinion, was almost in the YA category. Maybe I’m just not into that category, but I could only take so much influencing! The characters were somewhat developed, but it was the typical snowed in without enough food-people are dying- premise that I’ve read before. All this being said, there were several twists that made me want to finish the book, but I could only give it three stars out of five.

#NetGalley #TanyaGrant #MadeYouLook #BerkleyPublishingGroup

A wonderful thriller from a bold new voice! Grant's debut was a satisfying read, one I'll be mulling over for the weeks to come. I loved the setting, and I agree that at times the meandering pace was unexpected for the genre, but I, for one, ultimately really loved the pay off!

The synopsis of this book had me hooked. A snowed in retreat, a group of influencers cut off from their followers, and a killer on the loose? Say less. I was ready for a juicy, twisty, page turning thrill ride. The prologue had me thinking, Yep, this is gonna be one of those can’t put it down reads.

Well… no.

The promising start gave way to a slow, drawn out slog of a story that felt more like a drama filled influencer getaway than any kind of gripping thriller. The writing? Meh. It lacked the punch and atmosphere you'd expect from something billed as a suspenseful debut. I kept waiting for the tension to kick in—for the dread to build—but it just… didn’t.

Some characters felt completely unnecessary, like they were added just to hit a headcount. Others were mildly tolerable, but let’s be honest, there wasn’t anyone really worth rooting for. The cast had all the surface drama, but none of the depth.

To be fair, about halfway through it almost reeled me back in. The writing improved a little, the pace picked up but just as quickly, it lost me again. The story kept dipping back into “boring” territory like it couldn’t decide what it wanted to be.

I did enjoy the “story post” chapters. Those had a creative flair that gave some freshness to the structure and voice. But that alone wasn’t enough to save the rest.

As for the grand reveal of the killer? Honestly, I laughed. (Sorry.). The “twist” felt weak, the motive flimsy, and by that point, I just wanted it to wrap up. But then… it didn’t. It kept going. And I kept asking, what’s the point? 🤷🏻‍♀️

In the end, this wasn’t the irresistible thriller I was promised. Just the whole lack of tension, unlikable characters, and a forgettable payoff made it fall flat for me.

- 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.💐ᡣ𐭩

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A group of friends who are also influencers or connected to influencers spend a weekend in a remote chalet. Not everyone survives.

I'm DNF-ing at 36%

The characters are interesting but not enough for me to keep reading. There are breadcrumbs about something they might have done in their past but I'm so not interested that I'm not going to keep reading to find out. I think the first act of the books does need to grab me and make me want to continue reading and this book simply doesn't. If it were sharper or less explanation about nothing was cut out, maybe I would stick around for the "big reveal" but from how it reads currently, the big reveal will be over explained and lack luster.

This novel was pretty good. It was a slow build, but as long as the reader stays tuned to the story, it ends up good. It has just enough to keep the reader hooked through the slow build. The main character or who the book starts off with (or who I see as the main character) is Lucy, a photographer and cancer survivor....she works for a very popular social media influencer, Sydney. I find with the three female characters - Lucy, Sydney, and Caitlyn. there was good character development throughout the novel. All of them grow and some of them has had surprise endings. I know Nash didn't stay alive long and there is Jeff and Brent, but I wish their points of views could had been explored, even for a bit. At the same time, I do understand why the author doesn't, cause it would ruin the ending...I guess we do go into one of their points of views, through a third party observing Sydney...Overall, a great novel. I would recommend it to read to a friend and would read it again. Good plot, character development, a B+ for story...

I really enjoyed this fast paced thriller. Number one: the characters were great. Number two: I’m a sucker for a group of people trapped together somewhere. Kind of like a locked room mystery. The plot was wild and this was easy to get through.

Be sure to add this to your TBR! It will be out November of 2025. Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this ARC.

An influencer retreat / slasher read? This sounded like so much fun!

A small group of influencers are invited to the Reverie before it opens to do some early promotion. The only problem? The place isn’t fully prepared, there is no food or staff to be found, no vehicles to get out, and now they are snowed in.

This was a fun popcorn style thriller, with an atmosphere that definitely contributed to the story. That claustrophobic feeling of being stuck somewhere sat uneasily over the events of the book, adding to the overall creepy feeling. With a limited cast of characters that dwindles down as the pages add up, it kept me guessing as to who the baddie would be and who would be the last one standing. I could see this one making a fun horror flick!

Thank you to Berkley for the gifted arc. All opinions are my own,

The premise hooked me: influencers trapped at a snowy luxury retreat turned crime scene? Yes, please. But while the setup was promising, I struggled to stay invested early on. The characters, all influencers or part of their entourage, lacked the depth or likability that might have made the slow-burn beginning more compelling. It wasn’t until the halfway mark that the thriller elements kicked in.

Some plot mechanics required a bit of suspension of disbelief—particularly the elaborate murder setup in a snowstorm and the unreliable tech details around cell/WiFi access. There were also some choices (like naming the main influencer Sydney and nodding to Scream lore) that felt too on-the-nose and pulled me out of the story. Add in a few jarring sex scenes and a rushed resolution, and the payoff didn’t quite land.

That said, once the momentum picked up, the pacing and final twist held enough intrigue to carry me to the end. A decent pick for readers who enjoy influencer drama meets closed-circle thrillers, but go in with tempered expectations.

Wow. Just wow. This was insanely good. The dark side of social media and revenge. The story had me hooked from the beginning and didn't let up. Definitely recommend.

It’s a new generation out there and us old timers aren’t that familiar with the world of social influencers. How does one become such a thing? And, better yet, make a living at it?
The cast of characters: Sydney, the new social media darling, the bright flame around whom everyone congregates; Caitlyn who handles her social media; Lucy the best friend and photographer who is indebted to Sydney for coming to her rescue in her time of need; Jeff, Sydney’s boyfriend, the little boy in the godlike body; Nash, the elegant stylist; and Brent, Sydney’s manager. They’re all headed to a photoshoot at a new hotel in the Catskills, a mountain resort area north of New York City.
The characters are all in a love/hate relationship with each other. It’s friendship vs duty, while all the while each one comes to realize that each one is his own brand, no matter how interdependent. And in their world that means posing for the camera, no matter how dangerous or self-centered. Anything for that perfect shot.
The characters get snowed in and somehow there isn’t enough food to see them what should have been a weekend shoot. There are no snowplows around to dig them out and no internet connection.
Ms Grant’s writing is good, but…we know that someone will get murdered, however it was a long slog to get to the ¾ mark which is when it happens.
We get pulled into the lives of these selfish egomaniacs, realizing who they are, yet rooting for them. They’re all users, they just don’t see things that way. Loyalties and friendships are tested, especially when faced with murder.
Thank you, Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

I tried to get into this book, but sadly, the concept was there, but the story was not. Convoluted and uninteresting characters. DNF- only got about one-third of the way through.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tanya Grant and Berkeley Publishing for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was fun! I was really into this one instantly, influencers deserted in the woods alone - 100% need! It’s twisted and dark - everything I was looking for in a thriller. It did take a while to get into the action, but there’s never a dull moment in the build up. I would recommend.

It took awhile for the action to get started but overall this was a solid read. I wish the characters were more interesting and engaging.

I feel so bad I wanted to love this book but I couldn’t. Characters jumbled and I lost track of who was who and had to keep re-reading.

3.5⭐️
So over all I enjoyed the story as a whole in a fluff type of way. Was it a pulse pounding thriller? No. Was it fairly predictable? Yes. But it was entertaining enough where I wanted to finish it and see what happened.

I think what drew me in is I could completely see a bunch of influencers actually behaving this way. It had a realness to it. While it was simple it had decent pacing. I think what I enjoyed the most is how the author explored the dynamics between the group. There was a definitive hierarchy with Sydney being the “Queen Bee” but the story is told through other people eyes and how they relate to her. It was effective.

The Book doesn’t come out until November 18 2025 making is a good transition book at the take end of spooky season before heading into the holidays.

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary eARC from Berkley Publishing through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

3.5 stars

I loved the premise of this book, and the remote Catskills setting was so fun. The group dynamics were interesting, and the tension buildup had me on the edge of my seat at times.

I will add that a good bit of what I read was so unbelievable which distracted me and caused a bit of a disconnect.

Overall a fun and entertaining read. I liked it.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.