The Sex Tourist

This is was spicy and sexy!
The author gives us very detailed and explicit scenes and I loved that. Most times when I am reading an erotic read, I find myself wanting more detail to make more of an impact. While I know that is not necessarily needed to make a great read, at times I just want that and Olivia did not disappoint.

There are layers upon layers in this book and Olivia took the time to make sense of all these. Nothing was rushed. We see in our minds exactly what she intends, there is no margin for error.

Her writing style kept me engrossed and wanting more. It was fluid and smooth. Detail upon detail. It was great to have dual points of few. Every side has a story to tell and they certainly told it!

Sex + angst + twists + dark = a delicious read.

4.75-5 STARS

“The Sex Tourist” is a starkly graphic depiction of the life of a Hungarian call girl named Lily and the events that transpired leading to her subsequent murder. Written in two halves, the first part of the book is taken from Lily’s own diary accounts. The second half chronicles the events AFTER Lily’s death, written by her twin sister, Vivian.

While many aspects of this story are disturbing, I found it fascinating, nonetheless. No one aspires to become a prostitute. But sometimes life takes you on an unexpected journey, riddled with bumps and turns along the way. At the onset, "The Sex Tourist" details Lily's horrific life's journey, then later diverges into Vivian's. It's the story of twin sisters that started out together, but ultimately traveled two entirely different paths.

How much is fact and how much is fiction, is difficult to assess. I suspect, however, that much of what is written is reality-based, taken from actual events. That being said, one cannot read Lily & Vivian’s story and not find that they have been touched in a very significant way. Their story is poignant, disconcerting and alarmingly real. And a story I won't easily forget.

I loved this book. It pulls you in straight away. It's gritty, honest and at times hard to read but is worth every second of your time.

Starting out I had my doubt as it seemed rather raw. Prostitutes, drugs, strip clubs, just not my thing. Sure enough the book evolved into a good story, albeit a bit far-fetched at times but again what do I know of such incidents. Sadly, just recently there was a news article about what young people are doing to pay for college and this made the story somewhat more realistic. As the story progressed it turned into a case of revenge and from that point in the story I became engrossed and found myself rooting for the surviving twin. Not to give anything away but to entice readers to give this book a try I will mention the elements of the story. Already mentioned the prostitution and drugs, but there is also a multi continent chase, elements of romance, murder, violence, the latest spy ware technology and seemingly an explanation for why a young woman would put herself through this. I personally despise anyone who would abuse a woman, but there is some physical violence involved and let’s face it, it does exist and its insertion into the story appears as brutal realism. When reaching the part about DNA forensics I was astonished at the knowledge shown, over my head but still impressive. This being the author’s first book gives me an expectation of some great reading in the future and as such I will be following this young lady’s work and sincerely hope others will also. Her Bio states this book to be based on her own true life events which further validates the story. Must give all the stars allowed on this one.

OMG!!! This book is absolutely phenomenal!! It provides a heart-wrenching, eye-opening, stomach churning experience into a world most of us will never know. It helps you connect, relate, and understand the characters and their choices. I was captivated from the beginning to the end. I highly recommend this book. It's definitely not a book for prudes. I will be recommending this to all my friends! Wow!

Hi, sweeties! The last week I finished a book so shocking that I couldn’t even find words to describe it. The worst of this situation was that I also got a terrible cold and I stuck in bed until yesterday. So I’m back, feeling not totally well but ready to review this wonderful book!

PREMISE
I was excited when the publishing house allowed me to review this book. I’m not new to this literary genre (erotic thriller) but I’ve been deceived by an Italian author who has written a book of the same genre, but it was written really badly. I hoped that this book could reassure me about that Italian writer, and I’m happy to say that not only this book has satisfied my high expectations. I recommend you all it.

SYNOPSIS (FROM GOODREADS)
When sex worker Lilian falls for a British guy she can’t help but imagine a better life for herself, but the temptation of easy money will ultimately seal her fate.

After finding Lilian’s diary, her sister, Vivian, sparks a private international man hunt across three continents, using whatever resource she can and without any help from the authorities, in the hope of catching her sister’s killer. But to do so Vivian must also face the shocking reality of the life her sister had led. The trail to discover the truth is often more complicated than it first seems…

**This story contains explicit sexual content and graphic language and is only suitable for readers aged 18+**

EDITORIAL REVIEWS
“This novel will seductively draw you into the hidden world of sex workers, whilst also a tender love story - love between two sisters and a test of how far we will go for love” - Amazon Review

“Her approach to life makes this book an absolute page turner. I simply couldn’t put it down” - Amazon Review

REVIEW
This book isn’t suitable for those people who have a feeble tolerance to books that are strikingly shocking. I knew it before I even started the book. I was ready for this. I have read three/four Italian books that treat the same subject, so this topic wasn’t new for me. But there’s a huge difference between this and the book I’ve read at the end of January. This book is not only well written but also exciting and thrilling. Lilian Biro, called “Lily” by her relatives and her “not so good boyfriend” Tibor “Tibi”, lives a difficult life: she has to take care of her mother, who is fighting against cancer. But reality is harder than it seems. Lily doesn’t have much money, her dad lives in the UK with his new family. But here, in Budapest, things don’t go very well. That’s why Lily decides to being stripping and then hooking, and in the middle of this, she became addict to drugs and alcohol. Lily dreams to become an English teacher, but why English? She loves English literature, especially the Brontë sisters (Anne Brontë is her favorite writer) and, during a stag party, she meets Paul Taylor, who is also a book lover who loves classical books. Four years will pass until they will meet again. And in those years, the two won’t stop thinking about each other. Their love begin platonic and became a tryst when they finally meet again in London and make love close to the ruins described in one of the novels of Anne Brontë. After that, Lily decides to stay clean, to not use any kind of drugs, but she became addict to the worst one: easy money. Easy money is one of the main themes of this novel, and it shows how people who lives hard times will use their body to get the money they need in the easy way possible, even if it’s degrading, even if it means to sell your body and your soul. Everything changes for the worst when Lily decides to have sex with her last punter. What she doesn’t know is that this will be the last time Vivian sees her alive. After the discovering of the death of her sister, Vivian decides to hunt her killer and to chase him in all the three continents. A journey, that of Vivian, that will show her the abuses and the badness of the man, that will show her that many men treat women only as sexual objects, that they can use and use until they get tired. A sexualization of women so strong that it’s undeniably true. The prostitution it’s an exasperation of the sexualization of women. I must say, there’s one episode in the book that shocked me above all, and it’s when one Moroccan punter have sex with Lily in a very rude way, and says that if she’d said no, he would have raped a teenage girl. This book shows the dark side of men. I mean, what have happened in Hungary could happen as well as in Italy or Spain or even Germany. Few are the men who treat women with respect, but the most of them see women only as a sexual object.

Lilian and Vivian Biro couldn’t be more different from one another: while Lilian loves literature and books, Vivian is the scientific one, the one who would probably get the nickname “the smart one”. Not that Lily wasn’t smart. She was, but in a different way. The fact that the novel begins with a preface written by Vivian about the world of prostitution and of the callers, was a narrative plot device that I’ve never read. It clearly uses the suspension of disbelief with the reader, but also when I read it I was convinced that what I was reading was a true story; which explains the use of the suspension of disbelief. Tibor is the character responsible for getting Lily started with stripping and hooking, and, as Vivian, I hated him for most part of the book. Tibor is a nut crackhead who steals money from Lily and never give them back to her, he became a pimp and then started to sell drugs again. Paul is the “dreamy boy” of the situation, but after Lily’s death he became a man of action and not only words. Paul is the only one who will help Vivian to get revenge for Lily, and something else will happen between them that I cannot say. Death is the fil rouge in this novel, we have many times a sense of impeding death and of impending doom from the moment in which Lily decides to begin hooking. The family is also one of the main themes, become Lily decides to start hooking to get the money for her mother’s exams, because the money that her dad send them from the UK isn’t enough.

I found this book really interesting, a good mix of reality and fiction. I also liked the explicit sex scenes, sometimes I don’t like them too explicit but I think it depends on the genre of the book I’m reading… and in this case the explicit scenes were perfect. If I had to describe this book, the first term that comes to my mind is surely exciting and eye-opening. It really has opened my eyes about a reality which I didn’t know, which most people don’t know, that of the callers, of the punters and of the pimps. I also love reading dark books, so I liked a lot how the scenes were rendered: they were vivid and graphically well written. I empathasized a lot with Lilian, because I also love classic books and Charlotte Brontë is one of my favourite writers, I loved Jane Eyre. There were times in which I felt my heart breaking in pieces when I read how Lily felt when she had sex with her punters, how many times she brushed her skin to peel off the sense of filthiness that she felt in her skin. Five rocking stars for an author that conquered me from the first line.
I liked a lot also the structure of the novel: first we have an introduction written by Vivian, then we have two major divisions, the first part is written from Lily’s POV and the second from Vivian’s POV. I would like to read the sequel. When I finished the book I dreamt of another book in which Vivian and Paul maybe have a child and name her after her sister, or maybe the evil brother of the killer returns to avenge his brother by trying to kill Paul and Vivian.

Farewell you all with a quote from this book that I recommend to all who love dark romance and obscure characters:
“Lying to people is like faking reality. You’re becoming their slave by creating and maitaning a world for them which doesn’t exist.”
(Lilian Biro)

xoxo,
Giada

NOTE: This review can be read both in Italian and English in my blog.

I cannot say enough about this book. The Sex Tourist is written in two parts. Book one is an unfiltered, graphic, and heartbreaking glimpse into drugs and prostitution. Book is a crime thriller and shows to what great lengths family will take to avenge justice. Sex, drugs, murder, abuse, suspense, love ... This book covers it all.

The Sex Tourist ranks as one of my top reads, I highly recommend for anyone interested in thrillers. You can't finish this book without being deeply touched and it's a story you won't soon forget. I cannot wait to see what Olivia Wild writes next.

Viviane goes on a manhunt for her sister's killer that takes her across 3 continents. What she finds out about her sister's secret life is more than she could ever imagine. Her sister was a sex worker. What makes this story more interesting is it's based on a true story from the author's life. Olivia is a moniker for Viviane. When her sister died all she left behind was a diary and a half written book on her laptop. This is how this story was formed. Part is her sisters writing and part is hers. Very moving!

Olivia Wild has become one of my favorite authors. This story had well developed characters who sucked you in and kept you turning the page late into the night. I have found myself drawn to darker reads and this one did not disappoint.

This book now holds the title as the most challenging book I’ve read so far. Fifty Shades of Grey can’t even reach 30% in comparison with this story.

I received an email from the author, Olivia Wild a few months ago but even though I agreed to read it, I’m still finding some excuses to set it aside. I’m not really sure why, I guess I’m just preparing myself with the wild adventure this book is going to bring.

And after quite a long time of making excuses, I finally gave in and braved myself into reading this story. And man!!! The first page was already intense. I dreaded reading stories about the character being raped or is selling her body for money so imagine what I felt with the first part of this story.

Oops, I blabbered already without giving you an idea about this story eh? You see, this one is a true to life story, it was written by both the author and her deceased sister and it tackled the dark world of sex trafficking. That idea alone sealed my decision about accepting to review this book. And heck! I can’t wipe this smug look in my face because I did the right choice.

The first part of this story were full of SPG scenes so it’s really not suitable for younger readers. I heard about sex trafficking before but is shameful to admit that I never really given it some time to read news about it. But man! Reading this story made me understand why there are some girls who chose to do it. Whatever reason each of us has, I know it’s still wrong, but I can totally sympathize. Your mother was sick, the bills are piling up and it won’t disappear on their own and with a boyfriend who pimp you into doing it, I’m not even sure what I would do if I were in that situation.

I don’t want to drop some spoiler so I guess I’ll make this review a little mysterious instead eh? While the first part of this story was about Lilian’s story as a sex worker, the part two started right after her death which was continued by her twin sister Vivian. And man! It’s been a long time since I’ve been this agitated reading a story. The suspense was just too overwhelming but once in a while it got cut off when Paul and Vivian acting sweet to each other. I dunno but there’s always an unwritten role about your friend’s ex right? How much more with your sister! I’m not judging, I’m just not feeling it.

While I sympathize with the first part of this story, I have to say that my favorite would be part two. It’s been mentioned that Lilian wasn’t that good in English yet so I understand some grammar issues, the part two even though it’s continuing what the part one left off, I can easily notice the difference. I know I’m not in the right position to judge but there were times that I encounter some grammar issues but so far it was better than the first part. Though there’s nothing remarkable with the way this story was written, the idea and emotion was in there. I love the honesty and I admire the courage the author put into this story. It’s like being naked in front of many people and it’s absolutely the best memorial for Lilian. To her family, especially her dad and her sister, I hope of all you were now living peacefully after finally achieving justice for Lilian. I don’t recommend putting the justice into your hands and will never ever recommend such, but I can totally understand what needs to be done, besides, the guy totally deserves it.

You see, it’s a true to life story and I don’t usually talks about the character and scrutinized them and this story is no different. There were ofcourse some parts that I wish weren’t in this story but that’s what happened. But let me comment about Vivian. If I’ve been in her situation, I’m not sure I can ever do what she did. She’s been very courageous and was very wise especially about the scene with her dad and the guy who raped her sister.

While I was reading the first part, I’m already sure I’m going to give this one a 3.5 star rating but after reading the second part, man! I love the suspense, the mystery and the sleuthing. Plus, I’m just happy it has a happy ending. So cheers for 4 stars!

Another consolation is their father, even when he’s already divorced with their mother, he’s still there for them and supporting them especially Vivian when he found her plan to avenge her sister. It’s just pure luck you know, that Vivian is studying veterinary and knows a lot about DNA sampling and was quick to judge about her sister’s murder even when she was shocked to find it out.

And I guess I can’t belittle Paul’s great help with the vengeance ofcourse. His knowledge about computer totally was badass. But what’s more badass was what Vivian did to avenge her sister.

I understand that this story isn’t what people normally reads, but for readers out there especially women, I highly recommend this book. It maybe a little challenging to read especially the first part but all you need to have is an open mind. Thanks and enjoy!

Note: You can also read this review in my blog

Wow this is he best book I have read in a while, whilst reading this you will go through every emotion you have from love to hate and shock to terror.
This is a well written book and to say I felt relief at the end was an understatement. The book is based on a true story that is split into two parts, the first part is from Lillian, and follows her life as a sex worker, from starting off as a dancer to stepping over the line to prostitution. This part of the book has some quite harrowing parts to it and is written by Lillian. The second part is carried on by her twin sister, Vivian, who is training to be a vetinary surgeon and shows how her work in this area helps her on finding Lillian's killer.
I thought I wasn't going to like this book but by page 10 I was hooked, I found it hard to put down as the book went on and all the time thinking that this has actually happened. There are parts that are hard to read but I didn't finish the book thinking too much about those times, I thought more about what a genuinely nice girl Lilly was and how hard her sister worked to get payback on that t****r that ended it all.
I would like to thank netgalley and Olivia Wild publishing for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

This is a though provoking book that delves into a distressing subject matter. It is a journey that is not for the faint of heart as it mixes some fiction with the real life of a sex worker. Lilian was persuaded to start stripping to pay her sick mother’s bills. Unfortunately once she was brought into that life, she graduated to prostitution along with drug and alcohol abuse to cope with her new found life. The longer she stayed, the more she felt the pull of the money that can be earned and was not able to disentangle herself from it leading her to the ultimate tragic ending, and that is only part one. As the second part of the story begins Vivian, Lilian’s twin, is seeking answers and begins her own investigation into Lilian’s death as the police are not helping. Vivian pursues the killers all over the world to avenge her sister’s death and met out her own brand of punishment, in the name of justice.
This is an agonizing story that leaves the reader feeling a range of emotions from hatred and anger to empathy and hope. It just goes to show that sometimes in life we are pulled into things that we never expected due to unforeseen circumstances and no matter what we are resilient.

This story is incredible, and I could not put it down. Devoured this baby in 2 days, and it was amazing. The fact that this book is based on true events threw me off in the beginning. I was not sure if I would enjoy it, or find it hard to believe. Well let me tell you that it was believable and I was shocked through most of it. It`s a very sad story when you get to the end- Im not sure that it counts as a happy ending. Not to me anyways. The book is split into two parts, the foreword is where the autho explains that part
1 is 100% real and from her sister`s diary, with the exception of the last chapter. Part two is her fictionalized ending. The writing in the entire book is amazing. Im not sure if the author did this on purpose or not, and not that it bothers me, but the dialect fit the protagonist perfectly. I have a friend with who speaks exactly the same way. Sometimes too detailed, but that`s how she learned to speak English. It was wordy. but in a way tht worked for someone who`s secon language is English. So we follow Lilian, the protagonist, through a few years of her life as a hungarian prostitute. She is a twin to Vivian, and though they are very close, they are also strikingly different. The book begins when they are "sweet little (almost sixteens) and their birthday celebration. The young girls are full of life and we quickly find that they are also quite promiscuous. It was fun to read about their adventures and heartbreaks, very relatable, even if it wasnt band members my friends and I drooled over. It gets a bit confusing though because it forwards quite a bit through the years. Suddenly we are with Lilian, her mother is ill and they dont have much money. Her terrible boyfriend Tiby who is the antogonist in the entire book, persuades her into stripping and eventually prostitution. It helps her and her family tremendously, but not at a small price. It doesn`t seem that Lilian ever gets used to the lifestyle, but continues as if it is the only thing she can do. It is traumatizing and she cries after every encounter. Tiby also aides her with drugs and alcohol the bastard- She goes to school and studies English, she has big plans for her life, and following her story you too are excited to see her out of the game and see her suceed. What really grabbed me about the book is the way that she describes each experience with the `punter` in such detail. For a moment, it really is just erotica. Then it gets ugly and my heart aches for her beause screw these guys they really do treat her like trash and I cant imagine anyone puttig up with it. Death was in her face so many times and even though she barely escaped with her life, she continued to do it. Some of these scenes were so hot- so so so hot that it wasn`t until she cried in the shower that I remembered she hated everything about her job Based on the events, this story has my mind reeling. Who did this and why? Do we ever find out?

I was worried to read part two of the book because unlike part one, it is fictionalized and I just wanted to make sure it did the first part justice. It did not disappoint.

Like book one, the beginning is a bit confusing to me. It starts to make sense evetually, but I am not sure that others would be able to get passe the confusion. I think it needs some clearing up. Part two is also a bit unbelieable. let me tell you why: in book one, we know that their father is not very present, at least not in Lilian`s life- but he is in Vivian`s. He is much more present in the second story and very involved I know he is close with vivian but I just didnt fall for it. It seemed to ungenuine and unrealistic which was my biggest concern for part two. Vivian has these big plans of revenge and I just cant fall for it! I have a very hard time getting by but I need to know what and why happened. I also have to remmber that this is a different country and nothing I know is the same there. The laws, the strip clubs, and so on... also the dialogue in part two throws me off. Where it flowed and made sense in Lilian `s story, here it is just too wordy and takes up too much of a page- pointless words. Because Vivian is a vetenary student, she knows a lot about DNA which comes to be a big chunk of part two. Im sorry but she explains too much about it. Its cool yeah but im interested in the story, not really in a lesson in DNA samples. BUT she does give a crazy description of "red headed sperm heads which turn blue at their necks just to end up in an inert evil yellowish greenish tail" appartently this makes her throw up and now I have to find out what it means lol but why couldnt she just tell me in the story? see what I mean?

the chapters in part two switch POV from 1st person to 3rd person narrative. it is extrememly confusing because this entire time I thought it was a particular person. Its not until a specific sentence where it says "you try to call me" that I realize it is Vivian talking about Paul (youll find out all about him) and all along I thought it was Paul speaking in 3rd person about him self. it was weird Im not sure how other readers would feel about it. It also made me feel as if it was foreshadowing Vivian`s doom or something.

so we get to the ending. A very satisfying unbelievalbe, but satisfying ending. The author comes in to tie up some ends. She apologizes for not sharing certain informationwith us because as readers, it would be obvious who this man they killed was.....wait a minute, so you`re telling me that this author killed a probably important man, got away with it, and wrote about it- but is claiming the story to be fictional but shes explaining that its not... idk this threw me off 100% but the book was over and there was no where else for me to go. I still give this book 10000000 starts mainly because of book 1. It was too good to let part two bring it down. I highly recommend it becuase I think its great to discuss. Id def read more of the author`s work should she continue to write.

Hot! Hot! Hot! I really enjoyed this book, the characters are likeable and well written, the story line was developed and the chemistry between these characters is undeniable.

What an emotional roller coaster! I liked this book much,much more than I thought I would. It was a journey I couldn't help but be on as I didn't want to put my Kindle down. I'm looking forward to what's next from this author.

This book had so much. Great writing that trapped you attention to the very end. Layers upon layers of every possible emotion. And intense subject matter. I couldn't put this book down!

The Sex a Tourist - Olivia Wild

🌟🌟🌟🌟

A dark, brutally honest and gritty story. Perched in the underbelly of society, the story and its characters are brilliantly complex enough to drag the reader in and the story takes you down into their deepest, darkest depths.

My first book by Olivia Wild but this was definitely a brilliant book to read as my introduction to her work.

This book will stay with me for a long time.