I am really really into mysteries, suspense, and thrillers lately. Exquisite by Sara Stovell caught my eye and it tops my To-Read list. The synopsis is super short so I’m not even sure exactly what the book is going to be about:

The synopsis is super short so I’m not even sure exactly what the book is going to be about:

Bo Luxton has it all—a loving family, a beautiful home in the Lake District, and a clutch of bestselling books to her name. Enter Alice Dark, an aspiring writer who is drifting through life, with a series of dead-end jobs and a freeloading boyfriend. When they meet at a writers’ retreat, the chemistry is instant, and a sinister relationship develops. Or does it?

I am very intrigued. It’s rare that I jump into a book and have no clue what its about so I’m excited to start this one and see how it plays out!

Oh wow. Oh wow, what a book. Don't start it if you're planning on doing other things with your day, this is meant to be read, nay, devoured, in one go. In fact at one time I found myself hungry and dehydrated and yet unable to put the book down, trying to find a suitable place to pause. How's that for a ringing endorsement? And honestly, it would have been a tragically ironic thing for this book to be terrible with a title like that. But then again, the title like that does set the bar pretty high. And Stovell hits it...and goes way above it too. The psychological suspense of this book, the mesmerizing intensity of a love affair gone very much off the rails, the stunning rendering of her two main characters, particularly the profoundly narcissistic sociopath, are all purely exquisite. Even the cover is spectacular, a perfectly understated lure. In cinematic/literary references (which seem to be a very popular way to describe new works) this is Carol meets early Sarah Waters meets My Summer of Love...at least for starters. But thing is Exquisite is very much its own beast, it's strikingly original because of how far Stovell goes with her characters. I don't believe I'm exaggerating in saying that she creates one of the most extraordinary fictional sociopaths in recent (and even not so recent) past. A real onion of a screwed up individual with as many layers to peel and just as able to make someone cry, the sort of fascinatingly flawed woman who is as attractive as she is dangerous, a classic femme fatale and then some. It's no surprise Alice can't stay away and first love, scary and exhilarating as it is by nature, has never been a trip quite like this. Demented, terrifying, exciting...this one might put you off of dating for a while, though it'll certainly reminds you of just how good...just how great reading is. Awesome book. Most enthusiastic recommendation. Thanks Netgalley.

Alice dreams of being a professional author but the goal seems impossible. She regrets not finishing college, is financially in a rut, and her boyfriend's useless and clueless. Alice is on the verge of wanting to turn her life around but needs more encouragement to do so. When she's befriended by the popular author, Bo Luxton, she thinks her life is finally changing for the better.

Three words to describe how I felt about this book? Not. For. Me. As per usual, I fall into the minority category...

But I wouldn't dissuade anyone from reading this book. There are lovely reviews on this book but it was just an okay read for me. The first page of this story gave away too much information and I had an idea of how I was going to feel about this story after reading the second paragraph on that first page. However, I wanted to give this story a shot as this author was new to me.

I like a good obsession/ stalker book and this story fell into that category. Sort of. This story was more drama than thriller, though, and that a was a let-down for me. I didn't find the tone of this book to be gripping, chilling, or greatly suspenseful. Instead, it was more chick lit with a sprinkle of terror and I felt neutral towards all of the characters. Bo and Alice's e-conversations flew from addressing one another as "dear" and "darling" to "pet" and "love." Their relationship developed at warp speed and I didn't feel the tension between stalker and prey until the end. While I didn't mind the F/F pairing, there was nothing really erotic about their relationship because it was more telling than showing, and there was supposed to be this amazing connection between the two that I never felt.

The upside?
This story was easy to sail through and though it was mostly predictable, I still liked some bits: Alice's humor, Bo's passion for motherhood, and the final conclusion was okay.

Overall, this a fantastic book for domestic thriller readers.

Exquisite is exhilarating and suspense-driven in such a realistic way that it really kept me engaged throughout the book. I will be short in my description of the book because the blurb is purposely cut short, and I believe that this is necessary to enjoy the story as it could easily be unfolded if you know more than what I am going to provide you. Exquisite takes place in several different towns/cities in England and mainly features two protagonists, Bo Luxton and Alice Dark. Bo Luxton is a famous au-thor, who has what many may deem as a perfect life. After meeting Alice Dark at a writer’s retreat, Bo and Alice develop a relationship in which can be best labeled as toxic, at best. And that’s all I’m going to tell you folks!

At first, I was hesitate with the storyline and felt like it was all just adding to some build-up and I was going to be disappointed. I will tell you right now, this story does not disappoint in the slightest! The writing kept me engaged and I churned through a majority of the book last night. One thing I will say is that ending – WOW! I am kind of speechless on what else to say.

Thank you Net Galley, Sarah Steovell, and Orenda Books for my advance copy for an honest review.

This is a great mystery and I found myself repeatedly changing my mind as to who the guilty party was. The story opens with a narrator in a women's' prison so the whole book you know that someone does something illegal. Bo is an accomplished writer, mother of two, married woman who teaches writing classes. She meets Alice, a young woman still with no path or direction in her life who attends one of Bo's writing retreats. The two begin an intense relationship. Both characters narrate their side of the story and their perceptions as to what is happening in their relationship. As the story progresses you question the actions of both women, as well as the actions of the husband, and are not really sure who is the narrator from within the prison. Lies, misunderstandings, manipulation, a crime, all come together in a great ending.
The characters are rich and likeable. Alice has a particularly funny multi-page email to Bo about her fertility and getting checked for STDs that involves internet-diagnosing and worst case scenarios.
some favourite lines:

'I'd mastered this particular skill over the years: sowing the seed of half my desire, then letting him grab and plant the rest. That way, he'd always think of it as a joint decision; or, better still, his own idea.'

'She was gazing at me with devotion not seen since the nativity.'

'The music was too loud, the people to cool, the room filled with the smell of sweat and decaying youth.'

'Nearly every university in the country had cashed in on the ambitions of people who'd been led to believe that they, too, could be just like J.K.Rowling if they only dreamed hard enough and forfeited out the tuition fees.'

'We'd become like furniture to each other: necessary for an easy life, but really just part of our surroundings - noticed only if visitors arrived.'

'I'd stored my mother carefully, shut her in a box and locker her away in some remote part of me.'

'Divorce is the family sport.'

4.5 huge stars!! This book has been getting stellar reviews so I was definitely very excited to read this book. Instantly, the title and cover attracted me to this book. The novel begins with one of the characters in prison serving an eighteen month sentence. Then the novel continues alternating between Bo and Alice's point of views and portrays their dark and obsessive relationship with each other. Stovell's writing is superb, a delicious combo of unreliable narration and beautifully dark descriptions. Bo and Alice are both authors and the literary theme throughout the novel was done perfectly.
Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book starts off with a character talking to you from a woman's prison. You realize that maybe she isn't quite right. I've been on a total worship of Netflixing Wentworth and was hoping for some good evil woman stuff going on.

(Kelly, I will shut up one day about this show so get your finger off that unfriend button)

I shoulda realized that NO ONE tops Ferguson.

Anyways, this story is about an author who is teaching a writer's retreat. On the retreat she meets a young girl who catches her eye. Alice is free spirited with some mommy issues.
After the retreat is over-the author (Bo) wants to stay in contact to 'help' Alice with her writing.
Alice is so flattered and giddy that the great Bo Luxton wants to help her.

Then some crap goes down.

I'm not telling what. Because spoilers.


You really do need to walk into this book sorta blind to enjoy it. So there is that. Sorry to get you all excited for some juicy details.

I will say that I think one of the characters wasn't as fleshed out as the other one. BECAUSE if you are doing an evil woman I want some fleshed out.


The storyline also went predictably. So points were deducted. 2.5 stars.

4.5 stars

Craziness at its best!

Exquisite is a psychological thriller fueled by madness, obsession, and darkness.

When famous novelist Bo Luxton takes aspiring writer Alice Dark under her wing, their relationship grows from friendship into an illicit and dangerous love affair. Things become so intense that one of them winds up in jail.

Both Alice and Bo share their POVs. A masterful game of cat and mouse plays out between the two women. Who is telling the truth and who is lying?

I thoroughly enjoyed Exquisite.. It’s fast-paced, tension fueled, and well-written. Both Bo and Alice are unreliable narrators, which caused me to constantly question their stories. I loved how I was being swayed to believe one thing was happening, and then another element would emerge making me question everything I thought I knew. Highly recommend!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This first novel by Sarah Stovell, published by Orenda Books, was a fascinating and intense read. Stovell's writing draws you in immediately and you are both drawn and repulsed by her characters', both rooting for and wishing them ill! It was refreshing and poignant to read a 'nontraditional' love story. Filled with heartache and mother issues and deceit and crime, you won't want to put it down until the last page.

Bo Lurton has it all, a successful career as a writer, a beautiful home in the Lake District, a husband and two lovely daughters. Alice Dark lives in a squalid flat with a boyfriend she’s beginning to hate, and no job or prospects. When Alice is accepted into a one week writing course Bo is putting on, she hopes her luck is about to change. The two women hit it off immediately, and their friendship quickly grows into a passionate love affair. Or does it? Told from both Bo and Alice’s perspectives, this is a novel of deception, obsession and insanity. Held me spellbound until the last page

Ms. Stovell's book was truly, truly frightening. Frightening in the way we all are frightened - that we might not know someone as well as we think we do. Even someone we love