Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read and review this ARC. Full review to be found on Goodreads and on my website.

There was nothing too noteworthy about this book for me, it hit the notes I expected it to, and although the pacing and characters were fine, it did nothing to excite me sadly

This book had nothing that stuck out in my brain from when I read it. I remember it being q mediocre at the time of reading, and unfortunately, is not memorable.

Honestly, I can't remember anything about this book so I don't feel like I can give it a fair rating. Giving three stars for average.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This book was very interesting and held my attention well. Not my usual type of book but I think others would really like it.

I received this book from Netgalley as an ARC in exchange for an honest review in 2019. I am only getting to this book now, in 2022. I am somewhat addicted to books, so made the mistake of requesting too many books from Netgalley, all of which I did not get to. When the pandemic hit in 2020, I took a break from reviewing and therefore did not read any books from Netgalley. I am trying to rectify that now.

I am sorry that I didn’t read this book earlier, and I think that the Goodreads review of 3.32 as of the writing of this review does not give the book justice. The book is written in the 1st person, but is told as though it is a conversation or a letter to another person. The narrator is looking back at the past from her position in the future.

So for example: “The airplane seat beside me was unoccupied, so I was able to spread the drawings out on my lap. All at once you were there with me, resplendent on the sofa in your starry dress, the fiery wave of hair over your shoulder. Your eyes were the green of a forgotten lake, your sweet mouth quirked and curved.”

This writing style was okay, but not my favorite. Although it was interesting to see a character (e.g. Elise) wholly from the subjective perspective of someone else (Abby), I have never read a book written quite like this before and it took some getting used to. Additionally, it kind of led me astray, because you are only getting to see the inner working of the mind in so far as the narrator (Abby) wants you to — this led to a wholly unexpected twist at the end, which I did not see coming at all.

That being said, as you can tell from the above quote the author gives great descriptions, which I really liked.

SPOILER ALERT: I get into the plot here so don’t read on if you intend to read this book, which I highly recommend.

So at the beginning of the book, Abby seems obsessed with Elise, a childhood friend turned famous actor, even going so far as to keep clippings of Elise from magazines and the like. Abby and Elise haven’t been in contact for a while, but reconnect at the High School reunion, where Elise gives Abby her phone number. Abby, taking it upon herself, just shows up at Elise’s house in California, where after a moment of trepidation, Elise invites her in — and then to stay long term, first as a guest and then as Elise’s personal assistant.

This arrangement struck me as a little weird — but ok, maybe Elise is the whimsical Hollywood type who just does weird things. Would a normal person just invite someone they haven’t seen in a decade to stay long term? Abby seemed lonely in her old life, so she agrees. As the story goes on, we see that Elise is kind of a train wreck, and into herself. Eventually Abby starts to feel used and devalued, so she ups and leaves (after spilling all Elise’s secrets to the press) just when Elise needs her most (Elise is pregnant), Abby ignores Elise and basically runs away to pursue her own art.

There was also a backstory involving a cultish movie director, Perrin. Elise and Abby were obsessed with him as kids — Elise wants to star in one of his movies, and Abby wants Perrin to use her drawings as a basis for one of the movie plots. There is a place called the Rhizome where actors / artists go to hone their talents, get spa treatments, have dream therapy sessions, etc.

The falling out of the two came as a direct result of the Rhizome, wherein Elise wanted to restrict Abby’s access (after paying for several treatments for Abby as a gift), and Abby took this to mean that Elise did not want Abby to advance in her own career and that Elise was just a self centered ass. This led to the one side falling out of the friends (Abby just ghosted Elise and Elise was desperately trying to get in touch with Abby).

All of the above I can believe and seems pretty consistent…but then Abby goes and kidnaps Elise’s baby and moves to Europe to live with Perrin on his compound. Up to this point, Abby was the sympathetic character — all of a sudden she is the villain, having stolen the child because she believed that she could raise the baby better than Elise. I had always had the impression of Abby as the quiet mouse who didn’t think very much of herself–all of a sudden she thinks she can parent better than Elise? Granted Elise is more or less and alcoholic at this stage, but that doesn’t mean she deserved for her baby to be kidnapped, and it doesn’t mean that Abby is all of a sudden stable. I don’t know, I have very mixed emotions about this turn of events.

Anyway, I finished the book a few days ago and am still thinking about it, so that must say something, right?

This book is definitely worth checking out.

First of all, five stars for this beautiful cover. And four stars for the writing. But I can only give three stars for the story. It was the lucid and absurd dreams for me. I don’t enjoy dream sequences in books anyway—i think they are a. Lazy writing technique—but these were just crazy. It made me think that maybe it was attempting to show that Abbi was in fact mentally disturbed. Maybe that’s also alluded to in the image on the covers It just didn’t work for me.

Sorry I didn't do this before. I didn't finish the book, to be quite honest. I tried to connect with the main character, but it felt forced, and I grew tired after just a few pages.

I really, really wanted to love this one, but it didn't work for me. The writing itself was so beautiful, and I love stories about disturbing friendships, but parts of this book (the weird lucid dream sections) were so bizarre and nonsensical I just couldn't get on board. 2.5 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Beautiful cover that really drew me in. It was a strange book that made me want to keep reading. I feel like this author has a very original voice and I plan to check out her previous book now.

I decided to give this another go after dnf-ing earlier in the year, and I got through it this time and ended up quite enjoying it. I love the Hollywood setting, and this is a very atmospheric book that kept me on the edge of my seat, though it was just a bit tense for me at the time as I was already a bit stressed. The blurred lines and exploration of relationships was a highlight for me, though the fantastical elements could be a bit confusing

The main characters of this book were complex, and I really enjoyed the dynamic of their friendship at first. The story line just wasn't for me in the end.

I've just finished this book and I'm having a tough time putting my thoughts into words, to wrap my head around what I want to say. I want to do it now because I move on to the next book and all the thoughts I have disappear...

When I was originally reading of this book and thinking of what I would say in my review, it began as what I thought would be a story about a stalker, a person who was obsessed with someone but instead of most stories being from the perspective on the stalked, it would be from the stalker (the obsessor themself). As the story progressed, you had a woman who was obsessed with Elise and the idea of the life that she lived. Once she became enthralled in her life, she began to realize that Elise's life was so much more complex and possess so many more layers than what she anticipated. What stood before her was an actress, her childhood friend, who seemed to have it all together, but really did not. She had this facade of being a strong woman making her way in Hollywood, trying to be taken seriously. But Abby soon realized that she was just as weak and insecure as the women that Elise claimed to despise in Hollywood.

And then there was the whole "cult-like" group (The Rhizome) founded by an artsy director who makes films that are a bit more out there, challenging the artistic norms of film. A part of me wishes some of the concepts from Rhizome were gone into a bit more depth, but i'll just chalk it up to my ignorance of cults and some of the terminology used.

Abby is an interesting character. She's an outcast, seemingly incapable of interacting/socializing with the general public easily. Has both a tough time finding her purpose but also seems to know exactly what her purpose is. She is a woman who exhibits premonitory visions and uses them as she ventures the world that is LA/California/Hollywood.

While it was not really addressed in this film, there were clearly elements of mental health within a majority of the female characters mentioned. There are some elements within it that can be considered as a trigger, depending on the reader. I think that should have been addressed more.

In the end, this was a deeply unique debut novel. It was fast-paced and easy to read. The style of writing is as though Abby is speaking directly to Elise, which I really enjoyed. I didn't love the book....I have this unique feeling about it that makes a book like this challenging to rate. I don't really know how to describe it. However, it would be something I would recommend to someone that wants to read something different. My mind is still whirling, trying to wrap my head around it all.

The Paper Wasp by Lauren Acampora was very well-written. It was incredibly atmospheric. However, there were some bizarre parts that left me with unresolved questions.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic for the free e-galley.

This is one of those books that will keep you questioning what you read, even weeks and months after you put it down. Not because it was hard to understand, or that I didn't get it, but more like the story was so intricately strange that it is hard to put into words what happened.

Beautifully written almost poetic novel. about the relationship between childhood friends whose lives have taken very different turns. A very easy read and a very gripping story.

What did I just read? I am confused and I really don't have a clear concise feeling about this book.

Abby and Elise, two childhood bestfriends, one a Hollywood star the other a smart mental case, college burnout reunite at their high school reunion. And we are a go for fireworks. Toxic women, toxic friendships, why are they so compelling? Neither character was particularly likeable or anything special for me.

3 star read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for allowing me to read and review.

'The Paper Wasp' is a compelling and creepy story of obsession, fame and Hollywood. I listed to the audio book which I highly recommend, given the almost dreamlike nature of the book. The narrator really made Lauren Acampora's brilliant writing come alive.

In rural Michigan, Abby leads a lonely life. She was once a promising and gifted artist but now works at a boring, dead-end job. There are hints of darkness in her life, and one gets the sense that Abby is barely holding onto reality. She escapes into the fantasy world of films, and is obsessed with the work of Auguste Perren, a director who also runs an institute knows as the Rhizome. Dreams and visions inspire Perren, and Abby draws similar fantastical art pieces, all in secret.

Abby is surprised to run into her childhood best friend Elise at a high school reunion. Elise is now a famous actress, pursued by the tabloids and living in LA. Elise mentions to Abby to look her up if she is ever visiting and Abby does just that. Except that Abby is no casual visitor and has basically run away from home to get to LA. She has no place to live, and no job there. Elise still feels a kinship with Abby, and hires her as her personal assistant. Abby jumps at the chance. All her fantasies are finally coming true.

<b><i>"Here, I was a new person. Just as you’d left Michigan far behind, Elise, so had I."<b></i>

Outwardly, Abby seems like the perfect friend and assistant. Inwardly, she is a seething time bomb, ready to explode at any minute. Abby is resentful of Elise's success as an actress and begins to sabotage both Elise's personal and professional life. The obsessive nature of Abby's feelings for Elise come through in the chilling, second person point-of-view.

<b><i>"I took a last look at you. Your eyes stared up at me, my old friend, and I saw something pleading in them, imploring me. My dreams hadn't been wrong. They were never wrong; they were truer than life. As I held your gaze, I understood that our bond had never truly been broken. You needed me as much as ever."</b></i>

The story takes a very odd turn at the end but I still was absolutely enchanted by the writing. The scenes between Abby and Elise are chilling, tense and compelling. The author has a real eye for the often superficial nature of Hollywood and the movie business in general. I was on the edge of my seat during the last half of this book. It was clear that Abby's obsession with Elise was going to take a very dark turn.

<b><i>"You smiled faintly and closed your eyes. When you opened them again, they locked on mine, bright and vapid. There was nothing in them. You hadn’t been filled, over all these years, but had been left carefully hollow. This, I imagined, was why actresses cracked so easily with age, like glass vases—why they were so swiftly and thoroughly ruined."</b></i>

The author has much to say about female friendship, rivalry and the Hollywood star system. The dream sequences translated well into the audio book which is why I highly recommend listening to this book! This is a wildly creative and different story that is easily one of my favorites of 2019.

I normally really love weird books, but the plot of this one was a bit confusing for me. Abby made choices that seemed so out there that I could not understand her motives for doing them.
This one wasn’t for me.