I keep flip flopping between a 3.5 and 4 star rating, but I think I'll settle on 4.

This is one BIZARRE book, but I oddly enjoyed it??? What started out as a story about two childhood friends reuniting in adulthood turned into something WAY beyond what I ever could have imagined for this kind of set up.

So the story centers around Abby, who is oddly obsessed with a childhood friend of hers, Elise, who has become a Hollywood starlet. Abby ends up spontaneously moving to LA to live with Elise and becomes her assistant. Now, I thought this was going to be a thriller where Abby would eventually go nuts and do whatever she had to do to make sure she stayed as close to Elise as possible, which I would have enjoyed for sure. Instead, this story went in several odd directions that I wasn't expecting, and I feel like there was almost a bit of magical realism involved?? I was definitely intrigued until the very last page, and I thought the ending was very interesting.

I don't even know what genre to place this book in. In some ways, it's a thriller, but it could also just be considered fiction? Either way, my reading experience was really weird, but I think I would recommend it?? This is definitely a book that I would say you need to experience for yourself.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I’d long nurtured the private suspicion that I was an outcast not because I was inferior, but because I was exceptional; that the fulfillment of my purpose awaited activation from the universe; that I just needed to wait. And now, as simple as a music box clicking open, it was time.

Abby Graven abandons stale Michigan, feeling she has awoken from some ‘prolonged, dank dream’. Her deep connection to her once best friend Elise (now a rising star, actress) never felt truly severed, not with her deep dreams. If it’s true we are all one being, then the dreams could very well be communication through the subconscious. As a once promising art student, Abby’s ecstatic states of being were the norm, fueling her work, something she hasn’t felt in her numbed days living at home, doing nothing. All of that changes when Elise, at their school reunion, tells her ‘Abby, Abby, I’ve missed you so much.” and “I’ve never had another friend like you in all these years.” Tipsily she tells her if she is ever in LA, in the offhanded way people do, to give her a call and they’ll hang out. Adding “I hope we can be close again someday.” Drinking loosening defenses, nostalgia causing warm fuzzy feelings while reacquainting ourselves with dear childhood friends, who can blame her?

With there being “a different story in my blood”, Abby’s dreams intensify as does her watching thoughts of Perren. The dreams keep coming, they are signs of where she needs to be, destiny. With the phone number Elise put into her phone at the reunion, she calls her from the Airport and tells her “I’m in L.A.” What can Elise do but give her address and invite her over, what else but let her stay?

A ‘disturbance’ within Abby as Elise casually throws around how she started going to Perren’s place, as if she didn’t know how important he was to Abby. As if he were her discovery! Calling herself an artist, old jealousies prickle at Abby’s flesh, for nothing could be further from reality. She catches up on Elise’s life, sorting fact from tabloid fiction, sharing intense intimacies. Looking at books by Jung, drawing as if afire, something is coming alive again within her. Abby is like a ghost from Elise’s past, the two pick back up where they left off in childhood. Elise seems to want confirmation of her talent, her friend to soothe her as the arrows of fame pierce her. She soon gains a bigger role in Elise’s life, as her assistant. But this isn’t what she wants for her future, her dreams are speaking to her, guiding her to a rich spring.

Abby isn’t content to shadow anyone, Elise seems to want her to share her work and to stop hiding, as she has been doing for far too long. But her ‘plans’ for Abby are an insult. It gnaws at Abby that Elise plays at being ‘deep’, there is more than an edge of competitiveness. She may own the shallow world of celebrity, acting, fame but how dare she attempt to best her in plunging the soul? There is a tug of war here, as there often is in friendships, I want to lift you up, but I don’t want you to surpass me. We all have our roles, and crossing over into another’s territory can be akin to thievery. There is a love/hate burbling on the ground they share.

She immerses herself in Elise’s life, but she wants her own stake in meaning, an authentic existence. Being the ‘ever the supportive friend’ becomes more of an act, a role she downright disdains. Is Elise’s admiration superficial too? Female friendship turned ugly, will it require erasure of one’s happiness in order for the other to rise? The Rhizome story-line is fantastic, the obsession with dream recall, the pure art of children Perren surrounds himself with strangely surreal. Is Abby sinking into a sort of madness? That ending is so bizarre, and yet a perfect fit. Her dreams as translations are bleeding into her waking life, there’s no denying that. Are they premonitions?

Maybe it’s better to keep some room for yourself when you long for intense connections be they with lovers, or pals. Friendship shouldn’t be submission, and yet it is. Someone seems to be the ‘alpha’ in friendships as much as romantic relationships, but eventually the person who submits, changes their mind and takes the lead. Yes, add this fine book to your summer reading list! I need to look for other books by Lauren Acampora, what strange tales she spins and the writing is rich. I am sure the reviews will be mixed, neither character is lovable but there is something fascinating in their decay and selfishness. I categorize the novel as surreal because of the dreams. The excerpt I shared above is perfection and sums up Abby’s character in ways a thousand situations never could. What a writer!

Publication Date: June 21, 2019

Grove Atlantic

Grove Press

Not my type of book nor was it what I expected. I expected a book on the ups and downs of female friendship. However, I would call the book a psychological thriller.

A big problem of the book is that I felt did not understand or identify with either of the female characters. Also I was not sure of what the "point" of the book was.

Wow! This was a pretty mind blowing book in the end... A clearly accomplished novel with descriptive and illustrative prose. The characters were complex - especially the main protagonist; multi faceted and able to provoke sympathy as well as dislike.

The plot was varied and in places unexpected, the story drew you in and took you on a long exciting journey. If I had one criticism, it would be that I wanted to know more about Abby's childhood and parenting... But maybe the ambiguity on this was intentional.

Dreams were a clear theme throughout and they were weaved cleverly into the plot. A thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking read. I'd definitely want to discover more from this author. Many thanks to NetGalley for my copy.

Sadly this book was not for me but thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for a chance to read an early copy.

I struggled with the narration style of this book, at points it felt erratic and at others it was painfully slow. It made me feel as though we were either trapped in a dream world or that Abby had a mental illness. Now this style wouldn't be such a struggle if the plot itself was fast paced (or even medium pace) but again this book seemed to miss the mark on the plot.

Abby was such an unlikable character - which I usually enjoy - but there were no likable characters in this book. There needs to be some balance between the two, someone to get behind to at least drive it forwards.

A real shame as I wanted to like this. I enjoy dark stories and was looking forward to finding myself a new author to watch for but this was not the one. The cover is a beauty though!

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

Just couldn’t get into this one. I kept slogging through it in case I had been missing some secret depths that heretofore had just gone over my head, but I just didn’t care about these women, and I’m usually a sucker for a down-and-out gal reconnecting with a supposedly thriving ex-best friend. But here, nah

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I thought that this was a beautifully written, dark and twisted story about obsession and friendship.
It kept me interested the entire book.
I would love to read the next book by this author.

this book is written beautifully, but the story is dark and for most part has slow pace. It’s a monologue from Abby perspective, it’s unfortunate because we don’t see the catastrophe Abby had caused.
but it is still enticing read.

thank you netgalley for providing the arc

Cynical Abby is 28, working at a grocery store, living with her parents and hiding from the world. She is obsessed with her childhood best friend, Elise, who is making movies in Hollywood. Abby follows Elise's every move and keeps a scrapbook full of pictures and articles about her. Her fondest memories are of the stories she used to write for Elise to act out, when they were children. Now Abby spends time in her bedroom, drawing her vivid dreams and imagining her favorite director, Auguste Perren, directing movies based on her artwork.

Elise graces the school with an appearance at their 10th high school reunion and gushes about her fond memories of Abby writing stories for Elise to act out. When Elise mentions that Abby should visit her in Hollywood, little does she know that Abby will do just that...dropping in on her unannounced. The unexpected visit turns into Abby living with Elise and working as her assistant. During this time Abby goes from being obsessed with Elise to resenting Elise for many reasons.

Abby is very unstable and her dreams are a big part of the way she sees the world. In fact, her dreams are so vivid that she is basically following them, using the dreams to determine where she goes and what she does. Abby is brilliant and uses that brilliance in a demented way, after all those years of languishing in her bedroom, at her parents house. As she gains confidence from her dreams, she manipulates, lies, and steals her way to making her dreams come true. I was horrified that she could so callously treat people the way she treated them, do the things she does, and have no remorse over what she does.

The entire book is told from Abby's viewpoint and that clouds everything because Abby's thinking is so warped. It's hard to understand just how real her dreams are and how people really see her. The end of the book is strange because it's hard to believe Abby's version of where she ends up but at the same time, her REAL obsession may have allowed her to get there.

The writing is very good but I would have liked more help in understanding what was real and what might have been Abby's imagination. Mostly I came away from the book feeling sad for the people who came in contact with Abby. Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for this ARC.

The Paper Wasp didn't work for me. I think it's because the premise--adoration of and proximity to a famous female movie star through the eyes of a psychologically damaged and only-going-to-be-more-so *and* economically and socially disadvantaged female was done so well in the recent novel Looker that The Paper Wasp felt too familiar and not nearly as powerful. The Paper Wasp has its differences, of course, but they weren't strong enough to make this a memorable read for me.

Abby sees her childhood best friend, Elise, at their ten year high school reunion. They spent their friendship with Abby drawing and making up stories and Elise acting them out. Now Elise is in Hollywood, just one big role away from breaking through and Abby is not doing much--living at home, working at Meijer, and pouring over the films of their favorite director, Auguste Perren. Her parents worry about her, and her mother is excited that she is going to her high school reunion. From the very first page, we understand that there is something not quite right about Abby and her relationship with Elise and her relationship with the works of Perren. From that moment at the high school reunion, when Elise tells Abby in a drunken, "Give me a call when you're in town," invitation that we all give those old friends and acquaintances we bump into again when we have been drinking, Elise had no clue that Abby was going to take her up on the offer, nor does she know that Abby wants to do things to destroy her.

This is the character of Abby, and what I find interesting and off-putting about her. She does not know nor care what she does to the people around her. Anyone that genuine reaches out to her to try to help her or love her means nothing to Abby. The true problem is that Abby does not see it. In her mind, everything she does, from theft to hurting people who try to help her to just being conniving and ugly toward the people who try to help her, is justified in her mind. There is no guilt, no remorse, and no concern about the destruction that she causes. This makes the entire novel, after it had been finished, more memorable because you rarely find a character that makes mistakes and does not learn from them.

If I had my way, I would have had another 100 pages of the story. I would have had more about their childhood together and more little things that put even more darkness in the relationship between Abby and Elise. As it is, the novel moves fast, reckless, and draws the reader into this world that feels like watching a disaster unfold.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The story about two childhood friends separated by time, space and success.
Abby, lives at home with her parents in a small town in Michigan. All her talent, all her potential, wasted.
Elise, now a movie star lives in LA.

These two friends reunite when on a whim, and after a perfunctory invitation, Abby shows up in LA calling Elise from the airport.
Their's is a toxic friendship fueled by manipulation. This book was dark, twisted and beautifully written.

It flowed like a beautiful terrifying stream, slow paced but such a good read.
I'm not sure if Abby was a genius or delusional. She loved Elise, but in such a condescending way. Abby did not find Elise talented, but found her empty almost vapid.

"You lacked the sophistication to understand it as an incident within the context of a deeper, more complex story"

She balked when Elise called herself an artist, shocked that she could be so misguided, Abby and only Abby was the artist.

Highly recommend

Thank you for the early copy!

This was interesting read with an unique plot. I will be checking out more from this author.

Abby is back in her small Midwest hometown after abandoning her art education, stuck in depression and stagnancy. She decides to go to her high school reunion, and meets up with her somewhat estranged friend, Elise. Elise isn't stuck in Michigan - she's a rising Hollywood actress now. When Elise gives Abby her phone number, the twisted path of Abby's obsession begins.
Abby decides to "visit" Elise in California, all the while plotting a way to make the bond she knows is already there strong enough to keep her there with Elise. Elise's life isn't as shiny as it seems and Abby eventually worms her way into the cracks to split the facade wide open.
Throughout the book, Abby's "dreams" and art reveal her reality, but sometimes reality is very much in the eyes of Abby only. The ending is pretty strong, though perhaps a bit unpalatable. The author writes beautifully, and that helped with some parts of the book that seemed slow.

Amazing read! The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

A striking (and aptly named) character study, compelling and phantasmagoric in its exploration of the human psyche. Paired with Lauren Acampora's gorgeous writing, the story is fine-tuned to what the "descent into madness" looks like in the modern day, in the backdrop of Hollywood glamor.

Reading this was like sinking through an ocean of hallucinations, each gradually growing more distorted and psychedelic and intricately unreliable. While I was fairly disconnected from the story, I cannot discount the quality of the writing. It was a great story, truly immersive, and a definite yes for fans of character studies, but it was not for me. I probably missed the point of it, after all.

This book was dark and intriguing. At times it was hard to follow, but over all it was quite enjoyable.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I love the cover art. The Paper Wasp is a dark and twisted story of obsession and longing. Abie and Elise were high school friends. They drift apart. Now, several years on, Abie is a common woman, and Elise is a starlet. Abie is nothing, and Elise is everything. After reconnecting at a reunion, Abie goes to basically live with Elise in her fancy house in California. Abie becomes obsessed because she just wants to be something else. The plot is intriguing and different from other books I've read. The characters are likeable and not likeable. It's a back and forth with this story. It's a dark psychological thriller that fans of the genre will enjoy. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Captivating from page one through the last page, the intricate relationship between two old friend and their different paths in life create a remarkable, multi-layered literary novel. Jungian overtones, dream interpretation and art, make this novel a sensual feast,

Our narrator Abby initially languishes in her life in Michigan, never really doing more than coasting through her life and obsessing over her childhood best friend Elise, who has now become a Hollywood starlet on the cusp of greatness. After the two reconnect at their high school reunion, Abby springs herself upon Elise's life in LA and...well, remains miserable for entirely different reasons.

Because we're trapped in Abby's narrative, there's no way to distinguish how people see her actions from outside as she gets more and more erratic. By the end of the book, I was tensed without a way for the novel to relieve that pressure. It's just sad and doesn't always feel nuanced.