Buttefly effect crossed with sliding doors tihis is certainly a book that will promote discussion in a book club!
Although a slightly juveinile writing style that kept me one step removed from the victom the story is compelling and you find yourself reading "one more chapter" to see what will happen.

Fight or Flight - something we have all considered in the "what if it happened to me" scenario. I am sure we have all thought about how we would react so it is interesting to see how the narrator portrays both options.

The main character, Gem , is carjacked.. What happens after the carjacking is determined by how she responds to the attack. Athrilling read and one I highly recommend for anyone who loves a "what if" story!

I would like to thank NetGalley for advanced copy received in exchange for a candid review - look out for the book on 6 August!

I was reading this book for inclusion in our subscription box and was quite excited about it until the last few pages, which, without spoiling the book, absolutely ruined it for me. It's too bad because otherwise it was a good, interestingly told book. The different points of view were interesting.

I really fell into this book. We're given 2 versions of the story, alternating each chapter between Fight and Surrender. Ultimately, however, it seems it really doesn't matter what choice is made (so if you're looking for advice, look elsewhere).

The two different versions of the same story can be frustrating at times. I don't normally make notes for myself while reading, but with this book you almost have to. Some of the events that happen in each timeline are so similar or happen in slightly different ways, which is challenging to keep track of when the timeline switches with each chapter. Though, one thing I did enjoy about this structure, is the timing of certain events happening either in tandem or juxtaposed between the timelines.

Both versions of this story could stand on their own as separate novels, though I (surprisingly) found myself preferring the Surrender chapters more.

All in all, a fun thriller with a few twists I saw coming and some turns that I didn't!

A fresh, innovative, thought-provoking psycho-thriller with intensity, grit and edge. A riveting and artful study in the consequences of choice. This one is not to be missed!

#TheVictim #WhatWouldYouDo #ConsequencesOfChoice #MaxManning #NetGalley

I come to really enjoy books from Max Manning and get excited when I get approved to read them and give them an honest review...

And this book was great I managed to get through this book in almost record-breaking time, Its a such a good twist of the story reminded me of the film sliding doors.
On a few occasions, I had to backtrack as I forgot who I was reading about the victim or the fighter ... but that's more my fault not stopping on chapters ...

It was really interesting to read about both sides of the story and how each life almost plays out in similar ways with a few twists but I won't say no more its one of those books you must read yourself especially if you are a fan of previous boos from the same author or love a new spin on a good thriller.

“Victims of crime react in one of three ways. Fight. Flight. Or Freeze. All are instinctive and the freeze response is the most primitive. Nobody should feel shame or be blamed for an instinctive response they have no control over.”

Gem is carjacked.

What happens after the carjacking is determined by how she responds to the attack.

In the even numbered chapters, Gem is the victim. SURRENDER

In the odd numbered chapters, an alternate version of events is told, where Gem fights off her attacker. FIGHT

But, if you surrender, must you remain a victim? And, if you fight, does that mean that you won’t feel like a victim after the attack? And, what if a coin toss decides your fate, whether or not you resist or submit?

A “sliding doors” story with lots of thought provoking questions that would probably be a great book for book clubs to read and discuss.

But, I had to reread several chapters because some events in the “Surrender” chapters felt like victories, and some events in the “Fight” chapters felt like defeats which made things a bit confusing.

Despite the violent crimes being committed, I think the format kept me emotionally disconnected from the victim.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Max Manning for the digital ARC received in exchange for a candid review. If the premise seems intriguing to you, look for this title on Aug. 6, 2019!

I loved this story. The Victim is a sort of speculative fiction story. It's narrated in divergent story lines based on a choice one woman makes. The main character is the victim of a carjacking one night. The choice is fight back or go along with the carjacking? The results of each choice are played out. I find it fascinating to consider how one little thing can change the course of a life. This reminds me of the butterfly effect where one thing causes ripples effects that are far reaching into other people's lives. The story is well written and complex. You really have to pay attention so as not to get confused with the dual perspectives. I highly recommend for anyone who enjoy a unique and engrossing story. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Victim is a thriller that takes us down two different paths of the possibilities when Gem Golding is attacked during a car jacking. She can either surrender, or she can fight back. Each of those scenarios and their consequences are played out through this book. I thought the concept of parallel timelines was unique, but it was difficult for me at times to keep track of which timeline I was reading, and what had happened previously. Overall, a fun read that gets you thinking about how every decision you make can totally alter the course of your life.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC!

The Victim by Max Manning is a psychological thriller following Gem Golding as she is violently attacked during a carjacking. She has two chooses: surrender or fight back. This book will take you down both of those paths and the life that comes after the two choices.

This book is so unique in the way that one character becomes both a victim and warrior. The book follows one event where the main character makes two different choices which puts her on two different timelines. It's something I've personally never seen before and it's an interesting little writing trick.

The writing trick of creating two separate timelines is good and bad. For one, it's more interesting. If you were to read just one of the two outcomes this novel would not be nearly as attention grabbing. However, it would be a lot less confusing. It was hard for me to keep track of which timeline I was reading. Thankfully, the chapters have it clearly labeled for you, but that still didn't stop me from getting mixed up.

The author did something really brave and unique by creating two different timelines, but the plotline itself is good too. I didn't really find anything else that really stood out as wonderful, but nothing else was terrible either. If you like a good thriller and think you can read two different timelines simultaneously without becoming confused, than give this book a try.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

Loved this. A Sliding Door concept. How there can be two different outcomes of an experience, in this case carjacking. Some readers seemed to find it difficult going back and forth but I found it quite easy. All in all a great read.

Max Manning has given us another edge-of-your-seat thriller. Gem Golding has to make a life-altering decision one night when she is carjacked. She can choose to fight her attacker, a cold blooded psychopath, or submit to him. Manning alternates chapters with the consequences of these two decisions in a groundbreaking literacy feat.

I loved that Manning took on this technique of the two outcomes of a decision. I found it to be original and refreshing. With that said, I did find myself confused at times, especially towards the end, because I couldn’t remember what had happened in which scenario. I think part of this was because I read the book over several days, instead of in one straight sitting. I would also recommend reading a print version rather than an ebook because you may want to flip back and forth at times.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Max Manning for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Title: The Victim

Author: Max Manning

Length: 300 pages

Publisher: Source Books

Genre: Crime Fiction, Thriller

Publishing date: August 6, 2019

My rating: 4/5

Summary:

The book is about an incident where the protagonist Gem makes a choice and what would have happened had she chosen a different route. The journey of both the choices available to Gem and the of the antagonist Norton.

My Take:

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this beautiful crime fiction book.

The story starts with a thrilling scene of a Carjacking. It does give you an adrenaline rush while describing the events. One can completely empathise with the character of Gem and would abhor Norton, the antagonist. The characterization is brilliant and the history of every character brings depth in them.

The plot is great. If you’ve read Jeffrey Archer’s Heads you Win, you wouldn’t find this book confusing as just like Archer’s book, this book has two parallel plots based on the choices made by them. While I would say the ending of this book is more precise than Archer’s book.

The thrilling moments are there but I craved for more. I thoroughly enjoyed the narratives from Gem’s and Nortan’s perspectives and got a bit bored when the investigation part was covered, nevertheless it was critical for the story to move ahead.

The cover of the book is also apt for the story. I would not say that the revelation blew my mind as I could predict the same.

A great book for people who love reading crime fictions.

Thank you netgalley for an ARC of The Victim for my honest review.
What if you were carjacked.? Would you fight back or submit? These are the questions faced by Gem Golding. She stops at a convenience store late one night. She is confronted by a carjacker and must decide is she will go along with his demands or fight back. This book shows what happens with each of her decisions.

The alternating chapters involve one storyline if she submits and surrenders and the other storyline if she is a warrior and fights back. But which is the right choice? We find out there is no easy answer and it’s not always your choice even if you think it is. The decision creates ripples through other lives.

The concept of this book is really good. There is a lot of action and twists and turns. However, the story became confusing. It was hard to keep straight the facts of the story for both storylines.

When faced with the choice between giving in to your fate or fighting back the choice is yours to make. Gem Golding finds herself in this position as she is car jacked and faced with her two options. Playing out how the outcomes of each could pan out she must decide on her own fate. Love the morals that you always have a choice and it really is up to you to make a move and decide your fate.

The Victim is a psychological thriller that follows Gem Golding, an ambitious, young public relations officer who has everything she has ever wanted in life, a successful career, a doting boyfriend. Her life is thrown upside down when she makes an innocent stop one night at a quickie mart to get some painkillers and a carjacker approaches her and tries to take her vehicle. She gets into an altercation with the carjacker and the assault ends with her ending up in the hospital.

In the wake of her experience, Gem’s stable life starts to fall apart. She develops a paranoia that the attacker is following her, and her boyfriend who had long wanted for her to be a stay at home wife. He seizes on her newfound vulnerability to push his agenda that she needs to get a job that has better hours or better yet, she should just stay home, and take care of the house. Initially, Gem believes that she is just feeling vulnerable and that she just needs to get back in control of her life. It soon becomes apparent; however, that the carjacker has taken a personal obsession to Gem. The cops tasked with apprehending Gem’s carjacker soon realize that this is no ordinary petty criminal, they are dealing with an increasing dangerous psychopath. The body count rises when Gem’s boyfriend is targeted by the carjacker and he is killed. The case takes on fresh urgency as the body count rises and the vicious nature of the suspect becomes more and more apparent.

The story is fast paced, and told through the eyes of all the parties involved. This allows us as the reader to get an omnipotent perspective. There are a few different angles of storylines that develop, and they involve the same characters, so it did lead me to be slightly confused. Overall, I enjoyed the story. The story has enough surprises to keep me interested. The staging and characters are sufficiently creepy.

Classic case of flight of fight. When Gem Golding is the victim of a carjacking, this novel tells two different stories - one in which she fights back, and one in which she surrenders. Reading about two different life plans was quite interesting although it became rather hard to keep track of which side I was reading sometimes. Was this the survivor or the victim? They both became too similar at times and just confused me. An okay read though.

A big part of the book was what if’s. Gem Golding is at a store and carjacked by a psychopath. The novel explored what happened if she gave in to the carjacker and if she fought back- however it was confusing keeping track because the author made the scenarios way too similar. I was lost during so many parts. It was thrilling to read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for a fair review.
3.5 /5 (rounded down because it was so dam confusing)

The premise of this book really drew me in. I suppose I was expecting more of a paranormal story. However, this read boggled my mind. I liked the idea of one moment of judgement steering you in a different life path - yet, should that affect all of the other characters in life, as well? I don't think anyone has an explanation for that. The story started off strongly and yes, I had to look back as to whether I was reading about the victim or the warrior. Both of Gem's persona seemed to be doomed, yet in different ways. The police were trying their best to crack open cases and yet they were not given the tools even the Daily News had access to.

Yes, I was confused, but I did get to the end of this read. The characters were developed well, but they were not "in character" as one would expect them to be. Regardless, I had to read to find out what happened to Norton.

An OK read.

Many Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS - Landmark and Netgalley for an interesting read.

An interesting read - giving 2 different possibilities of what could have happened. Questions that people ask themselves if they were ever in a similiar situation - fight or flight. Some of the characters not quite as believable, but still an enjoyable read.

I zoomed through this book in one snowy day.

Anyone who fondly remembers Sliding Doors, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, will love the premise of this page-turner. Gem Golding is the victim of a car-jacking; at this point she has to decide, will she fight her assailant or give in.

Decision made, the book splinters into two parallel universes, in alternating chapters. In one story we get to learn what happens to the Gem who fights back and how it affects her going forward and in alternating chapters we follow the Gem who chose not to fight.

I loved what the author did and wasn't confused by it as some report but I recognized the device immediately as the one in the movie I love so much.

This book was unique, interesting and very thought-provoking. I didn't even mind being in snowed in today to read it!

Thank you to Max Manning, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and Netgalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!