Thank you to Netgalley for the advance read of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

This was a tough read for me. The authors note helped to shine some light on the writing but this my have been better as an investigative non-fiction article the a fiction story on the sex workers in Great Britain - specifically Scotland.

The story jumped around a timeline a lot and it was hard for me to follow at times which I found frustrating and took away from the story for me. The plot line was confused and didn’t feel like it had any clear purpose other than to share the view of the sex worker who chose that line of work.

It did make several good points on the topic and the authors research skills are definitely evident in the book Which is why I think it would have made a great non-fiction piece. Trying to turn into a novel, for me, fell flat.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced reader copy. I thought this was a very interesting premise, but ultimately this fell flat to me. It jumps all over the place making it hard to follow.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

This book was an interesting read that included a view of world of sex workers and I felt as though it did portray the industry with care and compassion. However, I did not feel very invested in the plot - it was disjointed at times and made it somewhat hard to connect with the characters, who were otherwise well developed. The writing style too was jarring, though surmountable.

Unfortunately this book was not what I thought it was. Although the synopsis allows readers to expect prostitution as a big part of this novel, there were other elements that i was not ready for. This book can be a bit explicit with a lot of solo intimate scenes that i could not understand the importance of in such early chapters of the book. Because there were so many scenes of this in the first few chapters I could not continue reading.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced reader copy. This was a departure from my usual reads, but I truly enjoyed this one. I found myself not wanting to put it down!

The book is split into six sections as well as the opening and ending chapters labeled ‘Past’ and ‘Future’. The main section is called ‘Present’.

It took some getting used to at first the way the book was written, especially seen as the opening scene was written in the second person, a style of writing I will admit I really don’t like and I wasn’t sure what I was going to make of the book. However, the rest of the book (barring the last chapter) was written in the third person. Each section is also made up of alternating chapters, so section one alternates between ‘Village’ and ‘City’, section two ‘Back’ and ‘Forth’ and so on. It’s not a style I’ve come across before, but it really works to bring you in closer to the storyline, backstory and the characters.

As well as the chapters there are also blog posts from a sex-worker and messages from punters too. As I have said the book is eye-opening and not for the easily offended of those that don’t want to read about what the women in the book are paid to do as there are a few graphic scenes, but all in keeping with plot and I feel that they are needed to make the book feel authentic.

This book wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. I agree with others that the flip flopping of the chapters took some getting used to. I didn't particularly like the main character, Fiona. She really seemed sort of pathetic. *spoilers* So the abrupt change in character at the end didnt really seem to fit. It wasnt like she had a gradual build up and then embraced change. It was as if in one night she decided she was going to do a 180, and then she did. I am ok with the fact that she never found Rona. I do think it made the story feel a little empty that she never seemed to have any moment of clarity that she needed to let go and move on. Instead, it almost seems like she just decided to step into her sister's old shoes. Especially since she was describing things she was doing as Rona-esque.

I had no ideas what I was getting into when I picked up this book as I hadn’t read any reviews but the synopsis hooked me. This was a solid and strong debut novel. Some parts I admit were hard to follow while others were a bit uncomfortable to read due to subject matter but all and all I enjoyed it!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of Fishnet for review.
This novel was a thoughtful approach to the dilemma of defining what the sex industry really is. Is it harmful to women? Or is it purely a transaction where no one is demeaned and both people walk away happy?
Our main character Fiona has to decide this for herself and find out where her sister disappeared to once she entered the world of the European sex trade.
Beyond just the issues of sex and commerce this book was an unflinching look at families, parenting, the internet, drugs and maintaining relationships when the world becomes more and more disconnected.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to examine these topics more closely.

I appreciate the author’s efforts to shed some light on the modern day world of the sex worker industry, but it felt more like editorial commentary than the dark novel I anticipated. The storyline moves at an adequate pace and character development is there, but all and all I found this read “just meh.”

From the blurb, this book sounded really interesting and right up my alley, but I was super disappointed. That chapters bounced around with confusing timelines, the dialogue and spelling seemed off and non consistent. I didn't see what the hype was about.

A gripping story about a sister's search for her missing sister and the lengths she goes to find answers. While the subject matter of sex work is usually difficult to read, I think Innes approaches it with an informative and referential tone.

This book was interesting to say the least and definitely a different type of read for sure. The chapters switch between different timelines which kinda got confusing but could slowly get the hang of it. The story was very thought provoking and made the story very interesting to read about Its a topic I wouldn't have thought to really read about but I am glad I still did because it was different for a change. I give it about a 3 star read.

I had a lot of trouble getting through this one. I had difficultly orienting myself with all the time jumps which felt unnecessarily confusing. And the ending was lackluster. Had a great premise and was very excited going in, but execution wasn't there for me.

The book does a great job doing what it set out to do-make an argument for the public acceptance of sex workers and their profession. The author clearly did her research and it shows. The book feels very real and thoughtful, not pandering or overwrought. However, where the book fails is in being a work of fiction. The plot seems to meander in the background of the argument the book wants to make, the characters merely devices to deliver a message, the relationships between characters hardly fleshed out, and the ending somewhat predictable and almost feels like an afterthought. It was by no means a BAD book, but it could have been so much more if the author was able to find a balance. I'd like to see her do more work in the future like this to see if she can find that balance.

Description
Fishnet is about Fiona's search for her missing sister Rona. The search takes into the world of sex workers. Six years after her disappearance she had been working as a prostitute. Of course there is more to this story than just about a missing person.

My Review:
This is the first book I read from this author and it was a bit difficult to digest. It just did not grab my attention. I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Therefore, I must say it was just not what I expected.It does not flow as it should.

Let me start by saying I have no opinion either way on sex workers, so my thoughts on this book are in no way a reflection of the content. I really, REALLY wanted to love this, but the writing style was just too much. I understand the author wanted to emphasize accents, but there are other ways to do so besides blatantly writing out the pronunciation of words IN THE ACCENT. That frustrated me to no end. I read about 60% and just couldn't with this one anymore. Sadly, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Fishnet from Kristin Innes takes a look at the inner world of prostitution. It’s the world’s oldest profession as the saying goes and in Scotland, where the book is set, prostitution is legal but public solicitation, pimping and operating a brothel is not. Readers are going to come to this book with their own opinions about prostitution and they may find those opinions challenged.

Fishnet

Fiona is at a hen’s night whooping it up in a highland village when something weird happens. Some semi-boozed up man at the pub claims he recognises her. The trip to this particular village brings back memories of Rona, Fiona’s missing sister, as this village was her last know whereabouts. Rona’s been gone now for almost 7 years. Fiona decides to track down Rona’s friend and former roommate Christina, and she’s shocked to discover that Rona was working as a prostitute right before she disappeared. This new information throws an entirely different light on Rona’s disappearance.

Coincidentally, when Fiona returns to work at a construction company, the building is being picketed by sex workers who are about to be evicted. Fiona’s boss tells her to call the police on the women, and while Fiona complies, she also takes the women tea and warns them that the police are on their way.

This encounter sends Fiona down the rabbit hole looking for her sister. Meanwhile Fiona’s home life as a single parent living with her parents, takes a back seat. The novel sways between a search for Rona, the reduction of the stigmatization of sex work, the legalization of prostitution, and the argument that prostitutes aren’t all exploited women. This was obviously well researched, but the plot was somewhat predictable so no surprises there.

My opinions of prostitution have altered with age. In gung-ho youth, I thought, remove the pimps, it was a victimless crime, damn it and that it should be legalized. It was pretty black and white for me. I still think it should be legalized, and the Scottish approach seems the most humane and reasonable. However, my opinions were altered some time back by the Elizabeth Haynes (researched) novel Behind Closed Doors. This novel concerned a 15 year old girl who was sold into sex slavery, drugged up to the eyeballs, beaten, raped and rotated through various flop houses in the Red Light district of Amsterdam. You know … where prostitution is legal. Yeah right.

review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Scott Press for providing Fishnet in exchange for my honest review.

From the start it is obvious that Kirstin Innes put a lot of work into researching the book. There were sections that felt more journalistic but as you get deeper into the story that falls away.
Fishnet is about two sisters, Fiona and Rona. Fiona has been looking for her sister, Rona for six years. She discovers that Rona was a sex worker before she disappeared and she dives deeper into that world. I felt like much of the story was spent trying to show us that sex working is a safe vocation and that people do it because they want too. I don’t argue that that is true in some instances but for me it took me out of the story.
The bouncing around of the timeline made it difficult to follow along and frustrating to stay invested. The hook for me what the mystery of Rona and how/why she disappeared. I’m not sure I needed Fiona’s storyline in order to get into Rona’s story. The sisterly part of this was not important, or not as important as I wanted it to be. Fiona could have been a journalist that was looking for a big scoop or an old friend.
In the end I felt like it had the makings of a great plot but the development and details to keep me in it weren’t there. It almost felt more of a documentary than a mystery and although Innes had the details it just didn’t work as a fictional story for me. I would recommend it to anyone who asked, as I know many people disagree with me. This is just my take on it.



The story is great. Innes has put SO much effort into the research in this book and it's evident; the entire storyline was entirely plausible and made me think about the whole topic in such a different way. The writing is also accessible even though a lot of the dialogue is in a Scottish dialect. Lucky for me one of my best friends is from Glasgow where I (think?) this book is set (it's not entirely clear from the story....could be either Glasgow or Edinburgh) so I just imagined him speaking when I read the dialogue haha! In terms of style and literary devices this book really appealed to me. The book alternates between the past and the present. For the most part I didn't find this hard to follow but the closer it got to the end, the closer in time the alternate sections came and this started to get a bit muddled (in my head at least). I do enjoy the flip between time periods as a general rule in novels (provided it's done well) so this endeared me to this book even more. We also get to read blog posts from some of the sec workers and emails between Fiona and some characters. I enjoyed this as well. It wasn't over done and both mediums brought something to the novel. You were able to get a sense of the feelings and thought processes of other characters in the book and not just Fiona which I thought was a refreshing pause in the narrative.

I also enjoyed the characterisation in this book. Fiona was extremely well developed; we can see how her thought process and, to an extent, get to know her and know what she would and wouldn't do. There were things I liked and things I didn't like about Fiona's character. First of all I thought she was more compassionate and thoughtful about both the sex industry itself and those who work in the industry. She also loves her daughter Beth so much, and would do anything for her; although we see through the novel that she does make many mistakes as a parent but you know where her heart is. On the other hand she was sometimes stupid....going back to hotel room on her own with two men she's only just met? At 29? Surely she sees the dangers here.....by all means do what you will with your life but for Christ's sake be safe!


"...a truth universally acknowledged: that every act of heterosexual sex (a thing, let's not forget, that happens to a woman, upon her) fundamentally damages the female partner in some way."
I think that while this was a sarcastic comment in the novel, does in fact describe very well the general opinion on the sex industry, even in today's society. I must admit that I have also been guilty of this assumption, that any girl in the industry has only gotten into this line of work due to difficulties that she has encountered in her life or has been trafficked into it by some seedy men. Although this is true in some cases, it doesn't apply to the masses. Some women choose to go into this industry for a myriad of reasons: she wants more money, likes sex, needs a job to provide her family. Who knows? Even better, who are we to judge? I work in finance, an industry where the majority assumes that the people in that industry are morally lacking....but you wouldn't stop your child going into that industry would you? Basically, if you stay safe both physically and medically; like your job and aren't being forced into it, go right ahead, do what makes you happy.

In terms of things I didn't enjoy about the book, I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of insights we get into Rona's life post disappearance or even the lead up to her disappearance.....what made her do it? Why go into the industry? What were her thought processes? As much as I enjoyed the social commentary and watching Fiona change her thoughts towards the industry, I would have appreciated it if Innes had went a bit further and got into the head of someone actually in the industry.