If nothing else, this book was an interesting look at the lives of sex workers. Fishnet is rude, vulnerable, crass, and a too close to home look at people who are considered quite low on the social totem pole. It's exactly the type of book you want to read when you're done with the world, and you need a book to let you know you're right.

Our main character's sister has been missing and she's desperate to find her. But because her sister is on the bottom of society's radar, does anyone actually care what happened to her or where she might be? And that is what you'll find in Fishnet. Now I realize this is a book of fiction, but from what I've heard on podcasts and read in articles, I think we all know that "risky behavior" such as sex work is frowned up, and we cast aside these people as if they are nothing. A lot of that happens in this book. And it's disturbing.

Fishnet releases 10.15.19.

4.5/5 Stars

Six years ago, Fiona’s independent, younger sister, Rona, unexpectedly called for help. Fiona welcomed her into her apartment, pleased Rona finally needed her. But, the next morning Rona was gone. Fiona and her parents haven’t heard from her since.

Now, Fiona is an underemployed single mother who lives in a flat above her parents. For the first time, Fiona receives new information about Rona: she learns that before Rona disappeared, she was working as a prostitute. At the same time, the building occupied by Sanctuary Base, a haven for sex workers in the city center, has been acquired by the Jackson Group, and they’ve contracted with Fiona’s company to help with development.

Fiona takes the opportunity to search anew for Rona, but as she dives into the work of sex work, her assumptions about the women and the industry are upended. Rather than victims without choice, she finds an organized group of determined, ambitious, and intelligent women who decided to become sex workers rather than pursue other careers. At the same time, others insist that prostitution degrades women and lobby for stricter laws. (Set in Scotland, the laws around prostitution are different than in the U.S.) As Fiona is seduced by the allure and glamour—and steeliness of the women she meets, she dissociates from her work, her family, and even her daughter.

While Fiona may initially focus on the alluring aspects of sex work, Fishnet provides a wider view. Although ultimately it comes down to giving women choice over how to use their bodies, it does acknowledge that sex work can be risky and that women are stronger when they work together. In addition to providing Fiona’s perspective, the book includes excerpts from blogs and ads written by sex workers which I thought added to the narrative. At times, it sounded slightly didactic, but I think that is because so many readers will come to the book anti-prostitution, and Innes wants to challenge that position.

Beyond presenting the question of sex work, the novel addresses Fiona’s malaise, and Innes’s descriptions of her office life are amusing. Additionally, the structure is unusual and surprising, so the reading is never boring, though how could it be with a subject like this!?

Divided into six sections, and told in different timelines and povs (including blog posts) , this is as much about exposing the conditions for sex workers in Edinburgh as it is about a woman's hunt to find out what happened to her sister. Fiona's sister Rona went missing at the age of twenty. Six years later, Fiona (finally) decides to find out what happened to her. She tumbles down the rabbit hole of the sex industry. There's some graphic language and scenes, some hard to read pieces, and some interesting perspective. It's certainly enlightening. I didn't find a great deal of emotion from Fiona but perhaps detachment is better in these circumstances. Thanks to net galley for the ARC and the chance to read a novel which received acclaim when it was originally published in the UK.

I asked for this book because of the plot. It’s not my usual kind of read. I liked it and would read more books by this author.

I wanted to like this book, but I found it a difficult read, at best. It was slow-moving to the point of dragging, and as a result, I skimmed over several sections. I found the writing choppy and the constant time changes unnecessary and often confusing.

That said, there was an interesting perspective on the world of sex work and why women choose to partake in it, but it was buried beneath an uncomfortably gritty world and unlikeable characters. I wish that part had shone more clearly.

This was a bit too rambling for me to actually enjoy it while reading it but I admit that it was thought-provoking. I thought it was going to have more of a thriller aspect rather than be so introspective and political. That's not necessarily a bad thing but it was definitely a slow read because of it. As I mentioned, the best thing this book has going for it is it will make you question how you think about sex workers and sex work and those questions do linger.

Fishnet comes out later this month on October 15, 2019 and you can purchase HERE.

The car purred sexily, a hot gust on my legs, and a sudden bad bit of me thought, What if I did it? What if I turned around to meet this car, the man inside, leaned in at the window?

This book started off strong for me, but then quickly took a nose dive. It was all over the place for me and I had an extremely hard time following the story. I think there was some important issues that the author delved into, but very hard to understand.

The subject matter of this novel piqued my interest, but I had a hard time staying engaged with the writing style.

I had no idea what I was getting into reading this book as I hadn't read any reviews. But I was more than pleasantly surprised that it included so much content beyond the storyline. Fiona is searching for her sister, Rona who disappeared six years ago and was apparently working as a prostitute. Fiona is raising Rona's daughter as her own and struggles to balance work and a social life being a single mother. But finding her sister becomes a priority, and in searching she meets several young women involved in the sex trade business. This is where we learn just who these women are and the various reasons they chose this field. It's eye-opening to say the least as we realize most do not feel trapped or insecure; they are articulate and intelligent, viewing prostitution as a valid choice over which they have complete control. It's clear a lot of research went into this debut and I enjoyed both the plot and the information gleaned from this novel!

3 for neutral. This book was not for me. I was so excited to get it and tried on many occasions to read, but was never able to get into it, if I am able to later will update my review.

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

Fiona’s life hasn’t turned out how she had expected. She’s overqualified for her mind-numbing office job and lives with her parents, who help her care for her young daughter. Several years have passed since her sister went missing, but the memory of Rona still haunts her. An invitation to a bachelorette party in the sleepy Scottish town where Rona was last seen unearths shocking information: Rona exchanged sex for money.

Fiona becomes obsessed with Rona’s career choice, and soon internet searches aren’t enough. She uses her job to get close to a group of sex workers, and tries to forge a friendship with one in particular, a PhD candidate in political science who specializes in fetishes. The sex workers Fiona meets aren’t anything like the stereotypes she’d expected, and neither are most of their clients, who prefer “the girlfriend experience” over an impersonal romp. Instead of surrendering their power to their clients, the sex workers strive to be in control of their liaisons. They support each other and use a buddy system to create safeguards. The work appeals to Fiona, whose life in anything but in control. What starts as a quest to find her sister turns into Fiona’s attempt to discover a lost part of herself.

Fiona isn’t a likeable character. Her flaws are numerous. She’s distant to her friends, and has nothing but contempt for her coworkers. She resents having to care for her daughter and holds a grudge against her newly reunited parents. At every turn, she makes poor choices. Yet, her quest to solve the mystery of Rona’s disappearance changes her. She sheds her frumpy persona like a snakeskin and steps out from Rona’s shadow to repair relationships and forge a new career.

The well-crafted characters make the book stand out, as does Fiona’s transformation. I particularly liked how Fiona’s view of the ladies at the bachelorette party is challenged by one of her friends, revealing Fiona’s judgmental attitude. The author uses her work as an investigative reporter to break the myths of sex work. Rather than denigrating or glamorizing sex work, she humanizes the profession.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scout Press, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., for the opportunity to experience this book in advance of its release.

Thanks to the author, Kirstin Innes, the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read the book for an honest review.

Fiona starts investigating the disappearance of her sister from 6 years ago, and realizes that her sister was working as a hooker/prostitute before she disappeared. Fiona is now on the hunt for her sister, and she realizes that her sister could be in trouble, and not deceased.

Along the way, Fiona becomes friends with other prostitutes who teaches Fiona that this type of job can actually become a career. I liked how the book incorporated the sister's daughter into Fiona's life, as she is the one raising the daughter.

I wasn't sure if I truly enjoyed the book, as I skipped some of the pages just to get to the end. I would give this a 2.5 stars if I could, but I will end up giving 3 stars instead.

This is not my usual forte but I really loved this book. When she finds out her sister was a prostitute before she died she wants to find out about that life that seduced her sister and ended her life but will it also seduce her? It was really intriguing to actually learn about that world and what is can do fo you. Thanks NetGalley

Fiona is living in her sister Rona’s shadow. Truly. Ever since Rona disappeared, Fiona has been living with her parents, trying desperately to solve the mystery of where Rona went. She works in a boring clerical job in a crappy part of town, has no boyfriend or meaningful friendships. Her life has stalled out.
It isn’t until she finds out her sister was actually a sex worker that her life begins to take on meaning and become interesting. Her boring job is with a company trying to shut down a sex worker’s safe haven and she starts forming relationships with the women in order to find leads on what happened to her sister, and as she gets to know these strong unique women, she starts seeing past their profession.
I love the premise for this book and I think it’s definitely a strong debut from Kirstin Innes. I would have rated it slightly higher if I felt a stronger connection to Fiona. She was very lost earlier in the book and starts finding herself as time goes on. but I didn’t find it completely believable. It was also classified as a thriller, which it was not. Mystery sure. But the book didn’t really keep me on the edge of my seat.
Still, it’s a bold topic and it’s based on real-life relationships the author formed as a journalist over ten years ago. I could tell from reading the book that Innes was bringing respect to these women who are so often treated much different.
Special thanks to Gallery/Scout Books and Netgalley for an e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

I didn't realize how much I didn't know about sex work and sex workers until reading this one! It was eye opening. I didn't quite realize the nature of the story until I was already hooked. Not something I would have chosen had I known, but I'm glad I did.

Kirstin Innes certainly pushed the envelope with her debut novel, Fishnet!

Tempted by the vibrant cover, I had not read the synopsis before requesting a digital copy via NetGalley. Diving in without any preconceived notions, it took only a few pages for me to become thoroughly hooked, no pun intended!

With a bit of a Bridget Jones meets Desperately Seeking Susan vibe, the protagonist, Fiona, attempts to locate her missing sister while scrambling to maintain her own chaotic life. As events align to create the opportunity to question one of Rona's last known contacts, Fiona learns her sister had become involved in the sex trade before she vanished. Determined to find answers, Fiona delves into the world of prostitution, only to discover a wealth of humanity hidden beneath the stereotypes.

Wonderfully crafted, Innes brings a fresh perspective to an age old trade, I highly recommend Fishnet to anyone looking for a change of pace with a bit of an edge!

Fishnet is a fictional book about the sex industry and it's workers. The story is interesting, but in my opinion the author (Kristin Innes) gives us the story with too much back and forth, jumping around to various scenes and back again. I was given an early copy to review.

This book was hot and cold for me because I felt some areas dragged, while other parts had me turning the pages non stop. Ultimately, I had to know what happened and didn’t stop because of that.

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Pocket Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fiona’s sister, Rona, went missing 6 years ago. When Fiona finds out that her sister was working as a prostitute before she disappeared, she begins researching and meeting with sex workers, trying to figure out where her sister went.

On the level that this book is an eye opener about sex work, it is effective. It did open my eyes to the fact that some people choose this work because the money is good and the schedule is flexible and they are not forced into it by a pimp or because of a drug addiction. Other than that, this book wasn’t that interesting to me. I found the timeline bounced around a lot and I had difficulty following it. I also didn’t think it was that suspenseful or had a very shocking or even interesting ending. I feel like it was more of a documentary than a mystery or thriller. The story of what happened to Rona didn’t end up being very entertaining and that made it disappointing overall.

It is the story of Fiona who‘s searching for her younger sister, Rona, for 7 years. Fiona learns that Rona was a sex worker leading Fiona to see sex workers as human beings with their own voices and choices. She meets Anya/Sonja & others while still searching for Rona & raising her daughter as a single mother. Anya‘s blog entries are powerful..