Someone Had to Do It was a novel I had a hard time putting down. This mystery/thriller contained everything from drama, romance, seduction, and murder. The story is told from the view points of Brandi Maxwell, an intern working at the Van Doren fashion line, and Taylor Van Doren, daughter of the multi billion dollar fashion icon, Simon Van Doren. The two stories interweave throughout, while exploring two very different lives and perspectives. The two things these women have in common, they both want Nate Robinson, star football player, and getting what they want.
As the story unfolds, we see how determination looks for someone who comes from nothing, and someone who has everything. The story never falls short on the twists and turns, and kept me on the edge of my seat till the end.
I will be sure to read some of Amber and Danielle Brown's other novels soon!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of <i>Someone Had to Do It</i> in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

<h4 style="margin-top: 84px;">The Gist</h4>

<i>Someone Had to Do It</i> a debut novel by Amber and Danielle Brown, is a compelling blend of thriller and social commentary. This gripping story delves into themes of power, privilege, and justice, set against the backdrop of the cutthroat world of high fashion in New York City.

<h4>The Details</h4>

The protagonist is a well-crafted protagonist whose complexities and vulnerabilities are skillfully depicted. Her evolution throughout the novel, from an ambitious intern to a woman grappling with ethical dilemmas, is both believable and engaging. Her inner strength and determination make her a character readers can root for.

The novel features a diverse cast of supporting characters, each with their own motives and secrets. These characters add depth to the story and help illuminate the various facets of the fashion industry. The antagonists are particularly well-developed, embodying the ruthless and often unethical nature of the industry.

Amber and Danielle Brown's writing is sharp and evocative. They create a vivid and immersive depiction of the fashion world, balancing the glitz and glamour with the underlying darkness. The pacing is brisk, with well-placed twists and turns that keep readers hooked. The dialogue is realistic and reflective of the high-stakes environment in which the characters operate.

<h4>The Verdict</h4>

Overall, <i>Someone Had to Do It</i> is a standout debut that combines the allure of a thriller with incisive social commentary. Amber and Danielle Brown have crafted a narrative that is both entertaining and thought-provoking, shedding light on the darker aspects of the fashion industry while telling a compelling story of ambition, identity, and resilience. This novel is a must-read for fans of thrillers and those interested in stories that tackle important social issues.

This book had all the gossip, all the drama and all the problems in the world today! An eye opening and fun read. Highly recommend!

Immersive and vivid and I really felt like i was part of the fashion industry and all the twists and turns. Thanks to Amber Brown and Danielle Brown and Harlequin Trade Publishing for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

4 stars

This was a fun, fast paced novel filled with gossip and thrills. I kept turning the pages wanting to know what was happening next! Totally recommended for thriller fans.

A fun, juicy, drama-filled debut that manages to be grounded and address countless issues, such as white privilege, classism, the judicial system, microaggressions, racism and much more.

The perfect balance of twisted and soapy.

I loved this book! All the gossip girl vibes mixed with mystery and scandal - what's not to love?! I can't wait to read more from this talented duo in the future.

Brandi working as an intern and the only Black girl in Manhattan fashion house.
She loves her job, even though her job includes cleaning partying models’ puke stains from the designer clothes and hearing racist, condescending comments of her colleagues. She loves her boyfriend. So it appears she’s living a dreamy life and now she’s invited to a famous fashion mogul Simon Van Doren’s private party, but unfortunately she hears something very inappropriate from Taylor: the famous IT Girl she’s admiring, who is also the daughter of Simon! Taylor is worried because she’s so about to lose her inheritance if she cannot pass her drug test plus her father is about to marry a girl at same age with her!
But Taylor believes she deserves the money that’s rightfully hers. And she’ll go to any lengths to get it, even if that means sacrificing her famous father in the process. But when Brandi overhears something she shouldn’t have, and her fate becomes dangerously intertwined Taylor’s. All Taylor needs is the perfect person to take the fall...and it looks like Brandi is the perfect person.

This is a pretty good read, although I didn't care for the characters and that kept me from personally enjoying the book. Unpleasant people abound. I appreciate the own-voices element.

Someone Had to Do It is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out Someone Had to Do It asap.

I really enjoyed this and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have read it! What a wonderful book!

Really enjoyed this book. It was the perfect mix of drama and mystery. Finally a book boyfriend that isn’t an ass. Nate was my favorite character. Really sad that they haven’t written any other books together cause I would like to read them all. Will def be looking out for more by these authors

Excellent thriller that managed to cover racial disparity, classism, and complexities of intimate relationships; Our protagonist, Brandi, works as an intern at a high-fashion company owned by the Van Dorens. While facing constant discrimination at work compared to the other interns, she decides to apply for an opportunity to spend some time abroad at the company's European location, and in hopes of being chosen, was able to have her boyfriend (who is friends w/ Simon Van Doren's daughter) get them on the list to one of his exclusive parties to give her an opportunity to chat with him.
Taylor Van Doren, who is as unlikable as they come, is being threatened by her father to clean up her drug habit or her inheritance is gone. Taylor goes further off the deep end when she finds out that her father is marrying someone around the same age as her and devises a sinister plan to get her inheritance and walk away unscathed, letting someone else take the fall. And who better than the intern....
With lots of twists and turns, clever plotting, and a smart antagonist, this book had it all. I truly enjoyed this story and stayed up late one night to finish it.

This is a drama filled debut that discussed a plethora of issues such as white provilige, classism, the judicial system, microaggressions and racism. Its also told from alternating perspectives

From nearly the very start of twin authors Amber & Danielle Brown's debut Someone Had to Do It, you know what is going to go down, but you just aren't sure how all of the pieces will fit together. At the center of this intriguing tale is Brandi Maxwell, a black intern hoping to rise in the ranks at the reputable New York fashion house Van Doren. The only problem? Girls who look like Brandi don't move up at Simon Van Doren's company.

When Brandi discovers that her son-of-a-football-legend boyfriend, Nate, actually went to school with Simon Van Doren's daughter Taylor, she figures this might be a way to get her foot in the door with Simon, himself. However, when she is introduced to Taylor at a party, she learns that not only is Taylor downright nasty, she is also harboring a secret - she wants her father dead. Simon has promised Taylor that she will not get one cent of her inheritance if she can't get clean, and, well ... Taylor can't get clean. So, the obvious answer (to Taylor at least) is that Simon must go. When Brandi overhears Taylor plotting deadly revenge, she learns that knowing the secrets of the rich and famous comes at a significant cost.

Amber & Danielle Brown have a solid first novel on their hands! These identical sisters share that their goal in writing is to produce sexy thrillers that blend suspense with social commentary. They've hit the nail on the head with Someone Had to Do It! Told in alternating viewpoints between Brandi and Taylor, nothing is hidden from the reader's eye as this story unfolds - there is no mystery here. Rather this book serves to show how wealth and power can bring out the worst in the worst of people, while also shining a light on the microaggressions and inequalities people of color face while attempting to advance in a career or receive justice.

While thoroughly entertaining almost to the point of being comical - it was THAT outrageously dramatic - I will admit that this book was a little too black and white (literally) for me. The white characters are written as the villains with no room left for any grey area or interpretation.

I'm putting Someone Had to Do It firmly in the why-did-I-wait-so-long-to-read-this category. Amber and Danielle Brown have created a tension filled masterpiece of who can outsmart who, and I loved every minute of it. Taylor is probably one of the most unlikable, but best crafted characters I've come across in a while, and I already can't wait to see what Amber and Danielle are working on next!

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Someone Had To Do It

Author: Amber Brown and Danielle Brown

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3/5

Diversity: Black MC and characters, gay character

Recommended For...: mystery readers, thriller readers, crime

Publication Date: December 27, 2022

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Age Relevance: 18+ (death, alcohol consumption, gore, cursing, racism, sexual content, cancer, drugs, classism, micro aggressions, suicide, parental death)

Explanation of Above: There is death mentioned and shown in this book including parental death. Suicide is mentioned in the form of attempted, ideationized, and completed. There is some graphic description of how it was performed. There is some blood gore. There are scenes of alcohol consumption. There is cursing. There are scenes of racism, micro aggressions, and classism. There are some sexual content shown and mentioned in the book. Cancer is mentioned. There are scenes of drug usage and mentions of drugs.

Publisher: Graydon House

Pages: 352

Synopsis: Brandi Maxwell is living the dream as an intern at prestigious New York fashion house Simon Van Doren. Except “living the dream” looks more like scrubbing puke from couture dresses worn by hard-partying models and putting up with microaggressions from her white colleagues. Still, she can’t help but fangirl over Simon’s it-girl daughter, Taylor. Until one night, at a glamorous Van Doren party, when Brandi overhears something she shouldn’t have, and her fate becomes dangerously intertwined Taylor’s.

Model and influencer Taylor Van Doren has everything…and is this close to losing it all. Her fashion mogul father will donate her inheritance to charity if she fails her next drug test, and he’s about to marry someone nearly as young as Taylor, further threatening her stake in the family fortune. But Taylor deserves the money that’s rightfully hers. And she’ll go to any lengths to get it, even if that means sacrificing her famous father in the process.

All she needs is the perfect person to take the fall...

Review: For the most part this was an interesting book. The book is a duel POV between two characters, one a rich heiress who is on her father’s bad side and is desperate to get his money and back the man who left her years ago. The other is a woman who is just trying to live her life with her boyfriend and trying to break into the fashion world when she’s met with the other narrator of our tale and… well the other has it outs for her. The book quickly turns to a story of revenge and desperation as we see how far the heiress is willing to go to ensure she gets what she wants. For the most part, I found the book interesting and I loved the duel POV usage in this read. The book had a lot of good moments as well that I thought were thought provoking.

However, I didn’t feel like the book was fully fleshed out. There were some moments to have great characters but it wasn’t achieved in my opinion. I also felt like the beginning was a bit too complex for the story and the set-up took much longer than the actual mystery of the novel.

Verdict: It was ok.

The cover is flawless and that's about all the praise this book is going to get.

The premise of this book indicates a pro-Black, dramatic, intriguing, mysterious read is ahead of you, and it is not. If I had read this without knowing the authors are Black women I would've never considered they were, being that our protagonist suffers constantly and without justification or inline with the plot.

Not even 10% into the book and there is a glaringly sexist comment that I almost made me DNF. I kept going thinking that the story will redeem itself, perhaps there's a moment of growth from our protagonist, that moment doesn't come.

The plot is boring, the characters are flat, and the dual POV feels like a waste when we are made to read the exact same scenes from a different perspective.

The book just gave ick after ick and I regret committing so much time to it.

I'm not really sure what to categorize Someone Had To Do It as, it was quite spicy which I expected from the dedication, and it was a really slow burn where you know most of what is going on thanks to being in both Brandi and Taylor's viewpoints. There was a nice pretty twist at the end that I wasn't expecting, and lots of drama that isn't always just 'rich people' drama either. Amber and Danielle Brown created a storyline that was rooted in reality, and I was really impressed with the way the book flowed. They took what they knew about the fashion world and added in issues with the justice system, abuse, and even more tough subjects and created this book that I didn't want to put down despite the slow pacing. I got lost in this world, and I loved Brandi's character with all of her scrappiness. Taylor's story was really tough for me, and while I didn't like her as a person, her life was not as perfect as one would think from the outside which made me empathize with her. Just a little.

I LOVED the audiobook for Someone Had To Do It and I am so happy with the choice to have Shayna Small & Brittany Pressley as the narrators. I love Pressley and am also quite fond of Small as well, and together they were something to be reckoned with. Small voices Brandi while Pressley narrates Taylor and they both brought a lot to the story and the characters, so I would definitely recommend going audio for this one. I don’t think I would have normally enjoyed so much sex in a book, but it wasn’t done in a gratuitous way and oddly enough it felt like it fit with the story perfectly. I feel like my only small disappointment was that it wasn’t more twisty, and really the only way that would have happened would be to take away one of the viewpoints. The pacing will probably be way too slow for some readers, but I encourage you to stick with it because the payout in the end was worth it.

Someone Had To Do It is a captivating and riveting tale that shines a light into the glorious lives of the rich and famous in the fashion world... and the dark side of their lives too! As we follow our heroine on her dream journey we soon learn that the job she signed up for came with complications she never saw coming. As well as, put her in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now she's fighting to clear her name and hoping for a little miracle!