Book Summary:

Two women with very different lives are about to find their futures twined together. Brandi Maxwell has worked hard to get to where she is, and by all appearances, she has "it all." This includes a dream job (cleaning up after models) in fashion (which is racist) and wishing for more.

Then there's Taylor Van Doren, a model, and influencer. She really does have it all – but she runs the risk of partying all away. More accurately, her father is about to cut her off should she fail to get her habits in order. His new (and very young) wife-to-be is probably not going to help her odds much, either.

My Review:

Yes! I love thrillers with multiple POVs, and Someone Had To Do It certainly does have that. It's also written by a sister duo, which is so cool! I'm so happy this debut came across my desk because it is worth the read!

Brandi and Taylor couldn't be more different if they tried. The only thing they have in common is their industry – and a secret that Brandi would do anything to unhear. But you know how it goes once it's out of the box...

That one overheard conversation throws both women headfirst into chaos and thrills. It's the perfect foundation for everything that follows. Read this book if you love high fashion, murder, mayhem, and more.

Highlights:
Sister authors
Debut author
Family Drama
Fashionable murders???

Trigger Warnings:
Drug abuse
Racism

OKAY this one was something else! It started out a little slow and was hard to get into but it did end up hooking me toward the end! I was rushing to keep reading and figure out what would come next - so much so I read it in one sitting. Some characters were pretty one dimensional and fell flat, but the mystery kept me going. I wish I found the characters to be more compelling, but it was still a fun read!

This one started out a little slow for me, but eventually I was hooked wondering who would win the cat and mouse game. I read through this one in just a little over a day. As the reader we always knew what was going on, except for the prologue, but that didn’t hinder my need to figure out how it would end. And there was a room for a twist or two.

It seems I’m on a kick of fashion influencer plots and that normally isn’t my thing, but I did fall into this one, probably since it was more about the murder. I do think some of the characters were slightly underdeveloped, but this was not bad for a debut and I would definitely read their next novel. In addition to the cat and mouse play over who will take the fall for the murder, there is a hint of racism and privilege issues.

It is narrated by two strong women, but only one can come out on top. It is a lot dark and at times a little unbelievable, but an entertaining wild ride.

Someone Had to Do It - everything about this one grabbed my attention. The fabulous cover, the title, the blurb, it all pretty much screamed my name. And it delivered. It's not hard to figure out the gist of what's going on here, but that didn't matter to me. That didn't diminish my enjoyment of the story even a smidge. It's well-written and fast-paced, and the tension keeps the pages turning. I don't want to spill the book's secrets, so I'll just add that I'm impressed with Amber and Danielle Brown's debut, and I'll certainly be watching for whatever comes next. They've definitely set the bar high with this one.

I will be withholding my review until Harper gives their Harper Collins union workers a fair contract. Thank you again for the copy.

4.0 out of 5 stars Taylor Had to Do It!
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2022

Brandi wants a career in fashion, but she's called to personnel and told that she's not fitting in and that her job is in jeopardy. Later, while hanging out with her boyfriend Nate, he senses something is wrong. Brandi wants to be selected to go to Milan, so Nate calls in a favor to Taylor Van Doren, the daughter of Simon Van Doren.

Taylor is a spoiled rich girl with daddy, money and drug issues. When she refuses to honestly fight her demons, a plan is hatched to get rid of the obstacle standing in the way between her drugs and money.

Brandi has the unfortunate bad luck of overhearing the plan and her life and the lives of the people around her are put in jeopardy. Nate tells her the rich are different, and they are, the same rules don't apply. Brandi finds out the hard way, Taylor will do anything to save herself. Read It!

A great suspense read! Brandi is trying to make it in the fashion industry, but gets involved with a twisted web of people who what her to be the scapegoat for a major crime. Her only crime is being gullible and trusting of the wrong people.
Taylor is an absolute snake and I had to wait, impatiently, to see if she would get heat was coming to her.
For once justice did prevail and I liked how everything was wrapped up.
There’s a good lesson to learn: never trust anyone who is willing to rat out someone because that next person could be you.

This was a great thriller. Sometimes author duo novels end up disjointed but I did not feel this way at all! I enjoyed the back and forth POV between Brandi, a black woman aspiring to break into the fashion world and Taylor an affluent, spoiled influencer. I loved Brandi's perspective and how she came from a rough upbringing and her struggles in trying to make it.

I really enjoyed the unique view of being a POC in the fashion industry and how the book addresses microaggressions and white privilege.

I was sucked in from page one and I am so excited to read future novels from this duo!

This is a debut novel from an American writing duo who happen to be identical twins. They have both had careers in fashion and Amber is also a screenwriter. This is a suspense thriller with some spice added in for fun. Told from two points of view, we follow Brandi and Taylor. Brandi is working as an intern at a design firm and living with her star athlete boyfriend Nate. Taylor is the daughter of the fashion designer head of the firm and works as a model and an influencer. Her dad has threatened to cut her off and take her out of the will if she fails another drug test. When Brandi overhears Taylor's plans to solve this problem, both their lives become more complicated. This is a fun, rather light read about some horrible, entitled people. 3.5 stars

I loved reading this book. Brandi is a force to be reckoned with as is Taylor. There are many sub stories within this story that keep you intrigued. Brandi is in love with Nate, a high prospect for the NFL. This brings some unwanted attention to the couple. We find out early in the book that Nate and Taylor know each other when Nate offers to contact Taylor to help Brandi’s chances at a prestigious intern trip. This sets the rest of the story in motion.
My favorite character in this story was Taylor. She is a selfish rich girl who struggles when she can’t get everything she wants. She is also smart and cunning. All these traits together can make a very dangerous person and she shows it many times in this book..

I think there's a lot of potential in this thriller but somehow it didn't work for me as I hated the characters and found hard to care for them
The plot is intriguing and the dual POV worked even if I didn't like neither Brandi nor Taylor. It's an interesting thriller but not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Someone Had To Do It by Amber Brown and Danielle Brown is their debut novel. Although this one started a little slow for me, it did not take long until I realized I was almost finished! It is told in dual perspectives and has a lot of suspense. Two very different girls who come from completely opposite backgrounds are drawn together. Family dysfunction, blackmail, privilege and discrimination are just a few issues you will find in this one. These two authors tell a tale of the glamorous and dark side side of the rich and famous. This is a tense thriller with many twist and turns, and that last twist I never saw coming. A good debut novel and I look forward to reading more by these two.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House and Amber and Danielle Brown for an advanced copy to read and review. My opinions are my own.
#netgalley. #harlequintradepublishing #graydonhouse. #someonehadtodoit. #amberbrown #daniellebrown. #arc. #htpinfluencer

I'm a seasoned reader. I was reading adult books back in the 70's because there was really no YA. I've read a lot of books in my life, and yet this one kind of shocked me. I was shocked by the language, by the characters, by the friendships, the callousness, all of it. I guess I wasn't the target audience. All the characters are horrible, with the exception of Nate. Brandi's behavior isn't as bad as some of the other young people. I can see some of what she does is desperation; the rest, bad judgment. But Taylor? The adults in her life? Holy crap. Such horrible humans.

The other thing that I found really annoying is that Taylor narrated her part of the book in first person present tense. That's about as much of a deal breaker for me as no dialogue punctuation. I did like the twist at the end.

Trigger warning: language, graphic sex.

Thank you, NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions are mine and given freely.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The whole plot of the book was talking about this one murder, but when it actually happens it's glossed over and extremely anticlimactic. I did not see the plot twist at the end, however it was by no means jaw dropping shocking.

I did randomly appreciate the fashion that was mentioned in this book. I'm not a fashion person, however I feel like the clothes and accessories are what the authors chose to describe in the most detail and I loved it.

Absolute blast of a book. This is told from the perspectives of two women - Brandi, a fashion house intern, and Taylor, an influencer and the daughter of the fashion house's owner. Their first encounter ends badly, and sets off a downward spiral of revenge and gaslighting, so it doesn't take long to figure out which character you will root for/side with. But I have to say, the villain was my favourite! Just a perfect depiction of spoiled privilege and someone who will take really desperate measures when backed into a corner. This is a perfect book to take on holiday - lots of sex, fashion, drugs and murder, and it moves along so quick, you will stay engaged through the entire read. Thank you to Killer Crime Club, NetGalley and Harper Collins Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! Watch for this one when it hits stores December 27th.

I don't know what it was about this book, but we really did not connect. I slugged through this book, and I don't think it was any fault of anyone other than me just not being the target audience.

Oh sigh. Sooooo much drama but I gotta admit, it's one that kept me turning the pages. Brandi has pulled herself into an internship with Simon's fashion house but it's not all she hoped it would be. Taylor, Simon's daughter, must pass a new drug test or lose it all. So why not kill her father? Yep. Told by both Brandi and Taylor, this is a tale of two women and the consequences faced by one of them for the act of the other. These two are the main attraction, although Nate, the hot boyfriend, is worthy for contributing to the steam. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. This goes over the top in spots but it's entertaining.

Brandi Maxwell is living her dream as an intern at the prestigious Manhattan fashion house Simon Hanson. Except “living the dream” looks more like scrubbing puke out of couture dresses worn by hard-partying runway models and putting up with constant microaggressions from her white colleagues, who think her braids “don’t fit with the culture” at Simon Hanson. When Brandi snags an invite to an exclusive party at the home of Simon himself, she’s excited to meet his daughter, Taylor, a style influencer whose taste she loves. But at the party, she accidentally overhears something she can never un-hear. And her life shatters.

Brandi wasn’t excited to meet Taylor, as she quickly is jealous of her past relationship with her bf. And her life only “shatters” when she agrees to take money to keep quiet about a murder. Good storyline with a female BIPOC lead character in the high end Fashion scene, but the frequent sex scenes take away from the thriller plot.

I just reviewed Someone Had to Do It by Amber and Danielle Brown. #SomeoneHadtoDoIt #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Someone Had to Do It is a debut thriller by duo authors Amber and Danielle Brown and centres around a lowly black intern, Brandi Maxwell, at the prestigious fashion house Van Doren. Brandi thinks this is a great opportunity for her career but is sidelined when she is told she doesn’t fit in with ‘the culture’. She decides to attend Simon Van Doren’s party with her rich, NFL star boyfriend Nate who is childhood friends with his glamorous influencer daughter Taylor. Brandi is excited to meet Taylor as well as convince Simon to consider her for the Milan job. However, Brandi accidentally overhears something sinister and her life changes forever.

What I liked about this book:
-popcorn read
-alternating POV between Brandi and Taylor
-themes of rich white entitlement and privilege vs poor black lives
-cat and mouse style of book with multiple twists and turns
-micro aggressions and racism exploration
-the posh setting

What I didn’t like:
-bordered on unnecessary sex scenes that didn’t help further the plot
- predictable and mediocre thriller
-extremely frustrating and unlikeable characters
-Nate was a flat, wishy washy character

My rating: 3 out 5

My final takeaway: although it had great potential, I found it fell a little flat and predictable.

Trigger warnings: suicide, eating disorders, racism, drugs and sex

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this eARC.

When Brandi gets an internship at a prestigious fashion house, she thinks it’s a dream come true. However, when she crosses paths with daughter of the CEO Taylor Hanson, a nightmare starts to unfold.

Someone Had to Do It is written by two authors – Amber and Danielle Brown and I’d be really interested to hear about their writing process as a duo. As it stands the book isn’t particularly deep and I’m not really sure it needed two contributors, but I’d be interested to know if they alternated narrators – with one taking Taylor and one Brandi for example. The writing style is very engaging, with an almost chatty style of narration which kept me hooked and stopped the prose from dragging. It’s also very well edited and the perfect length – when I was getting a little bored of it, it finished!

I should point out a few trigger warnings – there’s a lot of swearing, sex and references to eating disorders, drugs and suicide in here. Some of which works to establish Taylor’s character but some of the sex scenes in particular felt superfluous. The plot is a real fable in being careful of who you let into your life.

The characters were interesting but a little cliched (or in Taylor’s case pantomime villain-esque) in places. Boyfriend Nathan felt very under-developed - he changed his mind so many times and was led astray so often that it felt very unrealistic – he just did whatever was needed for the plot. Him being very rich also felt a bit too convenient and quite a few problems were solved by just throwing money at them which was a shame. Still, although you knew where some aspects of the plot were going to go, the end twist did catch me out.

Overall, Someone Had to Do It is a fun, light read but don’t go in expecting anything too deep. Thank you to NetGalley & Harlequin – Graydon House for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.