*Thank you Atria and Netgalley for my eARC for an honest review. Publication date 3/21/23*

I seriously have no idea what the heck I just read. It's a very weird and strange book, and luckily it was a short book, otherwise I don't think I would have cared to finish. I already saw some not good reviews but a girl obsessed with cats (that's me) and a main character with the name Holly (that's my name) I just had to read it and see for myself.

Lorelei and Holly were good friends in college until Lorelei meets a man who she should not be with. Their frienship starts to tapper off and then they don't see each other for 20 years . Lorelei is still obsessed with Holly after all these years, she thinks Holly did something unforgivable to her in college that made her leave school before graduating. 20 years late Holly is nominated woman of the year and Lorelei buys a ticket to the galla and she comes with a plan of her own.

This one was just not for me unfortunately. 1.5 stars rounded up to 2

Conditioning and behavior modification. A crazy cat lady. A decades long plot for revenge.

This book is wild! I have some really mixed feelings about this book, so I'm not really sure how to rate it. I did enjoy aspects of it, but I don't feel like there was proper cohesion for the story to actually work.
What I did like: The writing style is unusual. Told from the perspective of Lorelei, the story is chaotic and disjointed, which helped to highlight Lorelei's inner turmoil and tumultuous thought process. Unfortunately, that also made the plot disconnected and nonsensical. Honestly, I still have no idea why Lorelei was so hell-bent on revenge against Holly. Their relationship wasn't fleshed out with any amount of depth, so it left the motive confusing.
I also found the focus on behavior modification and the dark side of psychological studies fascinating. But that plot also took a strange shift and veered into a #metoo narrative. The ending was also super farfetched.
IDK....this is an interesting story, but one that wasn't told well IMO. It's an interesting read, but I'm really not keen to recommend this book to anyone.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Emily Bestler Books for this ARC of Woman of the Year by an author I enjoy, Darcy Bell.

This is my second book read by this author and while I did not find it as riveting as A Simple Favor, I enjoyed this psychological thriller drama featuring an unreliable “crazy cat lady” narrator.

The story contains heavy themes of animal and child abuse, psychological and power control, sexual abuse, and female friendship gaslighting.

The narrative was much more about Lorelei’s relationship with her professor “Dell” than it was about her relationship with her former friend and classmate Holly. I ended up enjoying the story more for this, even though it has a dark undertone.

I look forward to reading more from author Darcey Bell.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. Really solid read.

Darcey Bell's newest thriller, "Woman of the Year" leaves readers questioning everything. Lorelei's old bestfriend Holly is the Woman of the Year and Lorelei wants revenge, their friendship did not end peacefully. That is enough for a good story but add in some twists and other characters from the past and you have a great story.

Thank you, Atria and Netgalley, for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

I had high hopes for this one, but it ended up falling flat, mainly because of the writing style. It lacked structure... like it was a little all over the place. Part of it was the narrator and how she spoke, but even with that, it felt clumsy and awkward, and it messed with the seriousness and thriller aspect of the story. It almost felt comical at times, and I couldn't feel any suspense or anticipation because of how the narrator sounded and how the plot was moving forward. The whole cat lady thing felt so unserious and awkward to me. I found myself wondering if I would've enjoyed it more if it was marketed as a part comedy instead. Yet, at the same time, it's dealing with some serious topics in between (mental illness, gaslighting, sexual abuse/assault) that I don't think would've been appropriate either way. And that's kind of what gets me, it has these severe topics moving it forward, but the narrator and the writing style don't seem to match it. I felt so uncomfortable and confused reading it; I never knew how I was supposed to feel or how I was supposed to take what I was reading.

Lastly, the twist at the end could have been better for me, which is my deciding factor on whether a thriller is good. Overall, it felt like a letdown. Sadly, this one didn't work for me.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy - all opinions are my own.

This is the kind of fun, dark, twisty rollercoaster ride psychological thriller that I really love. A plot that centers around the fallout of two college friends, and a story that is revealed with dramatic flashbacks between their college days and the present, where one of them has wound up dead.

There isn't much I can say about this book without spoiling it, and you certainly want to go into this one knowing as little as possible to get maximum enjoyment from it. What I will say is that it is deliciously dark, with characters that are wonderfully horrible and you will enjoy loathing them chapter after chapter. The twists are demented and perfectly crafted. Everything about this story is just complete and utter escapism reading fun.

A MUST for your 2023 reading lists!

Started out a little confusing and then jumped right into a fast paced thriller. I thought it was a quick easy read, but not one of the better books I've read.

Woman of the Year by Darcey Bell is an incredible read that kept me hooked from start to finish! It follows the story of the fiercely independent and successful magazine editor, Alice, and her whirlwind romance with a handsome and enigmatic photographer, Jake. It's a story full of secrets, surprises, and suspense that will keep you guessing until the very end. The characters are well-developed and believable, and the plot is tight and well-crafted. I particularly enjoyed the way in which the novel explored the complexities of relationships, power dynamics, and ambition. If you love a good contemporary romance with a twist, then this is the book for you! Highly recommended.

While this book was a quick fast paced read, it's more so like a train wreck you can't look away from. This book deals with multiple heavy topics. Some just sprinkled in with nothing following up, and others with no meaningful reflection or resolution.

I respect the authors choice to commit to this crazy cat obssessed character, but I do not think it does these topics justice to have her deal with them the way she did.

What an amazing and creative story Bell has crafted! Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy to read for the purpose of this review. I loved this book but the intense amount of cats involved did get to me by the end - I'm a dog mama! Read it and you'll understand.

If you enjoy books about female friendships, student/professor affairs and strange family dynamics then you'll love Woman of the Year! It was hard to put down. A page turner filled with suspense.

This was an exciting read that kept me interested all the way through. I especially loved the use of satire throughout. The main character was written in a very likable and relatable way. She was quirky and funny and charming, at times. I also really enjoyed the use of dual timelines. There were moments where this book read as a kind of dark academia novel, given the focus on mind control and obsession in a college campus, and maybe it should be marketed in that light as well. The main character's long-winded monologues about cats were hilarious. Overall, this was a fun read and a clever thriller.

I was let down by this book. The premise sounded so interesting, but I couldn't get into the characters or the plot. Both lacked depth and continuity for me. Also I wasn't a fan of the writing style - it was hard to follow and seemed to be constantly jumping all over the place, making it difficult to really keep track of the main plot. This book just wasn't for me unfortunately.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn't my favorite, which was a bummer as I like Darcey Bell - but I am a picky reader. I think other readers will enjoy it, and this is an obvious addition to the collection.

This dark and twisty revenge thriller had so much potential but unfortunately, it just didn’t quite work for me. It gets props for an inventive storyline and engaging writing style, and the psychological aspects of mind control / behavioral control are fascinating. The unreliable crazy cat lady narrator is an imaginative take. The pacing is a bit uneven; while the story grabbed me right away, the narrative spends so much time in Lorelei’s head and in the past that it gets repetitive. I would have liked Lorelei and Holly’s college friendship to be fleshed out better to give more credibility to Lorelei nursing her hate for all these years (it’s not clear exactly how many years, but Holly has adult children for reference).

Although this wasn’t the book for me, fans of “A Simple Favor” and Ms. Bell’s other books are sure to enjoy this one. Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Emily Bestler Books for providing me an advance copy of this book.

A very weird but fun thriller! I really enjoyed it but I felt the ending was a bit rushed. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC!

Darcy Bell does it again! I really like her story lines. They are unique and intriguing! I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you Netgalley for this advanced copy!

I could not get into this book. It was a DNF for me.

Sorry.

I think this is my third read from this author, and I have loved her other books, sadly this one just was not for me. A little too dark on the animals for my liking.

The ending was good, even though it was a full surprise, I did enjoy it. Always love this writers flow, it keeps me turning pages!

First, thank you so much for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I do want to make sure I'm honest, so I will admit this book did not work for me at all. This is the third book by the author I've tried and I feel like nothing is standing up to A Simple Favor.

The writing was not it for me and the MC was unrelatable and whiney. I wanted to DNF this so many times.