Woman of the Year
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Author: Darcey Bell
GR: 2.92

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Atria Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Twenty years ago, gregarious Lorelei and mousy Holly became fast friends as students in the same college psychology seminar. Taught by an expert in control and human behavior, the two students also grew close to their charismatic professor. But in one twisted moment of gaslighting, their friendship flamed out and Lorelei’s once-promising future fell apart. Flashforward, Holly has everything Lorelei ever wanted, while Lorelei is a lonely cat lady. Now, Holly is even up for an award at a Woman of the Year ceremony, and Lorelei finally has the perfect opportunity to get the revenge she’s wanted for years. But she’s not the only person who has been obsessively following Holly’s career—and when someone winds up dead, Lorelei realizes she may be in danger, too.

My Thoughts: Triggers: rape, sexual abuse, lab animal abuse, and gaslighting. While this was a good read, I was left with wanting just a little more. This was a short read at just over 200 pages. While I absolutely love a revenge scenario, to hold onto anger for 20 years, enough to not live your life, and only to think of getting revenge is a bit much. It was a single person narration, with a past and present timeline. This was definitely a dark thriller, which I can appreciate. The plot was unique, which is what intrigued me to reading this book. Our protagonist is eccentric, and even psychologically disturbed, and was likely written to this effect. Things did not come together until the end. I do not want to give too much away for other readers. Again, not a bad read, I did enjoy it, I just wanted more cohesiveness throughout the story.

Oh my, this book ALMOST killed me! I don't mind when a book is a slow burn and I love revenge stories, but this one didn't really work for me. This is also not my first Darcey Bell read. I know that the author writes deplorable and eccentric characters. Our main protagonist, Laura Lee/Lorelei was certainly eccentric. Bell also enjoys exploring the dark and twisty cores that lie with us. That can definitely be felt in many of the situations that are described in this book. That Thanksgiving scene- SHUDDER! The last few chapters were probably the very best parts of the book. I am going to try and grasp those positive points and compile that to make a 2-star rating but I was really disappointed.

I will admit I am not the perfect audience for this book. I don’t love campy books and definitely don’t love the unreliable narrator. However, if you’ve read Bell’s books in the past and loved them then give this one a try!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve heard so many times this one involves animal abuse and testing and I feel terrible but I just can’t even pick it up if that’s the case. I love animals so much and that’s my only dealbreaking trigger. I didn’t see any CW or hint about that when I requested this 🥲 Thank you to Atria, Darcey, and NetGalley for the ARC anyhow! I’m so sorry, plz don’t ban me!

Synopsis:
A deliciously twisty thriller about the dark side of female friendship and a revenge plot that gets a little out of hand from the New York Times bestselling author of the “intense, captivating, and astonishing” (New York Journal of Books) A Simple Favor.

Twenty years ago, gregarious Lorelei and mousy Holly became fast friends as students in the same college psychology seminar. Taught by an expert in control and human behavior, the two students also grew close to their charismatic professor. But in one twisted moment of gaslighting, their friendship flamed out and Lorelei’s once-promising future fell apart.

Flashforward, Holly has everything Lorelei ever wanted, while Lorelei is a lonely cat lady. Now, Holly is even up for an award at a Woman of the Year ceremony, and Lorelei finally has the perfect opportunity to get the revenge she’s wanted for years. But she’s not the only person who has been obsessively following Holly’s career—and when someone winds up dead, Lorelei realizes she may be in danger, too.

My Thoughts:
Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this one. Told through Lorelei's perspective I found myself wondering if she was a reliable narrator throughout the story. It felt unhinged, a bit far fetched, and Lorelei talks ad nauseam about cats. Before you come for me, I love cats (and all animals) but if I took a shot every time this book mentioned a cat I'd be dead.
It is a little twisty and I didn't guess the final twist but I didn't really care either. If you want a quick read with a murder mystery and don't mind a constant mention of cats, this could be for you.

⭐⭐💫 (2.5)

Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the gifted copy of this book.

Woman of the Year is the latest from Darcey Bell - thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC! Unfortunately this one didn't work for me - it was too much of a slow burn and I found it to be too dark for my personal taste to be enjoyable.

I'm sure some readers will connect with this one but it was a miss for me.

Twisty and entertaining.
Many thanks to Atria and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a unique book. Heavy on the revenge, and also heavy on the disturbing. It is intriguing though!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher. This was an interesting concept but the voice and writing fall short of capturing the reader’s imagination and entrancing them into a new world.

Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, cats, r@pe, se*ual abuse, gaslighting, #metoo, animal abuse at a lab

Lorelei & Holly were friends in college and now Lorelei is out to get her. I don't mind a revenge plot, but 20 years later is as crazy as her cat loving self, and boy was Lorelei a doozie of a character.

🥜❌ As a nut allergy mom I really hate how she planned to hurt her by putting her into anaphylaxis. Luckily I don't have too worry too much about this happening to my child since she went through an oral immunotherapy to help her tolerate her allergy but she'll always be allergic.

I did like the big reveal at the end and that it was only 236 pages, which didn't take me too long to get through, so I'll give it to 2⭐ instead of 1⭐.

I was really looking forward to reading this novel as I enjoyed the author’s previous books, “A Simple Favor” and “Something She’s Not Telling Us”.

This novel seems to have a variety of ratings. I fall somewhere in the middle. I thought it was an intriguing story. It was gripping and I read it in just one sitting.

The characters are wild and weird. Many readers will love to hate them while others will just hate them.

This was an original novel with some themes that will definitely trigger many readers. I have a very hard time with stories that deal with animal abuse and I know I’m not alone.

All in all this was a fascinating story. It’s definitely not my favourite from the author but I’m still glad I read it.

A unique dark and twisted revenge story that’s not for everyone.

I really thought this book went to places I hadn't expected and I found it to be a decent psychological thriller. I'm usually able to handle hard topics so i was able to overlook the abuse here.
Thank you so much to Atria Books for the ARC of this one!

I was so excited to read from this author again after loving A Simple Favor, but unfortunately this was very disappointing. Despite being a quick read, the animal abuse really took this book down a star for me. The characters were not someone I could get behind and understand the logic. Overall, this one was not a success for me however I am open to reading more from the author in the future.

I flew through this book in a few days because of its captivating psychological aspects. The author did a great job incorporating them into the story, which kept me hooked. I loved the main character, Lorelei's, strong bond with her cats, as it reminded me of my own love for my dog.

The book kept me on my toes as it took an unexpected turn from what I thought was going to happen. The story follows Lorelei's quest for revenge against her former friend, Holly, who has everything she ever wanted. But as events unfold, it becomes clear that Lorelei is not the only one seeking revenge, and her own safety becomes threatened.

Overall, I enjoyed this thrilling read and would recommend it to anyone who loves psychological thrillers.

⚠️TW: animal cruelty, rape, animal death, bullying, sexism, sexual assault

“Nothing was secret, and everything was kept secret.”

Thank you Darcey Bell, Atria, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Twenty years ago, gregarious Lorelei and mousy Holly became fast friends as students in the same college psychology seminar. Taught by an expert in control and human behavior, the two students also grew close to their charismatic professor. But in one twisted moment of gaslighting, their friendship flamed out and Lorelei's once-promising future fell apart. Flashforward, Holly has everything Lorelei ever wanted, while Lorelei is a lonely cat lady. Now, Holly is even up for an award at a Woman of the Year ceremony, and Lorelei finally has the perfect opportunity to get the revenge she's wanted for years. But she's not the only person who has been obsessively following Holly's career-and when someone winds up dead, Lorelei realizes she may be in danger, too.

I’ll be honest, this book wasn’t for me. I didn’t really vibe with the writing style. I felt like the story was erratic. It could be that, that was the author’s intent and that she wanted the narrator to come off as unreliable. However, it was too much for me. I also feel like there should’ve been trigger warnings for SA and animal abuse as it was mentioned several times throughout the book. I wish more authors and publishers would take the time to mention possible triggers, especially for ARCs.

Rating: 2 stars

This one was dark, with a revenge plot. If you are sensitive, you may want to skip it because there are animal abuse elements.

Woman of the Year: A Novel by Darcey Bell

Twenty years ago, gregarious Lorelei and mousy Holly became fast friends as students in the same college psychology seminar. Taught by an expert in control and human behavior, the two students also grew close to their charismatic professor. But in one twisted moment of gaslighting, their friendship flamed out and Lorelei’s once-promising future fell apart.

Flash forward, Holly has everything Lorelei ever wanted, while Lorelei is a lonely cat lady. Now, Holly is even up for an award at a Woman of the Year ceremony, and Lorelei finally has the perfect opportunity to get the revenge she’s wanted for years. But she’s not the only person who has been obsessively following Holly’s career—and when someone winds up dead, Lorelei realizes she may be in danger, too.

The revenge of the cat Lady

This is the perfect thriller for introverts; rarely do we get a protagonist in a thriller who is so isolated. Lorelei is part of the observant armies of people that have retreated from society. She was always a bit awkward, even when she was the pretty girl, out of three, in her college class, but traumatic events and especially people have pushed her to give up on life. But she is not entirely alone; Lorelei has always relied on cats to give her companionship, purpose, and love. And this whole book is an ode to these best of friends. It has been framed as a story of the rivalry between two women, and yes, it is. But at its core, Woman of the Year is the story of the resurgence of an outcast and her cat. And that is part of the book that is hugely satisfying.
Like Lorelei being an oddball, the book also starts strangely; her inner voice contrasts so much with what she is about to do; Lorelei is attending the Woman of the Year banquet to poison her former classmate Holly, who is the said Woman being celebrated. Lorelei doesn't intend to kill her; she only wants to make Holly suffer for what she did to her and her cat in those college years. We then get the flashback, telling us Lorelei's sad and twisted story. Laura Lee ( wait for the name change, it is a stomach-turning doozy) is attending college and falling for her professor in the behavioral psychology class. Holly was her friend and barely registers on our radar. What is clever about the book is how unstable Lorelei and her voice seem at the banquet, so we are put in the same position as her professor and her classmates when Lorelei, in the flashbacks, seems to make moves and tells something that seems way off.
Especially the novel's first act is an unsettling experience; Darcey Bell throws thriller caution to the wind and introduces quirkiness in the genre, it can feel icky and put some readers off, and I was hesitant after reading the first chapters. And I had to fast forward to some later chapters because some things were hard to stomach for me and anybody who loves animals. But I am so glad I read this; the ending was fantastic, and it is the kind of book you won't forget the moment you put it away, an original and exhilarating.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC for me! I usually love Darcey Bell books, and devoured " A simple Plan", but this was a DNF for me. Anything with animal abuse I cannot stomach, so I will not be providing a rating.

This book was really, really, not my taste. The storytelling was erratic, the main character was unlikable AND unreliable (not a great combination), and relied on too many tropes -- generally not a fan of a "crazy cat lady" narrative. There were storylines left unresolved and questions unanswered, and not in the way that makes you think. Also, TW: some really horrific animal abuse and SA in this one.
Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Twenty years ago, gregarious Lorelei and mousy Holly became fast friends as students in the same college psychology seminar. Taught by an expert in control and human behavior, the two students also grew close to their charismatic professor. But in one twisted moment of gaslighting, their friendship flamed out and Lorelei’s once-promising future fell apart.

Flashforward, Holly has everything Lorelei ever wanted, while Lorelei is a lonely cat lady. Now, Holly is even up for an award at a Woman of the Year ceremony, and Lorelei finally has the perfect opportunity to get the revenge she’s wanted for years. But she’s not the only person who has been obsessively following Holly’s career—and when someone winds up dead, Lorelei realizes she may be in danger, too.