
Member Reviews

In a traditional college way over twenty years ago Lorelei and Holly met in a psychology seminar. They became fast friends with one another and their college professor but then an event transpired that resulted in the end of the friendship.
Holly's life is picturesque and Lorelei's life isn't what she imagined it to be. She has been following Holly's life and when she finds out that Holly is about to honored as Woman of the Year she sets a plan in action to humiliate, Holly. A plan based on revenge and obsession.
Lorelei is an unreliable character. Everyone is on the batshit crazy rader. The story moves quickly and leaves you with many WTF moments. This is a dark, twisted, trail of suspense and a book you should pick up!

A twisted thriller that follows Lorelei and her revenge plot against her college friend, Holly. As Lorelei tells the story of deception spanning the decades between her college life and now, truth and delusion seem to twist together.
Great quick read! I was hooked from a couple of chapters in.
* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley and Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books in exchange for my honest review

Hmmmm....this author is a hit or miss for me and sadly this story was a miss. Both characters are just horrible people. It's revenge story which I normally love but I just could not get behind either woman and the animal things.....just not for me.
Thank you to #NetGalley, Darcey Bell and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I am a huge fan of Darcey Bell's other books, I especially loved A Simple Favor. So I was really excited to get an ARC of her newest book, Woman of the Year. Unfortunately, this book did not feel like her normal writing. From the first page, you could tell it was off and that there was going to TW all over. I ended up skimming the book since i just couldn't stomach really reading the whole thing. This book was not for me but since I liked her previous books, I will be willing to try her next book after this one.

I've enjoyed Darcey's other books and while this was good, I don't know that I loved it or it will last in my memory for too long.
I do think you need to go in and check trigger warnings though...some things were hard to stomach.

I actually enjoyed Darcy Bell's previous two books but this one just was not for me. Too unlikable characters and the animal abuse in the story disgusted me. I will read her future books because I did enjoy her others before this one.

I usually love Darcy’s Bell’s novels. This one felt a little off to me and was harder for me to follow. While this wasn’t the book for me, I will still look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

3.5 stars. I've read two of Darcey Bell's previous novels -- A Simple Favor and All I Want -- and I didn't particularly enjoy either of them very much. So imagine my surprise when I started reading Woman of the Year and was immediately captivated by it. And as I devoured it in just a couple of sittings, that feeling didn't go away -- I was utterly entranced by this book from the first page to the last.
Lorelei has shown up at a Woman of the Year benefit dinner, where her former friend Holly Serpenta is being honored. She's there to get revenge on Holly for something that happened way back in college, when they were classmates in a coveted psychology seminar -- but just a little bit of revenge. Nothing major or permanent. Over the course of the novel, Lorelei is going to tell us why she's out for revenge -- but she's going to tell the story in her own way. Go ahead and judge her when you know the whole truth.
Woman of the Year is a creative take on the revenge trope, with the success of the novel relying almost completely on its protagonist. We are in Lorelei's head for the entire book in a narrative that weaves between the past and the present, and the way the story was presented was so inventive, the tone so campy and conversational, that it kept me completely riveted. In Lorelei, Bell has given us a "crazy cat lady" protagonist who is quirky, slightly deluded, and maybe not all that reliable. But she's also funny and wry, and I found myself really enjoying the meandering way she told her story.
As for Lorelei's story itself -- well, there are lots of moving parts that are incredibly unique and fascinating. There's a Thanksgiving dinner that I'm pretty sure will go down as one of the most disturbing, uncomfortable scenes I've ever read. There's a #MeToo plot. There are lots of cats. There's discussion of mind control. There are also some parts of the book that focus on animal experimentation, so if animal harm is a trigger for you it might be a good idea to give this one a skip. I wish Lorelei's friendship with Holly would've been a bit more fleshed-out, but the whole idea is that we're supposed to trust Lorelei's version of events, so I can see why she may have felt the details of their friendship weren't necessary.
I have to say, Bell impressed me with Woman of the Year. The behavioral psychology element was so intriguing, and the entire book -- the plot, the characters -- just felt slightly off in a way that kept me wanting to know what strange turn we'd take next. This is a weird, wild book that stands out in the revenge thriller genre due to its unique plot elements and unforgettable narrator. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the advance reading opportunity.

I loved the movie Simple Favor so was interested in reading this author. The story was entertaining but not as good as Simple Favor. I knew a twist was coming but had no idea what it was. It was unexpected. The book is a bit of a slow burn and the main character Lorilei not that likeable. I am glad I read it. A quick read.

Thanks to Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the copy of this book.
Unfortunately, this didn’t do it for me. I did binge read this because it was compulsive, but not exactly enjoyable. This storyline was based on such a weird premise and so many random trigger warnings that it was all over the place. I found myself thinking “what the heck is even happening?” I can safely say I am definitely still a dog person.

Darcey Bell knows how to write unlikely and just....awful characters.
This is a revenge story where both sides just.....suck. There was no good person, there was no good reason....there really wasn't a good story here. It's just about awful people, doing awful things and then trying to hide those things by doing more.
Eh....

Lorelei Green is miffed. It seems her BFF from college has become Woman of the Year. This is completely ridiculous to Lorelei, who know Holly Serpenta is a phony. She would like to ruin her night. And she does cause a little trouble. But someone else has a bone to pick with Holly. as evidenced by her murder.
This was an easy read but it was hard to get a read on Lorelei. Was she crazy? Delusional? Had she been gaslighted by her lover/professor? It all comes together at the end but by then, I was over Lorelei's "poor me" routine.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this e-arc.*

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
TW: Discussions of animal abuse and testing
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.
Expected Publication Date 21/03/23
Goodreads Review Published 06/03/23

I wanted to like this but I really struggle with reading animal abuse in books.. I wish she included that as a TW/CW at the beginning for readers. I think this would translate well on screen though!

Thank you to Atria Books, Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for this ARC.
Wow, this book. I should of gone into this blind. However, I had accidently read a review that had an animal abuse TW. I will admit it kind of put me out.
However, this book held my attention and I could not put it down. At some points I definitely thought to myself "WHAT AM I READING?" However, it kept my attention and made me feel like I was a crazy cat lady. I really thought the book would end different then it did, but I liked how it ended and you got all the answers you were waiting for.
Giving this book 4 stars for keeping me hooked and for also being different then most books I would read. I really found myself cheering for the felines in this book!

Really wasn’t a fan of this book. I feel like it started in the middle of a story and took too long to get to the point of it. I spent more than 1/2 the book confused because I feel like I wasn’t given enough background information about the characters

Lorelei, our main character, has a grudge against an old college friend, Holly. When she sees that Holly, is being honored as woman of the year, Lorelei decides that now is her chance for revenge. Soon she finds she may not be the only one with revenge on her mind.
I really enjoyed Bell's novel, A Simple Favor and Woman of the Year did not disappoint. Highly recommend!
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

This book had a lot of things I thought I would like, catty people, and cats. But, that is where it ended. I just couldn’t get into this one and I did ultimately DNF it about the 25% mark. Usually, I will push through on books that are less than 300 pages, but I just couldn’t with this one.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
I will not be posting to my main social media for this one as I do not post DNF books.

When Laura Lee and Holly were chosen to participate in an exclusive psychology class under the tutelage of the charismatic John James Randall, they quickly became friends. Woodward University is renowned for its psychology department and both have chosen psych as their major. Laura Lee is so enamored with Professor Randall (Dell), that when he called her Lorelei, she changed her name. Lorelei is the pretty one, the one that has everything going for her, while Holly is the mouse. Interpersonal Relations 121 isn’t what it looks like from the outside, the students are actually tuition paying lab rats. As the semester continues, Lorelei’s relationship with both Dell and Holly changes. One blooms while the other fades. When things start to get really weird, Lorelei knows that she’s been betrayed by both, the only problem is, no one believes her. As she unravels Holly starts to shine. It’s years later and Lorelei has nothing but her job and her cat while Holly, who was once Cinderella’s mouse is now Cinderella. Lorelei wants to be her, Holly has stolen her life. Chosen women of the year Holly has it all, but when Lorelei plans a sadistic comeuppance to spoil Holly’s night, she’s quickly regretful when Holly turns up dead. She didn’t mean for it to go that far. Was she somehow to blame or has the past come back to haunt her and now she, too, is in danger? Bell writes a story that is creepy at times and humorous at others, but it just wasn’t that compelling. Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This authors books always have a little bit of a unique plot and unique twists. This was no different. I kept me interested and I would definitely recommend it.