𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐨. 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐞. 𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝, 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐞? 𝐖𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞.

This was such a creative premise. Three women who have been wronged in some way by a man are all held together by the tenuous grip of their mentor Maggie.

Told through multiple points of view, the reader is drawn into each woman's story--Geneva, the teacher who lost her career when a suggestive video of her emerged; Katherine, whose husband has been cheating for years; and Luz, whose only misstep was to get promoted over her male co-worker, who promptly sent her girlfriend back to Russia through his connections with ICE.

It was easy to empathize with each of these characters, and with a trope similar to STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, punishment is meted out without each woman being aware of the other. But when a man turns up dead and Maggie ghosts the women, they begin to put some pieces together and question her motivation for helping them in the first place.

Thank you so @thrillerbookloverspromotions and NetGalley for this thrilling early read. THE HOOK will publish May 23, 2023.

Maggie is the one thing that links Katherine, Geneva, and Luz- that and they've all been wronged and want revenge. She's their boxing instructor and she's got a plan where, like Strangers on a Train, each of them does something for another so that no one is tied too closely to the revenge and yet everyone gets what they want. This, as you might, expect, doesn't entirely work out. Who is Maggie, exactly? No spoilers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Thoughts~
Revenge is a dish best served cold, and I was here for it. Katherine, Geneva and Luz have all been betrayed in the worst ways, and they are getting even. I loved that they were all members of a women’s boxing gym! So fitting for their situation. However one of them senses there is more than meets the eye! Who is carrying out her plan of revenge and who is she helping? This reminded me of the first rule of fight club. You don’t talk about fight club, but she just couldn’t help herself.

This story was so suspenseful! Once questions started being asked I thought her plan of revenge was over. Once she broke the rules I thought she was over. This was such a fast paced read, and I highly recommend it!

Strangers on a Train meets women's vengeance in this new thriller. Three women get revenge on men who have wronged them through the help of their kickboxing instructor, who has this elaborate plan so no one is caught. However, the women realize that their plans might not have actually been helping them.

I wanted to like this one more than I did, but the writing style just wasn't for me. People who are more familiar with and have liked this author's books, will probably enjoy this one more.

I didn't hate this book, but I also didn't love it. It was definitely a slow burn that I had a hard time getting into. I am a sucker for a good revenge story and loved the premise of this one! Ultimately, it sort of fell flat for me. I had a hard time connecting with the characters, and I found some of them to be somewhat annoying. I kept waiting for something big to happen and feel like I never got that. The ending wrapped up nicely, and was what I thought predictable. I think those that loved The Collective will really enjoy this one.

The novel started off really strong and focused on a group of woman out for revenge on the men who've wrecked their lives.
I felt the ending let the novel down as it was so abrupt without some resolve from the characters

Three women who have been wronged (one by a strategically leaked sex tape, one by her serial cheater/general jerk of a husband, and one by a jealous coworker who had her partner deported) go to the same boxing gym where they meet an inspirational teacher/mentor named Maggie. She promises each of them a chance at revenge if they complete a secret task to help another person. But what’s Maggie’s angle exactly?

I LOVE a revenge thriller, and Jane Doe is one my faves ever, so I knew I needed to read this ASAP. I have a real vindictive streak, so I prefer my revenge to be brutal and executed without much remorse. Stone took a more measured approach here, which is going to be perfect for a lot of readers who have a less mercenary attitude towards vengeance than my crabby self.

Existing Victoria Helen Stone fans and anyone who enjoyed The Collective and/or The Power and/or any book with angry ladies kicking ass should give this one a whirl!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. The premise of revenge in the description had me so excited to get this book. I enjoyed the multiple POVs. The story dragged at times and other than mes the as a bit repetitive. Overall an okay read.

The Hook is a rollercoaster ride that follows the motives of Katherine, Geneva and Luz. These three women come from different backgrounds but have been wronged by a spouse, an ex or a chameleon colleague. Guided by Maggie, these women have their targets and must complete their assignments. However, loyalties are tested when one of the targets dies, and one woman is held suspicious of murder. The author delivers a well-paced plot, and the world-building is immersive, except for the character descriptions. However, I felt the story was incomplete as it doesn't show how Maggie prepares the women for these tasks. It became repetitive how Maggie was their key to redemption and revenge. It would have been wonderful to gain Maggie's perspective as she is the driving force behind The Hook. Katherine's perspective was compelling out of the three women, and her journey was intense. Geneva and Luz shine in their own right and ultimately integrate with Katherine's journey. The ending was realistic and slightly expected. This is a 3.75-star read.

Thank you, NetGalley & Lake Union Publishing, for giving me an ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.

Three women in a boxing class decide to get revenge on those who wronged them… of course nothing goes as planned.

The Hook by Victoria Helen Stone

A women’s boxing class is the perfect place for betrayed wife Katherine to work out her aggressions. Ideal too for Geneva, a teacher disgraced and ruined by a vengeful ex, and Luz, a software engineer battling an unjust system. Maggie, their instructor and mentor, guarantees she can right the wrongs they’ve endured. And if Katherine, Geneva, and Luz really want to unleash their rage, they must do what Maggie says.

Each woman’s secret task has its risks. Call it justice. Call it revenge. It’s bound to be worth it—if no missteps are made. As they take the leap to reclaim what they’re owed, their lives are turned upside down. Because no one could have guessed that it would all end in murder.

Now, coming together to harness their power, Katherine, Geneva, and Luz fear that the game they’ve been playing is playing them.

Out on May 23.

The Hook - Victoria Helen Stone

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

The Hook is a knock-out of a novel, where revenge is obtained second-hand (think "Strangers on a Train", you agree to perpetrate a crime against someone you have no connection to, for an agreement that the other person will enact revenge for you against someone they have never met).

The added twist to this story is that unbeknown to the participants in these crimes, behind the scenes an organization serves as the puppet master. As you are directed through committing a crime for a like-minded individual, proof of the crime you committed is saved so that it can be used to blackmail you in the future.
Suddenly, your safety, your savings, your future, and anything else you hold dear is controlled by criminals who can turn against you and ensure your next residence is jail if you refuse to cater to their every desire.

Your earlier troubles seem trivial in comparison to the mess you currently find yourself in.

What would YOU do?

Until next time, remember, when you try to enact your own karmic justice, the backlash can be unimaginable, and the consequences merciless.

I completely enjoyed this captivating crime thriller!

Righteous, female revenge just makes my heart sing and VHS does it with such panache! Revenge, justice, eh, who's to say. But you'll have fun reading this one.

A good solid story….women helping women. Revenge, cheating husbands, illicit sex tapes, losing the one you love. You help me, I help you. This book is worth the read. I like the author’s style of writing. Have also read Jane Doe, which I highly recommend.

Love the different characters and their motivations. The journey to figure out what is going on will keep you interested. The ending may not be as shocking as some may want, but is resolved in an adequate way.

2.5 stars
This was a bit of a mixed read for me. On the one hand, I was intrigued from the start, the writing flowed well and it is so easy to read.
But as this went on I started to have some problems with it.
First off, we never see how this whole thing got started. How did Maggie get these women to do these things? How did it get started? Why is this set in a gym when there is only one scene there? How did they choose the men they targeted?
Also what I found irritating and frankly a little offensive and unneeded, was how the author introduces every character by telling us their race first (eg: the white woman walked in/ the black woman got out of the car)
This book could have really benefitted from chapters from Maggie's perspective as this would have helped explain things a bit more, whilst providing some background.
The whole thing did seem a bit of a muddle and lacked depth.

Ooh woman plotting against exs. Brilliant.
But is revenge always a good idea? This book looks at it by both side of good and bad.. the plot thickened and I loved it. I could not put this book down. It had the intrigue needed to keep me turning the pages

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

I've read a few books lately with secret groups of women plotting revenge against their exes. With some interesting twists in Stone's version. Three very lovable characters and 3 dirtbag exes (husbands and friends). Kept waiting for the martial arts training to come in! I've liked her other books and would recommend this one (but will confess I figured a few things out before they were revealed).

Loved it! A bit of feminist vigilanteism gone awry. Twisty, unreliable characters and page turning fun trying to figure put what the heck was going on. Fun ride!

This was a very good book. I really enjoyed the characters and storyline. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy. Looking forward to more from this author

Loved it! Katherine, Luz and Geneva are brought together because of revenge and they all happen to go to the same boxing gym. Their ring leader is Maggie, who also happens to be the boxing teacher. I was definitely surprised when Maggie showed up at Katherine's apartment with her partner, I really thought she only worked at the gym. I was shocked that she was actually a police officer. I didn't trust her and never knew if she was telling the truth. I thought she might be setting them up. Out of the three women I felt the most for Katherine. Peter was a terrible husband. He pretended to be the perfect husband and an upstanding member of his church. Really he was the exact opposite. I hated how Katherine's mom took his side and blamed everything on her. She made him dinner every night and cleaned the house. Charlotte was completely brainwashed. She wanted her mom to instantly forgive Peter and go back to him. Would Geneva really have gotten all that backlash from that video? Look at all the people who got famous from those videos.​ I couldn't believe it when she learns the truth about everything. ​ Lux's revenge ended up being the best. She did it on her own. I would have loved to see his face when he discovered what happened. ​I'm pretty sure Katherine enjoyed going undercover more than everyone else. ​From the start I had a suspicion about who the killer was and ended up being right. there were so many twists and turns. I wasn't sure who to believe or trust.

Definitely recommend the book. It was a great mystery.. Loved the characters, writing style and story. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.