I had a hard time with this book. I really didn't like any of the characters. I found the discourse between the characters so annoying. It was a struggle to finish the book. By the end, I really didn't care who did it.

The Other Half by Charlotte Vassell

You know how they live. This is how they die.

I couldn’t get into this story. A complex murder mystery that moved slowly along.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

A very slow burn murder mystery. The best part of this novel was the character Caius Beauchamp! I would love a series with him as the main lead.
Many characters at play and they are very un likable and a few I hoped to be guilty! I love menacing characters!
I wanted more at the ending as I feel there are a few loose ends.
3.5 overall.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Ugh, I hate all these characters. I mean, that's the point -- to create a cast of the most loathsome, pompous, hyperventilatingly egotistical society types as possible -- so in that way, it was very successful. But as an enjoyable story, it was not.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about this reminded me of A Clockwork Orange.

.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I'm not going to lie, at the start of this novel I wasn't sure how far I was going to get into the story. The characters came off as pretentious and the dialogue too acerbic.

Thank goodness I kept reading!

There's so much going on in this debut novel. Its pages burst with commentary on the chaotic state of the world and observations of the twisted relationships we forge with each other. The characters are realistic, sometimes too much so. The mystery is tight, engaging, and perfectly plotted. The scenes are flush with imagery. The ending is a gut punch.

Still, I can see this being a polarizing novel. Some readers will be put off by the rampant pompousness of a few of the characters (Rupert, in particular) and cocky (and witty) academic barbs tossed around. The main characters aren't overly lovable or even likable. But they are, at their cores, understandable and, by the end of the book, I found myself endeared to many of them. Especially poor Nell.

The Other Half is a biting tale of the bitterness in life, regardless of your status in society. It's also a fabulous and entertaining mystery. Just be sure you have a bit of quiet space when you read it. This one is a thinker.

Many thanks for the ARC! Overall, this book was interesting to me, but this one took me a while to get into. It was so fun to see all of the character's backgrounds and to hear how it all twists together, but I didn't particularly love any of the MCs. The banter, conversations and the scenes are exciting and new to me, so I enjoyed this read.

I think that this book was interesting, I didn’t always love the tone the author wrote in, and I found it sometimes hard to get into the plotline. Overall, though the mystery was pretty good. I enjoyed learning about all the different suspects’ backgrounds. They live some very twisted lives. The author does do a good job tying everything together in the end. This book is another perfect example of you never really know what is going on in someone’s life unless you dig deeper. I am still trying to decide how I really feel about this book. I am not sure if I would recommend it quite yet. I think this is a book I need to sit on and decide how I truly feel about it.
Thank you to Vintage Anchor and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

Spoilers! Overall rating:3.5.
I liked The Other Half. It was full of charming characters and ones you can relate to in real life. Not in a sense of morbidly rich… that would be nice 🤣 but the guy you’re not supposed to love but you do and the good guy who loves you but you don’t love back but you know he’d be better for you. The vain parties and shallow friendships.
Nell was the most charming character. I loved imagining her outfits that were described in the book. I wish she’d ended up with Alex but who knows maybe there will be a sequel!
It was a murder mystery and romance story but didn’t feel like it was trying to do too much like other multi-faceted novels I’ve read. There were a few details that didn’t seem necessary but nothing that didn’t hold my interest! I would recommend this book to others. It would be a great book club read to guess who the murderer is!

I could not get into this book. For me it was a DNF but I will probably circle back at some point and complete the book then re do my review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Other Half by Charlotte Vassell!

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publish Vintage Anchor for an advance copy of this new mystery that is both a satire of the British class system and a very good police procedural with a detective I would like to see more of.

One of my favorite writers has always been P. G. Wodehouse. No other writer could turn a phrase, or make a situation with aunts arranging marriages, or missing cow creamers so perfect, and endlessly re-readble. What Wodehouse was very good at was puncturing the ballon of social class the British accepted as normal. Most of his character were well off, with titles and an allergy to real work, even if the name was the currency with little cash to back it up. Most of the social betters who appear in his short stories are to but is like Monty Python twits. The Black Shorts was Wodehouse take on fascism among the gentry, and is treated like the joke it is. They marry without carrying, carry on like the world isn't on fire, either at war, Depression what have you. And constantly make trouble for all those around. The Other Half a mystery and look at the British social class by author Charlotte Vassell features even larger group of twits, old money families, social media influencers, people that even the inimitable Jeeves wouldn't bother getting out of trouble. Also one of them is a murderer, and high society is always quick to pooh-pooh any sins that make the rich uncomfortable.

Rupert has just turned 30 and to celebrate this milestone has decided that a party must be held, a large one, filled with well not friends per se, but people like him, wealthy and incurious. The drinks are many, as are the drugs, with the beautiful people having the greatest of times. No one notices that Clemmie, Rupert's sort-of-girlfriend, sort of dating others has disappeared. And is not seen until the next day when her body is discovered by Detective Caius Beauchamp who comes across her body while jogging. The investigation is barely begun when the powers that be try to sideline Caius and his team, as power runs downhill, and no one it seems wants to upset a powerful family.

A thriller that plays fair and is a well-written and also a damning indictment on the upper classes who have made Britain the country that it is today. One expects on story or the other, but not both an Vassell has done a very good job in balancing everything and making the story work, as well as the barbs. What helps immensely are the characters who are all well written especially Caius who is going through lot and cares very little about who he upsets, though he knows that this could effect him in many ways. The book is mean, funny, annoying and also makes one wish for a whole lot more murdering of people, as these twits really grate on readers. A very successful debut for a character I would like to see more of.

I struggled reading this. In fact, I started and stopped four times. Sorry, but I guess it wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Anchor Books for an e-ARC of The Other Half, available everywhere in November 2023.

When you're wealthy, you can get away with saying or doing anything. Nobody questions your eccentricities, even when you decide to host a black-tie dinner for your 30th birthday at McDonald's. From the overflowing amounts of champagne and cocaine to swimming in everyone's adoration, things couldn't be going better for Rupert at his party. Nearly everyone important in his life is there to celebrate him. Everyone but Clemmie, his long-term girlfriend. Since he's planning on breaking up with her the following morning, he's not concerned about her absence. In fact, it's not until he's being investigated for her murder that he grows concerned at all. Could it be an act? Could he really have gone too far this time? Or could the murderer be her boss, the married gallery owner she was having an affair with? Is it Nell, the woman who's captured Rupert's heart? In a story filled with so many unlikable characters, who isn't a suspect?

I almost shelved the novel. In addition to getting off to a slow start, I was bored by the romantic relationships. We spent too much time on 1) Rupert's annoyance with two of his friends becoming involved, 2) DI Beauchamp's pining over his ex, and finally, what is up with everyone's obsession with Nell? However, once I got to Clemmie's murder, the novel picked up speed. The writing was sharp, almost to the point of scathing. Some might find the British terminology (and sometimes gratuitous!) off-putting but once I got used to it, I thought it was a great way to show how the "other half" are so different from the rest of us. The back and forth banter between DI Beauchamp and his squad was a nice break from some of the heavier aspects of the novel. I wish the author did more to tie up the loose ends in the novel. Because of the hanging threads, it felt like we had an unresolved ending.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. I struggled to even finish it. The characters are unlikable, so I would have been okay if any or all of them were guilty. Extremely slow moving plot.

The interesting part for me drawing to this one was British society and the way these rich entitled folks endure each other while treating others horribly. I seriously got irritated when the MC repeatedly puts up with the guy’s nuisance and pathetic behavior instead of going against him. The murder mystery started off great but then it became all about these unlikeable characters and their dynamics. It was supposed to be a satire on British aristocrats but there was some Greek mythology thrown in as well to the murder investigation. I liked the detective gang and would be interested in reading more of their cases in future.

So fun! I loved the twists and turns of this book while also enjoyed the character development of (some) of the characters. I did want to scream at a few of them throughout the book, but that's the beauty of great writing. Truly enjoyed this!

For every two or three murder-mystery or psychological-thriller novels you need one of these. The Other Half is utterly entertaining from beginning to end. I was surprised to see how low this novel was rated on Goodreads by others because to me this was simply flawless. Funny, witty, clever, and plain hilarious. Have I eaten goji berry, cinnamon, and chia seeds overnight oats? Why yes, yes I have and it's delicious!

Do not be daunted by the low ratings on this one. If you have any sense of humor at all - then please let yourself enjoy this unforgettable cast of characters.

I hope this crime trio becomes a series. I want more!

Positives:
Witty setting, characters, and social commentary-an upper class 30th birthday bash held at the local McDonalds for an obscenely wealthy Rupert Beauchamp
The detective combo (Caius and Matty) were delightful and I would read more books featuring them
clever and complex
murder mystery aspect

Negatives
The first stretch of the book was slow and made me almost want to give up before it picked up
There were so many characters to keep track of-and I don't usually say that about a book- and they were all connected
I really didn't care about the character who was murdered (Clemence, Clemmie Plegm)
Heavy British satire

What starts as a posh party at McDonald's ends in murder. The novel features a group of friends with complicated relationships all dealing with a very lackluster murder of one of the group. First off, I did not enjoy the characters, most of them came across annoying (especially Rupert, gosh he sucked). Second off, I wanted to actually get a preview of the murder, we got like two seconds of the murder scene & all of the rest ended up being the friend group gossiping/dealing with one another. This novel touched on the British societal system & the separation between the poor & rich lifestyle as well. I wanted to know who killed Clemmie so I finished it, but overall it was just okay.

Overall, I'm conflicted by this book. I enjoyed the satire at first, but after a while, the over the top characters started to grate on me. Caius, Matt and Amy were the bright spots for me - the police investigating the crime, which made it feel like a murder mystery I'd ordinarily love. The pacing of the plot is good and I enjoyed the gradual untangling of the mystery. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.