Despite the many notable quotes, this book was not a winner for me. British satire but far too slow and plodding. Not a police procedural despite including a DI as one of the many narrators. I would not recommend to fans of the genre. The characters are silly and over the top and although I did laugh and notate a few quotes, I would not continue with this series or the author. YMMV

Could you please explain what a tofu scramble is?
‘It’s sadness on toast. Also, the toast has no butter.’

‘Then fuck ’em. It’s not your problem any more. Best thing you can do right now is get your hair cut, listen to a few hours of Beyoncé’s angriest songs and get twatted on Friday. Maybe make out with someone that you’ll never have to see again in a dodgy nightclub where you lose a pair of good shoes to the sticky carpet.’

I’m aware that I’ve gone over that invisible line in your late twenties where you go from “you’re pregnant eek” to “you’re pregnant yay”. I should grow up. Breed. Get a mortgage.

...like a feral pack of malnourished pugs.

‘Smugness doesn’t suit your bone structure. You don’t have the cheekbones for it,’

‘Hereward Trollope- Bagshott is the most English name I have ever heard...'

Pizza: is it just pretentious cheese on toast?

‘To be mixed race is to carry the burden of your History as a proper noun, an ancestral wound, while being complimented on your tan in January and the thickness of your hair.’

‘Don’t marry him. I know the house is something else, and that ring is spectacular (I’d pawn it if I were you), but he’s a Wickham not a Darcy, and you’re definitely an Elizabeth Bennet.’

Wanted to DNF multiple times and only didn’t because I’m stubborn… which was a mistake. The characters were all over the place, the dialogue and writing in general felt so rushed and oftentimes confusing in the second half of the book, the resolution of the murder mystery was too obvious, and I thought what social commentary existed was both surface-level and hitting us over the head.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rupert's 30th birthday party is a black-tie dinner at the Kentish Town McDonald's—catered with cocaine and expensive champagne. The morning after, his girlfriend Clemmie is found murdered on Hampstead Heath, a single stiletto heel jutting from under a bush. And there is not much else to say about this book other than it did have some funny moments, it's full of awful people and it's pretty short. Also there were way too many characters.

When I first heard about this book, I was beyond excited for two reasons: 1) it's a thriller that's the absolute embodiment of rich people problems, and 2) THAT COVER. While it's undeniable that the cover is an absolute slay, the rest of this book didn't quite do it for me. Rupert's 30th birthday party is a black-tie affair, full of champagne and cocaine. The morning after, Rupert's girlfriend Clemmie is found murdered, a single stiletto poking out from under a bush. The race is on to figure out who killed Clemmie: was it Rupert? His wealthy godmother? The gallery owner with whom Clemmie was sleeping with? Everyone from the party has an alibi, but Detective Caius Beauchamp is determined to figure out exactly who killed Clemmie, even though the socialities in question will do whatever it takes to shut down his investigation. I wanted to love this book because it sounded SO good, but the beginning was an absolute slog for me. This is a personal thing, but I thought this book just read SO British that I forgot it was written in English. Once I was about 25% through and was more acquainted with the characters, this stopped bothering me so much, but it was a bit of a pain point for me in the beginning. Nearly every single character in this book is incredibly vapid and unlikable - this has never bothered me, the patron saint of rich people problems, but if you're someone who is turned off by loathsome characters, then you might want to skip this. This isn't an overtly long book, but there are so many characters to keep track of that it feels longer than it actually is.
Vassell is rather funny, and (once I got past all of the Britishisms), I found this to be a voice-y read packed with social commentary. Pretty fun, but not an absolute must.

DNF @ 34%

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book, unfortunately, I just did not care about any of the characters and found myself not wanting to continue reading.

I loved everything about this book: the voice, the satire, the Jamaican detective. I had fun, it's a thriller/mystery that doesn't take itself too seriously even though some of the themes were quite heavy. Can't wait until book two comes out. Going straight to the top of my favorite books of 2024, for sure.

I typically love a good wealthy family thriller. It is one of my favorite tropes. The Other Half was just okay for me. I found it difficult to connect and empathize with the characters in this one. Unfortunately I did not think this one had anything memorable about it.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one. The cover art makes me think rom-com with a murder mystery. It’s not! There’s murder mystery and police detective perspective solving it. I didn’t like any of the involved characters-they were all horrible people and so so shallow. That’s alright though, we’re meant to think that they’re horrible. The problem for me was the ending. Didn’t love how it was wrapped up. I liked detective Beauchamp though so I am interested in Vassell’s next in the series. Definitely want to hear more from him!
Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

This book initially caught my eye and after reading the synopsis. The story sounded intriguing and I was interested in the mystery. However, I was disappointed with the book itself. I think this would have worked better as a stand alone book rather than leaving things weakly open ended for a series. Additionally, I had a very hard time understanding the motives or actions of a large majority of the characters. Everyone seemed one dimensional. A miss for me. 2.75/5 (rounded up to 3 for star purposes)

I received a copy of this book through Net Galley for an honest review.

I really could not connect with the characters. I was uninterested in the story. It took forever and a day to get through this. Had it not been a Net Galley book, I would have DNF'd it.

Clever, witty, and well paced. Smart dialogue and I loved the back-and- berréenme Caius an Matt. I was genuinely sorry when I reached the final page. Looking forward for the next installment.

This is an entertaining, well written book about terrible rich people. (see: title, plot summary) What dummy knows that and then reads the book and gets annoyed beyond belief with the terrible rich people? (you guessed it) This book was almost a DNF due to how gross and annoying everyone was - privileged, racist, sexist, you name it. I was grateful for the portions of the book that focused on the investigative/police procedural aspect, as the whole team (Caius, Matt, and Amy) was terrific and were fun to get to know. I'd love to read another book featuring them but not anyone else from this book. The book overall was very smartly written but depressing and a little enraging (speaking as a non one percenter, I guess).

My thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Couldn’t do it with this one. The writing wasn’t bad and some parts were interesting but the characters were awful so I gave up about halfway.

The Other Half by Charlotte Vassell
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The morning after a lavish birthday party at McDonalds, one guest who never made it to the party turns up dead.

I have semi-strong feelings about this book so possible spoilers!
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So we follow two people in this story. The first is a guest at the party named Nell. We will come back to Nell.
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The second POV we have is DI Caius, who is trying to solve who killed Clemmie, who never even made it to the party. As he digs deeper, he comes to the same realization that I had while I was reading this book.

These rich people are all MESSED UP.
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Ok back to Nell. I really liked her at first. By the middle of the book I was pretty frustrated with her and at the end I gave up on her, she was just as awful as everyone else.
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3⭐️⭐️⭐️ I was awfully frustrated with this story and most of the characters. Also some major triggers for RAPE, if that is a trigger for you then you will possibly hate this book, just a warning.

Synopsis: Rupert’s girlfriend, Clemmie (or Phlegm as Nell calls her), is found dead the night of Rupert’s 30th birthday party. Nell, Rupert, and Alex - all frenemies from their college days - are caught in a love triangle, while Caius and his band of misfit detectives tries to investigate this murder, which gets more convoluted every day and with every new piece of evidence they uncover.

Review: This book read very well, it was a crazy and intriguing mystery with lots of fun banter amongst the characters despite the depth of concepts within the story. The one and only downside is that it is very British, so there were a few turns of phrase that went a bit over my head. And the dialogue is all very quick - which I love! - but with the British elements, it sometimes was hard to follow. All in all, a very enjoyable book! Thanks to @netgalley @vassellcharlotte for the advanced copy.

I did not finish this book. The characters were over the top awful. I could not get through it.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

The Other Half by Charlotte Vassell had me hooked from the shocking first chapter. This debut novel throws you headfirst into a world of wealth, privilege, and a murder most foul.

What I loved most was the dual protagonist approach. We see the investigation unfold through the eyes of both Detective Inspector Caius Beauchamp, a man burdened by his family's past, and Rupert Beauchamp, the wealthy playboy whose girlfriend, Clemmie, is the murder victim.

Caius is a complex character, riddled with self-doubt but driven by a strong sense of justice. His investigation delves into the murky underbelly of Clemmie's world – a world of social media influencers with outrageous lifestyles and hidden secrets.

Rupert, on the other hand, is a fascinating study in entitlement. He's initially portrayed as shallow and self-absorbed, but Vassell cleverly peels back the layers, revealing a surprising amount of depth beneath the bravado.

The mystery itself is cleverly plotted, with enough red herrings and plot twists to keep me guessing until the very end. Vassell's sharp wit shines through in the dialogue, especially when it comes to the interactions between the Beauchamp family members. The "old money" versus "new money" dynamic adds another layer of intrigue to the story.

While the book tackles some serious themes – class, privilege, and the dark side of social media – the overall tone is darkly humorous. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the outrageous situations and witty exchanges.

Overall, The Other Half is a fast-paced and entertaining mystery with a fresh take on the classic whodunit. It's a perfect read for fans of Louise Penny or Agatha Christie, but with a modern twist. If you're looking for a clever mystery with complex characters and a touch of dark humor, then this book is definitely worth checking out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This was a so so mystery. Not really what I was expecting after reading the summary. I had higher hopes for it and it was just ok.

I thought this book had so much promise but I just didn't love it. It was ok in parts but overall, just a miss for me.

The Other Half by Charlotte Vassell initially drew me in because of the cover, and as much as I hate to say it, it honestly might end up being my favorite part of the entire book. 🙈 I did like what the author was going for here, and I always love a book that revolves around rich people's bad behavior and quirks, but it still missed the mark for me. I was surprised by the whodunnit, and I am definitely in the minority here, so if you think it sounds good, I would still recommend picking this up and trying it out for yourself. I was quite fond of Detective Caius Beauchamp but not anyone else, and all of the humor was apparently lost on me as I didn't laugh once.

I will say that I think partially where I went wrong was the audiobook, and while I really enjoyed Imogen Wilde's narration, I was not a big fan of Michael Muyunda who voiced Beauchamp. I personally thought he was somewhat hard to understand, even when I had the speed slowed way down, and I hated having to keep speeding it up and slowing it down between viewpoints. For this reason, I would recommend reading the book over listening to the audio. Some parts dragged a little at times as well, which I don't always love in a 350-ish page novel, but it still held my interest, and I did want to keep going until the end. I would love for Vassell to focus more on the detective piece if she does move forward with this as a series.