¨I took some comfort in her imperfections, in the notion that she, like the rest of us, was a mortal woman, prone to cyclical bloating and skin eruptions. I rejoiced in these faults, in the recognition that none of us is perfect, none of us so irresistible that she is beyond criticism.¨

Woww! This book really punches where it hurts the most. It is gritty, evil, strangely poetic and romantic and not for the faint of heart. An oeuvre of women´s rage until the melting point.
This is a story about a scorn woman whose obsession is her ex-husband and his new girlfriend. This is a story about betrayel in its deepest form.
And boundaries that evaporate until you don´t know what is right and wrong and who to root for.

For some reason Ophelia´s evilness feeds you, her rage is understandable and the words written are meant to hurt. You feel the slow descend of madness and the underlying rage and love of a scorn woman that reaches its boiling point.

¨The encounter with Amber rattled me. Though I had watched her day in and day out for months, it had never occurred to me that one day her path might cross mine, that she might return the gaze that had thus far remained one-sided.
I knew every inch of her skin:
the scaly patch on her shoulder; the waist bulge she went to pains to conceal.
I had seen her pick her teeth and plumb her nostrils and go through boxes of Tampax. And still viewing her in the real world, out of focus, was unsettling.¨

I loved the cover and idea behind this book. I couldn't wait to read this book!

Some parts felt rushed but for the most part it was a good book about Rage and Passion. The ending was a little off and was not very good after the story that you read. This book had so much potential but in the end it was a little flat considering i was expecting more out of the book.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me Read and review.

i think this book is striving for a tone it doesn't always achieve, but in the moments it does it is DELIGHTFUL and DELICIOUS. it pulls a little heavily on some of the central character's childhood trauma in a way that feels overstated or obvious? but it's short and quick and satisfying, a really good and interesting book, and when it hits its stride and big moments, it works wonderfully.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC, I knew I wanted ti read this one just by the cover. Did Ophelia cheat on her husband or did her husband cheat on her? Who do you feel bad for and who do you believe. This was a page turner that kept me up for several nights,

A mix of Vladimir and Gone Girl.

very up my ally just had a little bit of trouble with the writing and prose but full of female rage and passion.

3.75

This reminded me a lot of Vladimir by Julia May Jonas, but less serious, more entertainingly over-the-top. They're both about middle aged professors losing their ever-loving minds in the wake of their husband's infidelity, but The Vixen Amber Halloway is much funnier and tongue in cheek about it. The main character reminded me of Kristen Bell in The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window.

While it was a pretty good book, I think it could have been a truly excellent short story. It got a bit repetitive in the middle - how many times can you read harrowing, suppuration, or perky breasts before they lose meaning altogether.

Recommended for fans of unhinged female revenge!

There is a lot to say about this book, a novel focused on rage, passion and suspense.

I found it a good read and I think if you can look past the slightly too clinical writing it's a very exciting mix of genres

I really found myself invested in this book. It definitely into the "unhinged woman" trope. I have some thoughts about the husband, but I don't want to give any spoilers. I can't wait for more people to read this so I can discuss some of my theories. The main character is completely insane but it's a fun train-wreck to watch unfold. This book kind of feels like it could be in a season of the TV show Fargo. I loved it, but it's really hard to discuss much without giving too much away. If you like the movie or show Fargo, or maybe even Burn Before Reading, I would recommend this book to you.

I recently had the pleasure of reading "The Vixen Amber Halloway" by Carol LaHines, and I must say it was an absolute delight. LaHines has a way of weaving a captivating narrative that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The characters are richly developed, and the plot is both intriguing and thought-provoking. What sets this book apart is the author's ability to paint vivid imagery with words, making the settings come alive in your mind.

The Vixen Amber Halloway is a perfect blend of mystery, suspense, and a touch of romance. LaHines' writing style is smooth and engaging, making it easy to get lost in the story. The book kept me guessing until the very end, and I found myself emotionally invested in the characters' journeys.

I loved the cover and idea behind this book. But despite it being about rage and passion, the word that kept coming to mind was cold. It was a very detached feeling book. I"m assuming that was on purpose but it really was a little jarring when compared with the subject matter.

The ending was not very satisfying after all of the build up either. I felt like it had so much potential and could have gone there with some tighter editing but it fell a little flat.

Who can deny the burning curiosity to figure out what your ex is up to? Maybe you’ll look up their new partner, partake in some amateur cyberstalking.
Ophelia takes it a bit further. To the point she keeps multiple spiral bound notebooks filled with observations caught through their windows. She is obsessed, and unhinged, and bent on revenge. She blames Amber Halloway for seducing and stealing her husband, the love of her life, and reopening wounds left from her childhood.

This was an entertaining read. It doesn’t drag in the slightest, I could have probably read it in one sitting. The way the story is told (a confessional, but simultaneously feeling like a letter directly to her husband) was creative and super effective. It feels like you’re in her mind, really getting to understand her thoughts and sifting through her scattered memories.
For literary fiction, I found this quite heavy handed at times but if you read it with the expectation of a psychological thriller it's less out of place. I also felt the climax to be a little bit underwhelming but the conclusion to be really well done.

* Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC.

The Vixen Amber Halloway is a real page turner, good for anyone who likes an unreliable narrator and female rage. i felt like there was a lot of build up throughout the book just for there to be a kind of lame ending? i was left just wanting more.

The portrayal of Ophelia's descent into obsession and jealousy, despite her unlikable nature, provided a captivating perspective. The novel's resemblance to "You," from the viewpoint of a scorned woman, was intriguing. While the theme of abandonment was prevalent, Ophelia's thoughts and actions, though occasionally repetitive, conveyed both turmoil and urgency. The author's adept shift between first and third-person narrative added to the turbulent reading experience, as we followed Ophelia's tumultuous rationalizations and felt the impact of her questionable decisions.

Outrageously fun, pitch black comedy. I loved the creative allusions to Dante's Inferno, which were incorporated in a very unexpected way without this being a retelling. This was a unique and satisfying read and I highly recommend to anyone looking for a tale revenge story that's not like the others (but still scratches that itch).

First, I would like to thank Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book. I loved every second of it. I honestly felt like I was on a rollercoaster ride however, I never wanted it to end. Such a fun, quick, and amazing read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to review.

So, what is the book about? We follow the story of Ophelia, a professor of Dante, is stricken when she discovers that her husband, Andy, has been cheating on her with a winsome colleague, Amber Halloway. She decides to stalks them and watching every move of the two of them. The story alternates between the past and the present of her relationship between Ophelia and her husband. Your husband was caught cheating, but you prefer to stalk his relationship with his mistress. I love reading woman who's off of the rails. LOL

I love unhinged women books. I love reading about them. This book is a perfect fit for my reading experience because the book is about infidelity with our main character who is someone who is cheated on by her husband. I like the story of a woman who does something to repay the actions of the person who wronged them. Even though it will violate applicable law. Ophelia is unhinged, and unlikable, but I love being inside her head as she slowly lets obsession and jealousy consume her. Having a lot of unresolved trauma and a severe anxious attachment, she becomes a full-on stalker. This novel somehow remind me to “You” if it was from a scorned woman’s perspective.

But, there's something that makes me hesitate to give this book four stars. It is about the writing style. I find it cold (I don't know whether the writter make it cold because we are reading Ophelia's monologues or it is just actually cold) and somehow it effects the romance plot that happen between Andi and Ophelia in the past. There are two sides that effects the writing style. First, the romance plot between both of them isn't believeable. Because it is cold and I do not find it romantic. But, on the other side, It's because The romance plot is from Ophelia's side, which is actually not romance and love but it is just an obsession. That's why it feels cold somehow.

After all I can say that this book is worth to read after all if you love reading new published unhinged women in books.

Thank you NetGalley + the publisher for the ARC.

Ophelia is crazy, unhinged, and unlikable, but I loved being inside her head as she slowly lets obsession and jealousy consume her. Having a lot of unresolved trauma and a severe anxious attachment, she becomes a full-on stalker. This novel is similar to “You” if it was from a scorned woman’s perspective.

Although repetitive at times, I felt the theme of abandonment was truly prevalent in the mind of this psychopath. Ophelia’s thoughts and actions are both long winded and fast paced, and I loved the writing style of this author. I loved the subtle changing from first to third person as we followed Ophelia trying to rationalize her thought process, and I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride of bad choices.

I feel bad for Amber Halloway, even though she WAS a vixen!

The titular character in The Vixen Amber Holloway is the obsession of narrator Ophelia who suffers from dual traumas of abandonment-first by her parents in childhood, and more recently by her husband. Ophelia's name is perhaps no coincidence, as the novel follows her spiral into madness-or perhaps Ophelia has always been insane and it took her husband's betrayal to release her inner demons. Adam Fairweather is also aptly named as the betraying and-in Ophelia's eyes-heartless ex-husband. Ophelia's intimate, if twisted, point of view is part of the novel's brilliance, engendering our compassion for her pain. LaHines does a remarkable job getting deep inside her character's mind and following her madness to its inevitable conclusion.

LaHines' latest novel is a captivating addition to the genre of unhinged female protagonists, drawing fans of Vladimir and those who enjoyed the intricacies of 'A Certain Hunger.' The use of the second person in Ophelia's narrative, coupled with academic language and precise descriptions, immerses readers into a unique and intimate storytelling experience. The exploration of Ophelia's descent into obsession, fueled by her childhood abandonment, is skillfully woven with elements of suspense and dark comedy. The novel's quick pace, punctuated by LaHines' adept use of pithy remarks and complex sentences, keeps the reader engaged from start to finish.

The unreliable narration adds an intriguing layer to the story, as inconsistencies in details and repeated allusions to lost time contribute to a sense of mystery. While the book occasionally dips into repetitiveness, particularly in Ophelia's references to her childhood trauma, it does not detract significantly from the overall enjoyment. LaHines' masterful portrayal of the long-lasting impact of parental abandonment, mirrored actions between characters, and the complex themes explored make this novel a fascinating meditation on psychological breakdown and the pursuit of revenge. In the end, this makes for a very enjoyable and engaging read, leaving readers unsettled yet intrigued by the intricacies of the protagonist's mind and the unpredictable twists in her narrative journey.

This was an unhinged read. Ophelia’s husband has an affair and she starts becoming obsessed with his new life and girlfriend. Ophelia gets farther and farther from reality as the book progresses. It read like a dark comedy to me. I enjoyed the short fast paced chapters - they switched between her childhood, the downfall of Ophelia’s marriage/mental health, and the present. I liked Ophelia as a character, although she definitely was a bit questionable towards the end. The husband absolutely sucked, so somehow her extreme actions become a bit understandable. Some of the text becomes repetitive at times. Not sure if this was the author’s writing or a nod to the MC’s breakdown. There is also an excessive use of the abbreviations etc, viz. I give this 3.5 stars and recommend this to anyone that loves the mad woman trope. It’s fairly short around 200 pages!

Trigger warning: suicide, animal cruelty

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.