I have never read anything by this author before and was very intrigued by the cover alone (Never judge a book by its cover, I know I know lol) but this was very interesting! It was very creepy and I love dual perspectives. Overall, a great read!

Thanks NetGalley for this opportunity

It would be nice to say that what happens in this book is completely, absurdly impossible but, as the author says in the afterword and as anyone with internet access can discover, it is eerily plausible with modern technology. Clara and Teddy are mega-wealthy siblings. Teddy is married to Clara’s best friend Jess and is running for Senate. Clara is really struggling with an eating disorder and Teddy and Jess are her rocks. But then things happen and, well, maybe the least balanced one of them may be the most resourceful. The characters are insanely rich, which makes them unrelatable to 99% of the population. Still, I was really invested in their story and rooting for them. Being of normal extraction, Jess is the stand-in for the readers, since she sees everything through less privileged eyes. The plot is bananas but completely addictive. The main reveal may not have been the most shocking, but it made sense so I was happy with the way the story ended. It was also nice that the book was not political, despite dealing with a Senatorial campaign. The plot delves into very dark territory, but it was so suspenseful that it was not too depressing. Very enjoyable.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Farrar, Straus and Giroux | MCD.

Gripping, twisty-turny, completely engrossing read that will nail you to your seat until you've reached the last page! Can't wait for more from this author.

I wasn't sure what to expect - this was CREEPY!! it was good - story line was a bit hard to follow at times, but creepy is the best way to describe it! CREATIVE to the max. The hologram piece was fascinating

Vantage Point is the Wieland family mansion, built on a small island off the coast of Maine. It's also where generations of Wieland's have been famously cursed. Not long after Clara Wieland, her brother Teddy, and his wife Jess move into the mansion, bad things begin to happen. These events caused this reviewer to wonder, "Do family curses become self-fulfilling prophecies?"

Clara is a damaged, fragile young woman and the protagonist of this story. I empathized with her throughout the tale and rooted for her through a life-shattering crisis. How she confronts the ordeal and the changes it brings is at the heart of the story.

Vantage Point is a modern-day gothic novel with all the nuances and atmosphere of a vintage tale set in our technological time. The writing is good, the story is entertaining, and the ending is satisfying.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus, and Giroux for providing an advance copy of the book to read and review. This review will post to Bayside Book Reviews.com at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. Follow us! *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

4.5 stars. I have been in such a terrible reading slump, and this gritty techno family drama finally got me out of it.

Vantage Point tells the story of two siblings, Teddy and Clara, the remaining heirs of the Wieland fortune. Much has been made about the supposed Wieland family curse, where numerous family members encountered a terrible fate during the month of April. Now that Teddy is running for Senate and Clara finally seems to have put past addictions behind her, a series of strange events and the release of malicious deepfake videos bring the curse back to the forefront.

This story is propulsive and has definite Succession vibes. Added to the mix is Jess, Clara's childhood best friend, and wife to Teddy. The narrative effectively jumps between Clara and Jess's POVs, both in the modern day and the past. There is a tech element that requires a little suspension of disbelief, but overall, this was such a solid and twisty drama with a wild ending. Highly recommend.

[Snack-Size Review] Vantage Point, by Sarah Sligar

Quick Bite: Rich people problems… are weirdly fascinating.

(*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*)

What It’s About: Clara and her brother Teddy are the last remaining Weilands - a fabulously wealthy and famously cursed family reminiscent of the Kennedys. Right now, however, things are looking up. Clara is on the road to recovery from a serious eating disorder, and Teddy, married to Clara’s best friend Jess, is in the middle of his seemingly predestined Senate run. But then a disturbing video featuring Clara appears online. Clara can’t remember the events of the video, but also, isn’t sure they didn’t happen. But then another video comes out. And another…

A Word From The Nerd: I’m just going to say it: I usually try to avoid anything that could be labeled a “techno-thriller”. Mainly because a lot of authors who would describe their work as such are so in love with the techno part that they forget the thriller amidst all the VR and AI and whatever other kind of techy stuff the kids are into now. But Vantage Point never loses sight of the messy humanness of it all, with deeply flawed and deeply understandable characters and a rich family history and oh yeah - a pretty great mystery.

The Nerd’s Rating: FOUR HAPPY NEURONS (and a big old seafood platter.)

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Vantage Point by Sara Silgar. This is a story about three people, but ultimately it’s about a whole family. This follows the children, Teddy and Clara, who are the orphaned children of the wealthy Wieland family. After their parents’ deaths many years earlier, they have moved on, with Teddy marrying Jess, Clara’s good friend and then deciding to running for a senate seat. Then some disturbing information comes out about Clara and she has no idea where this has come from. As she feels like she is going crazy, Clara begins to think this related to her parents’ untimely death. If you enjoy a thriller type of story, I think you will like this book. While it wasn’t a favorite, I enjoyed it.

This is a novel with far-reaching topics: a family curse, a political campaign, a bulimic crisis, deepfake videos. Author Sligar has pulled these all together for a terrific thriller.
The two POVs are Clara and Jess, although Clara Wieland takes center stage. Clara and Jess have been best friends since childhood — the rich girl of a Maine Island, and an islander townie who grew up with a single mother who scraped by. They became even closer when Jess married Clara’s older brother, Teddy, a charismatic politician campaigning for the Senate. Jess and Teddy bonded when Clara descended into a life-threatening eating disorder, brought on by depression since she witnessed her parents’ deaths when she was a teenager. And that’s where the Wieland family curse comes in — various members of the extended family have been dying unusual deaths for 200 years, usually in the month of April, and significant enough to generate multiple Wikipedia entries.

This April, Clara is taking over the family’s philanthropic foundation to free up Teddy for his political race. But immediately on April 1st, an explicit sex tape of Clara (who had been a party girl in the past) hits social media — it’s graphic and humiliating and Clara has no memory of it at all. A second tape, just gossipy, is later released with Clara and Jess, trashing Jess’s reputation as the loyal political wife. Why? To uproot Teddy’s campaign? Or is it just another sad Wikipedia entry regarding the family curse?

There are multiple twists and turns, but mostly we get to know Clara, haunted by her parents’ deaths and trying to recover from her eating disorders and self-destruction. It’s a serious book in that respect as well as a well-written tech thriller. 5 stars!


Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Almost. Clara and Teddy have the same rare hazel eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): YES I guess the very rich can rent out of season flowers to spruce up the detritus of spring.

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

Thank you to MCD for the free ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is out on 1/14/25!

Family Drama/Suspense. The Weiland family has been one of the wealthiest families in America, and also one of the most cursed. The Wielands tend to die in tragic and unexpected ways, and Clara and Teddy’s parents are no exception. In the wake of their parents death. Clara struggled for years with eating disorders and substance abuse. 14 years later, Clara has gained more stability after moving into their sprawling mansion and childhood home with Teddy and his wife, Jess, who is also her best friend. But when Teddy runs for senate and someone posts graphic intimate videos of Clara, their lives are upended. Clara can’t even remember making the video, and questions if they are deepfakes. But as more videos are released, Clara can’t help but feel like she is losing her grasp on reality - and that the curse has come for her at last.

I *mostly* really enjoyed this one. The pacing was great and the New England setting really added to the mounting dread throughout. The characters are all pretty unlikable, but it’s a testament to the strength of Sligar’s writing that it still kept me engaged. The only thing I have a BIG qualm with is some of the technology discussed - SO many plot holes that I can’t really talk about since it’s pretty integral to the story, but COME ON. I’ll update this review after the book’s release to list them. That being said - I still really enjoyed the book and love rich people problems and this one delivered.

Wooooow talk about a wild and original ride!!!

Vantage Point is a mix of familial curses and artificial intelligence sprinkled with ambition and lots of unraveling.

Clara and Teddy are siblings who grew up on a sprawling island estate off of the coast of Maine. Vantage Point has been home to their family for generations. Unfortunately, it’s also home to lots of tragedy and heartache. When Teddy decides to run for senate, awful things begin happening to Clara specifically, and the family will struggle to recover.

This is a story of what’s real and what’s not. Deep fakes, political aspirations, vendettas, and so much more! You will be guessing the entire time!

I ended up rating this book five stars because it was so original! Vantage Point kept my interest throughout, had me constantly guessing, and introduced new topics that I had never read before (and am now terrified of!)

Thank you to NetGalley and MCD Publishing for the opportunity to enjoy this ARC before its intended release date of January 14, 25.

I enjoyed this. I thought that the rich family secrets, the thrilling plot, the different themes explored, it was all good. I think that the dual POV actually added a lot to this story, and kept the pacing really fast for me, which isn't typical for my experience with multiple POV books. This was really solid all around, and also has a really cool cover to boot.

I am a huge fan of succession, so when this book was compared to that show, I knew I had to read it. So glad I did! This book is everything that succession is Rich family lots of secrets and so suspenseful I absolutely loved it!

Thrilling, non-stop ride that explores mental health, addiction, deeeeep family issues, political ambition, the scariest part of the internet and friendship. I loved the dual perspectives, and the pacing of this book just raced. Great endin, readers will be more than satisfied.

Vantage Point is a thriller/mystery novel that takes place on a fictional island off the coast of Maine. Much of the novel focuses on a supposed curse that affects a wealthy, prominent family that to me, seemed similar to the Kennedy family. Told in the dual perspectives of Carla and her best friend Jess, who is married to Carla’s brother, Teddy, the novel explores the blurry lines between reality and illusion. There are also several intervals of Wikipedia articles that explain the backstory of the curse.

This was an engaging book with an interesting perspective on how easily reality can be manipulated. The characters of Carla and Jess were well developed and showed the flaws of each. In my opinion, there wasn’t much of a mystery but that didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story. And the last 15% was action packed!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Farris, Straus and Giroux/ MCD for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for an advance egalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really had to sit on providing feedback for this one. I enjoyed it, but it succeeded a little too well in confusing and manipulating me.

Both of the main characters, Clara and Jess, are fleshed out and unique. You can feel the historical comfort that lies between them which is riddled with a newer unease. I was really excited to read a fraught, emotional story which has been compared to Succession, and simultaneously take in an exploration of deepfakes and the impact of artificial intelligence on women.

But then the problem was that the “red herring” wasn’t a red herring, and it took an approach which, let’s say, shredded my suspension of disbelief.

I thought I was reading something grounded in reality, only for the technology mentioned to be non-existent light years away.

I thought I was reading a “woman goes down rabbit hole and doesn’t come back up” kind of story, which did an excellent job of showing me, the reader, how easy it is to dismiss a woman’s concerns as cuckoo bananas when she’s 100% correct about what’s happening. It did a great job of turning the mirror on yourself. But it wasn’t a rabbit hole story. There are descents into madness, but they aren’t where you hope or expect them to be.

And that’s because you expect the cuckoo bananas red herring to be a cuckoo bananas red herring. I got lost wondering “is this actually happening?”

Maybe that was the point though.

3.5 stars? For making me think.

"Vantage Point" by Sara Sligar presents an intriguing premise with a strong focus on personal growth and self-discovery. The narrative is engaging, featuring relatable characters navigating their complexities and relationships. However, the pacing can be uneven, leading to moments where the story feels drawn out or lacking in tension. Overall, while it offers some insightful themes and enjoyable, charming moments.

I was hooked on this one until I wasn't. About the dramatic downfall of one town's wealthiest families, the twists just felt a little too convenient for me. I absolutely LOVED Sligar's debut, TAKE ME APART.

Vantage Point begins like any good book, with a wealthy family. Cara and Teddy are adult siblings who inherited a boatload of money after their parents died in a truly tragic way. Clara dealt with it by being the family screw up and Teddy became the protector. Life seemed to carry on with Teddy managing the family affairs and dragging Clara with him until Teddy decided to run for Senate. Clara expected some family scrutiny, maybe even mention of the family curse (curse you say...just wait until you read the book). What Clara didn't expect was videos of her in compromising positions to leak on the internet. Embarrassing...yet. Detrimental to Teddy's career....TBD. Creepier is that Clara isn't sure that they are real. But if they are deepfakes who would make them? Why? And does this have to do with the family curse?

Vantage Point is like nothing I've ever read in the best possible way. Think classic mystery....a rich family on a small island, stand-up brother who appears to have it all together and a sister who manages to always make the wrong choice. Then you throw in a family curse.....what more could you ask for? I'll tell you. You could ask for modern-day AI warfare in the scariest way possible. Throw all of this together and you have a truly exciting novel.

What I love about Vantage Point is it is everything you want and everything you didn't know you needed. I was left grasping for what was true and what was fake in the story. How do I know who is telling the truth? Is there a curse? Is AI the devil? Who knows. You will have to read this unique book to find out.

I really enjoyed this book. I am sure that as new technology continues to evolve, we can look forward to reading more books with themes like this one. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.