Ever since I devoured her debut, TAKE ME APART, I have been eagerly awaiting Sara Sligar's second novel. As soon as I read the tagline (Succession meets Megan Abbott in this seductive Gothic suspense novel about the dramatic downfall of one of America’s most affluent families), I was in. It did not disappoint! If there's one thing I love, it's a family curse. The writing is sharp and confident, the plot is captivating, and the characters are compelling. I loved the vignettes, too. I'm so excited for this book's release so that I can recommend it more broadly. Bravo!

Rounding up from 4.5.Great thriller! Loved it. Interesting concepts with (what I think would be more commonly termed) AI generated images, film, etc. The climactic scenes were crazy! The resolution was thoughtful. Well structured in how they wove in the details about the curse. I fully expect this to turn into a blockbuster series. Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to share my review.

A timely and exciting mystery/thriller by Sara Sligar that explores the nature of truth in a time of deepfakes and disintegrating morals. The promise of Sligar's talent in her first novel, Take Me Apart, is more fully realized here, with characters that spring off the page in all their complexity and messiness. I couldn't stop turning the pages.

ok there is a lot to cover with this one. With a family curse and a family member trying to run for a office and then intimate videos being leaked there was a whole lot going on. It almost felt like too much stuff was being thrown at them tbh because you turn around and a whole other issue is going on. I guess thats how it is with affluent families in this type of situation. I can see why the book blurb said kind of like succession because yes it reminded me of that show. I think thats why i kind of wanted it to be a series or maybe a duology because it was just so much going on. All in all i liked it a lot.

The Wieland family is old money. Current heirs, Clara and Teddy live in the family estate on an island in Maine. Teddy is married to Clara's best friend, Jess. Clara has numerous issues, related to her eating disorders. And to add to the drama, Teddy is running for the U. S. Senate.

But things aren't going well for the Wieland's. First, there is the matter of the family curse. Every April, something bad seems to happen. And guess what month is coming up? Clara begins to see things. Has her craziness just taken over her life? The tension of the campaign, coupled with having to take care of Clara, is driving a spear into the happy marriage of Teddy and Jess.

This is a well written story with compelling characters. In her vivid writing style, author Sara Sligar vividly illustrates the deterioration of all three main characters. This is a really good read.

TW: eating disorder, some spoilers!

Rating: 4.5

I was very excited for this gothic suspense read. Many a time I was left wondering where it was going , but it’s definitely one of those stories where you have to keep at it as it does get better towards the end. It’s a whirlwind for sure.

I’ll briefly talk about the main characters-

Clara Wieland - to put it shortly, her bulimia at points felt like it was being glorified making me very uncomfortable. Putting that aside (if possible), I found her to be a very unlikable character. As someone who’s close to her age, it was frustrating to read about a selfish woman who never really grew as a character.

Teddy Wieland - is a good example of men playing women because boy did I fall for this guy only to realize what a selfish, idiot he was. I’ll leave it at that because you simply have to read to find out more.

The twists - I was intrigued with the twists involved in this book and I didn’t anticipate most of them which is always a good thing. While I can’t speak to the holograms, AI, and deep fake stuff as I don’t know enough about it to be fair. I do think the story serves as a good reminder that you should always question the narration and the narrator in a book.

This was an interesting read that had many twists and turns. I’ve never read anything before that involved AI, so this was a bit out of my comfort zone. Regardless, I still enjoyed the plot and the characters. I found it to be very entertaining and well written. Thank you Net Galley, Farrar, Straus, & Giroux for the ARC.

I hate giving books bad reviews. First I DNF it. It is a gothic story and when I requested it I did not realize it was a gothic mystery. It might be for some but not for me. I do want to thank net galley an the publisher for this ARC. I have been reviewing books for net galley and this I first one that I DNF. I was the other reviews and they were very mixed. Again I am sorry but this book might be loved by others so please do not let my review or lack of review influence you. gain thanks to net galley dor this ARC

This novel takes you on twists and turns to discover the mystery of the Weiland family curse. Is money making them mad, or are they born to live out the Weiland curse? This was a phenomenal read that left you questioning throughout the book, who can I trust? Old money, small-town vibes, romance, and broken friendships.

Vantage Point by Sara Sligar introduces us to Clara Wieland a wealthy anorexic who is taken care of by her brother Teddy. Also a story teller is Jess, Clara’s best friend who marries Teddy. The Wieland family is cursed especially during the month of April. The story progresses through alternating chapters between Clara and Jess. A very clever techno thriller. It was good to see Clara mature and begin to take care of herself. It was good to see Jess begin to look at her husband as he deals with failures and struggles. Thank you to NetGalley and MCD for letting me review this book in exchange for an honest review..

This was a bit of a slow burn for me. It's definitely more of a family drama than a thriller. The characters are all a bit un-likable, but the plot was unique and I enjoyed it! Overall a 3.5 star read for me.

The description said “Succession meets Megan Abbott in this seductive Gothic suspense novel about the dramatic downfall of one of America’s most affluent families.” They had me at succession, but gothic suspense sealed the deal. I’d never read this author before, but I really enjoyed this read! So twisty and addicting. Honestly very entertaining. I loved the Clara character and was really rooting for her the whole time. Can’t wait to read more by this author.

Thank you Net Galley, Farrar, Straus, & Giroux for the ARC!

I loved the concept of this book, but unfortunately it was about 100 pages too long which resulted in a slow-moving story that kept losing my focus.

The concept itself was fresh and did keep me guessing, but not enough to make up for the long read. Would read another book by Sarah Sligar again!

I was really intrigued by the concept (and cover) here. The curse. The strange goings-on. Family drama. It sounded interesting and right up my alley. I liked the way it started, and I was drawn in fairly quickly, but once the video broke things started going off the rails for me and unfortunately never righted themselves to my liking. The pacing felt uneven and I couldn't connect to the characters at all. This wasn't a good fit for me.

Vantage Point by Sara Sligar has been aptly titled. Vantage Point is the name of the uber-wealthy Weiland family home, but also a description of how each character sees their situation. Clara and Teddy Weiland are siblings who have inherited Vantage Point because their parents died possibly due to a family curse. They have money and live in luxury, but many of their ancestors died in freak accidents, as their parents did.

Teddy is Clara’s protector, in the absence of parents and being the older sibling. When Clara becomes a problem, doing drugs and partying a little too frequently and a little too hard as well as binging and purging, Teddy needs to be close to Clara to try to keep her safe from herself. In the process, he falls in love with and eventually marries, her best friend Jess, who grew up in a much more modest way being the daughter of a single mother.

Teddy is making a run for the US Senate, but things start unraveling when a sex video of Clara and an unidentified man is released on social media, she also suffers from anorexia and is sickly thin in the video. What is worse, she does not remember making the video or in fact who the man is.

At first Teddy was taking the electorate easily, going on tour making speeches and getting all kinds of media attention and endorsements. Teddy’s Senate run becomes challenging when more videos are released. Clara fears the curse is coming after her now, she cannot recall the things from the videos. Other strange things start to happen and Clara resorts to old habits while trying to deal with them.

From the vantage point of each of the three main characters, reactions to their collective situation varies, the book is surprising and unfortunately all too possible in modern times. It is a mystery and a puzzle worth working out, but you probably won’t be able to put all the pieces together until the very end of the story.

This is a thriller that involves technology and AI. AI is such a current interest for so many people, I think it will be highly anticipated by many. This story is told from the POV of Jess and Claire. It’s a story about typical wealthy people who are being blackmail using AI. I thought the story was good, however the ending was predictable and I’m not sure I really liked the characters that much.

The Wieland family is one of the most powerful and wealthiest families in the US. However, they are also known for the bad luck that follows them through the generations. Teddy and Clara Wieland lost their parents tragically at a young age. Now, years later, hoping they can put the past behind them, Teddy, his wife Jess and sister Clara decide to move back to their home at Vantage Point. But when Teddy decides to run for the Senate, it seems that someone is out to destroy the family. Damning videos of Clara surface and no one can tell if they are real or “deep fakes”. But that is just the start of what seems to be the Wieland curse returning.

While I was excited to read about a generational family with a curse, I struggled to finish this book. Some of the characters seemed underdeveloped and their motivations were two dimensional. Thank you for the ARC.

Vantage Point is a gothic thriller with a wealthy family and a long standing curse.
Clara and her brother Teddy watched their parents die in an accident when they were younger, a fact that continues to haunt their lives. Clara has some emotional issues that she deals with through the help of her good friend and sister-in-law Jess.

Technology is woven throughout the story with fake videos and a sex tape that come out in an effort to destroy the family. Who?

Clara uses some technology of her own, although her work is doubted due to her mental health. That doesn't mean she is wrong.

The premise is good and it is an interesting combination of factors. The ending wasn't terribly satisfying to me but I did read to the end just to see how it ended - to follow the characters to the very end.

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!