Although this book started off, promising, it started to just fall flat for me. It was hard for me to keep up with the multiple point of views, and it was confusing to understand where the story was going. The narrators also didn’t do a great job with keeping me interested in the story so ultimately it just kind of dragged.

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
I was very intrigued by the fact that this was a thriller revolving around a fitness competition. This twisty thriller explored the dark side of women's fitness and how influencers shape the narrative of how women see their bodies. There were multiple POVs, each showcasing a different view of women's bodies and their feelings about the fitness competition. The story was super bingeable, with each chapter leaving off in a spot that I didn't want to leave at, I needed to know more. There were many twists that I wasn't expecting and the ending was definitely a shocker.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲
• Fitness competition
• Multiple POVs
• Unlikeable characters
• Influencer thriller
• Many twists

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸
The audiobook was a little spotty, and you could hear how it was edited together. The sound would get louder or softer, and the voice had a different tone as well. I listened at 1.5 speed which was easy to understand, but this might be a book you want to read instead of listen to.

Thank you to Lori Brand, Netgalley and Blackstone Audio for an ALC.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. This is narrated by Jennifer Aquino, Chelsea Stephens, and Joe Hempel, all of whom do a fantastic job!

Gemma is a social media influencer who has transformed herself into a sleek, bodybuilder competitor, washboard abs, a GQ husband and an incredible brand. But looks are deceiving as Gemma struggles with her inner "fat Gemma" who often gets skinny Gemma off track with a birthday cake or two. Add in the fierce bodybuilding competition with the top competitors turning up dead, the 2 Gammas soon will have a face off.

Ashley is a software engineer who is obese and has been fighting her weight for her whole life. When she somehow becomes entangled with Fat Activists that are fighting back, she comes alive and for the first time finds she likes her own skin.

This is such a fast paced, entertaining read for anyone who has ever struggled with their weight, yo-yo dieting, fat shaming, or eating disorders. The agony we put ourselves through is really highlighted in such a satirical way in this story. I loved the characters and found them very relatable, especially the 2 Gemmas.

Highly recommend!

A fun psychological thriller with a fitness influencer/bikini bodybuilding backdrop. I must say this was a first for me in reading a book set around the fitness industry but it made for an interesting read. This is told from multiple POV's which I always enjoy. This book definitely needs some trigger warnings so be wary before you read this one. I really liked both Gemma and Ashley's POV's and their character progression throughout the book. The stalker was an added bonus with the suspense/thriller aspect. This one will definitely have you guessing right up to the end. Overall it was a quick, thrilling read.

The audiobook narrators, Jennifer Aquino, Chelsea Stephens, Joe Hempel all did wonderfully and voiced their parts well.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

The trigger warnings at the start of the book were not disclosed on netgalley, and I therefore cannot listen to this ALC due to my ED. I will be giving it a 5 star rating because I cannot accurately assess the book. Thank you for the opportunity, but please disclose triggers in the future.

3.75 stars

I was sold at the combined description of this novel and explanation of the author's personal experience. Folks who spend a lot of time in some element of the fitness industry will find many aspects of these characters' struggles and dramas highly relatable (and entertaining).

As the cover and title suggest, the central characters (and many secondary characters) have a specific tie to body image. There are fitness competitions, influencers, and folks with constantly scrutinized bodies. There also appears to be a serial killer on the loose who is - perhaps unintentionally - proving the unfortunate reality that you cannot work yourself out into immortality after all.

Since I do spend a lot of time in the gym and other aspects of the fitness realm, I found a lot of this relatable, and I liked that the social commentary was very much present but not didactic. What was constantly top of mind for me was how challenging this would be to read for folks who experience any kind of challenges around body image, BDD, and/or disordered eating, among various parallel subjects. That content is really nonstop as the motif clearly suggests. There's also one character who is intentionally written in a very creepy way, and the descriptions of his hobbies and what is happening with his body (often) grossed me out. I get that this is the point, but ick.

Folks who do not experience challenges around the aforementioned issues will find this an engaging, speedy read. I did and I'm looking forward to more from this author.

“My power’s turned on; starting right now I’ll be strong.I’ll play my fight song. And I don’t really care what nobody else believes - I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me”…

Fitness influencer Gemma has completely transformed herself - not only physically, but she also has a thriving business and a gorgeous husband. But behind the scenes, the cut throat environment of bikini competitions threatens to destroy her. Meanwhile, software engineer Ashley is frustrated with her failed attempts at dieting and a world that wants her to be a certain size. Then Ashley falls into a radical group of activists fighting back in attempts to destroy diet culture. But when Gemma’s top competitor winds up dead, it's clear things have gone too far.

This book surprised me in the best way possible! I was expecting a psychological thriller (which it very much was), but it also was a very eye-opening look at the fitness industry and at body image in general. I think what I enjoyed most is how Lori Brandt showed every possible side of exercise/diet culture; how it change your life for the good (such as when Gemma first got into shape), the bad (when it becomes an obsession), the ugly (how mean people can be to each other, especially women) and even the deadly! I am far from the level of fitness these competitors are in, but as someone who exercises regularly, I really appreciate what exercising brings to my life. It was fascinating to take a look at all aspects of that in this story, including body positivity (in whatever that means to you!)

And at the center of this all, is a mystery that kept me guessing until the very end! Add in a Rocky reference and you have (in my opinion!) the perfect story.

Thank you to Lori Brandt for the ARC and for chatting with me about your “why” for writing this book! It has been my pleasure to read your story and get to know you a bit :) I can’t wait to see what you write next, but I will be first in line :)

And thank you to Blackstone Publishing and my friends at The Pulse. “Bodies to Die For” releases June 11, 2024. This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

Wow. As a psychological thriller, this book delivered. I totally binged this one and had no idea what was coming.

It’s also a terrific satire / smart horror / social commentary on influencers, their followers, body positivity, diet culture and social media.

The author definitely has some big ovaries for writing those book! I loved this!!!

Bodies To Die For by Lori Brand
Narrated by Jennifer Aquino, Chelsea Stephens, Joe Hempel

Thank you so much Blackstone Publishing + NetGalley for the free audiobook.

Blurb:
Bodies to Die For is a brilliant psychological thriller that will have readers wondering whether the perfect body really is worth dying for ...

✨ My thoughts:
I liked it! I thought it was creative and unique for a thriller. It’s a fast listen and the cast of characters were great, really bringing out this story in the best of ways. I found it to be thought provoking, insightful, and I loved how Lori Brand wrote this story. I love when we get a suspense/thriller with a deeper and meaningful message! I’d recommend this audiobook to friends, for sure! Bodies to Die for is out 6/11/24!

Happy reading 📖

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BoackstonePublishingAudiobooks for the book #BodiesToDieFor by #LoriBrand. This book opens up your eyes to how bad body shaming is and I loved reading it. It is such an eye opening subject. Gemma has worked hard to get her body in the shape it’s in, only to realize it’s society that needs to change. And to add to it all, someone is murdering some of her body building friends.

I was hearing such great things about this book, so when ai saw the audio available on NetGalley I had to grab it. I listened to most of it in a day, it was a pretty addictive listen. The cast of narrators were fantastic and brought the story to life.

This was a fun murder mystery with a unique setting. The fitness and diet industry gives so many different story lines. We had the women who had transformed their lives and bodies, we had the haters, the Fat Activists and we had the obsessed fans. Nothing is what it seems in this story where the body count just keeps growing. What is the perfect body? A healthy one, but thee are some very strong opinions in this book. Who is killing the fitness influencers?

Thanks so much to Blackstone Publishing, Audio for my advanced copy. Out on June 11th, and well worth a listen.

This creative whodunnit will leave you feeling strong AF.

A mystery that has a unique storyline, a positive message to accept and love ourselves and each other?! Take all of my money. Lori Brand understood the assignment. I was highly entertained from start to finish.

Bodies To Die For is an original thriller with an intriguing storyline. Unfortunately, it did not work for me. The beginning of the book was super interesting and I was very invested, but the more I got into the story the less I was invested.

The characters were all super interesting and highly unreliable, I had no idea who to trust which I loved. There was definitely a lot of drama between these girls which sometimes felt very high schoolish to me. I didn't really like any of the characters so it was hard for me to care about what happened to them.

The ending also just fell flat for me, it was just missing that final shock factor for me. I am definitely in the minority for this one and I do think a lot of people will enjoy this book, it just did not work for me in my personal opinion.

🎧 The narration by Jennifer Aquino, Chelsea Stephen's & Joe Hempel was good. It wasn't my favorite, the audio in some parts was not consistent, the voices were louder or didn't sound great. Although without the audiobook I don't think I would've finished this book. It was entertaining for sure.
✨️ Thank you to @netgalley, Blackstone Publishing & Lori Brand for my gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.