I had seen this book all over social media but didn't know much about it. One day I was on Libby and the audiobook was available. Since that's my typical method of getting books in during the week (since I can listen to them at work), and it has a comparison to a Gillian Flynn novel, I jumped on the chance to check it out. Again, I didn't really have any idea what I was getting into.
"HER PERFECT LIFE IS A PERFECT LIE.
As a teenager at the prestigious Bradley School, Ani FaNelli endured a shocking, public humiliation that left her desperate to reinvent herself. Now, with a glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and handsome blue blood fiancé, she’s this close to living the perfect life she’s worked so hard to achieve.
But Ani has a secret.
There’s something else buried in her past that still haunts her, something private and painful that threatens to bubble to the surface and destroy everything."
That's the synopsis taken from the Goodreads page. What it fails to mention is all the trigger warnings. They caught me completely out of left field. Granted, I've read worse... But it wasn't what - if anything - I was expecting to come across. It was pretty much every horrific thing you can think of rolled into one book. The main character, Ani was a one-dimensional character who left a lot to be desired. After college she reinvented herself into a person completely devoid of emotion, aside from pettiness and jealousy. Yes, she faced traumatic experiences through her childhood and high school years. Nothing can take away from that fact. But rather than grow, and use those experiences to reach out to other people in the same situation, she allowed them to embitter and enrage her. Nothing ever has, or will, be her fault. The situations she continues to be involved in, the schemes she hatches, were incredibly frustrating.
Early in the book, I considered DNFing this one, but wanted to give it a fair shot. Honestly? I wish I hadn't. There were a few twists that pertained to what I THINK was the main plot that caught me off guard. I feel like if it weren't for Ani being the main character, and Knoll had chosen just ONE theme instead of a potpourri of disaster... it could have had a great chance at being a decent book. As it is, it just belly flopped. I was so disappointed. 2.5✯
Early in the book, I considered DNFing this one, but wanted to give it a fair shot. Honestly? I wish I hadn't. There were a few twists that pertained to what I THINK was the main plot that caught me off guard. I feel like if it weren't for Ani being the main character, and Knoll had chosen just ONE theme instead of a potpourri of disaster... it could have had a great chance at being a decent book. As it is, it just belly flopped. I was so disappointed. 2.5✯
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