Louise O'NeillAnmeldelser

Nothing ever happens.

nice feminist take on the little mermaid but sometimes the language was a little simple, too simple. i also found some of the references a little cringe…

Idol by Louise O'Neill

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I’ve had a run of average 3 star reads lately that lacked anything to truly grip me. Idol finally broke that streak, I blew through it in a few days! It had me up too late and I finished it off on a Saturday morning which is a sure sign of a good book!

I read Asking For It by Louise O’Neill many years ago (in my School Librarian days) and still think about it. It took inspiration from the real life Steubenville rape case but set the story in Ireland, and told from the perspective of the victim who struggles to label what happened to her as rape, and internalises the shame and blame. It is heart-breaking. That was one of the most emotionally difficult books I’ve ever read, and it really felt like reading about a real life experience.

Idol isn’t quite as harrowing, although it does very much touch on issues of consent and rape it is less graphic, and instead focuses the story from the point of view of the accused. Sam is a successful “wellness” influencer/grifter who, after being accused of rape by her childhood best friend, must scramble to save her career in the age of trial by social media. She is an immediately unsympathetic character and the story peels back her many layers (and issues) until we get to the (unsurprising truth) at the centre of the story.

Sam is an unreliable point of view, and you know I love an unreliable narrator! Although I will say that the truth behind the mystery won’t come as a surprise, it was fun to get to read between the lines and try to see Sam from the outside. She is both a victim and a villain; she is at times vulnerable but also a ruthless manipulator. I loved that messy complexity.

The story really plays with memory and how it can be manipulated and become unreliable. Sam’s version of events is often at odds with others, and she has a tendency towards rewriting history as fuel for gaslighting those around her. It’s interesting to me because I’ve also just finished Animal Farm and am currently listening to the audiobook of 1984, both of course by George Orwell. Both stories have governments that control their subjects through quite literally rewriting history as it suited their changing agendas. Sam uses a remarkably similar tactic to control her friends, family, followers and even herself.

I found the writing gripping, and I enjoyed the complexity of Sam and the many uncomfortable layers of the situation made it feel realistic. I am not giving it five stars because I did in the end feel that it suffered a little from the lack of clear characterisation for Lisa, and also Josh. They are the focus of Sam’s obsessions yet they exist in the novel as rather fuzzy sketches. On the one hand I can see this is symptom of Sam’s point of view but on the other I think it made for a slightly less satisfying rounded-out story.

If you are can handle the subject matter of rape and coercive control then I recommend Idol, and also Asking For It but that one does come with extreme trigger warnings! Louise O’Neill is very talented at tackling these difficult subjects in such a nuance way way that it feels uncomfortably real. I should check out other other novels at some point.



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CW: this book contains mentions of domestic abuse, violence and death.

After the Silence really surprised me. I went in expecting a murder mystery/thriller and was surprised to find that this was actually a rather minor element. Instead, this book focuses a lot more on interpersonal relations and, in particular, domestic abuse in all its forms.

In a sense, this book is a character study much more than a thriller, as Keelin and her controlling husband Henry take centre stage and their relationship is laid bare before our eyes. The characters are beautifully fleshed out, as their connections are slowly revealed and untangled. Keelin is a particularly fascinating and complex character. Throughout most of the book, I simultaneously sympathised with her and found her very irritating: that's how you know this was a character done right!

I loved how the author managed to peel off all the layers of appearance which cause Keelin to be resented and shunned by her fellow islanders: as the rumours go, her loyalties now lie with her "blow-in" husband who is clearly guilty of murdering young, beautiful Nessa Crowley, because he can give her money, clothes and a big house. Instead, we get to see underneath all that to the true nature of their relationship and all the nuance that is there. It would have been really easy to paint the usual, stereotypical victim of domestic abuse with no agency, but the author managed to show exactly how complex these situations and dynamics can be, and just how strong Keelin is despite (or maybe because of) everything she endured.

The island setting also worked perfectly. The island becomes at times almost a character in itself, as it heavily influences both the events and the characters themselves. I could almost see the setting it was so beautifully described, and at times I felt the deep limitations of life on this tiny island, almost to the point of it causing some sort of claustrophobia.

The use of the Irish language throughout is the only thing that left me a bit uncertain. While I loved seeing it and I appreciate the effort to remain authentic to life in the region where the book is set, the use of Irish words and expressions seemed a bit uneven throughout the book. Initially, every little word is explained as requested by the documentary makers, but as the story progresses there are whole sentences that are just not translated or explained at all. There also seemed to be no clear reason for why a certain character would use an Irish word at any given moment, which contributed to the feeling that they were slightly randomly chosen. Nevertheless, this didn't take much away from the pleasure of reading the book for me, aside from the odd googling.

The structure also took a bit of adjusting, as the book alternates present and past events, interspersed with extracts from the interviews which would be included in the documentary on the case. I needed a bit of time to fully get into the swing of this, but once I did, I was completely absorbed in the story and couldn't put the book down. I particularly liked the introduction of the documentary interviews, which contributed to give this more of a true crime feel. Coincidentally, I finished this soon before Sophie: A Murder in West Cork was released on Netflix, so that it was almost impossible for me not to link the two in my mind.

As for the murder itself, that was probably the most underwhelming aspect of the whole book. Nessa Crowley was quite poorly characterised, coming across as a very stereotypical "other woman" so that, despite everything, it was very hard to care deeply about her tragic fate. The reveal was also not all that surprising, given how few the suspects actually were. This disappointment might be down to the fact that I was expecting more of a "whodunnit" and an active investigation by the documentary makers and this is definitely not this book.

After the Silence was still a very interesting and gripping read, even though it was not at all what I was expecting it to be. Best suited to those looking for a book focusing more on complex characters than a thriller, though it does contain some heavy content (mostly around domestic abuse), so maybe give it a miss if that might be triggering for you.

For more reviews, visit Book for Thought.

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Actual rating: 3.5/5

Having read and enjoyed the author's previous book, After the Silence, last year, I was really interested in reading Idol, especially as conversations surrounding the role of influencers in society and so-called "cancel culture" seem highly timely.

Idol is, in some ways, an ambitious novel: tackling lots of themes such as social media culture, the idolisation of health gurus and other influencers, consent and public image in a post-#MeToo world, cancel culture, friendship, memory and recollections and more still, it really felt as though I needed some time to digest it before I could share my thoughts on this.

Sam is a complex character, projecting a public persona while feeling completely differently inside, her self-centredness concealing profound fragility and loneliness. I found it very hard to sympathise with her, but at the same time could really appreciate the nuance in her character which I really value when reading about an unlikeable and unreliable character. It felt a bit as if this subtlety was somewhat lost as the story progressed though, with Sam becoming more and more extreme nearing the end which, even though I still liked reading about her, made her much more black-and-white than morally grey.

The author's writing here is brilliant, as always. I was completely captured by the story being told and, even though at times I was annoyed with the characters or felt like the plot was stagnating a bit, the way the book was written kept me turning the pages, eager to know more. The underlying critique of modern society, and social media/influencer culture especially, was very on point, sparking a lot of additional questions, thoughts and reflections for me.

There were a few things that didn't quite work for me though. While I appreciated the critique, at times it felt like there was almost too much going on with a multitude of themes being raised at the same time without having the time or the space to delve deep into any single one. I can see how they were all linked together, but I couldn't help but feel that this resulted in a superficial overview, ticking off a multitude of themes, but lacking deeper substance.

The story is pretty much centred around Sam herself and, even though I can see how this would fit with her selfishness and self-centredness, it was disappointing to see all the other characters coming across as rather flat. Lisa, Sam's childhood friend, in particular mostly lacked substance, becoming almost instantly forgettable. The ending was also rather underwhelming, and I was especially unimpressed by the final scene.

Overall, Idol was a pleasant and gripping read though, even though I was probably expecting more from it than it could deliver. With its twisty nature and engrossing style, it would make a great beach read!

CW: this book contains mentions of sexual assault, eating disorders, addiction and toxic relationships.


I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Holy shit, this may be the most honest book I've ever read. I cannot adequately convey the unputdownable nature of this book along with the feeling that I got punched in the stomach. Everyone should read this book. Every single one.

I should have just DNFed this but I was so convinced I'd love it based on the premise and author. It never really hooked me in, and our main character was just such a brat. This also became more psychological thriller than I expected, but at the same time didn't feel dark enough to really merit it.

Only Ever Yours/Louise O'Neill This book drew me in and had me thinking about it until I finished it, though I definitely want to pull out my hair after the ending.
 
Despite being a totally dystopian world that is (hopefully) very far from our own, it was so easy to fall into this world and to truly envision it and imagine how it might be. Though there were many really unusual concepts, O'Neill weaved each beautifully in so that as a reader I understood the world she created without needing to have each concept explained. My only concern with this book was the plausibility of how this world was created, as the plausibility of life being set up as was a little hard to accept. However, I suspended my disbelief and had no other issues.
 
This book was incredibly thorough on details. Small stylistic choices such as not capitalising the names of females, calling eggs 'eggies,' and calling girls 'eves' like Eve, the biblical character, really placed me in this world she's created. I'm definitely going to have to reread this one because there were a lot of well placed hints and cues that I only noticed thinking back on the book. This book is an incredible example of world building.
The characters were artfully designed in a manner that felt scarily like real-life. Though the girls in this society are created and raised differently than those in ours, I could see similarities and patterns. O'Neill writes very strongly and Freida's voice was very natural and flowing. Discerning her mental state was simple thanks to the writing.
 
This also includes great social commentary on sexism, and, more subtly interwoven, racism. It does have a lot of similarities to "The Handmaid's Tale" but it has its own entirely new spin that sets it far apart.
 
I am satisfied with the ending, also. Perhaps displeased, but respectfully satisfied and impressed.
 
It'll leave you thinking and wondering about the mediocrity of simple life and the lack of importance every day might bring against the importance simple decisions hold. I know I'll be mulling this one for a while.
 
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Scary, powerful and authentic. The best book I've read on this subject.

Good gravy, that was bleak. In a good way, because it was thought provoking, but sheesh. I wanted a little sunshine. The ending felt authentic to the story, so I was glad for that, but ugghhh, my anxiety was tough to deal with.

It probably won't escape comparisons to The Handmaid's Tale, but it went in the other direction. Where The Handmaid's Tale took morality to extremes, Only Ever Yours took consumerism and the patriarchy (the commodification of women, especially) to extremes.

Worth reading? 100% yes.

Terribly triggering.
The narrator's voice explains how their world came to be zones:
" there was relief at first, the hope that they had found an organic solution to the population crisis, but that soon turned to fear. The remaining people moving inward and inward and inward, until the zones were formed to protect the remaining few from the scalding sun and the rising waters. The Noah project. 2x2 the humans entered, all marching forward to create a new world. They got rid of anything we would not need, like animals, and organized religion. They got rid of anything that would weigh us down. "
They had the amer zone, they had the chindia zone, and they had the Euro zone. This story takes place in the euro zone. There are three occupations for women: chastities, who take care of and teach the girls from four till 16. Then there are the concubines, who serve the men who want to have nastier sex than what they have with their companions. The companions are the third occupation, who Marry and give their husbands since.. There is bitter competition, strife, for first place. The top 10 girls, at the age of 16, will compete for the top 10 inheritors. Boys who are sons of so-called important men.

They have a social media called my face, I guess a cross between Myspace and facebook. Rolling eyeballs

The saddest character is isabel, who early on was chosen by "the father," He is the dictator. He got tired of his companion, and wanted Isabel for his next one. When they get tired of their companions, they throw them on the pyre. The father tried out Isabel when she was 16, and hurt her badly, so she tried getting fat to see if he would dislike her. They wouldn't allow her to do that though, they took over with meds and 24-hour surveillance. So then she tried to kill herself by not eating anything. So they put a feeding tube in her. in the end, she had to go with the father, but she hung herself to escape. I'm getting ahead of myself though.

There's a nasty show on TV called Botched Redesigns, something like that. One time Freida is watching it, and there's a woman named natasha. She wanted to have her vagina redesigned,
"He looks at her unsmilingly over the thin wire frames of his glasses and she cringes. 'As I was saying, natasha, there were a few complications.' he beckons her to the corner of the office, gesturing at her to stand on a raised wooden block in front of a full-length mirror. He pulls her skirt up around her waist and unravels the thick bandages swaddling her like a new-design's diaper. I blink once, twice, wondering if I am going crazy.
'These things happen unfortunately.' the re-designer shrugs.
The camera zooms in on Natasha as she leans closer to the mirror searching for something that she will never find again. A hint of forbidden tears freezes over her pale green eyes, the fine lines and wrinkles becoming more pronounced as her face crumples with the effort to control her emotions. I turn it off. She's 37, I tell myself. 37. She is only 3 years away from her termination date anyway."
Yes, they kill women when they're 40. On to the pyre they go.

Frida likes an inheritor named Darwin, who is the number one ranked inheritor. The girls get sessions with the inheritors when it becomes close to the date of the ceremony where they'll be chosen for their occupations. Darwin is the son of the judge of the Eurozone, a cruel man who beats his son. Freida will do anything to make Darwin like her, including liking music that he chooses for her:
"He begins to bring presents with him more frequently. a thick cuff with a faceted Amber Stone in the center follows the earrings. The download of an album by an obscure indie band from the Americas that I have never heard of.
'I love their music,' I lie, and his eyes light up in excitement. 'Especially their earlier stuff.' We sit in the cupboard, sharing one set of earbuds, their "best song ever" threatening to split my eardrums in half. He bobs his head in time to the noise, stuffing his hands into the pouch at the front of yet another hooded sweatshirt."
When Darwin starts losing interest in Freida, she gives him sex to try to make him like her. this was one of the most triggering parts of the book. she gave him her virginity, and he just used her and then threw her away.

So many innocent girls do this, because of lack of guidance, with nobody to look out for them, and because of our social mores, that says it's fine for boys and men to be sluts, to have sex with as many girls and women as possible, to ruin their innocence, to make them pregnant, to throw them away.

Oh no. This book was awful. It's terrible. 400 pages of the protagonist never making a decision or displaying any agency, pages and pages of clothing descriptions, and an entirely unchanged status quo at the end.
It feels like a student's reaction to the prompt "The Handmaid's Tale for Teens, but Fashion" or "What if Patriarchy, but Too Much."
It could be interpreted as a commentary on the ultimate distillation of cis hetero patriarchy, but it never says much about it other than "hey, wouldn't it suck if they said the quiet part loud?"

SPOILERS FROM HERE ON

Nothing is revealed until the very end, but there are enough hints that the twists do not feel unexpected. The protagonist had no agency at any point in the plot. I kept reading, expecting her to make a decision, to take a stand on something, to discover something deep within herself that she cared about, but she didn't. It was a long book with excruciating detail, pages after pages of outfits and body angst, and a main character whose only motivation is to be liked, and who never expresses her opinion on the rare occasions when she can be bothered to think of one. Beyond that, we get the flimsiest bits of world building, ostensibly because the section of this dystopian society we're following is closed off, with no one on the inside knowing or caring about the world beyond. However, it comes across as careless, like a shaky explanation for how this world could ever exist. The author's justification is that climate change, combined with a sudden plague that killed all female embryos in the womb, drove the human race nearly to extinction, with populations in the low thousands. Humans constructed domes to live in, with fake wall screens for sky, and managed to live in a world devoid of plants and animals. Men create women in laboratories based on their ideals of womanhood, which are exaggerated 20th century stereotypes of vapid, vain people obsessed with clothes and social status. The girls are constantly subjected to propaganda about how unattractive and fat they are, and they are pitted against one another.
As previously stated, the main character does not make any independent decisions throughout the novel. She never had power and never sought it. She has a tragic ending that reveals she is just one of many troublemakers ultimately crushed by the society (although she never actually causes significant trouble). I suppose the author chose to show us a failed version of the YA dystopia girlboss, claiming that many will try and fail before one is cunning enough to succeed. That was the most charitable interpretation I could come up with for the ending's messaging, but there didn't really seem to be one.
Overall, it was a slog that triggered my eating disorder and left the status quo completely unchanged at the end of the book, which I would consider....a bad thing. A novel with no discernible plot. It says nothing insightful about the issues it raises.

I guess I was expecting much more. The whole idea of the book is quite intriguing and the actual plot describes a sickening world that no woman (can we call the eves women?) would wish to live in. However, I wasn't too fond on how the plot was developed. I got too mad at freida way too many times (how could she think like that?!), but I do understand her trains of thought given the world (or the little of it) that she knew and the education she was given.
I found the begining of the book very similar to The Handmaid's Tale - however, and fortunately, it was nice getting into a character that had no knowledge of the world before, or the world "outside". I also liked freida's development as a character.

The biggest downsides were the lack of info on the world outside the School and its society (I wanted to know more) and isabel, who I think had a lot of potential and we could have so much more of freida and her. Also, the ending was very disappointing - it felt like it happened in like 2 pages and it was way too fast.

Brave New World and The Handmaid's Tale and somehow also Mean Girls had a baby and left its education to The Stepford Wives and the poetry of Sylvia Plath.

This is not an easy book to read. Not because it is badly written, Louise O'Neill has a wonderful way with prose. It's because of the topic of the story. It's a book about self-destruction. Mistaking love for being used. While I found it hard to empathise with the main character, I often found myself uncomfortably nodding along to her feelings. For many women, there will be a recognition in Sarah's thinking.

Huh. I don't remember reviewing this on Goodreads in 2017 originally, with it now being 2019. The first time I tried to read this, I was so annoyed with the style that I gave up within the first twenty pages. The second time, I was determined to make it through because BookTubers continued to recommend it. I checked it out again now, thinking, "Oh, I will reread it and wonder if it's as strongly effective, then write a Goodreads review." The world-building is excellent. The characterization is heavily informed by the book the world takes place in, and both are tightly interwoven. I really appreciated how naturally the world-building and characterization fed off of each other. The story progression itself is cliche when the layers are stripped away but that's probably because I'm so used to reading tightly-plotted thrillers. That was a backhanded compliment and I'm sorry. I liked that I was able to spot the pattern, and my emotions were going haywire as the story progressed. There, that's what I meant. I was able to pick up on even more of the utter nightmare fuel this book was made of, on this reread. What a deeply unpleasant reading experience -precisely because it was so realistic.- It's both futuristic and incredibly present. Readers will understand the progression the author built. I finished the book an hour ago and my skin is still crawling. It brought back horrible memories the first time I read it the whole way through, but this time, I was prepared for it. My emotions, while haywire, were a lot more muted. I read a version where the cover was bland, but it added to the utter creepiness. I'm a little envious of the readers who got the Barbie doll cover; it's a much cooler and more atmospheric one, and gives me the chills just to look at. I think the first time I read this all the way through, I cried. This time, I got choked up and even though I remember how it ended, I still was dismayed. I'm glad I read it again and was able to appreciate different things and have different reactions, but I won't return to it. I'm curious about other works of the author's, though.

Samantha Miller is an Instagram influencer, lifestyle guru for young girls. As her career is in full flow a friend from the past has an allegation against Sam that will bring her world down.

I have read two previous books by Louise O'Neill before so thought I would give this one ago. Unfortunately I really didn't get on with it at all.

This story for me just went on and on, very repetitive at times and I felt it was never going to conclude. The story does have strong topics such as sexual assult as a theme through it so some may find this a tough read.

I did find myself becoming very bored, very quickly with this book. Another promising book for me but disappointing.

Simply devastating. I would have given 5 stars but I thought the parents reaction was off. Maybe I just can't conceive of what kind of parents would react the way they did to their daughter's gang rape. O'Neill captures perfectly the thoughts and emotions of a rape victim. Emma O'Donovan is not a character to root for; she is vain, shallow, and a mean girl to her friends. She certainly did not deserve what happened. O'Neill packs in all of the points of contention surrounding rape: binge drinking and drugs, sexual history, the victim's clothing, blaming the victim, societal reactions and attitudes,etc.

Leggo spesso prima di andare a dormire: leggere sul Kobo accompagna e concilia il mio sonno.

Non in questo caso.

In questo caso mi è partita un'inca tura fotonica sfociata in un attacco di insonnia feroce e una sensazione di vuoto.

Si parla di una adolescente, maggiorenne, sciocca e superficiale come ci aspettiamo che siano certe adolescenti, quelle che nei film prendono in giro l'eroina vestita in modo antiquato, masticando gomma rosa, in tiro anche a scuola che manco a ballare.

L'inizio del libro, scritto in prima persona, è banale come lei in effetti: vestiti, amiche che comunque devono stare al loro posto, invidia per quella ricca e piena di soldi. Emma è immersa nella "normale" misoginia della società senza vederla: è sessualmente attiva, ma il mattino dopo nega sempre (perché essere sessualmente attiva è essere zoccola, se non hai un ragazzo fisso), è ossessionata dalle conquiste maschili, se un'amica chiede cosa fare perché ha paura di aver subito una violenza le dice di lasciare stare, per carità non faccia casino che "succede", i ragazzi si fanno prendere la mano.

Poi succede anche a lei, e nonostante l'umiliazione Emma non vuole denunciare, denunciare fa paura, e poi ha bevuto e preso una pasticca e non si ricorda nulla. Ma le caccole che l'hanno aggredita hanno pure la grande idea di fare una pagina FB con le foto dell'aggressione, perché in fondo Emma è spocchiosa e sta un po' sulle balle a tutti, e ovviamente prima o poi un'insegnate scopre la pagina e coinvolge la polizia.

Segue il racconto straziante, visto dagli occhi di Emma, di un anno da vittima, insultata sui social, minacciata, ogni sua mossa scrutata. I genitori cadono a pezzi, il padre la rispettava solo in quanto immagine di principessina pura, la madre era una inetta anche prima, figurarsi poi. Emma è depressa, coinvolta suo malgrado nel solito dibattito nazionale, si parla di lei in TV, su internet, pure il più scrauso opinionista ha qualcosa da dire sul suo caso.

Solo suo fratello e un amico la sostengono e la convincono ad andare avanti, a denunciare (sono figure maschili positive, per chi le cerca che se no il libro è misogino).

Perché l'aver bevuto ed essere odiosa non rendono una vittima meno vittima, o colpevoli meno colpevoli.

E mi ha fatti impressione come la storia di Emma sia stata la stessa di tanti casi di cronaca, perché alla fine, il copione è ormai così noto da non dover nemmeno essere letto: meno di un anno fa, queste esatte dinamiche le abbiamo viste per il caso di un ricco imprenditore che ha sequestrato una ragazza per 24 ore. Ma il sequestro è avvenuto durante un festino a casa dell'imprenditore, dove girava droga e insomma, si immaginava che non ci sarebbero state le suore.
Se l'è cercata.
Subito dopo l'arresto è uscito su di lui una notissima testata nazionale un articolo che sembrava più intendere che lui avesse incontrato un intoppo di poco conto, un errore nella dichiarazione dei redditi, che un arresto per violenza sessuale. Articolo modificato solo dopo un'ondata di indignazione e secchiate di materia fecale.
Se l'è cercata.
Meno di anno fa, un ragazzo e i suoi amici sono stati accusati di violenza di gruppo su una ragazza, mentre era troppo ubriaca per reagire. Che fossero o no colpevoli, ecco che si mette l'accento sul fatto che lei sia andata a fare surf con loro la mattina dopo: una ragazza fa surf il giorno dopo una violenza? E ovviamente aveva bevuto. Indovinate?
Se l'è cercata.

E niente, ditemi se non bisogna inca rsi, inviare questo libro per posta a certe persone, che magari lo leggono e capiscono, finalmente di cosa di parla.

Showing the horrible impact that sexual assault has is important but intentions aside I hated this book. If you are going to show all the horror in graphic detail but without any light at the end of the tunnel then whats the fucking point? Doesnt work as a story (characters arent memorable or particularly interesting) and doesnt work as social commentary either. Not enough insight into why the protagonist is feeling the way she does just her repeated self criticism. Reading her internal dialogue full of internalized hate made me feel like crap and I learned nothing. Also I know this does happen but her friends and families reactions were overblown awful.

I... have a lot of feelings regarding this book and I don't fully know how to express them all. I didn't particularly enjoy reading this book. The protagonist is unlikable (intentional on the author's part I think) and it's just a heavy book to read and get through. I think it's an important book for people to read and talk about though. Everything the author says in her afterward is so fucking true.

These girls say most of my thoughts and more, and I definitely recommend listening (if you've already read the book, because huuuuuge spoilers.) https://soundcloud.com/bangingbookclub/asking-for-it

The first part was so clever and insightful, and I thought I would really end up loving it. But the 'incident' seemed a little bit over the top (for so many to still take the other side), and then there was a long painful slog that would have been worth it if there had been a sliver of hope in the end, but as it was I felt sort of blindsided when the audiobook just stopped where it did. If a few things had been tweaked about the rape and aftermath I would have found it more believable. If she had appeared at least conscious in the photos (it's really unlikely that her brother, who seems very decent otherwise, would leap straight to assuming she had done it all for fun when she appeared to be *passed out* in all the photos), if the photos had been just passed around the students rather than posting them to Facebook (which doesn't allow pornographic images anyway), if there had been less photographic evidence in general so that it was more her word against theirs, if we had seen some secret animosity from the men toward her prior to that night (they apparently all grew up together but then like half a dozen different men were all totally cool with raping their unconscious classmate and then stood by while one peed on her?? And then shared photos of themselves doing all those things?? Most people aren't so straight up villainous. Either they hate the person and hurt them on purpose, or they convince themselves that their actions aren't that bad, that she was into it or something, but didn't leave much room for either). I can believe that townspeople would side with rapists, not wanting to believe them capable of doing something so awful, etc., but I find it really hard to believe that the entire town could look at such terribly disturbing photos and still all seem to consider them very nice men. There just needed to be more wiggle room in general (in the men, in the potential trial, and in everyone who chose a side), to be realistically debatable. This one didn't quite work for me overall, but I would still be interested in reading another from this author.

If this book was in the Horror section I wouldn't be surprised. Such a terrifying story and so similar to our society that I can't help but think that the dystopian future in the book could happen in real life (and in some ways it already is).
Only Ever Yours is a cautionary tale about how beauty is perceived. If a girl isn't beautiful she isn't worth anything and consequently, the lengths these girls go to preserve their looks are horrific. If you're sensitive to subjects like eating disorders, bullying or sexual assault or have low self-esteem, you might want to steer clear of this book.
isabel's big secret at the end was shocking and I would never have guessed such a terrible thing.
A hard but important book.

This story follows Henry and Keelin Kinsella and what happened to Nessa Crowley at one of their wild parties. No one was ever charged with the death of Nessa and now an Australian film crew wants to do a documentary all about it.

I did like a lot of this book. I enjoyed the interview sections and at times I was glad the story had them. Some of the story I felt went on a bit and I was glad that the interview sections were there just to break it up a bit.

The story goes back and forth, leading up to the events of the party and after. I don't know if it was just me or because I was reading the book on my kindle, but at times I couldn't figure out if I was in the past or the present.

The story for me was all about what really did happen that night and when revealed it was a little predictable. The story also covers some topics to do with marriages and relationships, especially violent ones. A lot going on really in this book.

Not a bad read at all but for me it was overlong and did go on a bit. The story of Nessa kept my interest as I wanted to know what happened.

I loved the premise of this book, wherein a documentary crew decides to investigate and re-visit all evidence relating to a long unsolved murder.

The book focuses on Henry and Keelin Kinsella, whose lives changed forever when a young woman, Nessa Crowley's lifeless body lay in their garden after a wild birthday party at their big house.

No-one was charged with the murder due to lack of evidence and witnesses. But the islanders constantly blamed the Kinsellas. So, ten years later, when a documentary crew arrives, everyone hopes that they find evidence that will prove Henry's guilt and Keelin's complicity in the murder of beautiful Nessa.

This book was gripping and good. The narration shifts between the events leading up to the party, and the present day where the crew consisting of Noah and Jake interview the Kinsellas and other people involved. While the narration itself was good, I hope there was more clarity in the timeline of events.

It also focuses on Keelin's various family relationships. Her son, Alex, whom she loves and wants to protect but he seems distant to her. Her daughter, Evie, who worships her husband Henry but seems to blame Keelin for everything that happens. Her violent ex- husband from whom she is lucky to escape and find comfort in the arms of Henry, who slowly begins to control every aspect of her life.

While the final reveal was kind of predictable, the entire set up of the book was good. It kept me hooked on till the end to see what new evidence the crew will be able to reveal and whether the truth will actually be revealed or get buried again.

Thank You to NetGalley and Quercus Books for this ARC!!