Okay, next time I mention that I’m planning on reading a thriller can you please stage a ‘reading intervention’?

I won’t go into the detail of You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, short of saying it’s the standard middle-class-women-go-psycho thriller.

What bugs me about these stories is that:

• the very smart women do lots of very stupid things
• the plot hinges on one minor but specific detail (in this case: cat ownership)
• and that minor but specific detail may as well be in neon because within the context of the paragraph you’re reading, it’s glaringly obvious (cat ownership only needs to mentioned once, not five times – Okay! I get it! She owns a cat!)
• no one ever thinks to go to the police when the shit hits the fan

There’s nothing wrong with the writing – it does the job – but I spent a lot of time rolling my eyes. Hard.

Stacey dropped out of school after the eleventh grade but later earned a GED and has taught herself so much about technology that she is now in demand as a cybersecurity consultant… Stacey was the one who hacked into Amanda’s laptop. She’s also savvy enough that she was able to install a security camera on a streetlight just outside Amanda’s apartment…

Stacey sounds like a handy friend to have *eye roll*.

2/5 Too ridiculous.

I received my copy of You Are Not Alone from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

“Three Moscow Mules,” the waiter says, setting down copper mugs garnished with limes and fresh sprigs of mint. Cassandra lifts her mug. “Cheers.” I clink mine against theirs, then take a sip. It’s icy and refreshing, with a nice kick of ginger.