Amy Heydenrych

This book is incredibly well-written. It had me hooked from start to finish and kept me sufficiently surprised throughout. I absolutely loved the plot, characters and morals of the story and think it may be one of the best thrillers I've read this year.

This story follows Freya and Isla, two women facing serious challenges in their careers and personal lives. Freya has just started work at her dream company, and Isla is a criminal journalist reporting on murder cases. The two find their lives rapidly intertwining when Freya's colleague, and her workplace bully, Nicole, is found dead in her home. As the women attempt to uncover who is behind the murder, it begins to seem like larger forces are conspiring to keep the murder inquiry quiet, and the matter becomes much more complicated than it initially seemed.

I'm fascinated by how well the various timelines and stories overlap in this book. The story jumps in no particular order between Freya's past, the days leading up to the murder and both of the women's lives after. I thought that this might make the story jumpy and random, but it actually came together very impressively and I found myself equally invested in every story that was woven into the plot.

One thing that needs to be noted about this book is that it deals with some very sensitive topics. Murder is the advertised focus of this book, but it delves much deeper into mental illness, gaslighting, rape and sexual harassment in public and in the workplace. These topics are dealt with in an unnervingly believable way, which makes the story all the more compelling. Both Freya and Isla have issues with sexual harassment that leave them in a state of fear and self-doubt. As an topic that is so important to discuss in the present day, this book deals with this very sensitively, with a portrayal that I consider incredibly important.

My only issue with this book is how many villains there appear to be. Although it is not a major problem, and is actually a majorly useful tool in keeping the reader hooked throughout (which Amy Heydenrych definitely did!), I found the book to diverge slightly from believability when so many of the characters became guilty of various crimes and moral discrepancies. This in no way detracted from the novel, but I did find myself beginning to rank the villains in a way that disconnected me from the reality of the story slightly. This is something I have found to be common in murder mysteries but it is not my personal preference. If this is something you've found yourself enjoying in other novels, I think this one probably does the concept justice.

I think you should definitely read this book if you're looking for a gripping thriller or even a difficult-to-take social critique. I finished this book in one day because it was so addictive, and I think anyone, especially female readers, would find this book relatable, compelling and completely terrifying.… (altro)

The Pact is a fabulously fast-paced story set in the world of computer coding. In just over 100 short chapters we follow Freya as she gets a job at Atypical, an up and coming San Francisco tech company. Julian is the charismatic co-owner of the business and at first everything seems to be going brilliantly for Freya as it's clear she has a real talent and Julian recognises that. However, Nicole, one of the other employees, takes a dislike to Freya and starts to bully her.

I really felt for Freya. What a horrible situation to be in. We all imagine bullies are left behind in the school playground but that's not the case. Freya and Jay, her new boyfriend who also works at Atypical, play a bit of a joke on Nicole which backfires as that same night she is murdered.

Freya's story is one strand of the story and Isla's is another. She's a journalist who is looking into Nicole's murder and she starts to uncover more and more about what happened that night. She starts to join the dots and the deeper she digs the more she discovers.

This is one of those stories that jumps around in time so there might be a chapter two months before Nicole's death followed by one the day after and then another a week before. I love this kind of structure as it challenges me to put the pieces together myself and it also means the whole story unfolds before my very eyes. However, I know it's not for everyone so if you like your books to follow a linear timeline then this will not suit you.

I think The Pact got off to a relatively slow start, lots of scene setting and introductions to characters, but then from just before the half way point I started to absolutely race through it. It's compelling and riveting reading that had me turning those pages as fast as I could. The short chapters helped as they really ramped up the tension. The ending was a bit of a surprise and I'm still processing it. Really clever though.

I thought this was a very relevant, very current, very exciting book. I fancy reading Amy Heydenrych's first novel now. I think she's writing really interesting stories.… (altro)

As a result of her healthy living blog, which describes how she has beaten cancer by following a vegan diet, using natural remedies and meditating, Holly has become a social-media sensation. She has become the face of clean eating: everyone loves her, everyone wants to be her. Having been bullied at school she is revelling in the new life she has created for herself. All the online followers she has attracted, and her new-found celebrity status finally make her feel loved and accepted. However, she has a dark secret and is aware that if it is exposed it will ruin her image. When she is attacked by a man she's only just met, her life starts to spiral out of control. Was she targeted because of her online celebrity, or is her past catching up with her. He seemed to know her - but she doesn't know him. Or does she? What she does know is that he seems intent on making her life intolerable. As she begins to recover from the attack her life starts to spiral out of control and people begin to question who she really is.
It soon becomes clear that Holly and Tyler, the two main characters whose alternating narratives carry the story, are complex and flawed people who are not particularly likeable – there were certainly times when I wanted to shake each of them. However, the gradual revelations about their troubled backgrounds did occasionally arouse my empathy so the author’s understanding of how social and psychological pressures affect people’s behaviour was impressive and used to good effect!
Although there were moments of genuine tension in this dark, disturbing and fast-moving story, I thought that there was far too much repetition about the negative effects social media can have on people’s lives. For me the “lectures” had a “groundhog-day” feel to them, often having the effect of interrupting the developing tension in a story which is described by the publisher as “an addictive psychological thriller”. However, the topical themes about some of the dangers of an obsession with social media, of caring too much about what other people say about you, of living a life online, particularly if the online life is based on lies, would make this an interesting choice for reading groups.
I received a copy of this book from Real Readers in exchange for an honest review.… (altro)