If you dislike pop-psychology/wellness influencers as much as I do, you might have a great time with this one! I had a lot of fun and ended up bingeing this one! Final Score: 4.15

What This Book Did Well

I loved hating on Dr. Martina Hastings who is characterized as a Goop-esque pop-psychology influencer whose entire gimmick revolves around (taking advantage of) women who have had their hearts broken. While her depiction was very intentional, I literally have a note that says “Oh therapists are going to be driven up a WALL with this” because she is (imo) a terrible psychologist both online and in person. As an antagonist, she’s very compelling in a way that felt earned. The book as a whole serves as a sharp jab against the wellness influencer sphere which is a huge plus in my book.

I also like that this is one of those mystery/thrillers where if you want to solve the mystery, you can, but even if you do solve it, it’s still a fun time because you don’t know how it’s going to end. But if you don’t want to solve the mystery on your own, the mystery is just convoluted enough that you can just enjoy the ride and have a good time.

This isn’t a “can’t fall asleep at night” kind of thriller, but there are points where the clinic's isolation and Isobel’s paranoia can start to seep into your reading experience which I think says a lot about Sten’s craft work with this one.

Audiobook Experience

I would recommend the audiobook! I didn’t note any technical issues, but there were some times that the volume changed quickly, likely due to going back for edits. Since this was a giveaway copy that I won, I don’t know if they sent me an ALC - if they did, they may have gone back to clean those volume changes up for the final version. Peyton Mader gave a solid performance overall and added to the suspenseful feeling throughout the book. This is more of a note than a knock, but since this book is set in Sweden (and I think all the characters are Swedish), Mader’s accent didn’t sound Swedish to me personally.

Where It Fell Short For Me

I think the biggest potential issue people are going to face with this one (outside of the people who work in mental health fields who will likely want to pull their hair out at the bad therapy - this book is going to be a love it or DNF it for y’all because of the bad therapy imo) is the pacing. There is a good amount of buildup before the plot really takes off. It worked for me, but I did wonder if I was reading a physical copy if I would have felt like the opening dragged a bit.

While I liked Isobel and felt like she was always acting within character/reason, I will say she makes some not ideal decisions along the way. Since she is an undercover investigator, I can see people questioning her career choice at points. So while she worked for me, I can see her being a toss up as a protagonist, particularly if you’ve read a lot of undercover investigator books where they are experts in their field.

Another thing that I was fine with, but I could see others finding it annoying, part of Isobel’s research is through Reddit, so those forum names and the usernames are read aloud and I could see the usernames in particular annoying people. If you are reading a physical copy, I don’t think you would notice at all though.

Final Thoughts, Opinions & Recommendations

I had a fun time with this one and ended up bingeing it quicker than I expected! I always love books that have a good dose of social commentary, so I’m not surprised that this one worked for me!

You Might Like This If you also hate the wellness influencer world and would find it cathartic to see some of the gimmicks influencers sell us get criticized.

You Might NOT Like This If you like your mystery/thrillers to have high-tension pacing from the start or you would find an imperfect investigator frustrating.

My thanks to Storygraph for hosting a giveaway with MacMillan Audio which is how I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

TL;DR

Would I Recommend it? Yes. Would I Reread it? Nah. Would I Read More From This Author? Yes!

Star Score Breakdown

Personal Enjoyment: 4.5 Overall Execution: 4.25 Craft & Writing Quality: 4.25 Characters: 4 Plot: 4 Final Score: 4.15

Firstly- justice for Pen! Oh, what, she's messy and poor at communication and has tantrum outbursts? You mean she's a human? I kept expecting something awful and manipulative to come from her lips, but no, she's just cursed with the immaturity of being gorgeous and insanely successful. When life gives you that good a hand, it's going to rob you of something of the hardships you need to make yourself a well-rounded person. And she does apologises for her behaviour sincerely when all is said and done, something that I'm sure a few people bagging on her would fail to do.

I wasn't here for her, anyway. A friend on here (who shall remain nameless) suggested I check this out for Lukas and his characterisation. I'm always a fan of women writing men; it gives insights into what's truly desired by the sex I'm attracted to. Some books lean on making men these impervious daddy-doms that exist as little more than machines you put presence into until pleasure comes out, but I was heartened that Hazelwood avoids that trap here an crafts a figure who doesn't strain believability. Yes, he's confident and hypertalented (Med School AND swimming prodigy? You're spoiling us) but he's also conflicted about his attractions and uncertain about what truly makes him happy. He has to overcome his ego, his obsession with self-control and denial that hurts his lover. He is not perfect, for all his sexual prowess, and frankly it's nice to see myself in one of these guys and not dwarfed by the expectations of fantastical perfection. There's a lot of OTHER reasons I identified with Lukas and found his masculinity not only aspirational but achievable, but that's too honest for this here website.

Credit to Hazelwood, too, for her prose. This is only my first of her books, so I know nothing of nothing, but I like the lightness of her approach. It's hard to strike the balance between deep knowledge of a subject (biology, considering her background as a neurobiologist) and the demands of a wider audience, but Hazelwood knows that the whispers of context are best, to give a suggestion of depth while keeping the story at the centre of the prose. This translates to the dialogue, words feels authentic to the young characters without being painfully Gen Z. The descriptions of what Scarlett is thinking and feeling, especially when she's engaging in the power-exchange sex are excellent at keeping us inside her head while she's losing hers, as she wants. The list of scenarios touted on the blurb are a MacGuffin; it's that moment, the complete confidence and trust in the other partner and feeling KNOWN by them enough to surrender control, that matters most.

For all my praise, I do find some faults with the pacing in the back half. One too many swimming competitions and minor characters bog things down and for all Pen's (understandable) outburst, it's a rather flat Coke finale for our leads. Am I just messy in my desire for a real conflict to bring everything to a climax and no don't think of a joke you perverts? Probably. Also, what on Earth was that subplot with Scarlett's old diving friend being a shady manipulator? Just fell off the face of the narrative, my word. But overall, a delightful and very enlightening read. I sense more of Hazelwood's works in my future, especially with the Love Hypothesis film out at the end of the year.