Title: She Started It
Author: Sian Gilbert
Publisher: Penguin
Synopsis:
Poppy Greer is getting married and four of her old schoolmates are to be her trusted bridesmaids. They may have drifted but true friendships last a lifetime, don’t they? Plus, who would pass on a free first-class ticket to white sands and bottomless cocktails on a private Caribbean island?
But the women have underestimated their host, and each other. And as their darkest secrets are revealed, the trip of their dreams becomes the hen do from hell.
Will anyone make it off the island alive?
My review:
This is an action-packed, crazy revenge thriller with characters you love to hate…
Four women – Tanya, Esther, Chloe, and Annabel – head to a private Caribbean island for a hen party… but it’s the hen party of a woman, Poppy, from school who they bullied mercilessly and who they haven’t heard from in 10 years. The thing that’s making them want to go? Poppy is paying for all expenses…
Of course, you know from the off that something is up, even if the four women are too stupid (or terrible at remembering how awful they were to Poppy) to realise that this holiday can’t just be a relaxing girls’ trip.
We watch as the tension builds. The story switches between the four women so we get each of their perspectives on what is happening now – and what happened all those years ago. Some of the group are more ashamed of their part in making Poppy’s life hell all those years ago, and some want to just forget about what happened and have a good time. But a good time certainly isn’t on the cards! And man do you enjoy seeing the fallout, considering the kind of people Tanya, Esther, Annabel and Chloe have become!
She Started It is a satisfying tale of revenge best served cold. It’s entertaining to read about the women’s secrets and flick back and forth between timelines as we learn what really happened at school. It addresses some very serious themes including bullying and self-harm so it’s worth checking the trigger warnings. There are also some fun twists and plenty of drama to keep you turning the pages – a fun summer read!
My rating: 4/5
Many thanks to Penguin for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest review.