I disagree with a lot of the reviews. I thought the author did a wonderful job building tension and it physically hurt to read in the best way possible. It wasn't like, the best book I've ever read and there were a few loose ends and underdeveloped plot points, but I would definitely recommend it still. It was a hard read but worth it. ( )

More than just a story for the #MeToo era. Grace's story is uniquely her’s and as heart-wrenching, as you would expect it to be. Glad I finally decided to read this. ( )

This story is an indictment of Hollywood. Kind of flat feeling with unlikable characters, but a page turner just the same. Interested to see what she writes next. ( )

This is a novel that uses a provocative premise to explore deeper issues in a surprisingly thoughtful way. When Grace is barely a teenager, she is chosen by a charismatic director as his muse. He moves her family from England to California, but also effectively removes Grace from their care, controlling and manipulating her along the way. After a series of events, she ends up hiding out in her parents' house, the house her money bought them, where they are unequipped to help her. When she hears that the director is getting a lifetime achievement award, she devises a plan to reveal to the world what he did.

But while Grace is unevenly plotting, she's also a young woman who is deeply damaged by what was done to her and she's also being ceaselessly pursued by paparazzi. But even as she's falling apart, she's learning about what she needs to do to heal. This is such a nuanced look at what fame can do to a young woman, and the problems posed by our new social media-focused society. Berman made the exploration of these issues a lot of fun even as she gave no easy answers. ( )

This book wasn't for me. Or maybe the timing was off and it was all just too real and too dark of a read for me in our current state. I couldn't finish even knowing it probably had a great ending. ( )