Coal Diggers is one of the most watched reality shows on TV. Five women in their twenties and early thirties show to the world how they succeed in their businesses. It’s on its fourth season and only three of the original cast are still in the show, Brett, Jen, and Stephanie. Lauren came in the second season, while Kelly, Brett’s sister, started on the fourth, to her sister’s disappointment. It’s on this fourth season that things go really wrong because, as we learn from the first page, Brett was murdered. But what happened? How did these five women get to this point? Jessica Knoll takes us back in time and shows us how allegiances switch, jealousies rise, lies are told, and secrets are hidden.

I loved this book. I didn’t like any of the characters, but I really loved and enjoyed the book and its twisty and juicy plot. The story is told from different points of views: Kelly, Brett, and Stephanie, but you can’t trust these characters. I liked that these characters are unreliable because you never know who is telling the truth and there are many unexpected moments and revelations that took me by surprise. Since the story is told from different points of views, I found myself siding with Brett and then, after reading Stephanie’s side of the story, siding with her, and then switching over and over again. As I said I didn’t really like any of these characters because I found them selfish and self-centered, but I liked that they were strong, determined and driven and I was entertained by their machinations and lies.

At the center of the novel are women competing with each other to make it out alive of that jungle that is the reality show. I was surprised, and sometimes shocked, at the lengths these women would go to win the reality show. Even Brett and Kelly, sisters, business partners, and really close (at least at the beginning) grow apart and keep secrets from each other after Kelly becomes one of the protagonists of the show.

Liane Moriarty (of whom I am a big fan) meets Real Housewives in this compelling and vibrant novel and I would like to thank Pan Macmillan for providing me with an early copy of the book.

I have read The Luckiest Girl alive and was very much entertained by that book.
This one was a good twisty story but I do felt that it was a little bit predictable with some things. I enjoyed the read and would recommend it

I really enjoyed this multi character drama about 5 women on a reality tv show that turns murderous, it has a wide range of themes, a good diverse set of characters and an intriguing storyline.

Admittedly not as much as I enjoyed The Luckiest Girl in the World, but still a pacy read with some fascinating threads and some beautifully done twists and turns.

I think my main very slight issue with it was there was a lot going on and I didn't engage fully with any of the characters to the point that I cared that much what happened to them. Occasionally this heads down a rather token path and they are all slightly entitled and unlikable.

That said though it was an interesting concept executed well and if you are a fan of the first book you'll see the same great, addictive clever writing in this one - it's just the story that wasn't quite as haunting as the last, not quite living up to that promise. However I look forward very much to more from Jessica Knoll.

The antics & deceptions of these horrible, vapid women certainly make for great reading. I couldn’t wait to see the next set of lies unfold, and boy oh boy did they unfold..

When you want to love a book so much and it just doesn't deliver. The blurb was so promising and i had such high hopes. It was confusing and nothing flowed well and there seemed to be drama just for the sake of drama. The twists didn't bring anything to the character development which was sorely lacking.

I just couldn’t get into this book at all. I wanted to enjoy it but just found it slow with too many characters to allow me to engage in the story.