Precious you focuses on Katherine and Lily. Katherine has been an editor for a long time but has recently been off. When she returns to work she find that the management has changed. Not only is she struggling with the new management she finds herself entangled in a game of power with Lily, the new intern that seems to always be one step ahead of her.

This novel was a really interesting read, not only because of the fantastic plot twist that seemed so effortlessly but perfectly written but also because it provides an interesting perspective of feminism, generation differences and also workplace dynamics.

I thoroughly enjoy their cat and mouse games and it kept me on the edge, always trying to figure out who would get the advantage and what plots were they going to create next.
There were parts that I found a bit too far fetched but overall I quite enjoyed the plot.

I really enjoyed to see such strong lead characters and my favourite parts were probably the diary entries from Lily as it turned the reading more intriguing and intimate.

I was impressed to find out this is a debut novel and can’t wait to see what this amazing author does

Thanks to Helen Monks Takhar, HQ and Netgalley.
I found this a difficult read. Kathy sounded like she was pushing sixty, not forty one. I regret to say I found her cliched and a bit of a kickback to the seventies. I worked for a newspaper group years ago and I encountered women like her, but surely forty isn't old? These days women like her are in their prime and give millenials a run for their money. Also why didnt she cotton on to what was happening? She should have kicked her perceived nemisis into touch. Not sure on this one.

When I read the blurb about this book at first I wasn’t sure, but after the first paragraph I was completely hooked and before I knew it I had finished this amazing story!!

Katherine is 41, she is an Editor for the magazine “Leadership”. After having time off for depression, going back to work is stressful enough, but added to that the magazine has a new owner who wants to modernise.

Lily’s Aunt Gemma has bought the magazine. Lily is pretty, ambitious, confident and YOUNG!! She soon muscles in with her wonderful fresh ideas, while Katherine is failing to impress Gemma.

Without giving too much away!!Lily plays cat and mouse with Katherine, one minute wanting to be her friend the next stabbing her in the back, befriending and flirting with Katherine’s partner Iain. Why does Lily want to destroy Katherine’s life.

This was an amazing book to read. I was so angry at one point that I nearly threw my beloved kindle out the window!! This is a sure sign that a story has connected with you emotionally!!

A must read book. I would have given it all the stars in the sky!!

Excuse me while I have a lie down in a dark room so I can process what I have just read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

I gave up on this book. It was slow moving, cliche characters. A great idea from the author. But for me, sadly it didn't work.

What a chilling read!! Precious You is an exploration of attitudes towards the Snowflake generation and the perceived invisibility of the older woman, in the workplace and society in general. Through Katherine and Lily’s story, women are seen as manipulative, devious, ruthless and revengeful and I felt a rollercoaster of emotions reading this. The toxicity between these two women is off the scale and whilst this is a piece of fiction it also made me feel ashamed to be female, if this is to perceived as a true representation of how some women treat each other. ( Lets be honest, it probably is!). Katherine is the older of the two, editor of a magazine that has recently been saved from going under by new owner Gemma Lunt. She is immediately portrayed as a woman struggling with her mental health but also keen to regain her status amongst fellow colleagues and interns. Lily, Gemma’s niece is the ‘snowflake’ woman, beautiful, clever and most importantly young and visible with all the best years still in front of her. Without divulging much more of this tense and gripping storyline, it’s obvious these two women’s lives are going to become inextricably linked when it transpires Lily is the new recruit at Katherine’s magazine.
What follows is frankly shocking, with these two women caught in a complicated and sophisticated game of cat and mouse. My feelings towards Katherine seesawed constantly, at first feeling empathy for a woman clearly lost amongst these bright new things,unsure of her place in the world and jealous too of Lily and all she represents. But then she shows her true colours in the way she treats her interns and her appalling sense of entitlement. The further into the narrative you go the more unstable she becomes due to Lily’s underhand and manipulative actions. Katherine herself is caught between conflicting emotions towards Lily, wanting to befriend her yet expose her for the conniving woman she really is. Living life like this, constantly on alert and having to watch your back is what adds to the horrifying yet compelling nature of this thriller. Not once did I like Lily (how could you??) despite the fact the inference of a troubled childhood is there at the beginning. She has honed the art of manipulation and deviousness perfectly over the years and is single minded in her one goal to ruin Katherine’s personal and professional life. Nothing is off limits, including Katherine’s partner Iain, and although it pains me to say it you do have to admire her ruthlessness.
I was glued to this, fascinated but at the same time appalled by the behaviour of these women. I didn’t much care for Iain and Katherine’s open relationship either as that too feels toxic and neither of them are happy;he is bottling alcoholism and unemployed and they are damaging each other. The big question is why does Lily want to destroy Katherine and who exactly is the cat and who the mouse??
Overall I found this to be an addictive read with shocking twists that are clever if not slightly complicated and once they start coming they come thick and fast. I can guarantee if you love dark,twisted characters you will enjoy this debut thriller.
Highly recommend and my thanks to the publisher HQ and Netgalley for allowing me to read in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I had mixed feelings throughout reading this book but it was only when I finished it that I sat back and realised how much I had enjoyed it. You won't find a single character to like in this story but that just didn't bother me at all. The deep dives into magazine editor Katherine and her intern Lily were completely fascinating although I would have been interested to have more flashbacks from Lily's perspective. I did guess a couple of the twists (and quite a lot was revealed pretty early on in the book anyway) but there were others I didn't see coming but that completely what I had assumed would happen on its head. Katherine's constant bashing of 'snowflakes' gets a little dull after a while (and I find it difficult to believe anyone actually thinks like that) but the story did present a really interesting dialogue regarding women of different generations and I really enjoyed the authors note at the end of the book on the subject. While parts of the plot felt very far-fetched and even a little unlikely at times, the book is written incredibly well, almost poetically at times yet it still felt like a really easy read to fly through.

'Precious You' is an engrossing and compelling read. Right from the beginning we have a glimpse of the professional and personal downfall of Katherine and then we embark on the story of how it all came about. There are two first person narrators, the 41 year old, force of nature, Kathryn, whose viewpoint predominates and the younger, yet equally hard-headed intern, Lily.

At first, I thought the book was going to follow the pattern of an embittered or vengeaful character, set on destroying and usurping the life of some-one more successful. However, it is more complex than that and the methods Lily uses to carry out her plan make compulsive reading. On several occassions I thought that I had worked out the twist but I was wrong and the author kept moving along the plot in ways that I wasn't expecting, which I liked.

There were moments in the book when I cringed and felt embarrassed or uncomfortable for Kathryn and another, near the end involving Iain (I don't want to give spoilers) when I recoiled, so it's a positive sign when a writer is able to elicit those feelings in a reader.

A recurring theme in the story is the conflict between the old and the new guard, with regards to women and their careers. Kathryn's behaviour reminded me of a male stereotype of the pre 'Me Too' era but Lily is no innocent ingénue, indeed she has self-confidence beyond her years. Helen Monks Takhar indicates in her author's note at the end, that women should be supportive of each other, not destructive and that the 'Snowflake' generation should be valued more highly. I personally found that this message was lost slightly in the story, however, due to the main characters being so nasty. I appreciate they were both damaged as a result of past experiences and poor upbringing but I did not warm to or empathise with either of them. I thought that the destructive relationship between Kathryn and Iain was portrayed in an authentic manner but I wasn't always convinced that Kathryn was the sort of woman who would have been deceived by some of Lily's actions, for example the massage instead of 'copy camp' but this did not spoil the story.

Finally, I really enjoyed 'Precious You' and recommend it to others. Thank-you to Netgalley and HQ for my advance copy.

The idea behind this book was interesting, but do we really need a book promoting inter-generational discord in such a black and white way? I really found this book a struggle. I couldn't identify with any of the characters, and I didn't recognise any of the characteristics of the members of Generation X or Millennials I know either. The storyline seemed wildly improbable, and I wouldn't really recommend this book.

An enjoyably twisty thriller, from two viewpoints, unpicking a toxic female work relationship and playing with the fear of the usurper. Lily is everything Katherine used to be, a young, vivacious, brilliant mirror of Katherine's past. But is this imitation the sincerest form of flattery, or something much more sinister?

Whilst I enjoyed the concept and plot of this book, even being shocked at the ending. There was just something that irritated me about this book. I found Katherine utterly abhorrent, and whilst that indicates good writing to rile me so much, it just made me a bit grumpy. I hated the constant use of the word snowflake. Not bad writing or plot line as indicated, just not for me sadly.

*Thank you to the author and Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

2 stars

From the first line, I couldn't help but compare this book to Caroline Kepnes' "You" and for me, this felt like a watered-down female-driven version of "You." I'm hard to please when it comes to thrillers and even if I wasn't to have made the comparisons to another book it wouldn't have made me enjoy this one any more. I struggled to find sense in the motives and what was drawing the main characters together because they were both fucking annoying in their own ways, so this lead to my not caring about uncovering the reasons why and more so made me question why I should keep reading to the end. I didn't find it particularly thrilling or interesting to read and found myself skimming a lot of the passages... Sorry!

This book was a a great choice for a winter season. It lets you loose yourself in a story which seems simple at the beginning yet it quickly unwinds into a complicated portrait of two very different women. The book explores two different generations meeting in today’s typical workplace. The story includes rivalry and jealously as the older character just cannot accept the existence of new girl who just seems to be here to replace her. I enjoyed the reading yet, to be honest, the middle part was a bit dull.

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with the copy.

It took me a while to get into this book but once I was in I was really in. The two narratives weave together in a way that convinces you that you know which way the plot is going but I was truly surprised by the last 50 pages or so. It's dark, gritty and really outlines the current power struggle between Millennials and the Gen X-ers.
I can't remember ever having read a power play novel with two such strong female characters. Loved it!

The cover of this book is what initially caught my attention. Who doesn’t love some neon in their life. Once I read the synopsis I knew I had to give this book a go. Thank you to the author and HQ Stories for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Description 🔖

Katherine is editor in chief at Leadership magazine, successful and in her forties. Though she has had her struggles in her personal life, she has kept hold of her role and is confident in her abilities as editor; with the help of her interns. Lily is a new intern at Leadership magazine, just starting out and in her twenties. She’s determined to bring a fresh voice and approach to the magazine and prove herself as worthy.

Katherine thinks that Lily is a spoilt millennial, handed her opportunities, scared of hard work and doesn’t deserve her voice to be heard without doing her time. Lily thinks that Katherine has had her hey day, is stale and is intent on “pulling up the ladder” for those that are coming up the ranks behind her. The two women ensue on a battle to prove their worthiness. Is Lily really trying to dethrone the editor in chief and ruin not only her career but her personal life too? Or is Katherine merely paranoid? Is this just a struggle of egos within the magazine or is there something far more sinister behind the toxic relationship between Katherine and Lily?

General Thoughts 🤔

I’m not sure I really know where to start with this. I finished this book last night and I’ve thought about it an awful lot since. It’s really made me question my own career, my own life choices and where I sit in the generation categorisation. I see the perspectives of both women in this book (that’s not to say that I agree with either of them). Yes, it’s easy to see how millennials may see that generation X have had it easy but I also see how generation X may feel that millennials feel that they are owed something from the world.

There’s so much to unpack from this book. The generation gap and how that manifests itself within the workplace and also within society. I’m not sure that older women should be respected no matter what, just because they’ve been around longer. I’m also not sure that younger women should be granted opportunities because they’re “in touch”. Surely there is something to be shared between the generations? Fresh ideas and a different perspective shared with experience and lessons learnt?

Characters 👫👭👬

The main characters in the book are obviously Katherine and Lily. Not that I felt that I had to pick sides, but I constantly went back and forth between the two in terms of which I liked/disliked the most. Both characters are quite obviously flawed in so many ways and who am I to say that one persons problems are worse than another’s?

The other characters in the book came across as enablers to me. Iain (Katherine’s partner) seemed to be treading on egg shells around her constantly, rather than being firm with her. Katherine had a firm belief that they were solid, but my interpretation was more so that they tip toed around their problems rather than facing them together. Gemma (Lily’s aunt) knew about Lily’s problems from her past but gave her life changing opportunities anyway. I sympathised with Gemma actually. When it comes to family, I think there is a very fine line between wanting to help and condoning bad behaviour.

Writing Style ✍🏽

Straight away I loved the way in which this book is written. Sections are written in either Katherine’s voice or Lily’s voice. The part I loved though was the difference in which they were written. Katherine’s section were written as her voice and as though she was talking to Lily; whom she refers to as “you”. Lily’s sections were written as her diary entires. I loved this touch.

I also loved that as a reader, I got to read the same story but from a different character’s perspective. Mostly, Katherine’s version of events followed by Lily’s. Every time I read Katherine’s telling I’d think surely not! She has to be paranoid. Then I’d read Lily’s diary entry and be reminded of just how damaged their relationship and their individual characters were.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖

This is probably one of the longest reviews I’ve written in a while and I’ve really scaled back. I have so much to say about this book and so much discussion I want to start on the back of reading it. It’s made me really think about my own behaviour around not only other women, but women from other generations. I cannot recommend this book enough. Helen Monks Takhar has done an outstanding job and I challenge any woman to read this book and not think about it for days afterwards!

Woah. What a whirlwind of a book. I loved the unreliable narrators and how the whole book played out. The plot unfolded so smoothly and I was in equal parts captivated and horrified. Both Katherine and Lily are such dark characters that I didn't know what was going to happen next.

A stonking debut and I can't wait to see what the author does next.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this book.
It has some great ideas,two strong females at the lead,even if they're both more than a bit nuts.
It is a proper power play between them to be top dog.
However,there were times I could have put the book down and not picked it up again,not caring I didn't find out who won.
I did pick it up,and I'm glad to have got to the end,having all questions answered and thinking it couldn't have finished better.

Really enjoyed this thriller! Was a good and easy read and I feel people will love the story too. The author has a way to keep you enthralled to carry on reading!

Precious You is a obsessive thriller about generation gaps, revenge, and lies. Katherine is an editor in her forties, dealing with a takeover at work and a feeling of being past her prime. When she meets her new twentysomething intern Lily, she dismisses her as another millennial 'snowflake' who doesn't deserve what she's got. However, she also finds herself drawn towards Lily and her youth, and Lily seems interested by her too. A strange rivalry emerges, but neither of them are quite what they seem, and soon the stakes are very high.

This is a well-written novel that uses the current obsession with antagonisms between generations (in this case, Gen X and millennials) to twist expectations as the narrative unfolds. The main characters are unlikeable, but also troubled, and the story the book seems to be telling at first isn't quite what it is. Katherine can be a bit of a parody of someone who hates millennials, purposefully so but possibly makes her easier to dislike early on (or maybe that's just me being a millennial). The focus on mental health and trauma felt like another element that made it timely, though it did make the book less dark and more sad by its conclusion in some ways. The narrative is definitely gripping, and the two characters felt well-balanced, but the ending wasn't as satisfying as you might hope.

Precious You was an enjoyable read that felt fresh and explored interesting concepts through a tense narrative. The characters were complex and things weren't always as they seemed (the depiction of Katherine and Iain's relationship in particular was good as it unfolded), but the ending lets the novel down a bit for me.

#PreciousYou #NetGalley
Best psychological thriller of 2020
Katherine dismisses her early-twenties intern as a millennial ‘snowflake’: soft, entitled, moralistic. But Lily’s youth and beauty remind Katherine of everything she once was, and she soon finds herself obsessively drawn to her new colleague. But is Katherine simply jealous of Lily’s potential – or does she sense that her intern has a dark hidden agenda?
Author's writing style is so good that i was hooked from the first page. Characters seemed real to me. Its the best psychological thriller.
Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for giving me an advanced copy of this book.

This book will blow you away. Such a great read. Will have you gripped. I found it quite a quick read and hard to put down.