Pull Focus by Helen Walsh is a debut novel. The main character in this story is Jane who is working as the director for the Toronto film festival. It’s a very big deal. Partly because she got the job because her boss is being brought down by sexual harassment charges. There’s a lot going on here. Just before the festival begins Jane’s partner disappears. The story feels very "behind the scenes" because you are getting the inside scoop, in a way, of how the festival is run which was very interesting, all the moving parts and logistics and there are several side stories.
Perhaps too many side stories that it sometimes felt that we were all over the place. This might have been intentional since that’s how the main character was supposed to be feeling, overwhelmed, and juggling so many things while trying to keep it all together and be successful when she had many people and things going against her. She also had people routing for her. I thought the writing in this was good. Another debut author that I’d like to read something else by. This would be good if you like workplace stories. It kind of reminded me a bit of The Herd by Andrea Bartz - different stories but a similar feel.

I did not finish this book. It was not something I would typically read but I wanted to give it a try.

The narrato mrade this intriguing mystery come alive. The setting is the theater of big productions which was a refreshing one. Well-paced and exhilarating.to kisten to! Enjoyable.

Found this book really hard going and nearly gave up a couple of times but as I listen to my audio books while out walking I kept going but I can say it wasn't a thriller and I only started to get the actual plot from chapter 11
It was too busy giving details about a film festival and that overshadowed the " Thriller" aspect I listen till the end and once I got the storyline it was better but I can't say it was good for me

Interesting but not really my cup of tea. Well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Also could not deal with the audio book voices. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Interesting read on the behind the scenes of an international film festival. The newly promoted female CEO has to tackle her organisations issues including a number of sexual harassment claims. At the same time her husband has gone missing and she is trying to find out where he is. I know nothing of the film industry so I think it was well researched and quite interesting however the plot didn't really keep me hooked. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

Unfortunately I could not get this title to go to my Netgalley app and therefore I couldn’t access it.

This is a smart, authentic novel that aims to be a thriller but isn't quite at that pace. The main character, Jane, is a woman who has just been named interim CEO of an arts organization that hosts a celebrated film festival. She was given the job because her former boss has been brought down for sexual harassment, and her board chair, who had protected the harasser, wants to see her fail. Just as the festival kicks off, the woman's longtime lover, a funds manager who was supposed to accompany her to the festival disappears.

The novel includes many interesting side stories, including China wanting to stop her from airing a film they feel is critical of their regime, a big donor who is creepy and handsy trying to sleep with/assault her, her ex-husband turning out to be the brother of her current lover, her bodyguard being a former member of the Assad, strange women popping up to interrogate her, and so on. While all of this does sound like it would add up to thriller-level, the story is too behind-the-scenes real to quite get there. Jane is amazing, but human. What is happening to Jane is sometimes shocking but so is much of what happens to women at every level. And there are just too many storylines being woven together, all of them dealing with complex social issues, for me to be hanging on the edge of my seat. It was a good read but it dragged a little bit in the middle.

We are given an insider's view of what it's like to have to give speeches, court donors, juggle board members, and keep an event with hundreds of moving pieces in motion. As a reader, I trusted absolutely that the author knew what she was talking about, and reading her back story afterward, I see she did formerly run a film festival, which is not a surprise. I loved Jane's gutsiness and confidence, but just as the title is a bit "inside," being a term for a screenplay direction, so is the whole book, which left me feeling a little left out.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with a free audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

Something about this book just didn't work for me. Walsh has done a lot of work to build a solid backstory and provides a lot of detail on the film industry, the film festival side of it in particular. This was interesting, but often felt like too much for me. There is loads of action and intrigue. If you're into thrillers and really enjoy film festivals...maybe this one is for you.

It was no fault of the author that I didn’t enjoy this audiobook but rather the film industry is not something that I’m very interested in. If you have an interest in films and the industry that surrounds them then this would be one for you.