Thank you to #Netgalley and @orionbooks for allowing me to read this book before its release date #gifted officially published 22nd of June.

Now, anyone who knows me (well or just in passing) you will know that I am a mega feminist. Yes, I’m one of those women. I will get into debates with just about anyone and will not be deterred from airing my thoughts and opinions on the injustices in the world that are influenced by systemic gender discrimination. So, when I saw the premise of this, I hit that request button so fast I almost put my finger through my phone screen.

This book is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets The Handmaids Tale meets The Bell Jar. And those books are next level excellence, and I am thrilled to say that Complicit by Winnie M Li sits perfectly next to them.

Complicit is a tell all exposé of the Hollywood scene in the film industry and the insidious, dark, rampant culture that lies underground the sparkly light of fame. We follow Sarah Lai, a college lecturer and former Associate Producer. A journalist reaches out to give Sarah the chance to tell her truth of her experience working with renowned billionaire come film producer, Hugo North. This is her chance to join her voice with others who have similar horrific tales, and tell her side of the story, to relieve her guilt and to get her revenge on her former boss.

Complicit is very heavily influenced by the #Metoo and #timesup movement. It’s very hard hitting and gets right down to discussing the important issues. The writing is brilliant and very atmospheric, told in parts as an interview between herself and the journalist as well as interview transcripts from other characters to give us other perspectives and opinions. Our protagonist is hiding something, and this we know from the outset and little by little pieces of the puzzle are put together until the reveal towards the end.

It is devastating and clearly highlights the integral awful nature of the industry, how it uses and abuses young people and how those in power get away with it.

Five stars all around from me. Exquisite.

The premise is intriguing: film making, Hollywood. The voice original; it was refreshing to read the story from the perspective of a Chinese American and learn how her race impacted the way she was treated at times in the industry. I would have given more stars but I found the pace a little slow for my liking, too much exposition in the style of telling the story to a reporter. I can see from reviews here that it picks up at around 75%. I persevered up to about 50% because I like the author’s voice and the subject matter but I’m afraid the pace in the end brought me to a DNF.

I found this book interesting, and although it was quite long, I did enjoy the behind the scenes of producing movies. The main premise of this novel is around #MeToo which has been relevant, but I feel that this was released too late to be shocking or relevant.
The characters were interesting, the protagonist I really felt for, but also was a little all over the place throughout the story.
An interesting read.

I was kindly gifted an uncorrected proof ARC on which I ought to have given my honest opinion. Unfortunately I was unable to read it because of the formatting issues and gazillion typos in the kindle-version. Better luck later on in the publishing process?

Whilst this is a novel, it sadly rings true to situations that have happened in reality. I think it was well written and shared the story line very well. I actually enjoyed the writing style as it was very easy to 'depict' as a movie scene throughout which is also the background of the setting for the story.

Sadly it's very difficult to review this much anticipated novel due to the quality of the ARC. Obviously this is an uncorrected proof but unfortunately it was unreadable as many of the words flowed together with no spaces between. My review is in no way based on the quality of the writing and I will be purchasing a published copy of what I feel is a very promising and interesting novel.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Sarah Lai, the compellingly relatable central voice I’m Complicit, is a woman with an all-too familiar story but it’s told in a way that feels raw and vulnerable without playing on the drama of topical news headlines. I found myself reading the majority of this in a day, which shows how invested I was.
The novel feels horribly non-fiction and it’s not a comforting read, but it really allows the reader to see the nuance and challenge of being complicit.

Set during the beginning of the #MeToo era, Sarah has a difficult decision to make after an email from a reporter lands in her box.

I am afraid I had to DNF on this title because of the quality of the manuscript in the Kindle format. It was highlighted at the beginning of the book that this was an uncorrected manuscript proof however I found it immensely frustrating to read because as soon as I started to get into the story, the jumbling of words that ran together pulled me back out again. This was a regular occurrence and for me made the book unreadable.

From what I was able to read of the novel, I can say it was compelling. Sarah is a three dimensional character who questions her own decisions realistically. Her view on the world is cynical due to her experiences. There were parts where the writing felt flat to me, possibly superficial but the writer is discussing the world of Hollywood.

It is a shame I could not read the rest of the novel but from what I was able to read I was intrigued.

Complicit is a difficult but compelling read from Winnie M Li, tue distinguished novelist and activist. Li's first novel, 'Dark Chapter' was published back in 2017 and focused on the topic of stranger rape - a topic that sadly the author is all to familiar with in her own life.
Li has proved to be powerful voice in advocating for victims and though 'Complicit' is a work of fiction, she has set the story in a world that is lamentably real as she confronts the reality of the role of women, and in particular minorities in the glittering microcosm of the film industry.
The protoganist is Sarah Lai, a young New Yorker, and cinephile who struggles to balance the dreams of her immigrant parents with her own wish to work in the film industry. Sarah appears to be moving towards her dreams when she takes an unpaid internship and slowly steps into her dreams.
However, when we meet Sarah, she is teaching a scriptwriting course and her days in the film industry are behind her. We learn that she has been a star, according to IMBD, at least. And then a journalist requests an interview to discuss her recollection of Hugo North, a famous director and entrepreneur. Sarah begins to recount her work and experiences over the past decade. And indeed these recollections account for 70% of the novel.
This is where we move into the #MeToo aspect of the novel, where women as clearly seen as a commodity and their bodies, along with their lives can mere property.
However, it is not just the male characters who are at fault. As Sarah relates, she has been through the abuse herself, yet she stands by and fails to intervene when other women are treated in a similar abusive manner.
We have an opportunity to see the story from both sides and while it does not diminish the fault of the abuser, it does remind us that many people could intervene and speak up.
A fascinating read of a fictional tale that we could easily imagine happening.

I really enjoyed this book. It tells the story of Sarah, who gets a job with a producer Sylvia, and how everything changes when Hugo invests in the company. The story is told years later, as Sarah is interviewed by a journalist covering a me too story. It is the story of a sexual predator and how the people around him unintentionally encourage and facilitate his crimes. Sarah feels guilty about her actions during this period, but takes the opportunity to tell the truth.

This is a well written, thoughtful, thought provoking and relevant book.
Whilst there are so many awful (largely male) actions and behaviours now being exposed and tried in the court of social media and public society, this book takes a very valid and necessary look at the way society at large has allowed these actions to take place by turning a blind eye, not asking the question, not daring to challenge. This in itself is such a crucial aspect to delve in to as without the wider societal changes and ownership of responsibility by all involved, even on the fringes, these actions will never truly stop.

Whilst this book should not be described as a thriller, rather a general fiction, it was well written, well researched and relevant without coming across as scandalous or trying to jump on to a current theme.

This book will stay with me for a long time to come.Based on the author’s experience of working in the film industry and as a rape victim,it tells the story of Sarah Lai,who works for a small film production company.When it’s taken over by a wealthy entrepreneur,Hugo North,Sarah becomes part of his world of parties and exploitation of young women,whilst also being exploited herself.
Ten years later,she’s no longer working in the film industry and as the book progresses ,we find out why.When Sarah is approached by a journalist and asked to tell her story as part of a wider investigation she has to face her past and accept some of her own responsibility for what happened during the making of a film,Furious Her.
It’s a slow burner,and unfortunately the copy was of very poor quality,but it didn’t stop me racing through the book .Highly recommended .
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

Winnie M Li is an author and activist, who has worked in the creative industries over three continents. "Complicit" is her second novel, and reflects her experience in the film industry. Her first novel also explores attitudes towards rape and this theme is revisited in this latest novel about the film industry. #metoo and the Weinstein story is familiar territory in this compulsive read. Although some of the characters are rather cliched, the film industry environment is rather unique. It is primarily run by men where women have secondary almost submissive roles in the production of a film.

The main character, Sarah is a hard-working Chinese graduate who finds employment as an assistant to a female producer with a small outfit in New York. They have a talented director and their first feature film is going to be a success. Sarah makes a big contribution, especially with the script. All is going well until Hugo North muscles in. He is a multi-millionaire with contacts and a big ego. The author's experience with the film industry is central to the development of the story. Understanding the roles and the stages in the production of a film is interweaved with the plot and makes the story authentic.

It seems that traditionally male directors, producers and A-list actors have used their positions of influence, especially with females in the industry. They expect every whim to be satisfied by the unfortunate females - from actresses to industry support staff. As an aspiring actress or producer, the choice between advancement and subjugation is not a choice they should have to make.  Hugo is uncompromising in his treatment of women and expects total control in every aspect. Eventually, Sarah is Hugo's target and she barely escapes his clutches. Should she make a scene or report it, and lose her job? Such conflicts seem commonplace in this industry. She decides to keep quiet. Finally, Sarah's young friend Holly (the main lead in the latest film) is invited to Hugo's hotel room, and Sarah has the chance to warn her. She decides to avoid the situation, and Holly proceeds to Hugo's room. It is not until the end of the book that suspicions are confirmed that Holly was raped by Hugo.

The story is told from Sarah's point of view with interesting interviews with other female characters working on the film. The interviews are being conducted by a New York Times investigative journalist. At the end of the book, the report is published and Hugo North's behaviour is exposed. Meanwhile, Sarah has become so disillusioned with the industry that she has left and is working as a college lecturer. Has she made the right decision?

This is a marvellous story of the moment with great insight into the film industry. The morals and ethics are explored in this fascinating expose.  Change surely has to come!

This promises more than it delivers. At the end of the day it is the same old story of women’s need to be acknowledged, appreciated and respected, in the ridiculous world of movie making. I thought this would be more than the usual story of ‘me too’ and casting couch morality, and in some ways it is. We see how things work from the perspective of a Chinese/ American young woman eager to make movies, she is talented and ultimately exploited and passed over. So we have the woman’s angle; the non white angle and an insight into a world everyone expects to be grossly unfair, self motivated and superficial. It is no surprise that this is how things turn out for her. She tells her story through an interview with a reporter, and it is somehow cathartic for her, however, we as readers need something more. It is reasonably well written, but it lacks something to distinguish it from all those other tales we hear about in this tainted world.

I downloaded this to my Kindle three times and each time the quality of the text was unreadable as the words ran into each other so I did not get past 5% and I am therefore unable to give a proper review of the book. If I do not leave this comment then my feedback % will drop. It will not let me post this without leaving a rating. My rating is bsed on the quality of the text downloaded to my kindle and is not a rating of the work itself.

Winnie M li peels back the glamour to give us a rare insider's view on Hollywood and the film industry. Through her likeable protagonist Sarah Lai, Li draws from her own personal experience to share the realities of what it's like to be a woman in the film industry. Nuanced and carefully crafted, Complicit is the eye-opening #MeToo novel we all need to read.

A post #metoo novel, whose efforts I applaud, but if I’m honest felt a little too late and thus predictable. Had this novel been released earlier, it would’ve felt more topical. However in a post pandemic world, it just doesn’t feel as of the time, especially as there’s been many he said/ she said books.
This follows Sarah Mai, a professor of film studies, who finds out the producer she used to work for is being changed for sexual assault and stories are now coming out. There’s a now and then narrative.
I think the problem for me was that there was too much exposition about how moviemaking technically ‘works’ and very little conflict and questions charging the story forward that it lost momentum for me. Again I appreciate be efforts and the author’s personal experience of the film industry however the execution of the story just didn’t quite work.

The glittering world of movie making has another side, the underbelly is a maze of power and discrimination where the rich make up their own rules.
I found the subject matter of this book slightly intriguing, enough so to read it and as suspected some of it is very saddening and distasteful.
I found the writing very believable and ‘real’ and flowed well.
The main character knows, only too well, how this world operates and passes this wisdom on as a teacher and she is likeable and multi faceted. She too could have had big success but certain events put this to the side and when given the opportunity to give her side of the story presents she feels compelled.
Interesting subject matter, not entirely my thing but nonetheless a good and thought provoking read.

Trigger / content warnings for sexual assault, grooming, abuse etc.

A must-read for fans of ‘The Comeback’ or Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

Here I am again - another old Hollywood, verbal history. Winnie M. Li’s ‘Complicit’ may very well be my favourite read of the year - a Hollywood story set at a time where the truth about casting couches and the abuse of power is finally being revealed.

You meet Sarah, a college lecturer teaching uninterested students. Former assistant producer to a golden globe winning film; she is called upon by an up and coming, well-respected journalist to tell her story.

And what a story it is.

This book is written perfectly, it is compelling in the worst of ways - you know what event the book is leading up to; yet even the smartest of readers finds themselves focused on the glitz & glam of Hollywood to remind themselves why are they are truly there. It is deliberately misguiding; the lesson that pretty things and big names hide the most important of truths.

It’s an important story - one of abuse, one of mistrust, one of fame and fortune and also the tale of a daughter of immigrant parents.

I really wish this hadnt fucking ended.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

Difficult to read. Words run into each other. I wish I could supply photos. But basically it’s “IlookatthelifeIthoughtIled,andwhatIseenow:projectedasiffrom” ... Difficult.