Bea Setton can do no wrong! I loved her first book and this one equally followed! For all the lit fic girlies.

A well-crafted story with plenty to appreciate. The pacing, characters, and plot twists kept me interested throughout. I'm looking forward to seeing how readers respond once it's released!

I don't really know what to say about this one. It felt very pointless, like it had no goal to reach by the end of the novel. It's hard to explain but this is the only things I got away as I (metaphorically) closed this book (you know, it was an ebook so more like tuned my Kindle off). The characters were forgettable and this book is quite forgettable overall.

This book follows the main protagonist Anna, a clever but deeply insecure woman that is attending Cambridge to complete a PhD. She comes from a family that greatly values beauty of a person and she feels like an outsider, she hopes that things will change at school. At Uni, she meets Caden and they become a pair. Caden's and subsequently Anna's obsession with Gisele (his alluring ex) leads to devastating consequences. An enthralling read, as a scientist it was nice to see laboratory work depicted correctly, I also enjoyed unraveling everyone's motives. I would highly recommend but would advise readers to look up the trigger warnings first.

Disclaimer: I received this book from NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Doubleday in exchange for a free and honest review

Apologies for the delayed review on this one, life got in the way!

I loved this novel. The writing is fantastic and the depictions of Cambridge were spectacular, as someone from Cambridge I really appreciated that. It’s a dark and creepy thriller with captivating twists and turns - highly recommend!

modern day rebecca but more insane i fear

i don’t even know where to begin with this but at first i thought this was a straightforward story about jealousy & identity & obsession only for then two? three? of the wildest twists to come out of nowhere

crazy (in the best way)

thank you to netgalley and the publisher

This novel was hyped to the point that I thought it would definitely be up my street but it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It follows Anna, an awkward scientist, to Cambridge to do her PhD where she falls for a man who treats her badly and is still in love with his ex. Nobody in Plaything is particularly appealing as a person, but what really let it down for me was that when the eventual true antagonist is revealed I had truly no idea what led them to act like that.

✨ARC✨

Bea created an extremely accurate depiction of Cambridge that perfectly framed the book. As someone from Cambridge, this was extremely nostalgic for me and I throughly enjoyed that aspect of the novel. I also found the plot to be extremely intriguing and, after a slow first third, I was hooked.

But I found all of the characters extremely unlikely that meant that there was nothing at stake. I ultimately did not care what happened to them. I also did not enjoy how the book took place during Covid-19. I want to read to escape, not to go back to horrible time of history.

⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for the advance reader copy.

This for me was a book that felt as if the blurb read a different story than what I did.
There was a lot of what felt like waffling within the story and although it’s a short book took my a while to read.

I didn’t like the characters and that can sometimes work for a story but with this one it didn’t feel like anything was happening for a long time in the story.

'It’s as futile as banging my head against the wall; though Ji-woo once said that if you did that an infinite number of times, your head would pass through – something about the vacuum in the atoms and molecules in your head lining up perfectly.'

On her way to begin her PhD in physiology at Cambridge, Anna witnesses a car wrecked in a ditch and a violent altercation between two men. She drives on, but this incident is mirrored weeks later by a sudden explosion of violence at the Eagle. Signing up to her college’s rowing team, she cycles along the river in ‘the early morning mist’ where ‘cows loomed out of the fog like ghosts’; the same riverside which is occasionally evacuated when unexploded bombs are fished out of the Cam. Plaything, Bea Setton’s sophomore novel, purports to be about the obsessive relationship between Anna and a hot physiotherapist, but feels like it’s about the destructiveness lurking beneath the flatness of everyday life. It takes about half its length to get going but once it does, it’s so worth it. As we’re warned at the start, this is not set in the Cambridge of rose gardens and King’s College Chapel but farther north along the dirty river into Chesterton and Fen Ditton, parts of the place that became familiar to me after living there for nine years but certainly weren’t when I was an undergraduate student. And Setton is an incredible, observational writer; she totally evokes Anna’s inner world, the ‘Anna Show’ she puts on to be socially acceptable and the tumbling paranoia of her actual thoughts. Because Setton is so good at tracking how Anna thinks, the occasional blip in reality when she sees something unreal makes sense rather than feeling like a writerly affectation to amp up the mood. And all of this builds to the novel’s haunting ending, when Setton both sticks the landing on a genuinely gutwrenching twist and then draws us into Anna’s growing fear, as she drives once again past the place where she saw the car wreck with the same song playing: ‘What if I’m in an infinite loop of eternal recurrence, and it’s all about to kick off again?’ Plaything doesn’t actually go meta but it’s so good on that liminal space of reality, the cows appearing from the mist, the gaps between the atoms.

This is a gripping and intense novel that delves into the darker facets of human nature and obsession. The plot centers on Anna, a brilliant PhD student at Cambridge, who becomes dangerously fixated on the mysterious Caden. This fixation, fueled by her need to truly understand him and his aloof behavior, creates a disturbing dynamic.

Despite her seemingly perfect life - being top of her cohort, having great friends, and an attractive boyfriend - Anna is haunted by an underlying menace. Her obsession extends to Caden's ex-girlfriend, Gisele, which heightens the tension. The author manages to really get into the psyche of Anna. Her psychological unraveling really draws you into her troubled mind. All working really well against the foreboding backdrop of Cambridge University.

The narrative unfolds at a deliberate pace, which, though slow, effectively mirrors the discomfort and unease of Anna's world. The characters, largely unlikeable, contribute to the novel's dark allure. While the storyline doesn't culminate in a shocking climax, it remains thought-provoking and unsettling.

Overall, I found it to be a disturbing and immersive read. Perfect for fans of psychological suspense and intricate character studies. Its eerie atmosphere and exploration of obsession make it a weirdly compelling read.

Bea Setton’s atmospheric, bordering on claustrophobic, novel centres on a Cambridge graduate student Anna. As a narrator Anna’s both difficult to like and likely unreliable. Her research revolves around lab work that requires her to kill and dissect still-breathing, small animals on an almost-industrial scale. Inside her lab she’s competent but socially she’s adrift, insecure, the possible legacy of growing up in a dysfunctional family: throughout it’s suggested Anna’s actions stem from unresolved childhood issues. By chance Anna meets Caden, an almost-unbearably beautiful man, one Anna considers technically out of her league. To her surprise they begin a relationship that finds them together during the first Covid lockdown. But there’s something Anna can’t fathom. What happened with Caden’s previous girlfriend Giselle? And is he really over her?

Setton’s narrative gradually turns into an intense portrait of obsession and self-delusion. Her depiction of Anna’s fascination with Giselle reads like a play on Rebecca: Caden’s home’s strewn with Giselle’s former possessions, his friends seem to be comparing Anna to Giselle and finding Anna lacking. Anna’s bond with Caden starts to seem more about Anna and Giselle than Caden himself – in fact beyond his looks it’s hard to understand why Anna’s attracted to him at all. Her account of his personality makes him seem vacuous and naïve. But Caden’s also concealing a wealth of emotional turmoil, something which only becomes clear when jealousy drives Anna to commit an appalling act of revenge.

Setton’s Cambridge is well-realised and convincing, based on her time there as a student. Her writing’s fluid, packed with pleasing turns of phrase and vivid descriptive passages. There’s also a tantalising, if underdeveloped, philosophical undercurrent building on Nietzsche among others, in keeping with Setton’s academic background. Setton draws interesting parallels too between Anna’s ethical confusion, her increasing distaste for the everyday slaughter that underpins her doctoral work, and her ability to detach herself from, or delude herself about, her personal interactions. The narrative itself often reminded me of Sally Rooney but less disciplined, even meandering at times. For me it’d definitely have benefited from a more ruthless edit. I wasn’t entirely convinced by the final twist/reveal either. Despite its initial promise, and numerous intriguing stretches of writing, I found my attention wandering particularly during the middle sections. Overall, this didn’t really come together for me, far less so than her debut.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Doubleday for an ARC

A messy story of obsession, love, and self-esteem. Anna is a smart PHD student in her first year at Cambridge, a brilliant backdrop for this story. While academically impressive, excelling in her studies, with a growing group of friends, she is plagued by the relatable, albeit shallow, burdens of womanhood. Insecurity from other women, at 6ft she will never be petite enough, while not unattractive she has never been considered a beauty. Her world growing up was filled with vacuous men who valued women on their looks, she was therefore, overlooked in this aspect and focused her energies on being smart, with the 'Anna show' defence.

In this novel we follow her as she falls in love with the impossibly handsome Caden, obsession tearing through the couple in different ways. The writing style was strong, with a fast pace which kept things compelling. The story moves through the pandemic period, which is actually the first book I have read about this time, and I thought it was done very well. The lockdown of isolation and disruption acted as a catalyst while not overshadowing the plot. Anna’s PHD work involves experimentation on animals which was uncomfortable to read about, but added to the stressed feeling of obsession and vulnerability, but someone call the RSPCA. Anna’s perspective felt real and relatable at times, but also strange enough that I could not always predict her reactions to events, keeping it interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

anna seems to have it all: a brilliant intellect, new friends, a fascinating phd project, and, soon, a gorgeous boyfriend. but her obsession with caden, her boyfriend, is compounded by the secrets he keeps and her feeling that, even though she’s smarter than him, she isn’t what he truly wants. in fact, all he wants is his ex-girlfriend, and as her lab dissections become larger, and a pandemic looms, anna’s obsession reaches dangerous heights…

this is a fascinating character study, and anna in particular is brilliantly drawn: she’s a compelling blend of insecurity and arrogance, which draws her deep into obsession with her boyfriend while she believes she’s better than him, and makes her friendships challenging and rich. the class and wealth dynamics are carefully depicted and cambridge is a brilliant setting for a novel like this, which really creeps under your skin. i was gripped by it throughout.

however, i can’t unreservedly recommend this because the ending was, in my opinion, very melodramatic: several twists felt out of a soap opera, and while i love dramatic irony as much as the next girl, the realism of the characters made these coincidences and dramas feel out of place and unbelievable.

thank you netgalley for sending me a review arc!

Cold and creeping like icy fingers up your spine. Loved this novel, loved the main character, Cambridge is spectacularly well described. The twists and turns are compelling. The characters fantastic. The sense of urgency is great. Brilliant psychological thriller.

**Plaything** by Bea Setton is a tense and compulsive novel exploring the darker aspects of human nature and obsession. The story follows Anna, a brilliant PhD student at Cambridge, who becomes dangerously infatuated with the enigmatic Caden. Her need to truly know him, coupled with his distant demeanour, creates a troubling dynamic.

Anna's promising life—top of her cohort, great friends, and an attractive boyfriend—hides an underlying menace. Her obsession with Caden's ex-girlfriend Gisele adds to the growing tension. Setton vividly depicts Anna's psychological descent, drawing readers into her disturbed mindset against the ominous backdrop of Cambridge University.

While the slow-paced narrative may feel long, it effectively captures the discomfort of Anna's world. The characters are mostly unlikeable, adding to the novel's dark charm. The storyline doesn't deliver a shocking climax but remains thought-provoking and unsettling.

Overall, it is a disturbing and immersive read, perfect for fans of psychological suspense and complex character studies. Its eerie atmosphere and exploration of obsession make it a compelling choice for book clubs.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

This is a deep exploration of the darker aspects of human nature with complex characters and psychological suspense. The book starts with a scene that makes you wonder is this something sinister that the storyline will be based around and although you it is mentioned again later in the book it is not a pivotal plot point. The main character Anna is obviously very articulate and an expert in her field, the author does a very good job portraying her in detail and enabling you to get inside her head. I thought that the storyline was slow and drawn out but thought this worked for that hot pandemic summer timeframe that it is set in.

Absolutely riveting read - I was hooked from the beginning, right to the end! Read in one day. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance digital copy.

This is my first experience of Bea Setton's writing, with her largely unlikeable set of characters, set amidst the ominous dark academia background of Cambridge University, and the unhinged power of obsession. Put like that, it already sounds engaging, but whilst I did read this from start to finish, it left me largely feeling indifferent to the oh so smart and ambitious Anna embarking on what should be a career defining PhD opportunity. She might be no beauty but she forms an overpoweringly unhealthy obsession with the handsome Caden, and then there is the presence of his ex-girlfriend, Gisele. Perhaps Anna's worrying family background aspects leave her ill prepared to cope with the challenges of the outside world.

The narrative itself is easy to progress through, although far too long and chaotic, and at times I did feel as if I was losing the will to live. No doubt there are other readers who love this more, so I suggest reading other reviews to help make the decision whether to read this. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

A smart girl starts her PHD in Cambridge, and finds herself in a toxic relationship with a man who cannot forget his ex. Friendships, family and self worth come into play in a dark and well written novel.