This was a real headache of a novel, but in a good way. Or at least, a well written way. The plot felt like a gut punch, early on in the story Rose is raped but she doesn’t remember it, nor can she bring herself to admit this to anyone. Her life seemingly falls apart around her after this night, and she struggles to admit it to herself. There’s several uncomfortable moments where she battles with her own anxiety and trauma, and I was desperately hoping someone would help her, or at least that she would help herself. Her struggles are unfortunately not uncommon, every woman knows someone who has been in Rose’s situation. This entire book was so difficult to read, but it was handled with care and brings to light such an important topic. Hats off to Petter for this heartbreaking story.

I was disappointed by this. I think I felt it had too many side stories that prevented it from fully exploring the main storyline. It felt a bit shallow. I really wanted to like it and just didn't.

This is a novel set in 2017, just before the Metoo movement kicked off. It follows Rose, a 20-something young woman working in publicity for celebrities. One night she manages to snag a popular musician as a client for an event and the two begin messaging until one night he invites her over and they have sex. Until the next morning when Rose awakes and finds she’s bleeding but can’t remember what happened the night before…
This was a rather odd book for me. It wasn’t quite a thriller and the story doesn’t kick off until about a third of the way too and even then Rose doesn’t quite realise she was raped until the very end. I felt like the story ended too soon. I think my issue is that they are too many Metoo thrillers/suspense books being published and now that in 2024 we’re seeing the reality (with few men actually being punished and criminals being given another chance with Weinstein’s conviction overturned and Trump likely to run for election again - rather depressing) books set over five years ago are starting to feel dated for me, personally. I felt Gold Rush meandered; there is way too much telling and not enough showing. I also found Rose honestly rather bland and boring. The narrative lacks voice, it lacks bite. The book re-hash topics and themes that have been explored to death. Plus I have a critique regarding a pivotal scene, which I’d rather not put in this review as it’s a major spoiler.
Overall this is an okay-ish debut exploring events in the run-up to Metoo. It doesn’t particularly say anything new or different bear in mind.

An interesting and thought-provoking novel. This was, undeniably, a thoroughly addictive read - I finished it in one sitting - but once it was over, it left me feeling a little unfulfilled.

Set in London in the summer of 2017, post-Brexit and pre-Me Too, Gold Rush follows Rose, who wakes up having just spent the night with the most famous man on the planet. The only problem? She can't quite remember it... Interrogating sex, consent, and celebrity culture, Gold Rush deftly and sensitively portrays the aftermath of a traumatic sexual encounter. As Rose struggles to come to terms with the encounter - unable to label it assault, even to herself - Petter isn't afraid of ambiguity, offering readers a messy, complex, and ultimately very nuanced depiction of a topic that is often rendered in stark black and white.

By diving into the minutiae of Rose's day job - working as a publicist for a high-profile, traditional print media company - Petter does a great job of bringing readers into the high-gloss world of celebrities, influencers, and exclusive parties from the perspective of the perpetual outsider, as well as portraying the dissonance inherent in returning to 'everyday life' in the wake of immense personal tragedy.

But this idea of Rose as the perpetual outsider is where the novel kind of fell apart for me. Gold Rush offers a half-hearted commentary on class, portraying Rose as a working-class woman raised by a single mother, who forgoed a promising career as an artist after realising the art world was essentially an exclusive club. But Rose has essentially swapped one club for another, working in an industry where nepotism is rampant, and all her co-workers are someone's nephew or favoured god-child: people who already had their foot in the door. Rose's day job means that her life intersects with the very wealthy, the very badly-behaved, and the very entitled - but her personal life is filled with these characters also. She attends dinner parties at an old uni-friend's town house, where the party-goers sniff ketamine and drink Laurent-Perrier from the bottle; she spends the weekend at her school friends' family estate in Salisbury, a veritable castle, for a disastrous hen do. She lives with Luce, her oldest friend, in a flat Luce's parents own in central London, on a reduced rent - but as their friendship splinters, Luce lords this over her, suddenly doubling Rose's share of the rent in the middle of an argument. Rose and Luce's devolving friendship was one of the most interesting components of the novel for me - but ultimately its breakdown felt rushed, and somewhat ridiculous. This was heightened by the ending, Oliver's chapter (which I really did not like), and the epilogue, which all felt surprising;y after-school special to me, after the purposeful ambiguity of the rest of the novel.

Ultimately, I felt that whilst Petter is clearly a great writer, with a detailed understanding of the world that she's depicting, for me, this novel took a controversial subject and used it to tread familiar ground. I wished Petter had dived more into the class system underscoring this world of celebrity, wealth, influence, and social capital - particularly as it is set in the UK, where public attention is increasingly turning to the fact that the majority of British celebs are privately educated at a select group of schools. But, I commend her for her sensitive portrayal of sexual assault, and the messy emotions experienced in the aftermath. I will still definitely be recommending this book to readers, and particularly to anyone looking for a pick for a book club book, as I feel the topics within would make for great discussion.

“You better watch out for what you wish for”- had that line from Celebrity Skin popping into my head while I was reading- sex, money, gender and fame in the bad olden days pre-#metoo and an important reminder that we could never have gone too far.

As someone who loves a Hollywood book this is such an interesting and important read. Especially since the Me Too movement p. I hope it raises awareness for women to speak out and share their stories as a cautionary tale.