A great story showing how challenging relationships can be and if it is really what people want to see from the outside.

A really hard read at times but potentially everyone should try this book. It covers domestic abuse and coercive control and it’s thought provoking. All subjects that need highlighting to show how hard it is to, not only be in an abusive relationship but get out of it and the damage that is left. Coercion is sadly brilliantly detailed. I lease read!

Thanks for sending me an advanced copy of this book. I must admit, it took me a while to get into it because of various things going on. However, once I actually felt more interested in the story, I enjoyed it very much. It was especially interesting to see Cassie’s obsession with Liam invading her every thought, leading to what was a surprise for me. No issues with the writing and the story at all. Great characters. Thank you.
#NetGalley #Sweat

I picked this up because I was interested in the idea that fitness -- an obsession with it -- could be the thing that explodes a relationship. It's not a far fetched concept: exercise and diet have long been used as tools to control, intimidate and manipulate. In this book, we see what happens when those abuses of power are coming from a partner who you love.
Can you, indeed, love someone who abuses you? It's the age old question and this book does not set out to answer it.

Instead, Emma Healey gives us a woman whose vulnerability and naivety lead her into a relationship with a man who is obsessed with the idea of wellness and displays his own kind of desperation for companionship.
In his hands, this perfectly normal need is twisted into a quest to carve his girlfriend's body and mind into something "good", "fit", "healthy". "disciplined" -- all the buzzwords you'll see on a brochure for the gym.

These two volatile people create a situation where there can be no winners: she's losing her grip on reality and he is allowed to let his maniacal tendencies roam to their logical conclusion.

It is difficult to find an objective party, because the cast of the book can also only have opinions based on how deeply diet culture, patriarchy, sexism and a myriad other social and interpersonal -isms allow them to. Ultimately, this is about how you could one day find yourself in a relationship that you have to survive. And what will you do then?

If Cass, the female main character, were a person in the real world, I would avoid her: she is reckless and her insecurities have turned her into a prickly person that you can't get through to. But I would still be on her side because the other thing this book shows us is how easily a woman can be destroyed at the hands of a man.

It's a tough one, and my heart was racing throughout. But I'm glad I finished the book.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book and the plot is actually quite simple in many ways, but it’s an intriguing story nonetheless. The complexities of the relationship between cassie and Liam were really well drawn and there was a palpable sense of tension throughout most of the book. Liam was a little one-dimensional at times, in that he didn’t seem to have a single redeeming feature, and the coincidence of how they meet again is a little far fetched, but overall I really enjoyed it.

Looking forward to more from the author. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I was asked to review this book by NetGalley but boy was this harrowing - I had a difficult childhood so thing like this always disturb me- abusive behavoiur, violence, eating disorders, attempted murder and suicide thrown into the mix.

Cassie is working as a personal trainer after she has left an abusive relationship with her ex, Liam. But, when Liam comes back into her life, Cassie has got the upper hand and readers see her behave in a difficult way- which readers will understand.

Told in two timelines although uncomfortable you want to know what happens.

The beauty of book reviewing is that you read books you would never think about picking up and in a way glad I did

Well written and compulsive story telling.

First of all can I just say that my star rating is just my opinion, I know that there will be lots of readers who will love this book but sadly it wasn't for me.
The story is written over two timelines and it does flow beautifully from one to the other.
Cassie and Liam are in a relationship but it is clear from the start that it is a relationship where Liam has complete control, a control that is all consuming, a control that Liam keeps with sweet gestures amidst anger and abuse, a relationship where he convinces Cassie that everything that he does is for her benefit.
Liam is a fitness freak and by both mental and physical abuse he aims to change Cassie into a person of his choosing, a person who will obey him, a person who can't exist without him, he regulates her food, he regulates her exercise, he body shames her, he pushes her way past her limits, he tracks her movements, she is totally under his control.
When circumstances change and Cassie is in control she is out for revenge and she seeks it in the most disturbing ways.
I found a lot of this story disturbing and some of Cassie's methods were quite nauseating but having said that, Liam's treatment of Cassie was beyond abusive and controlling.
The problems that I had with this story are, firstly that I didn't like any of the characters, secondly, why did Cassie stay with Liam, OK, I do know that this scenario is quite common in reality, thirdly I fail to see that, although he was blind, being in close contact with someone that you have lived with and not recognising them is beyond belief, I have worked with blind patients and they almost always knew which nurses approached their beds before they even spoke, lastly I think that Liam's abuse and Cassie's revenge went on a tad too long.
On the plus side the author has confronted controlling behaviour, poor body image, paranoia and addictive behaviour really well and has written a quite unexpected ending.
Thank you to Net Gallery for this ARC, my review is totally voluntary.

Really enjoyed this new offering from Emma Healey, it’s clear from previous books that hooks are what this author excels in and SWEAT definitely delivered. I especially enjoyed the slow unraveling of the main character; at first I was on her side, what she went through was clearly terrible and inexcusable, but then her methods of revenge aren’t exactly above board either. I loved the slow revealing of the last, I thought narratively it was very clever how the author uses little prompts from Cassie’s current life and surroundings to prompt the flashbacks.

Overall I found this a really enjoyable read. Cassie’s reactions seemed overblown at points but I think this was.a deliberate showcase of how her mental state was plummeting. Would definitely recommend.

I'm not quite sure how to describe this book. It's a difficult read for a number of reasons - trigger warnings for coercive control; emotional abuse and eating disorders for starters. The story is told through the present as seen by Cassie, the protagonist, and also by flashbacks to the earlier relationship and experiences of Cassie with Liam. I didn't like Cassie at the start, when I didn't know some of her back story. I found her vindictive, petty and quite hateful. This made it a slow start for me and I left long gaps between reading, Then, all of a sudden about a third of the way through, I was transfixed and couldn't put it down. I wanted to know more of the history and I wanted to know how far Cassie would be willing to go in her 'revenge'. There's so much personal unravelling in here which makes it really difficult at times, but I've also found it very thought provoking and reflective about women who do experience this type of abuse and the lack of understanding and support which (sometimes) they find in friends and family. I find myself thinking about this book even though I finished it a day or so ago and have already started my next. Did I enjoy it? I'm not sure that's the right description here, but it did make me empathise with Cassie, and all the partners in the same position as her.

I couldn't read this fast enough to see how it played out where the abused became the abuser.

This is quite a dark and twisted storyline. Neither of the MC's were likeable. I did strangely feel a small amount empathy towards both of them as it revealed what the other had done.

It's not what I call an enjoyable read. It made me feel sick, horrified, and cringing at what happened, but I couldn't put it down.

This book was intriguing because it is very topical and made it easy to relate to because we all face many of the issues.

The author must be congratulated for creativity and innovation. The book itself is about health, friendships, relationships and mental issues. There is a lot to think about.

In most suspenseful books the challenge for the reader is to discover who is the “baddie”! This book also challenges you to find the “goodie”! I found that tricky to grasp.

I am glad I read the book but have to admit it was not “my cup of tea”.

This book was an ok read and is also a difficult subject to get to grips with. Cassie is a personal trainer and her partner Liam is the same. Cassie is happy sticking to regimes in her own way but Liam becomes obsessive to the point of cruel. The relationship hangs on but eventually breaks when Cassie finds she cannot deal with the control Liam is placing on her and it is making her stressed to the point of depression. Cassie leaves the relationship and makes a new life for herself and it is all going ok and then… The gym is taking new people who need extra help and she is asked to help a young blind man regain his fitness. In walks Liam which throws Cassie a curve ball. Is he really blind, has he managed track her down. All emotions go through her mind. She begins to train Liam and feels he has indeed lost his sight. Rightly or wrongly Cassie feels she can get her own back on all the trauma he instilled in her and this is what she decides to do in a small way. Eventually she finds out what has happened to Liam via one of his friends who coerces her into a terrible situation. As I was reading this book I decided in my head what would happen towards the close but I could not have been more wrong. An ending I was not expecting at all. Enough said about that as do not want to spoil the plot

"Sweat" by Emma Healey probably wasn't what I expected when I read the blurb. It is much darker and contains scenes of domestic abuse, coercion and controlling behaviour around food and fitness. However, I did enjoy reading it and wanted to find out how Cassie got out of her abusive relationship and how she was going to exact revenge. Some scenes weren't that realistic but it was an entertaining read.

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House UK Cornerstone and Emma Healey for this ARC. This book was simultaneously gripping and terrifying. It follows our main character Cassie, a personal trainer who comes face to face with her ex partner in a unique situation.

The characters in this book were all unlikeable but that was part of what made it so intriguing. It was impossible to predict what would happen next in any given moment.

There were definitely parts of the book that were very difficult to read, a key theme is coercive control in a prior romantic relationship. I would not pick this book up if emotional or physical domestic abuse is a trigger for you. I would recommend it for fans of thrillers with dark storylines, the story felt similar in tone to 'boy parts' but with lower stakes.

I'm rating this book 4 instead of 5 stars because it did feel slow in parts, especially in the middle and the end felt quite rushed.

This was a very dark read and had lots of upsetting parts in places. It includes abuse and control through food and although it's a very difficult read in places it's very eye opening.

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy

Sweat's protagonist is Cassie, a young woman who, having left her coercive boyfriend, is working at a gym as a PT. After the gym owner offers half price sessions to people with disabilities, Cassie's ex turns up at the gym - and he's now blind. The premise is great but, for me, the story never quite lived up to its promise.

The story is told across two timelines. In the present day, she is single, working at a gym and now dealing with the reemergence of the ex-boyfriend. Their relationship is told through repeated flashback and that device meant that, for me, there was a loss of tension and a lack of momentum to the story as we kept switching between timelines. Cassie in the present day does begin to take 'action' but I found her responses quite unbelievable. Most of the characters lacked depth and nuance so I couldn't understand just why her mum would respond in the way that she does.

I wasn't sure what the story was about - if it is a revenge story it doesn't work for me as Cassie doesn't really take revenge. Without the build up of tension and any precision to the narrative, it doesn't work as a psychological thriller either.

It will find its audience and other reviewers seem to love it but, for me, it fails on plot and on characterisation.

What a psychological thriller! Sweat really made me sweat as I read it nonstop to get to the end and find out what happens. It was worth the rush, as this page turner kept getting more and more interesting. Emma Healey has delivered again. Talk about relationships, power and control and this pulse racing novel delivers. The context? A character called Liam who wants to help Cassie reach her full potential. He encourages here to push her body to new extremes. And he always knows best. But he pushes her beyond her limits and she walks away from their toxic relationship. Cassie gets stronger, fitter, more determined and healthier. And they meet again, two years latter. You've got to read it to find out what happens next!

This book definitely needs to come with trigger warnings to any who has been in an abusive relationship, anyone with food related disorder or exercise OCD.

Cassie is finally away from her boyfriend Liam, who said he loved her and only wanted her to be he best. But in pushing her to be her best he pushed her too far and controlled her, even what she ate.

Now Liam is back, and Cassie pretends to be someone else to continue to be his personal trainer. The only difference now is that Liam is blind and Cassie holds all the power to control and get revenge.

The story is quite disturbing due to the main character, Cassie, coming out of an abusive relationship with Liam. Cassie does go back into her history to highlight times of the abuse, which at times is an uncomfortable read.

The story itself is an easy, fast paced read, which is very tense at times.

This was a tough read for me. I found the content harrowing, and often had to take breaks in the middle of reading to compose myself. This was primarily due to my own personal experiences and is not a criticism of the novel, however I do think it is important to point out to readers that this book centres around an abusive relationship and disordered eating. If you're more sensitive to those topics, I would recommend giving this novel a miss.

Aside from that, I thought this was a strong novel from Emma Healey. The story was engaging and perfectly paced, and Healey seamlessly switched between the past and present day in a way that maintained the momentum of the plot and kept me gripped throughout. Additionally, the characters were complex and well-written; I found myself heartbroken for Cass yet deeply frustrated at her choices, an indication that Healey did a good job of communicating the complex emotions one might experience when dealing with an abusive partner. My only criticism is that I felt Liam had very few redeeming qualities, giving no logical reason for Cass to want to stay with him besides his companionship. I think the positive side of their relationship could have been explored a bit more to make sense of this.

The reason I'm not giving this book a higher rating is that I felt something was missing from the final chapters. Cass is physically and psychologically abused throughout the novel, yet this is never directly addressed in the text. Rather, the reader is assumed to understand that Liam's behaviour is abusive and immoral. Cass never discusses why she stayed with Liam for so long or whether her perspectives changed after escaping the relationship. Her belief of Liam's teachings, that it was right for her to starve, to practice discipline and self-control, was never corrected - the book even ends with a (distasteful) quip about calorie control. Though I appreciate that Cass's outlook may not have changed, I feel the book needed someone to reaffirm that Cass was abused, that Liam's behaviour was inexcusable, and that their attitudes towards food and exercise were unhealthy.

Thank you to Penguin Random House, Cornerstone and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Sweat made me laugh, cringe with discomfort and at one point, dramatically gasp and cover my mouth. I flew through it, desperate to find out what protagonist Cassie would do given the opportunity to turn the tables on her ex, who previously controlled all aspects of her life under the guise of keeping her fit and healthy. A great, entertaining novel!