I wasn’t too keen on this one, but that’s probably my personal preference. Thank you to the writer publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to review this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I found this one really uncomfortable to read but was gripped throughout.

Cassie got out of an abusive relationship. She finds a new job as a Personal Trainer, and her ex-boyfriend turns up to her gym, but the twist is he is now blind. The power shift is illustrated by flashbacks to the abuse where her ex clearly had all the power, to the current day where she seemingly has the power... but what will she do with it?

This is clearly a thoroughly researched novel and should come with some trigger warnings. The lasting effects of an abusive relationship are demonstrated in the story, along with the loss of friendships, people thinking you are being over dramatic, and also the codependency that can develop. The added layer of the control over food and exercise was also really unnerving as it is an obsession for mamy of us that can so easily get out of hand and have negative consequences.

I didn't see the ending coming at all!

Thank you to @netgalley and Cornerstone for the opportunity to review.

Publication date is 30th January 2025.

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I was intrigued by the premise of this thriller - and knew Emma Healey to be a skilled writer, having enjoyed ‘Elizabeth is Missing’ a couple of years ago.

This novel felt like quite a departure from her previous works - entering the generation Z world of HIIT workouts and protein shakes. However, I found the characters completely (and scarily) believable.

What would you do if your ex abuser walked into your workplace completely blind - and therefore at your mercy? Would you walk away - or would the temptation of being in control take over? This is exactly what happens to Cassie when Liam - the creator of her gym-honed body - walks into the gym where she works as a personal trainer.

By turns entertaining and chilling, I was gripped throughout - a great read, with a great ending!

This is a compelling yet dark and uncomfortable read with trigger warnings around coercive control, eating disorders and abusive relationships.
Cassie had left her abusive partner Liam but is suddenly faced with him again when he turns up at the gym she works at following a health issue which had caused him to experience blindness. Is this an opportunity for Cassie to exert revenge over the man that controlled her life around food and exercise or is he manipulating her once again?
The story is recounted across two different timelines so we experience the present with Cassie seemingly having the power and control alongside the time when Cassie and Liam were together and he very much held the power.
A well written book with lots of thought-provoking issues raised.
I am grateful to NetGalley and the author for an advanced reader copy of this book.

The book started off really well but i didn't enjoy the ending. Cassie used to enjoy being pushed by her PT boyfriend to get fitter and healthier but it soon starts to become abusive and toxic
I found it a bit unbelievable that when she had a new client who was blind, that he wouldn't recognise the voice of someone he'd been in a relationship with

Having read Elizabeth is Missing some years ago, a new Emma Healey book seemed promising.

Sweat is a very challenging book.

This is the story of Cassie who finds herself the survivor of a frightening coercive relationship-under the control of fitness fanatic Liam who controls her life down to what she eats, how she breathes at night, her relationship with friends and so much more

Some time after the relationship ends Cassie meets Liam again but in very different and somewhat reversed circumstances- Cassie now has the control. Set against the backdrop of the world of gyms and fitness which again weave a control over people in today's instagram driven/likes society - this is a frightening read about life of today

This is an uncomfortable read - there is no light way to treat coercion but is 'an eye for an eye' the solution.

Cassie has been so damaged by Liam and his manipulative nature that even her family doubt her words and when she finds her path to retribution her closest friend cannot support her.

This is a story of obsession, a story that mirrors society's obsession with fitness and regime and denying pleasure but ultimately this is a story about the horrendous and hidden nature of victimisation experienced by so so many people

You are pulled through the story by the sense of foreboding towards wanting to know the outcome ... every story of coercion is different and fortunately society and the legal system is waking up to this horrendous "everyday ' crime. Does Cassie make the right choices? Are her actions a direct result of the damaged inflicted upon her ? Could she or should she have taken another path?

This is a claustrophobic read and if you have experienced any coercive actions then it may be too much. This a book that will be talked about . It is like a thriller and the toxicity is palpable.

An important focus on a difficult theme but not an easy read .

A difficult, yet insightful read....taking you into a world of unhealthy relationships.
The complex, toxic nature of the main characters seeped into the bones of me.......weighing me down and keeping me hooked, in equal measure.
Full of tension, a well crafted and disturbing tale, that stayed with me long after I had closed the last page.

I really wasn't sure what to expect with this but it's a novel which, gripped me. It's a story of psychological abuse and eating disorders. Cassie has been dating Liam for a number of months having quickly moved in with him. What transpires during their time together is a catalogue of horrendous abuse as he puts her on a fitness regime and strict diet; no more than 500 calories a day which have to consist of the right nutrients. He slowly tears her away from her close-knit female friends making her dependent on him.
She manages to escape however only for him to turn up one day at her current gym where she is a PT. Liam has a tumour which has made him blind unless he has an operation.
The gym happens to have a cut-price offer for those with 'needs" and Cassie is assigned to him. Over the course of 10 weeks she devises equally abhorrent ways to punish him for his torture of her. At times you actually feel sorry for him as he accepts Cassie's dangerous methods of training until Healey cleverly switches back to focus on what he did previously. At times it was difficult to empathise with either of them as we are taken down the rabbit hole of Cassie's mind, which is seriously damaged. Despite this however, as a reader I was fully invested and had difficulty putting this down.
About three quarters of the way in you realise that Cassie has a serious problem with her own body image. It is her who restricts herself, pushing herself through rigorous training and watching what she eats. Her close friend Tanya feels she is judged on her body shape having given birth to two children. It is quite shocking.
The end is one I didn't see coming but felt that it was right. Healey managed to knit everything to perfection, as hints we never questioned became important observations.
I have to give this a 5* rating and thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read it ahead of publication.

I am not sure how I felt about this book as I found it quite a difficult read. I just wanted Liam and Cass to get on, but I guess that wouldn't make a gripping story.

It shows how two people supposedly to be in love can do such damage to each other.

I felt the ending to be a bit odd.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC.

Trigger warnings - abuse, coercive control, disordered eating, exercise OCD, food control, attempted murder.

(Unfortunately) I could relate to the main character, Cass and her relationship with Liam. This made the book a hard read at times, but definitely worth it.

The author has brilliantly captured some absolutely brutal scenes. How she has managed this and then found a balance of moving on to something else is amazing. She has really shown the depth of what can be reality for some, and how it can be misconstrued or excused.

I love how the book is told on two timelines, I think this really gives you a chance to get to know Cass & Liam.

I really didn’t enjoy Cass’ mum & dad as characters - although maybe this was intentional, I just felt like they could have been better. Would have loved to have seen them develop more and get more involved.

One thing I couldn’t get past was Liam not knowing Cass’ voice, even with the accent change. Maybe this is just something I’ve honed in on too much. But it’s definitely one of my main reasons I’ve not given the book 5 stars. Sorry!

This book was a real page-turner for me, but I was disappointed with the ending. It felt really rushed and an anti-climax after what was such a descriptive, tense book.

I have to say this book is like nothing I’ve read before - in a good way! I think it has covered some really important topics, in a very realistic and relatable way. I’m glad that I got the chance to read the ARC and I would definitely recommend. I’ll be looking out for this author now, I’m very interested in her other work.

Thanks NetGalley!

Sweat BY EMMA HEALEY

Two people that have issues come together and use forms of control on each other and themselves to put meaning and self worth in their lives.
They are abusive to each other.
The abuse gets deeper and more warped as time goes on.
Did the original abuser create the other?

When two people come together and feed on each other’s insecurities and bring out the very worst in each other.

Toxicity at its finest.

Fancy a read?

Cassie split from her boyfriend Liam a while ago as he was obsessive and controlling and whilst she liked the transformation of her mind and body, he took things too far. She now works at a gym as a trainer and they have just opened up to be more inclusive to those with disabilities. She is taken aback to find her first of these clients is none other than Liam who now claims to be blind, something Cassie doesn't quite believe at first. She changes her name when around him and her intonation to disguise her voice and does occasional things to check if he is really blind. We find out more about how controlling Liam was and what lengths he would go to, to spy on Cassie.

This is a story about a control and in parts an abusive, toxic relationship. Cassie has managed to take the step to freedom and is now torn between doing the right thing and getting revenge. There are two timelines, one of the relationship in the past and the current one where Cassie is training the blind Liam. It's clever, it's twisty and for anyone who has been in such circumstances a reminder of how powerful coercive control can be and that when in such a relationship it's often hard to see the wood from the trees, what is the real normal and what you think it might be at the time. A very enjoyable, different read.


For more reviews please follow me on Twitter (X) @nickisbookblog
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What a stressful book! Why did Cassie have so many awful people in her life? Obviously there's a clear baddie but I would gladly give her mum a smack.
I think this is my favourite Emma Healey book so far, even though it made me tense and angry.

I loved this book! I loved the author anyway so knew I would get on with this one so this was an easy choice to make and I devoured it.

I really wanted to like this book, but just couldn't get into it, despite trying a couple of times. I just seemed to get lost with the characters.

Sadly, this book wasn't for me, but I will try again another time.

Thank you for the opportunity.

I love Emma Healey’s writing - her clever plotting, deft characterisation and the way she tightens the tension beautiful. This novel is a great example of all of these.

A well written tight thriller, taut with tension throughout. This is a disturbing tale of fitness/nutrition addiction wrought with twisted manipulation, revenge and obsession.

I was keen to read this as I had previously enjoyed “Elizabeth is Missing”. "Sweat" however, is a very different read to her previous work. It’s a gripping thriller about the dark sides of abusive relationships. Cassie, a personal trainer, tries to rebuild her life after leaving her controlling ex-boyfriend, Liam. When Liam, now blind, returns as her client, Cassie sees a chance for revenge. The story shifts between past and present, showing the abuse Cassie endured and her fight to regain control.

The book is intense and engaging, though its heavy themes can be disturbing and it may not be suitable for those sensitive to domestic abuse content.

A thought-provoking thriller with complex characters.

This was a thought provoking book, which felt very different to Emma Healey’s previous work. I felt that Liam was very much a villain and felt completely beyond redemption for much of the book. I struggled to understand why the parents liked him when he was clearly so rude to them. The sentencing at the end of the book felt a little off but overall an enthralling read.

Formatting wouldnt translate onto my device, so couldnt read it,

So will provide positve views in remainder of questions as this isnt the authors fault!