Fifty Minutes by Carla Jenkins is a tense and captivating psychological drama that explores the emotional depths of its characters within the confined space of a therapy session. Jenkins masterfully builds suspense as the clock ticks, revealing hidden secrets, personal traumas, and unexpected twists that keep readers on edge. The novel delves into themes of identity, self-reflection, and the complexities of human relationships, all within the span of fifty minutes. With its sharp dialogue and intense focus on the internal struggles of its characters, Fifty Minutes is an engrossing and thought-provoking read that leaves readers contemplating the profound impact of a single hour in a person’s life.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book, the comparisons to My Dark Vanessa. This is a story following a client who gets involved with her therapist. A toxic relationship. The problem for me was that the illicit affair doesn’t actually start until halfway through the book at the 50%, which felt a little too late. When the affair starts it’s like Richard Goode as had a personality transplant because his behaviour is so unexpected with zero build-up or suggestions from his end of there being an attraction. The ending too felt very rushed.

This is a story narrated from Dani, a 20-year old young woman, who has dropped out of university because of her bulimia which has gotten out of control. TW: graphic scenes of bulimia.
To help her overcame this eating disorder she starts therapy that lasts approximately 50 minutes per week at £80 an hour. She has a job working in a restaurant and she’s living with her sister and her boyfriend which has its own set of problems. Dani is messy and self-sabotaging. She can be quite unlikeable too, I felt and while I was engaged, she can be also quite a frustrating character to root for. The story is very slice-of-life, written in a linear way. I just felt the book wasn’t marketed accurately as the forbidden affair happens only in the second half of the book.

I was drawn to this book due to the comparison with My Dark Vanessa. Fifty Minutes certainly sensitively covers dark themes and highlighted the risk of abuse from the inherent power difference between therapist and client. Although an immersive read, ultimately the prose fell flat when compared to My Dark Vanessa. Perhaps if I went in without expectations of how similarities to My Dark Vanessa. I would have enjoyed Fifty Minutes more in its own right.

Quite dark/intense in theme and content but felt like the author was careful and did her research, so would recommend.

You can’t help but feel for the MC Dani, I felt protective over her and invested in her story.

Wonderfully written and covers some heavy topics. I liked how the author was sensitive to these topics but didn’t hold back on exploring them and Dani.

4.5⭐️ for a book covering many darker themes. The therapeutic relationship between Dani and therapist Richard was compulsive reading. I liked the way the author dealt with issues sensitively but also with a no holds barred approach which gave the writing authenticity. Highlighting abuses of power in an unregulated profession, and Dani’s internal struggles, I was satisfied with the outcomes and look forward to more from this debut author in future. Highly recommend

Dark, gripping and intense, Fifty minutes had me hooked!

I was really impressed that this was a debut novel. The author has clearly done her research, and whilst this was an uncomftable read, there are so many important issues discussed and highlighted throughout.
The toxic, disturbing relationship between Dani & Richard her therapist really made for tense reading.
My only issue and the reason for 4 stars, was the ending felt alittle rushed to me. Considering the big build up to how it all exploded between them, I would have liked to have seen Dani more settled in her life, although she was on the right track. There was quite afew loose ends which I'm not the biggest lover of personally.

This was a fast paced, bold read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm excited to see where this author goes next with her work!

This is quite a dark and heavy book to read. The author has clearly researched the subject well and it is great if someone is suffering from an ED.

I found Fifty Minutes to be a thought-provoking and unexpectedly well-crafted exploration of the dark side of psychotherapy, where therapists do more harm than good. It is raw and uncomfortable reading, and at times, it almost feels voyeuristic as we, the readers, have such unfettered access into Dani's unfiltered thoughts, emotions, and experiences.

In Dani, Jenkins has created a complex, multidimensional character who I quickly became emotionally invested in. I was rooting for her throughout, willing her not to make the impulsive decisions she makes and cringing when she texts and texts Richard, her therapist, desperate to hear from him.

Somehow, despite being the ultimate stereotype arrogant psychotherapist (handsome, educated, rich, condescending), Jenkins makes Richard a realistic character. His behaviour is utterly reprehensible, and reading this should make you angry because this is a real issue that has destroyed the lives of vulnerable individuals.

My only slight criticism is that the ending felt rushed, as though the author decided last-minute to provide a more conclusive ending and crammed it into a few pages.

Released in May 2024, Fifty Minutes was praised as a bold and propulsive debut — and I couldn’t agree more.

The book follows 20-year-old Dani seeking to overcome an eating disorder in therapy with 51-year-old Richard. When subsided flirtation transforms into romance, things take a turn for the worse...

Shocking in its truth about the appeal of people in power, Fifty Minutes challenges the role of vulnerable women exploited by the age-gap dynamic, giving agency to victims while revealing their often hidden thoughts within a situation that is bound to end in tears.

Fifty Minutes is an uncomfortable, controversial and thought-provoking read — from denying abuse to understanding its hold, the book won’t leave you indifferent.

I enjoyed the moments of honesty and rawness at points, as the darkness and mistrust builds up I felt myself wanting Dani to do the right thing even though her judgement was clouded.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for the arc in exchange of an honest review

This was a strong, emotional read. It's about a girl seeking professional help for her bulimia after dropping out of university. Her therapist then abuses their professional relationship and we follow the story and see how this evolves and progresses. It's a though read and the author manages to pull on the heartstring and play well with your emotions.

I have been so looking forward to reading Fifty Minutes and it did not disappoint, It’s an intense and powerful novel which explores what happens when a middle aged psychotherapist abuses the client /therapist relationship.. 20 year old Dani is extremely vulnerable when she starts seeing therapist Richard Goode, After dropping out of university she is lodging with her sister and working as a kitchen porter while struggling with an eating disorder and grieving the death of her father.
I am really drawn to reading novels about therapists and this is probably the best one I’ve read. It’s so raw and so beautifully written. The author takes the reader deep into Dani’s life and I felt myself wanting to protect her from her abusive therapist. I was so immersed in this novel and thought of it constantly when I wasn’t reading it. It made me so angry and yet I had hope for Dani and her future.
A stunning novel that will stay with me for a long time. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

I got to page 20 and realized this book is not for me. The MC, seeking help in therapy for her bulimia, is so psychologically troubled that I felt weighed down by her life. Life is hard enough without immersing yourself in another's craziness!