DNF @ 6%

I really did not vibe with the book, it just felt like I had to have previous knowledge of a different book that I do not think even exists.

Honestly, I liked the sound of this book and thought it would be a good book to read amongst my fantasy TBR but I struggled to get into it from the beginning. In the 5 chapters I read, it felt like too little happened and there was nothing to grab my attention to keep me reading. Maybe one day I'll try again but for now, it's a no from me. (Also Leah doesn't have social media and it appears the author doesn't either? I couldn't find anything about the book or the author online to see what anyone else was saying about the book).

I read this hoping for a female-led thriller to recommend to some of my students, but it reads more as a bloated opinion piece on the Israel-Palestine conflict than an actual book. The characters are weakly written and unintelligent (spoiler, but: if Leah entered the country with a fake passport, why did she not enroll at the school under that false identity? It would be much easier to forge school records than a passport. Also, the Disappointments show up for about 30 pages of the book total and serve as nothing more but sad backstory dumps and then some plot devices, so why they feature so heavily in the blurb I don't know, none of them seem to have any reason to like Leah besides their insistence that She's Weird, She's A Weirdo Too), plot threads are brought up and abandoned with little to no fanfare (such as the inciting incident, which is never resolved meaningfully beyond 'I'm going to deal with it, don't worry guys'; if that's being saved for the second book, then it was a poor decision), and the writing was nothing to...write...home about. Considering how much the author harps about how strange it is for teenagers not to have social media I'm disappointed to see that I can't find anything about them or the publisher to find out more about where such a strange piece came from. (Also, it's not that weird.)

It wasn’t until i started to read this book that I realised that it was not the genre I am comfortable with,but as I got into the story I became totally engrossed.I would not hesitate to read more from this author,I am sure that there must be a follow up to this story as the end lends itself to one,well done Mr Bjorn looking to more from you.

I really enjoyed this and flew through it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This is a suspenseful thriller that reveals danger and secrets. After Leah Teague witnesses a murder in Rio de Janeiro, her life takes a terrible turn. She has few allies as the web of global politics and corruption closes in around her. A thrilling story of betrayal and survival.....
Warning.... Must Read....