I hardly read thrillers, but I was hooked from the start and I really enjoyed it! As someone who likes to watch reality tv shows from time to time, it was so much fun to read about Maggies POV whilst she was on the show, as well as what happened after the show. The multiple POVs was something I really enjoyed as well. At first I wouldn’t have guessed who murdered Maggie, but then I had a suspicion and in the end I found out I was right.

WOOW OKAY!!!
This was sooo good - I didn't think I would be enjoying it this much!
Cosy crime
Unputdownable
Page turner!!

The premise of this book is fantastic, and I think it truly delivered. The mystery was engaging, well thought out, and kept me hooked from the very start. I especially loved the dating show element. The second half was my favorite. Once the plot picked up and more pieces of the mystery came to light, I couldn’t put it down.
That said, I struggled to connect with some of the main characters, especially Emma and Amanda. Their actions and thoughts didn’t resonate with me, and Amanda’s storyline and chapters were my least favorite. The only character I really connected with was Jill.
While the ending felt a bit predictable, it still managed to make me feel every emotion, and overall, this was a fast, addictive, and really enjoyable read.

Catriona Stewart delivers a gripping murder mystery wrapped in the glitzy, cut-throat world of reality TV and influencer culture. Told across multiple viewpoints, including the tantalising flashbacks from the victim, Maggie, the novel cleverly peels back the façade of fame, exposing its darker layers. The fast pacing and the unpredictable twists make it a compelling, binge-worthy read  .

A gripping debut mystery thriller that delivers exactly what you want from a summer read; pacy storytelling, multiple POVs, dual timelines, and just the right amount of twists to keep you turning the pages.

The story centers around the murder of Maggie, a rising star and recent winner of a dating reality show. As her sister Emma and Emma’s best friend and roommate Jill dig deeper into the events leading up to Maggie’s death, the novel jumps between timelines and perspectives, unraveling secrets bit by bit.

While the characters and storyline lean more toward the surface level, that actually enhances the experience here. The lack of overly complex plotting or deep character introspection makes this a breezy, absorbing read, ideal for a holiday or beach day. It's suspenseful without being overwhelming, and I appreciated that it didn't try to do too much. Sometimes simplicity, when done well, is the sweet spot.

With its clever reveals and enough misdirection to keep me guessing, People Pleaser is a solid debut and one that will definitely appeal to fans of fast, fun thrillers.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House UK and Cornerstone for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I’ll be keeping an eye out for what Catriona Stewart does next.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
🏝️ Preface the review by stating I don’t and have never watched Love Island, or had interest in it and this book was GOOD and kinda enforced my not watching it lmaooo
🏚️ Maggie became famous on a reality show called Love Shack, then got murdered a few years after (a ‘Love Shack curse’ already existed and then this!! 😂)
👀 Multiple POV, mainly Emma (murdered Maggie’s sister), Maggie, and Emma’s questionable BFF Jill. There was also Amanda, but she was annoying so let’s pretend she didn’t exist
📺 After Maggie died, Emma decides to watch the show for the first time for unseen footage of her sis which prompts the POV change and we experience the episode being filmed from Maggie’s POV. This was fun! It meant we knew more than Emma did at some points

😌 Fans of Love Island, shitty reality TV would likely enjoy!! If you’re looking to get into thrillers, or for a quick easy read, this would be a good shout!

It took me a while to get into the book, but enjoyed it once I got going. Really liked the cover - very eye catching.

A fresh, relatable read about boundaries, burnout, and learning to stand your ground. I really enjoyed the main character’s journey... equal parts heartfelt and quietly powerful. Perfect for fans of character-driven fiction with a self-growth arc.

#PeoplePleaser #CatrionaStewart #FourStarRead #CharacterDriven #SelfDiscovery #ContemporaryFiction #BookstagramUK #EmotionalRead #BookReview #WomenInFiction

This book had me interested from the beginning. Great, interesting characters, drama right from the get go, multiple POV (all the characters were well written) and a good ending.
The only let down for me was that the “twist”/ reveal towards the end was very predictable. It was still a fab ending and I enjoyed reading it anyway.

Loved every second! The book makes you question every character you come across, creating an unsettling feeling around them and really puts you in the main characters shoes while she's investigating her sister death.

Cannot wait to read more Catriona Stewart books!

People Pleaser
Catriona Stewart

Someone is hiding a secret, and they’ll do anything to keep it buried.

‘Two full dates, and they had yet to kiss; that was LoveShack malpractice and the fastest way to get sent home.’

When Maggie Lathrop wins reality TV show LoveShack, her life becomes a fairy tale overnight. She’s beautiful, she’s rich and she’s now married to one of America’s most eligible men. And suddenly she’s murdered and the question asked is who would want to kill America’s sweetheart?

“Obviously, I'm trusting you not to tell anyone about this Please consider this offer. I think it's a good one.”

People Pleaser was told in dual narrations and I preferred Maggie’s flashback chapters from her time on the tv show LoveShack.
Our other narrator was Maggie’s sister Emma, who is obsessed with cracking this mystery.

‘Great. The only hot guys that wanted to sleep with her were gay men who wanted to make sure they were fully gay.’

I didn’t enjoy this one much. I struggled to connect with the characters and their shallow interactions didn’t land to me. It all felt very disingenuous and like cheap thrills unfortunately.

(Posted to my Goodreads page 15th June 2025)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a eARC of this book. I was not paid to read it and leave a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are solely my own.

When Kansas sweetheart Maggie Lathrop wins America’s most popular dating show, her life changes overnight. With a handsome husband, a pristine L.A. mansion, and a glamorous new circle of friends, Maggie seems to be living the dream. But the façade quickly unravels when she’s found murdered in a remote warehouse. As her sister Emma digs into Maggie’s seemingly perfect life, a darker, more dangerous side of Hollywood begins to surface.

The moment I saw this pitched as Love Island meets The White Lotus, I knew I had to read it—and it didn’t disappoint!

This is a tightly written thriller that keeps a consistent pace, told through the alternating perspectives of four central characters, including flashbacks to Maggie’s life leading up to her death. The story cleverly explores the pressures of reality TV and the performative nature of social media, peeling back the illusion of perfection and shining a light on the cost of being a “people pleaser.”

I particularly liked Emma’s determination to get justice for her sister. Her refusal to accept the easy answers made her a compelling character, and her hunt for the truth was filled with twists that kept me guessing. The ending truly blindsided me—it was an unexpected twist that gave the story a sharp, memorable finish.

I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for whatever Catriona Stewart writes next!

This was a very enjoyable murder mystery set in the world of reality television in Hollywood. A young woman named Maggie was a contestant on a reality dating show where she met her now husband. A few years later, she is found brutally murdered. After a few months, the police decide it's a cold case, and so Maggie 's sister Emma, along with two friends, decides to solve the murder mystery herself. She delves into her sister's world during and after her appearance on the dating show and discovers some startling things about her sister's life, which reveal that she didn't know her sister as well as she thought.

The murder mystery aspect of the story is very intriguing and interesting. There are small pieces being discovered, and now Emma has to put them all together with the help of her friends.

The gripe I have with the book is that I really didn't like many of the characters. Other than Emma and Jill, the characters are all very self involved and only care about the way the public and industry views them. That ties into the world they have chosen to work and live in, but it makes them very difficult to like and care about.

3 / 5

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The first half of the book was much stronger for me - I loved the setup, the detail of the reality show "Love Shack", I enjoyed following Maggie through the ups and downs of the show and I was really invested in her story. She was a layered character which I loved - she had good qualities as well as faults. Her sister Emma gets suitably obsessed into finding out who killed Maggie and it's believable, you can feel their bond.

It was a bit predictable for me though, I knew who the culprit was quite early on. I couldn't connect to Amanda's character, I thought she was unnecessary and didn't add too much to the story other than just being another person to help investigate. She had a lot of background story as well which didn't really link to the main plot too much. Equally, I felt nothing for Jill either. I felt Jill, Amanda and Emma's voices (though it's not first person POV) were all quite similar.

A fun read however!

Emma is struggling to come to terms with her sister, Maggie's, brutal death. The situation made all the more complicated by the fact that Maggie was a reality TV darling with a massive social media following, some of whom are now turning sleuth to solve her murder. Add to this her sister's widow strange behaviour, a strange interest from another celebrity, a life that has gone to pieces and several side players from here sister's time on tv and you get a heady mix.

People pleaser gives an interesting take on what it means to be famous not just for yourself but for the people in your life. It highlights the huge pressure that people face to stay "relevant" and just exactly what they are willing to do for it. I appreciated the multi-narrator approach and each voice was distinct and uniquely their own. The characters are all very human, each with their own flaws to contend with.

The pace of the read is quick enough and I found that once I got into it I didn't want to put it down as I was intrigues as to where it was going to lead. Overall a very solid debut and I look forward to reading more of their work.

This is a good take on the perils of reality tv, I enjoyed it! We all know I love a story told from multiple points of view, so I of course liked the multiple narratives, and the sections from Maggie's PoV while on the reality show. This is a little darker than you expect it to be at times, but it definitely adds to the story. Would recommend!

Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin for sharing this digital ARC with me.

Seems like people really loved this and I'm thrilled it's found an audience. I was a little more split. I loved the dating show dynamics and suspense, along with find information on present day that helped to contextualise it. I didn't love much of the present day stuff with the other points of view. I found myself often having to reread because I was skipping ahead. A solid take on this kind of story though and I'd pick up another by this author,

Have never seen Love Island but do watch and love most reality Tv shows so knew would enjoy this,well hoped would and i did,there are a lot of characters and lots going on but thats better than too little of both ( for me anyway ) the writing and stories kept me hooked and was as good all round as wanted it to be

People Pleaser is a great concept for anyone who is *too* online or overly invested in reality drama (it’s me, hi!). The idea that there’s a “curse” following the cast of a reality dating show that’s a cross between Love Island and The Bachelor is what drew me in; I love a murder mystery that’s not too cozy.

Unfortunately, I found that there were too many plot points here - and confusing storylines. The ending felt a bit weak (to keep it spoiler free, I felt the ending was a bit random at best). However, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and wasn’t able to put it down while sitting on the beach! A perfect page turner for when you’ve got a drink in your hand.

As a self-confessed Love Island fan (here and there, I’ve missed a few seasons recently!), I was very excited to see People Pleaser on my monthly NetGalley browse. Touted a page-turning mystery thriller with a reality TV setting, I knew it’d be perfect fodder for my flight this summer. And I was right! While People Pleaser will not be reinventing the wheel, it was a perfectly serviceable read that was pacey, full of characters to detest, and a reality TV backdrop that makes it relatable and comedic.

Maggie Lathrop is found murdered in an LA warehouse, a few years after winning LoveShack and becoming an overnight Internet sensation and wealthy influencer. Her death sparks a parasocial outpouring of grief and triggers endless armchair detectives – who would want to kill America’s sweetheart?

The story is told in alternating timelines: one reality and the other during reality TV episodes. This gives it a great pace and keeps you turning the pages, despite being a touch long. I couldn’t say this is elite literature, but it’ll make a fun poolside read this summer.