Easily a top 3 of the books I’ve read this year. Alice is one of the most solid and clear characters I’ve ever read, and for all of her flaws and crimes, Emma Van Straaten somehow makes you love her; a display of the author’s undeniable talent. This Immaculate Body is layered, thrilling, spectacularly-paced. It is impossible to put it down, while at the same time inevitable that this book will turn your stomach. I can’t wait for more from Van Straaten.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7083762647

What to say about short novel narrated by Alice, lonely, struggling with an eating disorder and a bona fide stalker? Creepy, claustrophobic, like watching a car crash in slow motion but I couldn't look away or stop turning the pages. Alice by turns inspires pity, sympathy and true horror. Not a nice book, but brilliantly done and will stay with me for a long time after finishing it.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Alice has been cleaning Tom’s flat every Wednesday for a year. She becomes infatuated by him and wants nothing more than to meet him face to face and for him to fall in love.

This is a story about obsession and the way women are perceived. It highlights just how far people will really go to get what they want.

I liked this book! I found some parts really interesting and exciting but other parts quite slow. It took me quite a wee while to read this which surprised me considering I thought this was right up my alley!

I think I’m still a bit confused about what actually happened so can’t wait to find others who have read it who can maybe explain 🙈. There’s a chance I might reread it next year to see what my thoughts are when I’m in the mood for it!

I’d recommend this if you like a weird book and books about obsession!

I was completely intrigued by the premise of this book. Alice has been cleaning Tom’s flat every Wednesday for the past year. Wiping surfaces and smoothing out his bed sheets, these simple acts leading to a deep infatuation. Counting down the moment until they will meet face to face, but she soon discovers that love may not be the cure she had hoped for. Brilliantly written, this novel slowly draws you in as it explores, class, race, loneliness and mental health and it will stay with you long after you turn the last page. Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group and the author got the chance to review.

This is such a dark and engaging book about obsession and loneliness, showing a protagonist who is rapidly spiralling out of control.

Alice cleans Tom’s flat every Wednesday, becoming infatuated with him despite the fact they’ve never met. She thinks about him constantly, imagining their first meeting and how perfect their relationship will be. When I first started reading this, I assumed Tom was an ex-partner because of all the detail she goes into, so it was very disconcerting when it became apparent that she didn’t know him at all. It’s dark and creepy, with an anxious build-up to her meeting Tom and how this will unfold.

The writing style was very erratic, reflecting Alice’s state of mind as she became more obsessed with Tom. Despite her behaviour being unacceptable and weird at times, the author still manages to make you feel for Alice, with commentary around loneliness and isolation. It’s uncomfortable and heartbreaking, with a compelling voice making it impossible to put down.

Would definitely recommend this one!

*I was gifted an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Alice, who has an underrepresented profile, is obsessed with Tom, and gives us the closest inspection you can get of her mind and life.
Van Straaten’s writing is amongst the best I have seen in the unreliable narrator + obsession + mental health issues triangle.
Her narrator’s (Alice) voice is specific, unique and elaborate. I cannot emphasise enough how good the writing was leaving no room for vagueness. The use of language was a great as it could be in a conversational first person narrative.
We are never sure how much of Alice’s obsessive, naive behaviours stem from trauma, or are a combination of neurodiversity and trauma. She displays symptoms of some personality disorders as well. I must admit, I found a minor aspect of her behaviours and beliefs to be quite conflicting, but complex characters can have conflicting qualities.
I found her wit, mix of humanity and evil and her narration quite engaging.
Besides, the setting was contemporary.
Near the end, I had minor reservations about the plot developments, but overall, I think the pacing and the ending were ideal.
This would have easily been a shorter novel and still be good enough, but the length was used to add depth and detail. It felt necessary.
I believe novels should be looked at within their own context. It is a five-star read for what it intends to be,
In my wider reading, I often go for other styles of narrative and more plot, though I never lost interest in this book and Alice hence solid 5 stars even with my general preferences.

Funny, sharp and unsettling, This Immaculate Body asks big questions and offers no straightforward answers. I'll be thinking about it for a long time.

The prose is lucid, beautiful and incredibly readable. Alice's voice is perfectly pitched and controlled. She's creepy and unreliable, yes, but also thoughtful and intelligent in so many ways, and strangely hopeful. It's quite a remarkable achievement to create a character who's at once so disturbing, frustrating and endearing. And that, I think, is the great achievement of this book. Through the lens of an unhinged narrator and obsessive love story, Emma van Straaten digs into big questions around loneliness and shame. Both in our strange cultural moment, when our intimate lives are so mediated by tech, but also as a universal feature of human life, intersecting with race, gender and trauma. She beautifully weaves together so many small cruelties and kindnesses, both in Alice and the people around her. It's all so messy and moving and human.

I can't wait to see what Emma does next.

Creepy, twisty, unnerving look through the lense of female obsession.

The writing style takes a little getting used to at first as we sink deeper into our main character’s disturbed state of mind - the author is clearly skilled and writes descriptively.

I definitely think this is a polarising book - it wouldn’t be for someone who struggles with character led stories.

For me, I struggled to connect with Alice and I think that was partly because we were plunged straight into her state of mind with no context or understanding as to why she was the way she was.

But I can absolutely still appreciate this as a skillfully written story and I think fans of Fatal Attraction/American Pyscho would like this!

According to the book description it contains a lot of social comment on “women, mental health the lost in society”
For me it was too rambling and I found I didn’t care about the protagonists.

2.5

I love books about obsession, but this one didn’t work for me, which was a big disappointment.

This is an unsettling read following Alice, a cleaner who becomes obsessed with a man called Tom. She cleans his apartment and is convinced they will end up together even though they’ve never met. She starts to piece together intimate parts of his life and spirals more and more out of control as the book progresses.

This is described as “convenience store woman meets baby reindeer" and I think that comparison isn’t that accurate. I think coming into the book with that expectation is maybe why it fell short for me. I did enjoy Alice as a character—she was unlikeable and unhinged—my kind of favourite character. But I felt little sympathy for her.

Once I hit 25% in, I started to feel quite frustrated with the writing. It was repetitive, and I couldn’t click with it in the way I wanted to. Anyways, a 2.5! Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for an early eARC.

3.5 rounded up. This is a story of female obsession - Alice is obsessed with Tom, the man whose flat she cleans, and takes it to new and disturbing levels. I liked the tension in this book, the commentary on race and class and how this is was intertwined in Alice’s very complex - and negative - identity and perception of self. I was less of a fan of the overwrought writing (there was no need to capitalise Him, He and His: the reader gets the obsession without this) and a lot of the commentary on weight was hard to read.

An uncomfortable in all the right ways thriller, this story pulls you in from the start and keeps you hooked throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC copy.

This Immaculate Body is a terrifying and dark thriller exploring obsession and stalking, and definitely left me feeling very creeped out and uncomfortable. Whilst the ending is quite satisfying, I did struggle a little bit towards the middle with the pace and the writing style as everything starts to spiral. I also didn't like the main character at all and felt no sympathy for her - I know that she is supposed to be unlikeable, but I personally find that if I don't like the main protagonist then I don't connect with a book as much. Overall though, I would recommend this book to thriller lovers, and anyone who enjoys a dark and creepy read.

A terrifyingly gripping account of an obsessive personality. Alice has been cleaning Tom's flat for many months but has never met him. She has become obsessed with him and believes that he will respond to her and they will develop a romantic relationship. I found it quite a harrowing read as her mental health deteriorates but perhaps surprisingly didn't feel much sympathy for her. Not a book |i'd recommend. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
RELEASE DATE: 06 Feb 2025
This unsettling novel is narrated from the perspective of Alice, a lonely woman who has fallen irrevocably and obsessively in love with the man whose flat she cleans—even though they have never met.

I appreciated the mounting sense of dread as Alice’s thoughts and behaviour escalated, building to a sinister climax. It felt voyeuristic to delve into Alice’s mind, but I couldn’t stop reading.

There are moments of vulnerability and rawness that evoke sympathy for Alice, particularly regarding her fraught relationship with her body.

Still, I wouldn’t want to give her the spare key to my house

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC in exchange for a review. Provided as This Immaculate Body but some have this title as Creep: A Love Story' - which I think works better.

On balance, I did enjoy this book, though I found it quite hard to read. In my opinion, the author used long run-on sentences and paragraphs to mimic the slightly peculiar mind of Alice, our main character. She is definitely a creepy one; clearly stalking Tom, whose house she cleans every week, and believing they are destined to be together. Alice goes to extreme lengths to orchestrate the perfect 'meet-cute' with Tom but, when things do not go the way she planned, her actions spiral. The writing becomes more manic, at times making it difficult to read, but good pace is maintained throughout. You'll definitely need something light to read afterwards; and perhaps get to know your cleaners a bit better!!

The book opens with an intriguing premise centered around Alice, who meticulously cleans Tom's flat every Wednesday. During her visits, she not only makes his bed and counts his vitamins but also checks his emails, all while nurturing the belief that she loves him. Despite having never met, Alice is convinced that when Tom finally sees her, he will fall madly in love with her, too. This storyline unfolds in a peculiar and quietly disturbing manner, maintaining a fast pace throughout. However, it could benefit from a touch more balance in its development. While not suited for those who scare easily, it does venture into somewhat cringeworthy territory at times. A special thanks is due to Little, Brown Book Group UK | Fleet editors for providing access to this ARC.

Alice thinks this is a love story, Alice is wrong.

On the surface this is a story of obsession, Alice cleans Toms flat every Wednesday, she makes his bed, counts his vitamins, checks his emails, and thinks she loves him. Alice and Tom have never met but Alice is sure that the first time he sees her he will fall madly in love with her too.

A story of obsession and unhinged women is right up my street, so when I got my hands on a copy it went straight to the top of my TBR.

I felt a lot of sympathy for Alice in this story as it was obvious there was an underlying issue of self-hatred pair with some family issues. I wish Alices relationship with her sister was explored a little deeper as I feel everything could be traced back to an incident in their early years. Despite this Alice is definitely a complex character. She desperately wants to be loved but has no problem using and judging others to get what she wants.

All of Alices antics and schemes made for a quick paced, somewhat whacky story. If you enjoyed Baby Reindeer and would like a story from the other POV then this is the book for you.

Dazzling in its prose and pace. Dark and terrifying. This is one of the big novels of 2025. A fantastic debut from Emma Van Straaten.

Absolutely enthralling. I am writing this after reading the entire book in one delightfully horrified sitting. What an absolute talent. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this absolute privilege.