Profoundly beautiful and a true reflection of friendship in your twenties. I loved this so much, each one of the girls felt real and raw with their grief and sadness. Lydia herself even felt monumental, despite only existing as a ghost of their past.

The writing was beautiful and subtle in its emotions, one minute I’d be smiling to myself at the humour and the next I was fighting back tears. I found myself thinking of these women even when I wasn’t actively reading. They reminded me so much of my friends and the decisions we’ve all made so far in our twenties, and the decisions we’ve yet to make. This story had a heartbeat and a real sense of love and friendship. I loved reading about these girls.

Huge thank you to the lovely team at @picadorbooks for granting me access to this ARC on Netgalley!

Thirst Trap by Gráinne O’Hare is a bittersweet and bitingly funny story of three friends—Maggie, Harley, and Róise—navigating the aftermath of their twenties in a crumbling Belfast houseshare. Still grieving the tragic death of their friend Lydia and haunted by an unresolved fight, their friendships are tested as fault-lines begin to emerge.

O’Hare’s writing style is stunning and truly captivating, and I felt every ounce of emotion along with each of the girls. I laughed, cried, and absolutely adored spending time with them throughout this novel.

At its core, Thirst Trap is a profound and relatable reflection of friendship in your twenties; of enduring bonds through triumphs, catastrophes, and the chaos of growing up.

Biggest, FATTEST five stars from me

Thirst Trap is like Everything I Know About Love crossed with Blue Sisters, with a touch of Acts of Desperation — i.e my favourite kind of book, full of love, loss and friendship.

Róise, Harley and Maggie may be turning thirty, but none of them have their lives together. They’ve lived in the same crumbling house in South Belfast since university, they’re all working dead-end jobs and they still haven’t stopped partying hard and sleeping with the wrong people. They’re also grieving their fourth friend and housemate, Lydia, whose sudden death a year ago left them with an unwanted tortoise called Barnaby and an unresolved rift in their group.

The novel moves between the girls’ perspectives as they try to find their feet while still refusing to grow up. It’s a story of cocaine-fuelled house parties and morning-after regret which is entertaining and heartbreaking in equal measure. The characters are well-drawn and authentic, each with their own weaknesses and anxieties, and the writing is full of naughties nostalgia and sharp humour. I really loved this novel, which is sure to be a big-hitter when it’s published in June next year!

An absolute delight. O’Hare’s talent is unmatched, and I can’t wait for this to publish so I can tell every single person I know to read it. Heartbreaking and hysterical and so incredibly intelligent. Just such a pleasure to read.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the privilege of this arc.

This is such a gorgeously heartfelt and bittersweet story about friendship. The writing was just beautiful, I adore the way it was written. The style of writing worked perfectly with the story and so was the pacing. It kept me engaged and I didn’t want it to end.

It was good to see within the friendship group, how much that Lydia had an impact on them and how they are coming to terms with her passing. The fact they remained living in the same house when one of them is no longer there was so heartbreaking to read. They had such a connection to their house, even if it was falling apart. They wanted to hold onto the memories that they made in that house during their twenties.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC