Juniper Hayward is a failed author and a college friend of Athena Liu, a publishing darling who is highly successful and critically acclaimed. When Athena dies in a freak accident, Juniper steals her unfinished manuscript and publishes it as her own to big accolades. But as her secret threatens to come out, June starts to unravel.

The Good: I loved this book so much I read it in a day. Its pace never lets up and it feels like it's meant to be devoured. Kuang has a greatly honed craft and a big message about who is allowed to tell stories. Every character in this book is morally grey, even the victim herself, which added so much depth. It's a huge indictment of the publishing industry and was a pleasure to read, even if I thoroughly hated the main character and narrator.

The Meh: I really don't have any complaints about this book. Perhaps some of the writing was heavy handed but I didn't find this to be an issue for me.

The Verdict: You will like this book if you like deep questioning, unlikeable MCs, fast paced books, horror like intensity, and the publishing industry.