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Precious You
An obsessive power struggle between an editor and her millennial intern turns dangerous in this debut psychological thriller--for readers of Luckiest Girl Alive and You.
Trusting you was my first mistake.
To Katherine, twenty-four-year-old Lily Lunt is a typical "snowflake." It seems like the privileged, politically correct millennial will do whatever she can to make it big as a writer, including leveraging her family's connections. To Lily, Katherine Ross, a career woman in her early forties, is a holdover from another clueless, old-fashioned, and perfectly happy to build her success on the backs of her unpaid interns.
When Lily is hired as the new intern at the magazine where Katherine is editor in chief, her arrival threatens the very foundation of the self-serving little world that Katherine has built. She finds herself obsessively drawn to Lily, who seems to be a cruel reminder of the beauty and potential she once had--things Lily uses against Katherine as she slowly begins to undermine her, sabotaging her work and turning the magazine's new publisher against her. Is Katherine being paranoid? Or is Lily seeking to systematically destroy her life? As Katherine tries to fight back, a toxic generational divide turns explosive and long-buried secrets are exposed--with deadly consequences for both. . . .
Gripping and provocative, Precious You delivers an unsettling, provocative take on the contemporary workplace, turning the professional roles women play on their heads in a razor-sharp, revenge-driven thriller for our age.
Trusting you was my first mistake.
To Katherine, twenty-four-year-old Lily Lunt is a typical "snowflake." It seems like the privileged, politically correct millennial will do whatever she can to make it big as a writer, including leveraging her family's connections. To Lily, Katherine Ross, a career woman in her early forties, is a holdover from another clueless, old-fashioned, and perfectly happy to build her success on the backs of her unpaid interns.
When Lily is hired as the new intern at the magazine where Katherine is editor in chief, her arrival threatens the very foundation of the self-serving little world that Katherine has built. She finds herself obsessively drawn to Lily, who seems to be a cruel reminder of the beauty and potential she once had--things Lily uses against Katherine as she slowly begins to undermine her, sabotaging her work and turning the magazine's new publisher against her. Is Katherine being paranoid? Or is Lily seeking to systematically destroy her life? As Katherine tries to fight back, a toxic generational divide turns explosive and long-buried secrets are exposed--with deadly consequences for both. . . .
Gripping and provocative, Precious You delivers an unsettling, provocative take on the contemporary workplace, turning the professional roles women play on their heads in a razor-sharp, revenge-driven thriller for our age.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 10, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 446 reviews
February 18, 2020
I think I'm getting tired of psychological thrillers. I just can’t seem to get excited by any of them lately. Precious You is a generational power struggle between Katherine, a 41 year old editor and Lily, her intern and the niece of the new owner of the magazine. The chapters alternate between the perspective of the two. Katherine’s chapters are told in second person, which I always find is a little unsettling and creepy. Lily’s are told in first person.
Katherine is made out as totally old school. Of course, each generation believes that the one that follows it is lazy and privileged. Katherine falls into this cliche, calling her interns snowflakes. She’s anxious, depressed and feeling like life is passing her by. Lily, on the other hand, feels put upon by the older generation, including her aunt and mother. She’s angry. Neither character is sympathetic. Unfortunately, neither comes across as believable. The men don’t fare any better, both coming across as gullible and cliches.
This is one of those books when you just want to shout at one character to wake up and smell (but don’t taste) the coffee. Katherine thinks she’s smart but makes some truly stupid decisions. And I just couldn’t believe that someone who had risen so quickly to the position of editor would be so stupid.
I found myself skimming the middle section, only continuing on to see who would win. And then I found the ending totally unbelievable. So, sorry, this one just wasn’t for me.
My thanks to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.
Katherine is made out as totally old school. Of course, each generation believes that the one that follows it is lazy and privileged. Katherine falls into this cliche, calling her interns snowflakes. She’s anxious, depressed and feeling like life is passing her by. Lily, on the other hand, feels put upon by the older generation, including her aunt and mother. She’s angry. Neither character is sympathetic. Unfortunately, neither comes across as believable. The men don’t fare any better, both coming across as gullible and cliches.
This is one of those books when you just want to shout at one character to wake up and smell (but don’t taste) the coffee. Katherine thinks she’s smart but makes some truly stupid decisions. And I just couldn’t believe that someone who had risen so quickly to the position of editor would be so stupid.
I found myself skimming the middle section, only continuing on to see who would win. And then I found the ending totally unbelievable. So, sorry, this one just wasn’t for me.
My thanks to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.
November 21, 2019
Re-fucking-joice! This book was brilliant!
Katherine is a 41 year old Generation-X-er that is the lead editor at Leadership magazine. Recently coming back to work under new owners after a bout of depression she is feeling a little less sure of herself than she used to. Gone are the days of her youth.
In walks Lily.
Lily, the lovely millennial whose aunt has purchased the Leadership arrives and she comes equipped with confidence and plenty of ideas that only serve to remind Katherine of just how old she has become.
Katherine can sense the rivalry from the start but can't help but be mesmerized by Lily. She maybe even reminds her a little of herself at that age. It's only too late when she realizes that everything she holds dear is about to be stolen.
This book filled me with anxiety and I was screaming inside the entire time I was reading this. I can't even imagine what being in this situation would be like in reality because I was losing my mind just reading about it. It's CRAZY and I loved it. ALL THE STARS!!!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing who were kind enough to grant me my NetGalley wish.
Katherine is a 41 year old Generation-X-er that is the lead editor at Leadership magazine. Recently coming back to work under new owners after a bout of depression she is feeling a little less sure of herself than she used to. Gone are the days of her youth.
In walks Lily.
Lily, the lovely millennial whose aunt has purchased the Leadership arrives and she comes equipped with confidence and plenty of ideas that only serve to remind Katherine of just how old she has become.
Katherine can sense the rivalry from the start but can't help but be mesmerized by Lily. She maybe even reminds her a little of herself at that age. It's only too late when she realizes that everything she holds dear is about to be stolen.
This book filled me with anxiety and I was screaming inside the entire time I was reading this. I can't even imagine what being in this situation would be like in reality because I was losing my mind just reading about it. It's CRAZY and I loved it. ALL THE STARS!!!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing who were kind enough to grant me my NetGalley wish.
June 11, 2020
4-5 stars
There’s a viper in Katherine Ross’ nest - actually that’s not sufficiently deadly. Think cobra, black mamba, a taipan and you have the catastrophic effect that Lily Lunt has on her life. Katherine is a magazine editor, a Gen X, trying to be a bit edgy now she’s 41!! She’s suffered depression, ‘a beige cloud’ and is returning to work after a year to new owners and eager to make a good impression. She’s viewing this as a fresh start, a new order, a chance to use her experience but also to redeem herself. However, Lily, an intern at the magazine has other ideas. She’s a millennial, often termed the snowflake generation but there’s nothing of the snowflake here. She’s in the driving seat as she has the agenda, she’s written it, Katherine is clueless and so is a lamb to slaughter. Or is she??? Dragged into this dangerous game of cat and mouse are Lily’s aunt, Katherines partner Iain and Katherine’s colleagues.
The book starts quite slowly but oh boy, once it gets going it’s full throttle, hundred miles an hour of breathtaking audacity. Katherine is mesmerised by Lily and to a large extent she allows Lily to take control and so she plays right into her hands and is left humiliated, isolated and apparently left with nothing. I like the generational aspect with the sharply toned, pc, cucumber water, clean living millennial taking on the sag and the freer attitudes to most things of the Gen X. It’s a real cultural clash but as Katherine learned to her detriment never underestimate a millennial!!
This is really well written, it’s very tense at times, there’s suspense and disbelief at Lily’s and Katherine’s antics. It is compulsive reading as you want to understand why the battle is deeply personal to Lily. I though I had it figured out but nope, didn’t see that coming!
Overall, a terrific read, it’s very hard to put down and is one I recommend to fans of this genre or to anyone who just wants a really entertaining read that unfolds really well to a dramatic conclusion.
Many thanks to NetGalley and HQSTORIES, Harper Collins for the ARC.
There’s a viper in Katherine Ross’ nest - actually that’s not sufficiently deadly. Think cobra, black mamba, a taipan and you have the catastrophic effect that Lily Lunt has on her life. Katherine is a magazine editor, a Gen X, trying to be a bit edgy now she’s 41!! She’s suffered depression, ‘a beige cloud’ and is returning to work after a year to new owners and eager to make a good impression. She’s viewing this as a fresh start, a new order, a chance to use her experience but also to redeem herself. However, Lily, an intern at the magazine has other ideas. She’s a millennial, often termed the snowflake generation but there’s nothing of the snowflake here. She’s in the driving seat as she has the agenda, she’s written it, Katherine is clueless and so is a lamb to slaughter. Or is she??? Dragged into this dangerous game of cat and mouse are Lily’s aunt, Katherines partner Iain and Katherine’s colleagues.
The book starts quite slowly but oh boy, once it gets going it’s full throttle, hundred miles an hour of breathtaking audacity. Katherine is mesmerised by Lily and to a large extent she allows Lily to take control and so she plays right into her hands and is left humiliated, isolated and apparently left with nothing. I like the generational aspect with the sharply toned, pc, cucumber water, clean living millennial taking on the sag and the freer attitudes to most things of the Gen X. It’s a real cultural clash but as Katherine learned to her detriment never underestimate a millennial!!
This is really well written, it’s very tense at times, there’s suspense and disbelief at Lily’s and Katherine’s antics. It is compulsive reading as you want to understand why the battle is deeply personal to Lily. I though I had it figured out but nope, didn’t see that coming!
Overall, a terrific read, it’s very hard to put down and is one I recommend to fans of this genre or to anyone who just wants a really entertaining read that unfolds really well to a dramatic conclusion.
Many thanks to NetGalley and HQSTORIES, Harper Collins for the ARC.
November 6, 2019
"I wanted to show up [at work] looking just-pressed, but edgy and not desperate to fit into the new corporate regime I was facing...in my heart, I knew I hadn't been 'fixed'. The beige cloud was lying in wait to blow in again." Katherine was editor-in-chief at Leadership Magazine. After a ten month medical leave, she was returning to work. New publisher Gemma Lunt, determined to update the magazine, was attempting "a reboot" to address the downturn in readership. Katherine, a 20 year career journalist, often felt that "...young people...use my magazine as a mere departure lounge that allows them to soar somewhere brighter and better, my existing only to on-board the next batch of interns who would leapfrog my life." To a millennial, "...[Katherine comes] from a tradition of journalism that has some really excellent traits...a certain resilience...but certain elements [are] from maybe the atmosphere of an old-school newsroom."
A late bus. A chance meeting at the bus stop. Katherine encounters Lily Lunt. Surprise, surprise! Lily is publisher Gemma Lunt's niece and Katherine's new intern. "I perceived Lily like a flash of hot pink...threatening to take over my world...". And so began a cat-and-mouse game. A toxic, twisted work and leisure relationship. Katherine represented a tried and true work ethic. Lily, a millennial "snowflake" was a mover and shaker. Times were a'changing. "...comments were now activated and often spilled over into ...the Twittersphere." Seemingly, Lily had it all: youth, beauty and privilege. Katherine no longer thought she would experience "a clear blue ocean of money and creative success..." It seemed that Lily's star was rising while Katherine's was setting. Why would Lily be pursuing an agenda to undermine and destroy Katherine? Not so fast Lily, Katherine is a fighter. By the way Lily, who is Ruth?
"Precious You" by Helen Monks Takhar describes a power struggle between a veteran editor and her "snowflake" intern. What could possibly be the underlying reason for Lily's stream of vitriol and her elaborate plan to stage Katherine's demise? The tension, starting as a slow burn, picks up steam and barrels to a shocking, unexpected conclusion. An unputdownable psychological thriller I highly recommend.
Thank you Random House Publishing Group-Random House and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Precious You".
A late bus. A chance meeting at the bus stop. Katherine encounters Lily Lunt. Surprise, surprise! Lily is publisher Gemma Lunt's niece and Katherine's new intern. "I perceived Lily like a flash of hot pink...threatening to take over my world...". And so began a cat-and-mouse game. A toxic, twisted work and leisure relationship. Katherine represented a tried and true work ethic. Lily, a millennial "snowflake" was a mover and shaker. Times were a'changing. "...comments were now activated and often spilled over into ...the Twittersphere." Seemingly, Lily had it all: youth, beauty and privilege. Katherine no longer thought she would experience "a clear blue ocean of money and creative success..." It seemed that Lily's star was rising while Katherine's was setting. Why would Lily be pursuing an agenda to undermine and destroy Katherine? Not so fast Lily, Katherine is a fighter. By the way Lily, who is Ruth?
"Precious You" by Helen Monks Takhar describes a power struggle between a veteran editor and her "snowflake" intern. What could possibly be the underlying reason for Lily's stream of vitriol and her elaborate plan to stage Katherine's demise? The tension, starting as a slow burn, picks up steam and barrels to a shocking, unexpected conclusion. An unputdownable psychological thriller I highly recommend.
Thank you Random House Publishing Group-Random House and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Precious You".
March 29, 2020
When I read the blurb about this book at first I wasn’t sure, but after the first paragraph I was completely hooked and before I knew it I had finished this amazing story!!
Katherine is 41, she is an Editor for the magazine “Leadership”. After having time off for depression, going back to work is stressful enough, but added to that the magazine has a new owner who wants to modernise.
Lily’s Aunt Gemma has bought the magazine. Lily is pretty, ambitious, confident and YOUNG!! She soon muscles in with her wonderful fresh ideas, while Katherine is failing to impress Gemma.
Without giving too much away!!Lily plays cat and mouse with Katherine, one minute wanting to be her friend the next stabbing her in the back, befriending and flirting with Katherine’s partner Iain. Why does Lily want to destroy Katherine’s life.
This was an amazing book to read. I was so angry at one point that I nearly threw my beloved kindle out the window!! This is a sure sign that a story has connected with you emotionally!!
A must read book. I would have given it all the stars in the sky!!
Excuse me while I have a lie down in a dark room so I can process what I have just read.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.
Katherine is 41, she is an Editor for the magazine “Leadership”. After having time off for depression, going back to work is stressful enough, but added to that the magazine has a new owner who wants to modernise.
Lily’s Aunt Gemma has bought the magazine. Lily is pretty, ambitious, confident and YOUNG!! She soon muscles in with her wonderful fresh ideas, while Katherine is failing to impress Gemma.
Without giving too much away!!Lily plays cat and mouse with Katherine, one minute wanting to be her friend the next stabbing her in the back, befriending and flirting with Katherine’s partner Iain. Why does Lily want to destroy Katherine’s life.
This was an amazing book to read. I was so angry at one point that I nearly threw my beloved kindle out the window!! This is a sure sign that a story has connected with you emotionally!!
A must read book. I would have given it all the stars in the sky!!
Excuse me while I have a lie down in a dark room so I can process what I have just read.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.
March 23, 2020
Holy Moly! What did I just read? That was one crazy, crazy thrill ride. I was not sure about this book when I first started it, the writing style threw me a bit. But at about 100 pages in, Precious You had me hook, line and sinker.
The story of 2 women and different points of their lives and careers. It is a story of revenge, of the struggle for power, of female relationships, jealously and generation gaps. At some points neither woman was very likeable and then at other points I felt sorry for them both. Lily seems to be out to destroy Katherine's life and take away everything that she loves - but why? And Katherine is a weak target. You need to read this book - and be prepared to be shocked! Every time that I thought it had gone as far as it could it twisted again!
A nasty and addictive book! thank you to Harlequin Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
The story of 2 women and different points of their lives and careers. It is a story of revenge, of the struggle for power, of female relationships, jealously and generation gaps. At some points neither woman was very likeable and then at other points I felt sorry for them both. Lily seems to be out to destroy Katherine's life and take away everything that she loves - but why? And Katherine is a weak target. You need to read this book - and be prepared to be shocked! Every time that I thought it had gone as far as it could it twisted again!
A nasty and addictive book! thank you to Harlequin Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
November 16, 2022
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I am extremely happy and excited to be part of the blog tour for Precious You by Helen Monks Takhar. Thank you to the team at HQ - for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. Check out the other book bloggers that are part of the tour as well:
Synopsis:
When Lily is hired as the new intern at Leadership magazine, where Katherine is editor-in-chief, her arrival threatens the very foundations of the self-serving little world that Katherine has built. But before long, she finds herself obsessively drawn to Lily, who seems to be a cruel reminder of the beauty and potential Katherine once had, things she senses Lily plans to use against her.
Is Katherine simply paranoid, jealous of Lily's youth as she struggles with encroaching middle age? Is Lily just trying to get ahead in the cutthroat world of publishing? Or is there a more sinister motivation at play, fueled by the dark secrets they're both hiding? As their rivalry deepens, a disturbing picture emerges of two women pitted against each other across a toxic generational divide--and who are desperate enough to do anything to come out on top.
My Thoughts:
Wow - what an experience this book was. I haven’t read a book this fucked-up (in the best possible way) since I read Anonymous Girl and The Silent Patient. Just wow.
Okay, now that I have gathered my thoughts, let’s begin this review properly.
Precious You is a very exciting book, looking from a psychological aspect. We witness the battle between a “Snowflake” and a Generation-X. The battle of two women; one trying to conquer the world, the other one trying to stay relevant.
Both Katherine and Lily were very realistic characters. Both with opposing opinions on the world. And both with two completely different goals. Both fighting over power in every possible field that they share in common. But what I love the most is that I was able to understand both points of view. I found myself feeling for both of them, even though sometimes I couldn’t in my right mind understand their choices and their actions.
But they both spoke to me.
Each in their different way, for a different thing. And this is something I haven’t encountered in a long time. To be able to connect with both the victim and the villain. Despite us not knowing which is which until the very end of the book.
The other aspect I loved was the cat and mouse game they were playing. I haven’t seen a book so upsetting and twisted in a very long time. And I really loved it. Some things those women did are properly twisted. Really fucked-up. But I enjoyed reading it. It took me to another world, another reality where dark and twisted was the new normal.
It was interesting to witness such a vivid battle between two generations. The fear of new young people invading people’s space. The fight to get to the top, because of the people that have been at your workplace longer and have more knowledge. The wicked ways of how HR handled their issues. How your interns and your team can quickly turn on you if you stop delivering. It was interesting to read how the magazine worked as a company. I think the author did a great job at describing how one reality works.
I definitely recommend it - it is fast paced and very dark and twisty. If you love psychological thrillers, this one will be the right book for you!
Wishlist | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
I am extremely happy and excited to be part of the blog tour for Precious You by Helen Monks Takhar. Thank you to the team at HQ - for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. Check out the other book bloggers that are part of the tour as well:
Synopsis:
When Lily is hired as the new intern at Leadership magazine, where Katherine is editor-in-chief, her arrival threatens the very foundations of the self-serving little world that Katherine has built. But before long, she finds herself obsessively drawn to Lily, who seems to be a cruel reminder of the beauty and potential Katherine once had, things she senses Lily plans to use against her.
Is Katherine simply paranoid, jealous of Lily's youth as she struggles with encroaching middle age? Is Lily just trying to get ahead in the cutthroat world of publishing? Or is there a more sinister motivation at play, fueled by the dark secrets they're both hiding? As their rivalry deepens, a disturbing picture emerges of two women pitted against each other across a toxic generational divide--and who are desperate enough to do anything to come out on top.
My Thoughts:
Wow - what an experience this book was. I haven’t read a book this fucked-up (in the best possible way) since I read Anonymous Girl and The Silent Patient. Just wow.
Okay, now that I have gathered my thoughts, let’s begin this review properly.
Precious You is a very exciting book, looking from a psychological aspect. We witness the battle between a “Snowflake” and a Generation-X. The battle of two women; one trying to conquer the world, the other one trying to stay relevant.
Both Katherine and Lily were very realistic characters. Both with opposing opinions on the world. And both with two completely different goals. Both fighting over power in every possible field that they share in common. But what I love the most is that I was able to understand both points of view. I found myself feeling for both of them, even though sometimes I couldn’t in my right mind understand their choices and their actions.
But they both spoke to me.
Each in their different way, for a different thing. And this is something I haven’t encountered in a long time. To be able to connect with both the victim and the villain. Despite us not knowing which is which until the very end of the book.
The other aspect I loved was the cat and mouse game they were playing. I haven’t seen a book so upsetting and twisted in a very long time. And I really loved it. Some things those women did are properly twisted. Really fucked-up. But I enjoyed reading it. It took me to another world, another reality where dark and twisted was the new normal.
It was interesting to witness such a vivid battle between two generations. The fear of new young people invading people’s space. The fight to get to the top, because of the people that have been at your workplace longer and have more knowledge. The wicked ways of how HR handled their issues. How your interns and your team can quickly turn on you if you stop delivering. It was interesting to read how the magazine worked as a company. I think the author did a great job at describing how one reality works.
I definitely recommend it - it is fast paced and very dark and twisty. If you love psychological thrillers, this one will be the right book for you!
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February 11, 2020
All the stars! This book is unputdownable. I don't know when I last read a psychological thriller this compelling and unpredictable.
Precious You is the story of 41-year-old Gen X-er Katherine Ross, and her new 24-year-old Millennial intern Lily Lunt. Katherine is recently back to work at the magazine she's worked at for two decades, after a long bout of depression. The magazine has just come under new ownership, and as the niece of the new owner, Lily has scored a plum internship, which sets off a deadly game of cat and mouse. Katherine and Lily are not normal, typical Gen X and Millennial women, rather they are each extreme, embodying the most toxic stereotypes of their respective generations, which is what makes this story so impossible to look away from.
At 37, I'm a Millennial, but at the opposite end of the generation from Lily, and much closer to Katherine's age. In theory, she and I are both of the Xennial/Oregon Trail microgeneration, but I thought the way she was written and her cultural references made her seem more like someone born 5-10 years earlier. So I found it fascinating to read this as a woman in between their generational divide.
Trying her best to come out of her depression, Katherine has been rather flattened by life and is dismayed at what she is confronted with as she ages. She's bitter, resentful, and self-pitying, and contemptuous of younger people. She's off her game at work and can't seem to get back the fire she used to have. Katherine and her partner, Iain, have drifted apart from their friends and spend their nights drinking too much. She relies heavily on Iain, but also seems to disdain him. She's frequently awful and frustrating, but also often highly relatable.
Lily, on the other hand, is pathological--a Millennial Amy Dunne. She plots and manipulates while hiding behind a sweet and wide-eyed facade. And Katherine is not her first victim. Katherine, who is desperately lonely, vacillates between craving Lily's friendship and feeling suspicion and seething resentment towards her, as everything in her life seems to go downhill after Lily enters it.
What follows is a vicious, obsessive, downright nasty spiral, as these two women become more and more enmeshed in each other's lives. I felt more and more anxious as I read this book, and while that can sometimes make for an unpleasant reading experience, it worked for me here. I had to know what was going on, and why, and what secrets from the past each woman was hiding.
Besides being an absolutely brilliant thriller, this book confronts important themes about aging, generational differences, and relationships between women, and I think that's what made it a cut above most psychological thrillers. I highly recommend this, as long as you're in the mood for something truly nasty and incredibly tense.
*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
***
Some spoilery thoughts on what I thought was the most excruciating scene to read:
Precious You is the story of 41-year-old Gen X-er Katherine Ross, and her new 24-year-old Millennial intern Lily Lunt. Katherine is recently back to work at the magazine she's worked at for two decades, after a long bout of depression. The magazine has just come under new ownership, and as the niece of the new owner, Lily has scored a plum internship, which sets off a deadly game of cat and mouse. Katherine and Lily are not normal, typical Gen X and Millennial women, rather they are each extreme, embodying the most toxic stereotypes of their respective generations, which is what makes this story so impossible to look away from.
At 37, I'm a Millennial, but at the opposite end of the generation from Lily, and much closer to Katherine's age. In theory, she and I are both of the Xennial/Oregon Trail microgeneration, but I thought the way she was written and her cultural references made her seem more like someone born 5-10 years earlier. So I found it fascinating to read this as a woman in between their generational divide.
Trying her best to come out of her depression, Katherine has been rather flattened by life and is dismayed at what she is confronted with as she ages. She's bitter, resentful, and self-pitying, and contemptuous of younger people. She's off her game at work and can't seem to get back the fire she used to have. Katherine and her partner, Iain, have drifted apart from their friends and spend their nights drinking too much. She relies heavily on Iain, but also seems to disdain him. She's frequently awful and frustrating, but also often highly relatable.
Lily, on the other hand, is pathological--a Millennial Amy Dunne. She plots and manipulates while hiding behind a sweet and wide-eyed facade. And Katherine is not her first victim. Katherine, who is desperately lonely, vacillates between craving Lily's friendship and feeling suspicion and seething resentment towards her, as everything in her life seems to go downhill after Lily enters it.
What follows is a vicious, obsessive, downright nasty spiral, as these two women become more and more enmeshed in each other's lives. I felt more and more anxious as I read this book, and while that can sometimes make for an unpleasant reading experience, it worked for me here. I had to know what was going on, and why, and what secrets from the past each woman was hiding.
Besides being an absolutely brilliant thriller, this book confronts important themes about aging, generational differences, and relationships between women, and I think that's what made it a cut above most psychological thrillers. I highly recommend this, as long as you're in the mood for something truly nasty and incredibly tense.
*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
***
Some spoilery thoughts on what I thought was the most excruciating scene to read:
March 2, 2020
W.T.F!! Where in the hell do I even begin? To say it bluntly, Precious You, is one of the most beautifully fucked up books I’ve read. Let’s just say if You, Single White Female and Fatal Attraction had a love child - it would be Precious You. There were times when I felt my head was actually spinning of the madness that ensues throughout this read. I’m happy to say, Precious You, earns a well deserved 5 stars.
June 26, 2020
I seem to be having a good run of great books at the moment
This book however isn’t just great, it is outstandingly fiendishly deliciously darkly wonderful 😵
Katherine is in her 40’s, a journalist, jaded but on her way back, she has had the 90’s and hangs on to the excesses with every breath she takes
She cant stand snowflakes
Lily is a snowflake of the highest order and she is also Katherine’s new intern.....it is a disaster about to happen
But, Katherine hasn’t banked on Lily being more than a millennial pain she certainly didn’t expect what was to happen to every aspect of her life, no one could
Told in a truly wonderful style via both character’s in real time I cant begin to tell you how explosive, exciting and powerful this story is and as the book reaches it’s conclusion the word that comes to mind ( and rarely does ) is exquisite, this book, everything about it from the first letter to the last is exquisitely terrifyingly fabulous
One of the best books I have ever read
10/10
5 Stars
This book however isn’t just great, it is outstandingly fiendishly deliciously darkly wonderful 😵
Katherine is in her 40’s, a journalist, jaded but on her way back, she has had the 90’s and hangs on to the excesses with every breath she takes
She cant stand snowflakes
Lily is a snowflake of the highest order and she is also Katherine’s new intern.....it is a disaster about to happen
But, Katherine hasn’t banked on Lily being more than a millennial pain she certainly didn’t expect what was to happen to every aspect of her life, no one could
Told in a truly wonderful style via both character’s in real time I cant begin to tell you how explosive, exciting and powerful this story is and as the book reaches it’s conclusion the word that comes to mind ( and rarely does ) is exquisite, this book, everything about it from the first letter to the last is exquisitely terrifyingly fabulous
One of the best books I have ever read
10/10
5 Stars
March 20, 2020
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**3.5 stars**
Precious You by Helen Monks Takhar. (2020).
**Thank you to Harlequin Australia for sending me a free advance readers copy of this novel; due to be published 23 March 2020**
At first Katherine dismisses her young intern as a millennial 'snowflake': soft, entitled, moralistic. But Lily's youth and beauty remind her of everything she once was and she finds herself obsessing about Lily. Is she jealous of Lily's potential? Or does she sense that Lily has a dark hidden agenda? As their rivalry deepens, a disturbing picture emerges of two women who are not what they seem and who are desperate enough to do anything to come out on top.
I did enjoy this story but I think I would have rated it slightly higher if I liked either of the main characters at all! They were both so selfish and entitled, I struggled to really care which one would end up 'on top' of the other. Their relationship is quite toxic which definitely made for interesting reading; I was wondering the whole time what would happen next. It was quite clear that Lily had some kind of reason for her actions so that led to a suspenseful atmosphere waiting for that reason to come out. Katherine's chapters were written in second-person perspective as if she was addressing it to Lily which I wasn't really a fan of to be honest, it felt weird to me. Lily's chapters were first-person perspective in the form of her diary entries and often offered a different version of events to Katherine's view which I did quite like.
I have no doubt that this is going to be a super popular thriller for readers.
*www.facebook.com/onewomansbbr
**3.5 stars**
Precious You by Helen Monks Takhar. (2020).
**Thank you to Harlequin Australia for sending me a free advance readers copy of this novel; due to be published 23 March 2020**
At first Katherine dismisses her young intern as a millennial 'snowflake': soft, entitled, moralistic. But Lily's youth and beauty remind her of everything she once was and she finds herself obsessing about Lily. Is she jealous of Lily's potential? Or does she sense that Lily has a dark hidden agenda? As their rivalry deepens, a disturbing picture emerges of two women who are not what they seem and who are desperate enough to do anything to come out on top.
I did enjoy this story but I think I would have rated it slightly higher if I liked either of the main characters at all! They were both so selfish and entitled, I struggled to really care which one would end up 'on top' of the other. Their relationship is quite toxic which definitely made for interesting reading; I was wondering the whole time what would happen next. It was quite clear that Lily had some kind of reason for her actions so that led to a suspenseful atmosphere waiting for that reason to come out. Katherine's chapters were written in second-person perspective as if she was addressing it to Lily which I wasn't really a fan of to be honest, it felt weird to me. Lily's chapters were first-person perspective in the form of her diary entries and often offered a different version of events to Katherine's view which I did quite like.
I have no doubt that this is going to be a super popular thriller for readers.
May 26, 2020
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
An up to the minute novel, Precious You is the debut thriller from author Helen Monks Takhar. This dark and convoluted tale has already been optioned for a television adaptation, with the author set to produce the series. Precious You is a topical novel that delves into the pitfalls of a working relationship marred by rivalry, revenge, jealousy and above all, a generational divide.
When Katherine, an editor in chief returns to the workplace following a bout of extended leave, she faces up to a new intern. In her early twenties, Lily the intern represents everything Katherine is not. Lily is enterprising, overly sensitive, privileged and she has a social media obsession Katherine fails to understand. Katherine is envious of Lily’s youth and she immediately begins to fixate on the young woman’s beauty. As this complex rivalry escalates between a woman once in her prime and a young upstart, dark secrets, along with sinister plans come to light. Underneath, both these women are not who they appear to be in the public forum. As desperation pulses through each woman, the question remains as to which one will triumph over the over.
Drawing on her career as a journalist, copywriter and a magazine editor, British author Helen Monks Takhar has released her debut novel that features an editor in chief of a magazine as her lead. The years of experience and insight the author brings to her debut ensures that Precious You is an in touch novel.
Precious You is structured in the form of two alternating points of view. The book’s narration is divided equally between editor Katherine and intern Lily. The two women are completely different at first glance, but as the story progresses, their shared experiences and mode of thinking gradually allows the audience to see they are not so far removed. The narration is intimate and we get a strong sense of each individual’s thought patterns. We see their faults, as well as assets, their confidence levels and moments of plunging self-doubt. I really wasn’t sure what side to declare my allegiance to as I disliked both women! I also found that each woman seemed a tad unreliable, so this exacerbated my ire towards both ladies.
I respect the author’s willingness to confront a range of controversial issues in her debut release. Precious You explores modern feminism, the male gaze, power, status, career aspirations, sexuality, ageing, social media influences and self-image. Helen Monks Takhar tackles these tenuous themes with a fearless approach. However, my sheer distaste for both leads, along with some of the self-absorbed situations they were faced with got on my nerves. As a result, my reading of this novel was somewhat hampered by my distaste for the characters, which was unfortunate as I could appreciate the importance of the issues the book raised.
At times the style of narration in Precious You reminded me of Caroline Kepnes’ You, with a little of The Whisper Network thrown in. I tend to avoid book comparisons but in this case I did cast my mind back to the above mentioned novels while reading Precious You. Despite some problems I encountered, namely with the characters of Precious You, something about this novel did push me to persist until the end.
A searing, albeit shrewd look at the lengths some will go to in order to maintain their position of power and prestige is explored by first time novelist Helen Monks Takhar. Precious You may strike the interest of contemporary fiction readers.
*I wish to thank Harlequin Australia for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
An up to the minute novel, Precious You is the debut thriller from author Helen Monks Takhar. This dark and convoluted tale has already been optioned for a television adaptation, with the author set to produce the series. Precious You is a topical novel that delves into the pitfalls of a working relationship marred by rivalry, revenge, jealousy and above all, a generational divide.
When Katherine, an editor in chief returns to the workplace following a bout of extended leave, she faces up to a new intern. In her early twenties, Lily the intern represents everything Katherine is not. Lily is enterprising, overly sensitive, privileged and she has a social media obsession Katherine fails to understand. Katherine is envious of Lily’s youth and she immediately begins to fixate on the young woman’s beauty. As this complex rivalry escalates between a woman once in her prime and a young upstart, dark secrets, along with sinister plans come to light. Underneath, both these women are not who they appear to be in the public forum. As desperation pulses through each woman, the question remains as to which one will triumph over the over.
Drawing on her career as a journalist, copywriter and a magazine editor, British author Helen Monks Takhar has released her debut novel that features an editor in chief of a magazine as her lead. The years of experience and insight the author brings to her debut ensures that Precious You is an in touch novel.
Precious You is structured in the form of two alternating points of view. The book’s narration is divided equally between editor Katherine and intern Lily. The two women are completely different at first glance, but as the story progresses, their shared experiences and mode of thinking gradually allows the audience to see they are not so far removed. The narration is intimate and we get a strong sense of each individual’s thought patterns. We see their faults, as well as assets, their confidence levels and moments of plunging self-doubt. I really wasn’t sure what side to declare my allegiance to as I disliked both women! I also found that each woman seemed a tad unreliable, so this exacerbated my ire towards both ladies.
I respect the author’s willingness to confront a range of controversial issues in her debut release. Precious You explores modern feminism, the male gaze, power, status, career aspirations, sexuality, ageing, social media influences and self-image. Helen Monks Takhar tackles these tenuous themes with a fearless approach. However, my sheer distaste for both leads, along with some of the self-absorbed situations they were faced with got on my nerves. As a result, my reading of this novel was somewhat hampered by my distaste for the characters, which was unfortunate as I could appreciate the importance of the issues the book raised.
At times the style of narration in Precious You reminded me of Caroline Kepnes’ You, with a little of The Whisper Network thrown in. I tend to avoid book comparisons but in this case I did cast my mind back to the above mentioned novels while reading Precious You. Despite some problems I encountered, namely with the characters of Precious You, something about this novel did push me to persist until the end.
A searing, albeit shrewd look at the lengths some will go to in order to maintain their position of power and prestige is explored by first time novelist Helen Monks Takhar. Precious You may strike the interest of contemporary fiction readers.
*I wish to thank Harlequin Australia for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
January 13, 2021
QUICK TAKE: I absolutely loved this cat-and-mouse thriller about an aging magazine editor and the power-hungry intern who will do whatever it takes to climb the ladder and take control. It's dark and twisted, and has maybe one of the most f*cked up death scenes I read last year. As a big fan of thrillers, this was for sure one of my favorites of 2020.
March 7, 2020
Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Marta Paraschiv
Precious You focuses on Katherine, an experienced editor who had recently returned to work after taking a break because of mental health issues and upon her return, she has to face a new management. Besides her worries about not being able to impress her new boss, she also becomes concerned about Lily—the young, vibrant, and creative intern who is always one step ahead of her. Lily seems to possess everything Katherine wants, everything that she is lacking in and also seems to try to sabotage her and undermine her power every chance she gets. Instead of avoiding her and not getting into a game of cat and mouse, Katherine is too intrigued and lonely to resist the possibility of getting closer to this younger version of herself. Soon, they become involved in some very twisted mind games that will change both of their lives forever.
The novel provides a great analysis into the generational gap between millennials and Gen X, highlighting those intergenerational differences and how they become essential in the power struggle between Katherine and Lily. Katherine, who’s a part of the Gen X, sees Lily as oversensitive, someone who’s taking things way too seriously all the time, who’s obsessed with social media and thinks she can do anything and everything no matter how competent she is for the job. Basically, she complains about Lily being a snowflake ‘with all her triggers’ and desire to do things properly. While Lily thinks Katherine is ungrateful and unaware of how easier her life had been. Furthermore, she mentions that Gen X had a lot to gain from the power imbalance between them and the millennials and because of that, they’ve tried to maintain it with unpaid internships, inadequate sexual relationships in the workplace and so on.
Besides that, the feminist aspects are very complex and well discussed—the power play between the two women is widely based on the fact that Katherine is no longer as young and as attractive as Lily. She’s very insecure about that and the way she sees it—when you are in your twenties, you have the attention of men, they favour you, they will listen to your ideas, but as soon as you get to your thirties or fourties, you do not interest them anymore, your beauty is no longer an asset that can help you advance in your career. This is a problem because men usually wield the power and they are the ones who bestow it on whoever they see fit—usually someone shinier and younger that comes forward. I loved how it was mentioned that women don’t support each other enough when it comes to this, that they should fight more for objective criteria instead of being content with getting the advantages that come with youth and beauty.
This book is everything you expect upon reading the blurb and yet so much more than that, sadly it had quite a few shocking moments that didn’t work for me. I would say the psychological aspects were very well-done. I was constantly trying to predict who’s going to win, how they are going to hurt each other next, who has the upper hand and how they are going to use it – but there were a few plot-lines that seemed a bit far-fetched and mostly present to add to the shock value. Katherine made some very frustrating decisions as well, she is so intelligent and has been working in a highly competitive work environment for 20 years, I was expecting her not to get caught up in so many of Lily’s games and learn to predict her behaviour sooner than she did. Even so, this fast-paced psychological thriller was enjoyable and constantly kept me on the edge, its strengths surpassing its weaknesses by far.
All in all, this is an exceptional debut due to its strong female characters, thrilling conflicts, and the important subjects that were addressed ranging from feminism to workplace dynamics. The writing was impressive and I adored the way the author weaved the plotlines so effortlessly and in such ways that you couldn’t stop reading until you knew how everything will go down. The structure is also very intriguing with diary entries for Lily while Katherine addresses Lily directly in her point of view, which feels very intimate and meaningful to their connection. The dynamics between these two women are very complex and I don’t believe I will forget these characters, nor their story anytime soon. The story is absolutely haunting and you should definitely add it to your to be read pile if you like amoral characters and being kept in the dark until the very end.
Precious You focuses on Katherine, an experienced editor who had recently returned to work after taking a break because of mental health issues and upon her return, she has to face a new management. Besides her worries about not being able to impress her new boss, she also becomes concerned about Lily—the young, vibrant, and creative intern who is always one step ahead of her. Lily seems to possess everything Katherine wants, everything that she is lacking in and also seems to try to sabotage her and undermine her power every chance she gets. Instead of avoiding her and not getting into a game of cat and mouse, Katherine is too intrigued and lonely to resist the possibility of getting closer to this younger version of herself. Soon, they become involved in some very twisted mind games that will change both of their lives forever.
The novel provides a great analysis into the generational gap between millennials and Gen X, highlighting those intergenerational differences and how they become essential in the power struggle between Katherine and Lily. Katherine, who’s a part of the Gen X, sees Lily as oversensitive, someone who’s taking things way too seriously all the time, who’s obsessed with social media and thinks she can do anything and everything no matter how competent she is for the job. Basically, she complains about Lily being a snowflake ‘with all her triggers’ and desire to do things properly. While Lily thinks Katherine is ungrateful and unaware of how easier her life had been. Furthermore, she mentions that Gen X had a lot to gain from the power imbalance between them and the millennials and because of that, they’ve tried to maintain it with unpaid internships, inadequate sexual relationships in the workplace and so on.
Besides that, the feminist aspects are very complex and well discussed—the power play between the two women is widely based on the fact that Katherine is no longer as young and as attractive as Lily. She’s very insecure about that and the way she sees it—when you are in your twenties, you have the attention of men, they favour you, they will listen to your ideas, but as soon as you get to your thirties or fourties, you do not interest them anymore, your beauty is no longer an asset that can help you advance in your career. This is a problem because men usually wield the power and they are the ones who bestow it on whoever they see fit—usually someone shinier and younger that comes forward. I loved how it was mentioned that women don’t support each other enough when it comes to this, that they should fight more for objective criteria instead of being content with getting the advantages that come with youth and beauty.
This book is everything you expect upon reading the blurb and yet so much more than that, sadly it had quite a few shocking moments that didn’t work for me. I would say the psychological aspects were very well-done. I was constantly trying to predict who’s going to win, how they are going to hurt each other next, who has the upper hand and how they are going to use it – but there were a few plot-lines that seemed a bit far-fetched and mostly present to add to the shock value. Katherine made some very frustrating decisions as well, she is so intelligent and has been working in a highly competitive work environment for 20 years, I was expecting her not to get caught up in so many of Lily’s games and learn to predict her behaviour sooner than she did. Even so, this fast-paced psychological thriller was enjoyable and constantly kept me on the edge, its strengths surpassing its weaknesses by far.
All in all, this is an exceptional debut due to its strong female characters, thrilling conflicts, and the important subjects that were addressed ranging from feminism to workplace dynamics. The writing was impressive and I adored the way the author weaved the plotlines so effortlessly and in such ways that you couldn’t stop reading until you knew how everything will go down. The structure is also very intriguing with diary entries for Lily while Katherine addresses Lily directly in her point of view, which feels very intimate and meaningful to their connection. The dynamics between these two women are very complex and I don’t believe I will forget these characters, nor their story anytime soon. The story is absolutely haunting and you should definitely add it to your to be read pile if you like amoral characters and being kept in the dark until the very end.
June 25, 2020
Precious You, is a ominous and sinister mix of workplace noir and psychological suspense and is Helen Monks Takhar's daring début.
Flagging editor Katherine Ross, is concerned when Lily Lunt, a twenty-four-year-old, privileged, politically correct, millennial is hired as an intern at Leadership magazine, where Katherine is editor in chief. To Katherine, Lily represents everything she is not. Lily is enterprising, advantaged and she has a social media obsession Katherine cannot comprehend. Katherine is envious of Lily’s youth and she fixates on the younger woman’s beauty. As complex rivalry escalates between them dark secrets as well as sinister plans begin to emerge, and both women are not who they give the impression of being. As desperation grips them, the question remains as to which one might triumph over the other.
Structured using alternating points of view, the narration is divided equally between Katherine and Lily. The two women are like chalk and cheese but as the story progressed, their shared experiences and thought processes gradually allowed me to recognise they were not that dissimilar. The narration was intensive and I loved that all of their faults, as well as their confidence levels and self-doubt were on view. I really wasn’t sure if I was team Katherine or Lily as both women were completely intolerable and obnoxious, though for me this served to delightfully enhance the story.
Precious You is a distinctive and original thriller with plenty of grit to keep those who appreciate bleaker storylines captivated. It is a deliciously dark read and I particularly liked that Helen Monks Takhar gave me plenty of fodder including political and topical issues, power and prestige to ruminate over whilst also featuring a plethora of twists, turns and misdirection to keep me flipping the pages. Precious You is a pertinent novel that fishes in the quagmire of a working relationship marred by a generational divide, rivalry, obsession, evil, deceit, revenge, and jealousy.
Helen Monks Takhar really knows how to create maximum uneasiness and apprehension. Her writing was assured, the tension was taut throughout, and the pace never flagged at all. A fantastic read from a brilliant author I'm delighted to have discovered.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request, from HQ via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion. Thank you also to Pigeonhole and Helen Monks Takhar for the opportunity to read this book!
Flagging editor Katherine Ross, is concerned when Lily Lunt, a twenty-four-year-old, privileged, politically correct, millennial is hired as an intern at Leadership magazine, where Katherine is editor in chief. To Katherine, Lily represents everything she is not. Lily is enterprising, advantaged and she has a social media obsession Katherine cannot comprehend. Katherine is envious of Lily’s youth and she fixates on the younger woman’s beauty. As complex rivalry escalates between them dark secrets as well as sinister plans begin to emerge, and both women are not who they give the impression of being. As desperation grips them, the question remains as to which one might triumph over the other.
Structured using alternating points of view, the narration is divided equally between Katherine and Lily. The two women are like chalk and cheese but as the story progressed, their shared experiences and thought processes gradually allowed me to recognise they were not that dissimilar. The narration was intensive and I loved that all of their faults, as well as their confidence levels and self-doubt were on view. I really wasn’t sure if I was team Katherine or Lily as both women were completely intolerable and obnoxious, though for me this served to delightfully enhance the story.
Precious You is a distinctive and original thriller with plenty of grit to keep those who appreciate bleaker storylines captivated. It is a deliciously dark read and I particularly liked that Helen Monks Takhar gave me plenty of fodder including political and topical issues, power and prestige to ruminate over whilst also featuring a plethora of twists, turns and misdirection to keep me flipping the pages. Precious You is a pertinent novel that fishes in the quagmire of a working relationship marred by a generational divide, rivalry, obsession, evil, deceit, revenge, and jealousy.
Helen Monks Takhar really knows how to create maximum uneasiness and apprehension. Her writing was assured, the tension was taut throughout, and the pace never flagged at all. A fantastic read from a brilliant author I'm delighted to have discovered.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request, from HQ via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion. Thank you also to Pigeonhole and Helen Monks Takhar for the opportunity to read this book!
June 27, 2020
Thank you, HQ, and NetGalley for a copy of Precious you by Helen Monks Takhar but I am afraid this book was not for me. I am not one to give up on a book and not finish it but, I am afraid I could not carry on after halfway through sorry.
41-year-old Katherine Ross is editor in chief at a magazine. When the magazine is taken over by Gemma Lunt. In comes Gemma’s niece as an intern 24-year-old Lily. Lily is everything that Katherine isn’t, and she is in charge of bringing the magazine into the 21st century. The pair are assigned together to turn the magazine around. But while they do that, they try a form a bond but Katherine thinks that Lily has an hidden agenda but plays along, even going out together to form a bond The pair get obsessed with it other while doing so. Even Lily investigating her past accomplishments at the magazine and even her family background.
I really tried to read this book but, I personally think that this was written for a younger generation. I thought the characters in this book are the worse characters in a book I have read they were so horrible and didn’t give a care about anything or anyone and everyone trying to get “one up” on everyone else. This reminded me of a reality Tv program like Love island and soon as I see it on Tv I switch over. 2 stars from me.
41-year-old Katherine Ross is editor in chief at a magazine. When the magazine is taken over by Gemma Lunt. In comes Gemma’s niece as an intern 24-year-old Lily. Lily is everything that Katherine isn’t, and she is in charge of bringing the magazine into the 21st century. The pair are assigned together to turn the magazine around. But while they do that, they try a form a bond but Katherine thinks that Lily has an hidden agenda but plays along, even going out together to form a bond The pair get obsessed with it other while doing so. Even Lily investigating her past accomplishments at the magazine and even her family background.
I really tried to read this book but, I personally think that this was written for a younger generation. I thought the characters in this book are the worse characters in a book I have read they were so horrible and didn’t give a care about anything or anyone and everyone trying to get “one up” on everyone else. This reminded me of a reality Tv program like Love island and soon as I see it on Tv I switch over. 2 stars from me.
April 26, 2020
This was another thriller that delivers a punch to the gut you were not expecting. A taught, edge of your seat kind of read that builds its way up over the course of the story line. I did not like either one of the main protagonists, but I liked Katherine less than I did Lily even though she is maybe seen as a villain. This read has a dark underlying plot to it that I do not want to give away, but if you like the elements of backstabbing, envy, betrayal and big drama this is one to pick up.
April 8, 2020
This novel tells the story of the relationship between two women. Katherine, in her early forties, is the editor of an business magazine called Leadership, which is sold and the new owner's niece, twenty-four-year-old Lily, is hired, ostensibly as an intern, but because of her family connections, she has more importance than that. Katherine and Lily begin with an antagonistic relationship that is marked by both attraction and enmity. As their conflict intensifies, it's clear Lily has an ulterior motive behind her actions and that Katherine is not equipped to deal with any conflict whatsoever.
The ages of the two protagonists is constantly mentioned and the story is often framed as a conflict between generations. Apparently, Gen X professional women are sexual predators of a kind to make Don Draper uncomfortable and frankly incompetent and mentally unstable as well. And Millenials are conniving and manipulative. Along with bludgeoning the reader, over and over again, with this idea of a conflict between generations and Katherine's accompanying obsession with how very old and past it she is (she's in her early forties!), there's the persistent idea that women are obsessed with age and how sexually attractive they are as the only thing that gives them value. Had this been set in the modeling world, or among a group of paid escorts, that world view would be obsolete, but at least understandable. In the publishing world, this strains belief.
The other problem is the greater one. Neither character is likable, nor do they have any characteristics that make them interesting to read about. Lily is a cipher, manipulative and beautiful. The reason she has for her actions is explained at the very end of the novel, but there's not enough substance there to ever understand her motivations or reasoning. And Katherine is a stew of conflicting character traits. Clever and driven enough to become the magazine's youngest ever editor and to run the magazine single-handedly for two decades, she is nevertheless malleable and vulnerable to the point where even being asked routine questions sends her into a tailspin. She's either too drunk or too hung-over to function, even when it's clear she's fighting to keep her job and she continues to give Lily important tasks even when it's evident that Lily is sabotaging her, Katherine knows she's sabotaging her, and a particular task can ruin her career. It made no sense at all.
On the plus side, the author writes well. I just wish that she had come up with characters worthy of her writing ability and that she had trusted the reader enough to not have to make every plot point obvious. The plot did hold promise, it's just unfortunate that the author couldn't be subtle about her intentions.
The ages of the two protagonists is constantly mentioned and the story is often framed as a conflict between generations. Apparently, Gen X professional women are sexual predators of a kind to make Don Draper uncomfortable and frankly incompetent and mentally unstable as well. And Millenials are conniving and manipulative. Along with bludgeoning the reader, over and over again, with this idea of a conflict between generations and Katherine's accompanying obsession with how very old and past it she is (she's in her early forties!), there's the persistent idea that women are obsessed with age and how sexually attractive they are as the only thing that gives them value. Had this been set in the modeling world, or among a group of paid escorts, that world view would be obsolete, but at least understandable. In the publishing world, this strains belief.
The other problem is the greater one. Neither character is likable, nor do they have any characteristics that make them interesting to read about. Lily is a cipher, manipulative and beautiful. The reason she has for her actions is explained at the very end of the novel, but there's not enough substance there to ever understand her motivations or reasoning. And Katherine is a stew of conflicting character traits. Clever and driven enough to become the magazine's youngest ever editor and to run the magazine single-handedly for two decades, she is nevertheless malleable and vulnerable to the point where even being asked routine questions sends her into a tailspin. She's either too drunk or too hung-over to function, even when it's clear she's fighting to keep her job and she continues to give Lily important tasks even when it's evident that Lily is sabotaging her, Katherine knows she's sabotaging her, and a particular task can ruin her career. It made no sense at all.
On the plus side, the author writes well. I just wish that she had come up with characters worthy of her writing ability and that she had trusted the reader enough to not have to make every plot point obvious. The plot did hold promise, it's just unfortunate that the author couldn't be subtle about her intentions.
March 6, 2020
*Thank you to the author and Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review*
2 stars
From the first line, I couldn't help but compare this book to Caroline Kepnes' "You" and for me, this felt like a watered-down female-driven version of "You." I'm hard to please when it comes to thrillers and even if I wasn't to have made the comparisons to another book it wouldn't have made me enjoy this one any more. I struggled to find sense in the motives and what was drawing the main characters together because they were both fucking annoying in their own ways, so this lead to my not caring about uncovering the reasons why and more so made me question why I should keep reading to the end. I didn't find it particularly thrilling or interesting to read and found myself skimming a lot of the passages... Sorry!
2 stars
From the first line, I couldn't help but compare this book to Caroline Kepnes' "You" and for me, this felt like a watered-down female-driven version of "You." I'm hard to please when it comes to thrillers and even if I wasn't to have made the comparisons to another book it wouldn't have made me enjoy this one any more. I struggled to find sense in the motives and what was drawing the main characters together because they were both fucking annoying in their own ways, so this lead to my not caring about uncovering the reasons why and more so made me question why I should keep reading to the end. I didn't find it particularly thrilling or interesting to read and found myself skimming a lot of the passages... Sorry!
March 8, 2020
Precious You focuses on Katherine, an experienced editor who had recently returned to work after taking a break because of mental health issues and upon her return, she has to face a new management. Besides her worries about not being able to impress her new boss, she also becomes concerned about Lily—the young, vibrant, and creative intern who is always one step ahead of her. Lily seems to possess everything Katherine wants, everything that she is lacking in and also seems to try to sabotage her and undermine her power every chance she gets. Instead of avoiding her and not getting into a game of cat and mouse, Katherine is too intrigued and lonely to resist the possibility of getting closer to this younger version of herself. Soon, they become involved in some very twisted mind games that will change both of their lives forever.
The novel provides a great analysis into the generational gap between millennials and Gen X, highlighting those intergenerational differences and how they become essential in the power struggle between Katherine and Lily. Katherine, who’s a part of the Gen X, sees Lily as oversensitive, someone who’s taking things way too seriously all the time, who’s obsessed with social media and thinks she can do anything and everything no matter how competent she is for the job. Basically, she complains about Lily being a snowflake ‘with all her triggers’ and desire to do things properly. While Lily thinks Katherine is ungrateful and unaware of how easier her life had been. Furthermore, she mentions that Gen X had a lot to gain from the power imbalance between them and the millennials and because of that, they’ve tried to maintain it with unpaid internships, inadequate sexual relationships in the workplace and so on.
Besides that, the feminist aspects are very complex and well discussed—the power play between the two women is widely based on the fact that Katherine is no longer as young and as attractive as Lily. She’s very insecure about that and the way she sees it—when you are in your twenties, you have the attention of men, they favour you, they will listen to your ideas, but as soon as you get to your thirties or fourties, you do not interest them anymore, your beauty is no longer an asset that can help you advance in your career. This is a problem because men usually wield the power and they are the ones who bestow it on whoever they see fit—usually someone shinier and younger that comes forward. I loved how it was mentioned that women don’t support each other enough when it comes to this, that they should fight more for objective criteria instead of being content with getting the advantages that come with youth and beauty.
This book is everything you expect upon reading the blurb and yet so much more than that, sadly it had quite a few shocking moments that didn’t work for me. I would say the psychological aspects were very well-done. I was constantly trying to predict who’s going to win, how they are going to hurt each other next, who has the upper hand and how they are going to use it – but there were a few plot-lines that seemed a bit far-fetched and mostly present to add to the shock value. Katherine made some very frustrating decisions as well, she is so intelligent and has been working in a highly competitive work environment for 20 years, I was expecting her not to get caught up in so many of Lily’s games and learn to predict her behaviour sooner than she did. Even so, this fast-paced psychological thriller was enjoyable and constantly kept me on the edge, its strengths surpassing its weaknesses by far.
All in all, this is an exceptional debut due to its strong female characters, thrilling conflicts, and the important subjects that were addressed ranging from feminism to workplace dynamics. The writing was impressive and I adored the way the author weaved the plotlines so effortlessly and in such ways that you couldn’t stop reading until you knew how everything will go down. The structure is also very intriguing with diary entries for Lily while Katherine addresses Lily directly in her point of view, which feels very intimate and meaningful to their connection. The dynamics between these two women are very complex and I don’t believe I will forget these characters, nor their story anytime soon. The story is absolutely haunting and you should definitely add it to your to be read pile if you like amoral characters and being kept in the dark until the very end.
You can also find this review on The Nerd Daily.
The novel provides a great analysis into the generational gap between millennials and Gen X, highlighting those intergenerational differences and how they become essential in the power struggle between Katherine and Lily. Katherine, who’s a part of the Gen X, sees Lily as oversensitive, someone who’s taking things way too seriously all the time, who’s obsessed with social media and thinks she can do anything and everything no matter how competent she is for the job. Basically, she complains about Lily being a snowflake ‘with all her triggers’ and desire to do things properly. While Lily thinks Katherine is ungrateful and unaware of how easier her life had been. Furthermore, she mentions that Gen X had a lot to gain from the power imbalance between them and the millennials and because of that, they’ve tried to maintain it with unpaid internships, inadequate sexual relationships in the workplace and so on.
Besides that, the feminist aspects are very complex and well discussed—the power play between the two women is widely based on the fact that Katherine is no longer as young and as attractive as Lily. She’s very insecure about that and the way she sees it—when you are in your twenties, you have the attention of men, they favour you, they will listen to your ideas, but as soon as you get to your thirties or fourties, you do not interest them anymore, your beauty is no longer an asset that can help you advance in your career. This is a problem because men usually wield the power and they are the ones who bestow it on whoever they see fit—usually someone shinier and younger that comes forward. I loved how it was mentioned that women don’t support each other enough when it comes to this, that they should fight more for objective criteria instead of being content with getting the advantages that come with youth and beauty.
This book is everything you expect upon reading the blurb and yet so much more than that, sadly it had quite a few shocking moments that didn’t work for me. I would say the psychological aspects were very well-done. I was constantly trying to predict who’s going to win, how they are going to hurt each other next, who has the upper hand and how they are going to use it – but there were a few plot-lines that seemed a bit far-fetched and mostly present to add to the shock value. Katherine made some very frustrating decisions as well, she is so intelligent and has been working in a highly competitive work environment for 20 years, I was expecting her not to get caught up in so many of Lily’s games and learn to predict her behaviour sooner than she did. Even so, this fast-paced psychological thriller was enjoyable and constantly kept me on the edge, its strengths surpassing its weaknesses by far.
All in all, this is an exceptional debut due to its strong female characters, thrilling conflicts, and the important subjects that were addressed ranging from feminism to workplace dynamics. The writing was impressive and I adored the way the author weaved the plotlines so effortlessly and in such ways that you couldn’t stop reading until you knew how everything will go down. The structure is also very intriguing with diary entries for Lily while Katherine addresses Lily directly in her point of view, which feels very intimate and meaningful to their connection. The dynamics between these two women are very complex and I don’t believe I will forget these characters, nor their story anytime soon. The story is absolutely haunting and you should definitely add it to your to be read pile if you like amoral characters and being kept in the dark until the very end.
You can also find this review on The Nerd Daily.
August 2, 2020
Katherine Ross is 43 and is editor in chief at a London magazine.
The magazine is taken over by Gemma Lunt and soon Katherine meets Gemmas niece Lily and learns that she will be one of her new interns.
Lily is young, has new ideas and the pair are assigned to bring the failing magazine back to life.
Trying to bond, Katherine believes from day one that Lily is up to something and has a hidden agenda, but what? The pair get obsessed with each other and both are keeping secrets.
I struggled with this one and so many times I nearly binned it. But rarely do I walk away from a book. So I persisted.
I didn’t like the characters, I thought they were completely horrible and I wasn’t gripped by the story line.
However the author did write this quite well, but the characters and plot got me so frustrated and I was glad when it was finished.
Having said that the last 100 pages lifted and the chapters all came together with a nice fat twist at the end.
I think overall the author had a fantastic idea but it didn’t seem to work for me.
There are lots of fantastic reviews out there for this book, but it on this occasion the book wasn’t one of my 2020 favourites.
2 Stars
The magazine is taken over by Gemma Lunt and soon Katherine meets Gemmas niece Lily and learns that she will be one of her new interns.
Lily is young, has new ideas and the pair are assigned to bring the failing magazine back to life.
Trying to bond, Katherine believes from day one that Lily is up to something and has a hidden agenda, but what? The pair get obsessed with each other and both are keeping secrets.
I struggled with this one and so many times I nearly binned it. But rarely do I walk away from a book. So I persisted.
I didn’t like the characters, I thought they were completely horrible and I wasn’t gripped by the story line.
However the author did write this quite well, but the characters and plot got me so frustrated and I was glad when it was finished.
Having said that the last 100 pages lifted and the chapters all came together with a nice fat twist at the end.
I think overall the author had a fantastic idea but it didn’t seem to work for me.
There are lots of fantastic reviews out there for this book, but it on this occasion the book wasn’t one of my 2020 favourites.
2 Stars
April 8, 2020
Precious You by Helen Monks Takhar tell the story of the relationship between two women. Katherine, in her early forties, is the editor of an business magazine called Leadership, which is sold and the new owner's niece, twenty-four-year-old Lily, is hired, ostensibly as an intern, but because of her family connections, she has more importance than that. Katherine and Lily begin with an antagonistic relationship that is marked by both attraction and enmity. As their conflict intensifies, it's clear Lily has an ulterior motive behind her actions and that Katherine is not equipped to deal with any conflict whatsoever.
The ages of the two protagonists is constantly mentioned and the story is often framed as a conflict between generations. Apparently, Gen X professional women are sexual predators of a kind to make Don Draper uncomfortable and frankly incompetent and mentally unstable as well. And Millenials are conniving and manipulative. Along with bludgeoning the reader, over and over again, with this idea of a conflict between generations and Katherine's accompanying obsession with how very old and past it she is (she's in her early forties!), there's the persistent idea that women are obsessed with age and how sexually attractive they are as the only thing that gives them value. Had this been set in the modeling world, or among a group of paid escorts, that world view would be obsolete, but at least understandable. In the publishing world, this strains belief.
The other problem is the greater one. Neither character is likable, nor do they have any characteristics that make them interesting to read about. Lily is a cipher, manipulative and beautiful. The reason she has for her actions is explained at the very end of the novel, but there's not enough substance there to ever understand her motivations or reasoning. And Katherine is a stew of conflicting character traits. Clever and driven enough to become the magazine's youngest ever editor and to run the magazine single-handedly for two decades, she is nevertheless malleable and vulnerable to the point where even being asked routine questions sends her into a tailspin. She's either too drunk or too hung-over to function, even when it's clear she's fighting to keep her job and she continues to give Lily important tasks even when it's evident that Lily is sabotaging her, Katherine knows she's sabotaging her, and a particular task can ruin her career. It made no sense at all.
On the plus side, the author writes well. I just wish that she had come up with characters worthy of her writing ability and that she had trusted the reader enough to not have to make every plot point obvious. The plot did hold promise, it's just unfortunate that the author couldn't be subtle about her intentions.
The ages of the two protagonists is constantly mentioned and the story is often framed as a conflict between generations. Apparently, Gen X professional women are sexual predators of a kind to make Don Draper uncomfortable and frankly incompetent and mentally unstable as well. And Millenials are conniving and manipulative. Along with bludgeoning the reader, over and over again, with this idea of a conflict between generations and Katherine's accompanying obsession with how very old and past it she is (she's in her early forties!), there's the persistent idea that women are obsessed with age and how sexually attractive they are as the only thing that gives them value. Had this been set in the modeling world, or among a group of paid escorts, that world view would be obsolete, but at least understandable. In the publishing world, this strains belief.
The other problem is the greater one. Neither character is likable, nor do they have any characteristics that make them interesting to read about. Lily is a cipher, manipulative and beautiful. The reason she has for her actions is explained at the very end of the novel, but there's not enough substance there to ever understand her motivations or reasoning. And Katherine is a stew of conflicting character traits. Clever and driven enough to become the magazine's youngest ever editor and to run the magazine single-handedly for two decades, she is nevertheless malleable and vulnerable to the point where even being asked routine questions sends her into a tailspin. She's either too drunk or too hung-over to function, even when it's clear she's fighting to keep her job and she continues to give Lily important tasks even when it's evident that Lily is sabotaging her, Katherine knows she's sabotaging her, and a particular task can ruin her career. It made no sense at all.
On the plus side, the author writes well. I just wish that she had come up with characters worthy of her writing ability and that she had trusted the reader enough to not have to make every plot point obvious. The plot did hold promise, it's just unfortunate that the author couldn't be subtle about her intentions.
February 7, 2020
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this book.
It has some great ideas,two strong females at the lead,even if they're both more than a bit nuts.
It is a proper power play between them to be top dog.
However,there were times I could have put the book down and not picked it up again,not caring I didn't find out who won.
I did pick it up,and I'm glad to have got to the end,having all questions answered and thinking it couldn't have finished better.
It has some great ideas,two strong females at the lead,even if they're both more than a bit nuts.
It is a proper power play between them to be top dog.
However,there were times I could have put the book down and not picked it up again,not caring I didn't find out who won.
I did pick it up,and I'm glad to have got to the end,having all questions answered and thinking it couldn't have finished better.
July 14, 2020
Have you ever read a book that you dislike all of its characters?
"When I was ready to help you, why did you set out to snatch everything that was mine?" -- Katherine
"They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but it also tastes the sweetest when it’s cooked slow." -- Lily
A note to self everytime I am reading a psychological thriller to not trust any of its characters, think I did well with this one-- to not trust them, at all. Precious You is a story of two women-- Katherine, an editor of a magazine, the Gen X that thought the new intern, Lily-- a snowflake that came to threaten the very foundation of her self-serving little world, to sabotage and ruin her work and life. It was a story of provocation, a question of paranoia, anxiety and revenge.
It was fairly thrilling and disturbing with manipulative and unreliable characters. I love the twisting ending but the real motive on revenge was a bit off to me, think it could be much more worthy considering how it ended in 'ruining' the whole characters (even the extras). Nevertheless, I enjoyed the crazy stirring ride in between narration of both Katherine and Lily, it was hauntingly gripping and quite hypnotizing.
"Secrets always ooze out eventually, no matter what people wrap around the truth."
A part of me love the audacious snowflake and another part of me could understand the struggle and unfairness for Katherine. Generation gap can somehow be terrifying.
"When I was ready to help you, why did you set out to snatch everything that was mine?" -- Katherine
"They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but it also tastes the sweetest when it’s cooked slow." -- Lily
A note to self everytime I am reading a psychological thriller to not trust any of its characters, think I did well with this one-- to not trust them, at all. Precious You is a story of two women-- Katherine, an editor of a magazine, the Gen X that thought the new intern, Lily-- a snowflake that came to threaten the very foundation of her self-serving little world, to sabotage and ruin her work and life. It was a story of provocation, a question of paranoia, anxiety and revenge.
It was fairly thrilling and disturbing with manipulative and unreliable characters. I love the twisting ending but the real motive on revenge was a bit off to me, think it could be much more worthy considering how it ended in 'ruining' the whole characters (even the extras). Nevertheless, I enjoyed the crazy stirring ride in between narration of both Katherine and Lily, it was hauntingly gripping and quite hypnotizing.
"Secrets always ooze out eventually, no matter what people wrap around the truth."
A part of me love the audacious snowflake and another part of me could understand the struggle and unfairness for Katherine. Generation gap can somehow be terrifying.
April 2, 2020
Well that was a disappointment...
June 12, 2020
This book started reasonably well with Katherine giving Lily a lift in her taxi when Lily is left waiting at the bus stop.
The story revolves around 41 year old journalist Katherine Ross who works for The Leadership and who is only just beginning to get her life back in order after a period of ill health (mental). She lives with her long time partner Iain who has a disturbing relationship with alcohol. Neither Katherine nor her partner are likeable characters. The language is crude and their attitudes extremely hard to identify with.
There is an ongoing battle for supremacy between Lily and Katherine. There is a lot of self-doubt, infidelity, sexual promiscuity and ageism explored. Tying all these abhorrent behaviours up, is Lily's desire to bring about Katherine's downfall in the most catastrophic of ways possible.
The reason I gave the book 3 stars is because it isn't badly written. I liked the idea of someone knowing you way before you do and plotting like a fiend to destroy the other. There is obviously a reason behind Lily's actions which make you wonder what Katherine has done in a past life that is so deserving of Lily's subtle hate campaign. One name keeps cropping up, Ruth, and it isn't until the close of the novel that we understand who Ruth is. The book therefore does contain certain elements of suspense and intrigue throughout.
My personal difficulty was the fact that the book failed to capture me emotionally in any way. There wasn't a single character who is likeable and as the plot developed it became somewhat ridiculous and definitely dark in a way I did not enjoy.
Lily herself is damaged beyond all belief. In fact it is hard to find a character in this book who isn't.
I think there were some twists and turns that some readers will enjoy and many will undoubtedly revel in the depths of darkness to which both main female characters descend.
For me though it was less a novel and more a platform to voice a certain perspective. I have to accept that some readers may well understand this perspective on generational differences, and embrace the labels of Gen X, Millennial and Baby Boomer to name but a few. Whilst mine is just one person's opinion, for me this book was incomprehensible and could not transport me anywhere I wanted to be.
The story revolves around 41 year old journalist Katherine Ross who works for The Leadership and who is only just beginning to get her life back in order after a period of ill health (mental). She lives with her long time partner Iain who has a disturbing relationship with alcohol. Neither Katherine nor her partner are likeable characters. The language is crude and their attitudes extremely hard to identify with.
There is an ongoing battle for supremacy between Lily and Katherine. There is a lot of self-doubt, infidelity, sexual promiscuity and ageism explored. Tying all these abhorrent behaviours up, is Lily's desire to bring about Katherine's downfall in the most catastrophic of ways possible.
The reason I gave the book 3 stars is because it isn't badly written. I liked the idea of someone knowing you way before you do and plotting like a fiend to destroy the other. There is obviously a reason behind Lily's actions which make you wonder what Katherine has done in a past life that is so deserving of Lily's subtle hate campaign. One name keeps cropping up, Ruth, and it isn't until the close of the novel that we understand who Ruth is. The book therefore does contain certain elements of suspense and intrigue throughout.
My personal difficulty was the fact that the book failed to capture me emotionally in any way. There wasn't a single character who is likeable and as the plot developed it became somewhat ridiculous and definitely dark in a way I did not enjoy.
Lily herself is damaged beyond all belief. In fact it is hard to find a character in this book who isn't.
I think there were some twists and turns that some readers will enjoy and many will undoubtedly revel in the depths of darkness to which both main female characters descend.
For me though it was less a novel and more a platform to voice a certain perspective. I have to accept that some readers may well understand this perspective on generational differences, and embrace the labels of Gen X, Millennial and Baby Boomer to name but a few. Whilst mine is just one person's opinion, for me this book was incomprehensible and could not transport me anywhere I wanted to be.
March 19, 2020
Thank you so much to HQ Fiction for providing me with a copy of Precious You, in exchange for an honest review!
Katherine feels as though life has passed her by, in her forties, she misses everything she had in her twenties, whilst writing anyone in the younger age bracket off as a ‘millennial snowflake’. When she meets Lily, an intern on her way up in the magazine company Katherine is the editor for, she has warring feelings of wanting to dismiss her as a soft, entitled brat, while secretly being drawn to her. As Lily slowly seems to be taking over her life, Katherine becomes more and more paranoid. But is her paranoia justified?
One thing I found a little difficult in Precious You is that I felt like I should have been able to relate to Katherine, who is the same age as me, but I couldn’t. Not at all. I couldn’t relate to her feelings of being a has been and her hate directed towards the younger generation. It was off-putting and I truly hope most people my age don’t feel that way! 😅 Both ladies were not especially likeable, but that worked with the type of thriller the story encompassed. I don’t think we were meant to like either of them. I did feel sorry for Katherine in her desperation in parts of the book, but mostly I just Needed. To. Know. What. Was. Going. To. Happen. I could hardly breathe most of the time, the twists were so unpredictable and brilliant. I remember loving movies like Single White Female and Fatal Attraction (see, I really do fit into Katherine’s generation 😂 ) and this story was so reminiscent of those type of movies.
Told in alternating chapters between Katherine and Lily, we get to see both women’s thought process and unravel the manipulation attempted by each of them along the way. A dark and disturbing thriller that leads to an explosive conclusion, I’d recommend picking this one up!
Katherine feels as though life has passed her by, in her forties, she misses everything she had in her twenties, whilst writing anyone in the younger age bracket off as a ‘millennial snowflake’. When she meets Lily, an intern on her way up in the magazine company Katherine is the editor for, she has warring feelings of wanting to dismiss her as a soft, entitled brat, while secretly being drawn to her. As Lily slowly seems to be taking over her life, Katherine becomes more and more paranoid. But is her paranoia justified?
One thing I found a little difficult in Precious You is that I felt like I should have been able to relate to Katherine, who is the same age as me, but I couldn’t. Not at all. I couldn’t relate to her feelings of being a has been and her hate directed towards the younger generation. It was off-putting and I truly hope most people my age don’t feel that way! 😅 Both ladies were not especially likeable, but that worked with the type of thriller the story encompassed. I don’t think we were meant to like either of them. I did feel sorry for Katherine in her desperation in parts of the book, but mostly I just Needed. To. Know. What. Was. Going. To. Happen. I could hardly breathe most of the time, the twists were so unpredictable and brilliant. I remember loving movies like Single White Female and Fatal Attraction (see, I really do fit into Katherine’s generation 😂 ) and this story was so reminiscent of those type of movies.
Told in alternating chapters between Katherine and Lily, we get to see both women’s thought process and unravel the manipulation attempted by each of them along the way. A dark and disturbing thriller that leads to an explosive conclusion, I’d recommend picking this one up!
August 18, 2020
First of all why do I feel the two female characters are like the one I read in Three Perfect Liars? Except one of them is a psychopath. And this story has YOU vibe in it.
This story is based on a 41 year old editor, Katherine and a 24 year old intern, Lily. Katherine has dedicated her 20 years to a magazine company. Then came Lily who is manipulative young lady who has her own ulterior motive.
The story is told by Katherine and Lily's POV. Lily wants what Katherine has but how far will she go and what is Lily up to?
To be honest. this story is draggy from the beginning until in the middle of it. I find it hard to pick up this book after I put it down for several days. Some people would enjoy this story, but I think this is just not me. The plot started to get interesting towards the end and that's just how much I enjoyed this book.
I wasn't really enjoy the story line. The characters also became unrealistic. The were really horrible. One claimed that she has Impostor Syndrome. Sounds familiar? Well, she doesn't. And another is just too much of a victim and I hoped for more about her so maybe I could like her. I think that's enough, I just couldn't bear with them.
This is a debut. But whatever the author will come with for her next work, I am looking forward to it.
Thank you Times Reads for sending me a copy of Precious You in return for an honest review.
This story is based on a 41 year old editor, Katherine and a 24 year old intern, Lily. Katherine has dedicated her 20 years to a magazine company. Then came Lily who is manipulative young lady who has her own ulterior motive.
The story is told by Katherine and Lily's POV. Lily wants what Katherine has but how far will she go and what is Lily up to?
To be honest. this story is draggy from the beginning until in the middle of it. I find it hard to pick up this book after I put it down for several days. Some people would enjoy this story, but I think this is just not me. The plot started to get interesting towards the end and that's just how much I enjoyed this book.
I wasn't really enjoy the story line. The characters also became unrealistic. The were really horrible. One claimed that she has Impostor Syndrome. Sounds familiar? Well, she doesn't. And another is just too much of a victim and I hoped for more about her so maybe I could like her. I think that's enough, I just couldn't bear with them.
This is a debut. But whatever the author will come with for her next work, I am looking forward to it.
Thank you Times Reads for sending me a copy of Precious You in return for an honest review.
November 18, 2019
"This kept happening: something from your lot I immediately dismissed as a pile of shit, until I thought about it, and saw it really wasn't."
This was an interesting story of a millennial and Gen X er in a catch-or-be-caught type of high-speed workplace.
Katherine and Lily were fascinating to read about because everyone knows people just like them and I could fit them into reality without having to think about it. Katherine is jaded and prejudiced against younger folks (aka Lily) coming in and thinking they can do her job and her life better than she can...such a typical "Snowflake" attitude Lily has, Katherine thinks and right from the start you know there's trouble and the title is meant ironically. And obviously Lily is deeper than Katherine thinks, but also more full of spite and tricks than i expected too!
I enjoyed hearing from both perspectives in the story and even though I disliked both the characters I had to see how it would end and who would come out on top.
Reminded me of Luckiest Girl Alive with a hint of Devil Wears Prada.
If you like those books or the way Robin Harding writes about female friendships and interpersonal relationships than you'll like Precious You.
This was an interesting story of a millennial and Gen X er in a catch-or-be-caught type of high-speed workplace.
Katherine and Lily were fascinating to read about because everyone knows people just like them and I could fit them into reality without having to think about it. Katherine is jaded and prejudiced against younger folks (aka Lily) coming in and thinking they can do her job and her life better than she can...such a typical "Snowflake" attitude Lily has, Katherine thinks and right from the start you know there's trouble and the title is meant ironically. And obviously Lily is deeper than Katherine thinks, but also more full of spite and tricks than i expected too!
I enjoyed hearing from both perspectives in the story and even though I disliked both the characters I had to see how it would end and who would come out on top.
Reminded me of Luckiest Girl Alive with a hint of Devil Wears Prada.
If you like those books or the way Robin Harding writes about female friendships and interpersonal relationships than you'll like Precious You.
December 9, 2021
If you are looking for a book that will invoke lots of conversation, this is the one! This is perfect for buddy reads and book clubs.
We all know how each generation moans about other generations, the author has managed to show the differences perfectly.
I’m a proud Gen X, so I completely understood Katherine’s feelings, but I did want to give her head a wobble a few times 😂.
I couldn’t stand Lily, she was just a typical snowflake/millennial (not all, but the vast majority I have met) she is self-centred, manipulative and self righteous!
A fantastic story (the start just hooks you in) that keeps you on your toe until the end. I loved the authors writing style and am looking forward to reading more by her.
We all know how each generation moans about other generations, the author has managed to show the differences perfectly.
I’m a proud Gen X, so I completely understood Katherine’s feelings, but I did want to give her head a wobble a few times 😂.
I couldn’t stand Lily, she was just a typical snowflake/millennial (not all, but the vast majority I have met) she is self-centred, manipulative and self righteous!
A fantastic story (the start just hooks you in) that keeps you on your toe until the end. I loved the authors writing style and am looking forward to reading more by her.
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