THE BASICS
- Title: #FashionVictim
- Author: Amina Akhtar
- Genre: Contemporary Thriller
- Structure: Linear first-person narrative
- First Line: “Elmer’s glue sticks changed their formula.”
Synopsis: Fashion editor Anya St. Clair is on the verge of greatness. Her wardrobe is to die for. Her social media is killer. And her career path is littered with the bodies of anyone who got in her way. She’s worked hard to get where she is, but she doesn’t have everything. Not like Sarah Taft. Anya’s obsession sits one desk away. Beautiful, stylish, and rich, she was born to be a fashion world icon. From her beach-wave blonde hair to her on-trend nail art, she’s a walking editorial spread. And Anya wants to be her friend. Her best friend. Her only friend. But when Sarah becomes her top competition for a promotion, Anya’s plan to win her friendship goes into overdrive. In order to beat Sarah…she’ll have to become her. Friendly competition may turn fatal, but as they say in fashion: One day you’re in, and the next day you’re dead.
THE GOOD
I was skeptical about this book because it’s hard to write fashion fiction. Many people have a lot of good things to say about this book, but I’m just not one of them. The only good bit I have to share is that I think the storyline was interesting and could’ve gone a lot of different directions. I think the right idea was there, but it was executed poorly. I go into more detail about that below.
THE UNFAVORABLE BITS
This is one of the lowest rated books for me, which is a bummer because I wanted to like this book. It’s an industry that’s always been interesting for me and the author has quite the pedigree in this realm. However, it just didn’t transfer like I hoped it would. It’s also not surprising as this is a first novel and these kind of “meh” situations are typical.
The characters are flat and lack depth. I suppose it would be a “thriller” if the main character had any thrilling aspect. All the conversations read something like 5th grade girls playing “career woman” (instead of “house”): they sound like over-exaggerated, dumbed-down versions of actual adult conversations.
There are no motives. The motive of “well the character is ‘crazy'” makes for a dull read. There are high stake situations the main character would cause or take part in for no other reason than being “psycho”. It feels like the author forgot that an overarching motive (wanting to be just like someone else) is not enough when it comes to individual scenes. Overall, there’s no legitimate reason for the character to perform high risk behaviors other than the fact that they’re risky.
A common mistake that will happen in books is not staying true to reality. Yes, it’s fiction. Yes, it’s a made up world. But, it still has to make sense. It makes no sense that the character was able to get away with so much with no one on her heels. It makes no sense that the “non-psycho” characters had virtually no emotional response to the chaos around them. These things make no sense because, even in this alternate universe, we’re still following the laws of nature and humanity. Thus, they have to show up. Otherwise, the book is a jarring read and not in a good way.
As always, I give you a heads up about strong language or graphics in case you’re sensitive, or if the person you’re recommending the book to is sensitive. This book does have some strong language and some depictions of graphic violence.
CONCLUSION
I rate this book 1/5 stars. I know many rated it slightly higher than that, but I feel strongly about this rating because this book is so poorly written. The concept and storyline is admirable and interesting, but the good ends there. Otherwise, this book is riddled with writing, characters, and plots that fall flat and feel awkwardly unreal. It reads more like the diary entry of a little girl wanting to popular and a model than a haunting mystery.
GET YOUR COPY OF #FASHIONVICTIM!
JOIN OUR MONTHLY BOOK CLUB!
I received #fashionvictim from the Book of the Month Club. It was so great to receive personalized book recommendations at my doorstep! Honestly, I’m not sure if I would’ve picked up and experienced #fashionvictim if it wasn’t for BOTM. You can join the club here for under $15 a month!
