by Sarah Vaughan
Publisher: Atria
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Goodreads: As a politician, Emma has sacrificed a great deal for her career--including her marriage and her relationship with her daughter, Flora. A former teacher, she finds the glare of the spotlight unnerving, particularly when it leads to countless insults, threats, and trolling as she tries to work in the public eye. As a woman, she knows her reputation is worth its weight in gold, but as a politician, she discovers it only takes one slip-up to destroy it completely.
Fourteen-year-old Flora is learning the same hard lessons at school as she encounters heartless bullying. When another teenager takes her own life, Emma lobbies for a new law to protect women and girls from the effects of online abuse. Now, Emma and Flora find their personal lives uncomfortably intersected--but then the unthinkable happens: A man is found dead in Emma’s home, a man she had every reason to be afraid of and to want gone. Fighting to protect her reputation, and determined to protect her family at all costs, Emma is pushed to the limits as the worst happens and her life is torn apart.
Kritters Thoughts: Emma Webster was surprised when she was elected a MP so quickly and was torn as it would greatly impact her husband and her daughter. A few years later this book begins as she has been a MP for awhile and it has impacted as her husband and her have divorced and they are trying to coparent their teenage daughter. And not a spoil here, but the book begins as Emma has found a dead body at the bottom of her stairs and we immediately go back in time to find out how she got there.
There were so many things that I loved about this book. I loved that the author allowed more than just Emma to relay this story. From chapters from her daughter Flora, to her husband's new wife Caroline, to a journalist Mike and I loved seeing the story through various points of view; to see through Emma, but then to see Emma in her own story was so good.
I also loved the plot. I loved the juxtaposition of what Emma was going through on her job while her daughter Flora had similar issues at school - like mother like daughter. And while the story took place across the pond, I could easily relate how Emma, a public figure was dealing with social media and journalism invading her personal space while she tried to also do her job.
I was surprised to find out when I finished that this was my first Sarah Vaughan book, but will for sure not be my last. I hope to read her backlist very soon.
Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel
Ebook 2022 Challenge: 52 out of 100
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one copy of this book free of charge from Simon and Schuster. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.