She Started It by Sian Gilbert

Traveling With T purchased this for her listening while walking time.

She Started It

Summary: For fans of Lucy Foley and Liane Moriarty, She Started It is a hot, twisty summer debut thriller about a group of young women whose Caribbean bachelorette party takes a sinister turn. It’s Lord of the Flies meets And Then There Were None…but with Instagram and too much prosecco.

The party of a lifetime is nothing like what they expected…

Annabel, Esther, Tanya, and Chloe are best friends—or were, as children. Despite drifting apart in adulthood, shared secrets have kept them bonded for better or worse, even as their childhood dreams haven’t quite turned out as they’d hoped. Then one day they receive a wholly unexpected—but not entirely unwelcome—invitation from another old friend. Poppy Greer has invited them all to her extravagant bachelorette party: a first-class plane ticket to three days of white sand, cocktails, and relaxation on a luxe private island in the Bahamas.

None of them has spoken to Poppy in years. But Poppy’s Instagram pics shows that the girl they used to consider the weakest link in their group has definitely made good—and made money. Curiosity gets the better of them. Besides, who can turn down a posh all-expenses-paid vacation on a Caribbean island?

The first-class flight and the island’s accommodations are just as opulent as expected…even if the scenic island proves more remote than they’d anticipated. Quite remote, in fact, with no cell service, and no other guests. The women quickly discover they’ve underestimated Poppy, and each other. As their darkest secrets are revealed, the tropical adventure morphs into a terrifying nightmare.

Endlessly twisty, sharply observant, and deliciously catty, She Started It is sure to shock readers until the very end.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Ya’ll I was seeing this book everywhere this summer (probably because it was a Book of the Month pick) and so I decided to check it out on Audible because I’m the only person in the world that hasn’t decided to join BOTM. So because the credits were adding up on Audible and the book sounded interesting, I ordered the book.

And then… Well i started listening to it, but then gave it up for awhile. Because these women were AWFUL. They were like Mean Girls: British super-witchy edition.

But then I decided to give it another try because momma didn’t raise no quitter and it was a like a trainwreck that I could truly NOT take my eyes away from….

What I Liked:

This cover. YES!

The set-up of the book. IDK what kinda idiots think a woman they tormented and bullied as a teen would invite them for a hen party and be like “all is forgiven” and let’s now be friends with this all expenses paid party- but that was a cherry on the sundae. In normal situations, I would have been screaming “Don’t go!” But these women deserved to go. And be taught a lesson.

Bottom line: This book had many ingredients to be a juicy summer thriller. But somewhere it fell flat. Maybe it was because I guessed how the book would end. Maybe it was because these women never truly grew up ( I wanted them to learn a lesson, but to understand WHY they needed to be taught a lesson). Maybe it was because for the most part I had to glance down at my phone to see which British witch was talking (except for Chloe- her petulant and whiny voice is stuck in my head). In the end, this was a “liked it” didn’t love it book.

*This book was purchased by Traveling With T for her walking while listening time. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*