Review by Booklist Review
Inspired by their time in the New York fashion scene, influencers Amber and Danielle Brown have crafted a taut and sexy debut thriller about a young Black woman struggling to make it in that cutthroat industry. Despite a difficult childhood in and out of foster care, Brandi Maxwell is determined to fit in as an intern for exclusive designer Simon Van Doren, but she can't shake the feeling that she isn't welcome. On the arm of her generous boyfriend Nate, son of an NFL legend, Brandi shyly navigates a chic Van Doren soiree while wearing a lavish couture gown. But like any twisted fairy tale, a dream becomes a nightmare when Brandi overhears "It girl" heiress Taylor Van Doren plotting her father's demise. Now Brandi is caught between speaking up or taking Taylor's hush money. Will bribery be enough to keep her plan a secret, or does Taylor have other ways to keep Brandi from talking? Fresh dialogue, extravagant parties, and an inside view of the glamorous lives of the filthy rich grab the reader's attention from start to finish.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Brandi Maxwell, the protagonist of Brown and Brown's suspenseful debut, grew up on the mean streets of Newark, N.J., but has finally achieved the life she believes she deserves. She's juggling studying at FIT in New York City with her dream internship at a high-end fashion house--an unpaid internship she could never afford if her boyfriend, Nate Robinson, the privileged son of a football star and himself a star college football player, didn't support her financially as well as emotionally. But Brandi is still subjected to the microaggressions and outright discrimination facing a Black woman in fashion's world of trust fund babies. After she overhears the owner's daughter, Taylor Van Doren, plotting to kill her father, Simon, because he has threatened to disinherit her over her drug use, Brandi winds up framed for Simon's murder and must fight to clear her name. Readers should be prepared for some over-the-top characterizations and unlikely plot twists, such as a villain who is too inept to fake a simple urine test being able to plot and pull off a near-perfect murder. Fans of Gossip Girl will have fun. Agent: Jessica Faust, Bookends Literary. (Dec.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
DEBUT Sister team Amber and Danielle Brown bring their own experiences of the fashion industry into this fast-paced and intriguing thriller. Brandi Maxwell is finally following her dream. She has landed an intern position with the famous designer, Simon Van Doren. But her dream job is not everything she imagined. She spends her time running errands, cleaning puke off of couture dresses, and dealing with being the only Black woman in sight. When she gets the opportunity to meet Van Doren and his daughter, Taylor, at a fabulous party, Brandi overhears something she shouldn't have and is suddenly thrown into a dangerous game of deceit and terror. Brandi is a well-developed protagonist who will be admired for her resolve and ambition. While most readers will foresee how the story wraps up, it is still delightfully satisfying when it does. VERDICT Fans of Alyssa Cole and Zakiya Dalila Harris, whose characters navigate the issues women of color face in the workplace, and of psychological thrillers like Paula Hawkins's The Girl on the Train will enjoy this one.--Carmen Clark
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A fashion intern overhears a shocking secret about her employer, with disastrous consequences for all. Things are looking up for Brandi Maxwell; an intern at her favorite New York City fashion company, she has a professional-athlete boyfriend, Nate, who loves her, and she lives rent-free in their nice one-bedroom apartment. It's a far cry from growing up an orphan in foster care. Brandi is ambitious and unwavering in the pursuit of her goals, and when her internship is threatened, she gets herself invited to a charity ball at the home of her employer, Simon Van Doren, so she can pitch herself as the perfect employee to take on an important trip to Milan. Their meeting goes well, but her luck comes to a screeching halt when she overhears Simon's daughter, Taylor, a famous model and influencer, plotting to kill her father so she can inherit his fortune before he marries his much-younger fiancee. Taylor is still reeling from her mother's death and has developed various addictions she can't refrain from long enough to pass a drug test and regain access to her trust fund. She also has eyes for Nate, whom she dated in high school and is still in love with. After she figures out, a little too easily, that Brandi overheard her plotting to kill her own father, she gets Brandi fired from her internship and goes about trying first to bribe her, then to destroy her life. This is where the plot becomes hard to believe; despite knowing that a stranger who dislikes her is now aware of the plan, Taylor plots her father's murder anyway--and not very carefully, either. Switching the point of view between Brandi and Taylor destroys any remaining tension, because the reader is always steps ahead of the characters, most of whom are riddled with clichés. Simon, who only shows up to yell at Taylor, ignore her, or ogle his new fiancee, barely feels like a person. Taylor is shallow and greedy, and her decisions make her appear frustratingly stupid; at the same time, she thinks she's outsmarting everyone merely by talking her way out of things. The fact that other characters often believe her makes them seem to lack intelligence, too. Though a bit too naïve, Brandi is the most interesting character, and her relationship with Nate is the best part of the book. An easy read but lacking in depth. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
