With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. Looker was a novel that made me want to close all my curtains until I finished reading it. I don’t think I have ever felt as on edge before when reading.

The narrator and actress are unnamed throughout. At first this felt a little strange but it didn’t really matter. You just needed to know that the actress had everything the narrator wanted. Not possessions, a nice house and money as such, more a loving husband and children. Everything that could bring happiness to the very lonely narrator, who seems to get more isolated the more I read.

There were times I felt uncomfortable. The storyline regarding Cat, the students and the obsessive behaviour that became increasingly sinister and out of control. But, unusually I did have sympathy. Especially in the beginning when you read why her marriage collapsed.

It is only a short novel but I don’t think it would have had the same impact if it had been longer. It is intimidating, more so because I did struggle to separate reality from imagination towards the end. Was she really like she saw herself? And was the actress as happy as she imagined?

Read it and make up your own mind.

The blurb for Looker by Laura Sims implies that this book is a thriller about an obsessive stalker, a kind of cat and mouse if you will. If you go into this expecting a psychological thriller then you’d be on the wrong track entirely. This is neither a thriller nor is it a book about a stalker. It is in fact a deep psychological examination of a woman who is unravelling before our very eyes.

The ‘stalking’ is more an obsessive behaviour that begins with an admiration and ends with uncomfortable and upsetting actions. Our unnamed protagonist is a Professor whose marriage has broken down following numerous failed attempts at IVF. She is isolated and utterly alone. She feels empty and distanced from normal life. She becomes an observer rather than participant in life and finds herself increasingly on the periphery.

An A List Hollywood actress lives across the street and our protagonist watches her go about her daily life. She takes walks past her house and observes her at her kitchen table tapping away on her laptop, talking to her husband with a glass of wine in hand and playing with her children. The actress symbolises everything which is lacking from her own life; a husband, a family, recognition and love.

Written in first person narrative we are privy to every thought and emotion of our protagonist. She makes silly decisions, has dark thoughts and being in her head becomes an increasingly intense place to be. There is no respite and we are unwilling participants as she slowly comes apart at the seams. At times it felt like driving past a car crash – not wanting to look but unable to turn away as she slowly descends into madness.

I found it a desperately sad and uncomfortable read but also really quite beautiful. It is a tough subject to write about and although some of our protagonist’s actions become increasingly alarming I didn’t feel they were over exaggerated. She feels punished for something that isn’t her fault and the actress provides a distraction from the reality of her situation. Some of the passages made me weep, her grief and sadness is palpable and I felt emotionally drained after reading.

Looker is a slim novel at just under 200 pages but is a perfectly formed character study of a woman in the depths of grief and depression. Laura Sims demonstrates how easy it is for your life to change and for your plans to be blown asunder. How simple is it to slip from OK to being really, really, not OK. It is quite simply terrifying.

I found this to be an impressive debut and a challenging read. It is a beautifully written impactful book which examines a deeply sad subject matter without veering into mawkishness. I’m not sure it is a book that you can say you enjoyed reading, but I can say that I am pleased that I have read it. It is one of those books that lingers long after reading the final pages and I needed a day or so before I picked up another book – which doesn’t happen all that often.

The Professor has separated from her husband. Her inability to bear a child for them to love and cherish, has torn the once happy couple far apart.

The Professor is about to embark on a dangerous journey with one of her students.

The Professor is totally obsessed with The Actress.

The Actress is blissfully unaware that she is being constantly observed by one of her neighbours.

Both of their lives are about to be turned upside down...

Looker is quite an unusual novel, in that we don't really find out the infinite detail of our two main characters (i.e. their names), but we know every other little detail of their lives.

I would say that Looker is an intriguing novel.

And, although the novels pace and narrative keep it gripping, I wouldn't describe it as a thriller, psychological or otherwise, nor is there any police involvements for it to be a procedural - or even a mystery.

It is more of an enigma. A novel on it's own. As it should be.

A very clever, quite twisted and dark novel it is too!

Wow, how far would you go to be someone else and how much would it cost you? Stalking is a major part of this novel but there are also elements of mental illness - possibly stemmed from not being ab l e to have a baby even after trying for so long. Seems like a form of bipolar (manic depression) the opportunity way s h e imagines things happening a n d gets depressed when they haven't actually happened, then goes and cleans a lot. Is she sorry for what she's done or does she think people who will see her way?

Thank you net galley for the opportunity to read this book.

This was such a unique read. I loved the writing style. A story told by the Professor as we learn about the breakdown of her marriage, her job fading and friends fading away. Her only companion is Cat her ex's cat. She lives in a rundown apartment with the area surrounding her booming with prosperity and successful people including the Actress. The story is sad, creepy and witty. A really fascinating but easy to read story. A sequel would be fantastic!

I’m really not sure where to start other than to say there’s something pretty special about this book and I guess in a way it is because it ended up being a story that was something very different to what I was expecting. This is quite a dark story about someones life spiralling out of control and the author very cleverly immersed me in this persons life.

There was something very compelling about this book even if at times there is an uncomfortable edge to the situations that take place. Even though this is only a relatively short story there is so much content within the pages as you see danger and trouble ahead but are unable to stop what you know is very likely headed in a dark direction. Although at the same time I was’t quite sure how it would all end and I think the author did a great job at keeping the tension that I felt all the way through.

I think Looker is a story best picked up with no pre conceptions, just begin reading with an open mind. That way you will experience something dark and unsettling because of that it’s safe to say that this book played on my mind for quite some time after finishing it. Looker is a book that will pull you in with a very interesting and slightly voyeuristic edge seeing how certain events can alter a persons life and send them on a path that can only lead to trouble.

A tense, dark and unusual story!

I enjoyed this - it’s pacy and well written and I enjoy novels that are set in New York. The writing style is modern and fresh. That said, it contains a trope that I see time and again in novels that really annoys me - childfree women who are bonkers! I’m childfree and very happy - not tragic or criminal. People need to start writing more realistic childfree female characters. For that reason I’ve docked a star

A strange book. Not a thriller by any means - though I thought it was meant to be. A meandering read about character - but not gripping enough to keep me interested. I pushed on through to the end but it really wasn’t for me, sorry.

Sorry this is not my type of book. I was expecting a thriller. This book is definitely not that. I kept expecting more to happen. Sorry.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I would definitely agree with other reviewers that this book has been marketed wrong. This is the story of a lady who is obsessed with a famous actress who lives near her. It shows her slowly descending into madness losing all sense of reality. There is no mystery here and it also isn’t a thriller. I am glad that I had read a few reviews and knew this going into it. I found this read fascinating and couldn’t read this book quick enough wondering what she was going to do next. I was hoping for a stronger ending but I would still highly recommend this book.

Tamper with the body's hotmones at your peril! Envy of her neighbour's family life turns into an obsession which can only ultimately end in tragedy. Only Mrs H offered a little sympathy ; intervention by those around her before her descent into mania would have averted the course events took.. You don't have to like the character to have a bit of sympathy for her situation.

I think it was a strange book. There are some things I quite enjoyed. I liked the unreliable narrator and how she came to life. She's obsessed with her neighbour and it was intersting to listen to what's in her head.

It seems a lot of people were expecting a thriller, but the definition says general fiction. And I wouldn't name this as a thriller. I did enjoy some parts of this book, I like the idea behind it. And I thought Sims did a good job of bringing to life an unreliable character. But, at times it was boring. That's why I settled on a 3 stars.

Thanks a lot to the publisher and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Laura Sims takes us into the mind of our unnamed narrator as we watch her obsessions with a neighbour start to push her over the edge. Laura Sims does a good job balancing the dark thoughts with some wit and humour. The main character was an interesting unreliable character here and at times I was questioning what was real and what was a delusion.

The ending took me a bit by surprise and I'm still not sure whether I like it or not.
I may have to think about it some more, it has left me strangely conflicted.

I feel mixed about this book. I was intrigued by the concept and I loved the character of the professor. I find "unlikeable" female characters refreshing and more realistic and it was good to hear her background story. I think the plot started out well enough but wasn't strong enough to maintain a good enough sense of unease - not enough happened and the ending was disappointing. A decent enough read but didn't quite live up to its promise
Thanks to Netgalley and Tinder for this eARC

Thanks, but no, thanks.

So we have lived the day when my first, and so far only one star review has been born. Knowing I’m such a ruthless monster who drops books at the first sign of displeasure, you may be wondering why on earth did I suffer through this. Well, let’s just say I became quite obsessed with finding out just where exactly are we heading with this one. The irony isn’t lost on me.

What the hell did I just read? No, seriously… First of all, let me tell you, this is not a thriller. Maybe a character study of sort, albeit not an enjoyable one, unless you like some truly fucked up shit. A 180 pages of drivel and never-ending crazy talk…

Because what is a thriller?

“…what gives the variety of thrillers a common ground is the intensity of emotions they create, particularly those of apprehension and exhilaration, of excitement and breathlessness, all designed to generate that all-important thrill. By definition, if a thriller doesn’t thrill, it’s not doing its job.” James Patterson

The Looker not only didn’t do its job at giving me exhilaration, and all kinds of excitement, it was rather boring. Our unnamed protagonist a totally deranged nut-job, sure, but even as a stalker she’s not a very good one. Annoying? Yes. Scary? Not really. After her husband left her, apparently because of the failed IVF attempts, but I suspect more because she’s just simply insufferable, this woman spends her time obsessively watching the also unnamed actress across the road, imagining she can become that other lady. All day long, fantasizing about her, her husband, she sinks deeper and deeper into despair.girlhasnoname

She has this woe-is-me attitude, even though the whole time she made it sound like she only went along with attempting to get pregnant, because her husband wanted a child. Not her. Considering she’s the sort of person who should never become a mother, is almost beside the point.

She’s petty and vengeful. When her husband files for divorce some drama ensues and all of a sudden they are fighting for custody of Cat, the unnamed cat who belongs to the husband. After he made multiple attempts to pick up his cat from the house, the woman suffocates poor kitty with a pillow, because that’s obviously what anyone would do in this situation. I pretty much had enough of it at this point.

Even though I accepted the fact that this book has been marketed as a thriller for basically no reason, I just couldn’t find anything to enjoy about it. I mean, maybe the cover. That’s nice.

Thank you to both NetGalley and tinder press and the author for the Digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review

I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't quite what I was expecting it is not a thriller and not what the blurb suggests, but Was still a good read.following the main characters decent into a mental breakdown.

Here comes the blurb as they say it better than I could!

The Professor lives in Brooklyn; her partner Nathan left her when she couldn't have a baby. All she has now is her dead-end teaching job, her ramshackle apartment, and Nathan's old moggy, Cat. Who she doesn't even like.
The Actress lives a few doors down. She's famous and beautiful, with auburn hair, perfect skin, a lovely smile. She's got children - a baby, even. And a husband who seems to adore her. She leaves her windows open, even at night.
There's no harm, the Professor thinks, in looking in through the illuminated glass at that shiny, happy family, fantasizing about them, drawing ever closer to the actress herself. Or is there?

I very much enjoyed Looker which is a short sharp characters study of a woman in freefall following the end of her marriage. The book in some ways suffers from being marketed as a 'thriller' as there is little plot and many might be disappointed with the lack of twists and turns. Taken as it is, it's a well written exploration of a fracturing mind and the debilitating power of envy.

Enjoyable but after reading the blurb I was expecting a thriller. It's more of a obsession/ descent into madness, I felt sorry for the narrator but she wasn't likeable at all. If I knew what type of book this was I would probably give it a higher rating but I went into this expecting mystery and excitement. The blurb needs changing.

My lasting view of this book is that it ended too quickly - I felt lots of story lines could have been expanded however it left the reader, I felt , a little confused as all ends seemed to tie up rather abruptly.
Overall I enjoyed - main character had a real darkness and on the edge feel about her.

Looker is a haunting, considered psychological drama that slowly peels away the layers of one engaging, vivid and intriguingly believable character.

Our Professor narrates the tale as her deep and abiding obsession with The Actress seeps into every corner of her life. Neither character is given a name, one watches, one is watched, all through a glass darkly with the increasingly skewed vision The Professor presents.

There is a creeping sense of menace, a depth to the prose that gets under your skin- I found myself shivering deliciously as events unfolded, never really knowing where things were heading until they got there. Looker is both clever and devilishly insightful, allowing the reader a safe glimpse into an ever darkening mind.

Descriptively beautiful, spiralling downwards towards an emotionally charged finale, this is not a thriller or a mystery, this is an incredibly accomplished character drama that will haunt your dreams. I loved it. The Professor is an old school, definitive unreliable narrator, a fascinating example of the darkness that can lurk beneath the surface.

Highly Recommended.