3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Freya has just started a new job as a coder for Atypical. She is also dating co-worker, Jay. Julian, her boss is also great to work for. So everything should be sweet. But then theres Nicole. She makes things difficult for Freya. But one day, Nicole pushed too hard and Freya snaps. She decides to give Nicole a taste of her own medicine, hoping that will make her stop. However, things don't always work out to plan.

This story shows how things can spiral quickly out of control. It touches on bullying and sexual harassment. The story starts off quite slow but the pace does pick up a little. The story starts after the death of Nicole. Freya has not had an easy life but shes determined to make something of herself. The narrative veers all over the place which makes it confusing at times. You have to wait until the last chapter to find out what happened to Nicole. There is some great twists I never saw coming but at times it was just so repetitive. I did e joy this book, I just didn't love it.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bonnier Books UK and the author Amy Heydenrych for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

struggled to get into this one, mainly because its centred around the techy Silicon Valley-esque area of San Fran with lots of hipsters which tbh isn't my cup of tea. also struggled with the changes of time - going back and forth with past and present, but not in a linear order. for example. it would go from 5 years before the murder to two weeks after, then 2 days before the murder, and it was too complicated so I DNF

I did enjoy this in the beginning however I did find that my attention started to wander in the middle of the book as it was slightly too fleshed out!

I appreciated the quick chapters as it made it a really easy read.

Found some of the characters pointless.

When I first read the blurb of this book, I thought it sounded so good and was really looking forward to it

The book opens with Nicola being found dead in her apartment with suspicious circumstances

I really tried with this book

There were parts that were soo good and then parts that were not

I struggled with this book as I just didn’t see the point in some of the chapters and it wasn’t a book I was racing to pick up

Overall, it was a good book, but it’s not one that I would recommend as a “great thriller”

I am sorry.

Upon reading the blurb for this I thought it sounded great! The storyline itself was very good but the book was quite waffly in parts. Contrary to that though the good parts were REALLY GOOD and definitely made me read on. I certainly found myself trying to read quickly to get to the next great part. It was written quite like a tv show, I could see it being split into episodes with cliffhangers at the end of each one!
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The plot revolves a lot around women, women at work and in their everyday lives and how challenging it can be, especially with the #MeToo movement and I think it’s all written about very well in this book.
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The character of Isla was my favourite, she was gritty, hard and exceptionally vulnerable for reasons that every woman fears. You want things to go well for her, for society to finally do right by her. I really felt for Isla and was rooting for her all the way through.
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Overall I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it! I would definitely read another book but this author!
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Fabulous and one of a kind. Brilliant. A dream job or a worst nightmare. Can’t wait for the next one by this author.

This book started off very well, it had me gripped and unable to put it down for a good sizeable chunk. It also finishes incredibly well too. I did feel, especially in the middle, that parts of it were too fleshy and my attention started to waver. The chapters are quite short making it an easy read. The flick backwards and forwards from times before the murder to various points after. Most chapters are told from the point of view of Freya, a colleague of the murdered woman and Isla, an investigative crime journalist. The way the story is told and the shortness of the chapters made me think of prime time dramas and that this would be great made into a tv show. The murder of Nicole is central to the plot but it’s not until the very last three pages we find out the truth behind what actually happened.

After previously reading “Shame On You” by Amy Heydenrych and thoroughly enjoying, I was over the moon to be able to read this author’s latest novel “The Pact”. An exciting premise and enticing first few pages had me engrossed immediately.
Sadly though, as the book progressed it slowed down dramatically and didn’t seem to move anywhere. I didn’t take to any of the characters and lost all interest in who killed Nicole. They were all rather odd and I was quite dismayed to learn that all tech workers working in silicone valley, were so sexually deviant. The men in the story were all portrayed in a very bad light (apart from Detective Simon Cohen who himself was a strange vitamin promoter) and it was hard to believe that so many of the men were vindictive, misogynistic or troublesome sexual abusers even in the higher echelons of society. I appreciate the author was trying to convey a story relating to bullying in the workplace, especially female on female bullying and I agree it is more common and important than people first think but the amount of sexual harassment and bullying was very extreme for one company and a tad too unrealistic for me. Freya’s constant helplessness got me quite frustrated at times and if it had been me receiving abusive messages, I’d have left my phone at home switched off! The ending was also a disappointment for me but this was just a personal opinion, others may find the unexpected denouement to be very clever.
On a positive note, I did like how the author wrote quick chapters and the differing time lines between the characters perspectives. Although slow paced it did keep the momentum going for me and it was this that kept me reading on. “The Pact’ was an easy, undemanding read that can easily be read in a day if time allows and even though on this occasion the story didn’t hit the mark for me, I do like this author’s writing style and would read more by her again.
3 stars

Amazing writing, great storyline that kept me guessing right until the final page. A little draggy in places, but perhaps that was my impatience rather than the book. Highly recommend though, the hype is so justified!

This book had everything set up to be a great thriller but it was incredibly slow paced for me personally. The author has placed in some fantastic twists and turns but it was difficult to stick with this book.I did complete it but the conclusion and journey of getting there could have been fitted into a shorter book for sure. It does have a good plot and characters though - particularly Freya who I was really engaged with! I couldn't give it a higher star review for its slow pace.

An excellent heart wrenching drama. This really pullled at my heart strings. A few shocks and twists along the way. Fantastic

The blurb of this book had me intrigued and it did not disappoint! A great novel by Amy, touching upon many current issues, in particular those faced by women. Full of twists and turns, this thriller had me gripped and I found myself wanting to read more and more.

I found the characters easy to imagine and you can feel the struggles they are facing through the author’s writing. The use of social media/dating sites makes the novel very current but also highlights the unknown that comes with using these apps. Amy sensitively covers work place bullying and sexual harassment and rounds this off at the end of the book by showing how strong the uniting of women can be.

Although I predicted part of the ending, this did not stop it being enjoyable and the final twist was really a shock! I will definitely be looking out for more of Amy’s books in the future.

I have really struggled to rate this one. The blurb sounded right up my street and I was really excited to recieve an advanced copy but in all honesty inwas left a little deflated.

The authors writing style is different to what I've read before, the characters literally come to life in your imagination and the storyline itself was great BUT truth be told i was rather bored 😰

It's really slow going and I didnt completely connect with the story or characters.

I think the problem is is that when it comes to a good part its REALLY good and then it just drags on again so your hurrying through waiting for the next good bit!

Based on the positives alone I'm giving it 2.5*

Thanks to netgalley and Bonnier Books UK for the ARC.

A great book enjoyed reading it, couldn’t put it down! Enjoyed how the story progresses and turns out.

Five stars!! This book plays with your emotions. You feel your blood boil throughout the bullying scenes. The cover of this book really drew me in. As you read, you realize how spot on the title is in more ways than one. I knew something weird was going on in this office, but did not guess just how deep it went. This is an awesome book! Thanks NetGalley for the advance copy.

I voluntarily read this ARC in return for an honest review - all thoughts and opinions are mine

This is a cracking read !! Fast paced, I was engrossed from the first page - a very real premise of bullying and sexual harassment. - felt very current to me

Lots of twists and turns - couldn't put this down. A great twist at the end !!

Highly recommended

Thanks to Net Galley for a an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Apart from the editing, which is forgivable in an advanced, proof copy, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is fast paced with enough twists and turns to keep the reader’s attention. Broadly speaking, the story revolves around the murder of a start-up tech high-flyer, Nicole Whittington. The backdrop of the murders a tech firm with its simmering tensions of bullying and sexual harassment. Particularly topical in the book, and well handled by the author, are the abuses of technology for nefarious purposes in what is increasingly becoming a surveillance society. A few notes of improvement: some of the dialogue is wooden at times and the peripheral characters need fleshing out. Nevertheless, this is an absorbing read with a satisfying twist at the end. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This is a difficult one for me as I really enjoyed the authors writing style and I also liked that they told the story from two different perspectives,
But I had some issues with the helplessness of Freya, it really annoyed me and I could not fully like her. This is however a personal view and lots of people could probably connect with her fully.
Isla is a character I was not personally interested in and would probably have enjoyed the point of view of Nicole more, especially as she was already so paranoid.
I also had an issue with the ending but I won't spoil this for people.

A fast and gripping read that addresses many timely issues including bullying, sexual harassment and the treatment of female victims in the press. There were enough twists and turns to keep me reading, and although I guessed the ostensible identity of the murderer, I didn't expect that very final twist! I really felt for Freya and found myself getting angry alongside her at Nicole's behaviour, but Isla and Simon were my favourite characters and I was very happy with the conclusion to their story.

Recommended.

Great novel! Good concept and the author has definitely managed to reflect this in her writing and characters. Would highly recommend for a fast-paced gripping read. Thanks!