I read this book via Pigeonhole over a nine day period. I felt as if I was the wrong age group reading this storyline and it just didn’t resonate with me. Although I am sure there will be other readers who thoroughly enjoy reading this book, Precious You by Helen Monks Takhar.
With thanks to Pigeonhole, Netgalley and the publishers for the read of the book.

My thanks to HQ for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Precious You’ by Helen Monks Takhar in exchange for an honest review. It is available now as ebook and audiobook with its hardback edition released on 23 July.

Thank you also to The Pigeonhole for hosting a group read with HQ and Helen. It was a lot of fun commenting with my fellow pigeons on our daily chapters.

“She’s got your job. She wants your life…” - cover tag line.

‘Precious You’ is about toxic female rivalry. It is dark, twisted and a compulsive read.

Forty-one year old magazine editor, Katherine Ross, is about to meet her magazine’s new owner, Gemma Lunt. At the same time she is introduced to her new intern - the young, beautiful and confident Lily. Katherine had (seemingly) coincidentally shared a taxi with Lily that morning and already branded her as a ‘snowflake’. Yet oops turns out Lily is the niece of Gemma. It’s going to prove awkward being mean to the new girl. That doesn’t stop Katherine though.

Fairly quickly an obsessive power struggle develops between Katherine and Lily. Gen X vs Millennial. Katherine and Lily narrate their own chapters and drop hints of dark secrets in their pasts.

I have a bit of an ambivalent relationship with this novel. It is certainly readable though I found every character despicable. Iain, Katherine’s partner, was extra vile. Still there is something fun about reading a novel where you are screaming at its characters.

Without spoilers I did feel that Helen Monks Takhar did bring her various threads together by the final pages. In her Author’s Note she details why she decided to highlight this generation gap. As those entering mid-life mock Millennials as “thin-skinned, avocadomunching, precious ‘Snowflakes’. Yesterday’s ravers mock today’s young adults for being ‘woke’, for their ‘triggers’, ‘safe spaces’ and sobriety.” In the other direction anyone of a certain age is considered washed up and irrelevant.

The novel opens with the official dictionary definition of the Snowflake Generation and some relevant quotes about the same.

In my eARC there is blank space at the end marked ‘Reading Group’. I would expect that this would make for a fun reading group selection, entertaining and full of characters that you can love to hate as well as highlighting social issues for discussion.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

This one wasn't for me I'm afraid. I am thinking I don't fall into the age bracket the author was aiming this story to. None of the age issues explored have ever affected me. The 2 main characters had no redeeming features and to be honest were both downright vile - I had very little interest in what happened to them. I preservered and finished the book - and the last couple of chapters did bring the story together - but it was a struggle at times.

I have to say that this book had two of the most unlikeable characters I've come across in quite some time. I couldn't engage with either of them and for that reason did not really enjoy the book. The plot was dark and twisted with some truly vile moments. Not for me, sorry.

Precious You is described as a thriller about Lily, an intern at Katherines place of work (magazine publishing) who is a relative of the boss, a millennial and is charged with modernising the brand.
Both characters have secrets and hidden agenda’s causing a power play and is told from the point of view of both Lily and Katherine.
I struggled with this book. For me there felt like too much filler and not enough nitty gritty and as a result the book could have been much shorter than its 400 pages.
Both characters were dislikable, whether that was the authors intention or not I don’t know but it meant that I didn’t care who came out on top and in the end what each of them was hiding.
I wanted to like this book but I struggled to finish it and in finishing it was left not caring how it ended.

Thank you to the Author, Publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly this book wasn’t for me I could not finish so I won’t be reviewing on goodreads or amazon as I feel that’s unfair I will leave neutral review here

If you want a book that will keep you on your toes until the final page then look no further...

If you want a book that makes you question everything you hear about both main characters almost the whole time then look no further...

If you want a book that will astound you continually and make you think wow by the end, then look no further. ..

If you want a book that features a character in her 40s, who is really anti millennial snowflakes then look no further.....

If you want a book that takes on all sorts of issues head on, in a clear way then this is for you...

And finally if you just want an all around fabulous book that will get under your skin then without a doubt this is the book for you....

Precious You is one spectacularly impressive debut novel that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I really can't say much more for fear of giving spoilers, but I can stay the book is written from two viewpoints, both really strong female characters who have their determination and cunning in common. There are many layers to both of them and it was fascinating to see how the secrets they are hiding are revealed slowly.

Basically I was incredibly impressed by this and think you should if you like the sound of it, give it a go and go in as blank as me to it, so it can surprise you fully!

Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

According to its description on Amazon, Precious You 'delivers an unsettling, provocative take on the contemporary workplace, turning the professional roles women play on their heads in a razor-sharp, revenge-driven thriller for our age.'

This may be true to an extent; the novel certainly pits women against women. Katherine Ross is selfish, bitter, and resentful of her younger colleague. Lily is no saint either; she behaves in deliberately provocative, entitled, and disrespectful ways towards Katherine. If you like dislikable characters, you may love this book.

This workplace conflict - and the themes of resentment, revenge, and a generational divide - then continues outside the workplace, as Lily worms her way deeper and deeper into Katherine's relationships and social life. 

However, despite this plot, I disagree with the statement that Precious You turns anything on its head and provides a 'provocative take'. On the contrary, it, in my opinion, merely perpetuates the notion that women are their own worst enemies. The book does not challenge this notion, nor does it offer any solution - by the end, Lily has destroyed Katherine's life and Katherine resents her for it.*

* I don't believe this is not a spoiler; Precious You is written in retrospect which means we already know the ending when the book starts, and simply have to watch events unfold.

In short, I wanted to like Precious You, but I simply couldn't see what point the author was trying to make and, for me, it missed the mark.

Precious You by Helen Monks Takhar is set against the backdrop of magazine publishing. We have Katherine Ross an established editor and Lily blunt an intern in her charge or charged with bringing Katherine Ross into the modern age. The clash of the millennial and the baby boomer produced friction from the start. As the story progresses we learn that both ladies have dark secrets that threaten to derail their futures as they struggle to outdo each other. This book is a psychological thriller but the various twists take this debut novel to a different level of suspense that makes it hard to put down. Katherine Ross is typical of the generation piqued by the fact that what she has worked hard for seem to come easy to Lily blunt, the millennial, with an attitude of entitlement. The book is engaging from start to finish and can be compared to a game of chess where either Katherine's or Lily's every move produces an advantageous/disadvantageous outcome. Reading clubs and individuals will enjoy reading and discussing this book due to the many issues that are tackled.

In this dark and dangerous psychological thriller, Katherine Ross is a fiesty magazine editor (albeit for a niche trade mag, Leadership) who one day finds her job is on the line due to new magazine owners wanting fresh new blood at the helm to spice things up. This is where Lily comes in. She may only be the intern, but she is well connected and an overly confident millennial who has a not-too-subtle obsession with Katherine. But why does she?

This book is a power-play between Katherine and Lily and I zipped through the fast-paced plot. Often feeling sorry for Katherine as Lily gaslights her and whips things out of her control. Not that Katherine is a saint, as we soon discover. Lily wants everything Katherine has and she will stop at nothing to get it.

I was really enjoying pinging between Lily and Katherine's chapters, but just as the plot reached its climax and you're all amped up for the twist / reveal / great reason we've been taken on this narrative journey, it fell a little flat for me. I wanted more from the ending and from Lily's reasoning, so was left feeling a little unsatisfied by its conclusion.

I am not sure what to say about this. I found it rather unsettling and it was written about two rather horrible characters. I did not find that I could enjoy the story in any way, I finished it, but more to try to begin to find out what exactly was going on, to find at the end that it was a bit silly. Fiendish plots to create an unstable life for a magazine editor, by a young girl. I did not find it entertaining, sorry

Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you want some pure escapism in your nightly read, then look no further than 'Precious You'. This book is undoubtedly one guilty pleasure you won't want to miss. Admittedly, I loved it an devoured it in one fevered sitting. It is true that the storyline is a little OTT at times, particularly in its representations of generational conflict between Gen-X's and Millennials, it does hold a kernel of truth to it, particularly in light of the current coronavirus crisis. The idea that previous generations not only had it better, but are now simultaneously less useful, out-dated in their views and unable to grasp the nettle of 21st Century life and living, has been exacerbated in debates about how we return to a 'new normal', post-Covid-19. The height of intergeneration conflict is now, and this novel captures the essence of the zeitgeist which pitches generation against generation. There is an element of caricature here, too, in the interactions of the main characters, Lily and Katherine, a Millennial and Gen-X, but in a wry and slightly postmodern, ironic way. But I doubt the novel would have been as effective and entertaining without this certain satiric element. As a bang-up-to-date, social realist, yet tongue-in-cheek postmodernist thriller, Helen Monks Takhar has proved masterful in her unerring eye for what is topical and current in the distorted, conflict infused world of social media. Lest I forget, 'Precious You' is also a highly addictive and compelling read that grabs you by the throat and simply won't let go. I devoured every page in one sitting. Fiendishly clever and deliciously wicked - a must-read for 2020.

This novel was imperfectly perfect. Taking the trope of a younger woman copying and then trying to best her older role model, that trope doesn't account for them both being total narcissists. Perfectly capturing the mores of todays' twenty-somethings and then juxtaposing it with the feelings of a woman in her 40s wondering if she's now irrelevant to society, this book makes important statements on the value of women in work and in relationships and how their age, beauty, youth and morals make them more or less valuable. I found the two main protagonist very interesting as character studies and many elements were very recognisable of people I've known. A thought-provoking and challenging but ultimately gripping read.

“She’s got your job. She wants your life.” This sounded great but sadly I just didn’t really like or get it.

It’s a really dark psychological thriller full of destructive characters – not least main character Katherine or KR. Katherine is or was a talented journalist, a girl done good despite hints of a difficult upbringing but she’s also inappropriately offensive (slightly racist, disparaging about anti millennials or ‘snowflakes’ as she calls them and swears profusely) and slightly toxic leading a drink, drug and sex fuelled existence, abusing her position to get what she can where she can. She brings a lot of things upon herself which didn’t resonate with me because she was supposedly smart, and is truly unlikeable which makes it hard to really care.  

There’s also Lily – the life stealer - another disturbed, dark character. The book is mostly Katherine’s point of view with much shorter chapters from Lily every so often. And, perhaps because of this bias I just didn’t really get Lily, there wasn’t enough to help me understand her motivations. 

This was also a slow unravel. There were a few twists towards the end but by then I didn’t really care because unlike with most thrillers I wasn’t actually rooting for anyone, invested in the story or hoping for a particular outcome. 

A totally toxic, screwed up thriller that many have loved but sadly I just didn’t.

Not for me... a very acerbic view of millenials which is unfortunately not supported by a good storyline.

This sounded so good, I couldn't wait to read it and page by page I was hooked, eager to know what the story was behind the behaviour ... unfortunately for me the storyline started feeling silly and pointless, with both characters possessing no redeeming features I didn't found myself rooting for either of them. And by the time I semi guessed the twist I no longer cared. It's shame because I really enjoyed the style of writing, it was the story that was unfulfilling.

What a page turner .
I didn’t like any of the characters but was fascinated and. mesmerised . The final reveal was. satisfying and unexpected

Meet Katherine and Lily one in her prime but starting to struggle with turning forty and the other young beautiful and confident, Lily reminds Katherine of everything she once was. As they start working together and their relationship develops perhaps things aren’t all that they seem. And so starts a power struggle between the two women...

This is a really accomplished debut novel. It is such a good book, a sexy and chilling thriller. It is a real page turner even though there are parts where you can see what is about to happen and almost have to read without looking as it is hard to bare what you know is going to happen next. The suspense and thrills keep you hooked right until the last page. Brilliant book,

This is the story of Katherine, a 41 year old editor of a business magazine. She has just returned from work from a period of absence with depression that she hasn't quite got over yet but her magazine needs her, specially as they have just been bought out by a new owner. Katherine returns to work to find herself landed with yet another 20 something intern, Lily, only this intern is a little bit different....she is the new owners niece and isn't afraid to flex her family connection to get what she wants. Soon Lily is taking over Katherine's life, taking control of the parts of Katherine's job that she loves best, and now she has Katherine's partner in her sights too...

Written from the perspective of both characters, Katherine's in third person and Lily's in first person. The gaslighting that Katherine suffers is quite frustrating because it is done in a way where you don't know whether it is really happening or whether she is making it seem worse than it is - which is I guess the true nature of gaslighting.

I really enjoyed the first 75% of this book, even though it was a little but slow moving, but then it just got silly. The ending was particularly disappointing and unrealistic and was a real let down to the rest of the book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A really decent psychological thriller that is an engaging read. The storyline is a little OTT, however it’s still a very good book.
Overall, I enjoyed this one and will look out for other books from this author in future.