Very exciting book to read. I was hooked from page one Lots going on. Fast paced. Very well written and it played out well. Lots of twists and turns to keep your interest. Especially right at the end

A good story and one of those where you say I'll just read one more chapter and then put it down and just keep reading. Highly recommend

This book was one of those you get in life ... just one more chapter, until you finish it. There was a lot of twists, and a thrilling end!

So many candidates for the perpetrator as the countdown to Jamie's death is replayed. The actual reveal is so well done, very clever and surprising. I was gripped by the different narratives and motives.

Absolutely brilliant. Best I’ve read for ages. Strong 5/5. Ic you like a story of revenge and string women. This is IT!

𝙋𝙖𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙮 𝘾𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙖 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙣

Payday is a character driven, game-playing, feminist thriller, spinning a story of revenge revolving around businessman Jamie and three women that become inextricably linked to him. Alternating between former PA Alex, business partner Jill and former employee Nicole, we have three strong female leads, all of which successfully have the light of guilt shone on them.

This was a well-written and unpredictable book, highlighting some important issues (mainly the treatment women face in the workplace, from male colleagues in particular) and strongly highlighting the moral question of "how far would you go to get justice?" There were a lot of characters introduced at the start without any context, with lots of connected characters having incredibly similar names (Alex/Ashley and Joyce/Jill/Jamie) which I found difficult to follow at first. However once getting more insight into each of our protagonists, they each developed a unique voice, their motivations became clear and I therefore found the pace and engagement much more enjoyable in the second half.

I would describe this more work-place-based drama than thriller and I did enjoy this until the ending which personally let the book down for me. I found it wrapped up very suddenly (to the point I had to flick backwards, thinking I'd missed a large chunk) and although I didn't see the twist coming, it felt unrealistic and thrown in too quickly tie things together. For me, the entire plot seemed relatively pointless once we'd discovered the culprit.. Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read and I recommend picking this if you're looking for drama with a feminist streak, multiple POV's and messy, unlikeable characters.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5)

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 + 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂!

I have read a few books with the same sort of premise of a group revenge plan depicted in ‘Payday’; but this version is so well crafted that it instantly felt fresh, intelligent and very intriguing. The three female protagonists Alex, Jill and Nicole have all worked with Jamie Lawrence and would all love to see him dead. But then he is actually murdered and the three women begin to look to one another. The way the story unfolds is really well done and pulls into focus each of the three women’s motives.
As in a classic whodunnit there are some plot twists in there, some more out there than others but overall I really enjoyed the surprises that occurred towards the end of the novel. I felt like the three women were well developed individually and although the character of Jamie was a bit overplayed but it lent itself to him being the villian, it kept the focus on the strong female leads.
I loved the nuances to the traditional murder mystery genre and would definitely love to read more by this author.

Payday is a page turner. It begins with a murder and three women who know plenty about the victim. These three women narrate alternate chapters and might easily be forgiven for wanting Jamie dead.

Alex is a woman who has asserted herself in a man’s world but finds that being pregnant and being a mother feel very different in the workplace. She is an easy victim. Nicole and Jill are also victims of Jamie’s egocentric nature and wider ambition. The misogynistic world of the novel captures a workplace culture of the not so distant past. It will ring true to the experience of many women.

Walden has a sharp eye for the absurdity of male posturing and she communicates it unerringly through the dialogue and the unspoken thoughts of the characters. But the women in this story are not just victims. They manipulate the men around them too and don’t entirely trust each other. We know the payback exacted from Jamie from the opening chapter, but we don’t know who is responsible for it.

When the twist comes, it merely underlines that men only seem to call the shots in this world - and it’s not only in the workplace that power struggles are won and lost. But even when it seems to be over, it isn’t quite. Only a very clever reader will guess this whodunnit.

The novel is well written and its author doesn’t waste words. The characters are deftly drawn and they reveal themselves through their actions and thoughts. It’s a whodunnit and also a novel that benefits from its London setting. Celia Walden is a talented writer.

Loved this book, a gripping read and one that has you from page one, it didn’t let up, a fast paced and creepy as hell this one was a great book for me, defo a must read!

A good story slightly marred by each character being a caricature of themselves but overall an entertaining read. There were no massive twists and this made for light reading.

The dramaaaaaa. I couldn’t put this one down. I recommend it for those who loved Bombshell, Big Little Lies, and The Morning Show. While written respectfully, I probably wouldn’t suggest it for those who have experienced abuse. It’s a story that gives power to the recipient of abuse, but at times paints them in a less-than-favorable light.

What saves it, in my opinion, is the author’s ability to construct these multidimensional (women.. and man) that you simultaneously love and abhor. They are SUPPOSED to be less than favorable because most of them are fundamentally flawed in who they are at their core, NOT because of what happened to them or because they are the accusers.

I’ll definitely pick up anything else by Walden!

Celia Walden's debut focuses on three women- Jill, Nicole and Alex- who bond over their grievances against their ex manager Jamie Lawrence who is murdered. I liked the synopsis and was attracted by the positive reviews for this novel but sadly it was a disappointing read for me. I felt that it lacked tension and pace, it was hard to connect with any of the characters and for me the writing lacked quality.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Jamie Lawrence , rising star at BWL property company is their top wheeler dealer - three women meet at a company leaving party - Jill, one of the founders, Alex Jamie’s PA and Nicole, a company exec. Al have been wronged in different ways by Jamie - what can they do to get justice?
Jamie is found dead, impaled on railings. . Was he murdered or was it suicide?
Well written, clever, intriguing psychological thriller. Good pace, interesting characters and an exciting dénouement at the end.
I really enjoyed this book.
Highly recommended 4.5 Stars ⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.

A gripping book centred around a charismatic boss with a few enemies…kept me reading till the end and guessing and I loved the characters !

Really enjoyed this one!
Full of twists and turns and interesting characters who you learn more about as the book goes on. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened to Jamie and I can honestly say, I absolutely would never have guessed the ending.
A cleverly written character driven book that keeps you guessing until the end.
Would definitely recommend!

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

Loved this - really original premise

If you are looking for a thriller to while away the afternoon, you couldn't do better

.

'Payday' is a fantastic thriller. I enjoyed every moment of this book and couldn't wait to devour it at every opportunity!

This book is narrated from 3 differing perspectives, these are female colleagues, all who harbour a vendetta against charismatic highflyer, Jamie, who as partner at an estate agency, gives these women very different reasons to plot his downfall!

Such a quality read, and that twist at the very end! Oh my!! Just read this book!

This is a novel I wouldn't hesitate to recommend and rate with 5 very entertaining stars.

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

Jamie Lawrence is dead! Jamie is liked by everyone, or so it seems.
Going back a few months the storyline starts with three women who have a chat at another woman's leaving do that set the downfall of Jamie Lawrence and making him pay for the slights that he has done to them.
Interesting read with lots of twists and finding that Jamie is not all they think he is.

Loved the premise and its definitely an original story, at no point did the story feel familiar to anything I've read before which is always impressive but just couldn't connect with the book which was disappointing for me.

This book centres around 3 main female characters, Jill, Nicole & Alex. 3 women brought together by their treatment by 1 man - Jamie Lawrence, who is now dead. The chapters in the book are written from the viewpoint of each of these ladies and as the story unfolds we find out more about the lead up to Jamies death.

This is the first book I've read by Celia Walden and I enjoyed it. A clever, well written story, with great characters. Will definitely be reading more of Celia's work.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.