This is the first book by this author that I have read, but I have long been a fan of her journalistic career.

I did find it difficult to get in to this book, I felt that the way it was a written (laid out) was in a very messed up way. It was difficult to work out which character was narrating and in what tense eg the past or the present.

The story centres around one high end property business and “their” golden boy who has got too big for his boots and how his actions affect the women he works with in modern city business.

I think if your not from his type of world you’d find this book quite sordid. I feel there were so many missed opportunities to delve in to far more current and relevant topics that a man who has been caught out being a naughty boy and then escaping his mistakes.

Not a book I will be ranting about and having been such a fan of the author journalism I can’t help but feel let down.

Wowza, wowza, wowza! What a fantastic read! Very well written, intense, and unputdownable! Secrets galore, which keep you reading like crazy so you can uncover everything! Full of the must needed twisty turns, chills, thrills, and shocks! A must read, highly recommend!

Will make sure to buzz it around and use top Amazon reviewer number on release!

Wow! What a page Turner. No idea who's the bad guy, who's the victim until the final page. The author has a great knack for making each character relatable and the book maintained momentum from start to finish. A wonderful thriller.

Well, I wasn't too certain whether this review would give a 4 or 5 star rating. By the time I had read the last page I knew it should be 5 stars.
The endgame was superb, there is a massive twist, as advertised, and actual last page end is extremely satisfying and, for me, just the right end.
A modern book which starts with the death and then slips back in time to be covered by the 3 primary characters - Jill, Nicole and Alex. I never found the book to be slow or boring and as usual my 'knowledgeable' surmise as to who the culprit was failed to be correct!
A potential reader may feel that the story is more for women than men but it is certainly not.
Sometimes books leave you sad at the end but Payday is such a good, appropriate, title and left me with 'the end justifies the means' feeling. Please don't miss this book.

A solid if somewhat slow tale. It was a bit too plodding for me .It was okay but didn't overwhelm me with excitement.

I was pretty much hooked on this story from the word go. A cast of realistic and mostly unpleasant characters working in the same business with plenty of back story leading to an explosive climax which we know was coming but with a twist that I just did not expect.

Highly recommend and my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Who killed `Jamie Lawrence? This zippy thriller is a rollercoaster ride of three women who want Jamie dead, but did one of them, all of them any of them do it when his body is found? I can see this being made into a film or TV series.

My latest @netgalley read.

Who killed Jamie Lawrence??

The story of 3 women with their own secrets. Each knows Jamie & each know what he is capable of. Their seemingly tame plan then spirals out of control & then Jamie is found dead.

I really enjoyed this, was fast paced & had unexpected twists & turns to keep you wanting more!

I believe this is out on 2nd September.

Thanks to @netgalley & @littlebrownbookgroup_uk
for the advance copy.

Thanks to @celia.walden
for writing a great book!

4🌟

#books #bookstagram #celiawalden #netgalley #payday

Good story with a clever twist. When I first started reading it I was worried it was going to be one of those ‘girl power’ type stories, but it’s not. It’s about a man who is found dead and three women who have their own grievances with him. The story goes back in time to give an explanation as to how he managed to upset the women and the lengths they were were prepared to go to to get justice. I flitted through emotions and found myself agreeing with the women but then feeling sorry for the man. Clever writing, it kept me hooked to the end.

Three women, who barely know each other, but up until that week, have worked in the company, share secrets at a boozy party. It’s the sort of place where you can let your hair down and unwind, but there’s truth in their alcohol-fuelled conversation. All three are all aware of Jamie Lawrence, company wunderkind, and what he’s capable of. They agree that something must be done to prevent him for staying on top – but none could fathom how their plan could spiral out of their control, beyond recognition of what they wanted to start. When a body is found, it becomes much more difficult to keep secrets hidden. Who is responsible, and why? I read this in a few hours – the writing and plot draws you in, and the female-first perspective packs a punch. The author also focuses on women of all ages, and their struggles within the workplace and the lie that is a work/life balance. A subtley written book and one I loved.

I enjoyed this book but did find it quite slow paced. The premise if the story is good and I didn't see the ending coming. A good read with some believable characters.

Well I wasn't sure if this would live up to the hype and the first quarter was a struggle but then it got really good. I loved the ending.

Do recommend for readers of this genre.

I was given an advance copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own opinion.

I absolutely gulped this book down. It was unputdownable! What a page-turner. This follows three women who meet at a work party and end up revealing secrets about Jamie, their star employee of the firm, and plot to bring him down. Three women. One man. Lots of secrets. We have:
* Alex - his PA, who is on maternity leave, pops into the office for a day. She's told by Jamie that she's been made redundant by there's a job for another firm he'll put a good work in for her. Later at the party, Jamie admits he's lied. After the party, Alex discovers that according to the terms of her dismissal form she's been fired for inadequacy and majorly fucking up a deal. In short, she's been made to take the fall for Jamie's faults, who's been known to cut corners. Alex is a single mother, with a new baby. In her loneliness and rage, she starts to gaslight Jamie and stalks his wife, worming her way into their life...
* Nicole - his colleague, who loathes him. She's in her early 40s, pretty, with a family of her own. Ambitious and smart, yet undermined for being a woman.
* Jill - in her 60s, is the owner of the firm. Unknown to her, her mentee, Jaime, has been mocking her behind her back. He wants her out, despite her mentorship and support.
Characterisation was top-notch here. They are all so well fleshed out. I did find that the book reminded me of other books though, like The Whisper Network and Unfollow Me, but that's not a bad necessarily and there were plenty of twists and surprising reveals. The ending was shocking and turned the characters around. I did feel like there could've been closure though for the characters and things could've been tied up better. Regardless, this an assuredly confident debut that feels relevant and is utterly gripping.

Payday is a slow read, but one that you can breeze through when you are on a holiday and trying to read in the sun.
It is easily digested and fun, and would recommend this

This has a great premise and excellent characters but the pacing was a little slow in the middle. A great holiday or beach read.

This story is told from the perspective of three woman all working for the same company all with an axe to grind against the power hungry Jamie.

All stories have a beginning, middle and end. This one had a gripping beginning and an explosive end but for me the middle became sluggish and I found it harder to get engaged.

A domestic drama with good character building and an interesting twist at the end.

What do you do if you have a horrible boss? Three women at a leaving party plot to "bring him down", Payday is coming. Each has their own motive to making him pay but did any of them murder him? The book tells the story from three different perspectives and their relationship with Jamie, each getting more and more involved as the book progresses. A good twist at the end!

When ‘golden boy’ Jamie Lawrence is found dying in the most dramatic way, there are plenty of potential suspects if this proves to be foul play. There’s Àlex his ex-PA, Jill is work partner at BWL and colleague Nicole who all have every reason to loathe him.

This is a really good, compelling, well paced novel which keeps me engaged throughout. Right from the gasp inducing start and ending that shocks, you watch Jamie’s ‘antics’ in fist clenching horror. Let’s not waste too much time on this ruthless alpha male. I love the premise of the book which asks the question of whether the victim is actually the guilty one who maybe richly deserves his payday. The characterisation is very well done with the main characters all having flaws though Jill less so than the others, as she proves to be the most likeable. The book conveys a whole range of emotions from love to lust, humiliation to the bile of bitter resentment and the desire for just desserts and revenge. The relationships here are complex as most are, not just between the females but also with their partners, one in particular is very messed up. There’s major game playing on several fronts, clever manipulation, a bucketload of lying and deceitful behaviour. The novel builds well with plenty of tension, suspense and some shocking, dramatic twists and turns. The final twist I definitely do not see coming - kudos Ms Walden!

Overall, a well written psychological thriller which is very convincing.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Little Brown Book Group/Sphere for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Wow, this was a roller coaster ride from beginning to end. You are cunningly drawn in straight away as Alex, a new single mum on maternity leave,, is about to attend a meeting with her boss. From then on fasten your seatbelts and try not keep reading just one more chapter at bedtime, it’s futile.. Of course perhaps the sensible course of action would have been for Alex to take the company to a tribunal but then we wouldn’t have been able to enjoy all the clever intricacies as a result of a chance meeting between Alex, Jill and Nichole and then it gets even really interesting. All the main characters from the beguiling but manipulative Jamie to gentle accommodating Ben were wonderful, and Maya too, I can’t believe she isn’t based on a deal Danish person. I don’t want to spoil it for other readers so won’t say too much more apart from the fact that it deserves every one of the five stars I have given it, actually more.

This is one hell of a rollercoaster ride of mystery, suspense, murder and secrets. I could not put this book down, it's completely gripping and keeps you on the edge of your seat, biting your nails to the quick because you can't wait to see what happens next. I bloody well loved it. The characters were brilliant and my favourite has to be Jill and Stan, I loved their relationship and when I read about Stan being terminal it gutted me, it was written so well I thought I was going through Jill's heartache with her. Jamie was just a dickhead and he thought everybody loved him, well they did love him in a twisted way and his wife Maya what a classy, devious, powerful minx she turned out to be. The twist left me gobsmacked and were totally unexpected. Celia Walden has written a bestseller in my eyes. LOVED IT! LOVED IT! LOVED IT!.