The setting of this was very good. I felt the story was very weak. I felt it was very dissatisfying. The execution was not done well at all

This felt like a real departure from what Rutkoski is known for writing - the popular YA Fantasy series The Winner's Trilogy - but this venture into Adult Fiction was gripping, and shows her range throughout ages and genres. I feel as though the whole "strippers being murdered" storyline is one that can be done badly very easily, but Rutkoski puts the stories of the strippers at the forefront of the novel, allowing their lives the be the focus, and ultimately the heart of the story, rather than the killer or the detectives investigating the crimes. The sisterhood borne out of circumstance seen between the women in Real Easy, including the female detective, felt very authentic, in loving but not necessarily liking one another, but always protecting their kin. I was genuinely surprised by the twist at the end, which I appreciated, and while this wasn't the most original of stories, it was certainly a well-told one, and I will be looking out for more.

Absolutely incredible. A crime thriller with a satisfying twist, Marie Rutkoski has a unique voice and a gift for storytelling, I was wholly immersed in this world. A story so good that I’d fall asleep trying to read as much as possible before bed and wake up at 3am to carry on.

The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to re-read and review if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

As a sucker for crime dramas, my ears perked up the moment I heard about Real Easy.

I loved the idea of the strip club setting. I loved the premise of the mystery. It had so much going for it...

And for the most part, I did enjoy it. It kept me interested. However, there were a couple of things that stoppped it from becoming a favourite.

I feel like we had too many narrative perspectives. I understand that this was intentional and represents how the solving of any crime is a patchwork of lots of little fragments, but as a storytelling style it stopped me from getting fully invested in any individual character.

My other issue was that every single character and every single event made me feel sad. There was no light at the end of the tunnel. And, again, I get that this is intentional, but it just meant I didn't get as much pleasure from the reading experience as I'd like.

Whilst I ramble incoherently here, I have to add that I’m really unsure how a written review will do this book justice. Please just trust me when I say – THIS IS A MUST READ.

I was initially drawn to this book because of the strip club setting and was really grateful to be accepted for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Real Easy had a great plot and kept me guessing who Him was. I enjoyed the suspense that the unnamed character created and his vulgarity added to his despicable actions. I also liked the strip club setting and the authors lived experience shone through. It was interesting to see how these women differentiated their home lives to their dancer personas.

However I’m afraid this book was not without its problems. Although relatively short in length my reading speed was fairly slow as I was often confused. I’m normally a fan of multiple narrative but Real Easy seems to get lost with far too many POVs. Although some characters were louder than others and added to the essence of the plot, others felt unnecessarily there.

I had high hopes for Real Easy but it missed the mark for me! A generous 3 stars.

This was an interesting read but it didn't grip my attention the way I hoped it would. I wish I could've been more into it!!

This was very good. I know rutkoski's YA fantasy, but turns out she can also write adult mystery. Because this was adult, let that been know. It's not an easy subject and there are quite a few trigger warnings. But I flew throuhg it. Despite the heavy content this was very readable and very real I think, there are no convienent ends. Highly reccomend if you can handle the content.

Having read some of the author's YA reads this certainly was completely different. I love crime/thrillers and the mix of this and the gritty 90s strip cup was the perfect combination I found this book to be really enjoyable,

Rutkoski's raw detailing of certain events really hits hard knowing that she lived this lifestyle for many years which adds an extra level of darkness to the plot.

One of a few criticisms is that there are too many POVs written in, if we had fewer we could've had a much more developed storyline from the character.

This is a murder mystery, set mostly within a strip club. We move between different characters, including the detectives trying to solve the murder of one of the girls, and the mystery of the disappearance of another,

Plotwise, there's nothing groundbreaking here but I did find the way it was told a little different than expected. A good example of the genre.

Set in 1999, this is a police procedural set against the backdrop of a strip club. The point of view shifts between the Police and the dancers as they investigate.

I really enjoyed this feminist take on a police procedural. There was a lot of exploration around the dancers home lives and how they had come to work in the club. This was contrasted with the female detective, Holly, who is struggling at work due to a personal tragedy.

I loved the 90’s setting and the nods to the 90’s throughout the book. I also thought the scenes set inside the club had a real gritty reality to them. I have since read that Marie used her own experiences within the novel which definitely comes through.

I was highly impressed by this novel and am so glad I read it.

AD - This copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

A compulsive, unflinching, and unexpectedly hopeful thriller set in a midwestern strip club. I recommend to anyone who loves a good thriller or mystery, to add this book to your list.

I really enjoyed this story. Its dark and gritty and Real and the characters will stay with me for a long time. Highly recommended xx

With a very dark and ominous tones form the opening pages, coupled with the seedy setting, this book had my skin crawling from the first page - which I hope was the author intent. The tension ratchets up well, with a cast of fully fleshed out characters. I have to confess I was initially confused as what was "different" about Samantha, but how she perceived the other dancers got me hooked and kept me reading, especially whit the twist at about a third of way in. The sticky, seedy world this is set in reminded me heavily of other strip club pop culture references - Hustlers, Striptease, Showgirls - but darker and less high end, so might not be great for anyone looking for a "light" read!

Real Easy is the debut crime novel by Marie Rutkoski.
In short, the story is set in and around a nineties strip club and reveals the lives of the dancers and patrons of the club. Add a serial killer and their lives will be turned upside down.
It’s a good thriller crammed with interesting characters, each one having a detailed synopsis of their life, which at times goes off on an unexpected tangent!
I correctly guessed the killer about half way through the book, however, this didn’t spoil the ending as to me I think it’s more about the different lives of the mix of characters and the way they live and love that speaks more. It’s one of those books which pulls you in and you can’t put down!
Big thanks to Marie Rutkoski, Headline and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

When a good deed for another dancer at the strip club she works at ends with them being run off the road and Samantha being kidnapped, the people in her life find themselves drawn into the investigation and faced with the reality of life for women surrounded by men who can so easily hurt them.

This book was written in a style I don't think I've ever seen in a thriller which I found really interesting. The various POVs gave quite an intimate feel to the story overall as it got right down to the mundane and often unappealing aspects of their lives and their involvement with the case-at times it almost felt like a simple slice-of-life type story, but with a darker undercurrent.
I did find the rotating POVs interesting, but a few did feel extraneous to the narrative, in that it would have flowed just the same without them. For the most part, though, they kept the story moving and kept things varied.
And while I do see the goal of including the male perspective, some of the objectification and downright degradation of the women of the story was uncomfortable to read from such an immediate perspective- although, again, I do think that was the point, it did just take from my enjoyment of the narrative somewhat.
I also found the pacing of this book to set it apart from the majority of thrillers, it was unusually almost relaxed while still managing to hold my attention for the most part.

Overall, I enjoyed this thriller and am definitely keen to see more from Rutkoski in this genre.

Thank you NetGalley and Tinder Press for my e-arc of this title, received in exchange for an honest review.

I like the cover of the book and it was interesting to delve into the world of a strip club and the characters that frequent it. However, there were way too many POVs for my liking and I found myself getting a little lost with the story. I haven’t read from this author before so not sure if this is a common feature in her books or not.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In Real Easy, Rutkoski's has crafted a thriller that's hard to put down. Exploring the world of a 90s strip club, and the dancers that work there, Rutkoski not only provides an edge-of-your-seat mystery, but also shines a spotlight on the industry and the dangers the women can face when met with male desire.

There are a lot of characters in this book which I always feel can be a risk, however Rutkoski's writing skill is such that these characters feel real and whole, even from the brief glimpse we get into their lives.

The plot kept me hooked and I must admit I was kept guessing until the very end. Having previously loved Rutkoski's The Winner's Trilogy, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about her diversion from fantasy, but this tense thriller did not disappoint.

This is a hard review for me to write as I love MR's books in the fantasy worlds she's written but I didn't love this despite wanting to. The stripper club world of Real Easy was engaging, interesting and fascinating, all the more for being set in the 1980s.

This 'sisterhood' of dancers behind the scenes was full of connections, jealousy, support and rivalry. I connected as reader with Samantha but ultimately that was a mistake. The other characters in this story were tolerable but there were not any that I could connect with. Once the book hit 30%, the POVs exploded and it made for difficult reading. Adding to that, the choppy moves from one POV to another, sometimes after a page or two were jolting. This was a book written with very descriptive detail.

Plot wise, I was on board for the first quarter but I stayed around for completion. I didn't enjoy the plot and I ultimately found it a dissatisfying story.

From a social commentary perspective of the time, the seedy world that was portrayed, this book had fascinating aspects but ultimately the execution of the story and the POVs didn't work for me.

There are lots of content warnings for this book, so please DM me if you want to know more.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an early copy of this book.