Prima Facie by Suzie Miller is a compelling novel about a defence lawyer who is sexually assaulted. The statistics on rape and conviction rates are grim which is what makes this book (and the Play is was based on) so relevant.
The novel is well crafted and gets many important points across. A poignant novel that I highly recommend.

Prima Facie gives us a novel that is so well written, you will not be able to put it down! I finished this in one go and already am looking forward to more!

I absolutely devoured this book.

I don’t know how to sum up the words I feel about this story but I do feel like it will have a lasting impact.

I’ve never read anything like this before.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced reading copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, and the author Suzie Miller.
I found this book difficult to get through, a bit pretentious, and overall just dull. There are moments of intrigue but the main character feels so half-baked that I often found myself forgetting her name. It felt like a slog.
At times it felt like the author wanted to show off her knowledge of the law and the legal system more than tell a good story.
I know that this has been very popular on stage so maybe it is better as a play! I can imagine the final monologue could be very dramatic delivered on stage, but on paper it just came across grandiose. Not for me, unfortunately. 2 stars.

I absolutely devoured this novel following a brilliant criminal defense barrister who, when she is raped by a male colleague, must experience the system which she dedicated her life to from the other side.

This is a brilliant character study - the voice of northern, working-class rooted, turned Cambridge graduate and exceptional barrister Tessa coming through so strongly from start to finish. Jodie Comer's narration of the audiobook was excellent - it was clear she knew the character of Tessa so well, and she brought her to life brilliantly.

This is scathing and complicated, heart-wrenching and tender. A relevant, important read that will certainly make you think - I highly recommend it.

This was incredible. Pacy, well written, I would read anything Suzie Miller writes. I did not see the production of PRIMA FACIE in the West End and now I am scouring the internet to find where I can stream the recording. One of my top reads of the year so far.

This book is incredibly powerful.

Tessa Ensler is a brilliant & intelligent defence barrister who has fought her way to the top of her career. She's from a poorer family. She had a scholarship & she felt like she had made it. She took the less appealing defendants, tape cases. She seemed to win all of them for her clients. She had to prove the evidence wasn't accurate.

I will say at the very beginning when Tessa Ensler was "just doing her job" & following the taxi rank protocol I did indeed feel very little sympathy. I am a 1 in 3 myself. (It's why it took me so long to finish it..) I pushed myself through the book.

Now Tess is on the other side of the court room. Will she win her case?

I'm about to download the audible version of this book too. I NEED to hear Jodie Comer narrate this.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this amazing book.

Tessa Ensler is a criminal defence barrister who believes passionately in the law and playing by the rules. When Tessa is raped by a colleague she experiences the legal system from the other side and realises how heavily the odds are stacked against her and how painful the criminal justice system is for victims of sexual crimes.

Suzie Miller's absorbing novel is based on her successful play staring Jodie Comer. I found the pacing a little uneven and it takes time for the main events of the story to unfold but once it does I couldn't put it down. A tough but compelling read.

I have always enjoyed courtroom based dramas and in the last few years they have taken on an extra significance as my daughter decided to pursue a career as a barrister. So I was intrigued to read Prima Facie, adapted into a novel from the hugely successful play. Whilst I now definitely regret not seeing the play, I am so pleased I have had the opportunity to read the book – it is powerful, emotional and so very thought-provoking and I couldn’t put it down.

Tessa Ensler is a successful criminal defence barrister. She has battled her way to get to where she is, having not come from the privileged background of many of her colleagues, and she firmly believes in a system that presumes innocence until proven guilty and where her role is not to judge. However, it is when she becomes a victim, raped by one of her colleagues, that she finds herself with a new perspective on all that she has hitherto held so dear.

Told in the first person, and from a then and now perspective, we really get to understand Tessa and what drives her – which is what makes it all the more distressing as we see the devastating impact on her as she struggles to deal with what has happened, and yet remains determined to do what she believes is right, whatever the consequences. The assault is powerfully described and certainly not easy to read, but it is the final courtroom scenes that will have you reeling, with Tessa’s impassioned outburst so heartfelt that you don’t know whether to applaud or cry.

There is so much to unpack as you are left reflecting on the issue of consent and the challenges around prosecution of sexual assault cases, leading to such low conviction rates. With an ending that leaves a glimmer of hopefulness amongst the darkness, it is a book that will leave you thinking - and will stay with me long after I put it down.

A few years ago I saw the play version of this novel, as a guest of a forensic psychology student. My view then that it was an intense and powerful story about a young woman barrister as she faced prejudice within a legal system dominated by white wealthy men.

The novelised version has only lost a little of its power in that there is more of a story surrounding her upbringing and a few more characters, the play only having one character. Nevertheless, this is undoubtedly about power - on an individual and social level, and how power falls to those who feel they are entitled to it. It also highlights the inadequacies in our legal system in Britain, especially with regard to sexual assault cases and how the patriarchy is alive and well.

The story is taut and emotive, well written and engaging, and is structured around the narrator's life before and during her own trial when she becomes the only witness in a sexual assault case. It makes uncomfortable reading. At times it is graphic and detailed as the whole event is painted before us and the equally undignified police procedure that follows is there for all to see. Excellent insight into how the courts work as well.

A brave, challenging comment on society, a book that is as provocative and exciting to read as much as the issues it evokes. Recommended for everyone with plenty to think about.

A brilliant novelisation of the award-winning play. A young brilliant, working-class barrister is raped, but because of the circumstances - he was a colleague, she had previously consented, they'd been drinking, etc, etc (all women have heard about, experienced these 'he said, she said' circumstances) he 'gets away with it'.

Recommended for those who were unfortunate not to see it on stage, or screen; and for those who wish to remind themselves of 'Prima Facie' and its powerful message. This can, and does happen to anyone.

A really great book. Such a timeless read and one that will stay around for a very long time. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

The future looks very rosy for talented criminal defence barrister Tessa Ensler until a terrible event makes her question the justice system, something she has believed passionately in, working her way up from her humble beginnings to be a part of. Not an uncommon story, but the novel is nonetheless very well-written, fully immersive and, especially in the second half, really gripping. The description of the range of emotions Tessa experiences is very convincing and it is heart-breaking that, unlike Tessa, many will suffer alone.

Utterly over whelming superb!

This book is going to have a huge impact. The play won every award going and the book, written before it was turned into a play and then its come back round as the book format, is just perfection.

Suzie Miller has the characters of Tessa & Julian down to a tee and the story - even with its harrowing factual story is totally;y plausible and relays the facts involved around rape and sexual assault - I hope this book makes a difference, it already has, as judges now have to watch the play version and the police are changing the ways they conduct their interviews with assault victims. YES!!! about time!!!

Love this book, hugely passionate about it as a mother of three, teach boys respect and to listen and girls to use their voices. And not think its acceptable to treat girls/women that way and think it's ok.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow-This is defintely te best book I have read in a while. So very well written, fantastic knowledge and content. I would love to see the play, but a TV series would be fantastic. Such an important story that needs to be told far and wide. Brilliant.

I don't think the novel version of Prima Facie was as good as the play – partly cause Jodie Comer was incredible, and partly because I think the didactic speech-making works better in theatre than in novels. But I still thought it was great. There were parts that were absorbing and immersive, and there were parts that made me want to stop reading because I felt so sick and tense. If you've seen the play, then you'll know what I'm talking about! I read an article in The Guardian about how Prime Facie is potentially changing the approach to sexual assault cases, and that's so so important. Reading – or watching – this, you really do feel disgust for the way in which survivors are treated and interrogated.

This book does not shy away from its subject, and for that, I commend it. That being said, there were points where it lost me. At times, I felt that the rawness of Tessa’s experience was lost in the story’s overarching message. I understand that, being a barrister, Tessa has a firm grasp of statistics and legalese. I also understand that the two halves of her brain — emotional and legal — were in conflict during her testimony. But I think that the delivery of these facts sometimes obscured the human at the core of the narrative.
I didn’t enjoy this book — I find it hard to imagine ever enjoying stories of sexual assault — but I did expect it to be handled more deftly.

The book is a really good read but I now want to see Jodie Comer perform this. No doubt she was brilliant in it as she is in everything.

Tessa is a barrister who has not come from the same privileged background of her peers but has worked hard to get where she is. The story is an interesting view into the legal system and covers the difficult subject of a sexual assault charge and how this affects the victims when it comes to court.

A powerful story and one I won't easily forget.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the DRC

Prima Facie is a powerful and important novel that I raced through, at times filled with dread anticipating what was to come.
Tessa Ensler is a junior barrister, Cambridge educated and working class she’s spent years trying to prove herself in a male dominated, moneyed world. Tessa has always believed in the power of the law but when she is raped after a date with a colleague she experiences how the justice system works against women
This was an intense and emotional read, told from Tessa’s point of view and moving from present day to the past when Tessa starts at Cambridge university. Tessa’s voice is authentic and I found the legal insights fascinating. I finished the novel feeling angry but also hopeful knowing that women like Tessa will continue to speak out.
Recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Prima Facie has been on my radar ever since I became aware the theatre production, of the same name, was to be performed by Jodie Comer (Killing Ever fame). Unfortunately, I never got a chance to watch the show but the reception had been massive and I was expecting the same from this novel adaptation.

Prima Facie is the story of Tessa Ensler, an up and coming criminal defence barrister, with a natural flair for strategising the case in the best interests of her clients, she is confident and formidable in the courtroom and respected amongst her peers, considered worthy competition. This is the face Tessa wears professionally, she works hard because she has had to due to her socio-economic background. Born in a working-class family, she was awarded a full scholarship to read law at Cambridge University which has given rise to this prominent identity today that she wears with pride. Tessa strongly believes in the criminal justice system, defendants are innocent until proven guilty. The barrister's job is simply to tell the best version of the story. The aim is never to undermine, but if the stats don't stack up....the narrative will fail on it's own. Tessa plays by the rules, until she finds herself testing the system again, now as a rape victim. Will justice be served?

The stats on rape convictions is not new news, "one in three" women will suffer sexual assault in their lifetime but less are reported and even less result in successful convictions. Suzie Miller presents a chilling, powerful narrative, turning the tale on it's head - with a striking insight into the workings of the legal system and how it is flawed when it comes to proving a lack of consent. Why is it automatically assumed that consent was given? Why is the victim is subjected to proving and evidencing what they did or did not do, to counter this "assumption"? For rape victims, reliving this before a jury is a punishment itself, but to then to be questioned by a well-experienced barrister whose role is to cast aspersions on your truth, a jury's job is to ultimately decide whether they believe you or not - and god forbid, they don't, where is the justice? Something is clearly not right and change is warranted.

By telling the story through Tessa, the reader witnesses this whole ordeal through Tessa's eyes, how society perceives her before and after, how Tessa struggles to challenge a system, despite her profession and a career in defending these very crimes is still not enough to help her separate her emotions from legal instincts. What hope would common individuals have who have no previous dealings with the law.
I was choked at so many points, stumped for words at the injustice and this one will definitely stay with me for a long time. The writer establishes a balance between the law and a highly emotive story which will resonate with many women, in particular, but male allies who are needed to change a historically white-cis male dominant industry, where a women's version of the truth was never meant to be accepted. The fact that rape in marital relationships was not recognised as a crime until 1991 in English law speaks for itself. I loved supporting characters, Tessa's family, Adam and Mia are true gems.

This was a gripping, thought-provoking read, exceptionally well-written and a book I will always recommend. Thank you for writing this one Suzie.

Thank you to NetGalley and especially Random House UK, Cornerstone for the arc in exchange for an honest unedited review.