I remember reading Elizabeth is Missing in one sitting so I was really excited for this one. It definitely is a very different read but I enjoyed it nonetheless, darker than EIM but very powerful overall.

I really loved Elizabeth is missing so was super excited when I saw Emma healey had written a new book after so long. The premise of this is very different but still had a psychological element to it. Definitely in need of a trigger warning but an interesting, ordinary storyline based on a woman slowly seeking revenge on her abusive ex boyfriend whilst pretending to be someone else after he has gone blind. I really enjoyed this overall and gave it 4.5 stars on Goodreads etc.

Sweat is different from Emma Healey's previous books and, to me, it feels like it is aimed at a slightly younger audience. Not that that is a bad thing, just flagging it up. I was interested in its honest dissection of coercive control and the power of the gaze and it had a good, twisty plot. Thank you for the opportunity.

In Sweat, we meet Cassie as a personal trainer in a gym, who ends up assigned to her ex-boyfriend, Liam. The catch - Liam is now blind from a recently diagnosed brain tumour. Cassie alters her voice and personality to adopt a new persona, ensuring that Liam will not figure out who she is, allowing her to finally be the one with the upper hand in their relationship. Through dual timelines, we learn about their power-imbalanced, controlling relationship, and the subsequent attempt at getting her own back.

The tagline that sold me on this book was this: I stared at him as if he were a picture. I stared at him the way women never get to stare at men: without fear. Unfortunately, I don’t feel as though this is a particularly accurate representation of what the book embodies. I think Sweat has the bones to be that kind of a novel, but it falls short in a number of ways.

Within the first couple of pages, I found the humour of the book to feel quite misplaced. It didn’t get much of a laugh out of me, and I laugh at anything. Paired with the fact that we are immediately introduced to an abusive relationship that is always treated with deep levels of sincerity, it felt like a very strange tonal juxtaposition. Cassie’s first interaction with Liam post-blindness was bizarre and totally confusing. Why are you not just telling people this guy is your ex so you don’t have to work with him? I know - without this, there would be no book, but I immediately found it frustrating.

Cassie’s motivations are supposedly: I want to get revenge, I want to make him feel as bad as he made me feel, I want to look into his eyes without feeling scared. Love it, makes total sense given the scenario you found yourself in, keep it up. Except, none of this really comes through in the text? The most she does to him is fill his water bottle with toilet water (which she almost immediately dumps out and replaces with fresh water), puts soy sauce in his ramen, and gives him uneven weights. There’s a lot of talk about what she wants to do, but little of it comes through in her actions.

I found the tension build up in this book very minimal, and ultimately quite unconvincing. In theory, I understand why Cassie would want to follow Liam around, go through his bins, mess with his stuff, but because we don’t have a satisfying increase of tension or change of mindset in Cassie, it just seems like she’s doing these things because she has no impulse control. I think these events would have been far more effective if the snippets of their relationship were listed chronologically, and we could experience the increasing control, restriction and abuse that she faced from Liam, rather than flitting in and out of random vignettes of their relationship. We are immediately thrown in at the deep end and understand that she is in a toxic situation, which removes any kind of tension or anxiety that could have really made this story more compelling.

Similarly, she gets cut off from her friend as soon as she tells her that she is training Liam in the gym. There is barely an explanation for this, and relies heavily on the reader inherently understanding that she had been in a relationship that bad. We don’t know anything about Cassie or Tanya’s friendship, how she was supported by her during the relationship and pre/post-breakup. We know little about Liam at the point this occurs. It all feels rushed, and as if there hasn’t been enough of a picture formed of the past that led to this severing of ties.

I did enjoy parts of this book - yes, it left me unsatisfied, but it was easily readable, and kept my attention. Some parts were better than others, but unfortunately these parts end as quickly as they begin, without really delving deeper into the subject matter. For example, the passage about Liam not wanting her to be on birth control, but then being unsafe with his protection, and the following conversation about Tanya ‘telling her not to have children’. This was really effective and gave us an insight into Liam as a person, and it also felt tense: this could be detrimental to her, and their relationship, but as soon as conflict and dialogue grows, the chapter ends. We spent more time reading about her walking home from school with her friend and her kids than we did about this.

Ultimately, I felt like this never really went anywhere. We seemed to circle the same drain for 300+ pages, never really witnessing any character growth or plot progression. Cassie by the end of the book was identical to Cassie from the first page. As an exploration of coercive control, this book did a decent job, it just didn’t land as well as others of its type have. I think if this had been billed as a dark comedy, with Cassie’s revenge hijinks dialed up a bit (a lot), getting more and more twisted/peculiar, it would have been better at succeeding as more of a ‘good for her’ type.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This book had such a different and original storyline that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It’s not very often that I literally cannot put a book down but Sweat had me forgetting to blink.

It comes with some rather heavy and specific trigger warnings, including abusive/toxic relationships, control and food related topics.

It sheds light on abusive relationships, highlighting that it is not necessarily about violence, and that controlling behaviour can have just as a negative impact through food, diet and exercise. It also shows the after effects of abusive relationships as the main character, Cassie, is battling with paranoia and an inability to be honest about her trauma.

I loved the writing style, the way each chapter signifies a dual timeline, leading perfectly to past events that help better understand the characters. Each page had me wondering what was about to happen, which is exactly what I want from a book like this.

Emma Healey allows the reader to feel various emotions about the main characters, from sympathy to frustration. WHY WON’T ANYBODY LISTEN TO CASSIE? But as you progress, you notice how the abuse can affect an individual's perspective on their experiences and those around them.

Such a fantastic read! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for this arc ebook to read.

This book made me uncomfortable, angry, frustrated and I was as on the edge of my seat the entire read. This book is told through two different timelines and by our main character, Cassie. We experience what her life was like with her abusive ex, Liam, and how it is now in the present day when he makes a return. All characters were deeply flawed and I felt myself being so frustrated for Cassie and anxious alongside her. Liam was terrifying with his abusive tactics as much as he was infuriating. I found myself pleading with characters to believe Cassie throughout. Though this book was triggering and I was angry while reading, I couldn’t put down, needing to know what was going to happen next. The ending did frustrate me but I didn’t expect it to be sunshine and rainbows as the entirety of the book didn’t elude to it being a happy ending. Brilliant psychological thriller.

Sweat follows Cassie who is working as a personal trainer after she has left an abusive relationship with her ex boyfriend, Liam. An opportunity is presented to Cassie and it means she gets to look at men without fear which women never get to do.

This was an absolutely amazing book and it was so compelling. I’ve never read from this author before but I’ll definitely read from them again. I don’t want to give any spoilers for the book so just be warned that this has some big triggers for abusive relationships/eating disorders. The writing was very good and I loved reading about Cassie and her experience. It was uncomfortable at times because one minute I felt anger and the next I felt pity. It had some fantastic commentary on abusive relationships, particularly the way women and men are viewed differently. For example, men being seen as caring or protective when really it is controlling behaviour. I loved reading this and I’ll definitely be picking up a physical copy when it releases. I’m just sad I have to wait so long for a physical copy. This is 5 stars for me and I would 100% recommend this. I would actually recommend this for fans of Piglet by Lottie Hazel because the tone was very similar and it had some similar commentary when it came to food and weight.

I really really enjoyed this and it was a really original story. You were kept in suspense all the way through with many twists and turns. It wasn't what I expected and was really well written.

Fast-paced, unputdownable thriller! I read this so fast because I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen with Cass and Liam. An unlikeable cast which I loved! Incredibly frustrating where you want to shout at all the characters to listen, the writing is great if you get that kind of reaction from readers.

This book had me on the edge of my seat and made me so uncomfortable. The characters were flawed and incredibly difficult to read about. Cassie was paranoid, and rightfully so, given her abusive relationship with Liam. I didn’t necessarily enjoy Cassie as a main character, but I still felt her anxiety and panic and sympathised with her. The book is told through two timelines as Cassie revisits her abusive relationship with Liam through her present day connection with him. I was furious reading this book, screaming internally for someone to listen to Cassie and believe her. Liam was so incredibly infuriating, and equally terrifying with his abusive tactics and controlling behaviour. I couldn’t put this book down, I needed to know what was going to happen, even though I was so angry reading. A scary reminder of the control people have over us.