Sweat by Emma Healy

All Liam ever wanted was to help Cassie reach her full potential; to push her body to new extremes. Exercise, determination, being the optimum versions of themselves together forever. And Liam always knew what was best.

Nothing could break their intense love for one another, not Liam’s obsessive desire for physical perfection or his relentless control of every aspect of Cassie’s life. Until the day he pushes Cassie far beyond her limits, and she walks out of their flat and away from their toxic relationship for good.

Two years on and Cassie is stronger, fitter, healthier than ever before. And then she sees him – Liam – those green eyes, those stirring muscles. Something inside her flips.

But she holds the power now.

It’s Liam’s turn to sweat.

I think my blood pressure went up a few notches while reading this because parts of it made me furious. There are difficult and emotive issues here, like self-harm, domestic abuse, eating disorders and coercive control. It was a difficult read for me as I’ve survived an abusive relationship and I understood how it continued to affect Cassie. Although her relationship with Liam was a few years ago there are aspects that still drive her behaviour today. They moved in together very early on, a play from the narcissist’s handbook. He then slowly separated her from family and friends, particularly the women. He puts her on a starvation diet of 500 calories with very specific nutrients and a draconian exercise regime. Unsurprisingly, she still struggles with an eating disorder and a tendency to over-exercise. She works as a personal trainer which perpetuates the problem. In fact she’s a long way off healing and her obsessions have driven away her family and friends.

Then a new client called Liam turns up at the gym where she works. What are the chances it’s the same man? He claims he has lost his sight due to a tumour and needs an operation if he’s to make a recovery. For now he’s taking the opportunity of subsidised exercise sessions at the gym. Cassie creates a different identity to get close to him and is assigned as his trainer. She has ten weeks to put him through a version of the hell he created for her. Now she has the upper hand in a relationship, but can she believe a word Liam says? He could be lying to control her. The novel gets darker, more tense and claustrophobic as Cassie starts to struggle with her sanity. At the back of my mind was one concern; could Cassie be an unreliable narrator? Who was manipulating who?

There were a few points where I started to feel a little sorry for Liam, but Healy switches back to the past to focus on his behaviour towards Cassie in their relationship. This levels the playing field again, taking the reader between feeling pity for either party then feeling unable to empathise with either character. I did feel bad for her when others downplay Liam’s abuse or underestimate the effect it had on her. However, both are reprehensible and I wasn’t sure whether Cassie’s actions were a direct result of Liam’s previous treatment of her or whether they’re both mentally damaged. When we realise that Cassie’s friend Tanya feels judged by her after giving birth we can see that her standards do affect others negatively. Did Liam drive friends away or did Cassie do this to herself with her unreasonable standards? Despite this, the book is difficult to put down.

I thought the author created a very satisfying ending. I loved how she picked out aspects of the story that seemed incidental and turned out to be crucial. I didn’t see everything coming, which was great as I love surprises. I thought she showed that people can look fit and healthy, but be very damaged on the inside. The outside doesn’t always represent what’s underneath. She really establishes that the way society treats domestic abuse is still very different, with coercive control only recently taken seriously. People seem to think that physical abuse shouldn’t be tolerated, but are more vague about emotional abuse and coercive control. I think it can be a hard concept for people to understand and before I was a victim I did wonder why people don’t just leave. Now I know it’s a stealthy and slow process, that for me started with undermining my confidence in my looks and then my character. Then through gaslighting techniques I started to doubt my own intelligence and y perception of how I behave towards others. Once those steps are in place someone can really step up and control your every move, because the doubts you now hold undermine everything you knew. Here, combining exercise and diet into the abuse meant that an addiction to the endorphins of exercise could form. She also started to enjoy depriving herself of food. Now Liam has her exactly where he wants her, not only controlled by him but starting to internalise that control. At the same time the reader becomes addicted to the story, the tension build-up is unbearable and keeps you reading desperate to reach the end. I wanted to know which way the story would, feeling like I might have everything I knew ripped out from under me at any moment.

Wow! What an incredible portrayal of coercive control and toxic behaviour.

I’ve never read a book that has made me hold my breath so much. I swear my heart rate was above normal levels due to the tension in my body.

The author does a stellar job of weaving between the past and present. It really played with my own morals. Was Cassie going too far seeking revenge on Liam? Or did he fully deserve everything that happened to him after the things he did to her?

I don’t think I’ll forget this book any time soon!

I highly recommend but I would 100% advise checking the trigger warnings.

REVIEW
cw: misogyny, coercive control, gaslighting, psychological, emotional, and physical abuse, stalking, predatory behaviour, disorded eating, self harm, violence

Liam always knew what was best. He wanted to help Cassie reach her full potential by honing her body to new extremes. Diet. Exercise. Relationships. Everything was controlled. His goal? That they'd be the optimum version of themselves. Together forever. Nothing, and no-one would stand in their way. Not Cassie's friends. Nor her craving for the occasional sweet treat. But when he pushes her too far she escapes the toxic relationship. Two years on and Cassie is stronger, and fitter than ever before. And then she sees him – Liam – those green eyes, those stirring muscles. And something inside her flips.

Wow! This was my first book by Emma Healey, but i'll definitely be seeking out more of her work. I was hooked from the first couple of pages, although this was a DEEPLY uncomfortable, often darkly claustrophobic read. I can't, in truth, say I enjoyed this book, but I couldn't stop reading. You could just sense that things weren't going to end well for Cassie. I don't want to spoil the plot, because some of the scenes were genuinely shocking, and I suggest going into this with as little knowledge of them as possible. But... I would strongly advise readers to check the content warnings first, as there was a LOT of on-page disordered eating, as well as manipulative behaviours from both of the main characters at different points in the story, plus a LOT of on-page gaslighting and coercive control. If any of those are triggering, this is definitely not for you.
The story is told in a mixture of current day and flashback, tracking the toxic relationship between Cassie, a personal trainer, and Liam, her diet and fitness obsessed (now) ex-boyfriend. There were parallel toxic relationships going on throughout the story: the one between Liam and Cassie; and the one between Cassie, food and exercise. Both were extremely difficult to watch unfold, and there were SO many blood-boiling moments from Cassie's memories of Liam. The food watching and chastisements were both cringeworthy and infuriating, but the way Liam reacted to Cassie's deviations, even the tiniest ones, was unhinged. The hen-do, and the Quality Street episodes in particular were blood-boiling. As for the recollection of Liam’s asthma 'cure'? That was extremely difficult to read as an asthmatic myself.
My heart broke for Cassie on so many occasions. It was clear that she had PTSD in the present day, and I found myself begging her to seek help from a professional. Her paranoia felt deeply claustrophic and uncomfortable to read, which is a testament to the author's writing. I often had goosebumps as I read about Cassie, and almost felt like I was experiencing her physical highs and subsequent, brutal crashes alongside her. She was often quite unlikable in the present day, which made me even more angry with Liam. Still, I couldn't help but to root for her, even when she was making the most absurd choices.
The supporting characters often demonstrated how Cassie had become so isolated. I found her parents incredibly unsupportive, but that's what manipulators do, isn’t it? They persuade people they're the good guys, and some people buy it. Still, I wished Cassie's mother had taken her more seriously when she obviously needed help. Liam’s friend Ollie was almost as vile as him, and I hated his classist attitude. That said, there were also some genuinely good people in the story. I appreciated Tommy's interventions at times, and he surprised me on a few occasions with his thoughtfulness. I LOVED Tanya. She was so kind-hearted, and such a good friend to Cassie. I loved her snarky observations about Liam in the flashbacks, but I also really felt for her, especially when she tried to talk sense into Cassie, particularly about her risky behaviours. Cassie's recollection of how Liam spoke to Tanya's daughter made me incandescent with rage.
There were a few twists in the story, and I did see the last one coming, but the ending was still quite shocking. I'll definitely be thinking about this story for a long time.
A brutal, shocking, frustrating, and often heartbreaking story of obsession.

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️.5

*Thanks to the publisher for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. Sweat is out now*

Favourite Quotes:

I was a shadow, I was a ghost, I was the f**king Scarlett Pimpernel. I could slide behind him and gloat over the loss of muscle definition, the way his hand shook on the barbell, how close he came to hitting his head on the pull-up bar. He was frustrated, he was scared, he was vulnerable. I was fascinated, vindicated, delighted.

The rules changed every week. Carbs were good, carbs were bad, cheese was healthy, cheese was poison, coffee made you live longer, coffee shrank your brain. It wasn’t Liam’s fault. That’s just science. No one can keep up with it.

“You’re starting to be as obsessed with Liam as he is with you.”
“Obsessions are fun,” I said, my tone still up and rising, even as I could feel my mood sinking.

There’s always an excuse for trembling muscles. Fatigue, for instance, when you’ve reached your limit and been made to keep going. Or low glucose levels, when you haven’t had enough food and the fridge is locked. Or cold, especially a swift drop in temperature, like a warmed-up body suddenly submerged in an ice bath.

I knew where he was. I knew what he was up to. I knew he wasn’t causing any trouble. I liked that.

He started to leave, then came back for a kiss, pulling me close in front of everyone. They thought that was romantic; they didn’t hear him whispering in my ear . “Nil by mouth, Cass, till I get back.”

He refused to look at me the rest of the evening. I sat on one of our own folding chairs and drank water to wash away the salt from the cheese, and laughed when someone teased me for not joining in, for not drinking, for not eating, laughed as I resisted holding the baby again. I laughed and said I was fine, that I wanted nothing, but I was made of want.

I loved my next-day muscle ache, even the very worst kinds. But I didn’t want to be hurt. I liked fasting because it was an achievement and I could feel proud of the results. But I didn’t want to be starved.

I wanted to fall asleep. I was so tired I could cry, I was so tired I was crying. For all the hours and days and years ahead of me. For the rest I could never let myself have.

Of course he thought I was attractive. He didn’t need to see me. What more could he want than a body that he could define, dissect, make into an anatomy lesson? “You’re in great working order.”

I sat on a concrete sea defence, and watched an old couple split a bacon sandwich. I wanted to do that one day: eat with someone. Share food with someone, without guilt or doubt.

“Liam says you work hard to look like you.”
I tried to stop it, but a warm little glow formed at the praise.
“And I need to work hard too.”

When would I be pure again? What would it take? How long would it take?
Forever. That’s what I felt, then. That Liam had tainted me, stained me, and unless I could reverse our roles I would always be marked as someone who’d been tricked, manipulated, deceived . I’d always be the victim. I wanted to mark him instead, to wipe my shame onto his skin.

“This is Liam’s doing. This is what he made you do. This is what you used to be like. Remember?”
She was right and wrong. Liam had been strict, but I was stricter. That’s why the locked fridge had been such an insult. I was already in a prison of my own making. I didn’t need Liam to add any bars.

“She still pinches her belly, you know, when she looks in the mirror.”

“I’m not judging you!” I wasn’t. I was jealous. Just eating when she felt like it, baking and sitting down, and letting her mind wander. How did she do that? How did she manage without all the systems and structures, the barriers that kept you straight? I couldn’t remember.

“You’re like if Instagram was a person, Cass. Being with you is bad for my mental health.”
“Best stay away from me then,” I said, and Tanya gave me a half-frightened look. No wonder. It sounded like a warning.

Imagine having somewhere to go that wasn’t home or the gym. The bubbles popped, my water went flat.

“I don’t only exist for your benefit.”
“No, you exist to f**king torture me, apparently.”
“That’s your thing, Liam. It’s you who likes torturing people.”

"It didn’t mean anything. It was just a kind of stress reliever, a comfort blanket.”
“What kind of psycho has a kill kit for a comfort blanket?”

I thought I’d lost Tanya, and Lauren and Michelle, but no. They couldn’t reach me while I was with Liam, while I was dealing with Liam, but they’ve made an effort to reach me here.

I still find it hard to imagine being safe in a relationship. I think about the female zoo animals a lot, about being trapped with your adversary, I think about the minotaur in his maze.

This was an uncomfortable read which told very well a toxic and abusive relationship. It’s a revenge thriller which not only showed the details of a horrendous relationship but the dangers of extreme exercise.

When reading I was so uncomfortable in parts but that was done to the clever writing and details of what went on. Told in two timelines - as Cassie looks back over her abusive relationship with Liam and in the present day when Liam is back in her life.

It’s about coercive control and I would check trigger warnings before going in.

A book that made me think and one which had me on the edge of my seat.

Now this was very different from Elizabeth is Missing. I enjoyed it very much. It took me a little while to get into the story but I was drawn to Leo reading, on tenterhooks to find out what happens next. A highly enjoyable thriller.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher, in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 4*
Writing skill : 4*
Plot: 3*
Pace: 3*
Characters: 4*

Well, I’m not going to forget Liam in a while. What an awful, rage provoking character. I know people like him exist but I am so glad I don’t have anyone in my life that vile.
The pace was okay but there were bits that felt a bit repetitive and not a lot seemed to happen. But the final 15% was brilliant and really packed a punch.
The blurb really says what it does on the tin. A quick read, with an infuriating MMC that will stay with me for a while.

This is a difficult read due to the topics but I feel it was really well written.
It took me a while to get through, as it was tough, but it was good!
Definitely made me think.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A compelling psychological thriller, a discussion of wellness culture, and exploration of a toxic and controlling relationship. While naturally a dark and tense read, there is black humour throughout, and an unreliable narrator that keeps you turning the pages to figure out. I swallowed this book whole.

I unfortunately had to DNF this at 45%, I felt there was nothing keeping me invested in the book, I didn't particularly like the main character which made for an ultimately difficult, boring read.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC.

Well, this definitely made me sweat! It's an oftentimes uncomfortable but always gripping read that showed the reality of living in a coercive and controlling relationship, both the impact at the time and the lasting way that it changes the recipient. Cassie isn't a straightforward 'nice girl' victim but as the dual timeline gives you more insight into what she went through at the hands of her ex, Liam, you get more of an understanding of her actions in the present. Add to that the struggle to get some people to take her ordeal seriously and I found myself angry on her behalf.
The setting of a gym is a great way to show that Cassie is fitter, healthier, and stronger on the outside but she still has a way to go to be healed on the inside - physically is not the only way people can be abused and contrasting her body recovery against her mind recovery made this book all the better. It also helped me to understand how she had allowed the relationship to go on for as long as it did, she was addicted to the pain that came from working her body hard and depriving herself and this masked the drip drip slip into Liam's ultimate control until it was harder and harder to get away.
The tension in the book ramps up in that same slow torturous way. I had an icy feeling down my spine as I read it, an anticipation of how the control in their new dynamic may not be exactly where I thought it was and how it could all shift so quickly, like a sleight of hand. You have to suspend disbelief a little for the end but I think that was a reflection of how unbelievable Cassie's situation had felt to some people in her life.

Emma Healey has not let me down yet, and this book is no exception.
I really enjoyed her writing and the characters descent into obsession with her abusive ex-boyfriend. Each character was well-rounded, and the juxtaposition of the past and present in the story kept it interesting and on the main character's side.

This book was quite slow to get into, then had certain moments that I flew through, before it slowed down again. I found myself disliking the main character despite her traumas. It had some very uncomfortable moments that I needed to take a further break from the book in order to continue. I can understand the like for this book, but it wasn't for me. Thank you for the opportunity for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

it took a long time to get into this book. i didn’t like either of the main characters very much and some of the time jumping was a bit confusing, as well as there being lots of characters, but it picked up towards the end. half of the ending was satisfying but half was a bit frustrating

Cassie is a young woman rebuilding her life following an abusive relationship. She works as a personal trainer in a gym, so, when her ex enters and the balance of power shifts due to his disability, Cassie grabs the opportunity to take revenge.

I found this an uncomfortable read at times, but, it’s well written and takes the reader back and forth; to Cassie’s previous experiences in the relationship and to her current motivations.

Overall a solid Good Read and I’m grateful to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the opportunity to preview.

Set in a modern English gym the story revolves around Cassie, an instructor, and Liam her boyfriend who is controlling and full of ideas as to how Cassie should eat and drink well.

The relationship turns dramatically as she leaves him for a couple of years and she becomes a personal trainer. Liam returns now disabled and Cassie finds herself in control. A superb twist.

The gym is a perfect setting and Ms Healey must have done many reps in her research?

At times I felt the book could have done without Liam as Cassie has some brilliant sounding friends. None of these were developed unfortunately, although these friends did bring some much needed humour to the whole book.

I am not sure about the ending, but it was well written and at times quite an uncomfortable read.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Random House UK Cornerstone for the chance to read and review.

Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone & NetGalley for letting me read Sweat by Emma Healey. I was quite intrigued about the story line in this and wasn't disappointed. It was quite fast paced until the last couple of chapters but still an enjoyable read. Would certainly read more by Emma Healey

I loved Elizabeth is Missing so I was keen to read Emma Healey's new novel, Sweat. However very early on I discovered that this was going to be a completely different read, but no less complex. The storyline is heavy, featuring abusive and toxic relationships. So you should definitely check the trigger warnings before venturing into this one.

I found this to be a challenging and claustrophobic read which explores the long term effects of toxic relationships and coercive control. Despite being an uncomfortable read I found the slow burn pace to be suspenseful so I was compelled to keep reading on.

I don't think this is a book for everyone but if you are looking for something complex and thought provoking then give this a go.

Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy to read and review.

When I first started reading this book it appeared to be aimed at a young adult audience. There were casual and coarse sexual references and plenty of men-hating banter, typical of women starting their dating and new relationships phase. However, that was short-lived. The book has more substance.

A woman personal trainer is shocked when her gorgeous and fit ex-boyfriend turns up at her gym claiming to be blind. She pretends that she is someone else - it is easy to disguise herself with only her voice considering that he can't see her. Her motivation is revenge. The story flicks between the present and the time when they were together, so the full horror of their relationship gradually unfolds.

​The abuse in the relationship isn't overtly physical but it is controlling under the guise of him wanting what is best for her: diet, exercise, influences including her friends. The control grows to disturbing, obsessive levels, all for 'her own good'. After they split up and he loses his sight, the tables have turned and she is the one with the controlling power. Interesting that despite ending up hating him as a person, the attraction and lust was still there. Plus, with him being blind, the woman gains a different kind of power. Perhaps the most memorable quote from the book is this: "I stared at him the way women never get to stare at men: without fear."

This is a tense read with an increasing uneasiness as the boundaries between the adrenaline of exercise and fear blur. It is as if the purpose is to always have the heart pounding and the body sweating. Very clever, Not being a gym addict myself, the routines and life of a personal trainer are interesting for a while, but the detail is a tad overdone and interest wanes after a bit. Each chapter is a written on a weekly basis so we can follow the progress or perhaps the unravelling.

Well written, uncomfortable, dark and showing that power and control can be both attractive and frightening at the same time.

This is a deliberately challenging read because Healey doesn't make it easy to navigate the emotional complexities of the relationship between Cassie and Liam. Coercive control and abuse on one side, co-dependency and an unhealthy approach to body image, eating and self-policing on the other coalesce into something frightening.

Add to that the present day story as Cassie finds herself in the position to take revenge on a newly vulnerable Liam and I found myself disturbed throughout.

Healey draws careful parallels between different forms of control: power over another person and a rigid and unyielding policing of oneself. Both Cassie and Liam live by rigid rules and are in freefall when those rules are broken. Both of them show similar obsessive behaviours and both of them appear to have troubled relationships with their parents.

In the end, the book comes down on Cassie's side but it doesn't make that a given leaving this reader on tenterhooks, feverishly turning the pages. It's fascinating to see nuance in this issue of abusive relationships and the way Cassie's trauma continues by making her echo her abuser as a form of revenge.

There are some holes in the plot: it's hard to believe the main premise that allows this toxic relationship to restart. I also wanted clearer directions on to what extent Cassie was already suffering with eating and body image disorders before Liam. Her parental relationships could also have been clearer.

Nevertheless, this is a completely gripping read which merges an intelligent and nuanced approach to pressing issues of mental health and abuse with a dark revenge plot - that I couldn't wholly endorse the actions of the vengeful woman is precisely what makes this so clever and complicated.

This book threw me completely off balance, which was a really fascinating experience. Sweat is a deep dive into the toxic dynamics of a relationship built on control, obsession, and the illusion of self-improvement.

What made this book so gripping for me was how much it got under my skin. Initially, I was cheering Cassie on, celebrating her escape and newfound strength. Her isolation and the disbelief of her loved ones felt raw and real, and her journey seemed empowering. But as the story unfolded, there was a slow realisation: Cassie’s behaviour was just as unhinged as Liam’s had been. It’s rare for a book to make you root for someone so deeply only to pull the rug out from under you like that.

The pacing was spot on, and Healey’s writing felt sharp and deliberate, every word carrying weight. The tension builds like a tightly wound spring, keeping you glued to the pages as you wait for it to snap. It’s unsettling but in the best way, forcing you to confront how power and control can shift in a relationship and blur the lines between right and wrong.

I finished Sweat feeling emotionally wrung out but thoroughly impressed. It’s an intense and thought-provoking read that will make you question your instincts and reactions long after you’ve turned the last page.