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.

I didn’t enjoy this tale of controlling abuse both for the style and the substance. It made me think I was definitely not the target audience.

A dark and compulsively readable novel of a toxic relationship and revenge. Set almost entirely in a gym. it's the story of Cassie, who fell under Liam's coercive spell until she didn't. And it's the story of what happened when she had the chance to turn the tables. Know that she's sympathetic at first and then to be honest not particularly likable. I liked the unique plot and the storytelling is good. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARc. An interesting read.

An anxiety inducing read! This novel builds tension throughout, right up to the final pages. You’ll never look at your gym in the same way again!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc in return for an honest review. I think in terms of star ratings, I’m falling somewhere around a 3.5-4 ⭐️. I spent the entire book feeling, awkward, uncomfortable, angry, horrified and anxious. For anyone reading this, it definitely needs to come with a trigger warning. My reasons for my rating - if a book can trigger those emotions in me, then there’s something great about the quality of the writing. Why it wasn’t a 5⭐️ for me…Cassie left me feeling angry, the end was baffling and whilst I fully believe the premise of the book - it escalated fast and a little unrealistically for me. I’ve rounded up because I did enjoy the originality of the story but I would have liked a more therapeutic resolution I feel as there were a lot of learning points that many women could probably relate to and seek guidance from.

Sweat by Emma Healey is a dark, gripping rollercoaster ride that will have you hooked from start to finish! Cassie’s journey through a toxic, controlling relationship with her ex, Liam, is both unsettling and compelling. The dual timeline between their past and present adds layers of tension, as we watch Cassie wrestle with old wounds and the temptation of revenge. Healey’s sharp writing pulls you deep into the emotional chaos, and while the ending might leave you heartbroken, it’s shockingly fitting. If you’re ready for a psychological thriller that challenges you and doesn’t shy away from the uncomfortable, Sweat is a must-read!

This was fine. A revenge thriller about coersive control which was an extended metaphor for the power and danger of extreme fitness trends. I found it pretty far-fetched though and it wasn't pacey enough for a thriller for me. To be honest from the author of Elizabeth is Missing I was kind of hoping for more. But there are interesting discussions in this novel all the same. Lots of trigger warnings though not only surrounding domestic abuse, but also dieting and exercise addiction.

Cassie had been a party girl, lots of friends, lots of drink, lots of cake. Then she met Liam, a fitness coach, who banned drink, cake, friends. A coercive controller who dictated every meal, counted every calorie, designed every exercise routine then worked her to a standstill. It took eight months for her to break free and two years later she is still terrified that he will find her and draw her back into his orbit. Moving on with her life, she has become a qualified fitness trainer, working at a gym when Liam walks in, tapping with a white stick, because a benign tumour has rendered him blind. Cassie, pretending to be another trainer called Steph, adopts a different accent and takes him on as a client. Now she can become the controller, she can abuse him, can make his life painful, demand his obedience. Assuming, of course, that he is blind and, more importantly, will stay that way.
The story is all told from Cassie’s perspective, but she seems a reliable enough narrator. Some of the descriptions of the coercive behaviour are quite harrowing, some of the revenge exercising is cruel, but it all makes a degree of sense. I didn’t like either of the main characters, but that was probably the intention. The writing style was a bit idiosyncratic at the beginning, but it settled down (or I got used to it). I don’t move in that world so maybe it’s me that’s idiosyncratic. It’s a fast read, which fits with the plot structure. I can see that some readers might find it disquieting. The ending was a bit surprising, but logical enough.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Sweat tells the story of Cassie and her controlling boyfriend, Liam, who pushes her to eat well and exercise to the extreme with him in their pursuit of physical perfection. Cassie built up the courage to leave this toxic relationship and, two years on, working as a personal trainer, Cassie is stronger and happier than ever. Then, she is tasked with training Liam, but with the tables turned, she is the one with all the power.

I still can't quite work out what I thought of this book. It's bizarre as it's largely set in a gym and focusses solely on the relationship between Cassie and Liam, flipping between the present and flashbacks from their relationship.

I found it hard to read some of the parts detailing the abusive relationship, but fascinating to see how Cassie reacted in her new found power. This book was unique and I did enjoy it.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

This book was a rollercoaster of emotions, and Healey does an excellent job of balancing out the darker moments with humour.

Cassie is a highly likeable main character and it's quickly clear that her last relationship has left irreparable damage. Despite what she has been through, she is not able to retaliate on as base a level because she is fundamentally a good person. Cassie's character development was interesting as it was a more realistic 2 steps forward 1 step back rather than a constant onward trajectory. I really enjoyed her self-deprecating humour and her ability to hold on to her own narrative despite others doubting her.

Whilst the final chapter of the novel gave a frustrating outcome it was nonetheless believable. Personally, I was heartbroken reading the final line but it also felt true to Cassie's journey.

A suffocating, uncomfortable account of the hell of coercive control and abuse at the hands of someone you love. A look at obsession, possession and manipulation manifesting behind closed doors in the most twisted of ways. Cassie hadn’t seen Liam since she managed to escape their relationship, but now is face to face with him again. But he can’t see her after losing his sight and she ends up as his personal trainer.

We watch their interaction as we slowly unravel their history and how the abuse started - the control disguised as care, the isolation, the deconstruction of her identity— each memory and story of the past creating a startling picture that fit together so simply that it was easy to see how it happened. It’s a very slow burner - a little too slow at some points for me - but the thought-like, conversational storytelling definitely helped keep a good flow between the days and Cassie’s thoughts and flashbacks.

She was complicated, bitter, fuelled by hatred and revenge and finding herself revelling in a twisted power dynamic but understandably so — a grey and confusing narrator but I felt her so deeply that I couldn’t tear myself away. Seeing her now and before, the dual timeline with different power dynamics creates an unsettling balance, a mirror image that almost dares you to wonder if Liam 'deserves' revenge, or retribution for his crimes.

I was fully invested i this. I disliked Liam from the start but found Cassie frustrating too. I completely sympathised with Tanya's position. I felt the ending was probably realistic even if it did leave me feeling cheated..

Liam walks into Cassie’s gym but looks straight through her. In fact he can’t see her at all. This gives Cassie back the confidence Liam slowly chipped away when they were in a relationship - through coercive control, disordered eating and general manipulation.

This is a strange one because my every instinct was to root for Cassie and support her the way the people in her circle should have.

Instead you find yourself in a grey area as Cassie exacts her revenge….

The ending of this one, though disappointing, was not at all a surprise based on the state of today’s justice system and how survivors of domestic violence are treated.

TW: abusive relationships, controlling behaviour, attempted murder, eating disorders.
*Make sure you’re in a good frame of mind before reading.*

This book delves into abusive relationships, highlighting that abuse isn’t just physical and that controlling behavior can be equally as harmful. It also explores the aftermath of such relationships, focusing on Cassie, the protagonist, who struggles with paranoia and a deep difficulty in confronting her trauma.

The narrative unfolds across two timelines, with Cassie revisiting her past abusive relationship with Liam through her present-day interactions with him. The plot is a slow-burn thriller, creating a tense and claustrophobic atmosphere throughout.

The characters in this book are all unlikable, yet that’s what makes it so gripping. It keeps readers on their toes, unsure of what will happen next.

Overall, it’s a worthwhile read, offering a raw and insightful look at the experience of dealing with a narcissistic, controlling, and coercive individual.

Sweat, Emma Healey

Synopsis: Liam always knew what was best.

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. Liam is now blind and Cassie holds all the cards. Time to get revenge.

💪🏼

This book is absolutely nothing like I expected and sadly not one I enjoyed.

This book has themes of toxic relationships, gas lighting and coercive control.

I just couldn't get into it. I hated all the characters, hated their actions and found it a difficult read.

Would I recommend? Due to the hard hitting themes and actions in this book, no.

IT’S NOT an uncommon fantasy, wishing ill on a toxic ex while you continue to thrive. It’s not big, it’s not clever, but it’s human, and most people aren’t really armed with a voodoo doll as they think their wicked thoughts that make them feel better about having been wronged.

When Cassie’s ex-boyfriend Liam walks into the gym at which she works as a personal trainer, she is stopped in her tracks. It’s not only because she is shocked to see him, this embodiment of a part of her life she thought she’d left behind, but because it is immediately apparent that he is blind.

It’s not how she remembers him. Her recollections include coercive control, gaslighting and backhanded compliments, all delivered by a fully sighted man, obsessed with his image, and hers. She is shaken to see for herself this development in his life, and when an opportunity quickly arises for her to take charge of his training, in a split-second moment of madness, she takes it.

She assumes the identity of a colleague, alters her tone of voice and turns of phrases, lays an accent on thick, liberally applies a strong perfume he wouldn’t associate with her. He seems to buy it, and they begin his regime. She quickly learns how he lost his sight and deduces that it may or may not be permanent, so feels a time pressure to apply any revenge tactics she has been cooking up over the months since they parted, in less than amicable circumstances.

Through a dual narrative of the gym partnership and the charting of Cassie and Liam’s relationship, a picture begins to emerge of them both; as a couple, individually and before and after their relationship. Cassie isn’t particularly likeable, but she doesn’t pretend to be she is open about her own failings to a fault. This doesn’t, however, make her a reliable narrator.

At first the reader is not privy to the extent of the abuse within the former relationship, and so Cassie’s treatment of this vulnerable person is quite uncomfortable to read. The author is unsparing in her descriptions of Liam as he navigates the gym – once practically a second home – as a newly non-sighted person.

It is hard not to have respect for his tenacity and a revulsion at how Cassie exploits his disability. At first, it’s difficult to sympathise with Cassie while she carries out her revenge with a single minded, ruthless determination; but as the backstory unfurls, it becomes clear that the power imbalance displayed between Cassie and Liam has become reversed.

Sweat is an uncompromising study of abuse and justice, of what it means to believe the victim, or at least listen to them, no matter who they are. Cassie is a really interesting protagonist; at times brash, prone to spontaneous decisions, willing to break rules if they don’t align with her own ethics.

She is also susceptible to flattery and suggestion, especially when it comes from someone she is in thrall to. This makes for a complex character who is a “problematic victim,” who her own mother has little time for when it comes to cries for help.

Indeed, her mother is a great representation of those who refuse to listen to those they feel are unworthy of compassion. She repeatedly tells Cassie that she is mistaken, that Liam’s control over her is simply care and concern, that he can’t possibly be hurting her when he loves her so much. When Cassie’s complaints fall on deaf ears, she herself begins to wonder if her reactions to some of Liam’s actions are overblown.

Liam isn’t as coherently sketched as Cassie, partly because he is solely seen from her point of view. But he is believable, as a man - not a monster – who chooses to be the way he is, and whose blindness increases vulnerability but ultimately doesn’t, and shouldn’t, excuse his behaviour.

From the author of Elizabeth is Missing, a mystery told through the eyes of a woman in the early stages of dementia, Sweat is another boundary-pushing, high-concept domestic thriller that asks, what would you do if you were in this position? The answer is far more complicated than you may initially think.

This is a very dark story following the relationship between Cassie and Liam, told in dual timeline and from Cassie’s perspective. Cassie first met personal trainer Liam when she started doing one of his outdoor exercise classes. At the time she was a bit of a party girl with a group of close friends and a job she enjoyed but fitness and Liam gradually eroded her lifestyle until she became dependent on him. This was so well written I ended up reading it in one sitting as I had to know what happened.

Briefly, having left Liam Cassie is now working as a personal trainer in a gym. However, she is shocked one day when a new customer walks into the gym - it’s Liam and he is no longer as fit as he was and he is blind. Cassie agree’s to be in charge of his weekly sessions, calling herself Steph and hiding her natural voice, but she has doubts about whether he can see and recognise her. Has the worm turned?

This is a very disturbing read. Liam is controlling and manipulative. He monitored every bit of Cassie’s life but she believed he did it for her good because he loved her. Until an incident that caused her to leave him. Liam was an insidious character. He genuinely made my blood freeze. Cassie’s behaviour in the present was interesting, I couldn’t see where it was going and I did feel she might be an unreliable narrator. I can see this could be very uncomfortable reading for some; a toxic relationship with coercive control over all aspects of life but particularly food and exercise and the effects on the non dominant partner after the relationship ends. Fascinating read.

In “Sweat” we follow the story of Cassie, a personal trainer. In the “present day” she works at a gym and lives alone. But in her past (which we see parts of in flashbacks) she has been in an abusive relationship with her ex-boyfriend Liam. He was also a personal trainer and used to control everything about Cassie’s life, particularly her diet but also her contact with family and friends and even where she went on a daily basis. When he turns up at her gym, now blind, Cassie’s world is thrown into turmoil once again. Is Liam really blind? Does he know that she works at the gym? And is this a chance for Cassie to take revenge?

As I’m sure people will realise, this is not an easy subject to tackle. It made me feel deeply uncomfortable at times but is sadly the reality of what many people in abusive relationships face. While I felt some of Cassie’s behaviour was a bit unrealistic, who am I to judge how someone in this situation would react. And this is also fiction so the reactions can be exaggerated if the author chooses - I just didn’t fell it always worked. I also felt that parts dragged a bit and were a tad repetitive. Overall though, I felt it was excellent in depicting the emotions that could be felt and I really wasn’t sure how it was going to end, which is a plus point for any book in my mind.

While this book won’t for everyone, I would say it’s worth reading and I’m sure plenty of people will enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.