Thank you to NetGalley and Goodreads for the ARC. A completely gripping read from the very first page.

Lucien is one of those books that pulls you under quietly and then refuses to let you surface. It has the same intoxicating atmosphere that made Oleander so haunting and If We Were Villains so immersive—moody, intimate, and threaded with tension you can feel in your chest.

At its core, this is a dark coming-of-age story, but it’s far more layered than that. It explores obsession, identity, and the dangerous allure of people who seem larger than life. The emotional intensity builds steadily, and the character work is razor-sharp. Lucien himself feels both magnetic and unknowable, which only deepens the pull of the narrative.

Thornton’s prose is lyrical without ever feeling indulgent. There’s a rawness to the storytelling that makes every relationship feel heightened, every choice consequential. It captures that fragile, combustible period of youth where devotion can blur into self-destruction, and admiration can become something far more complicated.

Fans of morally complex characters, simmering tension, and beautifully written darkness will absolutely devour this.

Five stars, without hesitation.

Lucien by J. R. Thornton is a gripping literary thriller set at Harvard University. The story follows Christopher, a talented scholarship student who becomes fascinated by his wealthy and charismatic roommate, Lucien. As Christopher is drawn into Lucien’s glamorous world of privilege and parties, he is also pressured into creating art forgeries. The novel explores themes of ambition, class differences, and the powerful influence one person can have over another.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oneworld publications for this ARC.

Lucien is a classic coming of age tale, with talented art scholarship student Christopher arriving at Harvard and being swept away by the world presented to him by the charm and confidence of his new roommate Lucien. Christopher is pulled into a bright world of parties, old money clubs and new ultra wealthy friends and struggles to keep up financially until Lucien persuades him to use his art skills to make some easy money.

I really enjoyed this, the style of writing is perfect for the setting - light and deceptively simple, making it easy to lose yourself and race through the book. The chapters detailing the artistic processes are extremely interesting, I enjoyed seeing the different sides to Christopher shown through his interactions with the different people throughout the book and the upper class students described are perfectly realistic and repulsive. My only, minor, complaint is the ending felt a little rushed. I would have loved an extra 50 pages so it could have taken its time to unravel and reveal itself.