ARC Review: Her by Harriet Lane

Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Publishing Date: January 6th, 2015
Genre: Adult, Suspense, Contemporary
Pages: 272 pgs
ISBN: 9780316369879
Source: received for an honest review



Summary from Goodreads:

You don't remember her--but she remembers you.

On the face of it, Emma and Nina have very little in common. Isolated and exhausted by early motherhood, Emma finds her confidence is fading fast. Nina--sophisticated, generous, effortlessly in control--seems to have all the answers.

It's easy to see why Emma is drawn to Nina. But what does Nina see in her?

A seemingly innocent friendship slowly develops into a dangerous game of cat and mouse as Nina eases her way into Emma's life. Soon, it becomes clear that Nina wants something from the unwitting Emma--something that might just destroy her.

My Review:

*** This book contains spoilers because I really don't know how to write this without truly discussing what happens ***

I am going to preface this review by saying that I very rarely give 1 star reviews. I usually try to keep an open mind about the book but I am finding it very difficult to do with this book. My friend Kim got me this book at BEA last June and the premise was intriguing. It is about a woman, Nina, who develops an unhealthy fascination with a young mother of two named Emma. It turns out that Nina knows Emma from a long time ago. Emma doesn't seem to recall Nina at all. 

Nina acts all creepazoid and starts doing some slightly inappropriate things like temporarily kidnap Emma's son in order to become to hero when she returns .

It is all kinds of bizarre and unsettling. 

Nina then goes on to befriend Emma in order to further try to fuck with her. Poor unsuspecting Emma is a mother of 2 who is exhausted and a little desperate for a new sparkling friend. This allows Nina to swoop in and cause drama. 

While all this is going on it is entertaining but you are left thinking- what horrible thing has Emma done to Nina to make Nina so nutso. What struck me as odd was that if Emma did something so bad then wouldn't she remember Nina? I mean I have people I haven't seen since high school and I still recognize them when I see them. It was just a little odd. 

It was entertaining to read and the book kept you reading because you wanted to find out what the catalyst in the relationship between the two was. Imagine my surprise when we find out the reason Nina hates Emma so much is so miniscule and ludicrous that it just didn't make any sense. To top it all off the book just ends in the middle of the climax. Psycho Nina decides to try to drown Emma's child. Like are you freaking kidding me? It ends with the insinuation that Emma's little boy is in the pool. Maybe dead? Maybe not? Did Nina do it? It just ends. I literally threw this book across the room. You can't end a book like this!! The whole thing just felt so odd and nothing is resolved. I say skip this book. It is not worth the $30 hardcover price that's for sure.