NYU alum Jane Williams is deeply in love with Colin, even though he ghosted her after 6 dates and even though, honestly, there is nothing that great about him and he’s just a guy. Colin has started dating Zoe, who he met on the apps, and has a roommate Ben, his friend since childhood. Jane is an aspiring playwright and pays her bills (in Manhattan, no less) by editing college admissions essays. So her master plan is to start dating Ben and hanging around with Zoe and Colin, which will somehow get Colin to realize he has been in love with Jane all along.
Zoe is a TikTok influencer (lol) and loves Hamlet, so she is going to produce Jane’s play, a retelling of Hamlet from Ophelia’s POV. As Zoe and Jane grow closer, they start learning things about Colin that make them both think he is not as perfect as he seems. His ex-girlfriend Leigh starts turning up on his Instagram comments, then in their DMs. They find some disturbing images. Does Jane trust Colin or Zoe more? And who was Zoe before she moved to New York and started using a stage name?
This book has some serious “Single White Female” vibes with Freida McFadden characteristic twists and turns near the end. The reveals come quickly and in different directions starting at the 70-75% mark. Jane’s internal dialogue suggests she is either insane, or perhaps just one of us girls who is driven insane by the shitty men in our lives.
You have heard it, yes? “My ex-girlfriend was so crazy. She was hot, but she was crazy.” Hmm. Red flag city. Was she really crazy, Kyle? Or did she have the audacity to have a mind of her own and actually want you to treat her right? Or was it you the entire time? Ladies, please run when men say this.
We don’t know how much of her dialogue is made up and how much is reality. We can’t figure out why she is so hung up on just some dude she barely knows. We don’t know if she should love or hate Zoe. At times the book can be vaguely misogynistic, but fun enough to keep us turning the pages. It won’t change your life and I will likely forget the plot in a few days. A fun psychological thriller to take to the beach.
Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress / minotaur for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Book to be published June 3, 2025.
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