Swan Huntley

Let me introduce you to a character you'll love to loathe: Catherine West.

Catherine, our first person narrator in Swan Huntely's debut novel [b:We Could Be Beautiful|27190202|We Could Be Beautiful|Swan Huntley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1449076433s/27190202.jpg|47232078], is a trust-fund wealthy Manhattanite. With the automatic monthly deposit of $80,000 from her trust fund, Catherine's days consist of shopping, spa treatments, redecorating her apartment, spending as little time as possible at the boutique stationary store she owns, and visiting art galleries. It's at one of these art galleries where she meets the very handsome and charming William Stockton.

Huntley takes us through William and Catherine's relationship with a building sense of mystery. (The description on this book uses phrases like "spellbinding" and "psychological" which seem a bit too strong for what is at play here). Still, there is a sense that there's more than meets the eye with William, and Huntley deftly builds to a conclusion that I did not see coming.

Even more enjoyable for me, however, was the pitch-perfect tone of Catherine West as an uber-privileged 1 percent-er who is completely out of touch with reality. She's so privileged she doesn't even know how privileged she is. In this regard, Huntely has created a believable character without making her cartoonish.

A solid 3.5 star debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (meer)

This could be classified as an adult coming of age book in a way, and was quite strange.
 
I was expecting more magical realism, but this was far more psychological than anything else. I wanted it to be more of a thriller, and I think it could have succeeded more if it embraced this category over women's fiction.
 
The fascinating look at a sort of mid-life crisis going on was quite poignant, and the best part about this book was definitely seeing how Nancy's relationship with her husband evolved in relation to her own space in the world.
 
The end made the book worth it, and the sort of sad feeling, but the lack of regret (to be ambiguous without spoiling) added more of an honest note to the novel.
 
Overall, though, this book felt wondering, and I couldn't quite get absorbed into why I should care about what was going on.
 
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (meer)