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The Pact
What if a prank leads to murder?
When Freya arrives at her dream job with the city's hottest start-up, she can't wait to begin a new and exciting life, including dating her new colleague Jay. However, Nicole, Jay's ex and fellow employee, seems intent on making her life a misery.
After a big deadline, where Nicole continually picks on her, Freya snaps and tells Jay about the bullying and together they concoct a revenge prank. The next morning, Nicole is found dead in her apartment . . .
Is this just a prank gone wrong? Or does Freya know someone who is capable of murder - and could she be next?
When Freya arrives at her dream job with the city's hottest start-up, she can't wait to begin a new and exciting life, including dating her new colleague Jay. However, Nicole, Jay's ex and fellow employee, seems intent on making her life a misery.
After a big deadline, where Nicole continually picks on her, Freya snaps and tells Jay about the bullying and together they concoct a revenge prank. The next morning, Nicole is found dead in her apartment . . .
Is this just a prank gone wrong? Or does Freya know someone who is capable of murder - and could she be next?
400 pages, Paperback
First published November 28, 2019
30 people are currently reading
536 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
November 20, 2019
After previously reading “Shame On You” by Amy Heydenrych and thoroughly enjoying, I was over the moon to be able to read this author’s latest novel “The Pact”. An exciting premise and enticing first few pages had me engrossed immediately.
Sadly though, as the book progressed it slowed down dramatically and didn’t seem to move anywhere. I didn’t take to any of the characters and lost all interest in who killed Nicole. They were all rather odd and I was quite dismayed to learn that all tech workers working in silicone valley, were so sexually deviant. The men in the story were all portrayed in a very bad light (apart from Detective Simon Cohen who himself was a strange vitamin promoter) and it was hard to believe that so many of the men were vindictive, misogynistic or troublesome sexual abusers even in the higher echelons of society. I appreciate the author was trying to convey a story relating to bullying in the workplace, especially female on female bullying and I agree it is more common and important than people first think but the amount of sexual harassment and bullying was very extreme for one company and a tad too unrealistic for me. Freya’s constant helplessness got me quite frustrated at times and if it had been me receiving abusive messages, I’d have left my phone at home switched off! The ending was also a disappointment for me but this was just a personal opinion, others may find the unexpected denouement to be very clever.
On a positive note, I did like how the author wrote quick chapters and the differing time lines between the characters perspectives. Although slow paced it did keep the momentum going for me and it was this that kept me reading on. “The Pact’ was an easy, undemanding read that can easily be read in a day if time allows and even though on this occasion the story didn’t hit the mark for me, I do like this author’s writing style and would read more by her again.
3 stars
Sadly though, as the book progressed it slowed down dramatically and didn’t seem to move anywhere. I didn’t take to any of the characters and lost all interest in who killed Nicole. They were all rather odd and I was quite dismayed to learn that all tech workers working in silicone valley, were so sexually deviant. The men in the story were all portrayed in a very bad light (apart from Detective Simon Cohen who himself was a strange vitamin promoter) and it was hard to believe that so many of the men were vindictive, misogynistic or troublesome sexual abusers even in the higher echelons of society. I appreciate the author was trying to convey a story relating to bullying in the workplace, especially female on female bullying and I agree it is more common and important than people first think but the amount of sexual harassment and bullying was very extreme for one company and a tad too unrealistic for me. Freya’s constant helplessness got me quite frustrated at times and if it had been me receiving abusive messages, I’d have left my phone at home switched off! The ending was also a disappointment for me but this was just a personal opinion, others may find the unexpected denouement to be very clever.
On a positive note, I did like how the author wrote quick chapters and the differing time lines between the characters perspectives. Although slow paced it did keep the momentum going for me and it was this that kept me reading on. “The Pact’ was an easy, undemanding read that can easily be read in a day if time allows and even though on this occasion the story didn’t hit the mark for me, I do like this author’s writing style and would read more by her again.
3 stars
November 20, 2019
A potentially decent novel marred by its over the top female empowerment agenda that stifles any coherent plot & a slow pace.
Despite not having read Amy Heydenrych’s first novel, Shame on You, I was aware that it was recognised as making some very pertinent observations about the all pervasive world of social media. The premise of The Pact intrigued me and I had high hopes for a tension fuelled workplace thriller with a look inside one of Silicon’s Valley’s hottest start-ups and women in the male dominated tech industry. Disappointingly, it was not only painfully slow and repetitive but the author seemed so concerned about scoring points and the agendas she had for the novel that it snuffed out any chance of a gripping storyline.
The novel opens on the morning after the vicious murder of thirty-one-year-old, Nicole Whittington, an employee at the hottest technology start-up on the block, Atypical. Battered to death with a bronze sculpture and propped up in the shower like a doll, even the lead investigator who lets reporter, Isla Davis, into the crime scene seems shaken up. As the narrative winds back to three months before the murder and the perspective of Atypical’s newest recruit and Nicole’s colleague, Freya Matthews, it tells the story of how she has overcome her past to secure such a prized job. From life as a foster child and sleeping in her car throughout college, Freya has battled against all the odds to make a success of her life and is about to begin work at a company that cares about women and is using its resources to take Wi-Fi to some of the worlds most rural villages and provide medical relief.
But alongside enigmatic Atypical founder, clean-cut Julian Cox, it doesn’t take long for Freya to catch the eye of office bad boy, Jay Singh, or to make an arch enemy of Nicole, whose team she is a member of. Although the reader never hears from Nicole, her bullying and undermining of Freya is a little too juvenile to believe that it would actually go on and colleagues would not comment or intervene, despite the reason behind it (both women being romantically involved with Jay), made apparent early on. If only the premise had made clear that the revenge prank was all whipped up due to jealousy over a man and a slimy one at that, then I would have saved myself a few wasted hours! What follows is excessively drawn out, repetitive and could have easily been streamlined and fitted into half the number of pages as it limps onwards. My interest waned, the story lost its momentum and the character of Jay becomes less and less credible.
The narrative veers all over the place, moving back and forth from the night of the murder to years before and weeks after, with chapters in the third-person from San Francisco Times journalist, thirty-one-year old Isla Davis and the prodigiously talented Freya Matthews. There are even snapshots to ten years earlier and the night that changed Isla’s life and brought Inspector Simon Cohen into her orbit. As the narrative swings from past to present, never once do readers get to hear the thoughts of Nicole prior to her death or from the source of so much trouble, Jay Singh. It is only in the penultimate chapter that what actually happened to Nicole on the night of the murder is revealed.
Although I found both Freya and Isla hard to connect with and was frustrated by how they tackled the issues they are faced with on multiple occasions, I appreciated how their histories had shaped their outlooks and left them fragile. For being a smart and savvy modern young woman I was disappointed at how Freya turned doe-eyed at the first sign of Jay’s attention and lapped up his stories and excuses without question. She certainly wasn’t a great role model for modern working women and Isla too seemed as interested in her male police contact as reporting on the case. To be honest, there are some very surprising twists that I certainly didn’t pick up on ahead of their arrival, but the pity is that these are never given the space or allowed to have their full impact before the author swiftly follows up with another chapter about female victims, females being undermined in the workplace or forced to contend with unhealthy workplace relationships.
On the whole the novel felt like a missed opportunity and despite Amy Heydenrych making some relevant and timely points about gender inequality and toxic female friendships, it rather got lost alongside a narrative than feels firmly anti-male. This is even more disappointing when the revenge prank appears to stem from jealousy regarding sleazy Jay Singh, who along with Julian seems to manipulate so much of the female behaviour. After the frustratingly slow pace of the bulk of the novel the concluding chapters feel abrupt and unsatisfying, and left me with several unresolved questions and serious reservations about the novel.
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
Despite not having read Amy Heydenrych’s first novel, Shame on You, I was aware that it was recognised as making some very pertinent observations about the all pervasive world of social media. The premise of The Pact intrigued me and I had high hopes for a tension fuelled workplace thriller with a look inside one of Silicon’s Valley’s hottest start-ups and women in the male dominated tech industry. Disappointingly, it was not only painfully slow and repetitive but the author seemed so concerned about scoring points and the agendas she had for the novel that it snuffed out any chance of a gripping storyline.
The novel opens on the morning after the vicious murder of thirty-one-year-old, Nicole Whittington, an employee at the hottest technology start-up on the block, Atypical. Battered to death with a bronze sculpture and propped up in the shower like a doll, even the lead investigator who lets reporter, Isla Davis, into the crime scene seems shaken up. As the narrative winds back to three months before the murder and the perspective of Atypical’s newest recruit and Nicole’s colleague, Freya Matthews, it tells the story of how she has overcome her past to secure such a prized job. From life as a foster child and sleeping in her car throughout college, Freya has battled against all the odds to make a success of her life and is about to begin work at a company that cares about women and is using its resources to take Wi-Fi to some of the worlds most rural villages and provide medical relief.
But alongside enigmatic Atypical founder, clean-cut Julian Cox, it doesn’t take long for Freya to catch the eye of office bad boy, Jay Singh, or to make an arch enemy of Nicole, whose team she is a member of. Although the reader never hears from Nicole, her bullying and undermining of Freya is a little too juvenile to believe that it would actually go on and colleagues would not comment or intervene, despite the reason behind it (both women being romantically involved with Jay), made apparent early on. If only the premise had made clear that the revenge prank was all whipped up due to jealousy over a man and a slimy one at that, then I would have saved myself a few wasted hours! What follows is excessively drawn out, repetitive and could have easily been streamlined and fitted into half the number of pages as it limps onwards. My interest waned, the story lost its momentum and the character of Jay becomes less and less credible.
The narrative veers all over the place, moving back and forth from the night of the murder to years before and weeks after, with chapters in the third-person from San Francisco Times journalist, thirty-one-year old Isla Davis and the prodigiously talented Freya Matthews. There are even snapshots to ten years earlier and the night that changed Isla’s life and brought Inspector Simon Cohen into her orbit. As the narrative swings from past to present, never once do readers get to hear the thoughts of Nicole prior to her death or from the source of so much trouble, Jay Singh. It is only in the penultimate chapter that what actually happened to Nicole on the night of the murder is revealed.
Although I found both Freya and Isla hard to connect with and was frustrated by how they tackled the issues they are faced with on multiple occasions, I appreciated how their histories had shaped their outlooks and left them fragile. For being a smart and savvy modern young woman I was disappointed at how Freya turned doe-eyed at the first sign of Jay’s attention and lapped up his stories and excuses without question. She certainly wasn’t a great role model for modern working women and Isla too seemed as interested in her male police contact as reporting on the case. To be honest, there are some very surprising twists that I certainly didn’t pick up on ahead of their arrival, but the pity is that these are never given the space or allowed to have their full impact before the author swiftly follows up with another chapter about female victims, females being undermined in the workplace or forced to contend with unhealthy workplace relationships.
On the whole the novel felt like a missed opportunity and despite Amy Heydenrych making some relevant and timely points about gender inequality and toxic female friendships, it rather got lost alongside a narrative than feels firmly anti-male. This is even more disappointing when the revenge prank appears to stem from jealousy regarding sleazy Jay Singh, who along with Julian seems to manipulate so much of the female behaviour. After the frustratingly slow pace of the bulk of the novel the concluding chapters feel abrupt and unsatisfying, and left me with several unresolved questions and serious reservations about the novel.
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
November 24, 2019
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
Freya has just started a new job as a coder for Atypical. She is also dating co-worker, Jay. Julian, her boss is also great to work for. So e everything should be sweet. But then theres Nicole. She makes things difficult for Freya. But one day, Nicole pushed too hard and Freya snaps. Freya decides to give Nicole a taste of her own medicine, hoping that will make her stop. However, things don't always work out to plan.
This story shows how quickly things can spiral out of control. It touches on bullying and sexual harassment. The story starts off quite slow but the pace does pick up a little. The story starts after the death of Nicole. Freya has not had an easy life but she's determined to make something of herself. The narrative veers all over the place which makes it confusing at times. You have to wait until the last chapter to find out what happened to Nicole. There is some great twists I never saw coming but at times it was also repetitive. Indid enjoy this book, i just didn't love it.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Bonnier Books UK and the author Amy Heydenrych for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Freya has just started a new job as a coder for Atypical. She is also dating co-worker, Jay. Julian, her boss is also great to work for. So e everything should be sweet. But then theres Nicole. She makes things difficult for Freya. But one day, Nicole pushed too hard and Freya snaps. Freya decides to give Nicole a taste of her own medicine, hoping that will make her stop. However, things don't always work out to plan.
This story shows how quickly things can spiral out of control. It touches on bullying and sexual harassment. The story starts off quite slow but the pace does pick up a little. The story starts after the death of Nicole. Freya has not had an easy life but she's determined to make something of herself. The narrative veers all over the place which makes it confusing at times. You have to wait until the last chapter to find out what happened to Nicole. There is some great twists I never saw coming but at times it was also repetitive. Indid enjoy this book, i just didn't love it.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Bonnier Books UK and the author Amy Heydenrych for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 10, 2019
Review to follow for the tour.
December 15, 2019
I love the front cover with people holding out their hands agreeing to something, but what exactly are these people agreeing too?
A page turning story about conducting a revenge with a prank. And what if a prank becomes murder?
The author Amy Heydenrych mastered the theme right, with the television turned up most neighbors can hear. And in the apartments in San Francisco the environment of the apartments are set in conditions where neighbours can hear everything an owner does in their apartment.
Nicole had her music on in her apartment, then the music got a few decimals higher which every owner of their apartments could here and a loud thud that completed the noise. Nicole Whittington was dead.
Another outline of real life author Amy Heydenrych has has got right is that when we see on TV someone who has been murdered the same age as you or I it fills us with sadness. And Isla from the media is sickened to learn that woman who has been found murdered in her apartment, is the exact same age as her. Here is a peaceful place in town where murders don't happen.
There's no better way than turn your weekend into an entertaining murder book than The Pact by Amy Heydenrych.
December 15, 2019
Starting a new job is nerve wrecking to say the least especially your first job. So turning up and in your first week, the office dream boat is chatting you up and someone takes an instant dislike to you because of that…it’s a mixed start…. could it possibly get worse for Freya?
The Pact plays out both from Freya’s first day and from Nicole’s death with the odd chapter about how Freya met her four besties. As the story jumps around, I got a true sense of the persecution that was afoot. Nicole is a nasty piece of work, a total biatch to the new starter! But in the new world post Nicole, things are far from easy. This is a story of bullying to the extreme and maybe from the grave!
The climax is brilliant, I thought I knew exactly what was going on, suspect sorted and everything but then boom Heydenrych throws a curve ball which I did not see coming. Bejeezus!! Just WOW!!
The Pact is an extremely tense read. Each page I turned, I could feel the thread of tension getting tighter and tight. This is a fabulous psychological thriller pact with attention seeking (and grabbing) tension. If you like your psych-thrillers, you need to get your grubby mitts on The Pact!
The Pact plays out both from Freya’s first day and from Nicole’s death with the odd chapter about how Freya met her four besties. As the story jumps around, I got a true sense of the persecution that was afoot. Nicole is a nasty piece of work, a total biatch to the new starter! But in the new world post Nicole, things are far from easy. This is a story of bullying to the extreme and maybe from the grave!
The climax is brilliant, I thought I knew exactly what was going on, suspect sorted and everything but then boom Heydenrych throws a curve ball which I did not see coming. Bejeezus!! Just WOW!!
The Pact is an extremely tense read. Each page I turned, I could feel the thread of tension getting tighter and tight. This is a fabulous psychological thriller pact with attention seeking (and grabbing) tension. If you like your psych-thrillers, you need to get your grubby mitts on The Pact!
November 27, 2019
Freya starts a new job in a fast paced tech company as a data scientist, a coder. She quickly excels at her job, finds romance with a colleague, Jay, but then Nicole, another colleague starts picking fault with her work, her appearance and everything in between.
She reports the bullying to her boss, But nothing seems to be done. After a drunken evening Jay suggests a prank on Nicole, but when Nicole’s body is found in her flat, they wonder if things went too far. Now Freya is receiving upsetting text messages, someone is watching her……is it Nicole’s killler?
Told in chapters set in the past and present, and from Freya’s and the journalist’s, Isla’s perspectives, showing how events built and how Freya’s health suffered due to the constant stress at work and the investigation into Nicole’s death. A tale of bullying and sexual harassment in the workplace. Tense, twisty and with some real surprises in this gripping psychological thriller.
Thank you to Tracy and Compulsive Readers for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour, for the promotional materials and a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.
She reports the bullying to her boss, But nothing seems to be done. After a drunken evening Jay suggests a prank on Nicole, but when Nicole’s body is found in her flat, they wonder if things went too far. Now Freya is receiving upsetting text messages, someone is watching her……is it Nicole’s killler?
Told in chapters set in the past and present, and from Freya’s and the journalist’s, Isla’s perspectives, showing how events built and how Freya’s health suffered due to the constant stress at work and the investigation into Nicole’s death. A tale of bullying and sexual harassment in the workplace. Tense, twisty and with some real surprises in this gripping psychological thriller.
Thank you to Tracy and Compulsive Readers for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour, for the promotional materials and a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.
January 30, 2020
2.5 stars
This is a book full of unpleasant characters doing unpleasant things to each other. There was so much I didn't like about this book, but I was invested enough to want to know what happened to Nicole and who had killed her. (Mind you, by the end, I wish I hadn't bothered). It tried to deal with some major issues (female/female bullying, male/female bullying rape, stalking, violence against women) but it failed to deal with any of them significantly.
***SPOILERS AHEAD*****DO NOT READ THE REST OF THIS REVIEW UNLESS YOU HAVE EITHER READ THE BOOK OR JUST WANT A SHORT CUT TO WHAT HAPPENED****
What I liked about this book:
1. Once you got used to the writing style (which did take some getting used to, see below) then this had the potential to be a very good thriller. The plot was complicated enough to draw you in and, for the majority of the book, I wanted to know who had killed Nicole, how and why.
2. The character of Isla. She overcame her difficulties and had the strength to find her own future. She was well-written and empathetic. I especially enjoyed her side of the story (hence the 2 stars rather than 1). Isla really redeemed this book for me.
What I didn't like about this book:
1. The writing style (until I got used to it). The constant time-jumping to before and after the murder meant that it took me a while to follow the plot. However, once I got used to it, then it wasn't so bad.
2. All the female characters, bar one (Isla) are so annoying (Freya), nasty (Nicole, Freya), weak (Ruth, Nicole) etc etc. They are mainly caricatures of the bad side of women. Yes, I understand some of them went through bad times, but it doesn't really justify their behaviour.
3. The male characters are also pretty awful. They are either sexual predators (Jay and Julian) or largely irrelevant. Apart from Simon, who was lovely (and I'm glad he and Isla got together at the end).
4. The ending, which totally ruined the whole book. I mean, I was happy enough with Kate being the killer (that made some sort of sense) but, the final chapter, when it was revealed that Nicole was killed by none other than Freya herself and was allowing Kate to take the blame because Kate's family were rich and could afford good lawyers was utterly preposterous (not to say, extremely unbelievable and annoying). I just couldn't buy into it.
So, all-in-all, this wasn't a good read for me. Sorry, but it's not one I can recommend.
This is a book full of unpleasant characters doing unpleasant things to each other. There was so much I didn't like about this book, but I was invested enough to want to know what happened to Nicole and who had killed her. (Mind you, by the end, I wish I hadn't bothered). It tried to deal with some major issues (female/female bullying, male/female bullying rape, stalking, violence against women) but it failed to deal with any of them significantly.
***SPOILERS AHEAD*****DO NOT READ THE REST OF THIS REVIEW UNLESS YOU HAVE EITHER READ THE BOOK OR JUST WANT A SHORT CUT TO WHAT HAPPENED****
What I liked about this book:
1. Once you got used to the writing style (which did take some getting used to, see below) then this had the potential to be a very good thriller. The plot was complicated enough to draw you in and, for the majority of the book, I wanted to know who had killed Nicole, how and why.
2. The character of Isla. She overcame her difficulties and had the strength to find her own future. She was well-written and empathetic. I especially enjoyed her side of the story (hence the 2 stars rather than 1). Isla really redeemed this book for me.
What I didn't like about this book:
1. The writing style (until I got used to it). The constant time-jumping to before and after the murder meant that it took me a while to follow the plot. However, once I got used to it, then it wasn't so bad.
2. All the female characters, bar one (Isla) are so annoying (Freya), nasty (Nicole, Freya), weak (Ruth, Nicole) etc etc. They are mainly caricatures of the bad side of women. Yes, I understand some of them went through bad times, but it doesn't really justify their behaviour.
3. The male characters are also pretty awful. They are either sexual predators (Jay and Julian) or largely irrelevant. Apart from Simon, who was lovely (and I'm glad he and Isla got together at the end).
4. The ending, which totally ruined the whole book. I mean, I was happy enough with Kate being the killer (that made some sort of sense) but, the final chapter, when it was revealed that Nicole was killed by none other than Freya herself and was allowing Kate to take the blame because Kate's family were rich and could afford good lawyers was utterly preposterous (not to say, extremely unbelievable and annoying). I just couldn't buy into it.
So, all-in-all, this wasn't a good read for me. Sorry, but it's not one I can recommend.
February 24, 2021
This was an enjoyable read. I had read reviews saying it was a slow burner but I was hooked instantly.
The characters took a while for me to warm too tho, apart from Isla and Simon. I was on their side all the way through!
I am pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to read. Normally I am not good at books written from multiple points of view along multiple timelines but this one was easy to keep up with.
I was going to give this book 3 stars... until I read the epilogue. The story kept giving right until the last page and I had to up my score!
The characters took a while for me to warm too tho, apart from Isla and Simon. I was on their side all the way through!
I am pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to read. Normally I am not good at books written from multiple points of view along multiple timelines but this one was easy to keep up with.
I was going to give this book 3 stars... until I read the epilogue. The story kept giving right until the last page and I had to up my score!
December 4, 2019
This was a great little who-done-it type story based around an office environment.
Switching POV's and timelines, the book jumps from before the murder to after.
Our main character Freya is a computer whizz, she has always had the dream of working for the giant Startup company, Atypical (think Google/Microsoft) so it is the best day of her life when she not only get's the job of her dreams, but she is practically head hunted for it!
She quickly shows how good she is at coding and makes quite the impression, especially from Jay one of the Co-founders of the company.
Soon Freya and Jay are a couple, but keeping it quiet isn't always easy, especially working in an office, anyone that works in one will tell you that there are NEVER secrets in an office, it doesn't matter how careful you are!
Freya is super happy with Jay, there is only one problem, and her name is Nicole!
Nicole is so obviously jealous of the relationship between Freya and Jay that she becomes the office bully, and makes Freya's life a nightmare, so one day her and Jay decide that enough is enough, and play a silly, funny prank on her.
Except no-one is laughing when Nicole ends up murdered!!
Cleverly told in the voices of Freya, and also a journalist called Isla who is covering the murder story, this little twisty book may not have the story you think it will!
Covering topics such as office & cyber bullying and also sexual harassment, it is a great book to get your teeth into.
*Thank you to the author and to Readers First for gifting me a copy of this book.
Switching POV's and timelines, the book jumps from before the murder to after.
Our main character Freya is a computer whizz, she has always had the dream of working for the giant Startup company, Atypical (think Google/Microsoft) so it is the best day of her life when she not only get's the job of her dreams, but she is practically head hunted for it!
She quickly shows how good she is at coding and makes quite the impression, especially from Jay one of the Co-founders of the company.
Soon Freya and Jay are a couple, but keeping it quiet isn't always easy, especially working in an office, anyone that works in one will tell you that there are NEVER secrets in an office, it doesn't matter how careful you are!
Freya is super happy with Jay, there is only one problem, and her name is Nicole!
Nicole is so obviously jealous of the relationship between Freya and Jay that she becomes the office bully, and makes Freya's life a nightmare, so one day her and Jay decide that enough is enough, and play a silly, funny prank on her.
Except no-one is laughing when Nicole ends up murdered!!
Cleverly told in the voices of Freya, and also a journalist called Isla who is covering the murder story, this little twisty book may not have the story you think it will!
Covering topics such as office & cyber bullying and also sexual harassment, it is a great book to get your teeth into.
*Thank you to the author and to Readers First for gifting me a copy of this book.
December 2, 2019
The Pact by Amy Heydenrych is a riveting psychological thriller full of twists.
This book has such a fabulous synopsis that worked its tempting though brief magic on me straightaway!
Freya Matthews lands her dream job at Atypical, a tech company in Silicon Valley, as a data scientist. She quickly excels at her job, and starts dating new colleague, Jay Singh, but then another co-worker, Nicole Whittington , who also happens to be Jay's ex, starts finding fault with everything - her work, her appearance and all things in between. Freya tells Jay about the bullying and together they concoct a revenge prank. The next morning, Nicole is found dead in her apartment. Battered to death with a bronze statue, even the lead investigator who lets reporter and journalist, Isla Davis, into the crime scene, seems perturbed.
The Pact is told from the perspectives of Freya and Isla, with chapters set in the past and present, the story building through different events and revealing the ways in which Freya’s health suffered due to the constant stress at work and the investigation into Nicole’s death.
Amy Heydenrych's writing style was delightful, leaving me few clues as to what was coming next. The reader was not privy to many key pieces of information, helping to maintain the high levels of intrigue. Even after most of the story had been told, the author adroitly continued to imply ambiguities, so I was still struggling to figure out the precise truth and the reasons behind it. With no disappointments, this was a cleverly plotted page-turner with many twists leading up to an exciting, head-scratching conclusion. Workplace bullying, sexual harassment, toxic female friendships, and gender inequality all had a place in this fabulous and compulsive thriller.
I totally recommend The Pact and I'm already looking forward to Amy Heydenrych's next offering!
This review was written voluntarily and was not influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Zaffre via NetGalley.
This book has such a fabulous synopsis that worked its tempting though brief magic on me straightaway!
Freya Matthews lands her dream job at Atypical, a tech company in Silicon Valley, as a data scientist. She quickly excels at her job, and starts dating new colleague, Jay Singh, but then another co-worker, Nicole Whittington , who also happens to be Jay's ex, starts finding fault with everything - her work, her appearance and all things in between. Freya tells Jay about the bullying and together they concoct a revenge prank. The next morning, Nicole is found dead in her apartment. Battered to death with a bronze statue, even the lead investigator who lets reporter and journalist, Isla Davis, into the crime scene, seems perturbed.
The Pact is told from the perspectives of Freya and Isla, with chapters set in the past and present, the story building through different events and revealing the ways in which Freya’s health suffered due to the constant stress at work and the investigation into Nicole’s death.
Amy Heydenrych's writing style was delightful, leaving me few clues as to what was coming next. The reader was not privy to many key pieces of information, helping to maintain the high levels of intrigue. Even after most of the story had been told, the author adroitly continued to imply ambiguities, so I was still struggling to figure out the precise truth and the reasons behind it. With no disappointments, this was a cleverly plotted page-turner with many twists leading up to an exciting, head-scratching conclusion. Workplace bullying, sexual harassment, toxic female friendships, and gender inequality all had a place in this fabulous and compulsive thriller.
I totally recommend The Pact and I'm already looking forward to Amy Heydenrych's next offering!
This review was written voluntarily and was not influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Zaffre via NetGalley.
November 29, 2019
*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the tour organiser.
A twisted and gripping tale, THE PACT by Amy Heydenrych was completely unexpected in many ways and left me feeling chilled to the bone.
Freya has dealt with a lot in her past but she has worked so hard to get where she is today - her dream job for an amazing tech company that is setting the world to rights. But like most things in life, it seems too good to be true and when her work colleague, Nicole. takes an instant dislike to her and isn't afraid to show it, Freya starts to dread being in the same place as her. At least she has met Jay who really understands her so it's not all bad. But when Nicole pushes Freya to the brink, she takes matters into her own hands and a prank plan is formed and executed. Maybe a taste of her own medicine will make Nicole back off. But when Nicole is found brutally murdered the next day, Freya doesn't know what to do or what to think. Who did this and why?
Determined to shine a light on the victim's lives rather than just the sordid details, Isla is good at her job as a reporter. But there is something about this case that hits her a little bit harder and feels a little too close to home after what had happened to her in the past. Someone is hiding something and Isla is convinced she can figure out the truth. But will she be too late?
Dealing with topics of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and workplace bullying, THE PACT by Amy Heydenrych highlights the everyday reality of this world for so many people. The characters aren't likeable, with the exception of Isla, but they are gripping in a way that I felt compelled to uncover the truth and wanted justice to be served. The story moves from past to present for each chapter which I really enjoyed as the characters became more real that way, and the plot never lagged.
There are plenty of twists and turns and unexpected revelations and I'm sure THE PACT by Amy Heydenrych will appeal to psychological thriller readers everywhere.
A twisted and gripping tale, THE PACT by Amy Heydenrych was completely unexpected in many ways and left me feeling chilled to the bone.
Freya has dealt with a lot in her past but she has worked so hard to get where she is today - her dream job for an amazing tech company that is setting the world to rights. But like most things in life, it seems too good to be true and when her work colleague, Nicole. takes an instant dislike to her and isn't afraid to show it, Freya starts to dread being in the same place as her. At least she has met Jay who really understands her so it's not all bad. But when Nicole pushes Freya to the brink, she takes matters into her own hands and a prank plan is formed and executed. Maybe a taste of her own medicine will make Nicole back off. But when Nicole is found brutally murdered the next day, Freya doesn't know what to do or what to think. Who did this and why?
Determined to shine a light on the victim's lives rather than just the sordid details, Isla is good at her job as a reporter. But there is something about this case that hits her a little bit harder and feels a little too close to home after what had happened to her in the past. Someone is hiding something and Isla is convinced she can figure out the truth. But will she be too late?
Dealing with topics of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and workplace bullying, THE PACT by Amy Heydenrych highlights the everyday reality of this world for so many people. The characters aren't likeable, with the exception of Isla, but they are gripping in a way that I felt compelled to uncover the truth and wanted justice to be served. The story moves from past to present for each chapter which I really enjoyed as the characters became more real that way, and the plot never lagged.
There are plenty of twists and turns and unexpected revelations and I'm sure THE PACT by Amy Heydenrych will appeal to psychological thriller readers everywhere.
December 4, 2019
Oh my word! That was certainly a rollercoaster of a read. The Pact begins by jumping STRAIGHT into the main focus of the entire plot; a murder. It then weaves between present day and the past, as well as jumping between character perspectives. The chapters themselves are short and concise which is a style that really suits my reading style/preferences. Because of the format, the tension builds at a ridiculous pace, which keeps you utterly hooked.
As for the plot as a whole, it's the EXACT sort of thing I like to read; tense, gripping, fast-paced, dark and difficult to put down. On that subject, I actually finished the entire book within 24 hours, which is surely a testament as to how much I enjoyed it!
As for the plot as a whole, it's the EXACT sort of thing I like to read; tense, gripping, fast-paced, dark and difficult to put down. On that subject, I actually finished the entire book within 24 hours, which is surely a testament as to how much I enjoyed it!
November 25, 2019
Quite a twisty read with multiple timelines and dual POV of a journalist Isla and a woman working in company 'Atypical' where the murder victim Nicole too worked.
My first book by author Amy Heydenrych, I enjoyed the story as it took me through various nooks and crannies before it led me to the cliff edge and dropped me straight down. A free fall it was which felt glorious, most unexpected end to the story.
The writing did pull me in slowly as I got to understand how everyone worked in the company. Masks in place were slowly revealed as Freya tried to take careful steps in the minefield. On the other hand, journalist Isla too had her work cut out as she used all her resources to investigate who had killed Nicole and why?
I quite liked Isla's determination, she was on the backfoot yet came up fighting. Each of the women had gone through their lot in life including sexual abuse. I didn't take to Freya or any of the men in the story. All were shown to be sleazeballs. The timelines were all over the place which could have been streamlined better.
Overall, it was a fun book which quite entertained me over the weekend.
My first book by author Amy Heydenrych, I enjoyed the story as it took me through various nooks and crannies before it led me to the cliff edge and dropped me straight down. A free fall it was which felt glorious, most unexpected end to the story.
The writing did pull me in slowly as I got to understand how everyone worked in the company. Masks in place were slowly revealed as Freya tried to take careful steps in the minefield. On the other hand, journalist Isla too had her work cut out as she used all her resources to investigate who had killed Nicole and why?
I quite liked Isla's determination, she was on the backfoot yet came up fighting. Each of the women had gone through their lot in life including sexual abuse. I didn't take to Freya or any of the men in the story. All were shown to be sleazeballs. The timelines were all over the place which could have been streamlined better.
Overall, it was a fun book which quite entertained me over the weekend.
July 20, 2020
Let’s be honest! We’ve all met those colleagues/people who make visit our dark-sides in daydreams – the ones where we come up the most interesting ways of exacting petty revenge. (Please tell me it isn’t just me). Well Amy Heydenrych brings this concept to life in The Pact.
Freya and Jay decide to make this a reality when Jay’s ex and Freya’s colleague Nicole wears them down by her persistent bullying. After constructing a prank things take a turn for the worst when Nicole is found dead the next morning. So begins the thrilling and paranoid ride into Freya’s world.
The narration is through the eyes of Freya and journalist Isla and although the story beings after Nicole’s death the timeline of the book is not linear. This way of writing takes more concentration than some novels but I like it. I love the feeling of getting to a really interesting part only for time to jump and then I have to wait a while to return. For me, The Pact did this and I just couldn’t stop turning the pages so I could find out what happened next in each narrative or timeline. It’s like a giant jigsaw that takes a bit more effort that expected but leaves you with such a good feeling when you make it to the end.
The plot is cleverly and intricately pulled together through a labrynth of twists and turns and I found it totally gripping.
Freya and Jay decide to make this a reality when Jay’s ex and Freya’s colleague Nicole wears them down by her persistent bullying. After constructing a prank things take a turn for the worst when Nicole is found dead the next morning. So begins the thrilling and paranoid ride into Freya’s world.
The narration is through the eyes of Freya and journalist Isla and although the story beings after Nicole’s death the timeline of the book is not linear. This way of writing takes more concentration than some novels but I like it. I love the feeling of getting to a really interesting part only for time to jump and then I have to wait a while to return. For me, The Pact did this and I just couldn’t stop turning the pages so I could find out what happened next in each narrative or timeline. It’s like a giant jigsaw that takes a bit more effort that expected but leaves you with such a good feeling when you make it to the end.
The plot is cleverly and intricately pulled together through a labrynth of twists and turns and I found it totally gripping.
December 1, 2019
I am so incredibly excited to be on this blog tour for a South African author who I’m so immensely fond of, and I’m thrilled that this is now her second international release!!
I couldn’t put this book down – I found it absolutely riveting! It’s topical, relevant and something that so many women in the workplace will find relatable: bullying. Yes, not schoolyard bullying, but that snide, nasty bullying that’s done quite openly by females towards their fellow female workers in an office environment. The book also moves into the sphere of cyber bullying and ventures to the topic of vital female bonds both in the workplace and life itself: female friendships that see us through our darkest moments.
Freya has overcome the struggles of a difficult childhood and youth. From numerous foster homes to living in her car, sheer determination, resilience and support from her closest friends has seen her rise above the difficulties to step into her dream job and onto the ladder of success that will lead to the bright future she deserves. She walks into Atypical, one of the country’s top tech start-ups, knowing that she’s earned this job and that she is going to play a part in transforming the lives of women in third world countries.
From day one, everything at Atypical is dream-like. From her fantastic boss, Julian, to what looks like a potential relationship with colleague Jay who is right on her wavelength, and the work itself is just what Freya has been preparing for. She loves coding and knows it’s something she’s really good at. But all dreams have to have a bit of an edge and in Freya’s dream, it’s Nicole Whittington.
Nicole is Jay’s ex, and Freya unfortunately needs to work closely with her on a work project. It seems that Nicole dislikes her from the very first minute she walks into Atypical. She’s the only one who doesn’t welcome her warmly onto the team, and she makes those ugly little comments behind her back – just loud enough for Freya to hear – at every opportunity she gets. Freya’s confidence is undermined. She knows she’s good at what she does, but what if she’s just not good enough. Complaints to her boss achieve nothing and the bullying continues … and escalates to such an extent that Freya starts to think she’s losing control of her life.
And then one night, while they’re celebrating the achievement of a successful deadline, she finally tells Jay that she just can’t take the constant attacks any more. He tells her he knows just how to make it stop, and together they play what he says is a harmless prank on Nicole. The next morning she is dead … brutally murdered.
Freya is horrified, wracked with guilt. How on earth could their seemingly innocuous prank have resulted in such a shocking ending? That was never the intention!
Told from the points of view of Freya, and Isla the investigating journalist on the case, in differing timelines from both before and after the murder, Heydenrych takes her readers on a journey into the minds of two deeply damaged souls: both damaged in very different ways that they cannot escape from; damage that characterises their behaviour and their reactions in ways that others may not comprehend.
The author’s depiction of the different methods of attack are so detailed that one can actually feel the levels of discomfort reaching out from within the pages of the book, to wrap their tentacles around you, drawing you in and making you either complicit or prey, depending on your viewpoint.
The pace is fast, the chapters mostly brief and I could not put this down! It’s the perfect holiday read, despite its uncomfortable topic. But at its most basic level, who can resist a story about bitchy co-workers, an office relationship, and a prank gone wrong … which is ultimately what this is …
It’s a 5-star read. I loved it! This is the holiday read I’m recommending to everyone!
I couldn’t put this book down – I found it absolutely riveting! It’s topical, relevant and something that so many women in the workplace will find relatable: bullying. Yes, not schoolyard bullying, but that snide, nasty bullying that’s done quite openly by females towards their fellow female workers in an office environment. The book also moves into the sphere of cyber bullying and ventures to the topic of vital female bonds both in the workplace and life itself: female friendships that see us through our darkest moments.
Freya has overcome the struggles of a difficult childhood and youth. From numerous foster homes to living in her car, sheer determination, resilience and support from her closest friends has seen her rise above the difficulties to step into her dream job and onto the ladder of success that will lead to the bright future she deserves. She walks into Atypical, one of the country’s top tech start-ups, knowing that she’s earned this job and that she is going to play a part in transforming the lives of women in third world countries.
From day one, everything at Atypical is dream-like. From her fantastic boss, Julian, to what looks like a potential relationship with colleague Jay who is right on her wavelength, and the work itself is just what Freya has been preparing for. She loves coding and knows it’s something she’s really good at. But all dreams have to have a bit of an edge and in Freya’s dream, it’s Nicole Whittington.
Nicole is Jay’s ex, and Freya unfortunately needs to work closely with her on a work project. It seems that Nicole dislikes her from the very first minute she walks into Atypical. She’s the only one who doesn’t welcome her warmly onto the team, and she makes those ugly little comments behind her back – just loud enough for Freya to hear – at every opportunity she gets. Freya’s confidence is undermined. She knows she’s good at what she does, but what if she’s just not good enough. Complaints to her boss achieve nothing and the bullying continues … and escalates to such an extent that Freya starts to think she’s losing control of her life.
And then one night, while they’re celebrating the achievement of a successful deadline, she finally tells Jay that she just can’t take the constant attacks any more. He tells her he knows just how to make it stop, and together they play what he says is a harmless prank on Nicole. The next morning she is dead … brutally murdered.
Freya is horrified, wracked with guilt. How on earth could their seemingly innocuous prank have resulted in such a shocking ending? That was never the intention!
Told from the points of view of Freya, and Isla the investigating journalist on the case, in differing timelines from both before and after the murder, Heydenrych takes her readers on a journey into the minds of two deeply damaged souls: both damaged in very different ways that they cannot escape from; damage that characterises their behaviour and their reactions in ways that others may not comprehend.
The author’s depiction of the different methods of attack are so detailed that one can actually feel the levels of discomfort reaching out from within the pages of the book, to wrap their tentacles around you, drawing you in and making you either complicit or prey, depending on your viewpoint.
The pace is fast, the chapters mostly brief and I could not put this down! It’s the perfect holiday read, despite its uncomfortable topic. But at its most basic level, who can resist a story about bitchy co-workers, an office relationship, and a prank gone wrong … which is ultimately what this is …
It’s a 5-star read. I loved it! This is the holiday read I’m recommending to everyone!
February 1, 2020
This is a gripping and intelligent thriller with plenty of twists and turns that kept me turning pages. It explores pertinent social issues like bullying in the workplace, sexual harassment and the dark side of the tech world. I particularly liked the depth of characterization - Heydenrych gets right inside the heads of her female protagonists and skilfully portrays how the trauma of their pasts shapes the present. The twist at the end nearly made me miss my tube stop.
December 8, 2019
If you’re looking for a thriller with a bit of a difference that will easily ensnare you in the plotline from the first to the last words, and weave a story that twists and turns like you’re on a Rollercoaster ride, this is the book for you.
If you wouldn’t usually consider this kind of story, I would suggest this as one to convince you that you should give the Genre a chance! You just never know what will snag your attention and intrigue you enough to have you reading the whole book before you realise it, but I would be willing to bet this is one that is likely to convince you on the Genre.
There are so many themes throughout the story, the Characters are varied and depending on the current scenario are understandable, frustrating, lovely to read about or down right detestable. It certainly makes for an interesting and often surprising cast of very realistic feeling folk. That being said, you will constantly be wondering what is going to happen, how this story us going to turn out and why. Who should you like? Who should you be wary of? Do you pity anybody, dislike them? But why? And are your feelings right?
I love that this story makes you get to know the people even while you constantly wonder if you like the right one! It certainly goes to show that you just never really do know people as well as you think in a book!!
I lived that the story gave us the different perspectives both between characters and between then and now. We see the story unfolding from each person’s perspective which just makes it even more difficult to trust everything we know about the individuals, and about the story being built!
This was my first delve into the Authors work but it has certainly convinced me that I need to keep an eye out for more! I look forwards to seeing what comes next from this Authors imagination
If you wouldn’t usually consider this kind of story, I would suggest this as one to convince you that you should give the Genre a chance! You just never know what will snag your attention and intrigue you enough to have you reading the whole book before you realise it, but I would be willing to bet this is one that is likely to convince you on the Genre.
There are so many themes throughout the story, the Characters are varied and depending on the current scenario are understandable, frustrating, lovely to read about or down right detestable. It certainly makes for an interesting and often surprising cast of very realistic feeling folk. That being said, you will constantly be wondering what is going to happen, how this story us going to turn out and why. Who should you like? Who should you be wary of? Do you pity anybody, dislike them? But why? And are your feelings right?
I love that this story makes you get to know the people even while you constantly wonder if you like the right one! It certainly goes to show that you just never really do know people as well as you think in a book!!
I lived that the story gave us the different perspectives both between characters and between then and now. We see the story unfolding from each person’s perspective which just makes it even more difficult to trust everything we know about the individuals, and about the story being built!
This was my first delve into the Authors work but it has certainly convinced me that I need to keep an eye out for more! I look forwards to seeing what comes next from this Authors imagination
December 1, 2019
Newly graduated Freya arrives at her dream job at one of San Francisco's hottest start-up company's, Atypical. A talented coder, Freya has had to work hard to get through college, having no parents to help her out financially. Luckily, she has a loyal and loving friendship group.
She is quickly welcomed into her new role. CEO Julian seems to know everything about her and has added finishing touches to her work space to make her feel welcome. And she makes an instant connection with fellow coder, Jay who she starts to fall for from day one. The only problem is another female member of staff, Nicole who does her absolute best to make Freya's life a living hell, keeping up a constant stream of bullying. She takes credit for Freya's work, damages her property and is generally unkind, encouraging other female staff to exclude her.
One evening, at an office party, Freya and Jay decide to play a prank on Nicole. But the next day, Nicole is found dead at her apartment, killed by a head injury inflicted by a bronze statue, and Freya can't help but wonder if their prank was the cause.
Isla is a journalist with a good relationship with the police who is first on the scene of the murder. Having being attacked herself, she has a special affinity to women who have been hurt. Working with the police, she is determined to find out who killed Nicole.
Freya and Jay agree a pact, to keep secret what they did. But before long, Freya herself feels threatened. Does someone know what she did? Could she be next?
You certainly need to have your wits about you while reading this book. Told from both Freya's and Isla's point of view, the book skips through multiple timelines moving before and after the murder at almost dizzying speed. It is a real page turner though...I had my suspicions about what happened to Nicole but of course I was completely wrong!
I felt really sorry for Freya - the workplace bullying by the other women is just horrible. After the murder, she also starts gets threatening and sexual messages, and I can't imagine what that must be like!
The ending was one of those that left me scratching my head a little. It made me want to start again from the beginning to see if I'd missed some clues. A great thriller, the perfect book to break those reading slumps we sometimes find ourselves in.
She is quickly welcomed into her new role. CEO Julian seems to know everything about her and has added finishing touches to her work space to make her feel welcome. And she makes an instant connection with fellow coder, Jay who she starts to fall for from day one. The only problem is another female member of staff, Nicole who does her absolute best to make Freya's life a living hell, keeping up a constant stream of bullying. She takes credit for Freya's work, damages her property and is generally unkind, encouraging other female staff to exclude her.
One evening, at an office party, Freya and Jay decide to play a prank on Nicole. But the next day, Nicole is found dead at her apartment, killed by a head injury inflicted by a bronze statue, and Freya can't help but wonder if their prank was the cause.
Isla is a journalist with a good relationship with the police who is first on the scene of the murder. Having being attacked herself, she has a special affinity to women who have been hurt. Working with the police, she is determined to find out who killed Nicole.
Freya and Jay agree a pact, to keep secret what they did. But before long, Freya herself feels threatened. Does someone know what she did? Could she be next?
You certainly need to have your wits about you while reading this book. Told from both Freya's and Isla's point of view, the book skips through multiple timelines moving before and after the murder at almost dizzying speed. It is a real page turner though...I had my suspicions about what happened to Nicole but of course I was completely wrong!
I felt really sorry for Freya - the workplace bullying by the other women is just horrible. After the murder, she also starts gets threatening and sexual messages, and I can't imagine what that must be like!
The ending was one of those that left me scratching my head a little. It made me want to start again from the beginning to see if I'd missed some clues. A great thriller, the perfect book to break those reading slumps we sometimes find ourselves in.
December 1, 2019
The opening pages inform us of Nicole's death, which immediately raises suspicions of every other character we meet. As we learn that Freya's experiences at work are suffocated by a tension and bullying culture led by Nicole, I have a huge sympathy for Freya. With her colleague (and Nicole's ex) Jay, Freya attempts to teach Nicole a lesson but, the following day.. Nicole is dead.
Isla, an investigative journalist, attempts to piece together who Nicole was, what happened to her, why, and by whom? In the process she uncovers much more than just a petty feud between two women, whom had a romantic connection with the same man.
We learn that Nicole had a number of issues of her own which are brought to the surface following her death. Freya appears to feel increasingly out of control and worried that her prank has gone terribly wrong and that she may be next as she too begins to become targeted by an unknown person who is watching her every move.
It is so immersive to read chapters from different POV's, although primarily Freya and Isla. The book also flicks between timelines of before and after Nicole's murder. In some parts of the book this left me feeling confused as I was finding it tricky to keep up with, however it also contributed to building each character's back stories and understanding their experiences
The Pact is a brilliantly fast paced psychological thriller that really delves into the complexities of relationships between people, organisations, and the media. In doing so I was left not knowing in which direction the story would turn next, which made the final events a huge surprise!
This book was quite thought provoking as I found myself consistently wondering whether Freya was justified in her response to workplace bullying, but I was also hooked on such a great fictional thriller. I gave it a five star review on Goodreads and will be rushing to get round to my copy Shame On You soon!
Isla, an investigative journalist, attempts to piece together who Nicole was, what happened to her, why, and by whom? In the process she uncovers much more than just a petty feud between two women, whom had a romantic connection with the same man.
We learn that Nicole had a number of issues of her own which are brought to the surface following her death. Freya appears to feel increasingly out of control and worried that her prank has gone terribly wrong and that she may be next as she too begins to become targeted by an unknown person who is watching her every move.
It is so immersive to read chapters from different POV's, although primarily Freya and Isla. The book also flicks between timelines of before and after Nicole's murder. In some parts of the book this left me feeling confused as I was finding it tricky to keep up with, however it also contributed to building each character's back stories and understanding their experiences
The Pact is a brilliantly fast paced psychological thriller that really delves into the complexities of relationships between people, organisations, and the media. In doing so I was left not knowing in which direction the story would turn next, which made the final events a huge surprise!
This book was quite thought provoking as I found myself consistently wondering whether Freya was justified in her response to workplace bullying, but I was also hooked on such a great fictional thriller. I gave it a five star review on Goodreads and will be rushing to get round to my copy Shame On You soon!
November 28, 2019
Oh wow, that is a good start!
After reading just a few chapters thanks to @readersfirst I was very looking forward to know what had happened to Nicole!. I sort of needed to know what happened to her and who is behind her murder.
I love when books are told by the journalist' perspective (Fiona Barton books, for instance). I thinks journalists have a different and nicer, albeit very nosy way of solving cases.
I liked the good relationship between Isla, the journalist, and Simon, the police officer. These two characters are usually archenemies but their relationship in this book was one of the cutests things I've read in a while!
I liked the writting style. I think it's quite easy to understand and follow. I loved the length of the chapters and how the book was structured, in general.
I loved Freya's flashbacks. I really enjoy knowing a little bit of the characters background and how they got where they are now.
I really really liked Isla. She was such a nice girl, working really hard to solve the murder. I felt bad for her and for what happened to her in the past but, fortunately, that helped her to be more determined to help the police here.
I liked Freya too. Quite a lot. She was also a very hard worker young girl with so many dreams and passions that I was very upset when things started to go the wrong way.
And then is when Nicole comes. I "liked" her role in the story. She played a perfect annoying, jealous and selfish girl. However, I couldn't stand her as a person. How can someone be so mean? Why would you do something like that to another person? her behaviour really upset me but, like I said before, her play was superb.
The men in the book also played a very important part. I liked how the author managed to make them look annoying, stupids, selfish and pricks but without wanting me to DNF the book.
I liked how the book wrapped up all the open fronts. I liked the conclusions we got and the answer to every question.
I loved the final twist! I had a theory in my mind from quite a long time and I was so sure that I was right that when the truth came out I felt such a bad detective!!
I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it! I will definitely read more books by her in the future!
After reading just a few chapters thanks to @readersfirst I was very looking forward to know what had happened to Nicole!. I sort of needed to know what happened to her and who is behind her murder.
I love when books are told by the journalist' perspective (Fiona Barton books, for instance). I thinks journalists have a different and nicer, albeit very nosy way of solving cases.
I liked the good relationship between Isla, the journalist, and Simon, the police officer. These two characters are usually archenemies but their relationship in this book was one of the cutests things I've read in a while!
I liked the writting style. I think it's quite easy to understand and follow. I loved the length of the chapters and how the book was structured, in general.
I loved Freya's flashbacks. I really enjoy knowing a little bit of the characters background and how they got where they are now.
I really really liked Isla. She was such a nice girl, working really hard to solve the murder. I felt bad for her and for what happened to her in the past but, fortunately, that helped her to be more determined to help the police here.
I liked Freya too. Quite a lot. She was also a very hard worker young girl with so many dreams and passions that I was very upset when things started to go the wrong way.
And then is when Nicole comes. I "liked" her role in the story. She played a perfect annoying, jealous and selfish girl. However, I couldn't stand her as a person. How can someone be so mean? Why would you do something like that to another person? her behaviour really upset me but, like I said before, her play was superb.
The men in the book also played a very important part. I liked how the author managed to make them look annoying, stupids, selfish and pricks but without wanting me to DNF the book.
I liked how the book wrapped up all the open fronts. I liked the conclusions we got and the answer to every question.
I loved the final twist! I had a theory in my mind from quite a long time and I was so sure that I was right that when the truth came out I felt such a bad detective!!
I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it! I will definitely read more books by her in the future!
November 24, 2019
This is such a gripping read that keeps the reader hooked until the very last page! Freya has had a rough start in life, but she has worked hard at her studies and come out the end of it, very happy with what she has achieved. Now she has found her perfect job, it seems like a dream come true. Working in a high tech software business, she finally feels like she has made it in life plus there is also the added attraction of her good looking colleague Jay, who may just be the man for her.
Working alongside her is Nicole, Freya normally gets on with most people but Nicole has it in for her and spends her days bullying and humiliating her. Life gets hard and one day she has had enough, an opportunity arises and Jay and her pull a prank on Nicole in order to get revenge. The next day Nicole is found dead in her apartment, and everyone is questioned. Freya begins to get messages from an unknown person, the messages become more and more violent and Freya begins to get frightened for her safety and begins to wonder if she is the next victim.
I really enjoyed this book, it is written in diary format and jumps about a lot along the timeline. At first I thought that this was going to be a bit confusing, but it really wasn't and in a way it all added to the story. This is really one of those books that you will be up late reading, because you just have to read another chapter! A brilliant read with a real twist at the end.
Many thanks to Readers First for my copy of this book
Working alongside her is Nicole, Freya normally gets on with most people but Nicole has it in for her and spends her days bullying and humiliating her. Life gets hard and one day she has had enough, an opportunity arises and Jay and her pull a prank on Nicole in order to get revenge. The next day Nicole is found dead in her apartment, and everyone is questioned. Freya begins to get messages from an unknown person, the messages become more and more violent and Freya begins to get frightened for her safety and begins to wonder if she is the next victim.
I really enjoyed this book, it is written in diary format and jumps about a lot along the timeline. At first I thought that this was going to be a bit confusing, but it really wasn't and in a way it all added to the story. This is really one of those books that you will be up late reading, because you just have to read another chapter! A brilliant read with a real twist at the end.
Many thanks to Readers First for my copy of this book
January 6, 2020
Ok so the things I really enjoyed about this book.
1. The short ‘chapters’ I like this as having 2 kids it means I can read for short periods of time and not feel like I’m missing parts of the book.
2. The strong female leads. Lots of strong ladies overcoming adversity in this book. I always love a good feel good female storyline.
3. Bringing to life internet stalking and the dangers of online dating profiles.
Now things I didn’t like.
1. The predictable ending. As an avid thriller reader I knew about half way through what was going to happen. Which then made it hard to carry on.
2. The constant flick from the now to the past. And naming everything post death and pre death. I got a little confused with things by the end.
Overall I enjoyed this book but as previously stated it was a little obvious. I’m glad to have this book on my bookshelf but I won’t be reaching to re-read it any time soon.
1. The short ‘chapters’ I like this as having 2 kids it means I can read for short periods of time and not feel like I’m missing parts of the book.
2. The strong female leads. Lots of strong ladies overcoming adversity in this book. I always love a good feel good female storyline.
3. Bringing to life internet stalking and the dangers of online dating profiles.
Now things I didn’t like.
1. The predictable ending. As an avid thriller reader I knew about half way through what was going to happen. Which then made it hard to carry on.
2. The constant flick from the now to the past. And naming everything post death and pre death. I got a little confused with things by the end.
Overall I enjoyed this book but as previously stated it was a little obvious. I’m glad to have this book on my bookshelf but I won’t be reaching to re-read it any time soon.
January 12, 2020
This psychological thriller really hit the criteria on the head. I found the characters really intriguing in their own ways and this plot took me on a rollercoaster of opinions towards these characters. I wanted to laugh at friendships, curse at the enemies and protect the vulnerable all at the same but for different characters at different times. I became fully invested in the timelines and their lives.
The chapters were written really well. Each were focused on specific characters and it dictated when on their timeline, so although it jumped time, it was easy to follow. The chapters were really short which I think increased the pace of the narrative. I found myself always wanting to just 'read one more chapter'.
I thoroughly enjoyed his story and the small twists and turns along the way kept me enthralled and all the time I just kept asking 'who did it?!'. What I liked most is that I never saw the end coming... now that to me makes it successful. Great book!
The chapters were written really well. Each were focused on specific characters and it dictated when on their timeline, so although it jumped time, it was easy to follow. The chapters were really short which I think increased the pace of the narrative. I found myself always wanting to just 'read one more chapter'.
I thoroughly enjoyed his story and the small twists and turns along the way kept me enthralled and all the time I just kept asking 'who did it?!'. What I liked most is that I never saw the end coming... now that to me makes it successful. Great book!
December 5, 2019
There is so much that I found wrong in this book that I am not entirely sure where best to start. For a start the title is confusing, there is no real "pact". I guess the title refers to the final reveal of what happened to Nicole and that page and half contains a pact of sorts. Maybe a better title would have been The Entitled or The Clueless.
As you can tell, I really didn't like this book and I did struggle to finish it. After allowing myself a few DNF's in 2018 I was determined that 2019 would be different so I powered through but it took a lot of bribery to get me there.
First off the characters in this book are entirely unsympathetic and to say it is written by a woman the female characters in particular are written in an almost misogynistic way. They are either power hungry shrews (Nicole), the delicate ingenue who is afraid of her own shadow (Freya) or tough cookies with a frail centre and trust issues (Isla). The men are either manipulative narcissists (Jay, Julian) or tender ciphers (Simon). Nobody feels like a rounded person on the page or as though they have any basis in reality which is happen as well as if you met anyone this one dimensional in reality the world would probably implode with the banality of it all.
The plot itself jumps around to cover Freya's tough college days when she was living out of her car, through her early days at Atypical (a tech start up from hell) and for a few months after the murder of Freya. Whilst used to the flashback style of storytelling I found that it really grated in this book. There was no continuity to which timeline we were going to be in and you could literally go from a page and a half set in the here and now then to a page 4 years ago and then get 3 pages of a month before the murder. I can understand what the author was trying to achieve with this but it is so incredibly bitty it undermines the device.
Ultimately, the plot centres around a so-called prank that Freya plays on Nicole which then backfires spectacularly. However, the blurb and the first half of the book make you think it backfires in one way when it turns out that all that is smoke and mirrors and it actually goes very wrong in a different way (yawn!). I honestly am not sure what disappointed me most; the lacklustre characters or the pedestrian plot with a very thin idea stretched so far as to become almost invisible.
The only thing that stopped this being a 1 Star read was the fact that it highlighted office politics and work place bullying. Something that any wage slave is more than aware of and usually suffers through at least once in their working life. Other than that for me this is one to avoid.
THIS IS AN HONEST REVIEW OF A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK RECEIVED FROM READERS FIRST.
As you can tell, I really didn't like this book and I did struggle to finish it. After allowing myself a few DNF's in 2018 I was determined that 2019 would be different so I powered through but it took a lot of bribery to get me there.
First off the characters in this book are entirely unsympathetic and to say it is written by a woman the female characters in particular are written in an almost misogynistic way. They are either power hungry shrews (Nicole), the delicate ingenue who is afraid of her own shadow (Freya) or tough cookies with a frail centre and trust issues (Isla). The men are either manipulative narcissists (Jay, Julian) or tender ciphers (Simon). Nobody feels like a rounded person on the page or as though they have any basis in reality which is happen as well as if you met anyone this one dimensional in reality the world would probably implode with the banality of it all.
The plot itself jumps around to cover Freya's tough college days when she was living out of her car, through her early days at Atypical (a tech start up from hell) and for a few months after the murder of Freya. Whilst used to the flashback style of storytelling I found that it really grated in this book. There was no continuity to which timeline we were going to be in and you could literally go from a page and a half set in the here and now then to a page 4 years ago and then get 3 pages of a month before the murder. I can understand what the author was trying to achieve with this but it is so incredibly bitty it undermines the device.
Ultimately, the plot centres around a so-called prank that Freya plays on Nicole which then backfires spectacularly. However, the blurb and the first half of the book make you think it backfires in one way when it turns out that all that is smoke and mirrors and it actually goes very wrong in a different way (yawn!). I honestly am not sure what disappointed me most; the lacklustre characters or the pedestrian plot with a very thin idea stretched so far as to become almost invisible.
The only thing that stopped this being a 1 Star read was the fact that it highlighted office politics and work place bullying. Something that any wage slave is more than aware of and usually suffers through at least once in their working life. Other than that for me this is one to avoid.
THIS IS AN HONEST REVIEW OF A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK RECEIVED FROM READERS FIRST.
February 4, 2021
Oh my word.. what a book!! This book dived straight into the deep end and had me hooked from the very first page. An easy read and a great ‘who done it’ story.
The chapters weaved in and out between the present and the past, jumping from different character perspectives. The chapters were also short and concise - my preferred book style. The format of this book was fantastic as it allows so much tension to build up really quickly, keeping you hooked right up until the end!
This is such a gripping, tense, unpredictable, fast-paced book. I highly recommend!
The chapters weaved in and out between the present and the past, jumping from different character perspectives. The chapters were also short and concise - my preferred book style. The format of this book was fantastic as it allows so much tension to build up really quickly, keeping you hooked right up until the end!
This is such a gripping, tense, unpredictable, fast-paced book. I highly recommend!
May 27, 2022
I was captivated by this book all the way through but slightly disappointed by the end. I think the reveal could’ve been better, bigger. And it felt like loose ends were tied up at the end for the sake of it rather than being reveals within themselves. But overall it was a page turner and I enjoyed the themes of female empowerment. I also appreciate how the book broached the important topic of workplace bullying
October 13, 2020
Relevant and Fun, But Lacking
When Freya started her new job at Atypical, the hottest new tech company in Cali, it was a dream come true. She had worked her whole life to find her place, and she wasn’t going to let anything stop her from succeeding. But that was before she met Nicole, and before Nicole was murdered. Maybe success isn’t what Freya had always dreamt it would be, or it is just that Atypical isn’t? Freya must decide what it means to be successful, and how far she is willing to go to keep her new place in society, and most importantly what she is willing to sacrifice.
Isla is a crime journalist, and she can’t stand what the tabloid news is doing to Nicole’s reputation. A victim of assault herself, she knows that the media would like nothing better than to paint Nicole as a stupid girl who was asking for it. Isla can’t let the injustice stand and dedicates herself to finding out what really happened so that she can show the world that Nicole was a victim of vile cruelty, and more than that, a strong and intelligent woman.
Threads come together to weave a dark and corrupt web of lies hidden just below the surface. Is anyone ever truly safe? Can we really trust the people closest to us?
The Pact is an office crime drama, centred on the issues of bullying and assault, inspired by the #MeToo movement. It asks a lot of questions of its reader and raises a lot of different issues.
What happens when you finally get the chance you have been working towards your whole life, and you screw it all up in one moment of stupidity?
What do you do when your dream-come-true turns out to be a nightmare in the making?
Who can you turn to when people close to you break your trust? Your family, the police?
What is success?
What do you do when you can see injustice all around you, and no one else seems to care?
I don’t know that many of these questions are answered for Freya and Isla, but I appreciate that Heydenrych was ready to put those thoughts and conversations out there.
At first when I began reading The Pact, I had a hard time believing some of the social scenarios. The interactions which Freya has with Nicole and others in the office felt so unbelievably teenage, I felt like it was unrealistic. However, as I carried on, I came to realise that unfortunately the childish and immature tone may be all too truthful. So many people are full of pain and unrecognised fears and insecurities. As we grow up, we hope to become whole and many of us address the difficulties of youth and entering society, but many do not. It seems entirely realistic to think that given the correct set of circumstances and the opportunity, many people would revert directly back to the pettiness and confident venom of their youth, even long past their teens and twenties.
Isla was most certainly my favourite character in The Pact, and I found myself far more interested to see how her story would pan out than Freya’s. She is written as a realistically unhealthy woman, who overworks because she finds meaning in her job. I liked the way that she was apparently successful, and yet the nature of the journalism job she worked so hard to keep had soured over the years into something altogether different than what she had hoped it could be. Isla is the most true to life and relatable character, and I appreciated her story arc.
I enjoyed the basic story of this book, and there were a few twists that surprised me. Unfortunately I wouldn’t necessarily say that that was because of cleverness or plotting, but rather because they were so random and out of the blue that they felt as though the author herself had just sort of thought of them in the moment and popped them in. The plotting, in other words, was not tight or graceful. It felt like a lot of ideas and thoughts, woven together by chance to make a story at least a hundred pages longer than it ought to have been.
I also had a hard time believing Freya and her friends’ home life. Whenever the author described a morning when they were all together, or a dinner which they all contributed to, suddenly it was like reading a commercial for perfect peppy women, living in harmony in their sorority house. I get that this book is meant to be empowering of women, and showing them living together and contributing to a happy all-female household is a great idea. Only someone was always doing yoga while someone else was cooking and someone was counselling one of the others, and there was always a lot of wine being splashed around, and a lot of “you go girl, you’re better than that man” talk, and all of these things come together to equal an over the top, cartoonish diorama of the blissful chaos of co-habiting with young and hip women.
Overall, I would say that whilst I had issues with the structure and believability of this book, The Pact is an enjoyable and quick read if you are looking for something young, snappy and challenging of negative social norms. There are some loveable characters and some sweet moments, as well as some very painful and challenging scenes, which effectively highlight some of the things that have gone so wrong in our modern culture.
When Freya started her new job at Atypical, the hottest new tech company in Cali, it was a dream come true. She had worked her whole life to find her place, and she wasn’t going to let anything stop her from succeeding. But that was before she met Nicole, and before Nicole was murdered. Maybe success isn’t what Freya had always dreamt it would be, or it is just that Atypical isn’t? Freya must decide what it means to be successful, and how far she is willing to go to keep her new place in society, and most importantly what she is willing to sacrifice.
Isla is a crime journalist, and she can’t stand what the tabloid news is doing to Nicole’s reputation. A victim of assault herself, she knows that the media would like nothing better than to paint Nicole as a stupid girl who was asking for it. Isla can’t let the injustice stand and dedicates herself to finding out what really happened so that she can show the world that Nicole was a victim of vile cruelty, and more than that, a strong and intelligent woman.
Threads come together to weave a dark and corrupt web of lies hidden just below the surface. Is anyone ever truly safe? Can we really trust the people closest to us?
The Pact is an office crime drama, centred on the issues of bullying and assault, inspired by the #MeToo movement. It asks a lot of questions of its reader and raises a lot of different issues.
What happens when you finally get the chance you have been working towards your whole life, and you screw it all up in one moment of stupidity?
What do you do when your dream-come-true turns out to be a nightmare in the making?
Who can you turn to when people close to you break your trust? Your family, the police?
What is success?
What do you do when you can see injustice all around you, and no one else seems to care?
I don’t know that many of these questions are answered for Freya and Isla, but I appreciate that Heydenrych was ready to put those thoughts and conversations out there.
At first when I began reading The Pact, I had a hard time believing some of the social scenarios. The interactions which Freya has with Nicole and others in the office felt so unbelievably teenage, I felt like it was unrealistic. However, as I carried on, I came to realise that unfortunately the childish and immature tone may be all too truthful. So many people are full of pain and unrecognised fears and insecurities. As we grow up, we hope to become whole and many of us address the difficulties of youth and entering society, but many do not. It seems entirely realistic to think that given the correct set of circumstances and the opportunity, many people would revert directly back to the pettiness and confident venom of their youth, even long past their teens and twenties.
Isla was most certainly my favourite character in The Pact, and I found myself far more interested to see how her story would pan out than Freya’s. She is written as a realistically unhealthy woman, who overworks because she finds meaning in her job. I liked the way that she was apparently successful, and yet the nature of the journalism job she worked so hard to keep had soured over the years into something altogether different than what she had hoped it could be. Isla is the most true to life and relatable character, and I appreciated her story arc.
I enjoyed the basic story of this book, and there were a few twists that surprised me. Unfortunately I wouldn’t necessarily say that that was because of cleverness or plotting, but rather because they were so random and out of the blue that they felt as though the author herself had just sort of thought of them in the moment and popped them in. The plotting, in other words, was not tight or graceful. It felt like a lot of ideas and thoughts, woven together by chance to make a story at least a hundred pages longer than it ought to have been.
I also had a hard time believing Freya and her friends’ home life. Whenever the author described a morning when they were all together, or a dinner which they all contributed to, suddenly it was like reading a commercial for perfect peppy women, living in harmony in their sorority house. I get that this book is meant to be empowering of women, and showing them living together and contributing to a happy all-female household is a great idea. Only someone was always doing yoga while someone else was cooking and someone was counselling one of the others, and there was always a lot of wine being splashed around, and a lot of “you go girl, you’re better than that man” talk, and all of these things come together to equal an over the top, cartoonish diorama of the blissful chaos of co-habiting with young and hip women.
Overall, I would say that whilst I had issues with the structure and believability of this book, The Pact is an enjoyable and quick read if you are looking for something young, snappy and challenging of negative social norms. There are some loveable characters and some sweet moments, as well as some very painful and challenging scenes, which effectively highlight some of the things that have gone so wrong in our modern culture.
February 18, 2021
I thought this book was ok but I felt like it did not need to be that long. The story is about Freya and she just started a new job and met Jay. Someone gets murdered and the story is round leading up to the murder and after the murder. Freya has not had easy time at her new job being bullied and hardly anyone talking to her there. The story was also so told by Isla who was reporting the murder and wanted to get to the bottom of what had happened. I felt the story was a bit slow and I was not really gripped by it but it was ok read.
July 2, 2021
Thrilling
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