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The Hook: A Novel
Three betrayed women with revenge in common channel their fury in a twisting novel of psychological suspense by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Jane Doe and False Step.
A women’s boxing class is the perfect place for betrayed wife Katherine to work out her aggressions. Ideal, too, for Geneva, a teacher disgraced and ruined by a vengeful ex, and Luz, a software engineer battling an unjust system. Maggie, their instructor and mentor, guarantees she can right the wrongs they’ve endured. And if Katherine, Geneva, and Luz really want to unleash their rage, they must do what Maggie says.
Each woman’s secret task has its risks. Call it justice. Call it revenge. It’s bound to be worth it—if no missteps are made. As they take the leap to reclaim what they’re owed, their lives are turned upside down. Because no one could have guessed that it would all end in murder.
Now, coming together to harness their power, Katherine, Geneva, and Luz fear that the game they’ve been playing is playing them.
A women’s boxing class is the perfect place for betrayed wife Katherine to work out her aggressions. Ideal, too, for Geneva, a teacher disgraced and ruined by a vengeful ex, and Luz, a software engineer battling an unjust system. Maggie, their instructor and mentor, guarantees she can right the wrongs they’ve endured. And if Katherine, Geneva, and Luz really want to unleash their rage, they must do what Maggie says.
Each woman’s secret task has its risks. Call it justice. Call it revenge. It’s bound to be worth it—if no missteps are made. As they take the leap to reclaim what they’re owed, their lives are turned upside down. Because no one could have guessed that it would all end in murder.
Now, coming together to harness their power, Katherine, Geneva, and Luz fear that the game they’ve been playing is playing them.
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First published May 23, 2023
492 people are currently reading
4493 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Helen Stone
11 books1,570 followersWall Street Journal bestselling writer Victoria Helen Stone, author of the runaway hit Jane Doe, pens critically acclaimed novels of dark intrigue and emotional suspense. Her work includes Follow Her Down, At the Quiet Edge, Problem Child, Half Past, and the chart-toppers False Step, and Evelyn, After. Bald-Faced Liar is her tenth suspense.
Victoria writes in her home office in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, far from her origins in the flattest plains of Minnesota, Texas, and Oklahoma. She enjoys gorgeous summer trail hikes in the mountains almost as much as she enjoys staying inside by the fire during winter. Victoria is passionate about dessert, true crime, and her terror of mosquitoes, which have targeted her in a diabolical conspiracy to hunt her down no matter the season.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriahel...
Victoria writes in her home office in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, far from her origins in the flattest plains of Minnesota, Texas, and Oklahoma. She enjoys gorgeous summer trail hikes in the mountains almost as much as she enjoys staying inside by the fire during winter. Victoria is passionate about dessert, true crime, and her terror of mosquitoes, which have targeted her in a diabolical conspiracy to hunt her down no matter the season.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriahel...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
February 16, 2023
In the hook we meet three woman who have all experienced being hurt and wanting revenge. They all join a boxing club where they meet a charismatic woman who knows how they can get the revenge they need.
An intriguing and different plot for sure! It’s like Helen stone chose a fantasy many have when they been wrong. What if the person hurting got a taste of how it feels to lose everything without you having to do the dirty work? Maggie is the leader of the club, and makes sure that every scorned woman gets a task to help someone they don’t know. She’s mysterious and from the get-go you’re wondering why she’s doing it and if her intentions are as good as they seem. The three POVs confused me in the beginning as it was a lot to remember. But I soon figured out who had experienced what. I think I liked Katherine’s story the most, probably since most of the focus was on her. She came across as a complex character with vulnerabilities that she worked hard to overcome. Her life pulled at my heartstrings and I desperately wanted her to find piece.
When it all starts to go wrong, I wanted to hide under the duvet. A man is killed and Katherine is a suspect. She is determined to find out what really happened. The suspense is there and the other two woman soon get drawn into it as well.
The ending was satisfying, but I struggled a bit with why the other two woman had to be drawn into it.
If you’re looking for a different plot that is engaging and original, the hook is perfect.
Thank you to netgally and lake union publishing for the arc in exchange for my honest review
An intriguing and different plot for sure! It’s like Helen stone chose a fantasy many have when they been wrong. What if the person hurting got a taste of how it feels to lose everything without you having to do the dirty work? Maggie is the leader of the club, and makes sure that every scorned woman gets a task to help someone they don’t know. She’s mysterious and from the get-go you’re wondering why she’s doing it and if her intentions are as good as they seem. The three POVs confused me in the beginning as it was a lot to remember. But I soon figured out who had experienced what. I think I liked Katherine’s story the most, probably since most of the focus was on her. She came across as a complex character with vulnerabilities that she worked hard to overcome. Her life pulled at my heartstrings and I desperately wanted her to find piece.
When it all starts to go wrong, I wanted to hide under the duvet. A man is killed and Katherine is a suspect. She is determined to find out what really happened. The suspense is there and the other two woman soon get drawn into it as well.
The ending was satisfying, but I struggled a bit with why the other two woman had to be drawn into it.
If you’re looking for a different plot that is engaging and original, the hook is perfect.
Thank you to netgally and lake union publishing for the arc in exchange for my honest review
May 26, 2023
3.75🌟
Haven’t we all at sometime or another felt completely wronged by someone? But did taking revenge on them ever cross your mind? (You don’t have to answer that!)
Three women.
Three betrayals by those they trusted.
Trying to work out their frustrations in a boxing class just isn’t cutting it. If only there was a way to get even and maybe inflict some pain along the way. Enter the boxing coach…Maggie!
You know what they say, payback’s a b***h!
This was an engaging thriller told from the POV of all the characters. While I sympathized with each of them I felt a bit of a disconnect while the author wove their stories together. It was a fabulous premise that just got a bit lost in its execution. This had the potential for another five-star read which I am used to from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing
Haven’t we all at sometime or another felt completely wronged by someone? But did taking revenge on them ever cross your mind? (You don’t have to answer that!)
Three women.
Three betrayals by those they trusted.
Trying to work out their frustrations in a boxing class just isn’t cutting it. If only there was a way to get even and maybe inflict some pain along the way. Enter the boxing coach…Maggie!
You know what they say, payback’s a b***h!
This was an engaging thriller told from the POV of all the characters. While I sympathized with each of them I felt a bit of a disconnect while the author wove their stories together. It was a fabulous premise that just got a bit lost in its execution. This had the potential for another five-star read which I am used to from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing
July 26, 2024
A women’s boxing class becomes the catalyst for a secretive network of ordinary vigilantes in this addictive thriller. Boxing instructor Maggie has a system: she recruits women to take revenge on each other’s enemies. In return, their own enemy will have their life ruined, whether by an exposed affair or some secretly planted drugs. Good girl Katherine eagerly signs on, and finds that she enjoys the dark seduction required of her…that is, until her target turns up dead. As she fights to clear her name, Katherine begins to question who she can trust.
This was a super fun and fast-paced read, but it also dealt with very real feminist themes, including slut shaming, religious oppression and bias against women of colour in tech. Its twists had me, like Katherine, questioning which characters were trustworthy. Also, let’s face it: it is super fun to watch women get revenge on awful, sexist men. This book checked all my boxes!
This was a super fun and fast-paced read, but it also dealt with very real feminist themes, including slut shaming, religious oppression and bias against women of colour in tech. Its twists had me, like Katherine, questioning which characters were trustworthy. Also, let’s face it: it is super fun to watch women get revenge on awful, sexist men. This book checked all my boxes!
May 11, 2023
Yesss!!! 👏👏 The Queen 👸 of revenge is back!!! ❤️When @blondethrillerbooklover told me that @victoriahelenstone had a new book coming out I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this!!! 😍😍 Thank you so much to @thrillerbookloverspromotions and @victoriahelenstone for my gorgeous gifted copy.🥰 🥰 Pub date is 5/23!!! 🥳🥳
If you haven’t read this author… you need to!!! Okay so Jane Doe is literally one of my all-time favorites… I mean… oh Jane girl… I miss ya…😘 So I knew I was going to love this latest thriller by @victoriahelenstone because… she is a master of revenge… 😂…and I flipping love it!! What does that say about me?? 😬🤷♀️
Can you imagine getting wronged so badly… that you would do ANYTHING to get someone back?? 😳 Oh wait… you don’t have to… you see we have this boxing 🥊 club… and do we have a deal for you!! 😉 You do US a favor… and we will do YOU a favor…👌… JUST like that… your problem… aka… your man that wronged you… will disappear… 🥳… Well not literally… unless something goes very… very… wrong.. 😳…and of course it would be no fun unless something went really wrong…..right??? 🤷♀️🤐🤐🤐
I loved all three of these women and their stories… I felt a kinship shall we say with these woman and their quest to get what is theirs… and remember guys.. karma is indeed a bitch!! 😂… Just saying!! 🥊🥊
I loved this book and couldn’t put it down!! Twisted… clever… and another knockout win by this author!! 🥊🥊👏👏
If you haven’t read this author… you need to!!! Okay so Jane Doe is literally one of my all-time favorites… I mean… oh Jane girl… I miss ya…😘 So I knew I was going to love this latest thriller by @victoriahelenstone because… she is a master of revenge… 😂…and I flipping love it!! What does that say about me?? 😬🤷♀️
Can you imagine getting wronged so badly… that you would do ANYTHING to get someone back?? 😳 Oh wait… you don’t have to… you see we have this boxing 🥊 club… and do we have a deal for you!! 😉 You do US a favor… and we will do YOU a favor…👌… JUST like that… your problem… aka… your man that wronged you… will disappear… 🥳… Well not literally… unless something goes very… very… wrong.. 😳…and of course it would be no fun unless something went really wrong…..right??? 🤷♀️🤐🤐🤐
I loved all three of these women and their stories… I felt a kinship shall we say with these woman and their quest to get what is theirs… and remember guys.. karma is indeed a bitch!! 😂… Just saying!! 🥊🥊
I loved this book and couldn’t put it down!! Twisted… clever… and another knockout win by this author!! 🥊🥊👏👏
May 25, 2023
3.75 Stars
The story follows three women and their revenge story. Katherine was trying to get back at her serial cheating husband. Geneva wanted retribution for revenge porn (leaked sex tape). Luz wanted to get even with a vengeful coworker who got her partner deported.
Maggie, one of the instructors at The Hook (a boxing gym for women), heard their story and decided to help them. Maggie created a whole system and scheme for each woman. But when one of the victims ended up dead, everything was turned upside down.
This was interesting and entertaining. There were even a couple of unexpected twists. Katherine's storyline was the best. It was the most fleshed out compared to everyone else. The biggest disappointment was Maggie's character. Even though she was a key player in the story, she was barely in it.
Although the story wasn't completely balanced, it was still captivating. I would recommend it to fans of revenge stories.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Victoria Helen Stone, and Lake Union Publishing for graciously sending me the ARC to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
The story follows three women and their revenge story. Katherine was trying to get back at her serial cheating husband. Geneva wanted retribution for revenge porn (leaked sex tape). Luz wanted to get even with a vengeful coworker who got her partner deported.
Maggie, one of the instructors at The Hook (a boxing gym for women), heard their story and decided to help them. Maggie created a whole system and scheme for each woman. But when one of the victims ended up dead, everything was turned upside down.
This was interesting and entertaining. There were even a couple of unexpected twists. Katherine's storyline was the best. It was the most fleshed out compared to everyone else. The biggest disappointment was Maggie's character. Even though she was a key player in the story, she was barely in it.
Although the story wasn't completely balanced, it was still captivating. I would recommend it to fans of revenge stories.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Victoria Helen Stone, and Lake Union Publishing for graciously sending me the ARC to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
February 28, 2023
My Rating: 1.5 rounded down to 1⭐️⭐️ difficult to rate but I think I gotta go a 1!!
Three women who have been wronged, where better to get revenge than an all women’s boxing club with a strong female mentor who only has their best interests at heart… right??
Katherine’s husband has been cheating on her for as long as she can remember - never mind he is a devout catholic and upstanding member of the church. That doesn’t stop his dog behaviour and gaslighting tactics at home.
Geneva, teaching has been her life goal… just when it was in her grasp a silly mistake and a vengeful ex ruins her chances and her reputation with a saucy video.
Luz, a super smart software engineer who’s only fault was getting the promotion over her co-worker - who happens to have a brother in I.C.E and suddenly her girlfriend is sent packing back to Russia.
Everyone has someone to hate and everyone has secrets to keep… Maggie is there to help them each get revenge for one another but they have to follow the system - do not talk or meet each other, carry out your task exactly as instructed and definitely don’t commit murder…
Someone winds up dead and each of the women swear it wasn’t them.
Now… I’ll admit from the get go I like this author and I really enjoyed the Jane Doe and Problem Child (lets get some more of those out please). However this one just did not hit it for me at all- I thought it sort of started out ok albeit a bit slow… but I was wrong… it was all over the place.
When it wasn’t slow and boring, it was jumping around like a jack in the box. Everyone had their POV which was good as I do enjoy a multiple POV storyline… but I was disappointed at most of the turns. I started out enjoying the character development of each of the ladies but there are so many references to women’s looks, their race (for no real reason just a throw away statement like - “a good looking black woman strides into the room” type comments) and also a lot of references to people’s size (big, chubby, skinny, trim, large etc.) I just didn’t think those comments added to the overall story. It certainly had no bearing on the three women’s storyline.
Now having said that, it was important to note Luz’s race and that of her girlfriend due to her storyline. But we didn’t need to read over and over that she had black braided hair (which I can only assume was a reference to her heritage). It is good to include different race’s, genders and relationship types and I am all for that but I don’t think unnecessary references to these things that actually don’t link to what we are reading about are helpful to the story. If you are going to mention them make them relevant. Just like mentioning someone is white or straight… we don’t need to know that specifically unless there is relevance so while I think it was great there was a mixture of characters I don’t think the execution hit the mark on how we found out about each person and their uniqueness.
The Hook, is the all women’s boxing club that these women meet Maggie at for the first time. However there are no flashbacks to those meetings, there is little mention of the Hook in general and there is also I think only one singular scene in which anyone is actually boxing in this book. That seems a little weird to me since this is the actual meeting place of these revenge getters. I would have thought there would be a clubhouse style scenario or meeting place for Maggie and the ladies (separately because they weren’t supposed to meet each other directly… fine but still isn’t this the pivotal place where we meet all the characters).
I also found that the story dragged for me it wasn’t particularly engaging and it didn’t actually make me want to WANT revenge for any of them very much. They were going through it no doubt… but there had to be a moment of I AM WOMAN HERE ME ROAR… well that was what I was hoping for but there was barely a meow before they scattered away.
I think the writing was good but it was the humour from the Jane Doe series wasn’t present and I think this could have done with some dark sarcasm because the dialogue was a bit iffy a lot of the time. A lot of secondary characters were introduced but never heard from again… and there was a fair bit of fluff (for a fairly short book).
Overall: this didn’t meet the expectations of the badass female revenge story I thought I was going to read. Would I recommend it… look some of you are going to love this and I hope you do this author is good value… but to those of you that I connect with regularly (you know who you are 😉) this one won’t be for you 💖
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, the author and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for a review that is honest and entirely my own opinion.
Three women who have been wronged, where better to get revenge than an all women’s boxing club with a strong female mentor who only has their best interests at heart… right??
Katherine’s husband has been cheating on her for as long as she can remember - never mind he is a devout catholic and upstanding member of the church. That doesn’t stop his dog behaviour and gaslighting tactics at home.
Geneva, teaching has been her life goal… just when it was in her grasp a silly mistake and a vengeful ex ruins her chances and her reputation with a saucy video.
Luz, a super smart software engineer who’s only fault was getting the promotion over her co-worker - who happens to have a brother in I.C.E and suddenly her girlfriend is sent packing back to Russia.
Everyone has someone to hate and everyone has secrets to keep… Maggie is there to help them each get revenge for one another but they have to follow the system - do not talk or meet each other, carry out your task exactly as instructed and definitely don’t commit murder…
Someone winds up dead and each of the women swear it wasn’t them.
Now… I’ll admit from the get go I like this author and I really enjoyed the Jane Doe and Problem Child (lets get some more of those out please). However this one just did not hit it for me at all- I thought it sort of started out ok albeit a bit slow… but I was wrong… it was all over the place.
When it wasn’t slow and boring, it was jumping around like a jack in the box. Everyone had their POV which was good as I do enjoy a multiple POV storyline… but I was disappointed at most of the turns. I started out enjoying the character development of each of the ladies but there are so many references to women’s looks, their race (for no real reason just a throw away statement like - “a good looking black woman strides into the room” type comments) and also a lot of references to people’s size (big, chubby, skinny, trim, large etc.) I just didn’t think those comments added to the overall story. It certainly had no bearing on the three women’s storyline.
Now having said that, it was important to note Luz’s race and that of her girlfriend due to her storyline. But we didn’t need to read over and over that she had black braided hair (which I can only assume was a reference to her heritage). It is good to include different race’s, genders and relationship types and I am all for that but I don’t think unnecessary references to these things that actually don’t link to what we are reading about are helpful to the story. If you are going to mention them make them relevant. Just like mentioning someone is white or straight… we don’t need to know that specifically unless there is relevance so while I think it was great there was a mixture of characters I don’t think the execution hit the mark on how we found out about each person and their uniqueness.
The Hook, is the all women’s boxing club that these women meet Maggie at for the first time. However there are no flashbacks to those meetings, there is little mention of the Hook in general and there is also I think only one singular scene in which anyone is actually boxing in this book. That seems a little weird to me since this is the actual meeting place of these revenge getters. I would have thought there would be a clubhouse style scenario or meeting place for Maggie and the ladies (separately because they weren’t supposed to meet each other directly… fine but still isn’t this the pivotal place where we meet all the characters).
I also found that the story dragged for me it wasn’t particularly engaging and it didn’t actually make me want to WANT revenge for any of them very much. They were going through it no doubt… but there had to be a moment of I AM WOMAN HERE ME ROAR… well that was what I was hoping for but there was barely a meow before they scattered away.
I think the writing was good but it was the humour from the Jane Doe series wasn’t present and I think this could have done with some dark sarcasm because the dialogue was a bit iffy a lot of the time. A lot of secondary characters were introduced but never heard from again… and there was a fair bit of fluff (for a fairly short book).
Overall: this didn’t meet the expectations of the badass female revenge story I thought I was going to read. Would I recommend it… look some of you are going to love this and I hope you do this author is good value… but to those of you that I connect with regularly (you know who you are 😉) this one won’t be for you 💖
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, the author and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for a review that is honest and entirely my own opinion.
April 11, 2023
2.5 stars
This was a bit of a mixed read for me. On the one hand, I was intrigued from the start, the writing flowed well and it is so easy to read.
But as this went on I started to have some problems with it.
First off, we never see how this whole thing got started. How did Maggie get these women to do these things? How did it get started? Why is this set in a gym when there is only one scene there? How did they choose the men they targeted?
Also what I found irritating and frankly a little offensive and unneeded, was how the author introduces every character by telling us their race first (eg: the white woman walked in/ the black woman got out of the car)
This book could have really benefitted from chapters from Maggie's perspective as this would have helped explain things a bit more, whilst providing some background.
The whole thing did seem a bit of a muddle and lacked depth.
Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC I recieved in exchange for an honest review
This was a bit of a mixed read for me. On the one hand, I was intrigued from the start, the writing flowed well and it is so easy to read.
But as this went on I started to have some problems with it.
First off, we never see how this whole thing got started. How did Maggie get these women to do these things? How did it get started? Why is this set in a gym when there is only one scene there? How did they choose the men they targeted?
Also what I found irritating and frankly a little offensive and unneeded, was how the author introduces every character by telling us their race first (eg: the white woman walked in/ the black woman got out of the car)
This book could have really benefitted from chapters from Maggie's perspective as this would have helped explain things a bit more, whilst providing some background.
The whole thing did seem a bit of a muddle and lacked depth.
Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC I recieved in exchange for an honest review
July 3, 2023
Ugh. Little suspense. Super political/social agenda.
So much promise. I love revenge stories. Unfortunately, long ongoing monologs about political/social/religious establishments is the primary content of "The Hook." There is nothing wrong with a book focusing on that. In fact, anyone can and should write whatever they want.
I very much mind someone selling me a book as a suspense fiction novel. When it has zero suspense. And now I can't get the reading hours back. Lol.
Please give me a more accurate synopsis. If it's a drama only, say that. Only describe it as suspenseful when it is, in fact, suspenseful. That's all I ask.
If you're looking for suspense, I do not recommend this book. However, I highly recommend another book by this author, "Jane Doe"!
So much promise. I love revenge stories. Unfortunately, long ongoing monologs about political/social/religious establishments is the primary content of "The Hook." There is nothing wrong with a book focusing on that. In fact, anyone can and should write whatever they want.
I very much mind someone selling me a book as a suspense fiction novel. When it has zero suspense. And now I can't get the reading hours back. Lol.
Please give me a more accurate synopsis. If it's a drama only, say that. Only describe it as suspenseful when it is, in fact, suspenseful. That's all I ask.
If you're looking for suspense, I do not recommend this book. However, I highly recommend another book by this author, "Jane Doe"!
April 26, 2023
Three women who have been wronged (one by a strategically leaked sex tape, one by her serial cheater/general jerk of a husband, and one by a jealous coworker who had her partner deported) go to the same boxing gym where they meet an inspirational teacher/mentor named Maggie. She promises each of them a chance at revenge if they complete a secret task to help another person. But what’s Maggie’s angle exactly?
I LOVE a revenge thriller, and Jane Doe is one my faves ever, so I knew I needed to read this ASAP. I have a real vindictive streak, so I prefer my revenge to be brutal and executed without much remorse. Stone took a more measured approach here, which is going to be perfect for a lot of readers who have a less mercenary attitude towards vengeance than my crabby-ass self.
Existing Victoria Helen Stone fans and anyone who enjoyed The Collective and/or The Power and/or any book with angry ladies kicking ass should give this one a whirl!
* thanks to Amazon Publishing/Lake Union for the NetGalley review copy. The Hook publishes May 23!
I LOVE a revenge thriller, and Jane Doe is one my faves ever, so I knew I needed to read this ASAP. I have a real vindictive streak, so I prefer my revenge to be brutal and executed without much remorse. Stone took a more measured approach here, which is going to be perfect for a lot of readers who have a less mercenary attitude towards vengeance than my crabby-ass self.
Existing Victoria Helen Stone fans and anyone who enjoyed The Collective and/or The Power and/or any book with angry ladies kicking ass should give this one a whirl!
* thanks to Amazon Publishing/Lake Union for the NetGalley review copy. The Hook publishes May 23!
May 25, 2025
The premise had me hooked. Three women out for revenge? Yes please! I was expecting this fiery, gripping story but sadly the execution didn’t deliver. Slow pacing, not enough fire, and the characters fell flat. Cool concept, weak delivery
May 24, 2023
What a fun one to read, I loved the boxing setting as well as women coming together to right the wrongs they’ve gone through by following a series of secret tasks assigned by their instructor and mentor, Maggie. However there are some risks to this, one being the assumption that every woman will follow the rules regarding their secret tasks, which includes following Maggie’s rules to the letter in order to exact their revenge. Of course, not everyone does, and then someone ends up dead. Oopsie Doopsie. Panic and paranoia ensue, especially when Maggie ghosts the women, which causes further chaos, until the women realize they are probably better together than as individuals and decide to form their own resolution plan.
This was an entertaining read, I was curious how they would get themselves out of their situations and I also enjoyed the different POV’s from each of the women along with their backstories. I thought this all came together nicely with a satisfying ending. I related to Katherine the most given her contentious relationship with her mother and she nor any of the women disappointed. I absolutely recommend this one, it is a great premise that was executed well!
Thank you to ThrillerBookLoversPromotions and NetGalley for the digital copy to review.
This was an entertaining read, I was curious how they would get themselves out of their situations and I also enjoyed the different POV’s from each of the women along with their backstories. I thought this all came together nicely with a satisfying ending. I related to Katherine the most given her contentious relationship with her mother and she nor any of the women disappointed. I absolutely recommend this one, it is a great premise that was executed well!
Thank you to ThrillerBookLoversPromotions and NetGalley for the digital copy to review.
February 6, 2023
Three women will an ax to grind all with similarities from the life of hard knocks.
This situation was quite unique in that The Hook involved a boxing class which seemed fitting for a boxing class lead by Maggie.
Each lady battling demons from failed relationships to unjust systems.
What's a gal to do other than listen to the leader and do as told, right?
Well, turns out someone is dead and each one has a wild secret.
Road trippin'.... Yes, indeed.
It's almost like a real Bonnie and Clyde in which if one falls they all fall.
Friends till the end. Do or die!
One's pregnancy raises questions, the next is a suspect in murder, the other gal is investigating a suicide that might be staged, while some are just plain drunk and having affairs.
Everything is up in arms with no end in sight.
However, in this day and age you know there's always a Ring doorbell or some perv watching somewhere.
Hold up- Peter was Katherine's husband and something strange has just gone down>Could this be do to her relationship with Brad?
It's anyone's guess because Maggie has uncovered her own treasure trove of B.S. and it involves another partner's trainee.
My word, these ladies are in it knee deep and I can only hope they exit stage right!
Thank you to Victoria Helen Stone, Lake Union Publishing, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.
This situation was quite unique in that The Hook involved a boxing class which seemed fitting for a boxing class lead by Maggie.
Each lady battling demons from failed relationships to unjust systems.
What's a gal to do other than listen to the leader and do as told, right?
Well, turns out someone is dead and each one has a wild secret.
Road trippin'.... Yes, indeed.
It's almost like a real Bonnie and Clyde in which if one falls they all fall.
Friends till the end. Do or die!
One's pregnancy raises questions, the next is a suspect in murder, the other gal is investigating a suicide that might be staged, while some are just plain drunk and having affairs.
Everything is up in arms with no end in sight.
However, in this day and age you know there's always a Ring doorbell or some perv watching somewhere.
Hold up- Peter was Katherine's husband and something strange has just gone down>Could this be do to her relationship with Brad?
It's anyone's guess because Maggie has uncovered her own treasure trove of B.S. and it involves another partner's trainee.
My word, these ladies are in it knee deep and I can only hope they exit stage right!
Thank you to Victoria Helen Stone, Lake Union Publishing, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.
May 9, 2023
This is one of those books where I wish it could really happen. Well I suppose it really could, but in real life everyone would get caught and charged with something. So let’s just imagine we are in this make believe world where those that have been wronged can get their own justice. Cause I bet it’s way more satisfying then having to sit in a courtroom.
The women in this book have all been wronged by the men in their life. With the help of Maggie, the owner of the gym they attend, they are working on getting their lives back and a little revenge. There are strict rules they need to follow, one of them is no one dies. Wellllll……
When you throw murder on the table, everyone panics. This is where the book gets intense. Moving at a pretty fast pace, with heightened suspicion, The Hook comes at you like an uppercut. You’re not ready for the punch, and it will knock you out!
I really liked the overall theme of women supporting women, and finding confidence. Each woman’s story is unique, but no less devastating. To watch them realize their own power, and finally stand up tall, is wonderful. They’re pretty badass.
I really recommend this book for a fast moving suspenseful thriller. I finished it in two sittings, cause I was hooked…🤪
The women in this book have all been wronged by the men in their life. With the help of Maggie, the owner of the gym they attend, they are working on getting their lives back and a little revenge. There are strict rules they need to follow, one of them is no one dies. Wellllll……
When you throw murder on the table, everyone panics. This is where the book gets intense. Moving at a pretty fast pace, with heightened suspicion, The Hook comes at you like an uppercut. You’re not ready for the punch, and it will knock you out!
I really liked the overall theme of women supporting women, and finding confidence. Each woman’s story is unique, but no less devastating. To watch them realize their own power, and finally stand up tall, is wonderful. They’re pretty badass.
I really recommend this book for a fast moving suspenseful thriller. I finished it in two sittings, cause I was hooked…🤪
June 17, 2023
Wronged women seeking vengeance are drawn to The Hook, a boxing gym for mind, body and spirit, ran by the charismatic Maggie. Who is Maggie and how did this little collective get started? More importantly, how will it end?
No one does revenge quite like VHS! I can't wait for more from her. Karma really is the breeze in my hair on the weekend.
No one does revenge quite like VHS! I can't wait for more from her. Karma really is the breeze in my hair on the weekend.
April 10, 2023
Ooh woman plotting against exs. Brilliant.
But is revenge always a good idea? This book looks at it by both side of good and bad.. the plot thickened and I loved it. I could not put this book down. It had the intrigue needed to keep me turning the pages
Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.
But is revenge always a good idea? This book looks at it by both side of good and bad.. the plot thickened and I loved it. I could not put this book down. It had the intrigue needed to keep me turning the pages
Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.
May 14, 2023
Devilishly Decieving! 😳😯🤯😳🤯
⊰ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐛𝐲 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 ⊱
Revenge is served... sizzling hot! If you enjoyed The Last Invitation by Darby Kane or The Collective, this book is right up your alley!
Consider this plot to me lip-smacking, eye wateringly divine! Oh believe me when I say you are going to go gaga for this enthralling, captivating and twisted fun of revengeful thrills. Helen Stone knows how to take revenge and make it absolutely delectable and satisfying with her twisted plot. Each character will have you feeling deeply for them and rooting hard as fluff for their revenge and you can't help but get caught up and lost in it all! As the thrill and mystery amps up, you cannot turn the pages fast enough with each knot Helen Stone divvy's up. And that ending! Sweet fluffers! You won't love an antagonist more. Genius & "hooks" you in!
Katherine, Luz & Geneva are scorned women for different reasons and by joining a woman's boxing class under instructor & mentor Maggie, they're able to deliver the revenge suited for the punishment. But they each have a task they need to fulfill and when someone makes a misstep, it turns into murder. The secret system, it'll protect them... right?
Thank you to NetGalley & Lake Union Publishing for this ARC!
Release Date: May 23, 2023!
𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 4.5 / 5 Full Moons! 🌕
⊰ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐛𝐲 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 ⊱
Revenge is served... sizzling hot! If you enjoyed The Last Invitation by Darby Kane or The Collective, this book is right up your alley!
Consider this plot to me lip-smacking, eye wateringly divine! Oh believe me when I say you are going to go gaga for this enthralling, captivating and twisted fun of revengeful thrills. Helen Stone knows how to take revenge and make it absolutely delectable and satisfying with her twisted plot. Each character will have you feeling deeply for them and rooting hard as fluff for their revenge and you can't help but get caught up and lost in it all! As the thrill and mystery amps up, you cannot turn the pages fast enough with each knot Helen Stone divvy's up. And that ending! Sweet fluffers! You won't love an antagonist more. Genius & "hooks" you in!
Katherine, Luz & Geneva are scorned women for different reasons and by joining a woman's boxing class under instructor & mentor Maggie, they're able to deliver the revenge suited for the punishment. But they each have a task they need to fulfill and when someone makes a misstep, it turns into murder. The secret system, it'll protect them... right?
Thank you to NetGalley & Lake Union Publishing for this ARC!
Release Date: May 23, 2023!
𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 4.5 / 5 Full Moons! 🌕
May 24, 2023
This one is very much a Strangers on a Train type of thing. It takes a bit for that to be come clear, but when it does, it just makes the story more delicious.
It was interesting what all the women were wronged for and how they got even and the roles that the other women played. More interesting was how it all unraveled and how the women reacted as things unraveled. Some of them really freaked out, some of them found a spine and did what needed to be done and made a plan for the future. I think had Maggie been around more, they wouldn't have freaked out so much.
I'm torn on the whole thing, part of me thinks what the women did was great! But it also proved that not all of them had all the info and innocent people could have gotten hurt and wronged. I'd love to see what happens with the next group of women Maggie helps.
It was interesting what all the women were wronged for and how they got even and the roles that the other women played. More interesting was how it all unraveled and how the women reacted as things unraveled. Some of them really freaked out, some of them found a spine and did what needed to be done and made a plan for the future. I think had Maggie been around more, they wouldn't have freaked out so much.
I'm torn on the whole thing, part of me thinks what the women did was great! But it also proved that not all of them had all the info and innocent people could have gotten hurt and wronged. I'd love to see what happens with the next group of women Maggie helps.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
March 24, 2023Honestly, this felt like what The Collective could have been, so if you liked The Collective, you will love this. I wanted to give everyone a good smackaroo on the back of the head once or twice, but also, this was delightful female rage.
When three women from three vastly different lives all join the same boxing class, nothing will ever be the same.
Katherine has the dream life, except for the fact that her husband is a serial cheater and her mother has chosen him over her.
Geneva is barely scraping by (financially or mentally) after her teaching career and reputation were destroyed by an ex.
And Luz has worked tirelessly all her life, only to lose her love to an unjust system at the hands of a jealous coworker.
All three women have something to fight, and their warm and friendly boxing instructor, Maggie, has ideas for how they can help each other.
As long as they follow Maggie’s instructions to the letter, nothing can go wrong. Each woman can help the others to get revenge - or justice, if that makes it go down better.
But humans are fallible, especially when rage is involved. And one misstep each will throw everyone’s fragile house of cards into disarray - and may have more dire consequences than any of them could ever have imagined.
When three women from three vastly different lives all join the same boxing class, nothing will ever be the same.
Katherine has the dream life, except for the fact that her husband is a serial cheater and her mother has chosen him over her.
Geneva is barely scraping by (financially or mentally) after her teaching career and reputation were destroyed by an ex.
And Luz has worked tirelessly all her life, only to lose her love to an unjust system at the hands of a jealous coworker.
All three women have something to fight, and their warm and friendly boxing instructor, Maggie, has ideas for how they can help each other.
As long as they follow Maggie’s instructions to the letter, nothing can go wrong. Each woman can help the others to get revenge - or justice, if that makes it go down better.
But humans are fallible, especially when rage is involved. And one misstep each will throw everyone’s fragile house of cards into disarray - and may have more dire consequences than any of them could ever have imagined.
July 30, 2023
THE HOOK [2023] By Victoria Helen Stone
My Review 3.0 Stars Out Of 5.0
First, let me acknowledge that I have read and absolutely loved the author’s bestselling Jane Doe series. I read Jane Doe in January last year and it was high on my list of favorite reads for the entire year. I also bought the sequel Problem Child which I found to be very good but Jane Doe was a hard act to follow. In fact, I bought a few of the author’s standalones as well because I loved her Jane Doe series so much, but simply have not read them yet.
Stone’s new novel this year “The Hook” promised a storyline about betrayed women who wanted revenge and this snippet of information alone was enough for me to eagerly Pre-Order the book. The author chose to write the book from multiple points of view. It has to be challenging for an author to juggle different personalities and motivations while simultaneously keeping in mind that it is imperative to create a plot that is both coherent and compelling. I am going to acknowledge that I am getting tired of plural first-person novels. Dueling first-person narrators with alternating chapters is becoming a little tiring as well.
“The Hook” presents three different first-person narrators who are members of a woman’s boxing class (Katherine, Geneva, and Luz), and the thread that binds them is their collective desire for revenge. Their instructor and mentor, a woman named “Maggie, offers her help and her guarantee to “right the wrongs” that these three members of her boxing class have suffered. Maggie will do all of the strategizing that is required for the three separate plans to be executed in order to even the score for the three women. Maggie’s character reminded me of the novel by Wendy Heard that I read just recently “The Kill Club.” The schemes to get justice relied upon strangers engaging with strangers to carry out the acts of vengeance. Similarly, it was imperative that the victims remain ignorant of the party who carried out the “get even” plan for their designated villains. The plot differs in that in “The Kill Club” it was serial murder, and in “The Hook” it was cleverly concocted schemes by Maggie to approximate the level of the offense, and never homicide. Simply put, the boxing club had numerous members, only three of which were in Maggie’s “special group”. They did not know each other, except perhaps to be aware that another one of them was also a member of the boxing club.
Each of the three women (Katherine, Geneva, and Luz) were told by Maggie that she would be required to carry out a specifically outlined “mission” involving a stranger. This was each woman’s “payment” to have the payback meted out to her own personal offender. It is only common sense to understand that when (for example) Luze is given her “assignment” by Maggie to carry out on a stranger she does not know from Adam, that she realizes that one of the women in the boxing club is carrying out a task assigned by Maggie to take care of the man she (Luze) targeted for revenge. It is an operation designed by a “smooth criminal” but unlike “The Kill Club” (where victims and targets are scattered all over LA), in “The Hook” we have a group of women who all belong to a boxing club with the common denominator of an instructor named Maggie. It creates a finite pool of possible women who are involved in Maggie’s “special group”, and more of a chance for chaos to occur, which it does.
So, that is the gist of the plot with no spoilers. Diversity in the population of the female victims is noted in that Katherine is Black, Geneva is Black, and Luz is Mexican-American. Maggie, the mastermind is also Black. The author is creative and in touch with our times by creating sexual identities that as a reader, I was unable to identify how the individual might identify herself in two cases. It is well written and sensitive to diversity and gender identities throughout the novel.
It was a disappointment to me that I was unable to resonate with two out of three of the main three characters. The author’s use of First-Person Narrator with each of her three protagonists allowed the reader the sense of immediacy to know the circumstances of what had happened to each of them, how they had been emotionally devastated, and exactly how that they viewed the entirety of their set of circumstances. It followed that I was unable to sympathize with the character of Luze or Geneva.
The character of 45-year-old Katherine and her story conversely broke my heart. She was relatable, trapped in a loveless marriage with a mother who was complicit with her controlling spouse in essentially keeping her incapable of self-expression and experiencing any joy in life whatsoever that I could ascertain. The patriarchal Catholic church was used by both her husband and mother to bludgeon her into submission if she even voiced a thought of her own. Katherine was a virgin when she married her husband, not understanding that he was afflicted with a Madonna-whore complex. He wanted her to procreate for him, while he had no interest in her as a woman or a lover. Peter was a serial philanderer from the beginning of their decades long marriage. If she voiced a suspicion, she was told to shut up by not only her husband but told by her mother it was her fault if he was with other women.
Katherine gradually emerged as a strong and sympathetic leader and fighter when the entire carefully orchestrated schemes for getting even goes up in flames. Katherine’s “assignment” to conduct an online connection with one of the “targets” and video the sexual nature of the online relationship goes awry after the Skype video is successfully captured. The little “adventure” has awakened Katherine’s own sexuality and she makes an ill-fated clandestine trip to meet him at a motel for a meet and greet in the flesh. Naturally that was a “no-no” and Katherine was never supposed to have any actual personal contact with her target, as satisfying as that had been for her after her sterile existence with her husband. It would not have been completely catastrophic, but for the fact that the “target” alias “Brad” had been brutally murdered after Katherine left him at the motel with a satisfied grin. And Katherine also later lied to Maggie about the meeting. Boy, was that bad!!! But no spoilers.
Bottom line, the plot was intriguing, and the novel depicted an expanse of diversity and expression of sexuality that is seldom reflected in domestic thrillers. I loved the character of Katherine and her character arc throughout the novel. The strong, charismatic mentor who strategized for the girls (Maggie) was ultimately fleshed out and I truly liked the character and the possibility of Stone writing a sequel with Maggie learning from her errors and moving forward.
However, Stone’s use of multiple first-person narrators was a failure for me on at least two levels. One, I disliked two of them. Two (and most important), when the proverbial you-know-what hit the fan, reading the emotional responses of the two characters I was not fond of was excruciating. The chapters inside their respective heads did not enhance my enjoyment of the reading experience. Katherine’s responses were equally scattered but it was Katherine who rose above the chaos and heroically brought the trio together. I must admit that when they were joined through the efforts of Katherine that it was poignant.
A final thought on this work by Stone is one I thought about a lot. In fact, my emotional response to reading the scenarios faced by both Geneva and Luz were such that I stopped to evaluate my own reactions. The story posits the question of whether or not if a life-altering event occurs as the direct result of either 1-flawed personal judgment of a willful act, or 2-the result of an illegal act should a party who announces the results of 1-the flawed personal judgment or 2-the illegal act be held accountable by essentially a vigilante entity? I am not advocating for vigilante justice at some level not to be levied at some actions against women that are not technically illegal in the eyes of the law. For example, threats of violence against women reported to police who are unable to act until the woman is beaten, maimed, or killed.
THOUGHT PROVOKING VENGEANCE THRILLER FROM STONE THAT LEFT ME NOT FULLY SATISFIED
My Review 3.0 Stars Out Of 5.0
First, let me acknowledge that I have read and absolutely loved the author’s bestselling Jane Doe series. I read Jane Doe in January last year and it was high on my list of favorite reads for the entire year. I also bought the sequel Problem Child which I found to be very good but Jane Doe was a hard act to follow. In fact, I bought a few of the author’s standalones as well because I loved her Jane Doe series so much, but simply have not read them yet.
Stone’s new novel this year “The Hook” promised a storyline about betrayed women who wanted revenge and this snippet of information alone was enough for me to eagerly Pre-Order the book. The author chose to write the book from multiple points of view. It has to be challenging for an author to juggle different personalities and motivations while simultaneously keeping in mind that it is imperative to create a plot that is both coherent and compelling. I am going to acknowledge that I am getting tired of plural first-person novels. Dueling first-person narrators with alternating chapters is becoming a little tiring as well.
“The Hook” presents three different first-person narrators who are members of a woman’s boxing class (Katherine, Geneva, and Luz), and the thread that binds them is their collective desire for revenge. Their instructor and mentor, a woman named “Maggie, offers her help and her guarantee to “right the wrongs” that these three members of her boxing class have suffered. Maggie will do all of the strategizing that is required for the three separate plans to be executed in order to even the score for the three women. Maggie’s character reminded me of the novel by Wendy Heard that I read just recently “The Kill Club.” The schemes to get justice relied upon strangers engaging with strangers to carry out the acts of vengeance. Similarly, it was imperative that the victims remain ignorant of the party who carried out the “get even” plan for their designated villains. The plot differs in that in “The Kill Club” it was serial murder, and in “The Hook” it was cleverly concocted schemes by Maggie to approximate the level of the offense, and never homicide. Simply put, the boxing club had numerous members, only three of which were in Maggie’s “special group”. They did not know each other, except perhaps to be aware that another one of them was also a member of the boxing club.
Each of the three women (Katherine, Geneva, and Luz) were told by Maggie that she would be required to carry out a specifically outlined “mission” involving a stranger. This was each woman’s “payment” to have the payback meted out to her own personal offender. It is only common sense to understand that when (for example) Luze is given her “assignment” by Maggie to carry out on a stranger she does not know from Adam, that she realizes that one of the women in the boxing club is carrying out a task assigned by Maggie to take care of the man she (Luze) targeted for revenge. It is an operation designed by a “smooth criminal” but unlike “The Kill Club” (where victims and targets are scattered all over LA), in “The Hook” we have a group of women who all belong to a boxing club with the common denominator of an instructor named Maggie. It creates a finite pool of possible women who are involved in Maggie’s “special group”, and more of a chance for chaos to occur, which it does.
So, that is the gist of the plot with no spoilers. Diversity in the population of the female victims is noted in that Katherine is Black, Geneva is Black, and Luz is Mexican-American. Maggie, the mastermind is also Black. The author is creative and in touch with our times by creating sexual identities that as a reader, I was unable to identify how the individual might identify herself in two cases. It is well written and sensitive to diversity and gender identities throughout the novel.
It was a disappointment to me that I was unable to resonate with two out of three of the main three characters. The author’s use of First-Person Narrator with each of her three protagonists allowed the reader the sense of immediacy to know the circumstances of what had happened to each of them, how they had been emotionally devastated, and exactly how that they viewed the entirety of their set of circumstances. It followed that I was unable to sympathize with the character of Luze or Geneva.
The character of 45-year-old Katherine and her story conversely broke my heart. She was relatable, trapped in a loveless marriage with a mother who was complicit with her controlling spouse in essentially keeping her incapable of self-expression and experiencing any joy in life whatsoever that I could ascertain. The patriarchal Catholic church was used by both her husband and mother to bludgeon her into submission if she even voiced a thought of her own. Katherine was a virgin when she married her husband, not understanding that he was afflicted with a Madonna-whore complex. He wanted her to procreate for him, while he had no interest in her as a woman or a lover. Peter was a serial philanderer from the beginning of their decades long marriage. If she voiced a suspicion, she was told to shut up by not only her husband but told by her mother it was her fault if he was with other women.
Katherine gradually emerged as a strong and sympathetic leader and fighter when the entire carefully orchestrated schemes for getting even goes up in flames. Katherine’s “assignment” to conduct an online connection with one of the “targets” and video the sexual nature of the online relationship goes awry after the Skype video is successfully captured. The little “adventure” has awakened Katherine’s own sexuality and she makes an ill-fated clandestine trip to meet him at a motel for a meet and greet in the flesh. Naturally that was a “no-no” and Katherine was never supposed to have any actual personal contact with her target, as satisfying as that had been for her after her sterile existence with her husband. It would not have been completely catastrophic, but for the fact that the “target” alias “Brad” had been brutally murdered after Katherine left him at the motel with a satisfied grin. And Katherine also later lied to Maggie about the meeting. Boy, was that bad!!! But no spoilers.
Bottom line, the plot was intriguing, and the novel depicted an expanse of diversity and expression of sexuality that is seldom reflected in domestic thrillers. I loved the character of Katherine and her character arc throughout the novel. The strong, charismatic mentor who strategized for the girls (Maggie) was ultimately fleshed out and I truly liked the character and the possibility of Stone writing a sequel with Maggie learning from her errors and moving forward.
However, Stone’s use of multiple first-person narrators was a failure for me on at least two levels. One, I disliked two of them. Two (and most important), when the proverbial you-know-what hit the fan, reading the emotional responses of the two characters I was not fond of was excruciating. The chapters inside their respective heads did not enhance my enjoyment of the reading experience. Katherine’s responses were equally scattered but it was Katherine who rose above the chaos and heroically brought the trio together. I must admit that when they were joined through the efforts of Katherine that it was poignant.
A final thought on this work by Stone is one I thought about a lot. In fact, my emotional response to reading the scenarios faced by both Geneva and Luz were such that I stopped to evaluate my own reactions. The story posits the question of whether or not if a life-altering event occurs as the direct result of either 1-flawed personal judgment of a willful act, or 2-the result of an illegal act should a party who announces the results of 1-the flawed personal judgment or 2-the illegal act be held accountable by essentially a vigilante entity? I am not advocating for vigilante justice at some level not to be levied at some actions against women that are not technically illegal in the eyes of the law. For example, threats of violence against women reported to police who are unable to act until the woman is beaten, maimed, or killed.
THOUGHT PROVOKING VENGEANCE THRILLER FROM STONE THAT LEFT ME NOT FULLY SATISFIED
May 18, 2023
Thank you to @netgalley and @thrillerloverspromotions for my advance copy! I was instantly pulled into this one by the premise and the fact it starts in a women’s boxing class. I mean-bad ass!
This kinda reminded me of Strangers On a Train in the sense that one woman took revenge for another she did not know and so on. Each woman has a unique issue and has been wronged by a man. They are all sympathetic and you really feel for them. Each bit of “revenge” was different too which I enjoyed. I really enjoyed that as the story progressed each woman got their own voice and sense of power back. It was the ultimate revenge novel and tons of fun.
I also enjoy multiple POVs in thrillers and this one delivered by giving the three women their own. It’s really easy to read and pulls you in from the beginning. I will have to watch out for more from this author!
This kinda reminded me of Strangers On a Train in the sense that one woman took revenge for another she did not know and so on. Each woman has a unique issue and has been wronged by a man. They are all sympathetic and you really feel for them. Each bit of “revenge” was different too which I enjoyed. I really enjoyed that as the story progressed each woman got their own voice and sense of power back. It was the ultimate revenge novel and tons of fun.
I also enjoy multiple POVs in thrillers and this one delivered by giving the three women their own. It’s really easy to read and pulls you in from the beginning. I will have to watch out for more from this author!
July 17, 2023
"so let's start a club for a$$holes"
3.5 I'm rounding up for being such an entertaining read. This one had me spinning in circles the whole time. You meet Katherine on a very bad day - she's discovered her husband is cheating at the huge birthday party she planned for him.
From there you meet all your POV - Katherine, Geneva & Luz. You find that that day was maybe not entirely how it was presented to you, as the reader, and slowly you learn some secrets these girls have been keeping. But quickly things escalate out of control and all the girls are wondering - who planned what? Who did what? And what is going on? As their secrets surface and their confessions are revealed, it was a race to the end to find what out what was really going on and who did what. What a fun ride this one was, as an ebook AND the audio. And the conclusion was great!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
3.5 I'm rounding up for being such an entertaining read. This one had me spinning in circles the whole time. You meet Katherine on a very bad day - she's discovered her husband is cheating at the huge birthday party she planned for him.
From there you meet all your POV - Katherine, Geneva & Luz. You find that that day was maybe not entirely how it was presented to you, as the reader, and slowly you learn some secrets these girls have been keeping. But quickly things escalate out of control and all the girls are wondering - who planned what? Who did what? And what is going on? As their secrets surface and their confessions are revealed, it was a race to the end to find what out what was really going on and who did what. What a fun ride this one was, as an ebook AND the audio. And the conclusion was great!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
June 2, 2023
I do think there’s a great idea hidden in the plot but dare I say the actual story lacks discipline. The women all have equally interesting tales to tell but it’s as if the author has just chosen which one is to be the favourite so the others suffer somewhat because of that.
I did still enjoy the book and loved the different pov’s especially how they were all allowed to be individuals. It could have been great but it ended up just ok for me.
I did still enjoy the book and loved the different pov’s especially how they were all allowed to be individuals. It could have been great but it ended up just ok for me.
June 20, 2023
I was SO excited when I saw “Victoria Helen Stone” and “revenge”—I was hoping for something closer to Jane Doe which I love so much. Instead, I had the hardest time getting through this. Part of my issue was the alternating perspectives; just as I started to get into someone’s story, the chapter ended and the POV changed. But even though on the surface the women and their situations were extremely diverse, they all started to sound repetitive and whiny. Bummer.
May 20, 2023
I first was introduced to this author when I read Jane Doe and I feel like I've been chasing that Jane Doe high ever since. Her last few books have been a bit meh for me, but I really enjoyed this one. Not quite as much as Jane Doe but still a solid novel.
The story is told from 3 alternating perspectives - Katherine, Geneva, and Luz. All 3 women were wronged by someone and want to get revenge. They're helped by their teacher, Maggie, at The Hook's boxing class. But then (unsurprisingly) things start to go wrong - one of the revenge targets winds up dead.
The story was interesting and moved at a decent pace. The voices of the women were mostly distinguishable but sometimes I forgot who I was reading. The killer/reveal was really obvious - while they were trying to figure it out, I was screaming at the book about who it was.
My biggest complaint is how the author hyperfocused on describing race in an awkward, forced, in your face way. I really wanted to like how she's including a diverse cast, but some parts felt forced. For example, we kept hearing about how Maggie was a strong, Black woman - it's so great to have a strong Black woman as a character, but oof, I don't need to read the sentence "Maggie was a strong, Black woman" 10 times.
Other times, it was done well. There was another part where Katherine (white) said that she would take possession of the drugs because if the cops caught her, she was just a silly white woman who didn't realize they were drugs, vs her Black and Latin counterparts. That fit in the story. Or one of the characters (Geneva) is bisexual - great, I love the representation. Part of why she wants revenge is that she had a threesome with a man and woman, which Geneva recorded, and then the man posted online. Geneva was a teacher but was forced out when everyone heard about the video - that was an interesting plot point about women's sexuality.
Overall, it's a decent story with an interesting plot. It's not super innovative but was a fun, quick read.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy
The story is told from 3 alternating perspectives - Katherine, Geneva, and Luz. All 3 women were wronged by someone and want to get revenge. They're helped by their teacher, Maggie, at The Hook's boxing class. But then (unsurprisingly) things start to go wrong - one of the revenge targets winds up dead.
The story was interesting and moved at a decent pace. The voices of the women were mostly distinguishable but sometimes I forgot who I was reading. The killer/reveal was really obvious - while they were trying to figure it out, I was screaming at the book about who it was.
My biggest complaint is how the author hyperfocused on describing race in an awkward, forced, in your face way. I really wanted to like how she's including a diverse cast, but some parts felt forced. For example, we kept hearing about how Maggie was a strong, Black woman - it's so great to have a strong Black woman as a character, but oof, I don't need to read the sentence "Maggie was a strong, Black woman" 10 times.
Other times, it was done well. There was another part where Katherine (white) said that she would take possession of the drugs because if the cops caught her, she was just a silly white woman who didn't realize they were drugs, vs her Black and Latin counterparts. That fit in the story. Or one of the characters (Geneva) is bisexual - great, I love the representation. Part of why she wants revenge is that she had a threesome with a man and woman, which Geneva recorded, and then the man posted online. Geneva was a teacher but was forced out when everyone heard about the video - that was an interesting plot point about women's sexuality.
Overall, it's a decent story with an interesting plot. It's not super innovative but was a fun, quick read.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy
May 5, 2023
Revenge is a dish best served cold.....or is it?🥊🔪💊
Special thanks to @victoriahelenstone & @thrillerbookloverspromotions for the chance to read and review this ARC.
[SWIPE for synopsis]
MY REVIEW::
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
This was definitely a slowburn novel, but it also has 3 main POVs. So it has alot of storyline to setup. This is a great book for people who loved The Collective.
I love that it encompasses women working together to show that they are not powerless or defined by unfortunate events that happen in their lives. It mimics alot of real-life issues and shows that doing the right thing over shadows revenge in the end.
It really revs up and won't let you put it down toward yhe end as your racing through the chapters to find out how these stories could be related and how it has anything to do with a boxing gym.
✨️PUB DAY IS May 23, 2023✨️
QOTD: What's your favorite way to relieve stress?
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#thrillerbooks #thrillerreads #suspensethriller #thrillerreader #thrillerlover #thrillerobsessed #suspensereads #bookrecs #bookreview #bookstagram #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookie #booklove #bookcommunity #bookobsessed #bookworm #booknerd #booksofig #booksofinstagram #bookish #bookishfeatures #tbr #tbrpile #bookbuzz #BookstaBFF23 #thrillerbooklovers #thehook #victoriahelenstone
Special thanks to @victoriahelenstone & @thrillerbookloverspromotions for the chance to read and review this ARC.
[SWIPE for synopsis]
MY REVIEW::
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
This was definitely a slowburn novel, but it also has 3 main POVs. So it has alot of storyline to setup. This is a great book for people who loved The Collective.
I love that it encompasses women working together to show that they are not powerless or defined by unfortunate events that happen in their lives. It mimics alot of real-life issues and shows that doing the right thing over shadows revenge in the end.
It really revs up and won't let you put it down toward yhe end as your racing through the chapters to find out how these stories could be related and how it has anything to do with a boxing gym.
✨️PUB DAY IS May 23, 2023✨️
QOTD: What's your favorite way to relieve stress?
.
.
.
.
.
.
#thrillerbooks #thrillerreads #suspensethriller #thrillerreader #thrillerlover #thrillerobsessed #suspensereads #bookrecs #bookreview #bookstagram #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookie #booklove #bookcommunity #bookobsessed #bookworm #booknerd #booksofig #booksofinstagram #bookish #bookishfeatures #tbr #tbrpile #bookbuzz #BookstaBFF23 #thrillerbooklovers #thehook #victoriahelenstone
June 8, 2023
I loved the concept of this book, but unfortunately it just fell a bit flat. There were some loose ends... though not really lose ends but more like 'loose threads', just little bits of information that I wondered about but didn't really impact the overall plot.
"The Hook" is the name of a boxing gym that all the women go to, but besides the minor play on words, I think the title should have been something more plot-related. Maybe "Hooked on Revenge", if the gym name has to be in the title.
There was no big "FEEL MY WRATH" moment for any of the women, but there was a lot of emotion on the parts of all the women. I really wanted that "A-HA!" revenge moment.
It's an okay read, but I've liked some of Ms. Stone's other works better. (Jane Doe still remains my favourite! The dark humour is fantastic.)
"The Hook" is the name of a boxing gym that all the women go to, but besides the minor play on words, I think the title should have been something more plot-related. Maybe "Hooked on Revenge", if the gym name has to be in the title.
There was no big "FEEL MY WRATH" moment for any of the women, but there was a lot of emotion on the parts of all the women. I really wanted that "A-HA!" revenge moment.
It's an okay read, but I've liked some of Ms. Stone's other works better. (Jane Doe still remains my favourite! The dark humour is fantastic.)
January 21, 2025
A fine thriller, with a lot of good threads that came to satisfying conclusions. A trainer at a boxing gym arranges "Strangers on a Train" scenarios for her members who need revenge against men. I wish we would've gotten more of Maggie's POV, but it would have ruined the "Is she helping us or just using us" mystery, so I understand why she wasn't a POV character. Still, would've been a good story.
December 4, 2025
The Hook is a solid revenge story. Three women, one man, and a pattern they can no longer ignore. I liked watching them connect the pieces and slowly come together. It is straightforward, smart and easy to follow.
The tension builds well, the backstories are clear and the payoff feels good. Stone writes this kind of plot so well. Women teaming up, finding their voice and getting the last word.
A quick, satisfying read with a revenge angle that works.
The tension builds well, the backstories are clear and the payoff feels good. Stone writes this kind of plot so well. Women teaming up, finding their voice and getting the last word.
A quick, satisfying read with a revenge angle that works.
June 23, 2023
4 stars for a unique spin. I enjoyed this book. It was a fun read and listen. This was a fun take on the 'strangers on a train' theme. I appreciated that even thought this is a post covid book, there was very little direct mention of it.
June 2, 2023
Barely 3 stars. Just messy.
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