Thursday, 26 December 2024

Book ~ "The Haters" (2024) Robyn Harding

From Goodreads ~ Camryn Lane is living her dream. After years of struggle and rejection, her first novel has finally been published. Her editor is happy, her teenage daughter is proud and her boyfriend and friends are all excited for her. She’s on top of the world - until she receives a disturbing message from an unknown sender.

Rattled by the accusations she finds there, Camryn swallows the sick feeling in her stomach and resolves to put the missive out of her mind. But when she checks her ratings on a popular book site, she finds a scathing one-star review. The reviewer is so articulate and convincing that soon, Camryn’s book is flooded with bad reviews. Could the reviewer be the same person who sent the ugly email? And why do they want to ruin her?

As the online harassment creeps into Camryn’s personal life, she vows to find out who’s behind it. Is it really a disgruntled reader? Or could it be someone she knows? The troll’s actions are escalating, and when the abuse turns deadly, it will take everything Camryn has to unmask the enemy so intent on destroying her - and finally learn why she's being targeted.

Camryn is a guidance counsellor at a private school. She is in her late 30s, divorced with a daughter who is graduating from high school, and has a younger boyfriend who she has nothing in common with. She recently fulfilled her dream of writing and publishing her first novel. 

When she receives a nasty email about how it's disgusting she used the stories of her students as material for her, she initially brushes it off. But when she starts getting hundreds one star reviews on a review site, she starts to get concerned, especially when the harassment gets personal. There are lots who might want to sabotage her writing career and she needs to figure out who it is before she loses everything including her friends, her job and her possible publishing opportunities.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I liked it.  I liked the writing style and it moved at a quick pace. It is written in first person perspective in Camryn's voice. Interspersed in the story are chapters from Camryn's book. The ending came quickly and for the most part I was buying it. As a head's up, there is swearing.

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