Stay Mad, Sweetheart

THERE’S A FINE LINE BETWEEN INNOCENCE AND GUILT. AN EVEN FINER LINE BETWEEN JUSTICE AND REVENGE.

Data scientist Laura prefers the company of her books to the real world – let alone that cesspit online. But when her best friend Emily becomes the victim of horrific cyberbullying, she makes it her all-engulfing mission to track down the worst culprits.

Petite corporate financier Suki is about to outshine the stupid boys at her firm: she’s leading the acquisition of Edinburgh’s most exciting start-up. If only she could get its brilliant, but distracted, co-founder Laura to engage.

Event planner Claire is left to salvage the start-up's annual conference after her colleague Emily fails to return to work. She’s determined to get a promotion out of it, but her boss isn’t playing ball.

As the women's paths intertwine, the insidious discrimination they each face comes to light. Emboldened by Emily’s tragic experience, they join forces to plot the downfall of all those who've wronged them.

But with emotions running high, will the punishments fit the crimes?
 

Book source ~ Tour

Stay Mad, Sweetheart

Heleen Kist

Technothriller

19 November 2019

My Rating ~ 4 bites and a nibble

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Laura, Claire, and Suki are living their separate lives with Emily their only tenuous connection. Emily and Laura are best friends, but Claire and Suki are on the extreme outer rim until tragedy strikes Emily, bringing them all together in a tight inner circle that will change the course of their lives forever. Three very different women, one shared goal. The cause is noble, but do they take it too far?

The discrimination that women face on a daily basis is ludicrous. This is the 21^st century for fuck’s sake! And yet, here we are. Each woman in this story faces her own daily battles against it, but Emily bears the brunt when her sexual assault accusation against a Hollywood star goes viral worldwide. Now she’s not only dealing with the aftermath of the assault and charges, but also doxing which leads to both physical and cyber bullying, too. Honestly, this book made me hate living during this time in history even more. I want my Star Trek utopia dammit!

The chapters alternate between Laura, Emily, Suki, and Claire, tying them all together in a smooth, fast flowing plot. The writing is tight. There are no extraneous passages. It stays focused on the goal. Or goals since each woman has something they want to accomplish. The question we must ask ourselves is: did they take it too far? My honest answer is complicated. On the one hand, stooping to the level of the men is beneath us. However, I must admit to extreme satisfaction that the tables were turned and in such a way as to hit the men where it hurt them most. Again, was it too far? I say nope. Too bad, so sad. Do nasty shit, get nasty prizes I say. These men are adults and thought their behavior was fine and dandy. Fuck them. *shrugs* So I’m a vengeful bitch. What can I say? Maybe people should stop being such entitled assholes? Also, there’s a bit of a surprise toward the end that I honestly didn’t see coming and thought, wow. That person is a bigger asshole than I thought. Ok, actually there’s two like that, but the one…wow. That is not okay.

Stay Mad, Sweetheart is an easy read in terms of flow and yet it’s not in terms of subject matter. This book will have you feeling all the extremes, so be prepared. One thing I will tell you is this: it will most definitely stick with you long after you finish it.

I'm Heleen and I love writing novels. If this sounds like an addiction, that's because it probably has become one.

I'm Dutch and I live in Glasgow with a Scottish husband and our two kids.

My debut crime novel In Servitude came out in 2018. I'm very proud of its success in various rewards and reviews.

Stay Mad, Sweetheart is my latest novel: a dark yet empowering feminist thriller that's getting rave reviews already.

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