SHE DID IT AGAIN. THE UNRELIABLE NARRATOR. AND I FELL FOR IT. AGAIN.
You'd think after book one — where the FMC turned out to be a literal assassin who killed the MMC — I would have learned to trust NOTHING. But no. Jeneane O'Riley looked me dead in the eyes, said "I'm going to fool you a second time," and I said "okay!" like an absolute clown. The AUDACITY of this author. The SKILL of pulling the same trick and still making it hit like a freight train.
The spice in this one was even filthier than book one. More desperate, more unhinged, more "these people should NOT be doing this but I cannot look away." The tension between them — after everything that happened, after the betrayal, the death, the lies — was suffocating in the best possible way.
Every time I thought I had the plot figured out: WRONG. Every time I thought I knew who was lying: WRONG. Every time I thought "surely she won't twist this AGAIN": WRONG WRONG WRONG.
I devoured this in two days and spent the rest of the week questioning my own ability to read social cues in real life. If I can't spot a fictional unreliable narrator after being burned ONCE, what am I missing in the real world?? This series is giving me trust issues and I'm LIVING for it.
🗡️ 4.5/5 stars. Fooled me twice. Shame on ME. Will absolutely be fooled a third time.