She Started It

A Novel

By: Sian Gilbert

Narrated by: Sarah Ovens, Anne-Marie Piazza, Ione Butler, Billie Fulford-Brown, Sarah Cullum, Ella Lynch

A hot, twisty summer debut thriller about a Caribbean bachelorette party that takes a sinister turn. It’s Lord of the Flies meets And Then There Were None...but with Instagram and too much prosecco.

The party of a lifetime is nothing like what they expected...

Annabel, Esther, Tanya, and Chloe are best friends—or were, as children. Despite drifting apart in adulthood, shared secrets have kept them bonded for better or worse, even as their childhood dreams haven’t quite turned out as they’d hoped. Then one day they receive a wholly unexpected—but not entirely unwelcome—invitation from another old friend. Poppy Greer has invited them all to her extravagant bachelorette party: a first-class plane ticket to three days of white sand, cocktails, and relaxation on a luxe private island in the Bahamas.

None of them has spoken to Poppy in years. But Poppy’s Instagram pics shows that the girl they used to consider the weakest link in their group has definitely made good—and made money. Curiosity gets the better of them. Besides, who can turn down a posh all-expenses-paid vacation on a Caribbean island?

The first-class flight and the island’s accommodations are just as opulent as expected...even if the scenic island proves more remote than they’d anticipated. Quite remote, in fact, with no cell service, and no other guests. The women quickly discover they’ve underestimated Poppy, and each other. As their darkest secrets are revealed, the tropical adventure morphs into a terrifying nightmare.

Endlessly twisty, sharply observant, and deliciously catty, She Started It is sure to shock listeners until the very end.

©2023 Sian Gilbert (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Good read

Overall good book. Kind of creepy but I like the story itself. The characters are presented well. I feel really bad for the main character poppy, I really feel the emotion with her.

Whoa.

Holy buckets. This was like Mean Girls to the max. The build-up was brutal, and the way Poppy was treated was genuinely heartbreaking.

The characters were all so well done, even though they were despicable. Annabel refused to acknowledge the past. It’s over, old news, and she isn’t bothered. Chloe is shallow and self-involved, living as a social media influencer. Esther and Tanya are also living their lives without regret.

But they all have secrets. This was such a twisted display of toxic friendship, bullying, jealousy, and how easy it is for someone to fall between the cracks and be forgotten.

The way this story was told was clever. Multiple narrators, with multiple points of view and alternating timelines, reveal the truth, past and present, with a twist that will leave you shocked.

This was brilliantly performed. Each of the narrators was fantastic, bringing their character to life and giving this story a realistic element that makes each twist more intense.

I'm not sure

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. Characters were not likable. definitely a surprise ending that pulls at your heart strings.

I loved it!

I honestly didn’t see that ending coming. Hoping for a part 2 or an epilogue.

Couldn’t put it down!

Amazing story!! So many twists and turns I just couldn’t stop reading! You think you know what’s going on to an extent but then you’re totally thrown for a loop, so if you think you’re predicting it you’re close but not at all!! I love the point of view characters in the story telling. I really hope a sequel comes out!?

Wow!

This story was so good. So many twists, each one more unexpected than the last and the ending… woah.. i highly recommend this one! It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year!

Unremarkable ending!!!

This book was a little slow to start but wow what a great book once u get into it!! 10/10

Best book I’ve listened to in forever!

I Loved this book!! So rarely do I find a book that I am anxious to get to the end to know what happened, yet dread for it to ever end because I am enjoying it so darn much! This is definitely one of those.
Not that it is perfect…I wanted to choke Poppy for being so gullible several times, but it wasn’t so much that it ruined the story like it does in some books (for me, anyway).
I really liked how Sian Gilbert told the story going back and forth from Poppy’s teenage years to the current days friends’s storytelling. But it was Poppy’s first chapter that hooked me and sunk me into the story.
The narrators were really great, as well. There was only one that kinda grated on my nerves a bit (Chloe).
I hadn’t gotten halfway through before I started looking for more books by this author. I was so disappointed to discover this is her only one so far! I can’t wait to read more from her in the future!! Highly recommend 😃

Good read, but not something I would read again

SPOILERS

The story was interesting and it was very well written, but it just didn’t capture my attention as much as some other books. I will say I didn’t see the twist coming at the very end with Wendy, but I had a hunch “poppy” was still alive! Again, it was good it wasn’t hard to get through, just not as jaw dropping as some other reads!

Great book

What a twist!!! All the characters were great!!!!!! Would love to read more by this lady