Shame On You by Amy Heydenrych

This is quite a deceptive little book, you anticipate so much from the blurb and none of that is what you actually get.  This appears to be a light, frothy chic lit book about an Internet Star, the darling of Instagram, a healthy-living guru called Holly.  Whilst the initial impression of Holly is just that, this is a book about how social media twists and skews our perceptions so that lies become easy to tell and ordinary just is not good enough.  You cannot look ordinary, you cannot think ordinary and you certainly cannot live ordinary if you want to succeed.

To be fair, a quick scan of the first 20 or so pages tells you straight away that this is not a light, comforting book.  It is quite clear that we are dealing with something far more menacing.  It deals with issues that are relevant right here and now - the hero worship of vloggers, Instagram stars and what lengths they go to for that vicarious thrill that one more like, one more positive comment gives them.  But what happens if it is all a lie, or even a little bit of it, and someone exposes you?

Told from a slightly bizarre removed first person perspective the story unfolds through first the eyes of Holly and then Tyler.  Fortunately each chapter spells out just who is involved in this bit but it is obvious from both the events covered and the tone of the writing who is being talked about here.  Hence the removed first person comment about the story telling, in sections it is clearly third person story telling and then in others it is more first person perspective so I have had to coin my own phrase for it as I don't know what the technical term for this would - and I am sure there must be one.

Neither of the main characters are entirely likeable.  Holly I am pretty sure has Borderline Personality Disorder and/or needs a jolly good slap to bring her back to real life and Tyler is twisted in his own Obsessive Compulsive ways.  Certainly both characters have their moments where you feel empathy for them, strangely I felt this more for Tyler than I did for Holly.  What this says about my judgemental old self I don't know and I am not entirely your feelings about fictional characters carry much psychological weight wither.

The pace is fast and furious and there is little time catch a breath or reflect on what you just read.  Tight and taut this is a good old-fashioned thriller primped and preened in to the 21st century.  Make no mistake, you will need to set this aside for a minute or two every chapter or two just to thoroughly assimilate the barrage of information.

I RECEIVED A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK FROM READERS FIRST IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

**Review originally published December 7th, 2017**