Review: “A Better Me”
I chose this book from a book club as I liked the synopsis.
The Premise
Cynthia and Anne are two of the clients invited to a spa to enhance their lives. Despite having little in common, the roommates soon forge a friendship as they embark on a journey of self-discovery and betterment. However this soon takes a dark turn when they awaken in a different room. Gone is the beauty and luxury of the spa environment and the servants catering to their every whim; gone is their freedom. They are now being held prisoners against their will. Working with the other female prisoners to combine their new abilities, they must find a way to escape.
The Pros
This was a women’s fiction with thriller elements. I enjoyed the budding friendships between the main characters and also some of the side characters as well. I appreciated that there were also romantic elements but these were not the main focus of the story. I liked seeing the protagonists grow into their own and find strength in their camaraderie. The dialogue was also kept light despite the serious overtures of the nightmare that they were experiencing, and it helped to keep my interest all the way through.
I also really liked the overall premise of the story, as it had a sort of dystopian feel to it though it was set in modern times. It was easy to believe that these places do exist, and nefarious activities are happening in places we don’t know about.
The Cons
Though I liked the story overall, I admit I wanted a bit more. While I loved the little twist at the end, I expected a bigger twist regarding the whole premise. I had many scenarios in my head as to who was behind it, or what was the reason it all began, and this was never discovered — the “big reveal” felt vague. There were also some plot holes for me — why ask such specific eerie questions and risk revealing their intentions from the jump; how did the high-level security drop to barely-existent from time to time; why was Anne supposedly a separate type of client (this didn’t seem significant enough for a role — she could’ve easily been a regular client just like Cynthia). I also felt in terms of pacing, it was on the long side for the thriller aspect of the genre, and it could have been edited down a bit to add tension. Finally while I loved the two main view points we switch between (Anne and Cynthia), I personally didn’t need the others as they tipped the balance of the story.
Conclusion
Despite my niggling issues as a picky reader (and HUGE fan of the genre mash-up of “women’s fiction” and “thriller”) this was still a great novel and I would recommend it to others. I can see it being made into a film as there were so many interesting characters and so many layers of intrigue. With some tweaks this would be really amazing, and there’s so much potential here as the idea is fresh and unique. I would definitely give the author another go with further books.
