Publication Date: 24th Sep 2024
Genre: Contemporary Mystery/ Drama
3.5 Stars
One Liner: Nice… but the ending doesn’t hit the mark
Millie knew her boss, Freya was a psycho. How else can she explain the woman’s behavior at work? Nevertheless, even Millie didn’t think the boss could actually be a serial killer. But when people die during Freya’s trips to other cities, all of them can’t be coincidences, right?
Figuring out the truth might help Millie in more ways than one. Of course, she needs to ensure the target doesn’t end up on her back!
The story comes in Millie and Freya’s first-person POVs where they also break the fourth wall at times (plus another character’s first-person POV at the end).
My Thoughts:
I stopped reading thrillers or domestic/ psychological dramas due to the similar-sounding plotlines and tropes. While this one also leans heavily on the Devil Wears Prada’s evil boss trope, I wanted to give it a try (I didn’t read the mentioned book anyway, so worked in my favor).
The beginning was great. Millie’s POV is sarcastic but with some rambling and exhaustion. It gives a good idea of her character and sets the stage quickly. Almost right away, we know something is wrong with the boss. Soon, we are rooting for Millie.
Then, we switch to Freya’s POV, which I liked to an extent. A good thing is that the switch in POVs goes on for a solid set of chapters. A not-so-good thing is that the boss didn’t need as many chapters. Millie should have gotten more since this is supposed to be her book. Also, since both women have snarky voices when they talk to the readers, it is sometimes easy to forget whose POV we are reading.
Lissa was a decent side character. The guy was making progress but tanked towards the end. Since we don’t know what’s true, we have to accept whatever we read. Don’t know enough about Sam to say anything.
The reveal and the shift in the story midway through did the necessary job to keep the reader hooked. However, Freya’s POV went a bit too long after that. I wanted to get back to Millie’s and see the story progress from her perspective.
Despite a few issues, I was quite enjoying this until the twists came one after another in the end. A couple of them were too close with no space for the readers to process it. Regular thriller fans will take it in stride (they are used to unwanted twists) but I feel one of those should have come earlier. With no space for explanation, this could lead to more questions than what we already have.
Nevertheless, I don’t think this is a complete thriller either. It’s a strange mix of office-based chick-lit and a psychological thriller.
Also, a couple of scenes (though they depict reality) weren’t related to the plot. I really hoped these would in some way be connected to the central track later, but that didn’t happen. Moreover, with the book being careful not to openly use the abuse trope, that scene in the public transport was off. It didn’t serve any purpose but it should have!
To summarize, How to Slay at Work is fast-paced and enjoyable but could have had a better ending. I’m almost an outliner, so read other reviews before you decide. Many readers have enjoyed it a lot more.
Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for eARC.
#NetGalley #HowToSlayAtWork
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