Quick Synopsis – After one too many terrifying encounters, Millie Masters sets up a hotline for women who feel unsafe walking home alone at night: Message M. She very quickly she realizes that there’s much more to be done to help the women who call in.

Song This Reminds Me Of – I Did Something Bad – Taylor Swift

Publication Date – March 28, 2024

Content Warnings – This book depicts violence on page, blood, attempted sexual assault, sexual assault, child abuse, rape (off-page), and vomiting.

Rating – 2.75 out of 5 ⭐

Review – This book is like a combination of You by Caroline Kepnes and the movie Promising Young Woman. Which in concept would be perfect for me, but I just couldn’t love this book. Don’t get me wrong, the sarcastic, emotionally closed-off Millie is a good main character, but I had so many issues with the plot and writing style. The author uses the same phrases over and over, which made Millie seem neurotic in not a loving way.

In the beginning of the book, we discover that Millie started Message M because her sister was raped on New Year’s. Message M is a way for Millie to help other women and young girls from predators. When Millie gets a text from a girl who has been drugged and is trapped, she rushes to the rescue. After knocking on the wrong door, Millie finally arrives to rescue the drugged girl. Millie breaks into a strange man’s home to find the girl unconscious and with the creep in question taking staged nude photos. In the process of rescuing the girl who messaged, Millie lets her rage take over and kicks the perv down the stairs, resulting in his death.

At first, Millie is disgusted by her actions and she’s sure she’s going to be caught. She calls in sick to work and searches the local news, waiting for the police to arrive at her doorstep. When the police don’t arrive, she settles into the resolve that the creep deserved it and, better yet, she can get revenge for her sister. She just needs to find her rapist and end him.

Obviously, this book deals with very dark subject matter with very real statistics. Millie not only wants to get revenge for her sister, but also for herself. Her dad was a vicious drunk – emotionally, physically, and sexually abusive. As a result, Millie has few friends and only one family member she really cares about. Honestly, I’m surprised it took this long for her to snap.

Of course, the love interest in this book is a detective who is obsessed with these “accidents” that are murders. Millie finally finds a guy she likes and of course he’s a detective, and she’s a murderer. Such star-crossed lovers. I hated this plot point; it just seemed so convenient and also kind of dumb. If you were a vigilante, why would you date a cop?? I could understand most of the character motivations, but this just seemed like such a bonehead move.

This was just an okay read for me, but I think if you like You the book or show, you’d like this novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC. All opinions are my own.