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tl;dr Review:
This book left me with a sense of disquietude and brought to mind Gillian Flynn with its antihero.
Full Review:
The publisher’s described the book as follows,
In the tradition of The Emperor’s Children and The House of Mirth, the forgotten granddaughter of one of New York’s wealthiest men is reunited with her family just as she comes of age—and once she’s had a glimpse of their glittering world, she refuses to let it go without a fight.
When Laila Lawrence becomes an orphan at twenty-three, the sudden loss unexpectedly introduces her to three glamorous cousins from New York who show up unannounced at her mother’s funeral. The three siblings are scions of the wealthy family from which Laila’s father had been estranged long before his own untimely demise ten years before.
Two years later, Laila has left behind her quiet life in Grosse Point, Michigan to move to New York City, landing her smack in the middle of her cousins’ decadent world. As the truth about why Laila’s parents became estranged from the family patriarch becomes clear, Laila grows ever more resolved to claim what’s rightfully hers. Caught between longing for the love of her family and her relentless pursuit of the lifestyle she feels she was unfairly denied, Laila finds herself reawakening a long dead family scandal—not to mention setting off several new ones—as she becomes further enmeshed in the lives and love affairs of her cousins. But will Laila ever, truly, belong in their world? Sly and sexy, She Regrets Nothing is a sharply observed and utterly seductive tale about family, fortune, and fate—and the dark side of wealth.
However, having read both of those books referenced in the description, I didn’t feel like this gives you any context or idea about what you’re about to dive into.
Personally, Laila Lawerence reminds me of the antiheros in Gillian Flynn’s novels. The semi-villians that you both root for and cannot stand for their narcissism and borderline evil.
The book also switches between the different family members in terms of who is narrating. While normally I hate this, I didn’t mind it here. But again, the book’s description doesn’t give you any indication of the whole family dynamic that will be alternatly narrating throughout this tale.
While not directly related to the story line, one part really stuck out to me. It described the “rich woman’s paradox” where one of the family members so loves her work that she does it enthusiastically. But since she deson’t need the money (and therefore, doesn’t chase after it like many of us do), it ends up coming to her in spades because of her sheer love of what she does.
In my daily life, I work as a career consultant, so I see how much people can chase after money. But it is true that when you truly love what you do, things seem to flow to you much more easily. Now whether or not this is a rich woman’s paradox is up for debate, but it was a very poignant take on a situation I see often in my field.
Overall though, it was a really well-written story and I wish it had been a big longer and come to a different conclusion. There were a few parts here and there that I felt like were left floating in the wind but whether this was intential or not is up for debate. Normally, I’d think it was a flaw in the storytelling, but with the way this novel is written and with how it ends, I wonder if it wasn’t done on purpose.
If you’re looking for a chill read that ties together nicely in the end, then I don’t recommend this book.
But, if you’re looking for a story that leaves you feeling all sorts of ways and sticks in your head long after you finish it, then I’d give this one a try.
Overally, I give it 4 out of 5 thumbs up.
