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She Started It by Sian Gilbert
Thriller

She Started It

Debut

We love supporting debut authors. Congrats, Sian Gilbert, on your first book!

by Sian Gilbert

Quick take

Revenge is a dish best served with champagne! And on this remote tropical island, it’s the only thing on the menu . . .

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_MultipleNarrators

    Multiple viewpoints

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_Action

    Action-packed

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_Unreliable

    Unreliable narrator

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_Unlikeable

    Unlikeable narrator

Synopsis

The party of a lifetime is nothing like what they expected . . .

Annabel, Esther, Tanya, and Chloe are best friends—or were, as children. Despite drifting apart in adulthood, shared secrets have kept them bonded for better or worse, even as their childhood dreams haven’t quite turned out as they’d hoped. Then one day they receive a wholly unexpected—but not entirely unwelcome—invitation from another old friend. Poppy Greer has invited them all to her extravagant bachelorette party: a first-class plane ticket to three days of white sand, cocktails, and relaxation on a luxe private island in the Bahamas.

None of them has spoken to Poppy in years. But Poppy’s Instagram pics shows that the girl they used to consider the weakest link in their group has definitely made good—and made money. Curiosity gets the better of them. Besides, who can turn down a posh all-expenses-paid vacation on a Caribbean island?

The first-class flight and the island’s accommodations are just as opulent as expected . . . even if the scenic island proves more remote than they’d anticipated. Quite remote, in fact, with no cell service, and no other guests. The women quickly discover they’ve underestimated Poppy, and each other. As their darkest secrets are revealed, the tropical adventure morphs into a terrifying nightmare.

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Content warning

This book contains scenes depicting self harm.

Free sample

Get an early look from the first pages of She Started It.

Why I love it

What happens when mean girls grow up? Are they haunted by the victims whose lives they made miserable, or do they happily push the past firmly behind them and go merrily on their way?

Told from the perspective of four (obnoxious in the best possible way) women, She Started It opens on an ominous note—There’s only the bride waiting for me, and she’s covered in blood—and then catapults you into a five-star private island full of secrets so juicy that you’ll die to know what they are.

When four friends are invited to a bachelorette party in the Caribbean, they are pleasantly surprised but a little confused, especially because they haven’t spoken to the bride—a girl they were less than kind to—since they left school ten years ago. But who can say no to an all-expense paid luxury getaway, especially when there are Instagram followers to satisfy and cocktails to be guzzled down on a white-sand beach? That is, until the revenge games begin!

She Started It had me hooked from the very first page and did not let up until the very end. Fast-paced, with enough twists and turns to give you whiplash and characters you just love to hate, Gilbert does an expert job keeping us guessing until the very last page.

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Member ratings (24,340)

  • Marie S.

    Houston, TX

    ⭐️TRIGGER WARNING: MEAN GIRLS⭐️ A very dark, suspenseful, emotional “whodunnit” feels all the way through! Although there are some psychological events, I really love how the ending unfolds! #revenge

  • Anita K.

    Katy, TX

    Mean girls on steroids! When 5 schoolmates reunite 10 years after horrific events, it’s anyone’s guess who’s keeping the most secrets. A wonderful read with a twist…and possibly a cliff-hanger ending?

  • Stefanie E.

    Baton Rouge, LA

    Yes, I guessed every single twist (before the halfway mark), and yes, the first half is awfully slow, but the “And Then There Were None” plus “Mean Girls” (gone psycho) vibes were beyond entertaining.

  • Theresa T.

    Huntersville , NC

    Bullying in high school and 10 years later a “hen party” on a private island. Twists and turns that unravel lots of secrets proving that no one’s life is perfect. Revenge 10 years later- a great read.

  • Karmen K.

    Los Angeles, CA

    Can’t say I’ve ever read a book where you’re not meant to like any of the characters. It was who you hated the least. This was Mean Girls on steroids! They all did deserve what happened to an extent.