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deschatjes's review against another edition
3.0
Unreliable narrator, twists, nasty poor ambitious people and warped people with wealth.
craftbuzz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
emilyturnsthepage's review against another edition
4.0
Stella and Violet quickly became best friends when they met in college. Stella – attractive, rich, calculating and manipulative – craves the spotlight and needs those around her to build her up. Violet – ambitious and attentive – is ready to shed her past to become more like her best friend Stella. Though they couldn’t be more different, they have one major thing in common – neither will stop at anything to get what they want, even if that means destroying the other along the way. When Violet moves to New York upon graduation and lands a job that takes her from intern to assistant to producer, she feels she finally has achieved something without being under the shadow of Stella. But Stella can’t help but be envious of Violet’s newfound success and decides to use her connections to get in front of the camera, becoming the stations new face. It seems the toxic, volatile friendship may come to a front.
Review: Necessary People is a tale of frenemies and the toxic relationship between two very different best friends. I couldn’t get over the constant game of cat and mouse with Stella and Violet, who both live different lives but are intertwined so delicately. This book reminded me a little bit of Social Creature (anyone read that one?!) but I much preferred Necessary People. It was a slow build filled with tension threatening to bubble over. I thought the plot line was great and was surprised at the twist that happened about halfway through. I liked how “real” their friendship felt – if you’ve ever had a toxic friendship, you’ll relate in some way. It was well-written, the characters were developed well and overall it was a good suspenseful story! rating: 4.5 out of 5 ⭐️
Review: Necessary People is a tale of frenemies and the toxic relationship between two very different best friends. I couldn’t get over the constant game of cat and mouse with Stella and Violet, who both live different lives but are intertwined so delicately. This book reminded me a little bit of Social Creature (anyone read that one?!) but I much preferred Necessary People. It was a slow build filled with tension threatening to bubble over. I thought the plot line was great and was surprised at the twist that happened about halfway through. I liked how “real” their friendship felt – if you’ve ever had a toxic friendship, you’ll relate in some way. It was well-written, the characters were developed well and overall it was a good suspenseful story! rating: 4.5 out of 5 ⭐️
leighannc's review against another edition
4.0
Possible Spoiler Alert!!
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Do you ever understand the bad guy?...even root for them? I'd like to say no; the bad guy is bad and I never want them to "win". But Anna was able to convince me otherwise. Her writng was great. Her characters were perfect. And through the story I came to be in team Violet even though she made some not so great choices. I felt her feelings and understood why she made them. Great story!
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Do you ever understand the bad guy?...even root for them? I'd like to say no; the bad guy is bad and I never want them to "win". But Anna was able to convince me otherwise. Her writng was great. Her characters were perfect. And through the story I came to be in team Violet even though she made some not so great choices. I felt her feelings and understood why she made them. Great story!
journey_to_erudition's review against another edition
4.0
When I first started this book, I was irritated with the two main characters, because I found them both unlikable. They both have their issues. I continued reading it, because it is an easy read and I like the author’s writing style. Once I start a book, I feel I have to finish it. I have no regrets!
aallyoop_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to Net Galley and Little, Brown and Company for the review copy of Necessary People. This book gave me major Gossip Girl vibes, and I must say, I loved it!
Violet and Stella become fast friends in college. Violet grew up in small town Florida, with distant, abusive parents. She looks forward to college as an escape, and is swept away by rich, beautiful, and charismatic Stella. They are total opposites, but click and are die-hard friends.
After college, Violet gets an entry-level job at TV news channel, where she quickly rises up the ranks to become an associate producer. She loves her job and has a natural talent for snuffing out good stories, as well as playing up to execs to get her work noticed. In the meantime, Stella is adventuring at luxury locales, and upon returning to NYC to live with Violet, finds herself with the opportunity to work for the same news channel as her friend. Stella becomes an on-screen "talent" on-screen and steals the spotlight away from Violet with ease. This creates a tense dynamic between them, and after a blow up argument, tragedy ensues.
This was a page-turner and I loved the dichotomy of the rich vs. poor friend. From the perspective of Violet, we see how she feels threatened by Stella's easy way through life. She can't fathom that Stella could be jealous of her own career success, when Stella is flush with money, fame and familial support. This back and forth created an intriguing storyline. The backstage look behind TV news was pretty fascinating as well. There were plenty of juicy plotlines to keep the story interesting. I highly recommend picking up Necessary People!
Violet and Stella become fast friends in college. Violet grew up in small town Florida, with distant, abusive parents. She looks forward to college as an escape, and is swept away by rich, beautiful, and charismatic Stella. They are total opposites, but click and are die-hard friends.
After college, Violet gets an entry-level job at TV news channel, where she quickly rises up the ranks to become an associate producer. She loves her job and has a natural talent for snuffing out good stories, as well as playing up to execs to get her work noticed. In the meantime, Stella is adventuring at luxury locales, and upon returning to NYC to live with Violet, finds herself with the opportunity to work for the same news channel as her friend. Stella becomes an on-screen "talent" on-screen and steals the spotlight away from Violet with ease. This creates a tense dynamic between them, and after a blow up argument, tragedy ensues.
This was a page-turner and I loved the dichotomy of the rich vs. poor friend. From the perspective of Violet, we see how she feels threatened by Stella's easy way through life. She can't fathom that Stella could be jealous of her own career success, when Stella is flush with money, fame and familial support. This back and forth created an intriguing storyline. The backstage look behind TV news was pretty fascinating as well. There were plenty of juicy plotlines to keep the story interesting. I highly recommend picking up Necessary People!
nrpotenza's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25