frombethanysbookshelf's review
4.0
Genre: General Fiction | Womens Fiction | Adult Fiction
Release Date: Expected 5th August 2021
Publisher: Orion Publishing Group
CW; This book contains descriptions Self-Harm, Domestic Abuse and Miscarriage.
Lo lives the perfect life, according to her expertly curated social media anyway. A happily middle-class Mother to a very cute four-year old, she spends her time thinking of the right instagram captions for her adoring followers, drinking very good wine and fighting for the rights of breastfeeding mums from her phone. She has no reason to know Dylan, a single mum just about getting by on a zero hour job and barely able to afford to even feed her son , just trying to continue her life quietly and out of sight.
But a chance meeting at the school entangles their lives together in ways they'd never expect - and threatens to bring everything they're hiding out of the shadows and into the spotlight.
"This one is about women and the dark things we do to each other in the underbelly of the internet. This one isn't about someone else, it's about me."
Underbelly was an exploration into the darker side of the internet and being constantly switched on and reachable - showing us two women who's lives have been changed drastically by the internet but in parallel worlds. The characters were viscerally real and grew on me slowly throughout the story, at first thinking their flaws and failings would keep me at arms length but instead showed me hidden depths to them. We saw Lo and Dyl grow as people page by page as well as how their relationship transformed from strangers to friends to something else entirely.
There's a lot of stories now that explore the phenomena of the 'Influencer' - but this one definitely stands out. Raising powerful points about parenthood, mental health, self image and the potential dangers of social media. Whitehouse masterfully showed how life can be convoluted and darker when it's being fed through millions of strangers, and just how fatal rumours can be.
A true page-turner, this was a real slow-burn that suddenly explodes into fire in ways I definitely didn't see coming. Whitehouse is definitely one to watch.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to Anna Whitehouse, Orion Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.
Release Date: Expected 5th August 2021
Publisher: Orion Publishing Group
CW; This book contains descriptions Self-Harm, Domestic Abuse and Miscarriage.
Lo lives the perfect life, according to her expertly curated social media anyway. A happily middle-class Mother to a very cute four-year old, she spends her time thinking of the right instagram captions for her adoring followers, drinking very good wine and fighting for the rights of breastfeeding mums from her phone. She has no reason to know Dylan, a single mum just about getting by on a zero hour job and barely able to afford to even feed her son , just trying to continue her life quietly and out of sight.
But a chance meeting at the school entangles their lives together in ways they'd never expect - and threatens to bring everything they're hiding out of the shadows and into the spotlight.
"This one is about women and the dark things we do to each other in the underbelly of the internet. This one isn't about someone else, it's about me."
Underbelly was an exploration into the darker side of the internet and being constantly switched on and reachable - showing us two women who's lives have been changed drastically by the internet but in parallel worlds. The characters were viscerally real and grew on me slowly throughout the story, at first thinking their flaws and failings would keep me at arms length but instead showed me hidden depths to them. We saw Lo and Dyl grow as people page by page as well as how their relationship transformed from strangers to friends to something else entirely.
There's a lot of stories now that explore the phenomena of the 'Influencer' - but this one definitely stands out. Raising powerful points about parenthood, mental health, self image and the potential dangers of social media. Whitehouse masterfully showed how life can be convoluted and darker when it's being fed through millions of strangers, and just how fatal rumours can be.
A true page-turner, this was a real slow-burn that suddenly explodes into fire in ways I definitely didn't see coming. Whitehouse is definitely one to watch.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to Anna Whitehouse, Orion Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.
joannefl97's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
hananas's review
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
beefstew's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
daydreamerjade's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved this. Admittedly, I'm biased (I have aspirations to be an influencer) but it was one of those books where I kept turning the pages, desperate to find out what happens next.
A couple of criticisms:
Firstly, the tagline on the cover ("She doesn't want your life, she wants to destroy it") is misleading. It makes it seem like this will be a thriller, but it's actually about the toxicity of social media.
A couple of criticisms:
Firstly, the tagline on the cover ("She doesn't want your life, she wants to destroy it") is misleading. It makes it seem like this will be a thriller, but it's actually about the toxicity of social media.
Spoiler
Secondly, I was all set to give this 4.5 starts but I didn't think Lo's story had a very satisfactory ending. I assume she gives up being an influencer, but that was her family's only source of income and I don't think that's resolved
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Domestic abuse, Self harm, and Miscarriage
Minor: Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, and Death of parent
miss_cazg's review
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
neztoad's review against another edition
dark
reflective
5.0
This was a stonker of a book.
I loved the discussion of miscarriage and the impact on personhood, which hit very close to home.
It didn't end up where I expected and Dylans ending did feel a little out of character. When we got her perspective though it felt a lot more real. 5 stars for sure.
I loved the discussion of miscarriage and the impact on personhood, which hit very close to home.
It didn't end up where I expected and Dylans ending did feel a little out of character. When we got her perspective though it felt a lot more real. 5 stars for sure.
mollyctoone's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
chapter1_page1's review
3.0
⭐️ 3.5 ⭐️
Underbelly is a well written, interesting read; one that really makes you think about the toxic side of social media.
In this character driven story we learn in detail about the lives of the two main characters, Lois and Dylan:
Lois - a highly successful ‘mumfluencer’ on Instagram; to the onlooker her life is seemingly perfect, but appearances can be deceptive; we never know what’s really going on behind closed doors.
Dylan - a single mum desperately trying to make ends meet to support her young son, with dreams of becoming a writer.
Underbelly dives into the deep, dark depths of social media, predominantly the noxious, murky, shark-infested side. It shows how gossip sites (such as Tattle) can cause devastating emotional harm; how hurtful words and lies from online trolls can tear a person’s reputation and mental health to shreds, usually through misinformation and jealousy.
Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable, eye-opening read, highlighting one of the most important messages: be kind, you never know what someone’s going though - kindness costs nothing but can mean absolutely everything.
Many thanks to the publisher for the proof copy, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Underbelly is a well written, interesting read; one that really makes you think about the toxic side of social media.
In this character driven story we learn in detail about the lives of the two main characters, Lois and Dylan:
Lois - a highly successful ‘mumfluencer’ on Instagram; to the onlooker her life is seemingly perfect, but appearances can be deceptive; we never know what’s really going on behind closed doors.
Dylan - a single mum desperately trying to make ends meet to support her young son, with dreams of becoming a writer.
Underbelly dives into the deep, dark depths of social media, predominantly the noxious, murky, shark-infested side. It shows how gossip sites (such as Tattle) can cause devastating emotional harm; how hurtful words and lies from online trolls can tear a person’s reputation and mental health to shreds, usually through misinformation and jealousy.
Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable, eye-opening read, highlighting one of the most important messages: be kind, you never know what someone’s going though - kindness costs nothing but can mean absolutely everything.
Many thanks to the publisher for the proof copy, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.