A review by readingwithhippos
Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone

4.0

My sister-in-law Belinda recommended this book to me, memorably calling Jane “the sociopath we need in 2018.” That was certainly enough to hook me! Jane is on a revenge mission--at first the details are hazy, so I won’t spoil anything--but she’s taken a low-level temp job in order to get close to her target, Steven. Jane pretends to be sweet and innocent (and a little dumb) to get Steven’s attention, but on the inside she’s plotting his downfall. Once they start dating, Steven wastes no time in confirming Jane’s suspicions about the kind of man he is, but in order to maintain her cover, Jane must bide her time and put up with his preachy, chauvinistic crap. It’s admittedly a little difficult to spend so much time in literary company with a guy like Steven, even knowing Jane’s plans for him--he really is THAT detestable. Narrator Nicol Zanzarella is almost too good at the voice for Steven, making his vicious verbal abuse and whiny non-apologies truly cringe-inducing. However, the payoff is worth it and the book ended exactly as I wanted it to. Jane is indeed the best kind of sociopath.