4.5 stars

When Sarah is 24 years old, she meets a man who is almost 20 years her senior but it doesn't stop her from falling for him - despite the way he treats her. As Sarah falls deeper into the toxic relationship, she begins to lose control over other parts of her life.

This was an addicting read that I couldn't put it down, I read it in day - I absolutely flew through it. Just like her other books, Louise O'Neill has showed a power to see in the heart of the flawed human woman, and rip those feelings, thoughts, unsavoury so they be and displayed on a page for everyone to see, and relate to. She is definitely the queen of unlikeable characters as well - much like Emma from Asking For It, I found Sarah to be a really annoying character just because of her selfish actions most of the time (which she is called out for again, and again by friends). The way she treats her friends, and her dad, and then her boyfriend is so horrible I constantly felt like screaming at her to 'wake up' and see what she has before it's too late.

Sarah's relationship with Matthew was just so interesting and one that I could relate to and not relate to at the same time. I've never had a relationship with a much older man, or a guy that has tried to exact such power over me like Matthew but I, like Sarah and many women before, have been in relationships where I've started feeling like only part of myself because I've moulded myself into him and been the one that is guilty of just loving too much. Louise O'Neill hit the nail on the head with this one, and I just loved the raw, grittiness of it.