THE PLOT: ‘Someone Had to Do It’ by Amber and Danielle Brown is a contemporary “millennial” thriller. Brandi’s internship at a famous fashion house is going from bad to worse. From scrubbing sick out of dresses to micro-aggressions, she’s determined to stick it out and find her feet in the industry. When Brandi meets Taylor Van Doren, heir to the fashion house and famous it-girl, she hopes it’ll help her climb the ladder. But Taylor only wants two things: her father’s money and Brandi’s boyfriend. When Brandi overhears Taylor plotting to kill her father, she’s dragged into a treacherous world of privilege and power.

RATING: This was a fun book that kept me turning the pages. I used to be super into researching models and fashion, so I love books that are behind the scenes. Fair warning – I don’t read a ton of thrillers so maybe I’m not the best reviewer for this. However, I enjoyed that it was fast-paced, easy to read and light hearted (well, except for the murder). I’m also pretty ambivalent about spicy books but boy were there some steamy scenes that even got me hot under the collar! Generally, you have to suspend disbelief with this type of book, but it was a four-star until I got to the ending. Sadly, I felt I had to remove half a star because it felt too rushed and I just couldn’t buy into a crucial plot point.

GOOD BITS: The concept for this book and the way it handles racism is undoubtedly its best feature. The premise alone – a Black girl interning in a fashion house and contrasted against a white it-girl – is a breeding ground for tension and the birthplace of a great story. I think the plot tied together well and it really got my juices flowing between the 40% to 80% mark. I had that feeling of dominos tipping over and everything escalating towards a crisis point that just makes you want to keep flipping the page.

NOT SO GOOD BITS: Spoiler alert – I’ll try to be vague but stop reading now if you’re worried. Taylor gave up one of her accomplices way too easily. I have no idea why she would point the police towards her friend. There was no proof that would have implicated them and she could’ve kept playing dumb. It was convenient for the plot but implausible. Then, in the next chapter, it felt like the charges against Brandi were dropped too suddenly. As soon as Taylor’s little admission happened, our protagonist was in the clear and the tension fizzled. I will admit that the very final, extra twist was good but by this point they had already lost me.

OVERALL: I’d recommend this book to lovers of ‘Meat Market’ by Juno Dawson or ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ but add in a murder to both. I know so many bloggers who would absolutely love this book so if you enjoy a thriller with lots of spice and a contemporary setting, please grab a copy asap.

You can buy this via my bookshop.org here.