Winner Take All

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 7, 2018

Review

A driven young woman becomes entangled in a troubling relationship with her academic rival in this unsettling, thought provoking thriller. Ambitious and competitive Nell is the daughter of the first female head of a prestigious private school that would likely be unaffordable for her modestly earning family if not for her mother's position. Surrounded by extremely wealthy peers and under a significant amount of pressure from her image conscious mother, Nell has long loathed Jackson, whose easy charm and affluence seem to effortlessly gain him everything he wants. Despite or perhaps in part because of this animosity, their relationship takes a turn for the near obsessive when during the summer before their senior year, they morph from rivals into a secret couple. Nell's intensity and sharp edges, particularly when they are on display with her flawed but caring best friend, Lia, render her difficult to like at times. However, readers will both recognize the double standard and empathize with Nell's experience of being shamed for being female and sexually assertive and will feel for her as she copes with what seem like anxiety attacks. This won't be for every reader, but fans of authors like Sara Zarr, Carrie Mesrobian and Courtney Summers will form a natural readership for this propulsive novel.

Overall Book Score: very good