Woman of the Year: A Novel

Written by Darcey Bell

Narrated by Tavia Gilbert

A deliciously twisty thriller about the dark side of female friendship and a revenge plot that gets a little out of hand from the New York Times bestselling author of the “intense, captivating, and astonishing” (New York Journal of Books) A Simple Favor.

Twenty years ago, gregarious Lorelei and mousy Holly became fast friends as students in the same college psychology seminar. Taught by an expert in control and human behavior, the two students also grew close to their charismatic professor. But in one twisted moment of gaslighting, their friendship flamed out and Lorelei’s once-promising future fell apart.

Flashforward, Holly has everything Lorelei ever wanted, while Lorelei is a lonely cat lady. Now, Holly is even up for an award at a Woman of the Year ceremony, and Lorelei finally has the perfect opportunity to get the revenge she’s wanted for years. But she’s not the only person who has been obsessively following Holly’s career—and when someone winds up dead, Lorelei realizes she may be in danger, too.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Mar 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9781797150796

Darcey Bell

Darcey Bell was born in 1981 and raised on a dairy farm in western Iowa. She is a preschool teacher in Chicago. A Simple Favor is her first novel.

Reviews for Woman of the Year

[Catherine Penrod · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

She’s a bit unhinged, but I liked the main character and her humor. I did figure out what was happening early on, but I read these types of books all the time so I may not be the best measure. Continuity was a bit off - Holly was raised by a single mom but later chapters refer to her parents. I understand that this might be her mom and stepfather but that was never made clear. In its entirety, the book is dark and sad. Were there any characters that had redeemable human qualities? Still, an interesting tale with some very key underlying messages.