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Good Rich People
Lyla has always believed that life is a game she is destined to win, but her husband, Graham, takes the game to dangerous levels. The wealthy couple invites self-made success stories to live in their guesthouse and then conspires to ruin their lives. After all, there is nothing worse than a bootstrapper.
Demi has always felt like the odds were stacked against her. At the end of her rope, she seizes a risky opportunity to take over another person’s life and unwittingly becomes the subject of the upstairs couple’s wicked entertainment. But Demi has been struggling all her life, and she’s not about to go down without a fight.
In a twist that neither woman sees coming, the game quickly devolves into chaos and rockets toward an explosive conclusion.
Because every good rich person knows: in money and in life, it’s winner take all. Even if you have to leave a few bodies behind.
Demi has always felt like the odds were stacked against her. At the end of her rope, she seizes a risky opportunity to take over another person’s life and unwittingly becomes the subject of the upstairs couple’s wicked entertainment. But Demi has been struggling all her life, and she’s not about to go down without a fight.
In a twist that neither woman sees coming, the game quickly devolves into chaos and rockets toward an explosive conclusion.
Because every good rich person knows: in money and in life, it’s winner take all. Even if you have to leave a few bodies behind.
321 pages, Hardcover
First published January 25, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,674 reviews
May 14, 2022
Oh my… This is fanfreakingtastic! The craziness levels of the characters and sarcastic tone of the story are even higher than my annual Chardonnay conception! Yes, they’re triple grandiose!
This book is extremely hilarious, absolutely disturbing and definitely smartest reads I’ve recently had and I one hundred percent recommend to the readers who are keen on trying something engaging, gripping, twisty, snarky, stimulating! It’s the best dark comedy meets twisty psychological thriller.
It’s psychological because most of the characters in this book suffers from mental illness: a narcissistic couple: a sociopath husband and emotionally unstable wife and a controlling, narcissistic, megalomaniac mother in law.
Let’s meet with not so lovely: mostly disgusting, irritating and easily hatable couple: Lyla and Graham and let’s not forget to mention Lyla’s monster in love Margot: You easily hate their guts! Not because they’re rich! They’re ultra callous, playing sociopathic games with ordinary people and enjoy to ruin their lives for fun. Everything is a game for them. They like manipulating, oppressing, gaslighting, threatening. When they finish with you: you want to be dead or you eventually died in their hands.
They live in Hollywood Hills: their house is built at the edge of a cliff and underneath it, between those concrete plinths, is a hidden guesthouse! It was built to hold up the house above. Margot decides to use it as storing people, caging them as her favorite pets by playing vicious , life destroying games!
Margot and Graham likes to play innocent tenants who never see what’s coming game and Lyla has to prove her worth to them by playing and winning at the end. Their last game ends with a person’s dead body is taken out from the fountain. And it’s all Lyla’s fault because she became so friendly with their prey.
Now Margot chose a new tenant and she insists Lyla should be the master of the game to intrigue her. New prey’s name is Demi and she’s workaholic tech prodigy, making annually more money than Graham. She’s risk taker and she can destroy any obstacles or people stand in her way.
Margot thinks at the end of game: only one of them will survive and she can manage to defeat Demi! Lyla thinks this is easy leash task. She can beat her in her own game.
But Lyla has no idea Demi is not the person who thinks she’s and she can play dirtier to win because she comes from nothing, she has to nothing to lose!
Let the heart pounding, high tension mind games begin!
I loved this book way too much than I expected! I want to see it adapted on big screen. Oh boy! This would be my dream job if I had a chance to adapt it! Eliza Jane Brazier knows how to play rock n roll and I’m telling you my friends this book is gonna be one of the huge hits of next year! You shouldn’t miss it!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
This book is extremely hilarious, absolutely disturbing and definitely smartest reads I’ve recently had and I one hundred percent recommend to the readers who are keen on trying something engaging, gripping, twisty, snarky, stimulating! It’s the best dark comedy meets twisty psychological thriller.
It’s psychological because most of the characters in this book suffers from mental illness: a narcissistic couple: a sociopath husband and emotionally unstable wife and a controlling, narcissistic, megalomaniac mother in law.
Let’s meet with not so lovely: mostly disgusting, irritating and easily hatable couple: Lyla and Graham and let’s not forget to mention Lyla’s monster in love Margot: You easily hate their guts! Not because they’re rich! They’re ultra callous, playing sociopathic games with ordinary people and enjoy to ruin their lives for fun. Everything is a game for them. They like manipulating, oppressing, gaslighting, threatening. When they finish with you: you want to be dead or you eventually died in their hands.
They live in Hollywood Hills: their house is built at the edge of a cliff and underneath it, between those concrete plinths, is a hidden guesthouse! It was built to hold up the house above. Margot decides to use it as storing people, caging them as her favorite pets by playing vicious , life destroying games!
Margot and Graham likes to play innocent tenants who never see what’s coming game and Lyla has to prove her worth to them by playing and winning at the end. Their last game ends with a person’s dead body is taken out from the fountain. And it’s all Lyla’s fault because she became so friendly with their prey.
Now Margot chose a new tenant and she insists Lyla should be the master of the game to intrigue her. New prey’s name is Demi and she’s workaholic tech prodigy, making annually more money than Graham. She’s risk taker and she can destroy any obstacles or people stand in her way.
Margot thinks at the end of game: only one of them will survive and she can manage to defeat Demi! Lyla thinks this is easy leash task. She can beat her in her own game.
But Lyla has no idea Demi is not the person who thinks she’s and she can play dirtier to win because she comes from nothing, she has to nothing to lose!
Let the heart pounding, high tension mind games begin!
I loved this book way too much than I expected! I want to see it adapted on big screen. Oh boy! This would be my dream job if I had a chance to adapt it! Eliza Jane Brazier knows how to play rock n roll and I’m telling you my friends this book is gonna be one of the huge hits of next year! You shouldn’t miss it!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
December 15, 2022
I like jokes.
I'm a fairly big comedy nerd. Almost all of the non-book content I consume is for the sole purpose of trying to laugh. I cannot have even one serious conversation, and if by some unholy coincidence an interaction appears to be going that way, I start attempting wisecracks with the solemnity and determination of a president accessing the nuclear codes.
I also hate rich people as much as the next person, and in fact probably more, possibly almost to the point that it is debilitating to my life.
So this book, which posits itself as a satirical look at the wealthy, should have been right up my alley. I even marked it as "can't wait to read."
But baby, break out the kiddie pool, both because it's FINALLY SUMMER...and because this is some truly shallow satire.
The thing about satire is that it (supposedly) dares to be Subversive. It is (usually) clever and cutting, bringing the reader in on an inside joke that (often) involves laughing at powerful people and / or Society.
Or, it can just be obvious and dumb.
Welcome to Good Rich People, in which people with money ruin the lives of poor people as part of a game, from a mostly glass mansion (where they don't throw stones but they do shoot paintball guns!) straight out of my seventh grade creative writing descriptions.
If the meaning were any more obvious, this story would be 200 pages longer and literally hit you over the head.
Instead of, you know, figuratively.
On top of that, it's not a good book or a fun read. Examples include:
- A dual perspective with the POVs slightly staggered, meaning you're treated to moments like reading a conversation and then reading it again two chapters later verbatim except from the other point of view
- An ending in which even the extremely graspable threads of the point are lost
- A deeply cruel depiction of homelessness, in which every unhoused person is either an addict (not to say addicts are bad at all, but that this isn't exactly a complex portrayal of addiction!), violent, or otherwise amoral
- And in perhaps the greatest crime of all, a story boring and annoying almost to the point of unreadability!
Bottom line: Dropping this rating.
--------------
this was a quick read, and that may be the only nice thing i can say about it.
review to come / 2ish
--------------
oxymoron alert
I'm a fairly big comedy nerd. Almost all of the non-book content I consume is for the sole purpose of trying to laugh. I cannot have even one serious conversation, and if by some unholy coincidence an interaction appears to be going that way, I start attempting wisecracks with the solemnity and determination of a president accessing the nuclear codes.
I also hate rich people as much as the next person, and in fact probably more, possibly almost to the point that it is debilitating to my life.
So this book, which posits itself as a satirical look at the wealthy, should have been right up my alley. I even marked it as "can't wait to read."
But baby, break out the kiddie pool, both because it's FINALLY SUMMER...and because this is some truly shallow satire.
The thing about satire is that it (supposedly) dares to be Subversive. It is (usually) clever and cutting, bringing the reader in on an inside joke that (often) involves laughing at powerful people and / or Society.
Or, it can just be obvious and dumb.
Welcome to Good Rich People, in which people with money ruin the lives of poor people as part of a game, from a mostly glass mansion (where they don't throw stones but they do shoot paintball guns!) straight out of my seventh grade creative writing descriptions.
If the meaning were any more obvious, this story would be 200 pages longer and literally hit you over the head.
Instead of, you know, figuratively.
On top of that, it's not a good book or a fun read. Examples include:
- A dual perspective with the POVs slightly staggered, meaning you're treated to moments like reading a conversation and then reading it again two chapters later verbatim except from the other point of view
- An ending in which even the extremely graspable threads of the point are lost
- A deeply cruel depiction of homelessness, in which every unhoused person is either an addict (not to say addicts are bad at all, but that this isn't exactly a complex portrayal of addiction!), violent, or otherwise amoral
- And in perhaps the greatest crime of all, a story boring and annoying almost to the point of unreadability!
Bottom line: Dropping this rating.
--------------
this was a quick read, and that may be the only nice thing i can say about it.
review to come / 2ish
--------------
oxymoron alert
August 11, 2021
“So much of what I feel lives beneath the surface of me. It only occasionally swells and rises, when under extreme duress...for example...when I have to wait in line.”
Just an introspective nugget from Lyla, a woman who married into money. She and her husband, Graham, live on his mother’s land. His mother, Margo, lives in the sprawling towers. Lyla and Graham live in the house in front of it. There is also a guest house below that they like to rent out to tenants.
Not just any old tenant. They focus on self-made rich folks who rose from nothing. It’s actually a game. They like to take the tenant in and then ruin her life just for the thrill of it.
Demi has had a rough life, and finds an incredibly rare opportunity to live in the guesthouse. Little does she know what she’s getting into...and neither does Lyla.
I was a huge fan of Eliza Jane Brazier’s debut novel, If I Disappear. It was so oddly different, but very compelling. This one is also oddly different, but unfortunately - it’s also not very good.
This book is all over the place in terms of POVs and hard-to-follow timelines. I found myself confused by most of it.
There were also plenty of moments where Point A jumped to Point C, completely obliterating Point B.
****MINOR SPOILER****
For example, Character 1 brings Character 2 to a private lake, leaves her there, and tries to get her arrested for trespassing. First of all, I highly doubt someone would get arrested for trespassing at a lake if they weren’t doing anything else wrong. Maybe a fine? But I digress. Next, Character 1 ends up getting arrested for the trespassing, and has to spend a whole night in jail. Um, what? There is absolutely nothing given to the reader to explain what happened when she called the cops, or how it came to be that she was arrested instead.
****END MINOR SPOILER****
The head-scratching moments only increased from there. Everything about this story is so convoluted and over the top. The characters were atrocious, and not in a fun way! I’m a fan of despicable characters when I can still root for some of them. I wasn’t rooting for anyone here. The final scenes take an inordinate amount of time to get through, and it just wasn’t very pleasant to read.
I try not to be mean-spirited in my reviews, but I am always honest. I think this one could have benefited from another round or two of editing...because there is a good story in there somewhere - it’s just bogged down by ridiculousness. Regardless, I hope the book finds its audience, and I still look forward to Brazier’s next book.
TW: Death of a dog that I feel was included just for shock value.
Thank you to Berkley for providing me with a widget of the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 1/25/22.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
Just an introspective nugget from Lyla, a woman who married into money. She and her husband, Graham, live on his mother’s land. His mother, Margo, lives in the sprawling towers. Lyla and Graham live in the house in front of it. There is also a guest house below that they like to rent out to tenants.
Not just any old tenant. They focus on self-made rich folks who rose from nothing. It’s actually a game. They like to take the tenant in and then ruin her life just for the thrill of it.
Demi has had a rough life, and finds an incredibly rare opportunity to live in the guesthouse. Little does she know what she’s getting into...and neither does Lyla.
I was a huge fan of Eliza Jane Brazier’s debut novel, If I Disappear. It was so oddly different, but very compelling. This one is also oddly different, but unfortunately - it’s also not very good.
This book is all over the place in terms of POVs and hard-to-follow timelines. I found myself confused by most of it.
There were also plenty of moments where Point A jumped to Point C, completely obliterating Point B.
****MINOR SPOILER****
For example, Character 1 brings Character 2 to a private lake, leaves her there, and tries to get her arrested for trespassing. First of all, I highly doubt someone would get arrested for trespassing at a lake if they weren’t doing anything else wrong. Maybe a fine? But I digress. Next, Character 1 ends up getting arrested for the trespassing, and has to spend a whole night in jail. Um, what? There is absolutely nothing given to the reader to explain what happened when she called the cops, or how it came to be that she was arrested instead.
****END MINOR SPOILER****
The head-scratching moments only increased from there. Everything about this story is so convoluted and over the top. The characters were atrocious, and not in a fun way! I’m a fan of despicable characters when I can still root for some of them. I wasn’t rooting for anyone here. The final scenes take an inordinate amount of time to get through, and it just wasn’t very pleasant to read.
I try not to be mean-spirited in my reviews, but I am always honest. I think this one could have benefited from another round or two of editing...because there is a good story in there somewhere - it’s just bogged down by ridiculousness. Regardless, I hope the book finds its audience, and I still look forward to Brazier’s next book.
TW: Death of a dog that I feel was included just for shock value.
Thank you to Berkley for providing me with a widget of the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 1/25/22.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
February 1, 2022
I struggle with how to rate this one.
I appreciated the premise and I certainly didn't dislike it as much as I did Brazier's previous book. There are a couple of decent twists and a plethora of unlikable characters.
Are there plot holes and things that are just unbelievable? Yes for sure.
There's really not a huge amount of plot overall if I'm honest.
But in the end, I thought it was a kind of tongue-very-far-in-cheek snarky tale about how the rich think they are so far above everyone else to the point they will do bizarre and shocking things to avoid being bored. And what might happen if someone outside of that crowd entered their world.
Reminded me a lot of the movie Ready or Not. Dark and subversive, yet it doesn't go quite far enough in that direction to make me really love it. Still it will have fans for those who can get where the author was going with this.
Warning that a dog dies in the story. I didn't get to know the dog much ahead of time so it didn't bother me as much as it probably could have.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
I appreciated the premise and I certainly didn't dislike it as much as I did Brazier's previous book. There are a couple of decent twists and a plethora of unlikable characters.
Are there plot holes and things that are just unbelievable? Yes for sure.
There's really not a huge amount of plot overall if I'm honest.
But in the end, I thought it was a kind of tongue-very-far-in-cheek snarky tale about how the rich think they are so far above everyone else to the point they will do bizarre and shocking things to avoid being bored. And what might happen if someone outside of that crowd entered their world.
Reminded me a lot of the movie Ready or Not. Dark and subversive, yet it doesn't go quite far enough in that direction to make me really love it. Still it will have fans for those who can get where the author was going with this.
Warning that a dog dies in the story. I didn't get to know the dog much ahead of time so it didn't bother me as much as it probably could have.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
December 31, 2021
2.5 Stars
I'm still trying to figure out what I just read.....
My second by the author and it is completely over the top and quite dark and disturbing. The concept of a wealthy family playing a very twisted game that involves murder is NOT going to be everyone's cup of tea!
The characters didn't feel authentic to me, but rather pretentious and fake, which is probably a good thing because it gave it a more satirical feel. They were so awful I didn't want them to be "real people".
I'm actually glad they cut their heads out in the cover! Hmm...... not sure what else to say about this one. I'm at a loss for words.
This book goes to the extremes - She may have been going for a dark comedy, but it didn't work well for me.
If you are looking for something exaggerated, twisted, evilish (made that word up), wicked and chaotic than you will find it here.
Thanks to the publisher and NG for my early review copy. OUT Jan 25, 2022
I'm still trying to figure out what I just read.....
My second by the author and it is completely over the top and quite dark and disturbing. The concept of a wealthy family playing a very twisted game that involves murder is NOT going to be everyone's cup of tea!
The characters didn't feel authentic to me, but rather pretentious and fake, which is probably a good thing because it gave it a more satirical feel. They were so awful I didn't want them to be "real people".
I'm actually glad they cut their heads out in the cover! Hmm...... not sure what else to say about this one. I'm at a loss for words.
This book goes to the extremes - She may have been going for a dark comedy, but it didn't work well for me.
If you are looking for something exaggerated, twisted, evilish (made that word up), wicked and chaotic than you will find it here.
Thanks to the publisher and NG for my early review copy. OUT Jan 25, 2022
January 25, 2022
NOW AVAILABLE!!!!
When you're rich, you can control anything. Except the richer.
it must be so boring being rich, i mean being SO rich that the possibilities are literally limitless, where being able to just...have anything you could ever possibly think to want removes all of life's challenges.
but if you're rich AND a sociopath, you can make your own challenges, like the challenge of ruining the lives of others.
graham herschel and his mother margo are two such sociopaths, taking extreme measures to avoid becoming weighed down by the ennui of their extreme wealth. margo lives with her beloved dog bean in a massive castle-like edifice towering imposingly on the edge of a cliff overlooking the hollywood hills. graham and his wife lyla also live on her sprawling property, in a slightly-more-modest home plopped on top of a subterranean guesthouse that they oh-so-charitably rent out to self-made, new-money tenants.
however, these unfortunate tenants will become unwitting participants in the winner-take-all game graham and margo have been perfecting for years. the roots of this game began with margo devising new and exciting ways to crush the spirits of overfamiliar staff for her own amusement, but when graham was old enough, she looped him in and it evolved into a competition between the two, taking turns in an ever-escalating display of power and inventive cruelty.
the game is won by destroying the tenant's reputation, career, relationships, health—whatever they have that can be destroyed, will be destroyed.
graham's wife lyla has always been a passive spectator to these games, never a participant:
however, she inadvertently ruined the last game by getting too close to the tenant; by having the audacity to befriend the prey.
lyla's genuine affection for the last tenant caused her to break this rule, and her interference—warning her friend of the danger she was in—undermined graham’s plans. although the goal was technically achieved and things certainly ended horribly for the tenant,
her inevitable destruction occurred outside of the game's parameters, resulting in a hollow, unsatisfying victory. boooo.
now, part punishment/part test, graham and margo have decided it's lyla's turn to play, and she's determined to Do a Good Job in order to prove her loyalty and rekindle graham's flagging interest in her through the aphrodisiac of cruelty.
but she didn't count on demi golding.
after a long slow decline in her life's prospects, demi finds herself homeless and desperate, so when an opportunity to improve her situation presents itself, she has no qualms about grabbing it with both hands—putting the “con” in “economic disparity” by assuming someone else's identity and moving into the curs'ed guesthouse, unaware of what the herschels—what lyla—has planned for her.
but if there's one thing she's learned from her hardships, it's how to survive.
demi doesn't need to be warned of the danger—her whole life has trained her to expect that someone will try to knock her down.
surrounded by new comforts and the opportunities that are suddenly unfolding before her, demi is braced for discovery; for everything to be taken away from her again, but she’s also prepared to fight to hold onto everything she’s managed to scrabble together.
the novel alternates between lyla and demi's POVs, where both women are revealed to be complex and flawed and full of secrets.
lyla is so profoundly narcissistic that it’s tempting to wanna see her taken down a peg. although she's far more sympathetic than either margo or graham, she's still a nightmare person living in an unpoppable vanity-bubble:
as deliciously vapid as she is, she has a clear-eyed view of what graham is and is not, and there’s more to her than meets the eye.
this is a terrific cat-and-mouse thriller full of venom and deplorable characters,
and for the most part it's highly enjoyable froth, but there's a sharp-toothed fineness in how the author handles demi's assimilation into the privileged life and how quickly she begins to take its comforts for granted.
in her life, she has learned that Failure is just like success: It doesn't happen overnight, but here, she has been transformed overnight, and if she hasn't technically achieved success, she has certainly achieved its trappings, discovering the transformative power of wealth; how it consumes, insulates, softens everything; how it makes problems disappear, and how quickly it makes the memories of struggle no matter how intense, fall away. and if her path to stability has been morally questionable, well, she’s not the only one.
this is a zippy thriller that escalates into an extravagant chaos-party that’ll leave you with plenty of moral ambiguity to chew on by the end.
i had a great time with this one, because rooting for terrible people is one of my weaknesses, and i'd apologize, but
****************************************
i received a free ARC from macmillan in exchange for an honest review &yadda &etc.
that review is coming...
come to my blog!
When you're rich, you can control anything. Except the richer.
it must be so boring being rich, i mean being SO rich that the possibilities are literally limitless, where being able to just...have anything you could ever possibly think to want removes all of life's challenges.
but if you're rich AND a sociopath, you can make your own challenges, like the challenge of ruining the lives of others.
graham herschel and his mother margo are two such sociopaths, taking extreme measures to avoid becoming weighed down by the ennui of their extreme wealth. margo lives with her beloved dog bean in a massive castle-like edifice towering imposingly on the edge of a cliff overlooking the hollywood hills. graham and his wife lyla also live on her sprawling property, in a slightly-more-modest home plopped on top of a subterranean guesthouse that they oh-so-charitably rent out to self-made, new-money tenants.
however, these unfortunate tenants will become unwitting participants in the winner-take-all game graham and margo have been perfecting for years. the roots of this game began with margo devising new and exciting ways to crush the spirits of overfamiliar staff for her own amusement, but when graham was old enough, she looped him in and it evolved into a competition between the two, taking turns in an ever-escalating display of power and inventive cruelty.
The game is simple, in theory, but in practice it always gets messy. The tenant is the pawn. The landlord is the player. The family is the audience. We observe from a distance, talk it over at private dinners.
the game is won by destroying the tenant's reputation, career, relationships, health—whatever they have that can be destroyed, will be destroyed.
Everyone is playing a game all the time. It only matters when you're losing.
graham's wife lyla has always been a passive spectator to these games, never a participant:
I don't want to play. It's different when it's them, when it's something I see at a distance. Something I am aware of, but can easily ignore.
however, she inadvertently ruined the last game by getting too close to the tenant; by having the audacity to befriend the prey.
The most important rule was no interference—not because anyone was afraid of losing but because rich people can't deal with any conflict they didn't create. In fact, it's almost impossible to "lose" the game because the players have all the advantages, and the tenants have no idea they are being played with. It's very much like hunting. You don't walk into the forest and punch a deer in the face. You have a gun, a deer stand and a bloated sense of your own virility.
lyla's genuine affection for the last tenant caused her to break this rule, and her interference—warning her friend of the danger she was in—undermined graham’s plans. although the goal was technically achieved and things certainly ended horribly for the tenant,
her inevitable destruction occurred outside of the game's parameters, resulting in a hollow, unsatisfying victory. boooo.
now, part punishment/part test, graham and margo have decided it's lyla's turn to play, and she's determined to Do a Good Job in order to prove her loyalty and rekindle graham's flagging interest in her through the aphrodisiac of cruelty.
but she didn't count on demi golding.
after a long slow decline in her life's prospects, demi finds herself homeless and desperate, so when an opportunity to improve her situation presents itself, she has no qualms about grabbing it with both hands—putting the “con” in “economic disparity” by assuming someone else's identity and moving into the curs'ed guesthouse, unaware of what the herschels—what lyla—has planned for her.
but if there's one thing she's learned from her hardships, it's how to survive.
demi doesn't need to be warned of the danger—her whole life has trained her to expect that someone will try to knock her down.
The trouble with living a hard life is that you start to see the world differently. Your mind and your instincts and your outlook are forever altered by negative experiences. You expect bad things to happen. When you're crossing the street, you imagine every car veering to hit you. You plan escape routes in tight alleyways. You think, What would you do if that man—that one, right there—suddenly punched you? Would you hit back? What weapons are at your disposal? What are your emergency exits, safety nets?
Oddly, this leaves you less prepared to deal with bad things when they do happen. You have become accustomed to not trusting your instincts. You are so used to telling yourself that it is all in your head that you can't tell when it's not.
surrounded by new comforts and the opportunities that are suddenly unfolding before her, demi is braced for discovery; for everything to be taken away from her again, but she’s also prepared to fight to hold onto everything she’s managed to scrabble together.
I would rather be in a rich person's hell than a poor person's heaven.
And I am so fucking close.
the novel alternates between lyla and demi's POVs, where both women are revealed to be complex and flawed and full of secrets.
lyla is so profoundly narcissistic that it’s tempting to wanna see her taken down a peg. although she's far more sympathetic than either margo or graham, she's still a nightmare person living in an unpoppable vanity-bubble:
I stop to check my reflection in the full-length mirror. Sometimes I am scared by how beautiful I am. Every inch of me is buffed and primed. My face hangs exactly right. My muscles are taut and organized. I am scared because I don't want to lose it: the shaped nails, the tip of my nose, the sapphire glow of my eyes. I am sad because I want everyone to see it, but I don't want to see them. I want them to know how lucky I am but I don't want them to have access to me. It's a real problem.
as deliciously vapid as she is, she has a clear-eyed view of what graham is and is not, and there’s more to her than meets the eye.
Everything is shallow with Graham: his looks, his thoughts, his actions. And there is something so attractive about that, the lack of depth. No hidden parts. No secret baggage.
this is a terrific cat-and-mouse thriller full of venom and deplorable characters,
and for the most part it's highly enjoyable froth, but there's a sharp-toothed fineness in how the author handles demi's assimilation into the privileged life and how quickly she begins to take its comforts for granted.
...there is something about having things to lose that makes me afraid in a different way. I used to be numb, accepting everything that came, but now I feel almost more vulnerable.
in her life, she has learned that Failure is just like success: It doesn't happen overnight, but here, she has been transformed overnight, and if she hasn't technically achieved success, she has certainly achieved its trappings, discovering the transformative power of wealth; how it consumes, insulates, softens everything; how it makes problems disappear, and how quickly it makes the memories of struggle no matter how intense, fall away. and if her path to stability has been morally questionable, well, she’s not the only one.
I want to tell him I am just like him now. Except I earned it. I earned it the same way every rich person does: by stepping over a body.
this is a zippy thriller that escalates into an extravagant chaos-party that’ll leave you with plenty of moral ambiguity to chew on by the end.
i had a great time with this one, because rooting for terrible people is one of my weaknesses, and i'd apologize, but
****************************************
i received a free ARC from macmillan in exchange for an honest review &yadda &etc.
that review is coming...
come to my blog!
March 13, 2022
A page turner, I almost stopped reading it at one point, because of the lack of fully fleshed characters. I have never known any super rich people, so I don't know how they behave, but I have been poor and the character of Demi is quite unbelievable. She grew up with a drug addled father, in a crappy apartment, yet she's well read and well spoken. Demi read a bunch of books at the library, apparently. She fits right in with the rich folks, even though she's been homeless for a few years. Does her skin look sunburned (this is set in Los Angeles) and ravaged? Are her nails filthy? Are her teeth black? One of the hardest things for the homeless to do is stay clean.
The other characters are supposed to be shallow and cruel, but where does this psychopathy come from? Are they supposed to be heinous because of their wealth alone? The story itself is interesting in a dark, macabre way. They take a tenant into their lives in order to destroy him or her. This could have been much better with a little more flesh on the bones. I found the ending a bit muddled too.
The other characters are supposed to be shallow and cruel, but where does this psychopathy come from? Are they supposed to be heinous because of their wealth alone? The story itself is interesting in a dark, macabre way. They take a tenant into their lives in order to destroy him or her. This could have been much better with a little more flesh on the bones. I found the ending a bit muddled too.
April 6, 2024
what i got from this book: everything is always a man’s fault
February 17, 2022
Diabolical! “Good Rich People” is a thriller about, well, rich people who can cover crimes. Personally, I have always thought political people were the masters of cover-ups. But author Eliza Jane Brazier has opened a whole other social group who we can now suspect in cover-ups. Yes, there have been a few wealthy people who seem like Teflon regarding getting caught; this novel will get your CSI spider-senses going!
The story centers around a wealthy family who find amusement in playing psychological games on people. The couple live on a hill in Los Angeles, far removed from regular folk. The matriarch lives in a strange castle above them. The property includes nine levels of gardens, each level representing Dante’s 9 circles of hell. They have so much money that this is what amuses them; but I digress.
The couple, with the matriarch’s blessing rents out a lower level of the property to self-made people, with few ties to the community nor family. The three plot ways to ruin the renters. The goal is to destroy the renter’s lives. That’s the joy, to witness someone’s complete collapse. Oh dear!
Well, the wealthy family finally met their match! I sure hope Brazier hasn’t met wealthy people like this! I hope she didn’t channel some acquaintance. As with all thrillers, to enjoy it, one must suspend some aspect of reality. This is an ungodly game of cat and mouse that turns into a page-turner that you cannot put down!
I hate that I loved it so much.
The story centers around a wealthy family who find amusement in playing psychological games on people. The couple live on a hill in Los Angeles, far removed from regular folk. The matriarch lives in a strange castle above them. The property includes nine levels of gardens, each level representing Dante’s 9 circles of hell. They have so much money that this is what amuses them; but I digress.
The couple, with the matriarch’s blessing rents out a lower level of the property to self-made people, with few ties to the community nor family. The three plot ways to ruin the renters. The goal is to destroy the renter’s lives. That’s the joy, to witness someone’s complete collapse. Oh dear!
Well, the wealthy family finally met their match! I sure hope Brazier hasn’t met wealthy people like this! I hope she didn’t channel some acquaintance. As with all thrillers, to enjoy it, one must suspend some aspect of reality. This is an ungodly game of cat and mouse that turns into a page-turner that you cannot put down!
I hate that I loved it so much.
November 28, 2021
The rich are different from you and me. They have so much, boredom is a constant issue. In Good Rich People, Graham, Lyla and Margo have found a way to relieve that boredom. They rent out their guesthouse and then try to ruin the life of their tenant. “I wonder if wealth isn’t a little like heroin. My dad once explained to me the feeling of being high: You don’t feel good. You don’t feel bad. It’s the absence of feeling. Good and bad cease to exist.”
Needless to say, these are not characters that are likable. Graham and his mother Margo were the ones that designed the game. But Lyla seems equally messed up in her own weird way. These are people who do what they want and never suffer the consequences.
But then the latest tenant throws a spanner in the works.
It’s interesting that I can enjoy some books where I hate the characters and others just irritate me. This falls in the latter camp. These people just turned my stomach. There’s no delicious wickedness here. They’re just ugly.
I felt the writing was scattered. There are some scenes that just don’t really go anywhere.
Warning - there are some violent scenes, including violence to a dog. This is not a cozy mystery.
My thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for an advance copy of this book.
Needless to say, these are not characters that are likable. Graham and his mother Margo were the ones that designed the game. But Lyla seems equally messed up in her own weird way. These are people who do what they want and never suffer the consequences.
But then the latest tenant throws a spanner in the works.
It’s interesting that I can enjoy some books where I hate the characters and others just irritate me. This falls in the latter camp. These people just turned my stomach. There’s no delicious wickedness here. They’re just ugly.
I felt the writing was scattered. There are some scenes that just don’t really go anywhere.
Warning - there are some violent scenes, including violence to a dog. This is not a cozy mystery.
My thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for an advance copy of this book.
September 9, 2023
Actual Stars 2.75 rounded up to 3
I had high hopes for Good Rich People. The synopsis sounded enticing, a bored rich couple who likes to play games with other peoples lives. Sounds wickedly fun! 😈 I was expecting some fantastical mischevious games infused with the kind of delicious drama that you just can’t stop yourself from watching with fingers splayed over wide eyes. I was hoping for something with a stellar plot like The Oprah Show with interesting social issues, but what I ending up reading was a watered down version of The Wendy Williams Show. Messy and all over the place.
“My son has needs. We are not like ordinary people, the kind of people you’re used to associating with. We have more money. We get bored. If you want to keep him and keep him happy, he needs amusement. He needs amusement above all else.”
Good Rich People is a book about the type of people with money that only the 1% have. They are not good people as the title suggests. They are very bad people to be more accurate. They are bad people who like to play God with others peoples lives for fun and out of sheer boredom. They live their lives like they are above everyone else.
Margo the matriarch, Graham her son, and Lyla his wife have a hobby. Not just any kind of mundane hobby, this hobby involves a game of ruining people’s lives. They pick a person (victim) who has made something of themselves from the bottom up. They move them into their guest house, submerge themselves completely in their lives and make them feel at ease. And just when the victim feels like they are a part of the family…they pull the rug out from under their lives. Some victims end up in jail, some end up homeless or addicted to drugs and some may even up dead.
Lyla is the next batter up in the Herschel family fun. She is not a willing participant but she needs to get back in to Graham’s good graces and prove to Margo she can do it. So she’ll do whatever it takes to bring the next person down.
That is until Demi shows up and everything is changing. Demi seems to be running her own game and nothing is going according to Lyla’s plan. Both women pull out all the stops to get what they want..but who will be the winner and take all?
Characters:
They were all despicable characters. Which would be expected from this book but they were despicable and boring. There is really no character development. The most interesting character was probably Bean the dog and unfortunately he didn’t get enough mention.
Lyla was all over the place throughout the entirety of the book. One minute she was the heartless snob you expected to be married to Graham and the next she was contrite actually having a heart. I was like..will the real Lyla please stand up!
Graham was a semi knock of Patrick Bateman from American Psycho who refused to see the similarities.
I can’t go into a lot on Demi because I will ruin a big part of the story, but I was hoping Demi might be different but even she just didn’t bring enough to the table. Or turn out how I hoped..at least throughout most of the book. And I understand her struggles but it was like she had a personality transplant halfway through. She wanted to be a good person even in her situation and then bam she was willing to get ahead no matter what it took.
Story:
The hardest part about reading this book was how mediocre it was. The plot was so interesting. In fact I was telling my son about it and he was like “Let me add this to my Goodreads list”, until I told him the rating was actually pretty low. I kept reading sure there was going to be this huge plot twist that was going to shock the socks off me. But nothing really happened at ALL. It was so disappointing. It’s like getting on a scary roller coaster, sure you’re going to get this huge stomach churning drop, you close your eyes anticipating the fall, but then you realize you really got on a kiddie ride and the dip is the thrill level meant for a 2 year old. That’s how Good Rich People felt. Like waiting for the huge drop that never came.
There is also a sub plot that was going on behind the scenes involving the last tenant that made absolutely no sense. It was anti-climatic and really just filler. Pretty worthless filler to be exact.
Theme:
The theme I most related to was desire.
Demi had a desire to get away from poverty and she would do anything it took. She was crossing lines she never thought she would or that she was capable of because Demi had always considered herself a good person that still had morals even through all she had been through.
Then there was the desire to win the game.
Lyla would do anything possible, go to extremes to win the game and to show Graham she was just like him and his mother. Even if she didn’t feel good about it. She turned off her subconscious to get the job done.
The one good thing I can say about Good Rich People is even with the mess that it was it was
never boring. The author has talent. This particular story just needed some tweaking to work.
Thank You Goodreads, Berkeley Publishing and Eliza Jane Brazier for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.
I had high hopes for Good Rich People. The synopsis sounded enticing, a bored rich couple who likes to play games with other peoples lives. Sounds wickedly fun! 😈 I was expecting some fantastical mischevious games infused with the kind of delicious drama that you just can’t stop yourself from watching with fingers splayed over wide eyes. I was hoping for something with a stellar plot like The Oprah Show with interesting social issues, but what I ending up reading was a watered down version of The Wendy Williams Show. Messy and all over the place.
“My son has needs. We are not like ordinary people, the kind of people you’re used to associating with. We have more money. We get bored. If you want to keep him and keep him happy, he needs amusement. He needs amusement above all else.”
Good Rich People is a book about the type of people with money that only the 1% have. They are not good people as the title suggests. They are very bad people to be more accurate. They are bad people who like to play God with others peoples lives for fun and out of sheer boredom. They live their lives like they are above everyone else.
Margo the matriarch, Graham her son, and Lyla his wife have a hobby. Not just any kind of mundane hobby, this hobby involves a game of ruining people’s lives. They pick a person (victim) who has made something of themselves from the bottom up. They move them into their guest house, submerge themselves completely in their lives and make them feel at ease. And just when the victim feels like they are a part of the family…they pull the rug out from under their lives. Some victims end up in jail, some end up homeless or addicted to drugs and some may even up dead.
Lyla is the next batter up in the Herschel family fun. She is not a willing participant but she needs to get back in to Graham’s good graces and prove to Margo she can do it. So she’ll do whatever it takes to bring the next person down.
That is until Demi shows up and everything is changing. Demi seems to be running her own game and nothing is going according to Lyla’s plan. Both women pull out all the stops to get what they want..but who will be the winner and take all?
Characters:
They were all despicable characters. Which would be expected from this book but they were despicable and boring. There is really no character development. The most interesting character was probably Bean the dog and unfortunately he didn’t get enough mention.
Lyla was all over the place throughout the entirety of the book. One minute she was the heartless snob you expected to be married to Graham and the next she was contrite actually having a heart. I was like..will the real Lyla please stand up!
Graham was a semi knock of Patrick Bateman from American Psycho who refused to see the similarities.
I can’t go into a lot on Demi because I will ruin a big part of the story, but I was hoping Demi might be different but even she just didn’t bring enough to the table. Or turn out how I hoped..at least throughout most of the book. And I understand her struggles but it was like she had a personality transplant halfway through. She wanted to be a good person even in her situation and then bam she was willing to get ahead no matter what it took.
Story:
The hardest part about reading this book was how mediocre it was. The plot was so interesting. In fact I was telling my son about it and he was like “Let me add this to my Goodreads list”, until I told him the rating was actually pretty low. I kept reading sure there was going to be this huge plot twist that was going to shock the socks off me. But nothing really happened at ALL. It was so disappointing. It’s like getting on a scary roller coaster, sure you’re going to get this huge stomach churning drop, you close your eyes anticipating the fall, but then you realize you really got on a kiddie ride and the dip is the thrill level meant for a 2 year old. That’s how Good Rich People felt. Like waiting for the huge drop that never came.
There is also a sub plot that was going on behind the scenes involving the last tenant that made absolutely no sense. It was anti-climatic and really just filler. Pretty worthless filler to be exact.
Theme:
The theme I most related to was desire.
Demi had a desire to get away from poverty and she would do anything it took. She was crossing lines she never thought she would or that she was capable of because Demi had always considered herself a good person that still had morals even through all she had been through.
Then there was the desire to win the game.
Lyla would do anything possible, go to extremes to win the game and to show Graham she was just like him and his mother. Even if she didn’t feel good about it. She turned off her subconscious to get the job done.
The one good thing I can say about Good Rich People is even with the mess that it was it was
never boring. The author has talent. This particular story just needed some tweaking to work.
Thank You Goodreads, Berkeley Publishing and Eliza Jane Brazier for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.
January 25, 2022
FLOAT FOR PUB DAY.
If you're a freakin the sheets like Mitchell and me, this might be right up your alley ; )
Everyone is playing a game all the time. It only matters when you’re losing.
When it comes to Good Rich People there’s really only one thing that needs to be said. It’s . . . .
The story here is about Lyla her husband Graham and his mother Margo who live in pretty much a compound of mansion, second house and guest cottage in the Hollywood Hills. Something ridiculous like . . . .
Too rich for their own good, the trio have created a hobby of finding the perfect tenant to live in the cottage – and then finding a way to ruin them.
So you have to know going in this is 100% over the top. Like throw away all sense of realism, pop a big ol’ bag of corn and just go with it type of crazy. There’s obviously some B.E.E. inspiration going on here, but much like any other copy of an original it’s not quite as crisp. That’s not to say it’s not highly enjoyable for the right audience. You’ll know right away if you’re going to like it or not. Just know you need to truly have an appreciation for the absurd.
Oh and one more thing. I figured out how publishers can get me to enjoy people covers. CUT OFF THEIR HEADS!
Many thanks to Berkley via NetGalley for offering me an early chance to read this one. It was just what I needed!
If you're a freak
Everyone is playing a game all the time. It only matters when you’re losing.
When it comes to Good Rich People there’s really only one thing that needs to be said. It’s . . . .
The story here is about Lyla her husband Graham and his mother Margo who live in pretty much a compound of mansion, second house and guest cottage in the Hollywood Hills. Something ridiculous like . . . .
Too rich for their own good, the trio have created a hobby of finding the perfect tenant to live in the cottage – and then finding a way to ruin them.
So you have to know going in this is 100% over the top. Like throw away all sense of realism, pop a big ol’ bag of corn and just go with it type of crazy. There’s obviously some B.E.E. inspiration going on here, but much like any other copy of an original it’s not quite as crisp. That’s not to say it’s not highly enjoyable for the right audience. You’ll know right away if you’re going to like it or not. Just know you need to truly have an appreciation for the absurd.
Oh and one more thing. I figured out how publishers can get me to enjoy people covers. CUT OFF THEIR HEADS!
Many thanks to Berkley via NetGalley for offering me an early chance to read this one. It was just what I needed!
January 31, 2022
It was a hard decision how to rate this book because I have mixed feelings about it. It was hard for me to get past the dog situation. I don’t know why it was thought to be necessary. I felt like there were so many holes in the plot it began to look like swiss cheese. It jumped around a lot and came to an abrupt ending leaving me with unanswered questions.
Lifestyles of the rich are not all caviar dreams and champagne wishes in this book. Layla and her husband Graham are incredibly wealthy. Graham’s mother Margo even more so. What do you do when you have obscene amounts of money and not a care in the world? For Graham and his twisted family they get their jollies from inviting people to stay in their guesthouse. They promise them the world and then come in like a recking ball destroying their lives.
It’s Layla’s turn to play the “game” and after what happened last time, she’s on thin ice. Demi, someone who has struggled in life in every way jumps on an opportunity to assume the identity of someone else and is the newest victim of the “game”. However, Demi is stronger and more determined than the people upstairs give her credit for and she won’t be easily taken down.
Things go sideways at the end and Demi realizes money doesn’t equal happiness, even if you had to bury a few bodies to get there.
Lifestyles of the rich are not all caviar dreams and champagne wishes in this book. Layla and her husband Graham are incredibly wealthy. Graham’s mother Margo even more so. What do you do when you have obscene amounts of money and not a care in the world? For Graham and his twisted family they get their jollies from inviting people to stay in their guesthouse. They promise them the world and then come in like a recking ball destroying their lives.
It’s Layla’s turn to play the “game” and after what happened last time, she’s on thin ice. Demi, someone who has struggled in life in every way jumps on an opportunity to assume the identity of someone else and is the newest victim of the “game”. However, Demi is stronger and more determined than the people upstairs give her credit for and she won’t be easily taken down.
Things go sideways at the end and Demi realizes money doesn’t equal happiness, even if you had to bury a few bodies to get there.
January 10, 2022
Wow that was one entertaining, wild, ride! Usually authors struggle with the "Book 2 curse", but I think Eliza Jane Brazier's 2022 novel
Good Rich People
breaks that mold entirely. I read this book in one sitting and was glued to it. This book is definitely one of the most bingeable books I've ever read.
Good Rich People focuses on Lyla Herschel and her husband Graham. The two of them are extremely wealthy, with money coming from Graham's mother, Margo. Lyla and Graham live in the hills of Los Angeles, with Margo living in sprawling towers (think like a castle sort of vibe) on the same property. Graham and Margo are not good people and they get bored very easily. Makes sense with all the money the family has to get easily bored with life, right? After marrying Graham, Lyla realizes that the Herschel family likes to play "games." These games veer on the dark side, specifically with people's lives. On the family compound, there's a guesthouse that the family rents out after stalking their prey. They allow tenants to move in and effectively ruin their entire lives. That is, until they meet their newest tenant, Demi.
I read Good Rich People in record speed. I could not stop flipping through the pages and I'm sure my husband is annoyed with me for ignoring all responsibilities while doing so. To be fair, I literally hated every single person in this book. There is not one likeable character at all. If you like unlikeable and unreliable characters, you'll enjoy this book. Good Rich People reminds me of something Tarryn Fisher would've written, because it is totally F'd up in the best way possible. Wow, I will be thinking about this book for some time. Eliza Jane Brazier, what else do you have up your sleeves? I AM HOOKED.
Good Rich People focuses on Lyla Herschel and her husband Graham. The two of them are extremely wealthy, with money coming from Graham's mother, Margo. Lyla and Graham live in the hills of Los Angeles, with Margo living in sprawling towers (think like a castle sort of vibe) on the same property. Graham and Margo are not good people and they get bored very easily. Makes sense with all the money the family has to get easily bored with life, right? After marrying Graham, Lyla realizes that the Herschel family likes to play "games." These games veer on the dark side, specifically with people's lives. On the family compound, there's a guesthouse that the family rents out after stalking their prey. They allow tenants to move in and effectively ruin their entire lives. That is, until they meet their newest tenant, Demi.
I read Good Rich People in record speed. I could not stop flipping through the pages and I'm sure my husband is annoyed with me for ignoring all responsibilities while doing so. To be fair, I literally hated every single person in this book. There is not one likeable character at all. If you like unlikeable and unreliable characters, you'll enjoy this book. Good Rich People reminds me of something Tarryn Fisher would've written, because it is totally F'd up in the best way possible. Wow, I will be thinking about this book for some time. Eliza Jane Brazier, what else do you have up your sleeves? I AM HOOKED.
March 1, 2022
Nope! How many mentions of Moet do you need in one book 🤬
March 11, 2022
Last year I was probably one of the few that just didn't really like Brazier's debut. I thought it was okay, but was disappointed overall. When I saw this follow-up, I very cautiously looked forward to giving this author another chance. Boy, am I glad I did - this was pretty great!!
As the title implies, this is a story about rich people. Those who want for nothing, and when you have everything you could ever want, what happens - you get bored! Lyla and Graham are a wealthy couple, living in a lavish neighborhood right across the street from Graham's mother, and family matriarch, Margo. Lyla has always known Graham is not your average guy, and Margo isn't exactly your average mother-in-law. Both are in fact what I would consider sociopaths, and proudly so. When a family of sociopaths with more money than God gets bored what do they do? They prey on those beneath them, inviting them to live as tenants on their breathtaking estate in their guesthouse, all whilst meticulously and deviously conspiring to ruin their lives. What a nasty game to play indeed!
As fate would have it, it's Lyla's turn to play in the game on her newest tenant, Demi. Lyla isn't exactly a sociopath, but she's not salt of the earth either, and desperately wants to impress her increasingly bored husband, and incredibly critical mother-in-law. Last time around, the game resulted in the death of a friend, and she's very apprehensive to play on. Unfortunately, if Graham isn't entertained by her, Lyla is in jeopardy of losing her life of luxury, as Margo has continuously reminded her. What that specifically entails, Lyla doesn't want to find out, so she's determined to win at all costs! What she doesn't know is that Demi isn't really Demi. In fact, a destitute homeless woman has taken over her life, living in her apartment and using her credit card, and is here to stay. She's struggled her whole life, and knows exactly what it takes to survive. Goodness grief, Lyla was in for a big surprise!
At times jaw-droppingly devious and outrageously entertaining throughout, I could not put this book down! I felt that Brazier did an exquisite job of portraying not only society's elite, but also the struggles of the destitute, and what I would expect a couple of sociopaths' lives to look like. The trials Demi experienced growing up in a small apartment being raised by a single father, who is also addicted to drugs really shocked me and I couldn't help but root for her to somehow prevail. At the same time, the remarks that came from Graham throughout were equally shocking in their audacity and just had me laughing out loud! How little he (and Margo) thought of those below him, as if they weren't even human, but objects existing only to entertain them...it was quite entertaining!
I couldn't turn the pages fast enough as the climax of the game, and also the night of Graham's birthday party unfolded. If I had to give any critique at all, I would say Brazier could have gotten so much nastier or menacing in the events that transpired at the party, but nonetheless it was quite captivating! I enjoyed the final outcome of this one, and was even a bit shocked with a couple of the twists that came in the final pages. Quite honestly, I would love to see this story portrayed in a big-budget film, it would undoubtedly be a success! What a fantastic and redeeming second effort this one was for me. I will now look forward to anything else Brazier writes, she's that good.
Triggers in this one involve cruelty to animals (very brief), drug use, a whole boatload of violence.
As the title implies, this is a story about rich people. Those who want for nothing, and when you have everything you could ever want, what happens - you get bored! Lyla and Graham are a wealthy couple, living in a lavish neighborhood right across the street from Graham's mother, and family matriarch, Margo. Lyla has always known Graham is not your average guy, and Margo isn't exactly your average mother-in-law. Both are in fact what I would consider sociopaths, and proudly so. When a family of sociopaths with more money than God gets bored what do they do? They prey on those beneath them, inviting them to live as tenants on their breathtaking estate in their guesthouse, all whilst meticulously and deviously conspiring to ruin their lives. What a nasty game to play indeed!
As fate would have it, it's Lyla's turn to play in the game on her newest tenant, Demi. Lyla isn't exactly a sociopath, but she's not salt of the earth either, and desperately wants to impress her increasingly bored husband, and incredibly critical mother-in-law. Last time around, the game resulted in the death of a friend, and she's very apprehensive to play on. Unfortunately, if Graham isn't entertained by her, Lyla is in jeopardy of losing her life of luxury, as Margo has continuously reminded her. What that specifically entails, Lyla doesn't want to find out, so she's determined to win at all costs! What she doesn't know is that Demi isn't really Demi. In fact, a destitute homeless woman has taken over her life, living in her apartment and using her credit card, and is here to stay. She's struggled her whole life, and knows exactly what it takes to survive. Goodness grief, Lyla was in for a big surprise!
At times jaw-droppingly devious and outrageously entertaining throughout, I could not put this book down! I felt that Brazier did an exquisite job of portraying not only society's elite, but also the struggles of the destitute, and what I would expect a couple of sociopaths' lives to look like. The trials Demi experienced growing up in a small apartment being raised by a single father, who is also addicted to drugs really shocked me and I couldn't help but root for her to somehow prevail. At the same time, the remarks that came from Graham throughout were equally shocking in their audacity and just had me laughing out loud! How little he (and Margo) thought of those below him, as if they weren't even human, but objects existing only to entertain them...it was quite entertaining!
I couldn't turn the pages fast enough as the climax of the game, and also the night of Graham's birthday party unfolded. If I had to give any critique at all, I would say Brazier could have gotten so much nastier or menacing in the events that transpired at the party, but nonetheless it was quite captivating! I enjoyed the final outcome of this one, and was even a bit shocked with a couple of the twists that came in the final pages. Quite honestly, I would love to see this story portrayed in a big-budget film, it would undoubtedly be a success! What a fantastic and redeeming second effort this one was for me. I will now look forward to anything else Brazier writes, she's that good.
Triggers in this one involve cruelty to animals (very brief), drug use, a whole boatload of violence.
January 22, 2022
Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier is a psychological thriller novel. The story in this one is told by changing the point of view between the characters to give all sides of the story.
Lyla and Graham live in an opulent home overseen by Graham’s mother, Margo. Very wealthy Lyla and Graham often find themselves bored and to pass the time they like to invite unsuspecting individuals to their guesthouse and then conspire to ruin their lives. Demi is the latest target of Lyla and Graham’s sadistic games and Demi vows to not go down without a fight.
So, after reading Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier I had to sit back and think a minute trying to figure out just what I had read. The characters in this novel fall on the satirical side and were often over the top in their actions making them not feel real at all. The story wasn’t bad but I couldn’t help some eye rolls along the way which was kind of a put off. In the end I rated this one at two and a half stars with it falling a tad over to the I didn’t quite like it side of my ratings wondering if it would have worked a lot better without the cartoonish feel to the characters.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Lyla and Graham live in an opulent home overseen by Graham’s mother, Margo. Very wealthy Lyla and Graham often find themselves bored and to pass the time they like to invite unsuspecting individuals to their guesthouse and then conspire to ruin their lives. Demi is the latest target of Lyla and Graham’s sadistic games and Demi vows to not go down without a fight.
So, after reading Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier I had to sit back and think a minute trying to figure out just what I had read. The characters in this novel fall on the satirical side and were often over the top in their actions making them not feel real at all. The story wasn’t bad but I couldn’t help some eye rolls along the way which was kind of a put off. In the end I rated this one at two and a half stars with it falling a tad over to the I didn’t quite like it side of my ratings wondering if it would have worked a lot better without the cartoonish feel to the characters.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
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August 11, 2022
"Good Rich People" was not-so-good.
The book had more holes in its plot than a large hunk of Swiss cheese.
Although the book's "The rich can do no wrong....even when they are wrong" premise had great potential, the author did a poor job of using realism to develop this premise and convey the plotline.
Some of the author's dark humor was amusing but, unfortunately, throughout the book, I was uttering many more sighs of disbelief and disgust than laughs.
Trigger warnings: body dismemberment and animal abuse. (Was this really necessary?????)
I listened to the audiobook that was performed by Karissa Vacker and Sophie Amoss.
Both narrators were over-the-top and the stellar narration was the only reason why I was able to finish this book.
2 stars, rounded up.
The book had more holes in its plot than a large hunk of Swiss cheese.
Although the book's "The rich can do no wrong....even when they are wrong" premise had great potential, the author did a poor job of using realism to develop this premise and convey the plotline.
Some of the author's dark humor was amusing but, unfortunately, throughout the book, I was uttering many more sighs of disbelief and disgust than laughs.
Trigger warnings: body dismemberment and animal abuse. (Was this really necessary?????)
I listened to the audiobook that was performed by Karissa Vacker and Sophie Amoss.
Both narrators were over-the-top and the stellar narration was the only reason why I was able to finish this book.
2 stars, rounded up.
April 13, 2022
This review and others @Bookerification
Rating: 3.5 stars
Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
I love it! The elegant, clean look is just perfect for the story and genre.
Writing: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
There is something hypnotic and compelling about Eliza Jane Brazier's writing in this book. Her conversational writing style and the constant atmosphere of unease kept me deeply engaged. I also enjoyed the two alternating points of view (POVs), as it gives readers the whole picture and adds more tension to the story. The contrast between these two narratives is skillfully used to raise interesting points for readers to consider. While these points are mainly about wealth inequality, they add depth to the story. My only criticism is that the time differences between these narratives made the story slightly disjointed and choppy.
“I don’t believe that the disadvantaged can "pull themselves up by their bootstrap"; they’re born without boots"
Storyline: 🌟🌟🌟.5
The character-driven storyline is surprisingly simple. I was particularly disappointed by the 'game' Lyla and her husband play. I had expected fierce, intense ploys, but these schemes are unrealistic and underwhelming. Despite this, the storyline is interesting enough because of the atypical characters and building climax. Sadly, I did find the climax dissatisfying and too simple.
Main character(s):🌟🌟🌟.5
Lyla and Demi are unlikeable characters that are hard to relate to or root for. They are both self-serving characters who also manage to be passive and weak. These contrasting natures do not make the characters more complex and appealing, which might have been the intended goal. Instead, the characters became obvious plot devices with unclear motives and personalities. Still, their narratives and internal struggles are weirdly fascinating because of their unpredictability.
“There is nothing more confusing than being sexually attracted to your husband"
Secondary characters: 🌟🌟.5
In line with the simple nature of the storyline, there are only a few secondary characters. These characters are even more unlikeable than Lyla and Demi! They are unrealistic caricatures whose every word and action is used to drive the storyline. Additionally, none of these characters experiences any growth or evolution during the story. We are simply given some information about their past to justify their behaviours.
All in all, 'Good Rich People' presents a simple story filled with equally simple characters. The strong writing style and atypical main characters are the only things that kept me reading till the end. Perhaps I would have enjoyed this a lot more if I had been able to connect better with the storyline and characters.
___________________________
"Every time a privileged person takes ownership an angel gets its wings”
Dark but unrealistic. I still liked it though
Rating: 4 stars
Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Writing: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Storyline: 🌟🌟🌟.5
Main character(s):🌟🌟🌟.5
Secondary characters: 🌟🌟.5
RTC @ Bookerification
Rating: 3.5 stars
Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
I love it! The elegant, clean look is just perfect for the story and genre.
Writing: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
There is something hypnotic and compelling about Eliza Jane Brazier's writing in this book. Her conversational writing style and the constant atmosphere of unease kept me deeply engaged. I also enjoyed the two alternating points of view (POVs), as it gives readers the whole picture and adds more tension to the story. The contrast between these two narratives is skillfully used to raise interesting points for readers to consider. While these points are mainly about wealth inequality, they add depth to the story. My only criticism is that the time differences between these narratives made the story slightly disjointed and choppy.
“I don’t believe that the disadvantaged can "pull themselves up by their bootstrap"; they’re born without boots"
Storyline: 🌟🌟🌟.5
The character-driven storyline is surprisingly simple. I was particularly disappointed by the 'game' Lyla and her husband play. I had expected fierce, intense ploys, but these schemes are unrealistic and underwhelming. Despite this, the storyline is interesting enough because of the atypical characters and building climax. Sadly, I did find the climax dissatisfying and too simple.
Main character(s):🌟🌟🌟.5
Lyla and Demi are unlikeable characters that are hard to relate to or root for. They are both self-serving characters who also manage to be passive and weak. These contrasting natures do not make the characters more complex and appealing, which might have been the intended goal. Instead, the characters became obvious plot devices with unclear motives and personalities. Still, their narratives and internal struggles are weirdly fascinating because of their unpredictability.
“There is nothing more confusing than being sexually attracted to your husband"
Secondary characters: 🌟🌟.5
In line with the simple nature of the storyline, there are only a few secondary characters. These characters are even more unlikeable than Lyla and Demi! They are unrealistic caricatures whose every word and action is used to drive the storyline. Additionally, none of these characters experiences any growth or evolution during the story. We are simply given some information about their past to justify their behaviours.
All in all, 'Good Rich People' presents a simple story filled with equally simple characters. The strong writing style and atypical main characters are the only things that kept me reading till the end. Perhaps I would have enjoyed this a lot more if I had been able to connect better with the storyline and characters.
___________________________
"Every time a privileged person takes ownership an angel gets its wings”
Dark but unrealistic. I still liked it though
Rating: 4 stars
Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Writing: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Storyline: 🌟🌟🌟.5
Main character(s):🌟🌟🌟.5
Secondary characters: 🌟🌟.5
RTC @ Bookerification
October 3, 2021
I don't know how Eliza Jane Brazier does it, but her stories always mess with my head in the most disturbing, delicious, devastating way. Just like If I Disappear, Good Rich People has an incredibly atmospheric/cinematic setting, incredible prose, and the most intriguing, messed up, fleshed-out characters. And just like with If I Disappear, I devoured this book in a sitting because I HAD TO KNOW HOW IT WAS GOING TO END. One my fave thrillers of the year, cannot recommend it enough, do yourself a favor and read it so we can collectively talk about how wonderfully messed up this story is. 9000000/10.
Disclosure: Eliza and I share a publisher. I received an ARC from Berkley.
Disclosure: Eliza and I share a publisher. I received an ARC from Berkley.
August 27, 2021
QUICK TAKE: I am a big Eliza Jane Brazier fan and really enjoyed her previous book, IF I DISAPPEAR. I similarly liked a lot about this book, and the concept is dark and twisty and right up my alley (rich couple plays a twisted game with each other where they fuck with the unsuspecting victims who rent out their guest house). The characters here are almost on another planet, but I had a lot of fun with the cat-and-mouse antics and the ending is Alice in Wonderland tomfuckery (evening shootouts in the rose garden, anyone?).
August 30, 2023
I love a quick, juicy thriller! Good Rich People includes two points of view, Lyla and Demi. Lyla's husband is soooooo bored. To combat his boredom he loves to play a game where he destroys the lives of unsuspecting affluent individuals. After all, the wealthy aren't paying attention to anyone but themselves. In this round of the game, Lyla becomes the cat and Demi is the mouse. I really liked reading the same events through each woman's eyes, although this made the timeline disorienting at times. While I couldn't put this book down, the ending was weak AF. There weren't very many twists, but overall I enjoyed reading about rich people I loved to hate.
February 19, 2022
Was this even a real book? Seriously, what was this?
March 27, 2022
😳😳😳 Have you ever been speechless after finishing a book? If there ever was a WTF book...this is it! This and Bunny are the two most insane books I have ever read. Now don't get me wrong..they are NOTHING alike. They just are both the ones that stand out in my mind as being Crazzzzy.
So...with that being said...did I like it? Yeah I guess so.
The most unlikable, disturbing, crazy people...but I kept reading...
Shocking scenes...I kept reading...
It was like a train wreck that I couldn't look away from...even though I thought I should...I kept reading...
A twist early on that left me going...whattt? Luckily Javier was reading this at the same time as I was...so we got to compare notes!
This one won't be for everyone...heck I don't even know for sure if it was for me...but I went in knowing about the mixed reviews and I just let it entertain me...and that it did! The ending felt a bit like The Hunting Wives...Damn, there are no rifle emojis on here! LOL
So...with that being said...did I like it? Yeah I guess so.
The most unlikable, disturbing, crazy people...but I kept reading...
Shocking scenes...I kept reading...
It was like a train wreck that I couldn't look away from...even though I thought I should...I kept reading...
A twist early on that left me going...whattt? Luckily Javier was reading this at the same time as I was...so we got to compare notes!
This one won't be for everyone...heck I don't even know for sure if it was for me...but I went in knowing about the mixed reviews and I just let it entertain me...and that it did! The ending felt a bit like The Hunting Wives...Damn, there are no rifle emojis on here! LOL
Read
February 7, 2022DNF for me at 30% - honestly nothing wrong with the writing or the story but I just can’t. Rich people bored and nothing to do but destroy people? And I’m sure there is a twist but no… reading about mean people right now in my frame of mind is not happening. Ugh… people suck too much in my REAL life. My reading life? Nope.
February 8, 2022
What in the name of Moët did I just read?
I guess it’s time to file this author’s work under “does not work for me” and move on.
Before I review, here are a few thoughts I jotted down while reading:
• Whyyyy is Lyla constantly talking about her husband releasing his scent?
• OMG this is so repetitive. We get it. You messed up with Elvira and it’s your turn to play the game.
• WHAT EVEN IS THE GAME?
• The synopsis is so deceiving.
• Is this book sponsored by Moet?
• I wonder how often the author used copy and paste while writing this book.
——
Now, normally I love dual POV and some unlikeable characters, but it didn’t work for me this time at all. For one, the dual POV was just the exact same scenes told from Demi and Lyla’s POV but with very little new insight from the last time I read it. So, why did I need to hear it twice? Second, the characters aren’t just unlikeable, they’re completely flat and undeveloped. No one in this book had any personality or defining traits other than being a) spoiled rotten whiny snobby rich people or b) wishing they were. Demi had the opportunity to be the one character you could root for, but that didn’t happen. Graham was a shell of a character. He was bored and boring. Nothing about him stood out whatsoever yet he’s one of the main characters.
The entire book was one big build up to an underwhelming climax and I was completely disappointed in the ending. The last chapter was literally a copy + paste from a prior chapter and I have no idea what to even make of that.
I could probably go on and on but I’ll leave it. The one good thing this book has going for it is the cover. I love it.
I guess it’s time to file this author’s work under “does not work for me” and move on.
Before I review, here are a few thoughts I jotted down while reading:
• Whyyyy is Lyla constantly talking about her husband releasing his scent?
• OMG this is so repetitive. We get it. You messed up with Elvira and it’s your turn to play the game.
• WHAT EVEN IS THE GAME?
• The synopsis is so deceiving.
• Is this book sponsored by Moet?
• I wonder how often the author used copy and paste while writing this book.
——
Now, normally I love dual POV and some unlikeable characters, but it didn’t work for me this time at all. For one, the dual POV was just the exact same scenes told from Demi and Lyla’s POV but with very little new insight from the last time I read it. So, why did I need to hear it twice? Second, the characters aren’t just unlikeable, they’re completely flat and undeveloped. No one in this book had any personality or defining traits other than being a) spoiled rotten whiny snobby rich people or b) wishing they were. Demi had the opportunity to be the one character you could root for, but that didn’t happen. Graham was a shell of a character. He was bored and boring. Nothing about him stood out whatsoever yet he’s one of the main characters.
The entire book was one big build up to an underwhelming climax and I was completely disappointed in the ending. The last chapter was literally a copy + paste from a prior chapter and I have no idea what to even make of that.
I could probably go on and on but I’ll leave it. The one good thing this book has going for it is the cover. I love it.
Read
March 5, 2022no idea how to rate this one 😂
it was definitely bingeworthy, i read it in two sittings. it was different and as a frequent thriller reader, i enjoyed that. i just don’t know how i fully feel about it yet… i enjoyed the ending but still felt like “huh, that’s it?” when it was done.
it was definitely bingeworthy, i read it in two sittings. it was different and as a frequent thriller reader, i enjoyed that. i just don’t know how i fully feel about it yet… i enjoyed the ending but still felt like “huh, that’s it?” when it was done.
January 23, 2023
***2.5*** Not rounding it up.
Ok first of all what the heck did I just read!? I honestly don’t know what was the point of this book? It’s not a fast paced, cleverly written thriller. It’s not a slow paced yet interesting, absorbing suspense/mystery. I am confused….
The story is absurd from start to finish. Extremely wealthy mother and son duo are playing with poor people’s lives and having fun ruining them in every way possible, even murder! Really this is the whole story.
We read from two different women’s point of view, the tenant Demi and the daughter in law Lyla. We are constantly in their confused, dysfunctional, conflicting and fearful head. It’s exhausting to be in both women’s head. Neither of them were likeable. Maybe I liked Demi a little bit more but I really hated Lyla, Graham and Margo. What disgusting human beings!
Oh I must add, every time I read the word “Moët”, I laughed out loud. The author was obsessed with using the word Moët in every chapter, maybe a few times in each chapter!! Honestly I don’t want to drink Moët every again because of these people Haha!!!
The ending was pointless! Utter nonsense. This is not a spoiler…. We ALL know money doesn’t buy happiness. Bunch of useless idiotic characters that have no place among us. Ok I am going to stop ranting about how much I hated this book. The only redeeming part was the very beginning had potential but lost its meaning very early on.
On to the next!
⭐️⭐️.5 Enjoy! Or maybe not 😉
Ok first of all what the heck did I just read!? I honestly don’t know what was the point of this book? It’s not a fast paced, cleverly written thriller. It’s not a slow paced yet interesting, absorbing suspense/mystery. I am confused….
The story is absurd from start to finish. Extremely wealthy mother and son duo are playing with poor people’s lives and having fun ruining them in every way possible, even murder! Really this is the whole story.
We read from two different women’s point of view, the tenant Demi and the daughter in law Lyla. We are constantly in their confused, dysfunctional, conflicting and fearful head. It’s exhausting to be in both women’s head. Neither of them were likeable. Maybe I liked Demi a little bit more but I really hated Lyla, Graham and Margo. What disgusting human beings!
Oh I must add, every time I read the word “Moët”, I laughed out loud. The author was obsessed with using the word Moët in every chapter, maybe a few times in each chapter!! Honestly I don’t want to drink Moët every again because of these people Haha!!!
The ending was pointless! Utter nonsense. This is not a spoiler…. We ALL know money doesn’t buy happiness. Bunch of useless idiotic characters that have no place among us. Ok I am going to stop ranting about how much I hated this book. The only redeeming part was the very beginning had potential but lost its meaning very early on.
On to the next!
⭐️⭐️.5 Enjoy! Or maybe not 😉
October 24, 2022
Les Liaisons Dangereuses/Cruel Intentions meets The Most Dangerous Game in this class satire.
This book is definitely not going to be for everyone. It fits perfectly on my "pineapple on pizza" (you love it or you hate it) shelf, along with Brazier's debut If I Disappear. Don't expect realism here; you won't find it, nor do I think the plot was intended to be airtight like a normal mystery/thriller should be. It reminded me of Bunny and All's Well by Mona Awad, but without the magical realism. So if her fever dream style appeals to you, this one will likely be up your alley, especially if you're looking for something a bit more on the thriller side than Awad.
However, it was also missing a lot of the subtlety Awad and other satirical writers are so clever with, along with any meaningful messaging. Money corrupts... what a shock! It was a quick read (I had trouble putting it down) and I laughed out loud more than a few times. But I don't feel like I'm taking anything away from this book really. I may have enjoyed reading it more, but her debut certainly stuck with me much more.
Eliza Jane Brazier is trying to *do something* with her writing though, that is apparent to me. And it's nice to read a book that's trying to do something different in a genre I like, but has become saturated with same-ness. So I'll continue picking up her books and seeing what she can bring to the table.
This book is definitely not going to be for everyone. It fits perfectly on my "pineapple on pizza" (you love it or you hate it) shelf, along with Brazier's debut If I Disappear. Don't expect realism here; you won't find it, nor do I think the plot was intended to be airtight like a normal mystery/thriller should be. It reminded me of Bunny and All's Well by Mona Awad, but without the magical realism. So if her fever dream style appeals to you, this one will likely be up your alley, especially if you're looking for something a bit more on the thriller side than Awad.
However, it was also missing a lot of the subtlety Awad and other satirical writers are so clever with, along with any meaningful messaging. Money corrupts... what a shock! It was a quick read (I had trouble putting it down) and I laughed out loud more than a few times. But I don't feel like I'm taking anything away from this book really. I may have enjoyed reading it more, but her debut certainly stuck with me much more.
Eliza Jane Brazier is trying to *do something* with her writing though, that is apparent to me. And it's nice to read a book that's trying to do something different in a genre I like, but has become saturated with same-ness. So I'll continue picking up her books and seeing what she can bring to the table.
January 30, 2022
I sometimes wish we would move somewhere, start our own life with our own money. But there is a little-known fact about people with money: They are beholden to people with more money. So although Graham could afford his own house and his own life, his mother has more money. His mother has money that makes our money look poor.
When you're rich, you can control everything. Except the richer.
Ain't that the truth. But Lyla isn't really one of the rich, just borrowing it for a while, at least if you believe her husband Graham and mother-in-law Margo. See, there's a game they play - find a bootstrapper (someone who came from nothing and made their way to success), befriend them, destroy them. You've got to have something to keep you occupied when all those dollars make life not enough struggle to keep the boredom at bay. Lyla interfered with their last game, and now she's got to transition from observer to finally playing herself - but when your new tenant has more to fight for than you know and you can't trust anyone, how do you know who's on your side, and who's playing a game of their own?
This was a quick read, and a gripping one - I found it no problem to read in one sitting. There's just something fascinating about reading about terrible people doing terrible things - and with it shorter, there's no getting too bogged down and overwhelmed by all the nastiness. It was close, because pretty much no-one provides someone to root for, and at times the campy villainy came close to tipping over into too much. Eliza Jane Brazier walks a fine line, but I think for me she held it on the right side. There's some great lines, too - the shallowness of Lyla setting off the more insightful narration of Demi, both of them with plenty to say and contrast that resulted in heavy hitters like:
There is nothing more confusing than being sexually attracted to your husband.
Giving someone what they want is the worst thing you can do to a person.
Because poverty is not just not having money. It's the way you see the world. It's out of your control.
So despite what I felt was a weak ending - ambiguity has to be done perfectly for me to appreciate it, I prefer knowing - this was fun. Definitely quick enough to be worth a try!
When you're rich, you can control everything. Except the richer.
Ain't that the truth. But Lyla isn't really one of the rich, just borrowing it for a while, at least if you believe her husband Graham and mother-in-law Margo. See, there's a game they play - find a bootstrapper (someone who came from nothing and made their way to success), befriend them, destroy them. You've got to have something to keep you occupied when all those dollars make life not enough struggle to keep the boredom at bay. Lyla interfered with their last game, and now she's got to transition from observer to finally playing herself - but when your new tenant has more to fight for than you know and you can't trust anyone, how do you know who's on your side, and who's playing a game of their own?
This was a quick read, and a gripping one - I found it no problem to read in one sitting. There's just something fascinating about reading about terrible people doing terrible things - and with it shorter, there's no getting too bogged down and overwhelmed by all the nastiness. It was close, because pretty much no-one provides someone to root for, and at times the campy villainy came close to tipping over into too much. Eliza Jane Brazier walks a fine line, but I think for me she held it on the right side. There's some great lines, too - the shallowness of Lyla setting off the more insightful narration of Demi, both of them with plenty to say and contrast that resulted in heavy hitters like:
There is nothing more confusing than being sexually attracted to your husband.
Giving someone what they want is the worst thing you can do to a person.
Because poverty is not just not having money. It's the way you see the world. It's out of your control.
So despite what I felt was a weak ending - ambiguity has to be done perfectly for me to appreciate it, I prefer knowing - this was fun. Definitely quick enough to be worth a try!
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