The Golden Cage by Camilla Läckberg

 So I bought SILVER TEARS not realizing it was book two in a series, and when I saw it was only $4.99 to buy, I was like SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY. It was purely an impulse buy just because I hate not getting closure, but OH MY GOD. Best purchase I've made in a while. THE GOLDEN CAGE ended up basically being a checklist of all of my favorite mystery/thriller tropes. Like, it's dual timeline, it's a little bit smutty, it has an antiheroine narrator, and it deals out some TRULY BRUTAL emotionally charged scenes. But at the same time, I never felt like I was being manipulated, either. All the scenes spoke for themselves.

Faye is the wife of a billionaire named Jack who co-owns the firm that she helped build. But she stepped down to raise their child, and now he treats her like trash. He demeans her looks and her weight and calls her stupid. He throws temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way and goes out of the way to make her feel small. And Faye takes it, because the alternative-- being alone, being without everything-- is too terrifying to bear. But when Jack goes too far, she finds herself exactly in that position, and she decides to punish him by taking away everything.

First of all, I am shocked that this book has so many negative reviews. And that people are actually defending her emotionally manipulative boyfriend and her abusive husband? That sort of internalized misogyny is LITERALLY what this book is crusading against. But go off, I guess. Personally, I thought it was an excellent revenge story. I thought both men were awful and that Lackberg did an exceptional job showing why women stay in toxic relationships, and how they really can feel like a golden cage. There are also some really good female relationships in this book. Faye's friends, Chris and Kerstin, were wonderful. I loved them almost as much as I loved Faye.

Less is definitely more going into this book so I actually don't want to say too much, but if you like female antiheroes, revenge stories, and women who are just plain old tired of taking life's garbage head-on, then you're going to love this book. I got burned out on Scandinavian thrillers a while ago because I felt like they were too dark and too film noir for my tastes, but this is much more in line with books like GONE GIRL or WHITE IVY; beach read thrillers tinged with darkness. Oh yes, momma like.

Ta-ta, off to read the sequel!

4.5 out of 5 stars