The Pact is a fabulously fast-paced story set in the world of computer coding. In just over 100 short chapters we follow Freya as she gets a job at Atypical, an up and coming San Francisco tech company. Julian is the charismatic co-owner of the business and at first everything seems to be going brilliantly for Freya as it's clear she has a real talent and Julian recognises that. However, Nicole, one of the other employees, takes a dislike to Freya and starts to bully her.
I really felt for Freya. What a horrible situation to be in. We all imagine bullies are left behind in the school playground but that's not the case. Freya and Jay, her new boyfriend who also works at Atypical, play a bit of a joke on Nicole which backfires as that same night she is murdered.
Freya's story is one strand of the story and Isla's is another. She's a journalist who is looking into Nicole's murder and she starts to uncover more and more about what happened that night. She starts to join the dots and the deeper she digs the more she discovers.
This is one of those stories that jumps around in time so there might be a chapter two months before Nicole's death followed by one the day after and then another a week before. I love this kind of structure as it challenges me to put the pieces together myself and it also means the whole story unfolds before my very eyes. However, I know it's not for everyone so if you like your books to follow a linear timeline then this will not suit you.
I think The Pact got off to a relatively slow start, lots of scene setting and introductions to characters, but then from just before the half way point I started to absolutely race through it. It's compelling and riveting reading that had me turning those pages as fast as I could. The short chapters helped as they really ramped up the tension. The ending was a bit of a surprise and I'm still processing it. Really clever though.
I thought this was a very relevant, very current, very exciting book. I fancy reading Amy Heydenrych's first novel now. I think she's writing really interesting stories.
I really felt for Freya. What a horrible situation to be in. We all imagine bullies are left behind in the school playground but that's not the case. Freya and Jay, her new boyfriend who also works at Atypical, play a bit of a joke on Nicole which backfires as that same night she is murdered.
Freya's story is one strand of the story and Isla's is another. She's a journalist who is looking into Nicole's murder and she starts to uncover more and more about what happened that night. She starts to join the dots and the deeper she digs the more she discovers.
This is one of those stories that jumps around in time so there might be a chapter two months before Nicole's death followed by one the day after and then another a week before. I love this kind of structure as it challenges me to put the pieces together myself and it also means the whole story unfolds before my very eyes. However, I know it's not for everyone so if you like your books to follow a linear timeline then this will not suit you.
I think The Pact got off to a relatively slow start, lots of scene setting and introductions to characters, but then from just before the half way point I started to absolutely race through it. It's compelling and riveting reading that had me turning those pages as fast as I could. The short chapters helped as they really ramped up the tension. The ending was a bit of a surprise and I'm still processing it. Really clever though.
I thought this was a very relevant, very current, very exciting book. I fancy reading Amy Heydenrych's first novel now. I think she's writing really interesting stories.