Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach, published January 2014 by Picador.
Read: July 2015
Genre: Adult/Mystery/Thriller
Source: Purchased
#Pages: 336
Get It Now: Wordery
Goodreads Synopsis: On the internet, we can be anyone we choose. No one knows who we really are. Sheltered and obsessive, Leila spends more time online than out in the real world. So she seems the ideal person to take over the virtual identity of the vivacious and fragile Tess, who wants to disappear. But even with all the facts at her fingertips, there are things that Leila can’t possibly know about Tess – or herself – until it is too late…
The Review
So, this wasn’t what I was expecting. I knew nothing about this book when I picked it up, and from the title I was expecting a dramatic and romantic storyline. That is not this book. Kiss Me First is one of the only books I’ve read that scarily, yet somehow eerily accurately, depicts the dangers of the Internet… especially when in the wrong (AKA slightly deranged) hands. There are seriously sinister undertones throughout this novel, and yet the main character, Leila, is still relate-able at times, and humanised by the author. A very clever move.
I want to mention that I seem to have a pattern of rating mysteries and thrillers 3.5/5. Maybe I haven’t found one that has totally blown my socks off yet, or maybe the genre just isn’t my literary love, but I want to throw it in here because I don’t want anyone reading this to think 3.5/5 is in any way a negative, or even a particularly mediocre review. If you are a thriller/mystery fan, I would encourage you to pick this one up. I enjoyed it.
Leila is an unreliable first-person narrator, and although she’s painted as an un-likeable character, there are definite sympathetic and vulnerable elements to her character, that somehow made me connect with her in a way that I was almost uncomfortable with. Tess on the other hand is the popular girl-about-town, who is dealing with mental health issues that make her an erratic fireball of a character. Oddly, I struggled with her a little more than I did Leila.
Overall, the plot was very well executed, if a little slow at times, but I was entertained right until the end as the mystery unravelled.
Quotables
“And people got divorced, didn’t they? If they fell in love with someone else? And that other person was available? These weren’t the kinds of questions that could be answered by Google.”
“I pretended that it wasn’t such a big deal, that I knew we weren’t suited, that I agreed with what-ever bullshit rationale you used – ‘we don’t make each other the best possible versions of ourselves’ or what-ever. But you did make me the best ‘me’.”
Confessions of a Book Geek 
Interesting. I don’t think I’ve heard nor seen this book before. Is this a UK release? I don’t mind reading a War and Peace type of novels as long as I’m way into it. Sometimes, I’d love a book so much I never want it to end. Lol.
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Argh, this went live before I’d finished the post. I don’t think it’s UK only. The original post still had the synopsis and review for Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry. I’d copied the post to give me the layout to work with. I would HIGHLY recommend the Pushing the Limits series (YA contemp romance with deeper issues), but Kiss Me First was a highly creepy thriller 😀 R xx
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Sounds really good and I LOVE thrillers so it might work even better for me. Liking the sound of those sinister undertones.
By the way I’m DYING to read your review and your discussion post about Asking for It but I still have to read the book so I’m waiting until then to do so!
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If you like thrillers/mysteries you’ll enjoy this one. I don’t know what it is but every thriller type book I’ve read I’ve gave 3.5! This would make a pretty interesting movie I think.
Can’t wait to get into a good chat with you when you’ve finished it! I’ve been in a blogging slump for a while now, but Asking For It got me straight on to my laptop to write and research lots!! R xxx
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Gah. I’m such a sucker. I bought this book under the assumption that it’s going to be just that: romantic. Fool.
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Lol – I wasn’t the only one then! I do think you’ll enjoy the content of this read anyway though. It’s rather complex, and a very interesting storyline! R x
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OMG I am the same. Thrillers usually end up getting a 3 from me, but would always be a 3.5 if I did half stars. They just always seem to end up in that range, it takes a really special one to get a higher rating for me.
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You don’t do half stars? How did I not know this? I don’t think I could COPE without half stars. What’s your method?! R xx
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[…] I was practically useless at posting this month! I reviewed What Alice Forgot (4/5) and Kiss Me First (3.5/5). […]
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Nice post, I read and reviewed this recently! I really liked it. I have gotten into a habit of rating most thrillers/mysteries 4/5.
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Thanks! I find most books in the thriller genre elicit the same rating from me, unless there is something super different about them, but I find them to be addictive reading and pretty easy to get through! R xx
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[…] My most popular post in March was 8 Reasons Reading Is A Superpower and my most popular post in April was eBooks vs Paper Books – The Facts. In March, my most popualr review was for the Noughts and Crosses series, and in April it was for Kiss Me First. […]
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