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Bring the House Down
“Intimate, real, and really funny. This one has teeth.” —Kiley Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Come and Get It and Such a Fun Age
A theatre critic at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe writes a vicious one-star review of a struggling actress he has a one-night stand with in this sharply funny, feminist tinderbox.
Alex Lyons always has his mind made up by the time the curtain comes down at a performance—the show either deserves a five-star rave or a one-star pan. Anything in between is meaningless. On the opening night of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he doesn’t deliberate over the rating for Hayley Sinclair’s show, nor does he hesitate when the opportunity presents itself to have a one-night stand with the struggling actress.
Unaware that she’s gone home with the theater critic who’s just written a career-ending review of her, Hayley wakes up at his apartment to see his scathing one-star critique in print on the kitchen table, and she’s not sure which humiliation offends her the most. So she revamps her show into a viral sensation critiquing Alex Lyons himself—entitled son of a famous actress, serial philanderer, and by all accounts a terrible man. Yet Alex remains unapologetic. As his reputation goes up in flames, he insists on telling his unvarnished version of events to his colleague, Sophie. Through her eyes, we see that the deeper she gets pulled into his downfall, the more conflicted she becomes. After all, there are always two sides to every story.
A brilliant Trojan horse of a book about art, power, misogyny, and female rage, Bring the House Down is a searing, insightful, and often hilarious debut that captures the blurred line between reality and performance.
A theatre critic at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe writes a vicious one-star review of a struggling actress he has a one-night stand with in this sharply funny, feminist tinderbox.
Alex Lyons always has his mind made up by the time the curtain comes down at a performance—the show either deserves a five-star rave or a one-star pan. Anything in between is meaningless. On the opening night of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he doesn’t deliberate over the rating for Hayley Sinclair’s show, nor does he hesitate when the opportunity presents itself to have a one-night stand with the struggling actress.
Unaware that she’s gone home with the theater critic who’s just written a career-ending review of her, Hayley wakes up at his apartment to see his scathing one-star critique in print on the kitchen table, and she’s not sure which humiliation offends her the most. So she revamps her show into a viral sensation critiquing Alex Lyons himself—entitled son of a famous actress, serial philanderer, and by all accounts a terrible man. Yet Alex remains unapologetic. As his reputation goes up in flames, he insists on telling his unvarnished version of events to his colleague, Sophie. Through her eyes, we see that the deeper she gets pulled into his downfall, the more conflicted she becomes. After all, there are always two sides to every story.
A brilliant Trojan horse of a book about art, power, misogyny, and female rage, Bring the House Down is a searing, insightful, and often hilarious debut that captures the blurred line between reality and performance.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published July 8, 2025
305 people are currently reading
25096 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Runcie
5 books115 followersAuthor of books including the forthcoming debut novel Bring the House Down, out in 2025 with Doubleday Books (USA) and Borough Press (UK).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 848 reviews
April 25, 2025
"Fair criticism doesn't exist," he'd said to me in the newsroom once. "Life isn't fair, so why should I be?"
This is one of those books that sounded sort of interesting, so I picked it up with the intention to sample, get a feel for it, and then put it aside for later. And I was doing that, honestly, but then, somehow, the pages kept turning and I finished the whole book. I guess I really couldn't put it down.
I don't want to sell this as a thriller, because it's not. Bring the House Down is a literary character and culture study, and a thought-provoking exploration of the responsibility critics have to both their subjects and their audience.
Did I have a greater responsibility to the actors on stage, the company and crew who made this obviously high-budget and well-rehearsed show, or to the audience around me? Or to the people reading the paper, who would never see that particular production, but who kept up an interest in theatre and just wanted some opinions to chew over with their breakfast?
But if that sounds dry, I'm doing it a disservice. Because it's seriously compelling and juicy.
We dive right into what the blurb promises from the very first chapter: cutthroat theatre critic Alex Lyons sees a show at the Edinburgh Fringe and completely decimates it in a review. Immediately afterwards, he goes to a bar and runs into the show's creator and sole performer, Hayley, and the pair sleep together.
Hayley has no idea Alex has just written a career-ending review of her show, but when she finds out, she decides on the perfect revenge: revamping her show into a vicious critique of Alex and his whole life. Soon, others are speaking up about their negative experiences with Alex, both through his reviews and in his private life.
Runcie has written a thoughtful meditation on several different aspects of our culture here, and it is compelling because it is relevant, the stakes are high, and there are no easy answers.
When does criticism cross a line? If you give a harsh criticism then add the disclaimer “I’m just being honest,” does that make it okay? Is it always right to be honest or, at some point, are you-- as Madeline the Person puts it --"just being mean"? Or, conversely, is it better to be dishonest, as Sophie often is? To slap five stars against a production because you feel you should, out of a sense of duty to the creators? Does it matter less if your platform is smaller? Do you only have to temper your honesty if you know your voice is influential?
In Alex's case, he grew such a powerful reputation from being brutally honest. The readers loved his reviews because, if he thought it was shit, he said so. Nobody wanted the milquetoast three-star reviews. So is the problem even Alex, or the culture that built him? The culture that wants to know:
Excellent or worthless, nothing in between. Review your experience, share your thoughts, recommend us to your friends, swipe left, swipe right, leave a comment, have an opinion.
The book also looks at the aftermath of a "cancelling" with nuance. Alex is an asshole, no doubt, but as he becomes ever more hated, as more and more people gleefully gather round to judge him on social media, one has to wonder how much punishment he actually deserves. The book is stronger, in my opinion, because Runcie refuses to fully condemn or redeem him.
I am intrigued to see how other readers feel about the choice of narration. The story is told in first person-- not by Alex or Hayley, but by Alex's colleague, Sophie. In some ways, it's genius: Sophie is adjacent to the book's main events, close enough to witness them firsthand but far enough removed to offer a more balanced perspective. However, the book's biggest weakness, I feel, is that we also get a subplot delving into Sophie's life with her partner Josh and new baby, which I found to be the slowest and least interesting parts of the story.
But, overall, I really enjoyed it and found the moral ambiguity really compelling. Recommended for anyone who enjoys asking complex questions about the culture we live in.
December 11, 2025
“Now I hold my life in my hands and feel its warmth. I breathe gently on the embers. I make them glow.”
How many of us ever consider the impact of our ONE STAR reviews? Having written a few, I know I contemplate everything before attaching any stars to my review. Especially if it is going to be just ONE STAR.
Why?
Because there is a chance that someone reading my review may make a decision about the book based on my opinion of it. And, that matters to me.
Before attaching that lonely one star⭐️, I examine and think about all aspects of my feelings, reactions, observations and concerns about the book, prior to assigning stars.
But I also know that regardless of my rating, in many ways I am somewhat anonymous. Unimportant. Just a person reading a book and offering my thoughts on it. I am not attached to a major newspaper, or magazine, or online blog, or YouTube program, or part of a celebrity circuit in which what I have to say really matters…on a large stage.
So, when our character, Alex Lyons, who is deeply ensconced in theatre, and happens to write for a popular newspaper, that ONE STAR review reaction to the show he just watched…it matters. To his readers. And, they will most likely respond in kind to his powerful words. By probably not attending the show he just openly lambasted.
What he doesn’t expect is what Hayley, the ‘target’ of this review, will do in kind. Because his words also mattered to her. Especially after humiliating her with a one-night stand, as well, when she didn’t know who he was and how his words would impact her.
And, this is the crux of the story. Her reaction to him. His reaction to what she does. And, how we as readers are supposed to feel about either of them.
Sophie, a colleague of Alex’s is our narrator. And, through her words we learn more about all that occurred, as well as Alex’s ‘qualities.’ And what Hayley has created based on Alex’s so-called reputation.
This is Runcie’s debut novel. She has a thoughtful, lyrical way with words that can easily impact readers as she provides us with so many moments to breathe in.
“…he kissed her. And it rose within him, that addictive one-night-only falling in love feeling, taking him over like a warm bloom of drunkenness.”
Still, as readers we can’t help but hope there are learning lessons here. For these two characters. About understanding, forgiveness, caring about the impact of their words.
And, that becomes the interesting journey for readers, too. The question being, will we connect to Alex and Hayley? And, hope for the best possible ending? Especially if we question our own ‘feelings’ about these characters and their ‘issues.’ Because even if Alex is displayed in a certain way, did what Hayley do make her any better? (No spoilers from me.)
Amusing at times, compelling at others, this book would make for a great book discussion selection. As well as an opportunity for any of us to pause as we consider the impact of any of our reviews.
Still, having said that, it truly is a pleasure to write and read reviews, through words and stars, that share exactly what we experienced from our reading journey. Some of our profile pages share our own interpretation of what each star means to us. And yes, it would be nice if Goodreads provided .5 ⭐️opportunities for ratings. But they don’t, even if we do.
So, here is mine for this book…
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 rounded up for making us think. About actions and reactions.
I’d like to offer my appreciation to the author who is also an arts journalist, for what she shares in her ‘Thank You’ section at the end…
“To everyone whose work I’ve ever reviewed: thank you for making something worth talking about.”
Indeed, authors. Thank you. 🙏
How many of us ever consider the impact of our ONE STAR reviews? Having written a few, I know I contemplate everything before attaching any stars to my review. Especially if it is going to be just ONE STAR.
Why?
Because there is a chance that someone reading my review may make a decision about the book based on my opinion of it. And, that matters to me.
Before attaching that lonely one star⭐️, I examine and think about all aspects of my feelings, reactions, observations and concerns about the book, prior to assigning stars.
But I also know that regardless of my rating, in many ways I am somewhat anonymous. Unimportant. Just a person reading a book and offering my thoughts on it. I am not attached to a major newspaper, or magazine, or online blog, or YouTube program, or part of a celebrity circuit in which what I have to say really matters…on a large stage.
So, when our character, Alex Lyons, who is deeply ensconced in theatre, and happens to write for a popular newspaper, that ONE STAR review reaction to the show he just watched…it matters. To his readers. And, they will most likely respond in kind to his powerful words. By probably not attending the show he just openly lambasted.
What he doesn’t expect is what Hayley, the ‘target’ of this review, will do in kind. Because his words also mattered to her. Especially after humiliating her with a one-night stand, as well, when she didn’t know who he was and how his words would impact her.
And, this is the crux of the story. Her reaction to him. His reaction to what she does. And, how we as readers are supposed to feel about either of them.
Sophie, a colleague of Alex’s is our narrator. And, through her words we learn more about all that occurred, as well as Alex’s ‘qualities.’ And what Hayley has created based on Alex’s so-called reputation.
This is Runcie’s debut novel. She has a thoughtful, lyrical way with words that can easily impact readers as she provides us with so many moments to breathe in.
“…he kissed her. And it rose within him, that addictive one-night-only falling in love feeling, taking him over like a warm bloom of drunkenness.”
Still, as readers we can’t help but hope there are learning lessons here. For these two characters. About understanding, forgiveness, caring about the impact of their words.
And, that becomes the interesting journey for readers, too. The question being, will we connect to Alex and Hayley? And, hope for the best possible ending? Especially if we question our own ‘feelings’ about these characters and their ‘issues.’ Because even if Alex is displayed in a certain way, did what Hayley do make her any better? (No spoilers from me.)
Amusing at times, compelling at others, this book would make for a great book discussion selection. As well as an opportunity for any of us to pause as we consider the impact of any of our reviews.
Still, having said that, it truly is a pleasure to write and read reviews, through words and stars, that share exactly what we experienced from our reading journey. Some of our profile pages share our own interpretation of what each star means to us. And yes, it would be nice if Goodreads provided .5 ⭐️opportunities for ratings. But they don’t, even if we do.
So, here is mine for this book…
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 rounded up for making us think. About actions and reactions.
I’d like to offer my appreciation to the author who is also an arts journalist, for what she shares in her ‘Thank You’ section at the end…
“To everyone whose work I’ve ever reviewed: thank you for making something worth talking about.”
Indeed, authors. Thank you. 🙏
May 24, 2025
4.5 stars, rounded down
Bring the House Down takes a whole new spin on the Me, Too situation and does it brilliantly. Alex, a popular theatre critic, known for his savage reviews, writes a one star review of a one woman show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Then he goes out for a meal, picks up the actor, has sex with her, all without ever telling her about his review which will show up in the newspaper the next morning. But she doesn’t just accept this. She revamps her show, exposing what he did and it’s a hit. More and more women come out of the woodwork, actors reveal how his reviews have hurt them. The man becomes a pariah.
The story is told from the perspective of Sophie, the “junior culture critic” also in attendance at the festival and sharing a flat with Alex. Through Sophie’s eyes, we are constantly reminded that there are two sides to each story. She raises some interesting points. “It’s not like with a bad review of a book or film, where the creative work is already out there in the world and done with, and the writer or the performer can just shrug it off and go onto the next thing. I can’t imagine what it must be like to get a bad review on the first night of your theatre run, and then have to get up again and keep going, putting yourself out there, knowing that people think you’re crap.”
I loved seeing Hayley, the actor, take matters into her own hands. But even she begins to wonder how everything will play out and what constitutes fairness.
The book lays out a lot of interesting points about creativity, acting and reviewing. It was a book that made me think, especially about to whom a reviewer owes their allegiance. And Alex has a point, no one wants to see a three star review. We are drawn to the dramatic. It would make for an interesting book club selection. Runcie knows whereof she speaks, having been an arts critic and columnist for The Daily Telegraph who frequently attended the Edinburgh Festival. And kudos to her for not taking the predictable way out with the ending.
I was less interested in Sophie’s personal story. She’s the typical working mom and there wasn’t much new there. It was a drag on the main plot.
My thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for an advance copy of this book.
Bring the House Down takes a whole new spin on the Me, Too situation and does it brilliantly. Alex, a popular theatre critic, known for his savage reviews, writes a one star review of a one woman show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Then he goes out for a meal, picks up the actor, has sex with her, all without ever telling her about his review which will show up in the newspaper the next morning. But she doesn’t just accept this. She revamps her show, exposing what he did and it’s a hit. More and more women come out of the woodwork, actors reveal how his reviews have hurt them. The man becomes a pariah.
The story is told from the perspective of Sophie, the “junior culture critic” also in attendance at the festival and sharing a flat with Alex. Through Sophie’s eyes, we are constantly reminded that there are two sides to each story. She raises some interesting points. “It’s not like with a bad review of a book or film, where the creative work is already out there in the world and done with, and the writer or the performer can just shrug it off and go onto the next thing. I can’t imagine what it must be like to get a bad review on the first night of your theatre run, and then have to get up again and keep going, putting yourself out there, knowing that people think you’re crap.”
I loved seeing Hayley, the actor, take matters into her own hands. But even she begins to wonder how everything will play out and what constitutes fairness.
The book lays out a lot of interesting points about creativity, acting and reviewing. It was a book that made me think, especially about to whom a reviewer owes their allegiance. And Alex has a point, no one wants to see a three star review. We are drawn to the dramatic. It would make for an interesting book club selection. Runcie knows whereof she speaks, having been an arts critic and columnist for The Daily Telegraph who frequently attended the Edinburgh Festival. And kudos to her for not taking the predictable way out with the ending.
I was less interested in Sophie’s personal story. She’s the typical working mom and there wasn’t much new there. It was a drag on the main plot.
My thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for an advance copy of this book.
June 1, 2025
4.5
Alex Lyons writes a one star review for a performance by Hayley Sinclair at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He doesn’t hesitate and really goes for it, annihilating her act, adding a picture for good measure, after all, she’s a pretty girl. As he walks through the city, he checks dating apps as they always explode during the festival and heads to a bar. A few feet away from him is Hayley, oblivious that he has all but eviscerated her, that is, until she wakes the following morning after, yes, you guessed it, spending the night with Alex. Oh dear, big oops and such betrayal. What is Alex thinking???What well known critic Alex doesn’t know (yet) is that she will turn the tables and how. Whose career will go up in flames, I wonder? Beware a woman scorned as it won’t be pretty and there’s a day of reckoning coming. The novel is narrated by Sophie, also a journalist at the same paper and with whom Alex shares a flat in Edinburgh.
First of all, the setting in Edinburgh during the Fringe is excellent and the variety of performing arts that takes place here gives the author masses of creative scope in which her wit and humour really shines. I love the premise of the novel as it allows for much drama, reading both sides of the dual between the central protagonists. Hayley clearly expresses how it feels to have a one star review and how you pick yourself up from that which makes me ponder my own reviews! Are they a fair reflection or are they an opportunity to be savage if the mood takes you? As for Alex, he does make good points especially about luke warm three star reviews (damned with faint praise) but he really is a piece of work leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. I like the way that the author uses Sophie to present his character in a balanced way as it stops the tendency for it to perhaps become a rant. Sophie is caught in the middle, she has sympathy for Hayley because who wouldn’t, but also for Alex and she’s very conflicted.
I’m glad the author chooses to tell the story via Sophie as it works really well but I’m not convinced we needed the side story of her feelings for her partner Josh and although it’s sweet, her love for her son Arlo, although he sure is cute.
The characterisation is exemplary, all can be imagined with ease and the pages are very lively when Alex‘s mother a renowned acting Dame, is present. What a luvvie! It also allows the author to look at privilege and nepotism (Alex) versus Hayley who has clawed her way up. There’s a lot going on but it’s woven together seamlessly and makes powerful points. I like the ending which feels just right
Overall, this is a very good literary character driven novel of revenge, arts and culture, of how people in positions of power treat others. It’s a creative and funny tour de force.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Harper Collins, HarperFiction : The Borough Press for a much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.
Alex Lyons writes a one star review for a performance by Hayley Sinclair at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He doesn’t hesitate and really goes for it, annihilating her act, adding a picture for good measure, after all, she’s a pretty girl. As he walks through the city, he checks dating apps as they always explode during the festival and heads to a bar. A few feet away from him is Hayley, oblivious that he has all but eviscerated her, that is, until she wakes the following morning after, yes, you guessed it, spending the night with Alex. Oh dear, big oops and such betrayal. What is Alex thinking???What well known critic Alex doesn’t know (yet) is that she will turn the tables and how. Whose career will go up in flames, I wonder? Beware a woman scorned as it won’t be pretty and there’s a day of reckoning coming. The novel is narrated by Sophie, also a journalist at the same paper and with whom Alex shares a flat in Edinburgh.
First of all, the setting in Edinburgh during the Fringe is excellent and the variety of performing arts that takes place here gives the author masses of creative scope in which her wit and humour really shines. I love the premise of the novel as it allows for much drama, reading both sides of the dual between the central protagonists. Hayley clearly expresses how it feels to have a one star review and how you pick yourself up from that which makes me ponder my own reviews! Are they a fair reflection or are they an opportunity to be savage if the mood takes you? As for Alex, he does make good points especially about luke warm three star reviews (damned with faint praise) but he really is a piece of work leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. I like the way that the author uses Sophie to present his character in a balanced way as it stops the tendency for it to perhaps become a rant. Sophie is caught in the middle, she has sympathy for Hayley because who wouldn’t, but also for Alex and she’s very conflicted.
I’m glad the author chooses to tell the story via Sophie as it works really well but I’m not convinced we needed the side story of her feelings for her partner Josh and although it’s sweet, her love for her son Arlo, although he sure is cute.
The characterisation is exemplary, all can be imagined with ease and the pages are very lively when Alex‘s mother a renowned acting Dame, is present. What a luvvie! It also allows the author to look at privilege and nepotism (Alex) versus Hayley who has clawed her way up. There’s a lot going on but it’s woven together seamlessly and makes powerful points. I like the ending which feels just right
Overall, this is a very good literary character driven novel of revenge, arts and culture, of how people in positions of power treat others. It’s a creative and funny tour de force.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Harper Collins, HarperFiction : The Borough Press for a much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.
May 26, 2025
This book has all the pieces to make something truly interesting. The grey spaces of the MeToo movement. The public airing of private lives. The way social media can turn a moment into an avalanche. The tension between criticism and art. All of these things live in Runcie's novel. Unfortunately she constructs this fantastic and fascinating series of events and then does almost nothing with it.
I'm still confused by this. How can Runcie build something so sharp if she can't see it through? What is she trying to do here? Why give us all of this buildup and then just leave it in a final act that doesn't really do anything at all? On the one hand, it feels like some solid feedback and revisions could have turned this interesting book into something monumental. On the other hand, if this is all we're left with, perhaps this was what she wanted all along?
There were some signs along the way that this wasn't going to be as cutting and insightful as I wanted it to be. The main players here, Alex and Hayley, are not our protagonist. That is Sophie, who is practically a nonentity on the page for around half of the book. This also confused me because it sure feels like Sophie should have a lot of opinions. She is sharing a flat for four weeks at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as a critic for a major paper with her coworker Alex. And Alex sucks, this is clear from the first moment. Alex is selfish and egotistical, anyone stuck sharing quarters with him for a few days would be over it very quickly. And yet Sophie is on Alex's side. For ages. This man who has never expressed any affection or respect towards Sophie should not be her pal. But he is. Even after all the stories about Alex's mistreatment of women come pouring in. Sophie knows she shouldn't be on his side, and yet she is.
There is something very real here, it's not at all uncommon for the loudest defenders of men accused of misconduct to be women. And it would be interesting for Sophie to question her loyalty and examine that. But she doesn't really.
There is also Sophie's actual life, where she feels abandoned by her partner Josh who now acts as if he is moving mountains by parenting their toddler by himself while she's on the road for work. She has a lot of loyalty towards this man, too. Which is also a real thing that happens to women, especially once they've had children. The more of Alex and Josh we saw, the more frustrated I was with them. The more I wanted Sophie to realize that she can do better than these men. The more I thought maybe some cancelling would be best for everyone.
The strongest section of the novel is when Sophie gets to be a character of her own. When Alex and Josh are not around and we get to see her struggle to answer questions about what her job as critic actually is. Why is she doing this? What is the goal? How do you review a mediocre work that has good intentions? How do you review a work you didn't actually understand? Is there a place for a truly nasty review that takes pleasure in the pain it inflicts? When Sophie thinks about herself, and about Hayley--the woman Alex has mistreated who has now turned the tables--the more we have something to really chew on.
Sadly, at some point we just stop chewing. A subplot about Sophie's grief about her mother's death feels weirdly tacked on, coming out of nowhere to explain things that didn't need explaining.
Besides that, Runcie threads the needle well. Alex sucks but you have to question whether he deserves the label "predatory." He is careless, narcissistic, and cruel but he is a casual misogynist more than a malicious one. We see how his own insecurity about his place as critic has led him to this outsized version of himself, one who brings the same lack of emotional involvement to his life as he does to his work. It's a very smart portrait and nuanced enough for you to hate Alex and want him to get over himself more than you want to see him utterly destroyed. This isn't a book that says we shouldn't cancel people and it isn't one that says men can change. But it dances around the human factors nimbly.
It is still so odd to have such a contrast between some of the elements Runcie executes while others fall so terribly flat. I still can't figure out where I fall on whether to recommend it or not. I lean slightly towards recommending, since I suspect a lot of people will not find the ending nearly as annoying as I did.
I'm still confused by this. How can Runcie build something so sharp if she can't see it through? What is she trying to do here? Why give us all of this buildup and then just leave it in a final act that doesn't really do anything at all? On the one hand, it feels like some solid feedback and revisions could have turned this interesting book into something monumental. On the other hand, if this is all we're left with, perhaps this was what she wanted all along?
There were some signs along the way that this wasn't going to be as cutting and insightful as I wanted it to be. The main players here, Alex and Hayley, are not our protagonist. That is Sophie, who is practically a nonentity on the page for around half of the book. This also confused me because it sure feels like Sophie should have a lot of opinions. She is sharing a flat for four weeks at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as a critic for a major paper with her coworker Alex. And Alex sucks, this is clear from the first moment. Alex is selfish and egotistical, anyone stuck sharing quarters with him for a few days would be over it very quickly. And yet Sophie is on Alex's side. For ages. This man who has never expressed any affection or respect towards Sophie should not be her pal. But he is. Even after all the stories about Alex's mistreatment of women come pouring in. Sophie knows she shouldn't be on his side, and yet she is.
There is something very real here, it's not at all uncommon for the loudest defenders of men accused of misconduct to be women. And it would be interesting for Sophie to question her loyalty and examine that. But she doesn't really.
There is also Sophie's actual life, where she feels abandoned by her partner Josh who now acts as if he is moving mountains by parenting their toddler by himself while she's on the road for work. She has a lot of loyalty towards this man, too. Which is also a real thing that happens to women, especially once they've had children. The more of Alex and Josh we saw, the more frustrated I was with them. The more I wanted Sophie to realize that she can do better than these men. The more I thought maybe some cancelling would be best for everyone.
The strongest section of the novel is when Sophie gets to be a character of her own. When Alex and Josh are not around and we get to see her struggle to answer questions about what her job as critic actually is. Why is she doing this? What is the goal? How do you review a mediocre work that has good intentions? How do you review a work you didn't actually understand? Is there a place for a truly nasty review that takes pleasure in the pain it inflicts? When Sophie thinks about herself, and about Hayley--the woman Alex has mistreated who has now turned the tables--the more we have something to really chew on.
Sadly, at some point we just stop chewing. A subplot about Sophie's grief about her mother's death feels weirdly tacked on, coming out of nowhere to explain things that didn't need explaining.
Besides that, Runcie threads the needle well. Alex sucks but you have to question whether he deserves the label "predatory." He is careless, narcissistic, and cruel but he is a casual misogynist more than a malicious one. We see how his own insecurity about his place as critic has led him to this outsized version of himself, one who brings the same lack of emotional involvement to his life as he does to his work. It's a very smart portrait and nuanced enough for you to hate Alex and want him to get over himself more than you want to see him utterly destroyed. This isn't a book that says we shouldn't cancel people and it isn't one that says men can change. But it dances around the human factors nimbly.
It is still so odd to have such a contrast between some of the elements Runcie executes while others fall so terribly flat. I still can't figure out where I fall on whether to recommend it or not. I lean slightly towards recommending, since I suspect a lot of people will not find the ending nearly as annoying as I did.
June 6, 2025
When I skimmed the first few pages of Bring the House Down, I couldn’t help but read on... and on... and on. At the Edinburgh festival, womanising theatre critic Alex watches a one-woman show, files a scathing one-star review, then promptly sleeps with the performer he’s just trashed. When she finds out, the performer – Hayley – retaliates by turning her show into ‘The Alex Lyons Experience’, a rebuke of the review... and of Alex as a person, which transforms it into a viral success. It’s one of those simple-but-rich ideas that makes a perfect starting point for this kind of chatty, accessible litfic, acting as a springboard for bigger questions about art, power, bad behaviour and the nature of criticism.
Simultaneously the book’s masterstroke and biggest flaw is its narration. The story is told not by Hayley or Alex or a chorus, but by Sophie, a long-time journalist colleague of Alex’s who is also at the festival and effectively (sometimes literally) has a ringside seat to the whole thing. Sophie is sympathetic to Hayley while remaining Alex’s friend, which allows for an arm’s-length ambiguity in the story’s approach to its characters. Of course, the use of Sophie’s perspective means her own life inevitably becomes part of the plot; some of this is comparatively tedious, if useful as a foil to the chaos surrounding Alex. Sometimes it feels like we’re following a subplot that wandered in from a different book, and while it all ties together in the end, it doesn’t totally land. Sophie doesn’t get the ending I’d hoped for (... was I supposed to feel sorry for Josh?), though admittedly, this is entirely in keeping with the themes.
Another big advantage of Bring the House Down is the way it plays with perspective. Alex, it turns out, has caused a lot of harm, but mostly inadvertently, within consensual relationships; at what point do we move someone out of the ‘bit of a cad’ category and into ‘creep’ or even ‘abuser’, and what then? What of the fact that Hayley’s show would never have become successful without the catalyst of his review? Then there’s Sophie, who has a lazy approach to criticism (stock phrases, insincere praise for things she didn’t even understand). Is her generous dishonesty any better than Alex’s brutal truth? Plus there’s Alex’s own privilege; as the well-connected son of a famous actress, he’s cushioned from real-world consequences in a way the likes of Hayley and Sophie aren’t. Even if he gets thoroughly cancelled, what’s at stake for him, really?
The book certainly packs a lot in, combining its conversation-starting central themes with reflections on grief and an examination of relationships, family and parenthood. Bring the House Down is thoughtful but it could also easily be a read-in-one-sitting kind of book, such is the momentum it gathers. It strikes the right balance between taking a stance and allowing the reader to make up their own mind; it’d make a great book club choice.
I received an advance review copy of Bring the House Down from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Simultaneously the book’s masterstroke and biggest flaw is its narration. The story is told not by Hayley or Alex or a chorus, but by Sophie, a long-time journalist colleague of Alex’s who is also at the festival and effectively (sometimes literally) has a ringside seat to the whole thing. Sophie is sympathetic to Hayley while remaining Alex’s friend, which allows for an arm’s-length ambiguity in the story’s approach to its characters. Of course, the use of Sophie’s perspective means her own life inevitably becomes part of the plot; some of this is comparatively tedious, if useful as a foil to the chaos surrounding Alex. Sometimes it feels like we’re following a subplot that wandered in from a different book, and while it all ties together in the end, it doesn’t totally land. Sophie doesn’t get the ending I’d hoped for (... was I supposed to feel sorry for Josh?), though admittedly, this is entirely in keeping with the themes.
Another big advantage of Bring the House Down is the way it plays with perspective. Alex, it turns out, has caused a lot of harm, but mostly inadvertently, within consensual relationships; at what point do we move someone out of the ‘bit of a cad’ category and into ‘creep’ or even ‘abuser’, and what then? What of the fact that Hayley’s show would never have become successful without the catalyst of his review? Then there’s Sophie, who has a lazy approach to criticism (stock phrases, insincere praise for things she didn’t even understand). Is her generous dishonesty any better than Alex’s brutal truth? Plus there’s Alex’s own privilege; as the well-connected son of a famous actress, he’s cushioned from real-world consequences in a way the likes of Hayley and Sophie aren’t. Even if he gets thoroughly cancelled, what’s at stake for him, really?
The book certainly packs a lot in, combining its conversation-starting central themes with reflections on grief and an examination of relationships, family and parenthood. Bring the House Down is thoughtful but it could also easily be a read-in-one-sitting kind of book, such is the momentum it gathers. It strikes the right balance between taking a stance and allowing the reader to make up their own mind; it’d make a great book club choice.
I received an advance review copy of Bring the House Down from the publisher through Edelweiss.
August 8, 2025
I love a delusional mediocre man who thinks he's hot shit without realizing how pathetic he looks to everyone else. Yes king, keep digging your own grave!
August 9, 2025
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: A theater critic at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe writes a vicious one-star review of a struggling actress he has a one-night stand with in this sharply funny, feminist tinderbox.
Alex Lyons always has his mind made up by the time the curtain comes down at a performance—the show either deserves a five-star rave or a one-star pan. Anything in between is meaningless. On the opening night of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he doesn’t deliberate over the rating for Hayley Sinclair’s show, nor does he hesitate when the opportunity presents itself to have a one-night stand with the struggling actress.
Unaware that she’s gone home with the theater critic who’s just written a career-ending review of her, Hayley wakes up at his apartment to see his scathing one-star critique in print on the kitchen table, and she’s not sure which humiliation offends her the most. So she revamps her show into a viral sensation critiquing Alex Lyons himself—entitled son of a famous actress, serial philanderer, and by all accounts a terrible man. Yet Alex remains unapologetic. As his reputation goes up in flames, he insists on telling his unvarnished version of events to his colleague, Sophie. Through her eyes, we see that the deeper she gets pulled into his downfall, the more conflicted she becomes. After all, there are always two sides to every story.
A brilliant Trojan horse of a book about art, power, misogyny, and female rage, Bring the House Down is a searing, insightful, and often hilarious debut that captures the blurred line between reality and performance.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Well, that was fun. Eviscerating, puncturing schadenfreude.
See? There's just one problem. It's Hayley's book. Alex whimpers “Haven’t you ever done something you regret? Why am I the only one who has to learn something here?” at one point, though, and it really hit me. No, you're not; but you are the one resisting the lessons. And Hayley's just the one to deliver them. She's decided that his misogynistic takedown of her show is misogynistic for the sake of it; therefore must be resisted and retaliated against. She takes no stock of his points. Self-examination would tell her she has a far more insidious enemy within the gates that poses far more of a threat to her future in the form of her partner Josh.
So I don't think this is a truly good story. It's mean, satisfying fun, though. Flaws and all I laughed where Author Runcie wanted me to, I winced at the pains inflicted and received, and stared in quiet hostility at the enemy within.
A well-spent afternoon of reading.
The Publisher Says: A theater critic at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe writes a vicious one-star review of a struggling actress he has a one-night stand with in this sharply funny, feminist tinderbox.
Alex Lyons always has his mind made up by the time the curtain comes down at a performance—the show either deserves a five-star rave or a one-star pan. Anything in between is meaningless. On the opening night of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he doesn’t deliberate over the rating for Hayley Sinclair’s show, nor does he hesitate when the opportunity presents itself to have a one-night stand with the struggling actress.
Unaware that she’s gone home with the theater critic who’s just written a career-ending review of her, Hayley wakes up at his apartment to see his scathing one-star critique in print on the kitchen table, and she’s not sure which humiliation offends her the most. So she revamps her show into a viral sensation critiquing Alex Lyons himself—entitled son of a famous actress, serial philanderer, and by all accounts a terrible man. Yet Alex remains unapologetic. As his reputation goes up in flames, he insists on telling his unvarnished version of events to his colleague, Sophie. Through her eyes, we see that the deeper she gets pulled into his downfall, the more conflicted she becomes. After all, there are always two sides to every story.
A brilliant Trojan horse of a book about art, power, misogyny, and female rage, Bring the House Down is a searing, insightful, and often hilarious debut that captures the blurred line between reality and performance.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Well, that was fun. Eviscerating, puncturing schadenfreude.
How enormous a thing it must be to face the sum total of your flaws, and find that they were worse than you imagined, and obvious to everyone in the world except you. Maybe, like trying to look at the sun, it wasn’t quite possible yet for Alex to look at the truth about himself without experiencing so much pain that he then immediately had to look away again, dazzled by the brightness of his own cruelty.
See? There's just one problem. It's Hayley's book. Alex whimpers “Haven’t you ever done something you regret? Why am I the only one who has to learn something here?” at one point, though, and it really hit me. No, you're not; but you are the one resisting the lessons. And Hayley's just the one to deliver them. She's decided that his misogynistic takedown of her show is misogynistic for the sake of it; therefore must be resisted and retaliated against. She takes no stock of his points. Self-examination would tell her she has a far more insidious enemy within the gates that poses far more of a threat to her future in the form of her partner Josh.
So I don't think this is a truly good story. It's mean, satisfying fun, though. Flaws and all I laughed where Author Runcie wanted me to, I winced at the pains inflicted and received, and stared in quiet hostility at the enemy within.
A well-spent afternoon of reading.
August 25, 2025
This story coils its plot around a month in Edinburgh during the Fringe, where Sophie, a junior culture writer newly sprung from the toddler-swallowed hours of maternity leave, finds herself sharing an absurdly vast tenement flat with Alex Lyons, the paper’s charismatic, vain, and lethally quotable theatre critic.
The curtain rises on Alex’s one-star demolition of Climate Emergence-She, Hayley Sinclair’s solo show about climate collapse and the patriarchy, written in the same forty-five minutes it takes him to light a cigarette. Hours later, oblivious to her as the subject of his printed scorn, he seduces her in the Traverse bar. By morning, Sophie is drinking coffee in the kitchen when Hayley, fresh from the shower, fishes the paper from the recycling and reads Alex’s words, which label her “a dull, hectoring frump” and liken the show to “a self-important niece hectoring her elders at a family barbecue.”
From there, the fuse burns quickly: Hayley’s performance mutates into The Alex Lyons Experience, in which she reads his review aloud in various states of undress, smears her make-up with spit, sets the page alight, and invites her audience to share their own “Alex Lyons Experiences.” Sophie, spotted in the crowd, is pulled on stage to corroborate the tale, triggering a festival-wide wildfire of gossip, posters, and viral clips.
In plain terms, the storyline tracks the escalation from a critic’s scathing review to a public unmasking, as Hayley weaponises Alex’s own words against him in a live show, and Sophie becomes an unwilling participant in the spectacle.
The book slides between Sophie’s domestic calls to her partner Josh and toddler Arlo, her assignments at the festival, and her reluctant role in Alex’s implosion. Scenes scatter across press rooms, moth-haunted wardrobes, sweltering basement venues, and late-night streets where actors and critics orbit each other in equal parts hunger and disdain.
Along the way, Sophie witnesses Hayley’s transformation of humiliation into theatre, feels the crowd’s appetite for reprisal, and senses Alex’s reputation pivot from authority to cautionary tale.
Runcie loads the novel with theatrical ironies: a critic undone by performance, a journalist tasting the dangerous pleasure of mob approval, and a performer converting personal injury into box-office heat. Alex’s philosophy that “clarity is generosity” curdles in Hayley’s hands into public vivisection, while Sophie’s inner monologue turns wry and self-implicating, aware of how quickly outrage becomes entertainment.
The writing trades in quicksilver observations (“a rat matched his pace along North Bridge”), sardonic industry truths (“three stars isn’t even a bad review! three stars is good!”), and the sensory texture of Edinburgh in August.
At its heart, the book stages a conflict between two kinds of theatre: the sanctioned performance behind the footlights, and the unscripted drama that spills beyond them into bars, stairwells, and the internet. The effect is a work that draws from contemporary social-media pile-ons, and that leaves the reader with the uneasy knowledge that, once the house lights go up, everyone might already be part of the cast. This story should really resonate with Goodreads reviewers. What a wonderful surprise!
The curtain rises on Alex’s one-star demolition of Climate Emergence-She, Hayley Sinclair’s solo show about climate collapse and the patriarchy, written in the same forty-five minutes it takes him to light a cigarette. Hours later, oblivious to her as the subject of his printed scorn, he seduces her in the Traverse bar. By morning, Sophie is drinking coffee in the kitchen when Hayley, fresh from the shower, fishes the paper from the recycling and reads Alex’s words, which label her “a dull, hectoring frump” and liken the show to “a self-important niece hectoring her elders at a family barbecue.”
From there, the fuse burns quickly: Hayley’s performance mutates into The Alex Lyons Experience, in which she reads his review aloud in various states of undress, smears her make-up with spit, sets the page alight, and invites her audience to share their own “Alex Lyons Experiences.” Sophie, spotted in the crowd, is pulled on stage to corroborate the tale, triggering a festival-wide wildfire of gossip, posters, and viral clips.
In plain terms, the storyline tracks the escalation from a critic’s scathing review to a public unmasking, as Hayley weaponises Alex’s own words against him in a live show, and Sophie becomes an unwilling participant in the spectacle.
The book slides between Sophie’s domestic calls to her partner Josh and toddler Arlo, her assignments at the festival, and her reluctant role in Alex’s implosion. Scenes scatter across press rooms, moth-haunted wardrobes, sweltering basement venues, and late-night streets where actors and critics orbit each other in equal parts hunger and disdain.
Along the way, Sophie witnesses Hayley’s transformation of humiliation into theatre, feels the crowd’s appetite for reprisal, and senses Alex’s reputation pivot from authority to cautionary tale.
Runcie loads the novel with theatrical ironies: a critic undone by performance, a journalist tasting the dangerous pleasure of mob approval, and a performer converting personal injury into box-office heat. Alex’s philosophy that “clarity is generosity” curdles in Hayley’s hands into public vivisection, while Sophie’s inner monologue turns wry and self-implicating, aware of how quickly outrage becomes entertainment.
The writing trades in quicksilver observations (“a rat matched his pace along North Bridge”), sardonic industry truths (“three stars isn’t even a bad review! three stars is good!”), and the sensory texture of Edinburgh in August.
At its heart, the book stages a conflict between two kinds of theatre: the sanctioned performance behind the footlights, and the unscripted drama that spills beyond them into bars, stairwells, and the internet. The effect is a work that draws from contemporary social-media pile-ons, and that leaves the reader with the uneasy knowledge that, once the house lights go up, everyone might already be part of the cast. This story should really resonate with Goodreads reviewers. What a wonderful surprise!
September 12, 2025
This is a case where the promotional texts for the book have felt misleading and definitely affected my reaction to the book. This book is billed (in the cover blurbs, in the summary , even in the cover aesthetic) as funny and hilarious but is neither. The book is also labeled "feminist" which is confusing to me because I am not sure where that comes from exactly. First, while interesting and at times entertaining, the story is told from the point of view of Sophie, a woman suffering from unresolved grief, and dealing with depression and marriage problems so the tone through the book is quite sad and heavy on reminiscing and emotional sadness. Sophie to me feels quite submissive and self doubting which makes her not a very compelling character but, to be true, a real one. Second, the book deals with a very complex topic, a "me too" kind of moment that is played in public and through social media. The author seems to have wanted to be nuanced, to not fall onto easy fast judgements but her attention is faulty. Runcie delves deeply on building the character of Alex, the narcissist, privileged man, critic of a main newspaper who first writes a scathing one-star review of a one-woman show, Hayley's ,and while that is in press to get published next day, he meets and have sex with her without telling her who he is and lying about what he thinks. We end up learning a lot about Alex, the good things (good writer, decent colleague), the sad backstory (lack of parental love, etc), and the terrible (all the ghosting, lying, and unethical things he's done to women without remorse). So Alex, becomes a fully realized and complex character. By contrast, Runcie creates a sort of caricature of Hayley, the actress who has been lied to and who takes the situation in her own hands to rewrite the story. By the end of the book we know truly very little of Hayley. Seen mostly through Sophie's eyes, Hayley is seen as this shiny powerhouse until at the very end, when we get a bit of a glimpse of more, but barely. At the end, the two main women characters seem still fascinated by the narcissist guy, both self-doubt their careers, and don't seem to, necessarily go onto better things. And I am not saying the author should write a happy ending at all, but billing this as hilarious and feminist definitely seems a stretch and not very much matching the book. I want to end by saying what I did enjoy: I loved the main plot, it hooked me and kept me wanting to finish the novel even when Sophie's story interrupted the flow. I also loved the structure of the book based on the festival calendar, very satisfying. Runcie is clearly familiar with the art festival world and it shows, I enjoyed delving into it. Last, I wish the author had loved Hayley and Sophie as much as she seemed to have enjoyed writing Alex, because his character is fully developed, complex, and real.
September 10, 2025
This is a unique and lovely, engaging little novel of many themes that deserves to be a sleeper literary hit. Sophie and her colleague Alex are journalists from a major London paper dispatched to cover the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which makes for a very interesting setting. Alex is a bad boy, privileged nepo baby star critic whose at-times unproductively savage yet popular and entertaining reviews tend toward the all or nothing, 5 stars or 1, and can make or break whatever (or whomever) he is reviewing. Sophie is a new mom recently returned to work after maternity leave and struggling with self-criticism and uncertainty, including in relation to her career, marriage, and as she recovers from her mother’s unexpected death at a young age and before meeting her grandchild. Sophie writes reviews too, but a bigger part of her job consists of a very different kind of life-product evaluation: she is assigned to draft obituaries of celebrities identified as at-risk of possibly imminently dying in order to have them at the paper’s ready. This book muses upon all kinds of unanswerable questions about what are the most constructive, reflective, responsive-yet-not-overly reactive, and hopeful ways to evaluate works of art and other inherently flawed efforts at living made by ourselves and other humans.
July 1, 2025
The premise of this was really interesting and the author could have made some good points about the things men get away with without consequence, but it was so centered on the man. Ultimately, reading about a privileged, misogynistic white man and how sympathetic the female main character was to him was not what I wanted to be doing for 300+ pages.
August 1, 2025
The premise of this novel blew me away and I can’t stop thinking about. For a novel with so many profound and relevant topics - the me too movement, cancel culture, infidelity, misogyny, and “everyone’s a critic” - it was also relatable, interesting, perfectly plotted out, and entertaining.
Theater isn’t my form of entertainment of choice but the critic element was really well done and felt relatable in many ways. Alex used the one star or five star rating system (nothing in between) and it felt authentic - three star reviews are good but maybe not? And also, they’re boring! Sophie’s struggles and insecurities wondering if a performance just went over her head were also extremely well written and hit close to home! I think we’ve all been there before - that “was this bad or did I just not understand it?” feeling.
I loved the foldout of Hayley’s story and piece at the festival. To take a horrific event like what Alex did to her and turn it into a buzz worthy show was fascinating. I also loved that the novel explored both sides - did she go too far? Is it still trauma if she profits off it? Regardless of the line or your stance, it was thought provoking and so very on point for the times.
This would be a phenomenal choice for a bookclub. There are so many important themes and topics for discussion.
Thank you to Doubleday for this awesome book. Very excited to read more by Charlotte Runcie!
Theater isn’t my form of entertainment of choice but the critic element was really well done and felt relatable in many ways. Alex used the one star or five star rating system (nothing in between) and it felt authentic - three star reviews are good but maybe not? And also, they’re boring! Sophie’s struggles and insecurities wondering if a performance just went over her head were also extremely well written and hit close to home! I think we’ve all been there before - that “was this bad or did I just not understand it?” feeling.
I loved the foldout of Hayley’s story and piece at the festival. To take a horrific event like what Alex did to her and turn it into a buzz worthy show was fascinating. I also loved that the novel explored both sides - did she go too far? Is it still trauma if she profits off it? Regardless of the line or your stance, it was thought provoking and so very on point for the times.
This would be a phenomenal choice for a bookclub. There are so many important themes and topics for discussion.
Thank you to Doubleday for this awesome book. Very excited to read more by Charlotte Runcie!
July 19, 2025
Charlotte Runcie is a new author for me. She has written a few other books, but this is her debut novel.
Description:
A theater critic at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe writes a vicious one-star review of a struggling actress he has a one-night stand with in this sharply funny, feminist tinderbox.
Alex Lyons always has his mind made up by the time the curtain comes down at a performance—the show either deserves a five-star rave or a one-star pan. Anything in between is meaningless. On the opening night of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he doesn’t deliberate over the rating for Hayley Sinclair’s show, nor does he hesitate when the opportunity presents itself to have a one-night stand with the struggling actress.
Unaware that she’s gone home with the theater critic who’s just written a career-ending review of her, Hayley wakes up at his apartment to see his scathing one-star critique in print on the kitchen table, and she’s not sure which humiliation offends her the most. So she revamps her show into a viral sensation critiquing Alex Lyons himself—entitled son of a famous actress, serial philanderer, and by all accounts a terrible man. Yet Alex remains unapologetic. As his reputation goes up in flames, he insists on telling his unvarnished version of events to his colleague, Sophie. Through her eyes, we see that the deeper she gets pulled into his downfall, the more conflicted she becomes. After all, there are always two sides to every story.
A brilliant Trojan horse of a book about art, power, misogyny, and female rage, Bring the House Down is a searing, insightful, and often hilarious debut that captures the blurred line between reality and performance.
My Thoughts:
Alex Lyons comes across as arrogant and egotistical. He isn't being fair to the theater productions, giving only one star to most productions and five stars to a very few, nothing in between. He goes one step toof far with Hayley Sinclair though and her retaliation is epic. What happens after that is a ll out war and lots of surprises. I was amazed to find that this book was based on something that had actually happened to Runcie - a very vengeful retaliation to a bad review she had written. The book is disturbing and sad. It is well written and the plot moves at a good pace. It kept my attention throughout. An interesting story for sure.
Thanks to Doubleday Books through Netgalley for an advance copy.
Description:
A theater critic at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe writes a vicious one-star review of a struggling actress he has a one-night stand with in this sharply funny, feminist tinderbox.
Alex Lyons always has his mind made up by the time the curtain comes down at a performance—the show either deserves a five-star rave or a one-star pan. Anything in between is meaningless. On the opening night of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he doesn’t deliberate over the rating for Hayley Sinclair’s show, nor does he hesitate when the opportunity presents itself to have a one-night stand with the struggling actress.
Unaware that she’s gone home with the theater critic who’s just written a career-ending review of her, Hayley wakes up at his apartment to see his scathing one-star critique in print on the kitchen table, and she’s not sure which humiliation offends her the most. So she revamps her show into a viral sensation critiquing Alex Lyons himself—entitled son of a famous actress, serial philanderer, and by all accounts a terrible man. Yet Alex remains unapologetic. As his reputation goes up in flames, he insists on telling his unvarnished version of events to his colleague, Sophie. Through her eyes, we see that the deeper she gets pulled into his downfall, the more conflicted she becomes. After all, there are always two sides to every story.
A brilliant Trojan horse of a book about art, power, misogyny, and female rage, Bring the House Down is a searing, insightful, and often hilarious debut that captures the blurred line between reality and performance.
My Thoughts:
Alex Lyons comes across as arrogant and egotistical. He isn't being fair to the theater productions, giving only one star to most productions and five stars to a very few, nothing in between. He goes one step toof far with Hayley Sinclair though and her retaliation is epic. What happens after that is a ll out war and lots of surprises. I was amazed to find that this book was based on something that had actually happened to Runcie - a very vengeful retaliation to a bad review she had written. The book is disturbing and sad. It is well written and the plot moves at a good pace. It kept my attention throughout. An interesting story for sure.
Thanks to Doubleday Books through Netgalley for an advance copy.
September 9, 2025
The Edinburgh Fringe, the granddaddy of all Fringe festivals, just wrapped up a couple of weeks ago.
Charlotte Runcie’s very entertaining first novel Bring the House Down is set entirely at the festival, and it made me want to experience all the action firsthand. One of these days I hope to get there.
Alex Lyons is the London-based chief theatre critic of a well-known British newspaper — one “considered by some people to be the last remaining newspaper of decency, and by other people to be a rag of unforgivable bias.”
The book opens as Alex writes a one star review of a dreadful-sounding ecological-themed solo show called Climate Emergence-She, by an American expat writer named Hayley Sinclair. After filing his copy, Alex sees the unsuspecting writer/performer in a bar (she has no idea who he is), chats her up, and takes her back to his flat.
When Hayley reads the pan the next morning, and realizes she just slept with the guy who wrote it, she becomes livid. She soon changes the name of her show to The Alex Lyons Experience. At first, she reads the review out to audiences, with vitriolic commentary, but then she opens up the show to be a forum for others who have suffered similar bad behaviour from the man: exes, emerging artists who gave up promising careers after receiving bad reviews, etc.
The show quickly becomes one of the festival’s runaway hits, and Alex is on his way to getting cancelled.
Rather than narrate the novel from Alex or even Hayley’s point of view, Runcie lets us watch the drama unfold from the clear-eyed perspective of Sophie Ridgen, a junior culture writer at the same paper where Alex works.
The two are staying at the Edinburgh flat rented by their newspaper to cover the festival. While Alex is busy going to five or six shows a day and then filing his reviews, Sophie attends art exhibits to do the same thing. She is happy to be covering the Fringe, having recently come back from maternity leave. She also writes obituaries, often of people who are very old or ill, so they’re ready to run when the person dies.
Sophie is glad to be away from her London home for a while — she and her academic husband, Josh, have reached a plateau in their relationship, though she misses her 14-month son Arlo — to concentrate on journalism.
But her enjoyment is interrupted when the scandal breaks. She has always looked up to Alex as a more senior arts journalist, but has her judgement been clouded by his reputation, intelligence and glamour? (He is the son of one Dame Judith Lyons, a well-known aging actress and director. Alex grew up going to plays, having theatre and film folks around his home, and immersed in industry gossip.)
The book is at its best when Runcie — a former arts columnist at The Daily Telegraph who’s also written for The Times and The Guardian — describes the arts beat. There are painfully accurate descriptions of listicles, bad Fringe plays, mildly debauched cocktail parties. She also knows how quickly copy has to be turned around.
Runcie is incredibly shrewd about how the internet changed reading habits — and publishers’ and editors’ bottom lines. And there are extended musings on the star-rating system. Is a 3 star (out of 5) review fence-sitting? No, as my colleagues and I used to say at NOW Magazine, it’s recommended!
While Sophie’s personal story slows down the mid-section of the book, she does make a balanced, even-handed narrator. And she seems to be at a crossroads herself — in her life, as well as her career. You get the sense that she’s learning from what’s happening around her. Her description of a play about the migrant crisis is great writing. Every theatre critic has seen this kind of show. But how to write about it?
Where Runcie excels is her questioning the ethical and humane implications of arts criticism. Did Alex behave badly by doing what he did? If so, did he deserve what happens to him?
Much to think about as you stand in line at a show, Fringe or otherwise.
Charlotte Runcie’s very entertaining first novel Bring the House Down is set entirely at the festival, and it made me want to experience all the action firsthand. One of these days I hope to get there.
Alex Lyons is the London-based chief theatre critic of a well-known British newspaper — one “considered by some people to be the last remaining newspaper of decency, and by other people to be a rag of unforgivable bias.”
The book opens as Alex writes a one star review of a dreadful-sounding ecological-themed solo show called Climate Emergence-She, by an American expat writer named Hayley Sinclair. After filing his copy, Alex sees the unsuspecting writer/performer in a bar (she has no idea who he is), chats her up, and takes her back to his flat.
When Hayley reads the pan the next morning, and realizes she just slept with the guy who wrote it, she becomes livid. She soon changes the name of her show to The Alex Lyons Experience. At first, she reads the review out to audiences, with vitriolic commentary, but then she opens up the show to be a forum for others who have suffered similar bad behaviour from the man: exes, emerging artists who gave up promising careers after receiving bad reviews, etc.
The show quickly becomes one of the festival’s runaway hits, and Alex is on his way to getting cancelled.
Rather than narrate the novel from Alex or even Hayley’s point of view, Runcie lets us watch the drama unfold from the clear-eyed perspective of Sophie Ridgen, a junior culture writer at the same paper where Alex works.
The two are staying at the Edinburgh flat rented by their newspaper to cover the festival. While Alex is busy going to five or six shows a day and then filing his reviews, Sophie attends art exhibits to do the same thing. She is happy to be covering the Fringe, having recently come back from maternity leave. She also writes obituaries, often of people who are very old or ill, so they’re ready to run when the person dies.
Sophie is glad to be away from her London home for a while — she and her academic husband, Josh, have reached a plateau in their relationship, though she misses her 14-month son Arlo — to concentrate on journalism.
But her enjoyment is interrupted when the scandal breaks. She has always looked up to Alex as a more senior arts journalist, but has her judgement been clouded by his reputation, intelligence and glamour? (He is the son of one Dame Judith Lyons, a well-known aging actress and director. Alex grew up going to plays, having theatre and film folks around his home, and immersed in industry gossip.)
The book is at its best when Runcie — a former arts columnist at The Daily Telegraph who’s also written for The Times and The Guardian — describes the arts beat. There are painfully accurate descriptions of listicles, bad Fringe plays, mildly debauched cocktail parties. She also knows how quickly copy has to be turned around.
Runcie is incredibly shrewd about how the internet changed reading habits — and publishers’ and editors’ bottom lines. And there are extended musings on the star-rating system. Is a 3 star (out of 5) review fence-sitting? No, as my colleagues and I used to say at NOW Magazine, it’s recommended!
While Sophie’s personal story slows down the mid-section of the book, she does make a balanced, even-handed narrator. And she seems to be at a crossroads herself — in her life, as well as her career. You get the sense that she’s learning from what’s happening around her. Her description of a play about the migrant crisis is great writing. Every theatre critic has seen this kind of show. But how to write about it?
Where Runcie excels is her questioning the ethical and humane implications of arts criticism. Did Alex behave badly by doing what he did? If so, did he deserve what happens to him?
Much to think about as you stand in line at a show, Fringe or otherwise.
July 9, 2025
1.5 ⭐
Thank you to NetGalley and Double Day for this eARC in exchange or an honest review!
Bring the House Down is describes as "hilarious" however, I found it anything but. I was so excited for this book, but I couldn't even finish it. I found it hard to read with weird prose, rhythm, and felt so detached while trying to read. The characters are unlikeable and rude, with the story seeming to focus more on Alex (however, that could also be seen as a nod to the meaning of the book). Ultimately, I DNF'd around 50% and don't see myself trying to reread this.
Thank you to NetGalley and Double Day for this eARC in exchange or an honest review!
Bring the House Down is describes as "hilarious" however, I found it anything but. I was so excited for this book, but I couldn't even finish it. I found it hard to read with weird prose, rhythm, and felt so detached while trying to read. The characters are unlikeable and rude, with the story seeming to focus more on Alex (however, that could also be seen as a nod to the meaning of the book). Ultimately, I DNF'd around 50% and don't see myself trying to reread this.
July 8, 2025
Update 7/8/25: Reposting my review to celebrate that today is publication day!
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for sending me an ARC of Bring the House Down in exchange for an honest review.
The Goodreads description of this book tells you everything you need to know about the story, so I’ll jump directly to my thoughts.
Bring the House Down was directly inspired by something that happened to Ms. Runcie. While an intern at a magazine, she wrote a negative review of a young (now famous) comedienne who proceeded to read the review to future audiences, roasting both the review and Ms. Runcie personally. There’s a great deal of material in the story that weighs in on the dynamic between artist and critic. Why do people choose to become critics rather than artists or performers themselves? Do critics owe a duty to the artists, who sacrifice to create something and put it out in the world? Or is the critics’ only duty to their audience? And why does anyone care about other people’s opinions, especially of strangers on places like (gasp!) Goodreads?
However, unlike the real world incident, Bring the House Down presents a scenario that allows for an exploration of misogyny large and small, its role in the arts, and how women do and should respond. Alex is a fascinating character, but not a great guy, though he’s painted with enough nuance that the extent of his villainy towards Hayley can be up for some debate. But is Hayley’s response, essentially nuking his life, proportional to his offense towards her—and does that even matter? What exactly do we want to happen to these men, and what will actually change things? The book is structured like Fleischman Is in Trouble, in which the story of a troubled man is being told by a woman in his life who’s also working in the story of her own troubles. Why does Sophie feel a pull to take Alex’s side? And how different is Alex’s misogyny from the subtler but still very real misogyny of her partner, Josh?
Bring the House Down is an entertaining and thought provoking read. It may not have all the answers, but it asks some great questions. Highly recommended. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
How enormous a thing it must be to face the sum total of your flaws, and find that they were worse than you imagined, and obvious to everyone in the world except you. Maybe, like trying to look at the sun, it wasn’t quite possible yet for Alex to look at the truth about himself without experiencing so much pain that he then immediately had to look away again, dazzled by the brightness of his own cruelty.
…
I wanted to be near him in the same way that, standing on a cliff, you want to look over the edge.
…
“Haven’t you ever done something you regret? Why am I the only one who has to learn something here?”
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for sending me an ARC of Bring the House Down in exchange for an honest review.
The Goodreads description of this book tells you everything you need to know about the story, so I’ll jump directly to my thoughts.
Bring the House Down was directly inspired by something that happened to Ms. Runcie. While an intern at a magazine, she wrote a negative review of a young (now famous) comedienne who proceeded to read the review to future audiences, roasting both the review and Ms. Runcie personally. There’s a great deal of material in the story that weighs in on the dynamic between artist and critic. Why do people choose to become critics rather than artists or performers themselves? Do critics owe a duty to the artists, who sacrifice to create something and put it out in the world? Or is the critics’ only duty to their audience? And why does anyone care about other people’s opinions, especially of strangers on places like (gasp!) Goodreads?
However, unlike the real world incident, Bring the House Down presents a scenario that allows for an exploration of misogyny large and small, its role in the arts, and how women do and should respond. Alex is a fascinating character, but not a great guy, though he’s painted with enough nuance that the extent of his villainy towards Hayley can be up for some debate. But is Hayley’s response, essentially nuking his life, proportional to his offense towards her—and does that even matter? What exactly do we want to happen to these men, and what will actually change things? The book is structured like Fleischman Is in Trouble, in which the story of a troubled man is being told by a woman in his life who’s also working in the story of her own troubles. Why does Sophie feel a pull to take Alex’s side? And how different is Alex’s misogyny from the subtler but still very real misogyny of her partner, Josh?
Bring the House Down is an entertaining and thought provoking read. It may not have all the answers, but it asks some great questions. Highly recommended. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
June 3, 2025
This was a very sharp, funny novel - taking an issue(s) of our times and telling it in a humorous but also very smart and funny way.
Alex Lyons is a theatre critic, currently at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and is well known for his cutting reviews. After seeing Hayley's feminist play (the climate emergenc-she) he delivers a devastating one-star review. However, later he sees Hayley in the bar (with Hayley oblivious to who he is and what he has just written) and the two hit it off and spend the night together.
However, when Hayley finally reads the review, her stage show changes placing Alex, and his behaviour (past and present), in the spotlight of her one-woman show. Suddenly, more and more stories about Alex come out....
This was a really clever book, taking issues over power, misogyny, cancel culture but looking at them in a humorous way, whilst never seeking to minimise them.
This is definitely not a one-star book
Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | The Borough Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Alex Lyons is a theatre critic, currently at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and is well known for his cutting reviews. After seeing Hayley's feminist play (the climate emergenc-she) he delivers a devastating one-star review. However, later he sees Hayley in the bar (with Hayley oblivious to who he is and what he has just written) and the two hit it off and spend the night together.
However, when Hayley finally reads the review, her stage show changes placing Alex, and his behaviour (past and present), in the spotlight of her one-woman show. Suddenly, more and more stories about Alex come out....
This was a really clever book, taking issues over power, misogyny, cancel culture but looking at them in a humorous way, whilst never seeking to minimise them.
This is definitely not a one-star book
Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | The Borough Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review
August 19, 2025
3.5
To quote the book “three stars isn’t even a bad review! Three stars is good!”
To quote the book “three stars isn’t even a bad review! Three stars is good!”
July 15, 2025
Sophie is a journalist of listicles, not the hard hitting important journalism she once dreamed of. She has a small child named Arlo, and a roommate named Alex. Alex is the son of a famous actress, and often called a "nepo baby." Alex is currently a theatre critic, often writing scathing reviews. He only chooses 5 stars or 1 star, and a lot are 1 star. He has a one night stand with a woman named Hailey who had a show he gave a 1 star review and Hailey turned this into a new one woman show panning him and exposing him for basically being a bad person.
Alex is a side character, this is really Sophie's story. I really loved the theming- this book has a lot to say about reviewing, which is what we do. 25 years ago, when someone wanted a plumber or a boyfriend, they asked people they knew. Today, this decision is made by consensus. So instead of people we know, we rely on hundreds of reviews to give us access to who we should choose. This book reminded me of Such a Fun Age and Becky not Rebecca and some other books written about cancel culture. The theories about reviews really hit home since I write a review every day. And I am not a writer, not an expert, I just write reviews and say if I like something or not. It is bizarre, I will give some classic literature story 3 stars and a bizarre zombie book 5 stars. Sometimes I feel like- who the heck am I to assign a star rating to a book someone and their editor and publisher have worked on for a decade?
I would have liked to have understood Sophie's relationship with Josh more and dug more into her motherhood. This would be a great book to discuss in a group, such as a book club. You can easily see both view points and no one did anything illegal. It is definitely a different world and "morals" and "civility" and "manners" are cultural constructs that change frequently.
What do you think? Is it right for Hailey to create a career behind trying to end the career of Alex? Did Alex do anything wrong? Do we owe our transparency to readers and is this different for professional critics?
Alex is a side character, this is really Sophie's story. I really loved the theming- this book has a lot to say about reviewing, which is what we do. 25 years ago, when someone wanted a plumber or a boyfriend, they asked people they knew. Today, this decision is made by consensus. So instead of people we know, we rely on hundreds of reviews to give us access to who we should choose. This book reminded me of Such a Fun Age and Becky not Rebecca and some other books written about cancel culture. The theories about reviews really hit home since I write a review every day. And I am not a writer, not an expert, I just write reviews and say if I like something or not. It is bizarre, I will give some classic literature story 3 stars and a bizarre zombie book 5 stars. Sometimes I feel like- who the heck am I to assign a star rating to a book someone and their editor and publisher have worked on for a decade?
I would have liked to have understood Sophie's relationship with Josh more and dug more into her motherhood. This would be a great book to discuss in a group, such as a book club. You can easily see both view points and no one did anything illegal. It is definitely a different world and "morals" and "civility" and "manners" are cultural constructs that change frequently.
What do you think? Is it right for Hailey to create a career behind trying to end the career of Alex? Did Alex do anything wrong? Do we owe our transparency to readers and is this different for professional critics?
May 12, 2025
I was in the mood for a light, funny read that also had some substance that would help to pass some time when it was harder to focus on more “serious” reading, and the premise of this one was all I needed to know to give it a shot. I’m happy to report that it delivered exactly what I needed at the time and is a book that I can see having wide appeal this summer when it is published.
The story follows Alex Lyons, a theater critic and son of a famous actress who is known for his very extreme reviews - everything is either five stars or one star with nothing in between. After sitting through a terrible one-woman show one night, he quickly writes his scathing review and heads to the bar, where he ends up running into the star of said show, Hayley, and having a one-night-stand with her. Of course, Hayley had no idea who this man was when she went home with him, but it only takes until the next morning for her to put it together, and the story takes off from there.
I appreciated that the novel was interestingly not written from Alex or Hayley's POV, but from the POV of Alex's colleague and temporary roommate, Sophie. Sophie has her own storyline throughout the book and is doing her best to balance Alex's drama with that in her own personal life. The narrative is both a literary character study and an examination of culture and the human condition in today’s day and age. I enjoyed the commentary on some big topics like cancel culture, relationships, forgiveness and parenthood, and while it was contemplative in that way, it also made me laugh. I also really appreciated that the author was able to paint Alex in such a real way that even though his actions were often terrible, we still managed to be sympathetic towards him. It was really interesting to me how the author never really chose a “side” when it came to Alex - he was never fully redeemed but also never fully condemned, leaving it up to the reader to decide his fate for themselves.
Although there was a lot that I enjoyed about this one, it definitely felt like the debut it was to me in that some of the storylines could've been a little more fleshed out and benefited from some tighter editing. I found myself wanting more development and backstory from some of the characters, such as Hayley and Sophie and her family. It also seemed to drag a bit for me in the middle after such a bang of an opening and a strong ending. All in all though, it was successful in being an entertaining story that really made me think about all sorts of things from when criticism crosses the line into rude territory and the role of honesty in all things in life.
Although I'm going against everything Alex Lyons stands for by giving this one a middle-of-the road rating, I still had fun with it and I'm looking forward to what this author will do next. Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The story follows Alex Lyons, a theater critic and son of a famous actress who is known for his very extreme reviews - everything is either five stars or one star with nothing in between. After sitting through a terrible one-woman show one night, he quickly writes his scathing review and heads to the bar, where he ends up running into the star of said show, Hayley, and having a one-night-stand with her. Of course, Hayley had no idea who this man was when she went home with him, but it only takes until the next morning for her to put it together, and the story takes off from there.
I appreciated that the novel was interestingly not written from Alex or Hayley's POV, but from the POV of Alex's colleague and temporary roommate, Sophie. Sophie has her own storyline throughout the book and is doing her best to balance Alex's drama with that in her own personal life. The narrative is both a literary character study and an examination of culture and the human condition in today’s day and age. I enjoyed the commentary on some big topics like cancel culture, relationships, forgiveness and parenthood, and while it was contemplative in that way, it also made me laugh. I also really appreciated that the author was able to paint Alex in such a real way that even though his actions were often terrible, we still managed to be sympathetic towards him. It was really interesting to me how the author never really chose a “side” when it came to Alex - he was never fully redeemed but also never fully condemned, leaving it up to the reader to decide his fate for themselves.
Although there was a lot that I enjoyed about this one, it definitely felt like the debut it was to me in that some of the storylines could've been a little more fleshed out and benefited from some tighter editing. I found myself wanting more development and backstory from some of the characters, such as Hayley and Sophie and her family. It also seemed to drag a bit for me in the middle after such a bang of an opening and a strong ending. All in all though, it was successful in being an entertaining story that really made me think about all sorts of things from when criticism crosses the line into rude territory and the role of honesty in all things in life.
Although I'm going against everything Alex Lyons stands for by giving this one a middle-of-the road rating, I still had fun with it and I'm looking forward to what this author will do next. Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
July 4, 2025
Actual Rating: 3,5 Sterne
Wer Fan von "Prima Facie" ist, der sollte diesem Buch auf jeden Fall mal eine Chance geben! Ich fand nicht alles daran perfekt - gerade die Erzählstimme und Weise der Protagonistin hätte ich mir etwas mehr am Geschehen gewünscht, aber es beinhaltet unglaublich wichtige Themen! Und ganz viel Theater, West End und Edinburgh liebe <3 Da ich selbst als Filmkritikerin arbeite und mit dem Diskurs aus Kunst und Meinungsfreiheit nur all zu vertraut bin, hat es mich besonders gecatcht. Bin gespannt, was die Autorin in Zukunft noch so bereit hält!
Wer Fan von "Prima Facie" ist, der sollte diesem Buch auf jeden Fall mal eine Chance geben! Ich fand nicht alles daran perfekt - gerade die Erzählstimme und Weise der Protagonistin hätte ich mir etwas mehr am Geschehen gewünscht, aber es beinhaltet unglaublich wichtige Themen! Und ganz viel Theater, West End und Edinburgh liebe <3 Da ich selbst als Filmkritikerin arbeite und mit dem Diskurs aus Kunst und Meinungsfreiheit nur all zu vertraut bin, hat es mich besonders gecatcht. Bin gespannt, was die Autorin in Zukunft noch so bereit hält!
February 23, 2025
I cannot remember the last time I managed to read a book in less than 12 hours but Bring The House Down by Charlotte Runcie managed to capture my attention enough that I simply couldn’t stop reading it.
I reviewed this ahead of publication thanks to NetGalley and I am so glad I got the chance because I’ll be putting it physically into as many hands as possible come publication.
The story is set in Edinburgh during the fringe season and begins with a one star review from a Journalist named Alex Lyons to a woman performing a one woman show about the climate change crisis. Lyons knowingly sleeps with the woman while also being aware that in the morning her show will have received a pretty dismal write-up for all to see.
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On discovering this fact the next day, while still in his accommodation, the performer changes the name of her performance to ‘The Alex Lyons Experience’ setting off a chain of events which leads to many other women coming forward to speak about their own experiences with him.
The story is told from the point of view of his flatmate and fellow journalist Sophie, a new mum who is also battling her own grief from the death of her mother and who she is as a parent.
The book was fast-paced and kept me hooked from start to finish. I enjoyed the way in which the life of Sophie was weaved into the plot but also how the novel shows that ultimately, when men in positions of power behave badly, no one wins. Even the women who do come forward and valiantly tell their stories - it all comes at a remarkable personal cost.
As someone who lives in East Lothian, where part of the book is set, and who lived in Edinburgh for many years, I loved the setting and the descriptions of it. The author really managed to project how mad the month of August is with the Edinburgh Fringe but also the amount of work that goes into performing.
There are many important questions raised about male privilege and about blurred lines which exist in how they use their power to treat women. I’m not part of the arts world but feel this book was also perhaps shining a light on the pressure which exists for performers in theatre and the wider arts community and the struggle for artists who really on decent reviews. It also highlighted the nepotism that often exists in Journalism as an industry too.
This novel is a powerful, moving and funny account of what life affords you when you never really have to think of the consequences of your actions or how you treat others because of your privilege. I think many people will be able to recognise people they’ve met, particularly in work, where this problem still exists.
I reviewed this ahead of publication thanks to NetGalley and I am so glad I got the chance because I’ll be putting it physically into as many hands as possible come publication.
The story is set in Edinburgh during the fringe season and begins with a one star review from a Journalist named Alex Lyons to a woman performing a one woman show about the climate change crisis. Lyons knowingly sleeps with the woman while also being aware that in the morning her show will have received a pretty dismal write-up for all to see.
Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
On discovering this fact the next day, while still in his accommodation, the performer changes the name of her performance to ‘The Alex Lyons Experience’ setting off a chain of events which leads to many other women coming forward to speak about their own experiences with him.
The story is told from the point of view of his flatmate and fellow journalist Sophie, a new mum who is also battling her own grief from the death of her mother and who she is as a parent.
The book was fast-paced and kept me hooked from start to finish. I enjoyed the way in which the life of Sophie was weaved into the plot but also how the novel shows that ultimately, when men in positions of power behave badly, no one wins. Even the women who do come forward and valiantly tell their stories - it all comes at a remarkable personal cost.
As someone who lives in East Lothian, where part of the book is set, and who lived in Edinburgh for many years, I loved the setting and the descriptions of it. The author really managed to project how mad the month of August is with the Edinburgh Fringe but also the amount of work that goes into performing.
There are many important questions raised about male privilege and about blurred lines which exist in how they use their power to treat women. I’m not part of the arts world but feel this book was also perhaps shining a light on the pressure which exists for performers in theatre and the wider arts community and the struggle for artists who really on decent reviews. It also highlighted the nepotism that often exists in Journalism as an industry too.
This novel is a powerful, moving and funny account of what life affords you when you never really have to think of the consequences of your actions or how you treat others because of your privilege. I think many people will be able to recognise people they’ve met, particularly in work, where this problem still exists.
September 1, 2025
4.5/5
Noch ein #metoo Roman? Ja, aber anders!
Hayley Sinclair tritt als Comedian beim Fringe Festival in Edinburgh auf. In der Nacht nach dem ersten Auftritt lernt sie in einer Bar einen Mann kennen und verbringt die Nacht mit ihm. Was sie noch nicht weiß: Er ist Alex Lyons, gefürchteter Kultur-Kritiker und hat zu diesem Zeitpunkt bereits eine vernichtende Kritik über sie geschrieben, die am nächsten Morgen erscheint. Als sie das herausfindet, macht sie “die Sache mit Alex Lyons” zu ihrem neuen Programm - und das geht durch die Decke, denn immer mehr Frauen haben Geschichten parat, wie arschig der notorische Frauenheld zu ihnen war.
Erzählt wird das alles weder von Alex noch von Hayley, sondern Alex’ Kollegin Sophie - war erst gewöhnungsbedürftig, hat aber dann doch richtig gut gepasst! Vom Ton her war es trotz des Themas eher locker und hatte irgendwie diesen Sound, den normalerweise die Bücher von pola haben, wenn das Sinn macht?! (Btw: Übersetzung: Katharina Martl).
Was mir besonders gefallen hat: Derr Roman lotet sehr klug die Graustufen aus. War Alex ein Arsch und das Getane falsch? Absolut. Hat Hayley das Recht, das Erlebte öffentlich zu verarbeiten? Absolut. Aber ist es gerechtfertigt, dass er seinen Job verliert? Er selbst sagt an einer Stelle, trotz des Verschweigens lag Konsens vor und es müsse Abstufungen zwischen so etwas und bspw. einer V3rgewaltigung, Betatschen etc. geben. Hab noch länger über einiges nachdenken müssen!
Dazu kamen viele spannede Beobachtungen zur Kulturszene und zum Spannungsverhältnis zwischen Kunst(freiheit) und Kritik - wie weit darf Kritik gehen? Mit welcher Sprache darf kritisiert werden? Über Sophie kamen auch Themen rund um Mutterschaft und Carearbeit hinzu. Das alles macht in Summe dieses Buch nicht nur zu einem meiner Lesehighlights, sondern bietet auch genug Diskussionspotential, dass es ‘ne richtig gute Buchclublektüre wäre!
Noch ein #metoo Roman? Ja, aber anders!
Hayley Sinclair tritt als Comedian beim Fringe Festival in Edinburgh auf. In der Nacht nach dem ersten Auftritt lernt sie in einer Bar einen Mann kennen und verbringt die Nacht mit ihm. Was sie noch nicht weiß: Er ist Alex Lyons, gefürchteter Kultur-Kritiker und hat zu diesem Zeitpunkt bereits eine vernichtende Kritik über sie geschrieben, die am nächsten Morgen erscheint. Als sie das herausfindet, macht sie “die Sache mit Alex Lyons” zu ihrem neuen Programm - und das geht durch die Decke, denn immer mehr Frauen haben Geschichten parat, wie arschig der notorische Frauenheld zu ihnen war.
Erzählt wird das alles weder von Alex noch von Hayley, sondern Alex’ Kollegin Sophie - war erst gewöhnungsbedürftig, hat aber dann doch richtig gut gepasst! Vom Ton her war es trotz des Themas eher locker und hatte irgendwie diesen Sound, den normalerweise die Bücher von pola haben, wenn das Sinn macht?! (Btw: Übersetzung: Katharina Martl).
Was mir besonders gefallen hat: Derr Roman lotet sehr klug die Graustufen aus. War Alex ein Arsch und das Getane falsch? Absolut. Hat Hayley das Recht, das Erlebte öffentlich zu verarbeiten? Absolut. Aber ist es gerechtfertigt, dass er seinen Job verliert? Er selbst sagt an einer Stelle, trotz des Verschweigens lag Konsens vor und es müsse Abstufungen zwischen so etwas und bspw. einer V3rgewaltigung, Betatschen etc. geben. Hab noch länger über einiges nachdenken müssen!
Dazu kamen viele spannede Beobachtungen zur Kulturszene und zum Spannungsverhältnis zwischen Kunst(freiheit) und Kritik - wie weit darf Kritik gehen? Mit welcher Sprache darf kritisiert werden? Über Sophie kamen auch Themen rund um Mutterschaft und Carearbeit hinzu. Das alles macht in Summe dieses Buch nicht nur zu einem meiner Lesehighlights, sondern bietet auch genug Diskussionspotential, dass es ‘ne richtig gute Buchclublektüre wäre!
June 7, 2025
I'm afraid that this book was not for me. Perhaps it's my age?
I went into it with certain expectations, and those were not reached. This book was filled with over-inflated egos, sarcasm of the nasty kind, and Me Too whiners. I'm not of the generation that appreciates the me-too's - I think they just want their five minutes of fame, but that's probably just me.
I initially thought this was going to be a fun read, and was quickly put in my place. This was a depressing, cruelty-filled read. If I were Hayley, as soon as I read what Alex wrote, I would have gone after his dangly bits with a rusty toenail clipper. NOT because of the critical review, but because he slept with her without thinking about how she would feel when she woke up in his apartment and saw the papers. Used...yes, humiliated... again, yes.
Oddly enough, I just read online some criticism from an 'author' on one and two-star reviews, that we reviewers should be sensitive to the author's feelings. Uhm, if you are that sensitive that a critical or sarcasm-filled review would put you in a depression, then you are in the wrong profession. I blame the advent of the old-time Vanity Press companies and the ever-popular self-publishing world.
*ARC supplied by the publisher, Doubleday, the author, and NetGalley.
I went into it with certain expectations, and those were not reached. This book was filled with over-inflated egos, sarcasm of the nasty kind, and Me Too whiners. I'm not of the generation that appreciates the me-too's - I think they just want their five minutes of fame, but that's probably just me.
I initially thought this was going to be a fun read, and was quickly put in my place. This was a depressing, cruelty-filled read. If I were Hayley, as soon as I read what Alex wrote, I would have gone after his dangly bits with a rusty toenail clipper. NOT because of the critical review, but because he slept with her without thinking about how she would feel when she woke up in his apartment and saw the papers. Used...yes, humiliated... again, yes.
Oddly enough, I just read online some criticism from an 'author' on one and two-star reviews, that we reviewers should be sensitive to the author's feelings. Uhm, if you are that sensitive that a critical or sarcasm-filled review would put you in a depression, then you are in the wrong profession. I blame the advent of the old-time Vanity Press companies and the ever-popular self-publishing world.
*ARC supplied by the publisher, Doubleday, the author, and NetGalley.
May 8, 2025
During the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Hayley meets Alex in a bar and sleeps with him. Unbeknownst to her, he is a theater critic who has just given her performance a scathing one star read. When she finds out the next morning, she responds by making her one person show all about Alex and the atrocities he has inflicted upon women over the years. The show becomes hugely popular with negative repercussions for him. The only person who seems to still support Alex is Sophie, a fellow critic who is struggling with her own professional/domestic situation.
This debut fiction by a Scottish journalist familiar with the world of art and critics is a compelling narrative that gives the reader much about which to contemplate. There is exploration into ageless topics as well as some that are very contemporary. It touches on mysogyny, art and criticism, the power of men and critics, motherhood, grief, Me Too, cancel culture. Despite such deep and sometimes dark subjects, it is entertaining, even amusing at times.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #DoubleDayBooks for the DRC.
This debut fiction by a Scottish journalist familiar with the world of art and critics is a compelling narrative that gives the reader much about which to contemplate. There is exploration into ageless topics as well as some that are very contemporary. It touches on mysogyny, art and criticism, the power of men and critics, motherhood, grief, Me Too, cancel culture. Despite such deep and sometimes dark subjects, it is entertaining, even amusing at times.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #DoubleDayBooks for the DRC.
August 2, 2025
zzz both men in this book should've just burned to a crisp at the end
ok real review time - i know it's very ironic of me to give this book a low rating but i'm lost as to why this is labelled a feminist book. i love the concept of telling the story through sophie's pov as a female bystander but her sympathy towards alex came in way too strong for a book that's supposedly about ruthlessly taking him and likeminded misogynists down. i truly despised both alex and josh and it was difficult to watch their semi-redemption arcs at the end, especially juxtaposed with sophie and hayley's endings, which were mildly depressing. maybe that's the point; the cocky, cruelly misogynistic, incompetent, predatory men tend to come out on top. fair enough, but it's not the gloriously satisfying female-rage-revenge tale this book is sold as.
ok real review time - i know it's very ironic of me to give this book a low rating but i'm lost as to why this is labelled a feminist book. i love the concept of telling the story through sophie's pov as a female bystander but her sympathy towards alex came in way too strong for a book that's supposedly about ruthlessly taking him and likeminded misogynists down. i truly despised both alex and josh and it was difficult to watch their semi-redemption arcs at the end, especially juxtaposed with sophie and hayley's endings, which were mildly depressing. maybe that's the point; the cocky, cruelly misogynistic, incompetent, predatory men tend to come out on top. fair enough, but it's not the gloriously satisfying female-rage-revenge tale this book is sold as.
October 20, 2025
・❥・ ❝But even then, everyone has a version of themselves that’s the version they’d want in their obit. The locked Wikipedia article version of them. The version that they could look at and say, well, I guess that’s fair. Nobody ever sees themselves as the villain.❞
3.75 ✨
This book made me experience an array of emotions. It’s an interesting discussion of culture and how we consume it as well as how we interact with it. And within the sphere of the arts, how objective can a critique or a critic be? Is there bias? Do we feel a responsibility towards the creator, the audience or ourselves? All such fascinating topics of conversation! 💫 This book is current. Unfortunately, there is still power imbalance within all disciplines and fields of work and interest. There is still cancel culture and mob mentality. There are still people who try to be a voice or find their own. 🌸
The narrator/perspective we follow surprised me. 🌧️ We don’t follow Hayley or Alex who are directly involved in the incident but Sophie, Alex’s colleague and a fellow journalist/critic. Sophie is such a poignant choice because she becomes obsessed with the debate and we see how her own views and opinions fluctuate 👀
I wouldn’t go into this book expecting likeable characters! These characters are morally ambiguous constantly contradicting themselves. They’re frustrating. 😅 There were times when I was so upset with Sophie and all I wanted to do was scream at her to “finally decide what you want to say or do!”
Alex was inherently unlikeable even when the world worshipped him and his words. And I believe he was supposed to be — charming yet unlikeable.
I liked Hayley as a character but towards the end of the book, I was starting to question her motives. I was starting to question everyone’s motives actually 😂.
I think all of the characters lose track of the “why” as the story goes on.
・❥・ ❝Fair criticism doesn’t exist,’ he’d said to me in the newsroom once. ‘Life isn’t fair, so why should I be❞
I was SO interested in the different approaches to putting together a critique. Not two characters had the same opinion. Everyone seemed to approach reviewing with a different interest or appreciation in mind — thinking about the artists’ struggles, hard work, and feelings; considering the feelings of their families; feeling a responsibility towards the audience; losing or gaining credibility as a reviewer. As someone who reviews books and is part of the reviewing scene, this conversation appealed to me. 🫣
The ending I found anticlimactic. It is, in a way realistic and they quite literally brought the house down, but I felt like something was missing for me personally.
Overall, a good discussion starter! I would recommend if this is something up your alley 🌤️✨
3.75 ✨
This book made me experience an array of emotions. It’s an interesting discussion of culture and how we consume it as well as how we interact with it. And within the sphere of the arts, how objective can a critique or a critic be? Is there bias? Do we feel a responsibility towards the creator, the audience or ourselves? All such fascinating topics of conversation! 💫 This book is current. Unfortunately, there is still power imbalance within all disciplines and fields of work and interest. There is still cancel culture and mob mentality. There are still people who try to be a voice or find their own. 🌸
The narrator/perspective we follow surprised me. 🌧️ We don’t follow Hayley or Alex who are directly involved in the incident but Sophie, Alex’s colleague and a fellow journalist/critic. Sophie is such a poignant choice because she becomes obsessed with the debate and we see how her own views and opinions fluctuate 👀
I wouldn’t go into this book expecting likeable characters! These characters are morally ambiguous constantly contradicting themselves. They’re frustrating. 😅 There were times when I was so upset with Sophie and all I wanted to do was scream at her to “finally decide what you want to say or do!”
Alex was inherently unlikeable even when the world worshipped him and his words. And I believe he was supposed to be — charming yet unlikeable.
I liked Hayley as a character but towards the end of the book, I was starting to question her motives. I was starting to question everyone’s motives actually 😂.
I think all of the characters lose track of the “why” as the story goes on.
・❥・ ❝Fair criticism doesn’t exist,’ he’d said to me in the newsroom once. ‘Life isn’t fair, so why should I be❞
I was SO interested in the different approaches to putting together a critique. Not two characters had the same opinion. Everyone seemed to approach reviewing with a different interest or appreciation in mind — thinking about the artists’ struggles, hard work, and feelings; considering the feelings of their families; feeling a responsibility towards the audience; losing or gaining credibility as a reviewer. As someone who reviews books and is part of the reviewing scene, this conversation appealed to me. 🫣
The ending I found anticlimactic. It is, in a way realistic and they quite literally brought the house down, but I felt like something was missing for me personally.
Overall, a good discussion starter! I would recommend if this is something up your alley 🌤️✨
August 20, 2025
Dieses Debüt wurde mir als Überraschung von Piper zugeschickt und an dieser Stelle muss ich ein großes Danke an die Verantwortlichen aussprechen, denn das Buch hat richtig gut meinen Geschmack getroffen 🤓📦🤌🏼
Hier geht es um den Starkritiker Alex Lyons, der eine vernichtende Kritik über die Performerin Hayley Sinclair schreibt, nach ihrem Auftritt einen One Night Stand mit ihr hat und das, obwohl er ihre gesamte Karriere zerstört hat. Nach dieser Prämisse dachte ich mir nur let the show begin! 🍿
Charlotte Runcie hat es geschafft, dieses Buch zu etwas ganz Eigenem zu machen! Dieses Buch enthält so viele (!) relevante Themen, ohne dabei jedoch ermüdend zu sein. Es geht um privilegierte weiße Männer, Misogynie, Kunst- und Meinungsfreiheit, Cancel Culture, das Me Too Movement, das Frau- und Muttersein und mehr. Besonders spannend fand ich die Erzählweise: das Ganze wird nämlich weder aus Alex noch aus Hayleys Sicht erzählt, sondern aus der Sicht einer Arbeitskollegin von Alex, die uns quasi als direkte Beobachterin des Geschehens mitnimmt. So geraten wir als Lesende auch in den Gedankenstrudel einer (vermeintlich) unbeteiligten Dritten, die hin- und hergerissen zwischen ihrer Arbeit als Kritikerin, Alex und Hayley ist. Alle Charaktere des Buches sind unterm Strich unsympathisch und genau das, macht das Buch irgendwie aus 👀
Fazit:
Eine richtig gute Überraschung. Die Geschichte war teils etwas ausufernd, aber insgesamt doch echt gelungen 😊
Hier geht es um den Starkritiker Alex Lyons, der eine vernichtende Kritik über die Performerin Hayley Sinclair schreibt, nach ihrem Auftritt einen One Night Stand mit ihr hat und das, obwohl er ihre gesamte Karriere zerstört hat. Nach dieser Prämisse dachte ich mir nur let the show begin! 🍿
Charlotte Runcie hat es geschafft, dieses Buch zu etwas ganz Eigenem zu machen! Dieses Buch enthält so viele (!) relevante Themen, ohne dabei jedoch ermüdend zu sein. Es geht um privilegierte weiße Männer, Misogynie, Kunst- und Meinungsfreiheit, Cancel Culture, das Me Too Movement, das Frau- und Muttersein und mehr. Besonders spannend fand ich die Erzählweise: das Ganze wird nämlich weder aus Alex noch aus Hayleys Sicht erzählt, sondern aus der Sicht einer Arbeitskollegin von Alex, die uns quasi als direkte Beobachterin des Geschehens mitnimmt. So geraten wir als Lesende auch in den Gedankenstrudel einer (vermeintlich) unbeteiligten Dritten, die hin- und hergerissen zwischen ihrer Arbeit als Kritikerin, Alex und Hayley ist. Alle Charaktere des Buches sind unterm Strich unsympathisch und genau das, macht das Buch irgendwie aus 👀
Fazit:
Eine richtig gute Überraschung. Die Geschichte war teils etwas ausufernd, aber insgesamt doch echt gelungen 😊
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