ナイルパーチの女子会

by Asako Yuzuki, 柚木 麻子

丸の内の大手商社に勤めるやり手のキャリアウーマン・志村栄利子（30歳）。実家から早朝出勤をし、日々ハードな仕事に勤しむ彼女の密やかな楽しみは、同い年の人気主婦ブログ『おひょうのダメ奥さん日記』を読むこと。決して焦らない「おひょう」独特の価値観と切り口で記される文章に、栄利子は癒されるのだ。その「おひょう」こと丸尾翔子は、スーパーの店長の夫と二人で気ままに暮らしているが、実は家族を捨て出て行った母親と、実家で傲慢なほど「自分からは何もしない」でいる父親について深い屈託を抱えていた。偶然にも近所に住んでいた栄利子と翔子はある日カフェで出会う。同性の友達がいないという共通のコンプレックスもあって、二人は急速に親しくなってゆく。ブロガーと愛読者……そこから理想の友人関係が始まるように互いに思えたが、翔子が数日間ブログの更新をしなかったことが原因で、二人の関係は思わぬ方向へ進んでゆく。次第にエスカレートする執着と、一方的過ぎる考えと行動の強要――とても友情とは呼べない関係に二人が陥ってしまったのは、二人が出会ってはいけない同士だったからなのか……。「ナイルパーチ」とはスズキ目アカメ科アカメ属の

Genres: Fiction, Japan, Contemporary, Thriller, Literary Fiction, Audiobook, Japanese Literature

403 pages, Paperback Bunko

First published March 30, 2015

About the author

Asako Yuzuki (柚木 麻子, Yuzuki Asako) is a Japanese writer. She won the All Yomimono Prize for New Writers and the Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize. Asako has been nominated multiple times for the Naoki Prize, and her novels have been adapted for television, radio, and film.

Reviews

[leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

less of a thriller and more of a character study of two lonely women living in tokyo.

the novel’s primary theme is female friendships and how hard these can be to form and cultivate, especially in adulthood. it touches on a lot of the themes we’ve come to expect from japanese fiction through its exploration of women in contemporary japan: rigid gender roles, marriage, parental expectations, loneliness, the struggle of human connection, work etc.

the characterisation was done well, eriko was truly an abhorrent character that i wanted to slap, and shoko was grating too. but by the end you do start to feel sorry for both women, which i think is testament to yuzuki’s ability to craft unlikeable but undeniably human and complex characters.

i wish the obsession theme had been expanded a little more, there is definitely an element of foreboding running throughout, but i was expecting it to lead up to something more explosive and unhinged. a few subplots and characters felt a bit random and didn’t add much to the overall storyline, and i think the book could’ve been trimmed down as it did become repetitive at certain points. i haven’t read butter by this author which i know is very popular, but maybe i’ll give it a try.

[Emma.catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Demolished with the same delight and satisfaction as ‘Butter’ - Dare I say: I was hooked 🪝💖✨

Hooked is one of my most highly anticipated books of 2026 and I am thrilled to say it totally lived up to the hype 🎉

This was an expertly crafted, disturbingly realistic novel about modern womanhood. It focused primarily on an obsessive relationship between an outwardly perfect, yet lonely trading company employee and a popular housewife blogger. Asako Yuzuki explores with acute insight the ache for connection and how lives can slowly spiral out of control.

How far would you go to be seen? 👀

‘Relating to other people - now Eriko thought about it, it seemed to her that this was the most valuable thing in all the world.’ 🌎😌💖✨

Eriko really wouldn't mind being savaged, if it was her best friend doing the savaging… 😈

Eriko is leading a seemingly perfect life. Her new task, to reintroduce the controversial Nile Perch fish into the Japanese market. But despite all her success, she is desperately lonely.

Enter: Shoko

…a popular lifestyle blogger whose untidy, laid back aesthetic epitomises everything Eriko isn't. Eriko becomes fascinated by her. Obsessed. She takes her stalking offline and tracks Shoko down at her favourite restaurant, orchestrating a friendship between them. But as her obsession grows, her behaviour starts to spiral broaching dark territory. She sets off an unraveling for both women…how far will she go to hold on to the best friend that she’s ever had?

Yuzuki has delivered another masterpiece that is equal parts thriller and character study. Her ability to convey the hidden intricacies of womanhood is astonishing. Her insight - invaluable!

What starts off as a fairly innocuously relationship between two lonely women sets the groundwork for an epic derailing of both their lives. Yuzuki begins to build the tension quite early on in the story and steadily leads us in suspense throughout. I enjoyed both he beginning stages and the development. In the beginning, Shoko is unaware of Eriko history of obsessive behaviour, but as readers we get to sit back and watch the inevitable unfold. However, in the latter stages of the book we are held in a great sense of mystery as to what will evolve.

Something that struck me throughout the course of reading this book was the chilling tone. It was similar to that used in ‘Butter’ but to an even greater degree through the use of an unreliable narrator. I LOVE when authors use questionable voice and it worked really well here.

I actually found myself having unexpected sympathy towards Eriko. I felt her character so deeply. Her insecurities and downfalls felt so raw and relatable. I wanted to help her, yet I was slightly afraid of her 😅 Yuzuki really knows how to make you FEEL exactly what the characters are feeling by making us understand why they make the choices they do.

I don’t want to say too much about the plot but I loved the twists and turns that it took. I was definitely surprised by the direction Yuzuki took it in. She crafted the storyline very cleverly and clearly, resulting in a very satisfying ending.

‘As her skin grew accustomed to the temperature of the water, the boundaries between herself and the outside world would grow hazy, and trappings such as her age, her weight and her gender lost their significance.’ 💧 😌 💖 ✨

Overall, this was a FANTASTIC read. It was incredibly compelling to read and I still find myself thinking about the characters. If you enjoyed ‘Butter’ I am pretty sure you’ll love this one too. It had a similar vibe and although I did enjoy ‘Butter’ *slightly* more, this is still an amazing addition to the genre of Japanese thrillers. I can’t wait to see what Yuzuki does next 👀

4.5🌟🌟🌟🌟✨

[Christy fictional_traits · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Sometimes too much knowledge can create its own problems…'.

Although thirty, single, and living at home, Eriko is the epitome of corporate success, well-groomed, diligent - almost robotic. Yet there’s one thing she’s never achieved: a female friendship. When she stumbles across a blog that celebrates the antithesis of her carefully controlled life, she becomes hooked to reading Shoko’s daily entries, “savouring it…it’s deliciousness seemed to percolate through her body.”

Shoko, by contrast, has little real ambition. She certainly never anticipated that her blog would attract attention, but when a publisher takes interest, her carefully detached persona begins to shift.

Like Butter, Hooked by Asako Yuzuki carries that same quietly obsessive energy, with food once again threaded throughout.

What makes this work is the dynamic between Eriko and Shoko. While Eriko’s behaviour becomes increasingly unhinged, it’s the way both women change that makes the story compelling. As Shoko’s online presence grows, she too is shaped by performance and perception.

Yuzuki explores how easily we let ourselves be defined by others and social media, as well as the tension between control and perceived freedom. Both women believe they’re making independent choices, but those choices are constantly influenced by the need for validation, societal expectation, and image ideology.

That said, the obsessive spiral does begin to spin its wheels, for a bit before it speeds up to the end. I also felt that the ending was \underwhelming given the level of psychological drama that precedes it.

Overall, Hooked is thoughtful and unsettling, exploring identity, obsession, and the quiet ways we reshape ourselves.

'...society foists all these standards on us. The world we live in is specifically designed to make us compete'.

[jaimie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars feels a bit harsh for this since I really enjoyed Butter, but I think the whole concept of this fell a bit flat. The whole jist of the story is that all of the women in it are unlikable and terrible at maintaining female friendships and even their own relationships, because women are inherently catty and gossipy therefore how could they ever form meaningful relationships? In every single conversation between two women in this book, they CONSTANTLY bring up how they don’t have female friends and how women are difficult to get along with. I just found the whole concept so boring and repetitive by the end of the book.

Now, the stalking and blackmail aspect to this book really sped up the plot which was very much needed. The only thing is I don’t think it was used to its full potential, it wasn’t developed on enough as it could have been. I would have loved to see at least one of the women in this story going full on unhinged instead of teetering on the edge for chapters on end.

I honestly felt quite sorry for Eriko by the end of the book. She doesn’t know why she can’t form relationships with anyone, she is just a very intense person and unfortunately people are easily put off by her. No, she doesn’t help herself by literally blackmailing someone she considers her ‘best friend’ who she barely knows to go on a spa break with her for a few days. But I find it so mean that her boss, her coworkers, even her PARENTS find her insufferable to be around and tell her this TO HER FACE! No wonder she was going crazy, wouldn’t you?!

I can appreciate what Yuzuki was trying to do with this book, and I love that it was once again female centred just like Butter; you could even argue that there are even less key male characters in this book and they are mostly plot devices. I just think that I wanted more from such an intense idea, and I am left frustrated at this.

[Holly Hearts Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just to let you know, this book is about 2 women who don’t have any female friends and the book will tell you that about 1,000,000 times. Nothing really happens. I mean, one gains weight? I guess that’s the biggest plot twist for one of the women lol I wish it was weirder and darker but alas, 2 out of 5 stars.

[Sarah ~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hooked - Asako Yuzuki


إريكو تعيش حياة مثالية، فهي شابة متألقة على كل الأصعدة وتتمتع بحظ وافر من والدين محبين ووظيفة مرموقة في شركة كبرى وتعمل على مشروع طموح جديد، لكن خلف الصورة المصقولة للشابة الأنيقة وحدة مدمرة؛ فإريكو لم يكن لها يومًا صديقة واحدة حقيقية وهنا تدخل الشخصية الثانية في الرواية: شوكو؛ صاحبة مدونة شهيرة، تعيش حياة عشوائية بعفوية، شقة فوضوية وجبات عشاء جاهزة من الخارج، وزوج لطيف وإن كانت علاقتها المضطربة بوالدها تقض مضجعها، ولكنها تكتب كل يوم عن حياتها غير المثالية بعفوبة عكس المعتاد من المدونات وتكتب عن الرضا والاستمتاع بكل لحظة،
هذه الحياة اللامبالية تخلب لب إريكو التي تصبح مهووسة بمتابعتها والسعي لصداقتها. وهنا تبدأ علاقة افتتان وهوس قد تدمر كلتيهما.



رواية ما فيها أحد صاحي.
وصاحي هنا تعني: شخص سوي، طبيعي، عاقل .

اتفهم أن الكل يعاني في علاقاته الاجتماعية من الصداقات وعلاقات الزمالة في العمل إلى افعلاقات العائلية..
لكن الكاتبة بالغت في كل هذه العلاقات السامة والمسيئة بين شخصيات هذه الرواية.
إريكو وبحثها عن الصداقة وعلاقتها بوالديها وزملائها في العمل وانعدام ذكائها العاطفي، شوكو وعلاقتها بوالدها وأخوتها وزوجها والتي وإن بدت كشخص واعي لكنها احتاجت لوقت طويل لتفهم نفسها ومن حولها..
هذا الكم من العلاقات السامة والغريبة كان مؤذي وخانق جدًا، أحببت رواية الكاتبة السابقة "زبدة" كثيرًا، أحببت التوازن الدقيق التي كتبت به الشخصيات وأحببت تناولها للعلاقات النسائية وصداقاتهن، لكن لم أحب أي شيء في هذه الرواية.
ربما يكون السبب شخصي، ولم أفهم الشخصيات :(


لا أحب تقييم الروايات بأقل من ثلاث نجمات-خاصة إن كانت صدرت مؤخرًا خشية التأثير على التقييم العام، لكن لا مفر من هذا هنا :(

[Kate O'Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shoko and Eriko could not be more different. Shoko is a stay at home housewife who loathes cooking, cleaning and, well, anything that requires effort. Eriko is a career woman with a responsible job but still living at home with her parents.

However Eriko is a big fan of Shoko's World's Worst Wife Blog, so much so that she begins haunting the places Shoko goes. Her hunch pays off one night and the two women meet - and get along. Eriko is delighted for here is the answer to all her prayers.

But Shoko is unaware that Eriko has a history of obsessive behaviour and the friendship may not be all she had hoped for. in fact Eriko may be the fan she has always feared.

The story of these two women begins innocuously enough but the tension begins to build quite early on as Eriko's obsession becomes all too obvious. The story isn't quite as cut and dried as all that though and Asako Yuzuki explores the relationships between friends, relatives and spouses in much more detail.

Although I didn't enjoy Hooked quite as much as Butter it is still a great story with a surprising end that I definitely recommend. I look forward to wherever Yuzuki goes next on her literary career.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the advance digital review copy.

[Holden Wunders · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s always a bit of a bummer when you see a book that you really enjoy the premise of but the execution feels a bit lacking and that summarizes my experience with Hooked.

I really enjoyed the plot points and the challenges that come with wanting desperately to have female friendships while also not understanding why it’s unattainable for you. It’s incredibly relatable and rife with social commentary. I liked the characters even though they’re all incredibly unlikable because they’re fun to read about and follow along.

However, it was meandering. It went on so long and I’m someone who can read a 700 page book about a character. I never mind a character study but the “study” was missing so it needed more editing. A good 100 pages off this book would’ve done so much for the pacing and characters and think it would’ve made it a bit more marketable as well. Some of the character choices were also so unbelievable and wild that it just felt sensational to add some spice and not things people would actually do.

For a book so grounded, this took off into wild directions that seemed aimless for the sake of adding interest but it was a disservice to the overall book and the points it was trying to make.

[CarlysGrowingTBR · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is....... something. Something good, unhinged, bat sh*t crazy. And absolutely for me. If you like unhinged weird girl books, you'll like this.

I could not put this book down. This was a rare occurrence for me where the first half and second half of the book were equally entertaining and captivating, but with still different tones as you read. The first 50% of this book was purely unhinged and absolutely crazy. Watching these two main female characters interact with each other and their lives slowly dissolve into oblivion was absolutely maddening. I was so engaged and I could not look away from what I was positive was going to be an extremely messy train wreck at the end. But towards the last 50% of the book, we got a lot of introspection and character development and it was still super interesting even though the unhinged moments, while still present, were fewer and farther between.

At the main core of all of this craziness was absolutely just two flawed women that really felt relatable at their core. There was a lot of times, that while it seemed absolutely crazy to me, I could relate to why they were doing the things they were doing.

I really enjoyed the way that this book dissected explored the relationships that women have together and how they can be extremely volatile at times. Women are constantly pitted against each other in a variety of situations and having close female female relationship relationships can sometimes be an extremely difficult situation. There's a lot of loneliness and alienation that women have to grapple with as they grow up and unfortunately, some women never reached their full potential in relationships with others. Societal expectations and gender roles can have a lot to do with this, and this Book tackled all of that in an extremely complex and interesting way.

I immediately went out and bought this author's other book butter, and I can't wait to read it.

[Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think from the summary, telling us that the book is about Eriko's obsession with Shoko, a blogger, and that she is determined to become her best friend, and from having read and enjoyed Butter last year, I expected the book to read very much like a thriller, and I found it was maybe more of a psychological study. Which maybe Butter was as well in a way.
With Hooked, the intrigue starts at a very good pace... what we knew would happen (Eriko going to extremes and being all stalkerish to keep her new friend) happens within the first 10-20% of the book. After that, things escalate a bit but then they kind of stall. There's a lot of chapters where not much happens and we just follow the characters thoughts. There are a few themes going on, friendship, success, parental attention... But the message didn't feel super clear to me, and I didn't feel as invested as when I started reading. It's a shame because the translation is great - Polly Barton... as always, never disappoints and bonus points for the fish puns and references, I have no idea what they could have been in Japanese but they were very smooth in the English text!
So a bit of a mixed bag but with great moments.

Free ARC sent by Netgalley.

[A Dreaming Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley, Ecco (eARC) and HarperAudio Adult (ALC) for providing me with advanced copies.

This was a very interesting book with well written character studies. I was expecting pure obsession and spiralling and zero self reflection given the title. But that was not the case. It felt somewhat open ended with a decent amount of self introspection which I think worked really well for this book. I liked the way Shoko realized she was similar to Eriko in so many ways. That was a smooth reveal. This book really made me think about a few things and some parts hit too close to home which is honestly a little scary. I really love Japanese translations and the translator did a brilliant job with it. I got enough of the Japanese setting without losing much of the subtlety (I hope). I would recommend this to anyone who loves a character study, female friendships (not the wholesome type) and Japanese books.

The narrator did a brilliant job of bringing the book to life. It was great to listen to it with the right pronunciations and made it more engaging

[Resh (The Book Satchel)]

I really enjoyed it. The style is like Butter, and it goes into the unlikely friendship b/w a blogger and an ardent fan. I liked how the book explores women friendships, loneliness, isolation of the house wife, the boundary that an audience of an online personality might cross.

Online life vs audience : I really enjoyed the parts that talk about how the audience feel like they 'know' the online personality and are friends with them, but for the blogger/influencer, the most dedicated fan is also a stranger. Also, the book made me very nervous of how much we share online that anybody with a stalking gene can track us down. Scary! Another thing I loved was how the audience puts the blogger in a certain mould—brand in more relevant terms—and they expect them to stay within that brand.

Food : The food is great. During the beginning chapters i loved the food descriptions more than Butter but i think the soy sauce and butter rice of Butter stay more in my mind. Writing and translation is great.

What I didn't enjoy : The constant repetition of the fact that the characters do not have women friends. I don't think the repetition added anything and felt tiresome.
Pacing dips from 60% to 80% and picks up.

Overall a good read.
FAQ: If you are new to the author, pick up Butter first and read this later.
Most Anticipated Books of 2026 |

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC. All opinions are my own
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[Cooper]

DNFd at 50%

This was a let down since Butter is one of my favourite books, but this was aimless and heavy handed with the exposition dumping, it spent too much time explaining itself.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

[booksontherunway • Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

darkly funny, strange and relatable.

HOOKED follows two women in their 30s struggling with friendship, loneliness and social expectations in japan.

i was expecting more unhinged behaviour, but the tension was actually very satisfying.

love a fascinating character study.

The writing was so rich and delish

[Alessia Veltkamp · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not, in fact, hooked.

[Marisa LM · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got hooked on Hooked just like I did with Butter. What an amazing book.

Both books share strong similarities, like the detailed descriptions of food, the role of women in society—whether as daughters, sisters, or friends—and the constant search for friendship and validation that never really happens.

Shoko and Eriko’s story shows how 2 women with very different backgrounds end up becoming obsessed with finding that special person, that friend who will listen to them in their darkest moments.

I like how at first it seems like one of the two isn’t behaving “normally” (according to society), but later in the story it becomes clear that maybe she isn’t the one truly losing control.

There’s a lot of social criticism, just like in Butter, especially about what a woman should or shouldn’t do, and how she’s expected to behave within her family.

The story really makes you think about all these topics, especially the question of whether the family someone grows up in can shape their character and determine how they behave in the future.

Once again, an excellent book from this author! I could read it again tomorrow!

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't say that I enjoyed this one as much as Butter, but consider me always intrigued and eager to read Yuzuki's future books. "Butter" used the pleasure and freedom of preparing and consuming delicious food to examine fatphobia and misogyny in contemporary Japanese society, and the whole conceit/juxtaposition was effective in my opinion. Food also plays a role in "Hooked," though the focus is more on imports, commercial food shipping, food product development, that kind of stuff, with particular attention paid to MC Eriko's work on importing Nile perch fish meat into Japan. There's information about the devastation caused by this species when it was introduced to the Lake Victoria ecosystem, and, at first, the Nile perch buildup seems to weave nicely with Eriko's own narrative. It does seem to take a backseat as the story goes on, though its metaphorical specter is still there throughout.

Our other MC Shoko is a seemingly laid back and nonchalant lifestyle blogger (which sets her apart from other prim and proper housewife influencers), who Eriko becomes obsessed with. Chapters alternate between their two perspectives, and we delve deeply into their inner selves, pasts, and fraught familial relationships and female friendships. Sometimes the scenes of interiority go on for quite some time, which can make the pacing feel slow. That being said, the character examinations of both MCs are interesting and complex. The vibe and overall progression are similar to what's done in "Butter" in that way. What you get in the end is another complicated and compelling story about two women ravaged by the constraints of their families, patriarchy, and Japanese society as a whole. There's also some fun callouts and takedowns of bad/toxic online behavior, featuring those anonymous-type Reddit or Tattle forums specifically started and used to crucify and teardown influencers.

I preordered this one from the bookstore, and I'll be keeping the copy in my physical collection.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think it is likely universally difficult to make new friends as you get older, especially if you work in a highly competitive environment or don’t work outside your home or if you have no children at home. I started out enjoying this novel with its tale of two lonely women who were seemingly opposites forging a new friendship, along with its examination of the heavy and competing societal pressures on women in general and particularly in Japan. The two main characters represent polar extremes of how women may react to those societal pressures. Eriko is the model of trying too hard: a highly coiffed, obsessive-compulsive, insecure, workaholic, perfectionist, narcissistic business woman with stalkerish tendencies who almost comically overthinks everything. Shoko is the model of not trying much at all: a childless, slacker-wife blogger who wears old clothes and no makeup and is willing to seek sympathetic attention (while confirming popularity) with lies. Added to this is Eriko’s fish-import business project giving rise to an exotic-invasive-predatory-fish-destryoing-an-ecosystem analogy for the dehumanizing impact of inadequately regulated capitalism. For around the first 200 pages of this 400-page novel, I was absorbed and onboard, but then it became an absurd ridiculous over-the-top ramble. The main characters and other characters behaved in unbelievable cartoonishly extreme but stereotyped ways that took me completely out of the story’s world. I began to wonder whether this is comic farce or satire I just don’t get? The points being made about women’s roles and the business world became too heavy-handed. I felt that discomfort I have when it seems like an author is using mental illness or disability as a quirky character trait instead of careful character development to push the narrative along. The last few chapters winding up the novel improved a bit, but not enough to redeem this book for me. After finishing this, I read that even though this novel only recently was published in English translation, it was actually written years before the the author’s international bestseller Butter, and that the author had greatly improved her craft in the meantime. I wish I had known that before I read Hooked and read Butter instead. I read this to participate in the Japanese Lit April 2026 group read.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC for review. Published March 17, 2026.

3 stars

Translated from the Japanese by Polly Barton

I chose this because I read the author’s BUTTER, which I found interesting, if not wholly successful and I wanted to give the author another go. I did not love this title either and I think this may be my last effort with Yazuki. It wasn’t a bad book, by any stretch, but I found it overly long and it wasn’t for me.

It involved female friendship, or, really, the lack thereof with two characters. Eriko is a well-placed corporate worker while Shoko is a married homemaker who has started a blog that Eriko begins reading. Eriko arranges a “chance” meeting between the women and a twisted sort of relationship develops. Connections of all types are examined.

[hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two women in their entanglement of ‘toxic’ friendship; bit stressful and so unhinged yet I was glad that the writing style and its exploration were much more compelling than my previous read with Butter. It was almost a page-turner to me delving into both Eriko and Shoko’s POVs; from an obsession, one’s loneliness, insecurities and desperation to an unhealthy attachment craves that grasped both lives in a mess of a friendship in disguise, quite tense on its psychological strain with none of the characters being that likeable much both for their actions and traits but somehow their overall drama piqued my curiosity for how dark their tales could go.

Having an enthralling glimpse to gender roles and identity unease with familial dynamic observation that go fairly intense; each having their own problematic struggles that deepen the plot emotional perspective making it bit disturbing for me to digest esp with Eriko’s part. Bit forced on the used of the Nile perch metaphor but I can see how the author wanted to give that mirroring ref to the whole obsession arc as it goes so parallel with Eriko’s role in trying to lure Shoko’s identity into her control. The blackmailing part really spooked me but I liked how it progressed throughout; the realisation afterwards, those office scene madness for Eriko and how it turns out for Shoko in her twist of interaction with Nori.

Overall engaging and thought-provokingly plotted for the theme. Would recommend if you love a dark friendship theme or drawn to flawed character dynamic and unsettling psycho-related backdrop. 4/5*

**Thank you Times Reads for the gifted review copy!

[Bella Azam · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is suffocating to read. Hooked by Asako Yuzuki and deftly translated by Polly Barton explored on female friendship dynamics, womanhood, ageing and women's role in society, told in this slow burn thrilling read. It started innocuously enough of a successful career woman named Eriko in her 30s, obsessively following this housewife lifestyle blogger, Hallie B. She adored this blog for how interesting her posts were, different from the typical housewife blogs and Hallie B doesn't feel scared to show the laziness side of women, off taking the easy way out from housework's or eating takeout foods instead of cooking, her energy was unique & standout from the curated & rigid appearance of a perfect housewife. Shoko, the woman behind the popular blog in her own ways of living precariously through the comfortableness of her home with her husband, Kensuke is running away from an unhappy lives with her despondent father so she distanced away from her family. When Eriko's obsession led them to meet in Shoko's favourite restaurant, they formed an unexpected friendship as Shoko was initially charmed by Eriko's successful life. Though, this façade slowly unravels a disturbing & dark side to Eriko that becomes increasingly creepy and pushing emotional boundaries, cracks appear & Shoko becomes entrapped by this friendship.

Yuzuki wrote about womanhood so well where the construct of how society views women as homemaker, to be perfect in their everything, the isolation that can arise in a career where male dominated the field, the gender role in family, the standards that need to be met when it comes to appearance, their life, marriages, love life and so on. What stands out the most in this book is the friendship dynamics where the relationship borders on obsession mostly from Eriko whom had a hard & troubled ideas of friendship, of this expectation she has of Shoko & when things does not meet her standard, she wanted to clings to the perfect images she has of Hallie. B to the point she started to try to manipulate & control Shoko. The unsettling ways of how loneliness & isolation led to Eriko being very hollow inside & she wants a best friend just to fill in the void while trying to make herself looks normal to other people. How come is so hard to form a genuine connection with other people does feel relatable yet her concept and understanding of relationship its very distorted & toxic.

Thank you Times Reads for the review copy

[Keely Kovacevic · Rating 1 out of 5]

I truely wish I had DNFd this book. This book wants to be so many things, but it is instead just an emotionless account of two deeply unlikeable women going on about how hard it is to make women like them.

I found every character in this book incredibly selfish and at the same time forgettable. Every interaction was like two people talking over each other with no one listening and nothing moving forward, but also with subtle and not so subtle threads of misogyny weaved throughout.

So many metaphors were played with and left unfinished, and this book is really only getting the star and a quarter because I liked learning about the fish.

Thank you for NetGalley and 4th Estate for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Heidi Zuva · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you liked BUTTER, you'll eat this up! Yuzuki writes obsession and female loneliness *so* well!

Premise - Eriko is leading a seemingly perfect life. Her new task, to introduce the controversial Nile Perch into the Japanese market, seems like it’ll be just another feather in her cap. But despite all her success, she’s desperately lonely.

So that’s why she talks Shoko, a popular lifestyle blogger whose messy girl aesthetic is everything Eriko isn’t. When Eriko takes her stalking offline, orchestrating a friendship meet-cute, it sets off an unraveling of epic proportions for both women…

Yuzuki's voice is undeniable and it makes HOOKED, like BUTTER, a delectable reading/listening experience. I loved how she built out all the different characters.

There was one minor bullying storyline at Eriko's work that I didn't buy at all. It went in the same direction as Lucy's self-destructive video storyline the last season of Tell Me Lies, and even there I was struggling to believe any character could be so stupid. I only bought it in the case of TML because (a) she was doing it for an existing friendship and, more importantly, (b), she was 20 and dumb. It felt like high school behavior and was a stretch already for college, so it felt like a HUGE stretch for a 30-something adult.

Then again, the character is severely lonely and very mentally ill. So, you know, I guess that means you can justify any sort of wild decision making.😅

Anyway, that minor quibble aside, the book really worked for me and I loved losing myself in Yuzuki's expert storytelling! I also thought the theme of loneliness as a problem stemming from self-absorption and vanity/pride would make for really interesting book club discussion.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Ami Okumura Jones. She did a truly beautiful job with the read, highly recommend!

Thanks, NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Ghoulfriend_pls · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an unsettling book that made me over analyze and pick apart ordinary and almost mundane minuscule things. It’s not insanely spooky or fast paced but it is definitely uncomfortable. It takes social interactions and the smallest details and magnifies them so that you’re forced to confront them. The characters in this get down to a granular level in their analysis of each other and their own behaviors. They can be brutally honest and point out and say things that can be downright awkward and uncomfortable at times. I enjoyed this overall and felt the characters in this showed a lot of growth and change. Where previously they had been desperate, oblivious, apathetic, petty, or obsessive this story morphs them into more fully realized and possibly better versions of themselves. This book is not action packed or enthralling but overall I enjoyed this and am glad I read it as it really made me reflect on my own social interactions, anxieties, and priorities. If you enjoyed Butter, like a good character piece, or enjoy a female focused story that’s so introspective it causes discomfort this one’s for you.

🐟”She felt like a fish, drifting around the bottom of a lake. It even seemed as if she were the only person in this part of town-maybe even the only person still alive in the world.”

[Kel · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so good, more like 4.5 stars in my heart but Goodreads won't let me do that 🥲 it had me so hooked (lol) the whole time, and as crazy as it is it's also such a good look into the expectations placed on women and how much society expects out of them, and just in general our need for connection yet fear of vulnerability

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Butter was one of my favourite novels of last year, so I was very excited to read Hooked. It's another psychologically complex examination of friendship between women, albeit with very different dynamics to Butter. Funnily enough, I found Hooked much more tense and frightening, despite it not featuring a convicted murderess as Butter does. There is less focus on cooking and rather more on career choices. I was impressed with Yuzuki's sharp examination of how the housewife vs career woman dichotomy makes all women feel inadequate. The main characters are Eriko, who works long hours in a high-flying job she got via her father, and Shoko, who is a stay-at-home housewife and blogs about it. Hooked was originally published in Japan in 2015, before lifestyle blogging evolved into the influencer industry that it is today.

Eriko encounters and enjoys Shoko's blog before meeting her in person. The two immediately seem to hit it off, despite or perhaps because of their lifelong difficulty sustaining friendships with other women. However this honeymoon period doesn't last long and their relationship soon becomes difficult and unbalanced. The actions of both characters are unsettling, as their gradual progression into extreme behaviour seems remarkably plausible. Both struggle at times with their mental health and feel trapped by their lives. Perhaps the most compelling aspect of their relationship is the combination of genuine insight they have into each other and total misunderstanding of each other's motives. The secondary characters are also compellingly vivid, as well as idiosyncratic enough not to make Eriko and Shoko seem like outliers. Their friendship and its chaotic impacts on both their lives forms the core of the novel.

I appreciated the way that both women paid attention to their relationships with close family after their friendship ended. This showed them starting to change things that were making them unhappy, by way of understanding better how they ended up that way in the first place. The ending is hopeful in that respect; their tumultuous friendship (if you can call it that) had a catalytic effect on both their lives. It remains ambiguous whether either will eventually end up happier as a result, which of course is just how life goes. Both have become more self-aware and upended their life by the close of the novel, though.

Hooked is character-driven rather than plot-driven, with quite dilatory pacing. While I did not find it as much fun as Butter, it is just as insightful and well-written. Yuzuki is clearly adept at delicately conveying social commentary on gender roles via character development. To the point that while reading Hooked I contemplated whether I, or any of my close friends, had behaved in these kinds of intense ways since we met. It was an uncomfortable thought process, as there is something very embarrassing on both sides about a friendship in which a person evidently cares much more about their friend than their friend cares about them. Similarly, a friendship in which someone thinks they know their friend much better than they actually do can be very awkward. Hooked contains a detailed case study of these very scenarios. There were occasional moments that reminded me of my own life, albeit nothing as extreme as the fictional version. Still, I'm in two minds about my initial plan to give my copy of Hooked to one of my best friends as a present. She recommended me Butter, so would almost certainly enjoy it, but it's such an uncomfortable depiction of female friendship that such a gift could seem pointed. Or perhaps I am overthinking it!

[Nathalie Canteli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Asako Yuzuki has a way to write stories that surprise you. Just the same as Butter, I wasn’t 100% sure what this book would be about when I started reading it and it is written in a way that completely swallows you into the story. The book deals with the idea of female friendship and its main plot point is about these two women finding it hard to have female friendships. Although I don’t find this point relatable (my girlfriends have always been on of the most important things in my life), I did find the reasons behind these characters compelling. I must say at times I wasn’t sure where the book was going and I didn’t find the ending satisfying, however, I appreciate the commentary on the complexities of forming deep bonds in a society that values status and appearances over everything. Specifically I found one of the character’s journey very interesting when dealing with male validation and companionship.

[ritareadthat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Friendships are messy.

In Hooked by Asako Yuzuki, translated by Polly Barton, we witness the exhaustive efforts by some women to make friends—as well as attempts to keep those friends well controlled, compliant, and fitting into a certain "vision" of how we need them to be.

Alrighty then.

Shoko is a popular wife blogger (A wife blogger? What even is that?) who catches the eye of Eriko, a corporate businesswoman trying to resurrect the Nile perch in the Japanese market. Both women are 30, lonely, and friendless in their respective atmospheres. Eriko's blossoming infatuation with Shoko and her blog starts to spiral out of control, resulting in animosity and mistrust by both parties. Can these two incompatible females traverse the waters of adult women friendship, or will obsession eradicate any opportunity for true connection?

The author definitely has a line on women's friendships. It was evident in her other book, Butter, and it's once again evident here—she has nailed the overthinking, the cattiness, the jealousy, the loneliness, and the sometimes downright crazy ways that women act toward each other. I say "sometimes" because we all know this is not how every friendship is. Butter had a balance illustrated between the catty and manipulative side of women (Manako Kajii and Rika) as well as the joyful and trusting side (Rika and Reiko). Hooked is primarily focused on the dark side of these relationships, albeit redemption for the main characters is not completely out of reach.

The author does not shy away from controversial themes that are prominent in Japanese culture—misogyny, food culture, familial obligations, and the patriarchy. I will oftentimes ascertain when reading books such as this and Butter that the strong past of this culture is prominent, yet the author is attempting to challenge this history as well. It honestly leaves me feeling bifurcated and conflicted, with anger and irritation in parts and validation in others. This discordance of feelings results in a successful book in my opinion. If we aren't feeling, then what's the point of existence?

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

[Steph (stephjadeonline)]

A huge thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins and 4th Estate for an advanced copy of Hooked: A Novel of Obsession in exchange for an honest review.

This is my second Asako Yuzuki read and unfortunately, I don’t think she’s the author for me. I struggled getting through Butter and I found myself struggling to get through Hooked. What I anticipated to be a suspenseful and disturbing thriller was more of a character study between two women which I usually relish but found the plot and lyrical writing difficult to connect with.

I was captivated in the beginning with the fast pacing and exploration of Eriko’s obsession with Shoko; a lifestyle blogger who she’s determined to befriend. The sense of foreboding established felt as though we were in for a volatile escapade with manic, single-white-female parallels but it never quite got there.

What I expected to be a catch of the day ended up being one I had to throw back 🎣

Pub date: 12 March 2026

[Stacey Markle · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I personally liked Butter a bit better, this story was also addictive.
Navigating female relationships isn't easy...as our characters experience throughout this book.
Between life as an influencer and fancy jobs working in business, lies abject loneliness and the desire for connection.
Going about it the way our characters do, maybe wasn't the best....things get out of hand pretty quickly!
I think this is a very clever glimpse into what women go through in the modern age. We don't all stalk others but we all truly wish for a strong friend group that supports us, no matter what life brings.

The original text has been translated by Polly Barton and narrated by Ami Okumura Jones. The audiobook was excellently put together!

Thank you to Harper Audio Adult and NetGalley for this ALC to review. My thoughts are my own!