Gifted & Talented
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Description
Where there's a will, there's a war.
Thayer Wren, the brilliant CEO of Wrenfare Magitech and so-called father of modern technology, is dead. Any one of his three telepathically and electrokinetically gifted children would be a plausible inheritor to the Wrenfare throne.
Or at least, so they like to think.
Meredith, textbook accomplished eldest daughter and the head of her own groundbreaking biotech company, has recently cured mental illness. You're welcome! If only her father's fortune wasn't her last hope for keeping her journalist ex-boyfriend from exposing what she really is: a total fraud.
Arthur, second-youngest congressman in history, fights the good fight every day of his life. And yet, his wife might be leaving him, and he's losing his re-election campaign. But his dead father's approval in the form of a seat on the Wrenfare throne might just turn his sinking ship around.
Eilidh, once the world's most famous ballerina, has spent the last five years as a run-of-the-mill marketing executive at her father's company after a life-altering injury put an end to her prodigious career. She might be lacking in accolades compared to her siblings, but if her father left her everything, it would finally validate her worth-by confirming she'd been his favorite all along.
On the pipeline of gifted kid to clinically depressed adult, nobody wins-but which Wren will come out on top?
Also by Olivie Blake
The Atlas Six
The Atlas Paradox
The Atlas Complex
Alone with You in the Ether
One for My Enemy
Masters of Death
Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic & Betrayal
As Alexene Farol Follmuth
Twelfth Knight
Book Information
Characteristics
1 reviews
Mood
Protagonist(s)
Pace
Writing Style
Posts
Wenn Erben zum magischen Blutbad wird
Magie, Geld, Macht und eine Familie, bei der selbst ein gemeinsames Abendessen jederzeit eskalieren kann. Gifted and Talented liefert genau dieses Gefühl von kontrolliertem Chaos, bei dem man merkt: Hier geht es nicht darum, wer recht hat, sondern wer am Ende noch steht. Im Zentrum stehen Meredith, Arthur und Eilidh – drei Geschwister, die alle auf ihre eigene Art kaputt, ehrgeizig und verdammt gut darin sind, sich selbst im Weg zu stehen. Jeder bringt seine eigenen Baustellen mit, und statt sie zu lösen, wird lieber taktiert, manipuliert und emotional aufgerüstet. Sympathisch ist hier kaum jemand, aber genau das macht den Reiz aus. Besonders stark sind die Dialoge und diese ständige Spannung zwischen Nähe und Konkurrenz. Man spürt in jeder Szene, dass diese Familie sich eigentlich braucht, aber nicht weiß, wie man das zeigt, ohne dabei jemanden zu verletzen. Das Ganze verpackt in einer Welt, in der Magie und Technologie ganz selbstverständlich zusammengehören und Macht nicht nur ein Privileg, sondern eine Waffe ist. Der Fokus liegt klar auf den Figuren und ihren inneren Konflikten, weniger auf schneller Handlung. Das Tempo ist ruhiger, dafür aber intensiv und manchmal auch ziemlich schonungslos. Wer hier nur Action erwartet, wird überrascht sein, wer auf komplexe Charaktere steht, bekommt richtig viel geboten. Olivie Blake schreibt klug, teilweise verschachtelt, aber genau das passt zu dieser Geschichte. Es fühlt sich an, als würde man direkt in die Köpfe dieser Figuren gezogen werden, inklusive aller Zweifel, Ängste und übergroßen Egos. Unterm Strich ist das ein bissiges, emotionales und ziemlich cleveres Fantasy-Familiendrama, das nicht perfekt sein will, aber genau dadurch hängen bleibt. Eine Geschichte über Macht, Erwartungen und die Frage, ob man sich selbst eigentlich jemals gerecht werden kann.
„Oh well. What is life if not the constant threat of emotional stampede?“
Was ein Buch?! Ich habe selten so sehr gelacht bei einem Buch und ich habe es unfassbar genossen. Selbst hätte ich es nicht ausgesucht und bin dankbar es mit der Fairyloot Box erhalten zu haben. Es hat sich zum Teil angefühlt, wie mit einer Freundin bei einem Kaffee zu sitzen und sich zu erlauben ein bisschen zu tratschen. Olivie Blake schafft es, dass man die so schwer zu liebenden Charaktere doch tief ins Herz schließt und jede Seite mitfiebert bei dem was sie so fabrizieren. Es ist bestimmt nicht für jeden was. Der Schreibstil ist sehr verschachtelt und Sätze können gut eine Seite lang werden. Dennoch vermittelt es eine Leichtigkeit und Witz bei all der Tiefe und Komplexität der Themen, die es behandelt. Der Humor ist gespickt mit Sarkasmus, Zynismus und der Ironie, die das Leben nun mal so mit sich bringt. Im Großen und Ganzen passiert nicht viel. Drei erwachsene, sehr privilegierte Kinder verlieren ihren Vater und die Frage des Erbes steht im Raum. Gleichzeitig passiert doch so viel. Als Ergänzung kann ich das englische Hörbuch nur empfehlen. Dir Sprecherin ist einfach wirklich sehr sehr gut und perfekt für dieses Buch!
Nicht wirklich meins
Eigentlich sind Olivie Blake Bücher sehr oft meine Favoriten, aber irgendwie bin ich in diese Story nicht wirklich reingekommen. Die Geschichte ist sehr Charakter-gesteuert und beleuchtet nicht nur die Familiendynamik der Geschwister, sondern auch ihre Leiden und Probleme. Und dennoch konnte ich in der doch sehr desorientierenden Storyline nicht wirklich ankommen. Die Magie bleibt ein ominöses Etwas und wird schnell irrelevant. Olivie Blake schreibt gerne über „Alltagsmagie“ oder lässt die Magie als etwas übernatürliches und gleichzeitig Normales wirken, hier schwebt sie nichtssagend über den Geschwistern und fühlt sich nicht wirklich wie ein Teil der Geschichte an. Der allwissende Erzähler stellt sich als Charakter im Buch heraus, dies wird aber nicht wirklich erklärt.
Was ein fantastisches Buch. Der Schreibstil war richtig gut. So klug und locker dabei. Der Humor und Sarkasmus waren göttlich. Ich musste so oft schmunzeln. Obwohl es ja auch eine tragische und dramatische Geschichte ist. Es ist keine klassische Fantasy. Die Charaktere stehen klar im Fokus und sind super interessant. Ich mochte alle. Am besten ist noch Merideth (Death) und natürlich Gott. Die Szene auf dem Friedhof war so genial. Wow. Das Buch ist so cool gewesen. Habe es auf Englisch gelesen und das ging super.
Genre: Magical Realism Audience: Adult
📑 "Participation in capitalism is its own form of doom. It can only end pointlessly, no matter what you do. We all go into the ground." Oh that book was fun! 📑 Meredith looked thoughtful. "It's funny", she mused, "I don't want to kill him, but at the same time I feel like he'll respect me less if I don't at least try." Olivie Blake's writing style is something else - very quotable, very reflective and thoughtful, socially critical, progressive and unique! 📑 “This is the top, and there’s no other way to make it. It might be lonely once you get here, but nobody chooses it for the company. They choose it for the view.” The uniqueness may come from the narrative style, not necessarily from the writing style itself. And with that, you can expect lots of commentary, sidenotes and - well - foreshadowing ... 📑 Oh. I'm just remembering that someone does die in the story. Just not Jamie. (How mean was that? I was on the edge, hoping it won't be Meredith, Arthur, Yves or Gillian either). The story is told from an omniscient narrator who is referred to as "god" at first (it's not god, not really), who tells this third-pov story from his perspective (first person) and whom we get to know a little bit better around half way through the book - a very fun element, as confusing and all-over-the-place as it may sound. Trust me (or the Author) with that! 📑 Less this makes you feel sorry for Meredith Wren, let me remind you: Lots of children lose their mothers or have fathers who don't really care, and many of those children do not go on to become white-colour grifters - although, statistically speaking, many of the ones born to billionaires do. It's my second book from her (after Alone With You In The Ether, which was a five-star-read for me) and I loved this story nearly as much. 📑 Meredith Wren felt sure she was going to kill someone, as she often claimed to feel, though as Jamie had pointed out to her the day prior, all evidence suggested she didn't have the stomach for murder. This was meant to be a neutral statement on Jamie's part, but Meredith had taken it as an assault on her character. The characters, at first, appear to be really unlikable but I started to care for them quickly and learned to love those flawed beings. Meredith and Arthur quickly became favourites! 📑 Meredith squinted at him. "Is that you being funny?" "Not successfully, it seems." Jamie, Yves and Gillian though - also great! Loved all of them and was very worried things might not end the way I wanted them to ... only the best for my darlings! Yves & Gillian: 📑 "Chocolate?" Yves offered again. Gillian glanced at the unfamiliarly marked bar of chocolate with the feminine sense of danger she had been unwisely lacking earlier, when Yves had first offered it. "What's in that?" "Only a little recreational marijuana" said Yves. "As well as some mild intoxicants. You needn't worry. I have a very good mixologist. He has almost all the licenses." And for Jamie: 📑 “People are mostly very easy to love,” he said. “I don’t find it difficult.” “Even me?” She wondered if she even wanted to hear that answer. “Oh, Meredith, it is so fucking easy to love you. The hard stuff with you is the being loved part.” About the youngest sister, Eilidh, I didn't care so much. She was just fine, the least interesting one for my taste. 📑 "I don't hear anything!" She said helplessly, her voice of by at least a major fourth. "Should I hear anything?" "No. I believe silence is very normal", said Meredith, "from a dead body." It took me some time to understand why this book is classified as fantasy - the magic is really soft and even though prominent throughout the book, it could have worked without it, if some elements would have been slightly adjusted. 📑 Meredith, who seemed worked up about something, reached out with one hand and slapped him hard across the face. "Excuse me, sister violence!", said Arthur, realising it was the second time that day, that someone had found it appropriate to slap him. The third, actually, but not to Arthur's knowledge. The story takes place in a couple of days - hitting off with the death of the Wren-Siblings father, deals with the three of them figuring out how to deal with his company and their lives now, and ends with his funeral. Honestly, the premise didn't catch me. Three rich people in their mid-twenties to early-thirties being unlikeable. What a book. But trust me, it was so entertaining, interesting and filled with multilayered characters with flashed-out personalities and witty dialogue. 📑 "Ah, I see, that's why you are here. You have a magical problem." "No!" said Arthur loudly. "I was just ..." "Oh, wow. Lou," said Meredith, who had hung up the phone by then and joined us. "Did Arthur already tell you about the weird magical problem he is having?" For a long time, I was just vibing with the story, not knowing what actually is going on (is there magic? How does it work? What are the rules? Why does Arthur keep dropping dead to the floor, only to come back moments later?) I didn't get it and I didn't mind. I was sure we would figure it out eventually and so we did. 📑 This, Meridith had thought upon waking, was exactly the kind of masculine hysteria she did not have time for. We do have a romance-sub-plot. Multiple actually. For one, there is the Second-Chance-Romance of Meredith and Jamie, that I eat up, hoping for a happy ending, despite Meredith not being single. 📑 "Are we having an affair?" "Right now?", asked Jamie. "Yes." "I, personally, am having coffee." He sipped from his cup to prove it. "I have absolutely no idea what you're doing." Then, there is Arthur, who is married but, unlike his wife, in a polyamorous relationship at the same time. Usually, I don't like stories about polyamory but this one worked so well for me! It was complex though, since Gillian, Arthur's wife, wasn't involved with his other partners (Yves and Philippa) and while I loved Yves, I couldn't stand Philippa. She was so annoying (intentionally). 📑 It was about four, by the time Arthur later regained the motion with which to partially dress, unaware that his wife had been out with his boyfriend in an attempt to explore the constraints of her sensuality. His girlfriend, however, had entered the room in time to join him in front of the mirror. I haven't mentioned it yet, but I was listening to the audiobook and confused from time to time. No wonder. At about 60% I realised that "Gillian" and "Julia" are not the same person. And when I looked into my physical copy at roughly 80%, I then realised that "Julia" is actually spelled Dzhuliya. 📑 "Would you like to keep walking?" said Yves. "We don't have to touch. I can stay this far away from you" he said, leaving a space of about two or three Arthurs between them. "Or perhaps this far," he attempted, squeezing in an additional Arthur. "I think here would be fine," said Gillian, excising the fourth Arthur, which seemed excessive. Something I really appreciate while reading books is dealing with a based author. I love Alix E. Harrow for that very reason, since she manages to include her wonderful ethics and moral values charmingly into her stories - and Olivie Blake does the same. Her characters are naturally diverse without it appearing forced and the values the author portrays in her story are refreshingly anti-capitalistic - and that in a book following thre children of a billionaire, fighting over who's going to inherit their fathers company. 📑 Meredith: "I think it's pretty clear that I'm trying my hardest not to be rich." Arthur: "Isn't it funny how that works? We actively have to try." This is a standalone and wraps up really nicely. It made all the right decisions in the end, staying true to the characters while letting them develop and leaving the reader satisfied. I can only recommend this story for a fun- but also reflective time. Enjoy this masterpiece! 📑 Less you think I've forgiven the Wrens entirely ... I don't know. I don't think life works that way. Certainly, giving me a large sum of money is helpful. Consider that as a modelabel tactic if you have people in your life with which to make amends.
Characteristics
1 reviews
Mood
Protagonist(s)
Pace
Writing Style
Description
Where there's a will, there's a war.
Thayer Wren, the brilliant CEO of Wrenfare Magitech and so-called father of modern technology, is dead. Any one of his three telepathically and electrokinetically gifted children would be a plausible inheritor to the Wrenfare throne.
Or at least, so they like to think.
Meredith, textbook accomplished eldest daughter and the head of her own groundbreaking biotech company, has recently cured mental illness. You're welcome! If only her father's fortune wasn't her last hope for keeping her journalist ex-boyfriend from exposing what she really is: a total fraud.
Arthur, second-youngest congressman in history, fights the good fight every day of his life. And yet, his wife might be leaving him, and he's losing his re-election campaign. But his dead father's approval in the form of a seat on the Wrenfare throne might just turn his sinking ship around.
Eilidh, once the world's most famous ballerina, has spent the last five years as a run-of-the-mill marketing executive at her father's company after a life-altering injury put an end to her prodigious career. She might be lacking in accolades compared to her siblings, but if her father left her everything, it would finally validate her worth-by confirming she'd been his favorite all along.
On the pipeline of gifted kid to clinically depressed adult, nobody wins-but which Wren will come out on top?
Also by Olivie Blake
The Atlas Six
The Atlas Paradox
The Atlas Complex
Alone with You in the Ether
One for My Enemy
Masters of Death
Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic & Betrayal
As Alexene Farol Follmuth
Twelfth Knight
Book Information
Posts
Wenn Erben zum magischen Blutbad wird
Magie, Geld, Macht und eine Familie, bei der selbst ein gemeinsames Abendessen jederzeit eskalieren kann. Gifted and Talented liefert genau dieses Gefühl von kontrolliertem Chaos, bei dem man merkt: Hier geht es nicht darum, wer recht hat, sondern wer am Ende noch steht. Im Zentrum stehen Meredith, Arthur und Eilidh – drei Geschwister, die alle auf ihre eigene Art kaputt, ehrgeizig und verdammt gut darin sind, sich selbst im Weg zu stehen. Jeder bringt seine eigenen Baustellen mit, und statt sie zu lösen, wird lieber taktiert, manipuliert und emotional aufgerüstet. Sympathisch ist hier kaum jemand, aber genau das macht den Reiz aus. Besonders stark sind die Dialoge und diese ständige Spannung zwischen Nähe und Konkurrenz. Man spürt in jeder Szene, dass diese Familie sich eigentlich braucht, aber nicht weiß, wie man das zeigt, ohne dabei jemanden zu verletzen. Das Ganze verpackt in einer Welt, in der Magie und Technologie ganz selbstverständlich zusammengehören und Macht nicht nur ein Privileg, sondern eine Waffe ist. Der Fokus liegt klar auf den Figuren und ihren inneren Konflikten, weniger auf schneller Handlung. Das Tempo ist ruhiger, dafür aber intensiv und manchmal auch ziemlich schonungslos. Wer hier nur Action erwartet, wird überrascht sein, wer auf komplexe Charaktere steht, bekommt richtig viel geboten. Olivie Blake schreibt klug, teilweise verschachtelt, aber genau das passt zu dieser Geschichte. Es fühlt sich an, als würde man direkt in die Köpfe dieser Figuren gezogen werden, inklusive aller Zweifel, Ängste und übergroßen Egos. Unterm Strich ist das ein bissiges, emotionales und ziemlich cleveres Fantasy-Familiendrama, das nicht perfekt sein will, aber genau dadurch hängen bleibt. Eine Geschichte über Macht, Erwartungen und die Frage, ob man sich selbst eigentlich jemals gerecht werden kann.
„Oh well. What is life if not the constant threat of emotional stampede?“
Was ein Buch?! Ich habe selten so sehr gelacht bei einem Buch und ich habe es unfassbar genossen. Selbst hätte ich es nicht ausgesucht und bin dankbar es mit der Fairyloot Box erhalten zu haben. Es hat sich zum Teil angefühlt, wie mit einer Freundin bei einem Kaffee zu sitzen und sich zu erlauben ein bisschen zu tratschen. Olivie Blake schafft es, dass man die so schwer zu liebenden Charaktere doch tief ins Herz schließt und jede Seite mitfiebert bei dem was sie so fabrizieren. Es ist bestimmt nicht für jeden was. Der Schreibstil ist sehr verschachtelt und Sätze können gut eine Seite lang werden. Dennoch vermittelt es eine Leichtigkeit und Witz bei all der Tiefe und Komplexität der Themen, die es behandelt. Der Humor ist gespickt mit Sarkasmus, Zynismus und der Ironie, die das Leben nun mal so mit sich bringt. Im Großen und Ganzen passiert nicht viel. Drei erwachsene, sehr privilegierte Kinder verlieren ihren Vater und die Frage des Erbes steht im Raum. Gleichzeitig passiert doch so viel. Als Ergänzung kann ich das englische Hörbuch nur empfehlen. Dir Sprecherin ist einfach wirklich sehr sehr gut und perfekt für dieses Buch!
Nicht wirklich meins
Eigentlich sind Olivie Blake Bücher sehr oft meine Favoriten, aber irgendwie bin ich in diese Story nicht wirklich reingekommen. Die Geschichte ist sehr Charakter-gesteuert und beleuchtet nicht nur die Familiendynamik der Geschwister, sondern auch ihre Leiden und Probleme. Und dennoch konnte ich in der doch sehr desorientierenden Storyline nicht wirklich ankommen. Die Magie bleibt ein ominöses Etwas und wird schnell irrelevant. Olivie Blake schreibt gerne über „Alltagsmagie“ oder lässt die Magie als etwas übernatürliches und gleichzeitig Normales wirken, hier schwebt sie nichtssagend über den Geschwistern und fühlt sich nicht wirklich wie ein Teil der Geschichte an. Der allwissende Erzähler stellt sich als Charakter im Buch heraus, dies wird aber nicht wirklich erklärt.
Was ein fantastisches Buch. Der Schreibstil war richtig gut. So klug und locker dabei. Der Humor und Sarkasmus waren göttlich. Ich musste so oft schmunzeln. Obwohl es ja auch eine tragische und dramatische Geschichte ist. Es ist keine klassische Fantasy. Die Charaktere stehen klar im Fokus und sind super interessant. Ich mochte alle. Am besten ist noch Merideth (Death) und natürlich Gott. Die Szene auf dem Friedhof war so genial. Wow. Das Buch ist so cool gewesen. Habe es auf Englisch gelesen und das ging super.
Genre: Magical Realism Audience: Adult
📑 "Participation in capitalism is its own form of doom. It can only end pointlessly, no matter what you do. We all go into the ground." Oh that book was fun! 📑 Meredith looked thoughtful. "It's funny", she mused, "I don't want to kill him, but at the same time I feel like he'll respect me less if I don't at least try." Olivie Blake's writing style is something else - very quotable, very reflective and thoughtful, socially critical, progressive and unique! 📑 “This is the top, and there’s no other way to make it. It might be lonely once you get here, but nobody chooses it for the company. They choose it for the view.” The uniqueness may come from the narrative style, not necessarily from the writing style itself. And with that, you can expect lots of commentary, sidenotes and - well - foreshadowing ... 📑 Oh. I'm just remembering that someone does die in the story. Just not Jamie. (How mean was that? I was on the edge, hoping it won't be Meredith, Arthur, Yves or Gillian either). The story is told from an omniscient narrator who is referred to as "god" at first (it's not god, not really), who tells this third-pov story from his perspective (first person) and whom we get to know a little bit better around half way through the book - a very fun element, as confusing and all-over-the-place as it may sound. Trust me (or the Author) with that! 📑 Less this makes you feel sorry for Meredith Wren, let me remind you: Lots of children lose their mothers or have fathers who don't really care, and many of those children do not go on to become white-colour grifters - although, statistically speaking, many of the ones born to billionaires do. It's my second book from her (after Alone With You In The Ether, which was a five-star-read for me) and I loved this story nearly as much. 📑 Meredith Wren felt sure she was going to kill someone, as she often claimed to feel, though as Jamie had pointed out to her the day prior, all evidence suggested she didn't have the stomach for murder. This was meant to be a neutral statement on Jamie's part, but Meredith had taken it as an assault on her character. The characters, at first, appear to be really unlikable but I started to care for them quickly and learned to love those flawed beings. Meredith and Arthur quickly became favourites! 📑 Meredith squinted at him. "Is that you being funny?" "Not successfully, it seems." Jamie, Yves and Gillian though - also great! Loved all of them and was very worried things might not end the way I wanted them to ... only the best for my darlings! Yves & Gillian: 📑 "Chocolate?" Yves offered again. Gillian glanced at the unfamiliarly marked bar of chocolate with the feminine sense of danger she had been unwisely lacking earlier, when Yves had first offered it. "What's in that?" "Only a little recreational marijuana" said Yves. "As well as some mild intoxicants. You needn't worry. I have a very good mixologist. He has almost all the licenses." And for Jamie: 📑 “People are mostly very easy to love,” he said. “I don’t find it difficult.” “Even me?” She wondered if she even wanted to hear that answer. “Oh, Meredith, it is so fucking easy to love you. The hard stuff with you is the being loved part.” About the youngest sister, Eilidh, I didn't care so much. She was just fine, the least interesting one for my taste. 📑 "I don't hear anything!" She said helplessly, her voice of by at least a major fourth. "Should I hear anything?" "No. I believe silence is very normal", said Meredith, "from a dead body." It took me some time to understand why this book is classified as fantasy - the magic is really soft and even though prominent throughout the book, it could have worked without it, if some elements would have been slightly adjusted. 📑 Meredith, who seemed worked up about something, reached out with one hand and slapped him hard across the face. "Excuse me, sister violence!", said Arthur, realising it was the second time that day, that someone had found it appropriate to slap him. The third, actually, but not to Arthur's knowledge. The story takes place in a couple of days - hitting off with the death of the Wren-Siblings father, deals with the three of them figuring out how to deal with his company and their lives now, and ends with his funeral. Honestly, the premise didn't catch me. Three rich people in their mid-twenties to early-thirties being unlikeable. What a book. But trust me, it was so entertaining, interesting and filled with multilayered characters with flashed-out personalities and witty dialogue. 📑 "Ah, I see, that's why you are here. You have a magical problem." "No!" said Arthur loudly. "I was just ..." "Oh, wow. Lou," said Meredith, who had hung up the phone by then and joined us. "Did Arthur already tell you about the weird magical problem he is having?" For a long time, I was just vibing with the story, not knowing what actually is going on (is there magic? How does it work? What are the rules? Why does Arthur keep dropping dead to the floor, only to come back moments later?) I didn't get it and I didn't mind. I was sure we would figure it out eventually and so we did. 📑 This, Meridith had thought upon waking, was exactly the kind of masculine hysteria she did not have time for. We do have a romance-sub-plot. Multiple actually. For one, there is the Second-Chance-Romance of Meredith and Jamie, that I eat up, hoping for a happy ending, despite Meredith not being single. 📑 "Are we having an affair?" "Right now?", asked Jamie. "Yes." "I, personally, am having coffee." He sipped from his cup to prove it. "I have absolutely no idea what you're doing." Then, there is Arthur, who is married but, unlike his wife, in a polyamorous relationship at the same time. Usually, I don't like stories about polyamory but this one worked so well for me! It was complex though, since Gillian, Arthur's wife, wasn't involved with his other partners (Yves and Philippa) and while I loved Yves, I couldn't stand Philippa. She was so annoying (intentionally). 📑 It was about four, by the time Arthur later regained the motion with which to partially dress, unaware that his wife had been out with his boyfriend in an attempt to explore the constraints of her sensuality. His girlfriend, however, had entered the room in time to join him in front of the mirror. I haven't mentioned it yet, but I was listening to the audiobook and confused from time to time. No wonder. At about 60% I realised that "Gillian" and "Julia" are not the same person. And when I looked into my physical copy at roughly 80%, I then realised that "Julia" is actually spelled Dzhuliya. 📑 "Would you like to keep walking?" said Yves. "We don't have to touch. I can stay this far away from you" he said, leaving a space of about two or three Arthurs between them. "Or perhaps this far," he attempted, squeezing in an additional Arthur. "I think here would be fine," said Gillian, excising the fourth Arthur, which seemed excessive. Something I really appreciate while reading books is dealing with a based author. I love Alix E. Harrow for that very reason, since she manages to include her wonderful ethics and moral values charmingly into her stories - and Olivie Blake does the same. Her characters are naturally diverse without it appearing forced and the values the author portrays in her story are refreshingly anti-capitalistic - and that in a book following thre children of a billionaire, fighting over who's going to inherit their fathers company. 📑 Meredith: "I think it's pretty clear that I'm trying my hardest not to be rich." Arthur: "Isn't it funny how that works? We actively have to try." This is a standalone and wraps up really nicely. It made all the right decisions in the end, staying true to the characters while letting them develop and leaving the reader satisfied. I can only recommend this story for a fun- but also reflective time. Enjoy this masterpiece! 📑 Less you think I've forgiven the Wrens entirely ... I don't know. I don't think life works that way. Certainly, giving me a large sum of money is helpful. Consider that as a modelabel tactic if you have people in your life with which to make amends.