Review: She Regrets Nothing by Andrea Dunlop

Title: She Regrets Nothing
Author: Andrea Dunlop 
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Publish Date: February 6, 2018
Source: Publisher

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "When Laila Lawrence becomes an orphan at twenty-three, the sudden loss unexpectedly introduces her to three glamorous cousins from New York who show up unannounced at her mother’s funeral. The three siblings are scions of the wealthy family from which Laila’s father had been estranged long before his own untimely demise ten years before.

Two years later, Laila has left behind her quiet life in Grosse Point, Michigan to move to New York City, landing her smack in the middle of her cousins’ decadent world. As the truth about why Laila’s parents became estranged from the family patriarch becomes clear, Laila grows ever more resolved to claim what’s rightfully hers. Caught between longing for the love of her family and her relentless pursuit of the lifestyle she feels she was unfairly denied, Laila finds herself reawakening a long dead family scandal—not to mention setting off several new ones—as she becomes further enmeshed in the lives and love affairs of her cousins. But will Laila ever, truly, belong in their world?"

My Two Cents:

In "She Regrets Nothing," family secrets, entitlement, and villains abound! Laila has always regretted that she has been forced to live a reasonably unexciting life just outside of Detroit due to her parents' previous transgressions. When she is left an orphan, her rich, glittering cousins from New York City come to bring her back into the fold. Laila is excited to have family again or maybe she's just excited to have access to the family riches. Now that she has had a taste of the good life, she'll do anything to keep a hold of it.

This book is filled with characters who all seem to be hiding dark secrets. Laila is the kind of character that you love to hate. She's nice to people just as long as it takes to get what she wants from them and once she has no use for them, she has no qualms about casting them to the side. There are her twin cousins, Leo and Nora, who seem to be allergic to work and are only really good at spending money and living the good life without lifting a finger. Then there is Cameron, a family friend of the Lawrence family who is used to getting his own way. My favorite character was Leo and Nora's sister, Liberty, who is hiding a dark past but she now realizes that not everything can be handed to you on a silver platter and has become successful in her own right. She is really the only one with redeemable qualities.

This book was a fascinating look at how the other half lives in New York City. That was interesting but what I liked most about it is that it was really a character study in the insidious lengths some people will go through to get what they want, even if it means trouncing on others. These characters pull you in and even though many of them do some pretty desperate things, you can't turn away!