Title: The High Moments

Author: Sara-Ella Ozbek

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 17th September 2020

Rating: 5/5

Cover:

Summary:

Scarlett is far from perfect.

She changes herself to please others.
She makes mistakes – over and over again.
She repeatedly goes back to people that have hurt her.

Scarlett has a tricky relationship with her mother and is desperate for people to like her.

She moves to London without a plan, but when she manages to land a job at a modelling agency she thinks that her life is finally on track.

Scarlett soon discovers that the fashion industry is far from what she had imagined and her life begins to spiral out of control. But at least people know who she is. She is starting to become someone.

And surely it’s better to be someone – even if it’s someone you hate?

Review:

I have always been a little bit obsessed with looking behind the curtian of the fashion industry so The High Moments really appealed to me straight away and it absolutely did not disappoint. The story follows Scarlett, a young woman who feels she is stuck in a rut and moves to London to find herself a career. She sort of stumbles into a job at a modelling agency and her life suddenly involves some major highs along with some serious lows as she becomes totally obsessed with turning herself into ‘someone’ at virtually any cost.

I loved this book. I’ve seen it compared to The Devil Wears Prada by a couple of people but I actually think it’s a very different thing. It’s darker, more shocking and feels more real. One of the authors quoted on the cover is Emma Jane Unsworth and I think if you enjoyed her book Animals, which I definitely did, then you will love The High Moments. It has the same refusal to sugarcoat as Animals and really digs into our lesser impulses which are not always nice to think about but absolutely exist. I do think most young women will recognise a part of themselves in Scarlett, even if it is only a very small part and that is what makes The High Moments get under the reader’s skin. Scarlett is not always likeable, she doesn’t always make the right or moral decision but who does? Everyone has moments that they are not proud of, when they know they should have acted better but that is true life and it makes for an intense and addictive read.

I also think The High Moments has a real heart to it despite all the glamour, drugs, alcohol and bad choices. Even when I didn’t like Scarlett at all I still kind of rooted for her because she felt like a real flawed human being. The falsity of social media is shown really skilfully whilst also demonstrating it’s undeniable pull on young people, and especially young women. I’ve seen some mixed reviews of The High Moments and I think if you go in expecting The Devil Wears Prada then you probably won’t be satisfied but if you are looking for something bold, particularly well written and unafraid to delve into the darker recesses of both the fashion industry and the mind of it’s main character then you will be seriously impressed by this book. I very much enjoyed it and I will definitely be reading Sara-Ella Ozbek’s next book.

Thank you so much to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for inviting me on this tour and organising it. I kindly received a e-copy of the book from the publisher. My review is my own honest opinion.