She Treads Softly: It's Me or Her

Thursday, October 9, 2025

It's Me or Her

It's Me or Her by Victoria Jenkins
10/1/25; 291 pages
Bookouture

It's Me or Her by Victoria Jenkins is a highly recommended popcorn thriller.

Daisy was working at the department store when she first met Andrew and helped him pick out a gift for his mother. Later, she is mugged and her purse is stolen when leaving work. On the train ride home she meets Andrew again and the two eventually go out on a date. When she has dinner at Andrew's house one night she learns his mother, Rachel, lives with him. Their relationship gets more serious so when a problem occurs at Daisy's apartment, Andrew suggests she stay at his house. That's when things really begin to go wrong.

Aisha, Daisy's best friend, is a sounding board for Daisy and the two share all their thoughts with each other. There are chapters with an alternate story line about an unnamed woman going to a care home to see Liam who has locked in syndrome and is unable to talk after an accident. He can communicate with eye movements and an alphabet board. He never seems happy to see his visitor. The two story lines eventually connect.

This is a fast paced thriller with short chapters. In some ways it's almost too fast-paced, losing some depth and credibility along the way, but certainly ramps up the tension quickly. There are plenty of twists and secrets being kept by everyone. It is entertaining and the pages will fly by quickly. You will have doubts about every character and their actions.

It's Me or Her is a good choice for those who like short, fast-paced popcorn thrillers. Thanks to Bookouture for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

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John Updike's six rules for reviewing:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation--at least one extended passage--of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser.....Review the book, not the reputation.... Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.