What do readers think of Her by Harriet Lane? Write your own review.

I was intrigued by Nina's obsession with Emma. What could possibly have happened to make her such a sick individual? Harriet Lane keeps the reader guessing for most of the book. As a mother and grandmother, I was dreading the ending. The author did a good job of developing her characters. It would make for a good book club discussion.

The first chapter of Her immediately draws you into this suspenseful story of two very different women with a connection that goes back to their teenage years.

Nina, a local painter and Emma, a pregnant mother of a 2 year old, meet one another and ostensibly become friends but this is not a true friendship.

Nina recognizes Emma but because Emma has no clue who Nina is, Nina is able to work her way back into Emma's life and begins a series of cruel actions toward her former "friend" and her family.

There's an air of mystery throughout the story that keeps you reading to find out what happens next and why.

Unfortunately, at least for me, the ending leaves you hanging, wondering why the author didn't choose to come up with a better, more conclusive ending.

Thus, I enjoyed reading Her until the final paragraph. If you can accept the "write your own ending" aspect of Her, you will most likely enjoy this book.

This deceptively calm novel is told in alternating voices -- by Nina, painter with a comfortable life, and Emma, a slightly younger former professional trying to cope with life with very young children. Nina knows Emma from many years ago and gets to know her again, but Emma is unaware of the connection. They become more acquainted, slowly, and each time it's obvious that Nina is not the nice new friend Emma thinks she is. As you get closer to the end, you know something is sneaking up on you as you become more aware of true sociopathy. The end leaves you jangled and wondering why: why no one knew, why such bad feelings. A lovely subtle and seemingly quiet thriller. For fans of S.J. Watson and Rosamund Lupton.

I was really thrown off by the title, "Her" since there had recently been a movie by that name. But I quickly discovered that this was a very different and unique tale. The style was a bit confusing - each chapter has the voice of one of the two main characters, Nina and Emma. They have a chance meeting but very quickly Nina recalls that they had known each other before. Fortunately, she does not disclose their history, which makes the rest of the book very suspenseful.
Besides the narrative, there is a subtle discussion of the role of mothers and their place in society. Are stay-at-home mothers really content?. Do we reward them for putting their careers on hold? Does Nina seem more fulfilled because her nurturing days are coming to an end?

This was a very not put down able book! There are two women who become friends, Emma & Nina. One is from a privileged life, the other is not. One has a total agenda of revenge, the other is clueless. It is interesting as you read each chapter from Nina or Emma's perspective. I found this very fascinating, but was disappointed with the ending.

I'm at somewhat of a loss as to how to review this book without giving away too much of the plot. However, let's give it a go. I must admit that I found it difficult to pick this book up to read once I got into it a ways, It simply did not hold my interest. Now generally I enjoy books that alternate narrative chapters, but the device seemed a bit awkward in HER. It also left me wondering about when the author would get to the point of the novel and tell her readers the connection between the two main characters. When that connection was finally revealed, it seemed rather tenuous at best. The more I read, the more evil Nina was made out to be and the more I wanted to see the course of events change, which they did not. Things just got worse. The book left me with a distaste for Nina and sorrow for Emma and her family. I found nothing compelling this reader to continue reading the book other than a sense of responsibility to Book Browse and a desire to learn if Nina was really as evil as I felt she was, more so as each chapter passed. The premise of the book was a good one, but I believe it could have been handled more expertly.

This is a really great, creepy thriller. Nina recognizes Emma on the street from when they were teenagers more than 20 years before, but Emma has no idea who Nina is. Nina then insinuates herself into Emma's life, by pretending to be friendly and kind, but with underhand, sinister motives. It's cleverly written in alternate chapters by Nina and Emma, and the tension builds slowly and effectively towards the end. The ending is a cliffhanger, which leaves you wondering what exactly happened.

I was so excited to get this book. From the description it seemed like it was going to be the perfect book. The book started off with enough intrigue to keep you interested however, as the book went on chunks of the story seem to be left out. The author did a fantastic job of helping the reader visualize scenes but I would send this one back to the drawing board to tighten up all those loose ends.