Released yesterday, Everything You Have is the new menacing, slow burning, psychological thriller from author Kate Ruby. It is already under option for the screen, which is fantastic! Kate definitely has form with getting her writing adapted to the screen, as her previous novel, Tell Me Your Lies, which was also a Richard and Judy Book Club pick in 2022, is now in development for TV with a major US network after a fierce bidding war.
Everything You Have is a tense, character driven novel. It tells the story of 43 year-old Sasha who appears to have a dream life – a loving husband with a ready-made family, and living in a mansion in one of the most prestigious neighbourhoods in North London. Sasha also appears to have a long and successful career in branding, gaining high respect in her chosen industry. Jenna, by contrast appears to be an unsophisticated, twenty-something year old who has newly moved to London and lacking in confidence. Jenna also happens to be Sasha’s newly appointed personal assistant.
Yet everything is not as it seems…
Sasha feels isolated in her family. Her teenage step children are resentful towards her with Steve, her husband always taking the side of his children; and after undergoing a series of failed IVF attempts and tragically experiencing a miscarriage, she still craves a baby of her own, especially a daughter. Furthermore her job is putting her under increasing pressure, especially when Fred, a charismatic, powerful colleague from her past reappears in her life. Although Sasha knows she is overstepping professional boundaries, she is determined to be a mentor to Jenna, especially as her reliance on her personal assistant, both personally as well as professionally, deepens.
Yet Jenna has another agenda, one that is menacing, dark and devious. Jenna is intent on ripping Sasha’s life apart, ensuring her boss will be viewed as ‘some contemporary version of a mad woman in an attic‘ by all her family, peers and colleagues.
All the way through reading this novel I was so intrigued with Jenna as a character. I was also conflicted by this cold, devious character as in many ways, like Sasha, I actually liked her. Yet I was aware of Jenna’s dark ruthlessness to secure Sasha’s downfall, whereas Sasha was completely ignorant. This ruthlessness involves sinister tactics such as grooming, which definitely gives this story a creepy, menacing depth.
I found Everything You Have to be a intriguing, slow-burning thriller, especially as I couldn’t understand where Jenna’s motive came from. That was, until the motive was revealed to me. And the last chapter of Everything You Have – well its definitely given me chills down my spine!
Thank you to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to the blog tour of this psychological thriller which will be great adapted to the screen. To follow the blog tour, please see below.
Everything You Have was published by Simon & Schuster on 1 August 2024, so is available to read now.
Thanks for the blog tour support x