Review: The Protégé

The Protégé by Jody Gehrman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book.
I enjoyed this book. It is told from two different points-of-view: one of the accomplished and revered professor, and the other of the perfect and dutiful TA who seemingly worships her mentor. The reader soon learns that Winter, the "protege," may not be as admiring of her professor, Dr. Bryers, as she seems. Why does Winter have it out for Dr. Bryers, how far is she willing to go to take her down, and will Dr. Bryers figure out Winter's agenda before it is too late?
This was really an interesting book from the very beginning. Hannah Bryers is an interesting character, recognizing in herself that she is not like other people. She does not seem to know how to navigate social situations, make small talk, recognize social cues, or just "act naturally" around other people she doesn't feel comfortable with. I found her struggles refreshing, honest, and organic. This also added a fascinating angle to the story, because Hannah had to try to figure out if all of the mishaps, accidents, and eventual tragic events surrounding her were truly being caused by someone else or if she was just being overly suspicious and missing clues that would be obvious to someone else. It took me a chapter or so to figure Hannah out and warm up to her, but after I did I really loved her character and was rooting for her to realize what Winter was up to. Which brings us to Winter. I did not like her at all. I could not connect with her, and although the author tried to give her some rooting value, I just could not get on board with how or why Winter felt her actions were justified. She was cold, calculating, and ruthless, but not in a deliciously wicked way--in a robotic psychopathic way that was extremely hard to relate to. This made Winter's chapters seem almost boring to me. Perhaps the reader was being told too much of why Winter hated Hannah, but not really shown.
Another issue I had was that there was so much unnecessary detail given to things like the furnishings of a random hook-up's bedroom. In instances when it is obvious something big and important was about to happen or be revealed, the reader would have to wade through a paragraph about what kinds of flowers were in the garden, or what someone was wearing. It kind of took me out of the action.
That being said, however, I think this was a really good book. I didn't want to put it down and was rooting for Hannah to not only figure out Winter's devious plot and put a stop to it, but also regain her credibility and standing at her university, AND maybe even be successful at love. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a psychological thriller.

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