HarperCollins press release, September 2018
HQ pre-empts two thrillers from debut author Helen Monks Takhar
HQ has acquired an explosive and darkly compulsive debut thriller, My Precious Snowflake, plus a second novel, from author Helen Monks Takhar. Senior Commissioning Editor Emily Kitchin pre-empted British Commonwealth (excluding Canada) rights from Hellie Ogden at Janklow and Nesbit UK. HQ will publish My Precious Snowflake as a lead title in 2020.
Exploring toxic generation gaps, My Precious Snowflake is about the complex dynamic that develops between two very different women as their professional and personal lives collide. Lily is 23, a millennial ‘snowflake’, on the surface, soft, entitled, pious. Katherine, on the other hand, is a hardened Generation X-er in her early 40s, a London homeowner with a loving partner and enviable career. The two meet by chance (or so Katherine thinks) until it emerges that Lily has a hidden – and deeply disturbing – agenda. As resentment deepens, and a secret threatens to explode, the two are drawn into a dangerous cat-and-mouse game from which only one of them will emerge alive.
Emily Kitchin said: ‘My Precious Snowflake is a sensational debut; everyone in the HQ office is completely obsessed with it. The idea of someone infiltrating your life, with the pre-meditated intention of destroying it from the inside, is bone-chillingly sinister and makes for utterly compulsive reading. I cannot wait for readers to be sucked, as I was, deep into the dark heart of Lily and Katherine’s twisted relationship and stunned by the novel’s final revelations. Perfect for anyone who loved Good Me Bad Me or Harriet Lane’s Her, this is a provocative and unforgettable novel that will seep under readers’ skin and stay there. We have huge plans in store for Helen, and we can’t wait to put them into action.’
Helen Monks Takhar said: ‘With My Precious Snowflake I wanted to shine a light onto the unfair vitriol facing young adults today, but also the struggles of modern middle age, exploring the darkness that could grow when women of different generations are pitted against each other.’
Hellie Ogden said: ‘My Precious Snowflake is the type of commercial fiction you dream of finding: twisty, smart, beautifully written and, crucially, socially aware. Helen, with Emily and the team at HQ, are equally the dream pairing.’
My Precious Snowflake will be published as a lead title in hardback, trade paperback and ebook in spring 2020.
Early praise for Precious You
‘Dark, disturbing, compulsive. I was genuinely terrified reading this.’ Adele Parks, Sunday Times bestselling author of Lies, Lies, Lies and I Invited Her In
‘A deliciously dark, addictive and twisted page-turner.’ Alice Feeney, New York Times bestselling author of Sometimes I Lie and I Know Who You Are
‘Precious You is an incredibly addictive thriller that examines women in the workplace, ageism, and the clash of generations. It’s creepy and unnerving, with observations that are often dead-on. A breath-taking debut by Helen Monks Takhar.’ Samantha Downing, bestselling author of My Lovely Wife
‘A brilliantly twisted tale. LOVED it.’ Lisa Hall, bestselling author of Between You and Me
‘Twisted, dark and shocking. Absolutely terrific.’ Jo Spain, bestselling author of With Our Blessing
‘What a debut! Twisty, explosive and hugely compelling. Hints of Gone Girl and Exquisite by Sarah Stovell.’ Will Dean, author of Red Pines and Dark Snow
‘I gulped this down in a single afternoon. Audacious, dark and smart, with one of the most shocking scenes I’ve read in a while.’ Phoebe Locke, author of The Tall Man and The July Girls
‘Disturbing, zeitgeisty and twisted, Precious You will make you second guess everything and change the way you look at your colleagues forever.’ Phoebe Morgan, author of The Girl Next Door
‘Scarily, addictively dark. My mouth was hanging open for the last third of the book. Wow – what a brilliant read!’ Cressida McLaughlin, author of The Canal Boat Cafe
‘Gossip Girl meets Single White Female…One to add to your reading wishlist.’ Emma Yates-Badley, Northern Soul
‘If you like dark and twisted thrillers with venom in their veins, add this to your wishlist!’ Anita Frank, author of The Lost Ones
‘Messed up and BRILLIANT.’ Liz Loves Books
‘OMG! Loved the twisty-turning end. I couldn’t put it down.’ Author Josie Lloyd
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