Typically, I like to read books that border on philosophy and are filled with frilly prose. I first heard about this book through one of the podcasts that I listen to and it sounded a little too action/thriller to me. Over the summer, I found myself hungry for something that I could gobble up in one sitting like a Big Mac (and hopefully, like a Big Mac, it would leave me feeling content but ashamed). Boy was I WRONG! What started off as an internet/technology thriller turned into a book about the lengths we will go to in order to feel accepted and needed.

Leila, the protagonist, stumbles upon a website called Red Pill in which participants can discuss different philosophical conundrums. Leila is already a bit lost in her life and doesn't have much in the way of friends or a career. Because of this, she is easily sucked into the site and its mysterious owner, Adrian. She is quickly sucked into Adrian's web and when he asks her to work on "Project Tess", Leila jumps at the chance. Tess is a woman who has decided to commit suicide, but she does not want to hurt her family and friends because of her decision. So, she asks Adrian to find her someone who can pretend to be Tess through emails and letters. Eventually, the correspondence will trail off and Tess will be forgotten completely. Leila seems like the perfect person for the job; but as she becomes increasingly obsessed with Tess' life, the story takes on a very different spin.