Moggach has drawn a young woman who is convincingly naïve in the ways of the world and incapable of making good decisions.

The story's suspense will keep you reading, but it's Leila's surprisingly emotional journey toward selfhood that will stick with you long after you've finished this wonderful first novel.' -Scott Smith, author of 'A Simple Plan 'and 'The Ruins', 'Moggach's debut draws the reader into a. We watch as she makes her way in from her personal wilderness and teaches herself how to be human-how to know what love is, for instance, without first needing to Google it. The book is narrated by Leila, a modern day feral child, raised not by wolves or bears but the Internet. Moggach explores a lot of dark territory-suicide, alienation, innocence betrayed-yet somehow she's managed to write an unexpectedly warm-hearted novel. 'Lottie Moggach's very smart 'Kiss Me First' is a moving coming of age story hidden within a harrowing mystery. An ingeniously plotted novel of stolen identity, Kiss Me First is brilliantly frightening about the lies we tell-to ourselves, to others, for good, and for ill. As they e-mail, chat, and Skype, Leila becomes enveloped in the world of Tess, learning every single thing she can about this other woman-because soon, Leila will have to become her. She is beautiful, urbane, witty, and damaged. Leila is thrilled when Adrian asks to meet her, flattered when he invites her to be part of 'Project Tess.' Tess is a woman Leila might never have met in real life. A sheltered young woman raised by her mother, Leila has often struggled to connect with the girls at school but on Red Pill, a chat forum for ethical debate, Leila comes into her own, impressing the Web site's founder, a brilliant and elusive man named Adrian. When Leila discovers the Web site Red Pill, she feels she has finally found people who understand her.

A chilling and intense first novel, the story of a solitary young woman drawn into an online world run by a charismatic web guru who entices her into impersonating a glamorous but desperate woman.

Kiss me first book review