Harley, Róise, and Maggie have been friends since primary school. Now approaching their thirties, they are still together, living in a share house in Belfast and spending their nights dancing in grungy pubs. Each woman is trying to navigate the world and they are all grieving the loss of their friend Lydia, who died in a car crash one year ago. The four women were fighting right before the accident, and now Harley, Róise, and Maggie are left grappling with their own unspoken and unresolved emotions.

Much like their wavering friendship, the house the women share is crumbling around them. There’s black mould in the bathroom and the stairs are threatening to collapse. But they refuse to acknowledge the issues of the house or the issues in their friendship. Lydia’s empty bedroom door remains firmly closed, as do the conversations about her.

Switching points of view between Harley, Róise, and Maggie, we see each woman’s struggles – Harley is trying to learn the piano while self-sabotaging her romantic life, Róise has picked up running and is literally and figuratively chasing a woman she’s in a situationship with and Maggie is still grieving her breakup while simultaneously crushing on her boss. Through each woman, we are drip-fed details about Lydia, which slowly build up to reveal why they had been fighting before Lydia’s tragic death.

Gráinne O’Hare’s debut is a portrait of women leaving their twenties behind: messy, exhausting, exhilarating and mundane. Thirst Trap is a story about grief and learning when to let go, but it’s also full of humour, wit and highly relatable characters who show it’s okay not to have everything figured out. Perfect for anyone fast approaching their thirties, fans of Fleabag and anyone who wishes Sally Rooney’s books were a little more realistic.