Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Bestseller Blake (The Atlas Six) serves up a lightly satirical and somewhat drawn out feminist horror novel about the extreme toll that comes from trying to "have it all." It follows Sloane, a sociology professor who's returning to work after being home with her infant daughter for 18 months, and Nina, a sophomore at Sloane's university who's rushing the most sought-after sorority on campus, referred to only as the House. Sloane struggles with feeling as though she has abandoned her daughter and still doesn't have enough time or brainpower to devote to her work, including her new position as faculty adviser to the House. Nina, meanwhile, yearns for the clout that comes from membership in the House, whose sisters are the most successful and beautiful girls on campus. There's a lot of delicate buildup hinting at the House's hidden darkness, but it takes a frustratingly long time to amount to anything. Instead, much of the book is taken up by philosophizing that covers what is essentially feminism 101--from the Madonna/whore dichotomy to the rise of tradwives--which may be enlightening to younger readers encountering these concepts for the first time, but to most will feel familiar and obvious. Fortunately, the bloody payoff, when it finally arrives, is well worth the wait. There's nothing groundbreaking here, but Blake's fans will find plenty to hold their attention. (Oct.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Combining dark academia and biting satire, fantasy writer Blake's (Gifted & Talented) first foray into horror is a delectable treat. Parallel timelines weave together two perspectives: that of Nina, a college sophomore pledging the most exclusive sorority on campus, known as the House, and that of new mom and adjunct professor Sloane Hartley, who would rather be with her daughter than try to have it all. When Sloane is invited into the inner circle of the House alumnae as a faculty advisor, she discovers a world of high-achieving, beautiful women with picture-perfect lives. As Nina and Sloane become enthralled by the promise of sisterhood, success, and power, they must reckon with the cost of perfection. The novel is light on the carnage one might expect from a title that teases cannibalism, but the narrative pulses with a fervent hunger for truth. What makes a "good woman"? Blake interrogates the question with sharp dialogue, fascinating yet flawed characters, grim humor, and bewitching prose. Secrets unravel slowly, ratcheting the tension up while Nina's and Sloane's mirrored storylines coalesce in an unexpected twist. VERDICT Timely and funny, this is more psychological torment than gorefest and would make great book club material.--Mia Wilson
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
What do super-hot sorority girls and an assistant professor who's a new mom have in common? Being a woman is hard. Told from the perspectives of Sloane, a new mother experiencing an identity crisis, and Nina, a pledge sister at The House, the sorority that will be her ticket to lifelong success, Blake's novel uses sarcasm, wit, and unwavering honesty to view the realities of womanhood--"femininity as a social construct and the ways in which it was an unsolvable curse"--through a satirical microscope. While Sloane and Nina, on paper, could not be more different, their lives are connected via The House when Sloane becomes the faculty adviser--"The House [w]as the ultimate safe place…something of near-magical significance. Sisterhood, Sloane learned, was a proper noun, as in: The House was a hearth for Sisterhood, where The Women grew into themselves." The master puppeteer of this magical Sisterhood is Alex, a high-powered lawyer, single mom, and sorority alumni mentor who befriends Sloane as a fellow mom during a moment in need and draws her further and further into her influential circle. Alex represents women who have a seat at the table, women who are in control, who rise above the patriarchy. Sloane, jaded by the impossible ideal of the "Good Woman," and Nina, enthusiastic to the point of desperation, are both drawn to Alex's bewitching we-can-have-it-all aura, the unspoken mantra that hums through The House. However, the more they become entwined in the rituals of Sisterhood, the more they understand that beauty is just a facade and what lies beneath is much more sinister and downright surprising--you'll see! The growing absurdism of the women's desire to break the system, to achieve more, to rise against their common enemy--men--threatens to engulf itself during one final House dinner. Endlessly quotable, highly entertaining, bordering on overly absurd, but perfect for book club consumption. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
