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ashleykritzer's review against another edition
5.0
I think this will be one of my 2023 favorites and go-to recs!
Thank you to Zibby Books for my gifted advance copy. I’d read and liked “We Came Here to Forget” by Andrea so I expected to enjoy this one — but didn’t know it would absolutely hook me. The dialogue and women’s internal monologues were perfectly done.
This is the story of three women whose lives are intertwined through their involvement with one Silicon Valley tech bro whose company is on the verge of an IPO. I don’t think you need to know anymore than that, honestly.
I read about 30 pages on Saturday night and finished the book in one sitting on Sunday night. I usually prefer one character when there are multiple POVs, but in this book, I looked forward to each perspective. This was a soapy but serious commentary on gender roles. I
Thank you to Zibby Books for my gifted advance copy. I’d read and liked “We Came Here to Forget” by Andrea so I expected to enjoy this one — but didn’t know it would absolutely hook me. The dialogue and women’s internal monologues were perfectly done.
This is the story of three women whose lives are intertwined through their involvement with one Silicon Valley tech bro whose company is on the verge of an IPO. I don’t think you need to know anymore than that, honestly.
I read about 30 pages on Saturday night and finished the book in one sitting on Sunday night. I usually prefer one character when there are multiple POVs, but in this book, I looked forward to each perspective. This was a soapy but serious commentary on gender roles. I
amysbooked's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you to the author and the publisher for the advance reader copy of this book.
Summary: Three women whose lives have orbited around each other because of one man. Anna, the ex-wife. Jessica, the new (much younger) wife. And Sam, the ex-girlfriend.
Review: I wanted to love this book so much. So much. I loved the idea that women are the fiercest creatures because of what we are capable of. I loved that message. But, overall the book left me wanting more. I think this is one of the few books that would've benefitted from being longer. It felt too crammed. Too rushed and somehow also too slow. The end was not thrilling. In my opinion, it really wasn't anything. I think, unfortunately, this book suffers from great concept, poor execution.
Summary: Three women whose lives have orbited around each other because of one man. Anna, the ex-wife. Jessica, the new (much younger) wife. And Sam, the ex-girlfriend.
Review: I wanted to love this book so much. So much. I loved the idea that women are the fiercest creatures because of what we are capable of. I loved that message. But, overall the book left me wanting more. I think this is one of the few books that would've benefitted from being longer. It felt too crammed. Too rushed and somehow also too slow. The end was not thrilling. In my opinion, it really wasn't anything. I think, unfortunately, this book suffers from great concept, poor execution.
moorealexa's review against another edition
2.0
Just a really uninteresting and non-compelling read. Read to me as very much white feminism. Also, I really didn’t care about the characters. And the ending with the ‘mystery’? Pfft.
meghan_readsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you Zibby Books for the copy of Andrea Dunlop's book Women are the Fiercest Creatures. This is a highly effective story that manages to blend suspense and empowerment, and the complexity of women in a professional landscape set up to overlook them. It is easy to get drawn into the stories of the 3 main characters, to applaud their wit and intelligence, to wonder about their secrets, and to wait with anticipation, maybe even a little stress, to learn what happens/what did happen and what comes next.
Recommended for fans of The Whisper Network, The Boys Club, a Special Place for Women, Come Join Us, and similar reads.
I am so glad to have received this copy via NetGalley and congratulate Zibby Books on the first publications.
Recommended for fans of The Whisper Network, The Boys Club, a Special Place for Women, Come Join Us, and similar reads.
I am so glad to have received this copy via NetGalley and congratulate Zibby Books on the first publications.
hisparks23's review against another edition
3.0
3.5–I was intrigued by the cover/title of this and flew through it. The tech angle was interesting and I’m obsessed with the Pacific Northwest so I loved the setting and the tone reminded me a bit of Lianne Moriarty a la Big Little Lies, but it’s such a quick read that it was almost too quick?
This is marketed/blurbed as a story about 3 women with a past or present involving the same man so I think I was picturing John Tucker Must Die, but make it tech, and was so excited to see what the story was “leading up to.” I felt like each chapter was building momentum towards the women becoming allies, but I was frustrated by how much the women let Jake get away during the story and the excuses they made for him. I was hoping the end would provide some satisfying fierceness, but it didn’t quite get there. I wanted to see the revenge unfold and not just read a few paragraphs about it in the epilogue!
I also desperately wanted a POV from Jessica’s perspective and still have so many unanswered questions. But maybe leaving it up to the reader to draw their own conclusions is part of the point?
This is marketed/blurbed as a story about 3 women with a past or present involving the same man so I think I was picturing John Tucker Must Die, but make it tech, and was so excited to see what the story was “leading up to.” I felt like each chapter was building momentum towards the women becoming allies, but I was frustrated by how much the women let Jake get away during the story and the excuses they made for him. I was hoping the end would provide some satisfying fierceness, but it didn’t quite get there. I wanted to see the revenge unfold and not just read a few paragraphs about it in the epilogue!
I also desperately wanted a POV from Jessica’s perspective and still have so many unanswered questions. But maybe leaving it up to the reader to draw their own conclusions is part of the point?
hannah029's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shawnmetz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
danidsfavereads's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very interesting book about 3 women who were connected to a tech CEO.
It was interesting to see how their lives intersect before they understand their connection.
It was also interesting to see how their lives were so different.
I enjoyed listening to this one & enjoyed the book. (3.5/3.75)
It was interesting to see how their lives intersect before they understand their connection.
It was also interesting to see how their lives were so different.
I enjoyed listening to this one & enjoyed the book. (3.5/3.75)
xavia's review against another edition
3.0
I had a very hard time putting down this book. I read this book on the heels of watching the Barbie movie, and honestly, these two go hand in hand.
The book follows three women who are typecast into very typical roles. Anna is "the starter wife", the one who gave up her career and her ambitions and devoted herself to her children and her "superstar husband". Sam is "the mistress", the one who knowingly slept with a married man, got pregnant, and now, 12 years later, is ready to go public with the scandal. And Jessica is "the younger model", the newer, prettier, doe eyed girl that the husband marries shortly after leaving Anna. On the surface, it looks like your typical "woman against woman" soap opera fest.
But this book makes it VERY clear that Jake, the philandering husband. To the world, Jake is a feminist. He built a social media platform, Strangers, for women, run by women, and inspired by women. More than half his user base is female, and most of his unpaid moderators are as well. And yet, while he tells the world that family is the most important thing in the world to him, the book starts with him just two years out from divorcing his devoted wife, already remarried with a kid on the way.
My interpretation of Jake is that he finds people, usually women who can be easily charmed and erased, and uses them until they are no longer of use to him. We see this with Sai, who was obviously in love with him, and protected him for years, before being forced out of the company he cofounded. We see that Anna is the "perfect wife", the one that looks good to the outside world with her Cinderella story and her law degree, and privately, her entrepreneurial mind that Jake could take advantage of without giving her any credit because it was all 'pillow talk'. And finally, Sam. The woman who wrote his algorithm originally, and whom he conveniently tracks down just as he's planning to relaunch Strangers. There's not a doubt in my mind that he intentionally sought her out for her programming acumen and once he got what he needed from her, he ghosted her. Even before Anna blocked her email and phone number, he had already ghosted Sam a second time.
Which leaves us with Jessica, who I think is the most tragic character in this book. I don't think Jake got anything from her except for arm candy, and it's clear he didn't want, need, or respect her. He ignores her for basically the entire book, instead pursuing Anna, even though he left her. He ignores her clearly deteriorating mental state, and pays her about as much attention as he does his sons, which is not at all. At least the other children, Dylan, Ben, and Lola, all had loving mothers. Jessica was just barely tolerated, even by her mother in law. Even in the end we don't really hear much about her at all.
Overall, there is a lot going on in this book. It's complicated and messy and so hard to put down. If I had a complaint, it's that the book just.... ends. It doesn't feel like a satisfying resolution. We don't get to see the fall out of the missing child. We don't get to see the women meet and reconcile (or not). We don't get to see what happens when the article comes out, or Jake's down fall. Additionally, there were little snippets of plotlines that don't go anywhere. Like Ryder calling Lola an anchor baby, or more importantly the mother understanding that that behavior is not "boys being boys". We don't get to see if Sam decided to franchise, or how Artemis got off it's feet. And the thing with the mirror accounts? It feels like the book made a big deal about that, like it would be important, but it's completely forgotten.
So, while I liked this book a lot, and I think the story is really interesting and compelling, there is a lot that I feel was forgotten and left undone.
The book follows three women who are typecast into very typical roles. Anna is "the starter wife", the one who gave up her career and her ambitions and devoted herself to her children and her "superstar husband". Sam is "the mistress", the one who knowingly slept with a married man, got pregnant, and now, 12 years later, is ready to go public with the scandal. And Jessica is "the younger model", the newer, prettier, doe eyed girl that the husband marries shortly after leaving Anna. On the surface, it looks like your typical "woman against woman" soap opera fest.
But this book makes it VERY clear that Jake, the philandering husband. To the world, Jake is a feminist. He built a social media platform, Strangers, for women, run by women, and inspired by women. More than half his user base is female, and most of his unpaid moderators are as well. And yet, while he tells the world that family is the most important thing in the world to him, the book starts with him just two years out from divorcing his devoted wife, already remarried with a kid on the way.
My interpretation of Jake is that he finds people, usually women who can be easily charmed and erased, and uses them until they are no longer of use to him. We see this with Sai, who was obviously in love with him, and protected him for years, before being forced out of the company he cofounded. We see that Anna is the "perfect wife", the one that looks good to the outside world with her Cinderella story and her law degree, and privately, her entrepreneurial mind that Jake could take advantage of without giving her any credit because it was all 'pillow talk'. And finally, Sam. The woman who wrote his algorithm originally, and whom he conveniently tracks down just as he's planning to relaunch Strangers. There's not a doubt in my mind that he intentionally sought her out for her programming acumen and once he got what he needed from her, he ghosted her. Even before Anna blocked her email and phone number, he had already ghosted Sam a second time.
Which leaves us with Jessica, who I think is the most tragic character in this book. I don't think Jake got anything from her except for arm candy, and it's clear he didn't want, need, or respect her. He ignores her for basically the entire book, instead pursuing Anna, even though he left her. He ignores her clearly deteriorating mental state, and pays her about as much attention as he does his sons, which is not at all. At least the other children, Dylan, Ben, and Lola, all had loving mothers. Jessica was just barely tolerated, even by her mother in law. Even in the end we don't really hear much about her at all.
Overall, there is a lot going on in this book. It's complicated and messy and so hard to put down. If I had a complaint, it's that the book just.... ends. It doesn't feel like a satisfying resolution. We don't get to see the fall out of the missing child. We don't get to see the women meet and reconcile (or not). We don't get to see what happens when the article comes out, or Jake's down fall. Additionally, there were little snippets of plotlines that don't go anywhere. Like Ryder calling Lola an anchor baby, or more importantly the mother understanding that that behavior is not "boys being boys". We don't get to see if Sam decided to franchise, or how Artemis got off it's feet. And the thing with the mirror accounts? It feels like the book made a big deal about that, like it would be important, but it's completely forgotten.
So, while I liked this book a lot, and I think the story is really interesting and compelling, there is a lot that I feel was forgotten and left undone.
crashlou111's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! Women really are the fiercest creature! I loved this fast-paced story about empowering women to work together instead of competing with each other. Powerful characters and storyline, I just couldn’t put this down!