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jenboal's review against another edition
4.0
Three different successful women are all connected to the same man, either through marriage or fatherhood. Jake Sarnoff has charmed them all and became a integral figure in their lives. But as time has carried on is Jake as wonderful and talented as everyone thinks he is? He has managed to give each woman a part of himself, yet never give them the full commitment they deserve.
This provoking and juicy story draws you into the web of these women and the situation that Jake has created amongst them. Strong characters you will root for, even when some of their less pleasant flaws begin to appear.
Their is a great spirit of womanhood woven through the book and it truly does live up to the title. Great for bookclub for a weekend read.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This provoking and juicy story draws you into the web of these women and the situation that Jake has created amongst them. Strong characters you will root for, even when some of their less pleasant flaws begin to appear.
Their is a great spirit of womanhood woven through the book and it truly does live up to the title. Great for bookclub for a weekend read.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
mayestang's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
totesmarisa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-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
krhansen's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for a copy of the ARC. My opinions are my own.
I struggled getting into the book. I usually prefer books with only one or two POV characters. There are too many people to keep track of, and the chapters jump from head to head rapidly. For me, this causes character disconect. The only character that gets a solid line of sight in each head hop is Jake. And he is not the most likeable character. I don't mind a morally grey or vile character IF there is an anchor to another character, to latch onto that balances. Anna is the closest I could get but even she felt foreign to me. All the female characters held similar manerisims and thoughts...I would forget which head I was inside of midway through the slow moving chapters. This just wasn't the book for me that I had hoped. It did not hook me at all.
I struggled getting into the book. I usually prefer books with only one or two POV characters. There are too many people to keep track of, and the chapters jump from head to head rapidly. For me, this causes character disconect. The only character that gets a solid line of sight in each head hop is Jake. And he is not the most likeable character. I don't mind a morally grey or vile character IF there is an anchor to another character, to latch onto that balances. Anna is the closest I could get but even she felt foreign to me. All the female characters held similar manerisims and thoughts...I would forget which head I was inside of midway through the slow moving chapters. This just wasn't the book for me that I had hoped. It did not hook me at all.
gilmoreguide's review against another edition
4.0
Imagine a dating app, like Tinder or OkCupid, but for friends. Specifically designed for women with an algorithm that leads to forming friendships based on like-minded beliefs, similar hobbies (loving books!), any of the elements that go into creating meaningful friendships. That’s the premise behind Andrea Dunlop’s new novel Women Are the Fiercest Creatures.
Jake Sarnoff created Strangers, the app that allowed women to find other women and create communities both online and in real life. Not surprisingly Strangers has gone on to become one of the fastest growing apps in the tech world. Jake and his company stand poised for an IPO, but it’s not his story that gets told in the novel. Instead, it’s his ex-wife, his college girlfriend, and his new wife, who speak from the pages of Women Are the Fiercest Creatures sharing where they are now and where they were in Jake’s life on his path to success and wealth.
Anna is the ex and the mother to Jake’s teenage sons, Ben and Dylan. She’s doing her best to be a supportive co-parent as Jake is pushing for a blended family model with everyone spending time together. He seems to have forgotten that he forced Anna out of their company and cheated on her with his new wife, the young, dewy Jessica. A trophy wife who’s just announced she’s pregnant.
Samanta is Jake’s college girlfriend. She is a single mother and the owner of a thriving yoga studio. She’s shut Jake out of her mind and life after a bad end to their on-again-off-again relationship. But now that he’s in the news for the Strangers’ IPO she finds the past she’s tried so hard to bury coming to the surface.
Dunlop does a good job animating the women in Women Are the Fiercest Creatures. Anna and Samanta are both intriguing with their layers and while Jessica starts off as millennial Barbie, motherhood strips the Instagram filters from her life, bringing reality into sharp focus. In contrast, Jake is a one-note character. Charismatic and entitled, but that’s fine—he’s ancillary and plays his part perfectly.
As the novel progresses and the women start coming into their own, Dunlop brushes up against issues beyond relationships, including racism, intellectual property, and the impact of social media.
There’s much to relate to in Women Are the Fiercest Creatures, such as issues of racism and the impact of social media, but the book skates largely on the surface of these topics. Thankfully, while I enjoy exploring difficult subjects, I thoroughly enjoy lighter reading when it’s done well and Women Are the Fiercest Creatures easily succeeds in that way. This is the kind of fast paced, brain candy reading I love.
Jake Sarnoff created Strangers, the app that allowed women to find other women and create communities both online and in real life. Not surprisingly Strangers has gone on to become one of the fastest growing apps in the tech world. Jake and his company stand poised for an IPO, but it’s not his story that gets told in the novel. Instead, it’s his ex-wife, his college girlfriend, and his new wife, who speak from the pages of Women Are the Fiercest Creatures sharing where they are now and where they were in Jake’s life on his path to success and wealth.
Anna is the ex and the mother to Jake’s teenage sons, Ben and Dylan. She’s doing her best to be a supportive co-parent as Jake is pushing for a blended family model with everyone spending time together. He seems to have forgotten that he forced Anna out of their company and cheated on her with his new wife, the young, dewy Jessica. A trophy wife who’s just announced she’s pregnant.
Samanta is Jake’s college girlfriend. She is a single mother and the owner of a thriving yoga studio. She’s shut Jake out of her mind and life after a bad end to their on-again-off-again relationship. But now that he’s in the news for the Strangers’ IPO she finds the past she’s tried so hard to bury coming to the surface.
Dunlop does a good job animating the women in Women Are the Fiercest Creatures. Anna and Samanta are both intriguing with their layers and while Jessica starts off as millennial Barbie, motherhood strips the Instagram filters from her life, bringing reality into sharp focus. In contrast, Jake is a one-note character. Charismatic and entitled, but that’s fine—he’s ancillary and plays his part perfectly.
As the novel progresses and the women start coming into their own, Dunlop brushes up against issues beyond relationships, including racism, intellectual property, and the impact of social media.
There’s much to relate to in Women Are the Fiercest Creatures, such as issues of racism and the impact of social media, but the book skates largely on the surface of these topics. Thankfully, while I enjoy exploring difficult subjects, I thoroughly enjoy lighter reading when it’s done well and Women Are the Fiercest Creatures easily succeeds in that way. This is the kind of fast paced, brain candy reading I love.
jessicareadsmanybooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-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
patricecbenji's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars
This was an easily digestible read about the downfall of a Narcissist and the three women in his life. It was easy to get into it after the first chapter introducing Anna, who's marriage to TECH CEO Jake Sarnoff has ended and not long since moved on to a younger woman. Anna and Sam were great characters that you could sympathize with and see where they're coming from. I will say, I wish I got more of Jessica's point of view. The book talks about three woman, which it does, but I do feel like Jessica got left on the burner. Though the story was easy to read and I enjoyed it, the ending was really abrupt. I was disappointed that Sam and Anna never meet until after the story ends (it's mentioned in the epilogue.) I was almost hoping for a "The Other Woman" type story where the three women team up together to take him down. I hope there is a sequel so we can get more context.
This was an easily digestible read about the downfall of a Narcissist and the three women in his life. It was easy to get into it after the first chapter introducing Anna, who's marriage to TECH CEO Jake Sarnoff has ended and not long since moved on to a younger woman. Anna and Sam were great characters that you could sympathize with and see where they're coming from. I will say, I wish I got more of Jessica's point of view. The book talks about three woman, which it does, but I do feel like Jessica got left on the burner. Though the story was easy to read and I enjoyed it, the ending was really abrupt. I was disappointed that Sam and Anna never meet until after the story ends (it's mentioned in the epilogue.) I was almost hoping for a "The Other Woman" type story where the three women team up together to take him down. I hope there is a sequel so we can get more context.
sharppointysticks's review against another edition
4.0
2023 Listen #55
This was a bit of a rollercoaster! I had no idea what it was about but was drawn in by the cover and title. Got down to the 30 minutes or so and was thinking how are they going to wrap this all up? The end was satisfying but felt a bit rushed. 3.5 stars
This was a bit of a rollercoaster! I had no idea what it was about but was drawn in by the cover and title. Got down to the 30 minutes or so and was thinking how are they going to wrap this all up? The end was satisfying but felt a bit rushed. 3.5 stars
kristensreadingnook's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
“‘What your body is doing right now is more powerful than all of the wars ever fought, any feat of strength ever performed.’ She looked at Jessica, whose eyes were dutifully closed. ‘Women,’ Sam said, ‘are the fiercest creatures.’”
Full of feminism and body positivity, Women are the Fiercest Creatures is a quick, propulsive read. Each character was fully developed with just the right amount of flaws to keep them real. The through line of the tech company felt fresh and relevant while allowing each character’s story to unfold on its own.
Read if you like:
Dual POVs
Feminist literature
Rich people behaving badly
Thank you to Zibby Books for access to a digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
“‘What your body is doing right now is more powerful than all of the wars ever fought, any feat of strength ever performed.’ She looked at Jessica, whose eyes were dutifully closed. ‘Women,’ Sam said, ‘are the fiercest creatures.’”
Full of feminism and body positivity, Women are the Fiercest Creatures is a quick, propulsive read. Each character was fully developed with just the right amount of flaws to keep them real. The through line of the tech company felt fresh and relevant while allowing each character’s story to unfold on its own.
Read if you like:
Dual POVs
Feminist literature
Rich people behaving badly
Thank you to Zibby Books for access to a digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
lindsaysmeldrum's review against another edition
3.0
After seeing so much hype about this book via Zibby Owen's Instagram I was dying to read it, and grateful to receive an ARC. I loved the title and cover, and after the first few chapters was getting The Change x Big Little Lies vibes.
Told from the perspective of Jake Sarnoff's scorned ex-partners, at a time when the tech giant is about to make it big through the sale of his social media company, is a story full of secrets and complicated family. Themes of feminism and motherhood run throughout the story, with many supporting characters bringing to life great examples of both. A favourite for me was Bri and her problematic reaction to her son's racism.
While conceptually I love the idea of giving voice to the overlooked women behind a man's success, it fell short for me in a few areas. I found myself confused at times trying to keep track of who knew what at each point in time. The book started and ended with a dramatic event that didn't really have a whole lot to do with the actual story in the middle, and the final chapter seemed to come out of left field. The epilogue was written from a whole new character's perspective, and one whose role in the story seemed unnecessary. In the epilogue is a brief article with the real conclusion to the story, and I wish more time had been taken to give resolution to the storylines that made up the bulk of the book. Finally, Jake's character was so central yet so underdeveloped. He was supposed to have enough charm to build a big company and seduce all these women, but you never saw any of that. His behaviour was inconsistent and erratic. The only real answer was that he was a sociopath, but I don't think that was what the author was trying to communicate.
It was a fun concept, but it felt like it was pushed out into the world prematurely.
Thank you to Zibby Books, NetGalley and Andrea Dunlop for this ARC.
Told from the perspective of Jake Sarnoff's scorned ex-partners, at a time when the tech giant is about to make it big through the sale of his social media company, is a story full of secrets and complicated family. Themes of feminism and motherhood run throughout the story, with many supporting characters bringing to life great examples of both. A favourite for me was Bri and her problematic reaction to her son's racism.
While conceptually I love the idea of giving voice to the overlooked women behind a man's success, it fell short for me in a few areas. I found myself confused at times trying to keep track of who knew what at each point in time. The book started and ended with a dramatic event that didn't really have a whole lot to do with the actual story in the middle, and the final chapter seemed to come out of left field. The epilogue was written from a whole new character's perspective, and one whose role in the story seemed unnecessary. In the epilogue is a brief article with the real conclusion to the story, and I wish more time had been taken to give resolution to the storylines that made up the bulk of the book. Finally, Jake's character was so central yet so underdeveloped. He was supposed to have enough charm to build a big company and seduce all these women, but you never saw any of that. His behaviour was inconsistent and erratic. The only real answer was that he was a sociopath, but I don't think that was what the author was trying to communicate.
It was a fun concept, but it felt like it was pushed out into the world prematurely.
Thank you to Zibby Books, NetGalley and Andrea Dunlop for this ARC.