A Special Place for Women by Laura Hankin
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟💫/5
Pub Date: May11,2021
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First, special thanks to Netgalley for the ARC ebook version of A Special Place for Women.
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This was an interesting read. “Nevertheless” is a club for the elite women. An exclusive group of important, highly sought after influencers and only the worthy will get the invitation. Jillian Beckley is a daring and struggling journalist/reporter desperate to make the tables turn to the bright side of her career. To materialize this career success, Jillian thought that being invited to Nevertheless and exposing all the juicy scoop will be her ticket, or so she thought. Infiltrating the sorority of the astrology and sign obsessed ladybosses got Jillian into a crazy overturn as she learned a more darker, twisted rituals and even far more powerful, dangerous and treacherous secrets run by the club.
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Jillian may not be a favorite character of mine but she is someone I will be rooting for to win. Her impulsive and careless decision making annoyed me a little bit. However, it made her the character perfect for this plot. A Place For Women is a quick and unique read. I don’t think it was a thriller nor that I can think of another book of its sameness. I enjoyed the fast pace. Most of all, I love how it centers the story about women and their power in any form and ways!!
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Happy Publication Day to @laurahankin for A Special Place for Women. Once again, thanks @netgalley for the ARC.
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Guys, this book was not what I expected.

When I started reading, Jillian was not a character I liked. I'm honestly not sure that I ever really decided to like her, but there was just no looking away from the things she gets herself tangled up in. I don't want to give too much away, but there is one big twist that I really did not see coming from this group of very influential, classy, and "put-together" women. Of course, you can expect some romantic interest, which is handled super poorly by everyone (character-wise) and also adds to my dislike of Jillian. I do have to say that while I dislike Jillian, this is a rare book for me in that I don't like the MC but I actually did really enjoy the book. I was so interested in the dynamics between all of the women and the push and pull between the group and Jillian's job and the decisions she makes there. This is definitely a book that I would pick up again and recommend to anyone interested in grownup secret societies and female friendships.

I wanted to love this so bad! That twist was just... really odd for me. Felt like I read two different books. Both of which I would read, I just didn’t like them mashed together. I don’t want to go into it too much because I don’t want to ruin anything!

Jillian has just lost her Mum and her job and very soon her home! Her career is now in freefall unless she can come up with a story that will catapult her into the journalism stratosphere. In a bid to impress her old boss, who she has feelings for and shares a complicated history with, and bag herself a prestigious by-line she plots to infiltrate ‘Nevertheless’. The exclusive and secretive women only club is inhabited by only the highest echelons of ‘girlbosses’, ‘kick ass diva’s’ and ‘bohemian queens’. They seem to hold unlimited power and be on course to bring down the patriarchy. But what is their secret? Jillian is about to learn about a world she never imagined and one that will change her life forever.

This book was like a breath of fresh air, it earned its 5 star rating 10 times over. The writing was lovely and flowed beautifully, although not a short book, I devoured it in one day. I loved all the characters, even the annoying ones, as they were each living breathing people who were completely fleshed out within the pages. I was invested in the intrigue of the story but also in the more mundane elements of the characters interactions with one another and their own inner workings. What I particularly loved about this book was it was about women! Their power, their weaknesses, their history and their humanity…how they relate to each other and the world around them. All this without completely demonising men, yes there were some shady blokes that needed taking down a peg or two…but that’s life right? Men weren’t the absolute ‘bad guy’ in the story and women hurt each other and themselves just as much, which made for a wonderfully realistic, character driven tale. This book is released on the 11th May, get your pre-order done now!

✨R E V I E W✨

𝗔 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗪𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗡 𝗕𝗬 𝗟𝗔𝗨𝗥𝗔 𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗜𝗡

I was so excited to receive this e-ARC by @laurahankin because I really enjoyed her last novel, “Happy & You Know It” ✨ I was skeptical starting this one because it seemed like a similar premise to her last novel, but this one took a crazy turn that I did NOT see coming at all & I ended up enjoying it! 💖

Synopsis: Jillian’s looking for a juicy story as a young reporter whose career recently became shaky after the company she worked for goes under. Jillian decides to infiltrate a female-run secret society who have been rumored to have been a part of dark and mysterious events & expose them in a tell-all story. Once she is invited into this secret club, she works her way up to the top and learns much too much about who these powerful women actually are 🤭

I can’t say too much without giving away the major twist in this novel, but it definitely took me by surprise. I was thrown off at first, but ended up enjoying the “elements” that were introduced. I also loved how the secret club preached women supporting women & lifting each other up. Their approach may have been flawed, but I felt all the characters had good intentions in the end ☺️

Thanks to @netgalley & @berkleypub for the advanced copy. This fun, light, twisty, female-led story comes out TOMORROW! 📖✨

Rich elitists, a secret women-only society, lots of scandal, and a little bit of romance – what more could you want?!

This book follows journalist Jillian Beckley as she infiltrates an exclusive, women-only social club to find out what really goes on behind closed doors in hopes of salvaging her career with a juicy story. However, she ends up discovering much more than she bargained for...

I absolutely LOVED this book and devoured it in a couple of sittings! There were definitely some ~weird~ unexpected twists that I could see some people not liking, but I was allllll for it!

It was also just announced that this is getting made into a TV series and I can’t freaking wait 😍

A special place for women is a genre bending book that keeps surprising you till the end. At the start of the book, I was quite hesitant about picking this up. I haven't read women's fiction in a long time. But it was fun, quick read. I finished it in a day or two because I just couldn't put it down. I do love books with feminist undertones and the theme of this book was all about taking down the patriarchy.

The writing style was witty and humourous. The tone of the book was light. The narration was written in first person and had single POV. The characters in the book were quirky and unique. Each one was hard to forget and had a nice arc towards the end. The book was about Jillian who was a journalist for an online magazine. She recently lost her mother to cancer and soon after lost her job as well.

She was desperate to do something big and she asked her married ex editor ( who she has a crush on) for a favor. She pitches a story about infiltrating the elite women's club called "Nevertheless". They are supposedly responsible for all the major action in NYC but no body has proof. She finds an in by pretending to date her childhood bestie, Raf who was a famously chef now. She soon finds herself in the club and it's so different than she ever imagined.

There are some major twists mid way through the story and it was totally unexpected for me. I didn't like the ending all that much. But the book was a good, fun read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for an ARC of “A Special Place for Women.”

I know that some books are for me as soon as I read the description. “A Special Place for Women” is one of those books — it’s about a reporter taking on some of NYC’s most powerful.

Author Laura Hankin’s look at the dark side of female friendships in “Happy And You Know It” totally won me over last year, and “A Special Place for Women” digs into some of the same themes. It’s even better than Hankin’s first book in my opinion.

This book is the story of reporter Jillian Bexley, who recently lost her mother to cancer and her news job to corporate greed. She convinces her former editor — now at a fictional version of the New Yorker as I read it — that she can deliver an investigative piece of epic proportions on a secret society of NYC’s most elite female group. The group, Nevertheless, is even rumored to have engineered the rise and fall of New York’s first female mayor.

But as Jillian goes undercover and joins Nevertheless, she gets in way over her head and realizes even she may have underestimated this group.

I loved this book because it’s quirky and clever, right down to its absolutely perfect cover. There’s a twist you never see coming and two romance subplots. I know likable characters are very important to some readers and it is hard not to like Jillian.

I was expecting something in the vein of “The Herd” by Andrea Bartz. I LOVED “The Herd,” too, but that book is way more gruesome and dark than this one. I am not at all surprised “A Special Place for Women” has been optioned by Paramount Television Studios. It would make for some excellent TV — and I rarely say that! But with this book, I get it.

This was an interesting read. I thought I was getting a book inspired by The Wing, the working place for women, but instead I got a book about a broke journalist whose grieving her dead mom and joins a group to do magic. It's a story about a character joining the dark-ish side after all. It was interesting and funny. I'm not completely sold on the ending tho... I need more information.

Do you ever read a book or watch a show and desperately want to call/text all your girlfriends and OMG WE NEED TO TALK? That was me after reading to the halfway point of this new book by Laura Hankin. I had no idea where this book was going to go next and happily, for me, every twist and turn did not disappoint, and I thoroughly enjoyed this wild ride.

Jillian Beckley is a down on her luck journalist who shows up for a grand opening of a trendy new restaurant to support the owner and best guy friend, Raf. After a chance meeting with a prominent New Yorker who is purported to lead an elite secret woman’s club, Jillian comes up with a plan to infiltrate and write an exposé on the club. The club is allegedly so powerful they can orchestrate rise and fall of a mayoral candidate and Jillian is determined to find out if any of it’s true.

Reviewer mea culpa, I judged this book by its cover. Squinting at a tiny book cover photo on my mobile was a silly error in judgement on my part because after finishing the book, I get it. It is perfect. This book is not a female version of the secretive all-male Bohemian Club but a thought-provoking, discussion-worthy examination of women’s empowerment, both good and bad—and at what cost?

If you are looking for something unique and fun and with a little romance threaded through, I highly recommend this book!

Thank you @laurahankin @letstalkbookspromo @berkelypublishing and @NetGalley for the eARC of this book. Opinions are my own.

Journalist Jillian Beckley, still grieving from her mother’s recent death, just lost her job at an online news magazine, and she needs a scoop to bring to her ex-editor but she’s bereft of ideas, that is, until a chance encounter with Margot Wilding.

Margot is said to be one of the founders of 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, a secretive empowerment group for elite women—so secretive members deny it exists. Still rumors abound about the group’s power, such as their role in electing the first female mayor of NYC. With a toehold in the organization, Jillian promises to go undercover and find out the group’s secrets in the hope of exposing corruption in their ranks.

As Jillian becomes close to Margot and her friends, she realizes their web extends father than she ever imagined. She’s seduced by a sense of belonging until she remembers the importance of her ultimate goal—one that could put her and those close to her in the crosshairs of dangerous enemies.

Jillian’s decisions are frustrating at times but her humor is sardonic and entertaining, and her BFF, Raf, an acclaimed chef, is the sweetest. The rest of the characters are all well-drawn, even if they appear in only a few scenes.

The book in particular interrogates power and competition within women-centered spaces and how it’s so easy for belonging and approval to overtake values and kindness.

Some aspects of the set-up reminded me of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘥 but this took a completely different and bizarre (in a good way) direction that made this a unique and entertaining read.

Is this book filled with an intense feeling of needing to know what in the world is going on? YES!

I flew this book in almost a day.
Jillian wasn't necessarily the most likeable character in the world. That didn't matter though because I definitely wanted her to succeed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

I really enjoyed this book....until I didn't. It starts out really fantastic and some twists and turns made it so unrealistic that I just couldn't stay interested.

This book surprised me. For about the first half I assumed I knew where it was going and would be similar to a few other books I had read that were vaguely about The Wing. I will admit I didn't see the twist coming and it made me like the book more because it was a much more original take on the story. I really enjoyed it.

This was a book I didn't see coming. A Special Place for Women tells the story of a secret elite women's only club in New York City. Jillian, a down on her luck journalist, decides she's going to revive her career by infiltrating the organization. In her efforts to expose the club, she finds herself in over her head with the twists and turns of the story.

I received a gifted galley of A SPECIAL PLACE FOR WOMEN by Laura Hankin for an honest review. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

A SPECIAL PLACE FOR WOMEN envisions a secret underground club just for women named Nevertheless. They’re rumored to have all the power and influence to ensure their candidate get elected to office and to sway public opinion to bring down their enemies. No one has been able to pin them down, but reporter Jillian just might give it a try. While attending her childhood friend’s restaurant opening, she happens to meet a woman most assume is key to the club and she decides that this might just be the answer to her career woes after her employer goes under.

Soon Jillian is being escorted blindfolded into the clubhouse, initiated into the secrets of Nevertheless. While she balances the draw of the club with the intrigue of a potential groundbreaking story, Jillian seeks to gain even more access to the inner circle.

I enjoyed the author’s HAPPY & YOU KNOW IT last year, so I was eager to pick this one up and I think I enjoyed this one even more. While I didn’t always agree with Jillian’s choices, I could really feel for her predicament. Jillian has recently lost her mother and her job and she’s struggling to make ends meet in the wake of her mother’s medical bills. The draw of Nevertheless and the promise of women helping women also has a very strong draw.

This book takes some wild turns a bit past the halfway point and I’m not entirely sure still how I feel about them. It certainly threw a curveball at me that I did not see coming! It made for a very entertaining and gripping read and I really could not click through the pages fast enough!

A SPECIAL PLACE FOR WOMEN is out today and I highly encourage adding this one to your TBR list!

Laura Hankin’s debut novel Happy and You Know It was our June pick for the Let’s Read Rant & Repeat bookclub. Last year when we read it, Jordan and I, actually got to sit down and chat with Hankin, and honestly she’s a dream to speak with. Personally, knowing that an author is willing to chat with fans, just makes me a bigger fan. So when she mentioned her new book was going to be a little witchy and still deal with the social elite of New York society, you know I leaped at the chance to review it before it’s release.

When I spoke with Hankin last year, she mentioned that she had a fascination with the social elite and very wealthy women of NYC. I think we all do in our own ways have this same fascination. I mean if you’re my age you grew up on episodes of Gossip Girl and now have HBO’s Succession to continue feeding the obsession. I digress. In A Special Place for Women, Hankin continues this journey and brings the reader into the elite women’s only club of ‘Nevertheless’. Nevertheless, with monthly dues of $500 and a highly selective criteria, is for the elite women of society who need a space to support each other. This initial premise of a women’s only club is cool but highly resembled the bases of the book The Herd, see my review HERE. I was not a huge fan of that book, so I was a little disappointed AT FIRST.

But unlike The Herd, we follow uncover journalist Jillian who is working to get her life back on track after her magazine shut it’s doors. She’ll do anything to get a writing gig with one of NYC’s biggest papers, including pitching the idea of getting into, and then exposing who runs Nevertheless and what it really even is. Jillian may be in the club but what is she willing to risk to expose Nevertheless to the world?

There are two very distinct parts of this book. Part one is very rom-com centric, witty characters, with somewhat of a predictable plot. Part two of this book….took me on a rollercoaster I was not expecting and dives straight into some very witchy vibes. I won’t say more because it’s best to be surprised sometimes.

Once again Hankin has put together a story blended with the right amounts of humor, cultural commentary, and heart. She really has a knack for taking your typical women’s fiction, aka chick-lit, stories and making them into something truly unique. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

A Special Place for Women comes out May 11, 2021. Huge thank you to Berkley Publishing for my advanced copy for my honest review. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof_books.

A Special Place for Women is Laura Hankins 3rd novel and wow is it amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I read this in one day and I do read fast but I devoured this book. It is so good!!!!!!!  I loved her 2nd book but this one is even better!!!!!!  I cannot say enough good things about this book. On May 11th go out and get your copy. You won't regret it!!!!!  I highly recommend this book.

I'm honestly not sure how to rate/review this one! It was such a unique story that I couldn't put down but it took a weird turn that I think I liked but I can't wrap my head around.

This is the story of Jillian Beckley, a journalist whose paper folded. She hears of a secret women's society and has the idea to infiltrate it to get a story to her old editor who is working at a new prestigious newspaper. This secret women's society is very influential and has even gotten other women elected to public office!

I love the author's writing style. This is my second book of hers and I find her writing so engaging. This story was all about women empowerment. It was also a semi-romance with several tropes - fake-dating, love triangle, best friends and work place romances. It was funny and wild and suspenseful. The author described it as Never Been Kissed meets The Secret History with some Practical Magic vibes and I think that's very accurate! I've never heard of The Secret History but I LOVE Never Been Kissed and that is spot on.

If you are looking for a good Women's Lit/Romance/Suspense that is a bit weird, check this one out!

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own!

3.5/5

Ok this one was unexpected! From the description I knew it was gonna be juicy, but I had no idea just how bat shit crazy it would actually be. I don’t want to give anything away, but things took a really surprising turn at one point and went in a wild direction that I mostly liked?! 🤨

I was thinking this would have mostly thriller vibes, even if I expected them to be on the lighter side with most of the action coming in towards the end. I was mostly right, but there was some fake dating, which I really didn’t even expect any romance so I was pleasantly surprised, but just know that’s a very minor part of the story. This really focused on women and the way the interact with one another and it was a fascinating look at powerful, boss bitch females. It was super unique too, I can’t even think of another book to compare it to actually. Try this if you’re in the mood for something fresh and weird, because things get really weird!