Please Join Us is the subject of the email lawyer Nicole receives, inviting her to join an exclusive women’s networking group via a five day retreat in Colorado. Nicole has just received a less-than-stellar review at work and is floundering, and she latches on to the new friends she makes when she attends. Her husband is a little jealous to share her with these new women which he jokingly refers to as a cult… but maybe it’s not a joke...
I sat and read this pretty much straight through yesterday - I love a twisty, cult-ish thriller! If you like the same, I bet you’d enjoy this one which was just published last week. Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I had not read anything by the author, and I already placed a library hold on one of her previous books, Six Weeks to Live.

I found this to be an average thriller. There were a few twists and turns but nothing I found too exciting.

Attorney Nicole doesn't know how to fail, so she is reeling when her law firm mentor tells her she failed to earn enough points. Almost immediately, she is invited to join a women's networking group. Although she has some reservations, she goes on a retreat with the group and meets her "pride," a group of women she will be working with.

Her luck soon begins to turn. Although she and her husband are forced to move from their much-loved apartment, they find a newer one. Nicole is given a new case and a new associate. But she begins to sense everything is too good to be true, particularly when she is challenged with a test that challenges her morally.

This novel is the best of page-turning suspense, with so many double crosses my head was spinning at the end. #PleaseJoinUs #NetGalley

This might just be a case of picking it up at the wrong time but this is dragging for me. DNF at 22%. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free review copy.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book--I mean, who doesn't love a good cult book?

This one follows Nicole--a thirty nine year old lawyer who was once a rising star at her law firm, but has recently started having some setbacks. Then she receives an invitation to join an exclusive women's networking group called Panthera Leo. At first, things are great--Nicole is feeling more confident and all the other women in the group are super successful, but soon the group starts demanding more from her, and Nicole begins to wonder how far it will go.

I thought Nicole was a really relatable character who was easy to root for. The storyline did keep me invested, and I wanted to see how it would turn out. That said, I did feel like the ending/reveal was a bit complicated and kind of confusing.

Overall, it was a good, enjoyable book, though not super memorable. I liked it, didn't love it.

Stars: 3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Many thanks to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Please Join Us is available now!

A solid thriller but felt rather formulaic at times and the pacing seemed off. I am a fan of Catherine's novels so will definitely continue to read what she puts out, this one just unfortunately wasn't for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

𝘼 “𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩 𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙤 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙢 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚.”

This was my first read by this author and I’m so happy to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. I kind of went into this book not knowing much and I’m glad I did. I had a great time and flew through it.

I was very entertained by this author’s writing style and the way the story was portrayed. Sisterhood is such an important thing in life and I liked how it played an aspect in the story.

In this story, we follow Nicole Mueller whose life is falling apart. She was recently struggling in her law career and had to give up her loving apartment. She ends up receiving an invite to a group event by Panthera Leo, a women's networking group consisting of successful professionals, Nicole is anxious and hopeful it’ll help her relaunch her career.

Her husband, Dan, is very wary and thinks this group is a cult - is it? Nicole ends up taking the offer and goes to Colorado for the retreat. Little does she know, there’s something sinister behind this group - something she never would’ve expected.

I really enjoyed the overall structure of this book, the characters were super interesting. I also really connected with the style.

Again, I flew through it and enjoyed the way the story wrapped up. Please Join Us was so well written and is one you’re not gonna want to miss.

I was hoping a cultish story about women trying to take back power in a world made for men would drag me right in but this story had a slow start. We follow lawyer Nicole after she gets a bad review at her high end job and is then recruited to a women's group, Panthera, geared towards helping women up in 'the boys' club."

The book is written with Past and Present sections which is something I always enjoy and lends interest to the story because I want to be able to understand whatever drama happened to lead to the past or present events. It definitely helped this story stay more exciting and engaging. This was a quick and entertaining read but it lacked something to really make it hit hard. I also thought the end twist was a little underwhelming when I was really hoping for something to make this story take off. I'm not sure I would call the book a thriller.

I would recommend this to those that like a bit of mystery or cultishness in their books or something like A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC!

Nicole has just received a bad review at work and it looks like she is going to have to step up her game or lose it all. So, when she is recruited by an exclusive networking group all about helping women succeed, she jumps at it. Her husband, Dan, calls it a cult. Nicole does not see it that way. She soon reaps the benefits of being a member. But, then she is called in to cover up a murder and this exclusive group just became a twisted group about something completely different.

I have followed this author since her very first book. Her first book was called Spin. I won a signed copy back in 2009 and I have been hooked ever since. Now, she has changed her genre. Her first several novels were chick lit. She changed over to thrillers and she has not looked back.

This novel started a bit slow but it is just setting up a smart manipulation game. And I will be honest, I was not a big fan of the main character, Nicole, in the beginning. I thought “you are a hotshot lawyer! Why are you doing this!” And I still don’t quite understand why she fell in with this group but my favorite part of this book is when Nicole figures out what is going on and she is taking no prisoners.

I love a smart read and this one is one of the bests! The plot is intricate and don’t skim a word because you will miss a key point of evidence!

Need a story with manipulation as it’s main goal…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for an honest opinion!

Please Join Us is my second Catherine McKenzie novel and I cannot believe there are 11 others that I haven’t read by this author. This book about an elite women’s group that empowers women to “act like men” and unapologetically take what they want in life. While some parts were a bit slow for me, once all the pieces started to come together, I could see why they were necessary. Nicole is a lawyer who has just found out her job is in jeopardy when she receives an invite to this elite group. Her husband is afraid it is a cult, but she jumps in with both feet to save both her marriage and her career. Little does she know what is about to happen as she does all of this. Shady shenanigans ensue, and it is one heck of a ride.
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

The first chapter is going to grab your attention for sure. And then get ready for the ride of your life. You know this group that Nicole has gotten herself involved with is up to something but you'll never imagine the depth of the conniving and deceit that they are capable of.

The intensity, the drama, and the twist and turns will suck you in and you will not want to stop. Are these people really capable of the things they do? Catherine McKenzie is not only an amazing author but she's also a lawyer so there is plenty of the legal world in this story. If you like legal drama thrillers, Please Join Us is the book for you.

I've said it before after reading one of Catherine's books—her stories just keep getting better and better, with each one more fascinating than the one before. I always look forward to her next book. I highly recommend Please Join Us!

This concept is like “a thing” right now. I just finished The Collective and I read The Favor earlier this year, but Come Join Us fell especially flat for me. It just seemed way to far-fetched and I didn’t connect with Nicole at all. Her empowerment to join this female empowerment group while allowing her in-laws to basically steal her home didn’t jive at all. It also seemed odd that all these high powered career women joining a club with career advancement in mind has so much free time. It just didn’t work for me, but I also just don’t seem to connect well with this genre. It often feels like forced feminism and fails for me.

Please Join Us by Catherine McKenzie is a highly recommended psychological thriller.

Nicole Mueller has just learned that her law career is taking a dive and that she and her husband Dan are going to be forced out of their apartment, when she receives an invitation to join Panthera Leo, a networking retreat exclusively for women in Colorado. While Nicole sees this as an opportunity to reclaim her career, Dan thinks it sounds like a cult. Nevertheless, Nicole proceeds to attend the retreat and joins the group. Since it is composed of professional women, she is sure it will benefit her career.

At first Nicole appreciates the four other women who will compose her Pride: a CEO, an actress, a finance whiz, and a congresswoman. Their existence is based on the need for a women’s club in a men’s club world. At first she sees all sorts of benefits and billable hours that result from joining a Panthera Leo Pride. She has an impressive new client, a new apartment, and a new group of supportive friends. But she is soon called in to help with something that is a crime and her involvement means she is involved.

Nicole is an interesting character. As a lawyer, she questions everything and everyone. Her curiosity and willingness to confront and question events is what propels the novel forward to greater levels of excitement and tension. Everything must extract some kind of price, so the question is really what is Nicole willing to pay for her curiosity. As the plot advances, Nicole becomes increasingly suspicious and aware of the problems and aftermath that are looming overhead.

This is a well-written, complex, fast paced legal psychological thriller that will hold your attention to the end. There are plenty of twists, especially in the second half of the novel. Please Join Us ties into the MeToo movement. There is some suspension of disbelief which must be applied while reading, but beyond that the narrative is totally entertaining. I believe that I have encountered a very similar plot before.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Atria Books via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Edelweiss, Google Books, and Amazon.

Please Join Us by Catherine McKenzie is the second book I have read from the author-and I was not disappointed.
This thriller follows our main character Nicole whom is a lawyer struggling in her career and life. She is partner at a firm but has just learnt the company sees her as potential expendable. Her husbands aunt is terminally ill and they also risk losing their home. It feels like fate when Nicole receives a mysterious email asking her to join a women's networking group. She ends up on a retreat with these women. After this her life starts to turn around. She lands a huge client-her work life is going well , she has a beautiful place to live and she has friends whom cheer her on. Nicole begins to become suspicious when more and more favours are being demanded of her and she is expected to obey blindly and with no hesitations. Nicole becomes to suspect something sinister is going on...

McKenzie has a way with thrillers-she gives just enough so you think you know what is going on and you are partially right but never 100%. I had a hunch something was suspicious and McKenzie gave little clues throughout and I put them together-I was very wrong. The main character, Nicole was very frustrating main character but I had empathy for her. She wanted to trust everything place in front of her instead of going with her gut. I personally love a thriller that keeps me guessing.

I definitely recommend giving this thriller a read if you love a suspenseful, drama pact thriller with a hit of legal drama. I absolutely loved this story.

**3.5-stars rounded up**

At 39-years old, Nicole Mueller's life is floundering. This is not where she pictured herself being at this point. Once her law career seemed destined for greatness, but now she's been put on notice by her firm's senior partners. Making matters worse, Nicole and her husband, Dan, are soon to be displaced from the apartment that they love.

As Nicole's emotional level is reaching hopeless, she's thrown a bone by way of an invitation to join an exclusive women's networking group, Panthera Leo. From what Nicole can tell, although membership is anonymous, every member is a successful business woman of one kind or another; think of the list of potential clients. This may be exactly what she needs to jump start her career.

After discussing it with Dan and despite his misgivings, Nicole accepts the invitation and signs up for the group's retreat in Colorado. Once there she meets a very small, hand-selected group of women who will make up her Pride. As Nicole begins to learn the philosophy of the group, they stress one thing in particular, they’re a girl’s club in a boy’s club world.

As Nicole settles in and is cut off from the rest of the world, she begins to bond with these new women. It's hard to believe they were strangers such a short time ago. Each day of the retreat the women are put through exercises and challenges that push them to interact and rely on one another. Their relationships develop quickly and deeply. It's a unique experience.

After Nicole gets home, she's surprised by how quickly she begins to reap the benefits of her new relationships. Things seem to be turning around, but then things turn a little too far.

Initially, Nicole enjoyed the new clients pushed her way from the other Pride members. Also, a new, gorgeous, modern apartment dropped in her lap, but when she gets called to one of the member's apartments late at night and she's pressed to help her cover up a very serious crime, her opinion shifts drastically.

From there we follow Nicole as she tries to decipher the truth behind Panthera Leo, including why she received an invitation in the first place. Through her search for the truth, Nicole deep dives into the club and its members. She shocked by all she uncovers. It borders on diabolical. We're talking A Few Good Men levels of corruption and intensity.

While this did start out a little slow for me, I will say that McKenzie succeeded in building the intensity throughout the story. I do feel like everything she included, even the slower bits in the beginning, were necessary to build out this story.

Towards the very, very end, I felt it got a little chaotic. I had to reread a couple sections a few times in order to follow it. There were just a lot of characters and as you're watching them come together, it got to be a bit much right at the conclusion.

Overall, I did enjoy this. It was fun. I feel like I tend to pick up anything that is pitched to have a cult-like vibe, but I'm always disappointed. This story did the most for me out of any recent books to claim that sort of atmosphere. I definitely felt the cultish influence and it had me freaked right out.

Our main character, Nicole, is an attorney and the way she goes about looking into Panthera Leo definitely lends a Legal Thriller feel to this story. I loved that aspect. That was probably my favorite part of the book. I'm not sure if I am explaining that correctly, but I just loved following her as she began to unravel the truth behind this mysterious organization.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This is the first I have read from Catherine McKenzie, but it definitely won't be the last.

I have enjoyed Catherine McKenzie since the very first book. Please Join Us is about a husband and wife who are both attorneys, but she (Nicole) has been having some rough times in her work life. When Nicole receives an email inviting her to join a women's networking group, she jumps at the chance. This seems to be the chance she needs to network with other women and have a better chance in the "old boy's club". She goes to Colorado for a group meeting and meets many other strong women in the group. They all vow to help each other when needed. This is where some of the twists start and continue until you are turning the pages as fast as you can!
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC.

Looking for a fast-paced mystery/thriller/drama complete with women’s power, #metoo themes, cultish vibes, and revenge? Look no further.

Nicole and Dan are married attorneys in Manhattan. Things aren’t going well for Nicole in her competitive law firm when an invitation from a secretive and elite group called Panthera promises to help her worries fade. Of course she jumps at the chance. What follows is a dangerous maze of mystery and wondering who to trust.

I love the pace of this novel. One more chapter was my nightly mantra while reading it. The twists are great, and it has an intriguing vibe to it. My only issue—and it’s a minor one—is the cast of female characters gets a little difficult to keep straight at times. Maybe it’s me. But overall, I really enjoyed this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy.

Thank you Atria for my gifted electronic ARC.

I think 2022 is the year of cult books, and Please Join Us is a captivating suspense that includes a women's corporate cult.

Things I loved about this book:
1. Fast paced and shorter chapters
2. A group of women - who can you trust?
3. Dual timelines (then, now) that merge towards the end

This is getting four stars from me because while the end had a twist, it didn't blow my mind.

Nothing is going right for Nicole until she gets an invite to a retreat for Panthera Leo. A group of professional women set on helping other women get the leg up they need in life. However, the deeper Nicole gets into the group, the more things seem to be more than she signed up for.

Please join us had me addicted. Told from both then and now points of view, the story really draws you in. I found it to feel fast paced even when the scenes weren’t. This novel flows so well and kept me on my toes the whole time. A lot of the scenes were unexpected and I loved every minute.

The story really comes together because of the characters. The women of Panthera Leo are really a interesting group of characters. They are all different and make the story itself. I feel like Dan is also a really good secondary character. Nicole was likeable and smart. I think she was the perfect main character for this novel.

I give this one 5 stars due to the plot twists, the characters, and the overall story. I really enjoyed every part of please join us and it’s definitely my new favorite Catherine Mckenzie novel to date.

Things aren’t going the way Nicole Mueller hoped. She’d once been a up and coming superstar at her law firm, almost certain to make partner. But then a lost client seemed to change things overnight. Her once shining star now appears to be fizzling out. Then along comes an invitation to a retreat from Panthera Leo—a selective and somewhat secretive ‘networking group’ with the mission of women helping women succeed in a man’s world. It seems great, just the thing Nicole needs to turn her life around.

Trying to avoid spoilers, but I’ll just say some things are too good to be true. Nothing in life is free and there are consequences for every decision we make. Just what has she gotten herself into? And is there a way out?

Please Join Us is an excellent thriller, with an interesting cast of characters and a compelling storyline. And while the stories are quite different, while reading it gave me a sort of The Firm vibe.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an eARC of Please Join Us.

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