Cover Image: Please Join Us

Please Join Us

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I finished Please Join Us yesterday by Catherine McKenzie. First off, thank you to @netgalley the author and @atriabooks for the advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

Please Join Us starts with Nicole who is a lawyer that has worked really hard in her career to move forward. But she receives a warning from a senior partner that she’s gotten off track and they’re not happy with her performance. She’s back at her desk thinking about what she should do and receives an email from a group called Panthera Leo.

The email asks if she’s tired of trying to catch up with the boys club and wants to join a group of high level women who are working together to advance in career. Membership is anonymous and all she has to do is email back to join the Pride.

I loved the premise of this book, of women working together to get ahead and of course there’s a thriller twist. I thought I had parts figured out but didn’t figure out everyone in the ways they were involved - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me!

This book publishes August 23, 2022.

Was this review helpful?

Catherine Mckensie has written anther tense chilling read .I picked this book up to read a few pages could not put it down.The characters really came alive I w was caught up in the web of the company the evil that surrounds it.Will be recommending the author and this thriller.#netgalley #atria

Was this review helpful?

Catherine McKenzie did it again! Please Join Us is a smart feminist corporate thriller that sucks you in from the beginning. The characters are perfectly mysterious and intriguing, and the twists are perfectly timed. If you love a good high stakes business related thriller, add this to your TBR now!

Was this review helpful?

I have just read Please Join Us by Catherine McKenzie.

I enjoyed this thriller by a Canadian Author, who had previously practised law.

It is my first book by the Author, and I will read more of her books in the future.

This storyline line starts off with Nicole Mueller having struggles with her career as a lawyer, when she receives an email from an elite woman’s group inviting her to join them at a retreat in Colorado.

She and her husband have also found out that they are losing their apartment of many years.

This is a powerhouse of a group with many women is strong positions.

Lots of interesting characters, and twists. A good read about women wanting the respect that men have in the world of business

Thank You to NetGally, Author Catherine McKenzie, and Atria Books for my advanced copy to read and review.

#NetGalley @atriabooks

Was this review helpful?

Is it a women's empowerment group, or is it a cult? Are they working for good or is something nefarious going on? There are a lot of questions readers can ask themselves while reading Catherine McKenzie's Please Join Us, and this is a well paced and juicy plot that is very of the moment. I honestly could have read probably another 50-100 pages in this book happily.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to Atria Books for an egalley in exchange for an honest review

In her thirteenth novel, Catherine McKenzie creates another memorable suspense thriller about an ambitious female lawyer whose quest to reach the top of the ladder might result in a very uncertain future.

With the archive date fast approaching, I couldn't keep this book on the backburner one second more. Once I started, I couldn't put the book down as our main protagonist Nicole relays the story from "now" and " then." I felt myself with just enough of a dose of impatience and eagerness that I wanted to see how it played out. For the majority of the book, I felt I was on a fast paced rollercoaster, but I feel a little hesitancy on whether the ending worked for me or not. Not that it is the author's fault just my general feeling. Overall, I did enjoy the novel and I anticipate it will certainly climb its way to the top of the book charts in August.



Expected Publication 23/08/22
Goodreads review 20/05/22

Was this review helpful?

This is a book that any woman that needs a fun escape from life, can do so safely in this book. What an outlandish idea that was so intriguing and inspiring. I'm hooked. Love Catherine McKenzie's books! Absolutely fun and entertaining. Watch my Amazon Live interview with Catherine here: https://amazon.com/live/broadcast/35966ced-06a2-45d6-a520-952854705ccb?tag=erinmbransco-20&linkCode=ilv&ref_=social

Was this review helpful?

Please Join Us is Catherine McKenzie's latest book that is due out August 2022. This is my 4th book by this author and this one was just ok this time around. A women's networking group went to a retreat and I kept waiting on more twists to come, which we all know Catherine does so brilliantly!!!! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Just when things aren’t looking so great for 39 year old Nicole Mueller, an email arrives in her inbox inviting her to be part of an exclusive women’s empowerment group. The next retreat is a month away at a dude ranch in Colorado. Nicole decides to use her expense account at the law firm where she works as a lawyer to pay for this improvement session. Her husband Dan is worried that it sounds like a cult and maybe in this instance she should have listened to her husband. But she is not here to question it, she is here to compete with misogyny and learn how to break the glass ceiling together with other women.

I really enjoyed the writing style the author uses and was flipping pages quickly to see how this group of women (and one odd man) were ‘killing it.’ While the story became a bit more unbelievable as it went on, I was still there for the ride. The book lost a few points as the culmination of the twist came to fruition as it became very complicated. Readers familiar with corporate law will be much more comfortable during this portion but I had to slow right down which is the opposite of what I usually want from a thriller.

The ending was satisfying and I was very intrigued by the last page of the book and what it might mean. In this way the author supplied both an explanatory ending and one bit with some mystery for those who like things a bit open ended.

Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for an ARC of Please Join Us. This book comes out August 23, 2022. In the meantime, this lawyer turned author has several good books in her backlist you can check out. I really enjoyed Six Weeks to Live.

Was this review helpful?

wow what a read! i was instantly drawn to this book and knew something was up with this company.
i literally could not put this book down and was shocked at the ending.
definitely recommend this one!

Was this review helpful?

My first Catherine McKenzie novel, I will definitely be reading more. “Please Join Us” was a fast paced thriller/mystery. Lots of great twists and turns that hooked me from the beginning. We follow Nicole, a lawyer who’s life is falling apart as she’s approached by a mysterious “cult like” group of women who help her to turn that around, but at what cost?

***Thank you to atriabooks and netgally for the eARC for an honest review***

Was this review helpful?

Please Join Us is a fast-paced psychological mystery that is the latest 5-star read from Catherine McKenzie. Reeling from a sudden down-turn at work, attorney Nicole receives an email from an organization started by women to help other professional women leverage their contacts. She's invited to one of their upcoming sessions and fearful of what will happen if things don't improve at her firm she takes the chance and soon finds herself in Colorado with other women who will form her pride. Each woman has a different background but have one thing in common-they're all well known in their industries. Soon after the session Nicole begins to see a near immediate improvement at work and even a new apartment. Nicole, skeptical by nature, has begun to ask a lot of questions she brushed aside earlier. Just why was she chosen for this opportunity? How have thing happened so quickly? And why does her pride seem to know where she is and what she's doing at all times?

The favors she's asked to return seem relatively easy...until one of the women in her pride (a US Congresswoman) asks her to help cover up a crime in the middle of the night. Dan, Nicole's husband, has been suspicious from the beginning but is now convinced something more dangerous is going on-and just how can Nicole remove herself from this group that knows everything? Those questions and more will be answered when you pick up Please Join Us!

Catherine McKenzie has delivered another hit-with flawed but intriguing characters, fast-paced action and many twists and turns-you will not be able to put this book down.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Was this review helpful?

Book received for free through NetGalley for an honest review

I absolutely adored this book. It grabbed me quick and was so hard to put down. A perfect enticing read.

Was this review helpful?

This book is fantastic! I could not put it down. What's not to love about a modern day girls' club intent on furthering everyone's careers? There are so many interesting and complex characters, and the plot is gripping. This is the kind of book that leaves you second-guessing what's going on and who's on the good guys' side. A must-read for anyone looking for a thrilling read.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I used to really like Catherine McKenzie. Some where along the line she jumped the shark. I don’t know why I finished this. It is all over the place. Cults, me too, sexual assault, affairs, female work place issues? Please pick a topic. Also it managed to be kind of boring. I didn’t like this at all.

Was this review helpful?

Please Join Us starts with Nicole having a had a talk with Thomas, a managing partner of the law firm. Not only do we learn that billable hours are very important, but there is a point system with a mysterious formulation that determine what you receive each year. Hers are being cut with a warning to figure something out or she will be leaving the firm. She worries she is about to lose everything that she loves if she can't up things at the office.

Nicole gets an email asking her to join them. After reading the email she thinks it might be just what she needs to make connections and network in order to turn things around at the office. So, she accepts the invitation to go and flies to Aspen and looks forward to the week. The resort is not as luxurious as she expected, more of a rustic but comfortable ranch. Nicole and the other guests are welcomed to Panthera Leo by Michelle & Karma.

When she returns home she begins to get contacts and opportunities. Nicole can see that joining Panthera Leo might have been just what she needed. But things start to change, and she is feeling more pressure and control from Karma and Michelle. Nicole will get a call from Athena for help. But is this a test or a real cry for help.

This is a modern day issue of the good ol' boys club, where men appear to have the advantage and free reign over women. But this story is a real twist and turn story never knowing for sure who was going to have the upper hand. It was interesting to watch the tables turn in multiple directions in order to see who will best the others.

Was this review helpful?

Another great book! I really enjoyed this one. A thriller that kept me on my toes the whole time. I loved how the main character made a decision that would possibly change her life. 3.75 stars to me!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to @atriabooks and @netgally for the eARC of Please Join Us by Catherine McKenzie. This is my first time reading this author but it won't be my last! I started this book and literally could not put it down. This is a totally binge worthy read and I love books like that.

Would you join a secret group of woman if you received an email offering you to join? What if your career is on the brink and this group of woman claim that can fix it? Well, that's exactly what happens to Nicole, a lawyer working at a prestigious law firm. Nicole attends a weekend getaway with the group of powerful woman and things immediately start changing for Nicole. But soon, things get out of control. Just what is going on here? That's exactly what Nicole intends to find out. Will she find out just what the motive of this secret club is? And when she does, what will happen? The answer may surprise you!

I would certainly recommend this one to anyone who likes suspense and mystery books. I could not get enough of this one!

Was this review helpful?

This is a thriller about secret organizations, hidden agendas and the lengths Nicole Mueller is willing to go to reclaim her life. Her brilliant career is on the rock and she and her husband are soon forced out of their apartment. When Nicole received an invitation from exclusive women’s networking group, it sounded like a great opportunity for her to revive her career....Or she thought....

I haven’t enjoyed a story by this author as much as this one. It slowly grabbed me and I was soon deep into Nicole’s drama. It is a mind game full of duplicity, manipulation and liars. No one is to be trusted. Strange rituals and endurance tests are part of this secret society. What did Nicole get herself into this time? Can she extricate herself from the group before it’s too late?

This plot driven complex and thrilling read kept me on the edge of my seat. Soon after the opening page I was intrigued and stayed so till the story reached the surprising twisted last pages. Wow what an ending, cross and double cross ...claws were out....

This latest is brilliant and shows us how some people will stop at anything to get what they want. What a diabolical and fast-paced ride easily devoured in one setting.....Well-done I enjoyed my time with “Please Join us”.

Was this review helpful?

This book is a real,page turner! Nicole Mueller is struggling in her law career when she receives an invitation to join Panthera Leo, a women’s group that helps each other with their career goals. After a retreat and initiation into the group, Nicole returns to NYC and that’s when good and confusing things start happening. In time, a Machiavellian plot reveals itself full of incredible twists and surprises. Definitely add this one to your TBR list!

Was this review helpful?