Nicole, a partner law firm, finds out that senior partners have put her on the chopping block. Now that she is 40, regardless of how much skill and experience she brings to the table, women her age are seen as past their prime, while the men only gain more gravitas. She then finds out from her husband that their beloved Aunt, who has been battling cancer, in at deaths door. They spent their lives together in her apartment. Unable to purchase the apartment until her death as it was held in trust. The Aunt was supposed to incorporate the sale in her will, but there's no way to know until she dies. So, here is Nicole afraid that she is about to lose her job and her home at the same time. Then she recieved an email saying "Please join us". An invite to an exclusive womens only networking club full of influential women, such as actresses and singers, high ranking politicians, tech moguls, and more. Nicole wonders if this is the answer to her problems. Could she be that lucky? Or is she going to get caught up in more than she bargained for?
This book will definitely take you on a ride. I couldn't put it down! Highly recommended! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a very quick read! I was not expecting to sail thru this as fast as I did but I was pleasantly surprised! I like the corporate thriller genre when done well and this was done well! I was interested & intrigued in the characters especially the main character Nicole! I was invested until the end! And what an end!!!! Wow!

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Suspenseful. Nicole is having problems then she is invited to join a group of women who consider themselves a Pride of Lionesses. When asked for help, each woman will help or do what’s needed.
I liked the way the author gave bullet points such as describing coincidences or other issues.
Thanks to Netgalley.

REVIEW

Please Join Us ~ Catherine McKenzie

READ IF:
* You’ve been on a wellness retreat.
* You considered you friend group your “tribe” or “pride.”
* A pre-war apartment is in line with your design aesthetic.

SUMMARY: When Nicole Mueller’s job starts to tank, she joins a women’s networking group to make connections and increase her book of business. Panthera Leo promotes success in women and never leaving a member of the “pride” behind. After a retreat in Colorado, Nicole starts to see the benefits of the group - her job status improves, she lands a new apartment , and she feels the support of like-minded successful females.

However, when she comes to the aid of a fellow member she become implicated in a crime and soon realizes that her connection to Panthera Leo might have her in too deep.

REVIEW: Was riding the “cult” storyline wave after The Last Housewife, but this had some snags for me. For one, the “cult” storyline wasn’t really there so my expectations were quickly dashed. If you’re interested in this one, expect more of corporate takedown. Also, I was confused…a lot. I can’t nail down if this was because the book was actually confusing or if I was a disinterested reader but nevertheless, there were a few “huh” moments, especially at the end.

Appreciated the #MeToo fight the patriarchy vibes but I felt like this one was a bit underdeveloped in the places where it could have been great - building female relationships and proving that women can have it all, even in a man’s world.

After a harsh meeting with her mentor, Nicole wonders why she's been working so hard.
Learning of her husband's aunt's decline, Nicole realizes they may soon be out of a home. Dan and Nicole have rented their fabulous apartment for years with the understanding of buying.
An email catches Nicole's attention - a group of women. Networking. Connections. Hoping to inject some life in her career, Nicole signs up.
After the bonding retreat, things start looking up. She has choices for amazing apartments with low rent. And a career boosting case. A company fired their CEO after a woman alleged inappropriate behavior.
Nicole's need to solve problems leads her down a dark path - uncovering the truth behind her new group of friends.
Kept my attention. I enjoyed the characters, the present and past narrative.

⭐⭐⭐/5

• corporate thriller
• quick binge
• the very end though 😱

The premise of the secret female boss babe society was intriguing. It was a slow set-up but plenty of fun the rest of the way. I enjoyed the relevant topics of today's world like the patriarchy and the conflict of procreation. Overall it was pretty entertaining!

🗣️ Thank you to @netgalley and @simonandschuster for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

An elite network of women helping empower women. An interesting concept but I found it a bit underwhelming. It was more mystery than the corporate thriller I was hoping for and I just didn't connect with the characters.

This was an interesting read! I really enjoyed the writing and moved through this one quickly. I loved the corporate cult type of feel that this book had, and I love anything involving a cult, so that really kept my interest through the whole thing.

I thought that the characters were well-written and had cool backstories that helped me keep them all straight (there weren’t that many, I just have a terrible memory). I also really liked the main character! Nicole was strong and steadfast and she asked a lot of questions, even when people flat out told her to stop.

I will say that I was a bit disappointed by the ending. It was clever and came together nicely, but there were a lot of legal details that I didn’t care to try and keep up with. I guess I thought the final twist would be bigger? I don’t know, maybe it’s a me problem.

Overall, I thought this one was well done and I would definitely recommend!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for my gifted copy. This review is posted on my Goodreads and my Bookstagram account.

REVIEW-Please Join us
★ ★ ★ .5
🔪Genre: Thriller
💭Thoughts
I want to start by thanking Catherine McKenzie and Simon Schuster for this arc. I took my time with this one as I was in a reading slump but I have to say it kept me very interested. I thought the premise of the story was exciting and I was intrigued really early on! I loved the cult vibes, especially in part 1, which was my favorite part. I loved that the story alternated between the past and the present and I found myself trying to guess how both parts came together. Although I was still very engaged with the story, part 2 is where it fell flat for me. Don't get me wrong there was still a sense of intrigue and mystery just like in part 1 but I found that the story took a different turn. There was a lot of more focus on Nicole's job and a lot of law jargon that I wasn't really a fan of. The plot twist was unexpected but also a little confusing, and I had to reread that chapter. I loved that the ending was open-ended and made me form my own assumptions. Overall this was a great thriller and I hope to read more from this author.

Please Join Us starts off strong, with a first chapter that hooks you and leaves you wondering what’s going on. It’s a fast-paced, tense thriller with a dual timeline that I thought was well done. I liked the idea of women banding together and working the system, like a boys club.

Nicole’s life had been going well, and then her prestigious law career starts falling apart, she and her husband have to leave their apartment and their marriage is facing the question of what the future looks like together. When she receives an exclusive invitation to a women’s networking group, Panthera Leo, she thinks it’s the chance to turn everything around.

Catherine McKenzie does a masterful job of creating a ride that twists this way and that. My head was spinning until the very end.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness…this is a wow book for me. SO many twists and turns…even the last page! Women in business are sick of men controlling their narrative so decide to take matters into their own hands. Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? You will love the ride this book takes you on to a very satisfying end!!! I love Catherine McKenzie books. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC TO READ AND REVIEW

Nicole Mueller's legal career is falling apart when she receives a mysterious message for a women's networking group, Panthera Leo. A network dedicated to helping professional women succeed. Nicole sees her membership paying off when she gets a big client to relaunch her career, and a snazzy new apartment. It all seems great until she's called to a congresswoman's apartment to help cover up a crime. Will Nicole be able to remove herself from the group before it's too late?

I am low-key disappointed that Panthera Leo was such a cultish organization because if you think of it, what could be better than lifting up fellow women and helping them advance their careers!? It's so true that men do it all the time in the "boys club", without thinking twice. It's easy to see how people can get lured in by cults, particularly when they're in a low period in their life. This was an exciting, unputdown-able book with lots of twists and turns about powerful women.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the eGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of Please Join Us by Catherine McKenzie!!

Woman empowerment and cult vibes. What more could I ask for? This book is about woman trying to get ahead in a man’s world and the lengths they will go to to make sure that happens. Main character Nicole, who is a lawyer, joins a women's group (Panthera Leo) where they help each other get ahead, but there is always a price to be paid. This is a great, fast paced read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I really enjoyed this new cult thriller from Canadian author Catherine McKenzie! There have been some really great cult books this year so far but I loved that this one was formed by and for smart women with the intention of giving them advantages that men get all the time. Lots of great twists to keep the story interesting and a bit of a shocking end that I wasn't expecting - plus lots of great bad men getting what they deserve too! Perfect for fans of books like A special place for women by Laura Hankin. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Nicole Mueller is a 39-year-old lawyer who has worked for the same law firm since graduating. Minutes after the senior partner gave her a warning regarding her billing, she receives an invitation to join Panthera Leo, a highly exclusive women’s networking group. Her husband Dan worries it might be a cult but Nicole's convinced it isn’t. Once she arrives at the weeklong event, she meets the women that will be her Pride. She quickly casts her negativity aside and dives in as the women work together to support and help each other in a man's world. Late one night she’s called to the home of a woman in her pride only to find out she must help cover a crime. Can Nicole get out before it’s too late?



Please Join Us is a fast paced, suspense packed legal thriller with a cult vibe. I work in law, so I love a good legal thriller, give me all of it! The alternating timelines from past to present that spans the same year was cleverly done and kept the tension at an all time high. Nicole’s character was brilliant, I loved following along with her thought process from past to present. Catherine’s special talent is expertly crafting her twists, so it hits you like a brick wall when exposed, I love it. I really enjoyed this book, the plot, the writing, the twists and turns made this a page turner for me.



Thank you Simon and Schuster and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The twists and turns. This book was a bit of a slow start for me, but once in got in to it, oh wow!
Nicole Muller is at the height of her law career and all of a sudden, the rug is getting pulled, pull up your boot straps or … she gets an invitation to join an exclusive secret women’s networking group –successful women helping each other, just like the ‘old boys club’ but better. What is there to lose? And what happens when you actually connect all the dots, or did you connect them?
I soooo not saw the end coming, and could not put it down.

It's easy to say that McKenzie is my favourite Canadian author. I still remember how much I loved her debut novel "Arranged". This new novel is a the page turner. The chapters are short with a then and now timeline making it hard to stop reading. I found the premise and story new and original even though the characters were sort of blah and all the minor characters seemed the same except for having different names. The ending had a cute little twist! 4 big stars!
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Story: Just when thirty-nine year old Nicole Muller's career as a lawyer and her personal life are falling apart, she receives an email invitation to an exclusive women's networking group called Panthera Leo. After returning from the event, things begin to change for the better for Nicole with the help from Panthera Leo until she is asked to cover up a crime. She realizes something sinister is going on and is desperate to find a way out from the group.

My thoughts: This was one entertaining and creepy read! I liked that it has a bit of cult vibes in this story and the story build up was intense. How a person could get trapped in a group unknowingly was just creepy. There are twists and turns throughout the story and I enjoyed that as it kept me turning the pages!

However, there were also parts in the story I find repetitive and this dragged the story a bit. Most of the characters are unlikable but I really liked the backstories and characters development of both Nicole and her husband Dan.

Overall, this was a pretty good thriller/mystery with a good amount of twists, and I enjoyed it!


Pub. Date: August 23rd, 2022

***Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for this gifted copy to read and review. All opinions expressed are my own.***

Damn, what a fun and entertaining page-turner! I love a good girlboss story with women who take life by its horns and this book was that, plus more. There was never a dull moment and what I thought might end up being a cookie-cutter story ended up pulling the rug from under me!

I really liked Nicole and how her decisions/motivations were consistently believable. Not only could I sympathies with how cornered she felt, I was also totally onboard with the social commentary about women trying to succeed in a men's world as well as the injustices (and harassment) that they face time and time again. Because let's be real — it's true that the #MeToo movement only scratched the surface.

A sharp and engrossing that I relished from beginning to end. This is my second Catherine McKenzie novel and I definitely hope to catch up on her backlist!

This has all the elements of a twisty, fun thriller - revenge, gaslighting, secrets, lies and murder. Nicole is a lawyer climbing the corporate ladder and is introduced to a power group of women who enable each other to succeed and thrive in their personal and professional lives. Even with some reservations she immerses herself into this world and almost immediately starts to reap the benefits, only to find out it all comes at a cost. Lots of plot twists will keep you reading to find out how - and if! - Nicole can get herself out of some very complicated situations.
My thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review!