I struggled with finishing this book because I lost interest early on in reading it. While I could see parts of myself in each of the female protagonists, I HATED Jake Sarno. This character had no redeeming qualities and it made me wonder why any of these women would want to be involved with him. Maybe I was a bit triggered because I knew someone just like him and this book reminded me of this person. Regardless, this was a fast-paced story and I can see how some readers would get sucked into this world of drama. *Advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for the advance reader copy of this book.

Summary: Three women whose lives have orbited around each other because of one man. Anna, the ex-wife. Jessica, the new (much younger) wife. And Sam, the ex-girlfriend.

Review: I wanted to love this book so much. So much. I loved the idea that women are the fiercest creatures because of what we are capable of. I loved that message. But, overall the book left me wanting more. I think this is one of the few books that would've benefitted from being longer. It felt too crammed. Too rushed and somehow also too slow. The end was not thrilling. In my opinion, it really wasn't anything. I think, unfortunately, this book suffers from great concept, poor execution.

This was a great book – interesting characters, complex relationships, and an engaging storyline – until the end. I was disappointed after investing time and emotional energy in the characters to have most of the issues resolved in a summary newspaper article embedded in the Epilogue. Consequently, I deducted one star.

Three women’s lives are upended through their relationships with one charismatic, self-absorbed man, who gives lip-service to feminist principles and ignores their contributions to his success. Despite his selfish motivations, it is hard to dismiss Jake Sarnoff as a narcissistic cad, because he really seemed to love these women, even as he manipulated them for his own agenda. Each woman is challenged to see clearly and realistically who Jake is and what he represents to them…leading to them being fierce in standing up for themselves and their children.

The story moves at a good pace, and I had a hard time putting it down, which made the rushed ending all the more dismaying. The author’s talent shines through in the character development and in the refreshingly original premise for the book. I look forward to reading more of her work.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads and Amazon accounts. a

Want a read for International Women's Day (Month. Yes, take the whole month)? Women are the Fiercest Creatures is the book for you.

Anna, Samanta, and Jessica are fierce AF. They are thought-provoking and well-written. You know these women. You are these women. Jake is absolutely no match.

I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Let’s start with the title: 𝗪𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗡 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗘𝗥𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘𝗦! You have to love that and kudos to Andrea Dunlop for using it. Hers is the story of three women, all involved at one time or another with Jake, a charismatic tech CEO in the very techy world of Seattle. One of the women is his much younger wife, another his ex-wife, and the third his college girlfriend. Two of the three helped build his company without ever getting any real credit. Sadly, we know this has too often been the case in the male-dominated tech industry. As the company is about to go public, tensions mount and this trio of women strive to find their inner fierceness. ⁣
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I really enjoyed this story. Living in the Seattle area (as does Dunlop), I loved how she used the setting as an integral part of her characters' worlds. I also really came to like the three women with their complicated lives, and sad regrets. If there was a flaw in the story, I would say that it would be that to varying degrees the trio let Jake get away with a lot for a very long time. Their backstories explained why, but I kept wondering, where was their inner fierceness back then? The ending also had a little blip that was hard to believe. Still, those were only minor quibbles. I very much enjoyed this book, flying through the pages. I think it’s a fun, in-the-now, women’s story that many, many will enjoy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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Thanks to @zibbybooks for a #gifted copy of #WomenAreTheFiercestCreatures.

The perfect book to review right before International Women’s Day Women Are The Fiercest Creatures gives different women in a very successful tech guru’s life a chance at the spotlight – and it is a compelling and propulsive book that hooked me right from the start, I couldn’t read it fast enough, i had to find out what was going on.
There’s Anna, his ex-wife, the mother and caretaker of his two tween and teen sons but she was also the lawyer who put her career on the backburner so Jake could put everything in his startup and still have a family life. Additionally she was an unpaid sparrings partner for new ideas, advisor and confidante helping him shape the business into what it is today. Now that the company is gearing up for an IPO she has been replaced true to the cliché by a woman 15 years her junior and now pregnant. Jessica’s life is not what she thought it would be. Her new tech guru husband needs quite a lot of time to himself and she finds herself very alone with stepsons who do not want her in addition to being pregnant. But there’s an additional woman Sam who as a brilliant coder in their college days helped Jake develop his website idea until she was replaced herself and she comes back with bagagge. These three women at first unknowingly and reluctantly come together to confront the man at the center of their intertwined stories with all the unpaid work and energy, ideas and caretaking, he has quite readily taken and in some instances even presented as his own. Confornting how he has played them against each other on the way. Throw in the other women that this story highlights and who are enablers – Jake’s mother Pam or Anna’s friend Bri. Dunlop's characters are fully dimensional and believable, they were so real. And I loved dipping my tow into their world for a wonderful, engaging ride.
An interesting picture of modern womanhood, a fast paced novel about empowering women, a thought provoking and intelligent read and a great bookclub pick with loads to unpack and discuss.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Women Are the Fiercest Creatures.

This is a story about three women, Anna, Sam, and Jessica, who love the same charming, manipulative man, Jake.

The story sounds familiar because it is; it's about a man silencing the talents and skills of the women behind the scenes who made him the tech giant CEO that he now is.

The writing is good, but my biggest caveat is why these women all fell for Jake.

He doesn't sound wily or charming, intelligent or brilliant, yet there are plenty of descriptions of how Sam and Anna felt in his presence; how Sam stalked Jake when he broke up with her.

Jake doesn't read as someone who deserves any of this attention from any of these capable, intelligent women.

Maybe, since these women were all looking for a father figure and someone to lean on and build a family with, maybe that's why they depended on Jake so much emotionally Jessica lost a mother, Anna's parents split up and her single mother struggled financially, and Sam's dad died as well.

Anne and Sam's actions and behaviors was worrisome; each of them kept fawning (and obsessing) over Jake, and this 'hero worship-like' behavior is concerning, especially as it continues years later.

Jessica as the trophy wife is barely developed as a character, except in terms of her cliche appearance; she's young, gorgeous, with a youthful, bouncing body. Perhaps she is the strongest of the three

Anne and Sam seem never to have broken away from Jake, his psychological and emotional hold on them so powerful it continues to dictate their lives, which belies the book's title.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Follow three fierce women in their reckoning with one man. These complex, strong women are relatable with the issues they face: new motherhood and the isolation it can bring, divorce, single parenting, entrepreneurship, and sexism in the workplace. You’ll be compelled to keep reading as the pieces fall into place, while holding your breath that karma strikes Jake! #womensupportingwomen Pick this book up starting today. Thank you to @zibbybooks @netgalley and @andreadunlop for the advanced copy for review. These opinions are my own.

Andrea Dunlop’s Women Are The Fiercest Creatures, set in Seattle, opens with a quick overview of Jake Sarno’s life as CEO of STRANGERS, a startup company on social media connecting people through common community engagement. Dunlop quickly engages readers with a “missing baby” scene and then flashes back 8 months to complete the backstory of Jake’s company, his college friend and cofounder, and the woman involved in helping to build the company. Dunlop creates suspense and anticipation as the women in Jake’s life deal with remorse over past and present decisions, conviction believing they’ve done the right thing, and coping with the outcomes. At the novel’s heart is making choices and proving that author, Andrea Dunlop is indeed correct, Women Are the Fiercest Creatures.

This novel was an absolute delight of empowerment and freedom.

Jake Sarnoff’s current wife, ex-wife and ex-girlfriend are determined to teach Jake a lesson.

Anna is his current wife, and they share two teenage boys. Jake wants out of the marriage and announces it to his Tech Company, before she can tell her friends and family. Anna helped him build this company and he wants to remain friends. After the announcement, she has her own announcement. LOVED this!!!

Jakes ex-girlfriend, Samanta comes into play when he decides to take the billion-dollar company public. She is raising a teenage daughter and has her own company, but revenge can be sweet. She has unfinished business with Jake.

Jake marries a twenty-five year old Jessica and she is pregnant. She is struggling to keep his attention.

What will these women do and how will affect each of their relationships? An addictive read!

Thank you Zibby books for introducing us to this wonderful book. Out today March 7, 2023. Thank you @netgalley, @zibbybooks and author Andrea Dunlop for this advanced copy.

Women Are The Fiercest Creatures
Andrea Dunlop

Thanks to Zibby Books and Net Galley for my ARC. Fast paced with fascinating, smart but flawed female main characters, this one had me hooked from the first page. The book opens with a missing 6 week old baby and backs up to all the factors that led up to this scary moment.

At the core is Jack Sarnoff, a Seattle tech billionaire, who’s success can be attributed to several of the women in his life, women who have received very little credit. For the most part, Jack is a flat character. Not much is shared in terms of his thoughts and feelings but this allows for maximum focus on the women in his life. Anna, ex wife who was instrumental in building the social media platform that brought him massive financial gain, Sam, his former college girlfriend who was tossed away and was an early partner in his business and Jessica, his new much younger trophy wife who finds a relationship with a tech billionaire isn’t exactly easy.

“Mothers are supposed to be loving, perfect, patient and saintlike. Or on the other hand, you have all the memes about wine and coffee and the general disaster of it all, which would lead us all to believe that mothers are well-caffeinated, sleep deprived drunks… That leaves very little space for the humanity of the women at the center of it all.”

So much energy is spent trying to navigate the middle ground between these two extremes. I think very few mom’s look in the mirror and tell themselves, “I’m really crushing this mom thing” but this book reminded me I’m not the only one that questions their ability to mother with grace.

Thank you to the author, Zibby Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honest, but not unbiased: I loved this book. This story is about three women - whose lives intersect sometimes glancingly, sometimes glaringly - bound together by their past (or in one case present) encounter with the epitome of toxic masculinity. Each of them has enabled this OG momma's boy in their own way - and each of them reaches their breaking point. The writing draws you into the lives of each character and I was engrossed, even though this is not my world (motherhood, women in STEM, PNW setting). The title was a bit of a mystery, which reveals slowly - and culminates in a very satisfying ending, without being a saccharine "all-tied-up-in-a-bow" thing. And can I just say: What a gorgeous cover!

Wow! Women really are the fiercest creature! I loved this fast-paced story about empowering women to work together instead of competing with each other. Powerful characters and storyline, I just couldn’t put this down!

I have mixed feelings on this book.

Jake Sarnoff seems to leave women in his wake. So many relationships that ended for him to move on to the next one in his sights, all without proper goodbyes. He then seems to want to hang on to them in some way, to have when it suits him.

On the one hand, I expected to see the women catching on and then sticking up for themselves. They seem to take what he dishes out and they find a way to be okay with it. Or do they? Do all the women finally reach a point where they see things for what they are?

Maybe the way they are fierce is that they will protect their children first and foremost. While they would like to take certain actions, they weigh that against the consequences for their children and do what is best for them, often negating their own needs. Or do they? Do they eventually put their needs first to build a better future for their children? You will have to read to find out. As you can see, my opinions aren’t clear either. I think I will be thinking on this one for a bit yet.

Thank you to Zibby Books for the copy of this book. All views are my honest opinion.

4.5 STARS


”If everything women do is invisible, people have an excuse to erase them."

First of all, this book is fantastic!! Part thriller, part women’s fiction, I could not tear myself away from this engrossing story. It is not to be missed! The Pacific Northwest also has a starring role and this book made me want to visit Washington State again.

I have followed the author’s career ever since she reached out to me back in 2016 (!) to read her fabulous debut book, Losing the Light. I could not help but envision her newest book as a miniseries as I was reading. Someone please option this for Hulu or Netflix!

Told from the viewpoint of several different women, this book is incredibly timely and empowering. Loved everything about it, including the gorgeous cover and the women in tech. The relationships are all very realistic and each of the main protagonists are perfectly written. Everyone has flaws but most are struggling to make the right choices.

”If you didn't choose a person when it counted, calling them the love of your life meant nothing.”

(Many thanks to the publisher for the free copy. All thoughts are my own.)

Women are the Fiercest Creatures - the title grabbed me. At first, the story didn't seem to live up to its name, but as it progressed the fierceness emerged. Andrea Dunlop's novel is written from the viewpoints of 3 women, all of whom have/have had relationships with tech mogul and narcissist Jake Sarnoff - his former business partner/girlfriend, his ex-wife, and his current wife. Sarnoff neither completely attaches to any of them, but he refuses to let the 2 women he left to completely escape him either. There's lots of intrigue, interesting character development, and quirky details that make this an engaging read. Highly recommend for book clubs, those who like strong female characters, and people who enjoy mixed genre reads.

LOVED this one! Set in the tech world in Seattle, it is propulsive and hard to put down. The story follows two women who are connected to tech darling Jake Sarnoff. One is the ex wife, who may have done something in the past she regrets, and one is his college ex and one time mistress, who has several big connections to him that no one is aware of. It's a book about the power of women, about women standing up for themselves and using their power to help others. This will be a hit!

I’ve never seen a title with words so true. WOMEN ARE THE FIERCEST CREATURES by Andrew Dunlop follows Seattle tech giant Jake Sarnoff and three slighted women tangled in his manipulative orbit.

The story is told from the viewpoints of three women who are each facing distinct challenges as women. Many readers will see themselves reflected in these characters who are navigating careers ,single motherhood, female friendships, divorce, and changing body image. Each woman’s storyline also had a bit of mystery that kept me quickly turning pages.

My favorite aspect of the book was how each character was incredibly layered. Everyone had shortcomings, but there were redeeming qualities abound. Readers who enjoy stories about bold women taking down the patriarchy with a side of found family trope will want to pick this one up.

READ THIS IF YOU LIKE:
-Strong female protagonists
-The Seattle tech world
-Page-turning stories with a feminist lean

WOMEN ARE THE FIERCEST CREATURES is the first novel published by @zibbybooks and I am excited to read more from this up and coming publisher as well as the author. Many thanks for the ARC!

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: March 7, 2023

review will be posted to www.instagram.com/kellyhook.readsbooks the week of publication

I learned of this book through an LJ webinar, and was so grateful to get the ARC.One man, three women, all connected. Lots of drama!

As an aside, unfortunately, the arc was not packaged well. The words were cut short and letters were missing. i had to really focus to guess the words. Alas, it did not stop me from reading this fantastic story.

Thank you to Zibby and NetGalley.

Andrea Dunlop's WOMEN ARE THE FIERCEST CREATURES is the story of three women connected through past and present relationships with the same elusive, tech "genius" man. Set in the Pacific Northwest tech world, this novel gave a deep view into an unknown and high stakes world I loved learning more about. Dunlop's characters are fully dimensional and believable, dropping me into their worlds for a wonderful, engaging ride. I deeply enjoyed spending time with this wonderfully well-wrought story. I received a copy of this novel and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.