I really enjoyed this book! Murder that isn’t so much a mystery. The characters were well written, the scenes were always very descriptive. There was a major plot twist that I had seen coming but I was intrigued nonetheless 😁

woman like us are certainly going to need to be an "us" in this book as once again Katia gives us a thought provoking and stirring novel. it reeks of the unpleasantness often chucked,strangled and or forced onto woman. and what do they do about it. well in this first book with our character Joni she faced all of that with her husband and what came out about just what type of disgusting man he was. and Joni acted. Joni acted. but dont think this makes her ruthless or heartless. because in this book we very much hear those inner feelings of shame, guilt and lots of other emotions that comes from being a woman, a victim, being close to such a man and then getting rid of such a man. its a hard moral dilemma for both the character and us as readers. but dont ever be fooled of what abusive horror her husband was. and the ripple it continues to weave on anyone who was in his life.
we do have some moving on happening. as Joni has stated making her own different by bigging up woman in her now flying company. she works with her daughter and best friend. things seem to be going well.
there is more getting to know the complexities of the characters in this book. oh and we also have a beautiful dog to add to the mix and well, a dog makes everything better.
but then out of nowhere comes Marc. Jonies husband. he turns up a seemingly changed man. but he wasnt always a good man and this leaves with Joni once again living with trust dilemma. shes questions others and questioning herself.
Out of the blue Joni’s brother Marc shows up to Joni and Chris’s home in Malibu. The two haven’t had contact in years. Marc was a bully when they were younger but he seems to have changed for the better.
but then one day he disappears again. and secrets start bubbling to the surface about who he was.
weve got a story to tell here and it is told so well. its not quick but its ever so smart. its not full of wam bam moments but the shocks reverberate loud enough when exposed.
another brilliant book that feels powerful in its quietness and brave in its raw telling of humans.

I wish I knew it was a sequel at the time, that would've made a lot more sense. I felt I was missing huge plot points and tensions that are explained in the first novel. I felt there were heavy topics out of no where causing issues but my fault for having no idea it was a second book in the series. I would recommend reading the first novel, even though I haven't yet, but I might adjust my rating once I do. It was a detailed and well-written story overall.

I decided to DNF this book at 15% solely for my mistake in not knowing that this was a series. I found myself a bit confused, looked it up on Goodreads and realized this was #2. That is my mistake!

However, I was intrigued by the story, but I would prefer to read the first book before diving into Women Like Us.

Thank you for the opportunity!

I wish that when I chose this ARC, I had known that there was a book before this one. It may have helped me appreciate this one a little more.

I did learn a lot about psychopaths while reading this book. Joni's brother is obviously one, and Joni thinks she may become one. Well, considering she had killed her husband, I can see why she would worry. Now she has to worry about her daughter. After all, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

Either Mark Twain or Benjamin Franklin said that "two can keep a secret if one is dead," and this book tends to lean in that direction. So, as everyone's life begins to unravel, we have to worry about Joni killing someone else to keep her secrets. After all, there is only one person alive who knows that Joni killed her husband (maybe). But now three people are holding a totally new secret, and I wonder if the author is going to try to squeeze out another book with this as the theme.

The writing wasn't horrible, but there was no character growth, well, unless what happens in the end you consider growth. The story rambled in too many directions, and there was more trauma about a missing dog than most of the people involved.

I didn't love this book, but I didn't hate it either. However, I didn't lose myself in this book; it did not keep me engaged, but perhaps if I had read the first book? I feel that it was just an okay novel.

ARC supplied by the publisher Atlantic Monthly Press/Grove Atlantic, the author, and NetGalley.

The story follows Joni Ackerman, a woman who has spent five years rebuilding her life after secretly murdering her husband. Now, she runs Sunny Day Productions alongside her daughter and best friend, but her world is shaken when her estranged brother resurfaces, forcing her to confront dark family secrets and unsettling truths about herself.
The theme of the story is powerful, especially for women. It tackles family and friendship. How long will you take to protect your loved one? What are you willing to do to totally bury your past just so your present becomes perfect?
From the very beginning, it was an easy read and made me think a little—I really enjoyed it. However, as I got further into the book, it became flat and didn’t make sense anymore. This book feels too biased. Of course, I love women’s fiction, but I don’t know... this felt too unrealistic for me.
Still, I love how the story unfolds the complexities of women's friendships—what brings women together and what drives them apart. This book has a lot of potential, but I just wish it had been written in a more engaging way. Also, the fact that this is book two in Invisible Woman—which I was not able to read—really affected me in a negative way. I just wish I had known that before starting. But this can be read as a standalone—it’s just me, promise.
Overall, though this wasn’t what I expected, I’m still grateful and enjoyed reading it. It’s really a different feeling being inside the mind of a woman.

I didn’t realize this book is a mystery thriller. I don’t know why I assumed it was literary fiction. Women Like Us is a well written novel but highly predictable. I figured out the mystery about halfway through. The book has some comical moments but overall, I was slightly disappointed.

3.5 ⭐️

SO many theories went through my mind when I was reading this and I should’ve seen that ending coming but I didn’t and I loved it. I was smiling when that thing happened.
I liked the pace of the book, but I guess I wish there were more “action” scenes.

I was really excited about the project Joni was working on, and wish it was real!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book made me want to be sitting in a hotel on a sun lounger around the pool purely because this would be the perfect book for that. It hooked me in right from the start and kept me guessing. It also made me laugh out loud at several points,

This novel was just about but not quite a hit for me. Lots of possibilities with the premise and set up, but it just didn't quite carry it all home for me. But a quick beach read for an entertaining afternoon.

this was reaaaaally good. the world needs more books like this!!! thank you so much to the publisher for this arc!!!

This is part thriller and part literary fiction. I found myself hooked a little after the beginning and couldn’t put it down and wanting to know what happened. I found the ending to leave some questions to be answered and almost rushed

The mysteries in the plot are predictable, but it was still an enjoyable and satisfying read. Despite the sketchy behavior from everyone, you still want to root for them and hope that they become a better person in the end. It’ll make for a great summer read. This is a super quick and engaging read that can easily be done during the weekend or while on vacation.

Engaging and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

Thank you to Netgalley and Katia for the ARC!

This one just didn't do it for me, with the blurb I was expecting something completely different. Although not always a bad thing, I just didn't enjoy the direction it went.

Unfortunately this one was really slow and boring for me. None of the characters had any depth and the writing was sub-par. I couldn't really care less about any of the characters and I noticed this one was a huge tell don't show kind of novel and it made it hard to get into.

My main issue is its just not a very interesting plot at all, and a lot of what happens has no emotion or anything really behind it because you aren't invested in the story and certainly not the characters.

There were parts where I read it and went "really, that's it?" since I always do no spoiler reviews, Ill just say Things that are definitely a big deal get shrugged off. Some things that happen your really just like " Yeah not shit bud??"

The book has been read!

I was hoping for more from this story but didn't get what I was after. I thought it would be the type of story that's hard to put down. It was not. The characters were not memorable and the story dragged at certain parts. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

While there was a lot of character development, I didn't care for most of the characters and I felt like there wasn't a lot of plot going on. However, those that enjoy rich character descriptions may really enjoy

This book dragged for me. There were too many subplots and a lot of noise that could have been cut out. Whether or not it was intentional, it didn’t help the book. What were we really supposed to be focused on - the question of Joni killing her husband or her brother’s secret past?

“She would be this: a woman who excavated the forgotten lives of other women and thereby saved herself”

Women Like Us explores female relationships, what binds and breaks them, and the age old questions, is evil an inherited trait?

Joni is a truly unlikable character, yet for the entire book I found myself rooting for her and many cases, relating to her. The guilt she feels over the death of her husband, her constant questioning of if she is a bad person because her parents were and her brother is. Will her daughter, Chris, also be a terrible person? If I wasn’t wanting to throttle her, I was wanting to hug her.

Her friendship with her childhood best friend Val is balancing on a precarious thread that is pulled tighter the whole book due to a tainted history and Joni’s inability to accept the truth of her brother and you have to wonder, “when is it going to snap?”



Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for a free copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Women Like Us lays out an intriguing story that forces readers to face the age old debate of nature vs. nurture. The novel starts out strong with main characters that felt fleshed out and a thrilling premise that seemed fun to follow but eventually led to a story that contained too many sub-plots with too much unnecessary sideline activity. While I really enjoyed Lief’s writing—sharp, witty, intelligent—this story and its pacing did not feel well-executed.

Thank you Grove Atlantic for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Available Jun. 03 2025