Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake is a mesmerizing, edge-of-your-seat novel that peels back the layers of an elite sorority—and the deadly allure of the pursuit of perfection. The story follows Nina Kaur, whose desperate desire to erase her past mistakes and secure her future lands her in The House, the most sought-after and mysterious sorority on campus. But as she becomes entwined in their secretive rituals, she quickly realizes that this glittering world masks something far darker. At the same time, Dr. Sloane Hartley, a dedicated professor yearning for normalcy and fulfillment in her chaotic life, finds herself drawn into The House’s web of power and influence. Her own quest for belonging and recognition collides with a world that demands a bloody toll from those who seek to ascend. Blake masterfully weaves their stories into a taut, suspenseful narrative full of secrets, betrayals, and chilling twists. The stakes keep rising as both women grapple with how much they’re willing to sacrifice for success—and whether the true cost of living well is worth paying. The novel’s moody atmosphere, combined with its provocative themes, will leave you questioning what lies behind the façade of perfection. If you’re craving a read that’s as thrilling as it is thought-provoking, with plenty of dark surprises along the way, Girl Dinner is a compelling addition to the genre. Just beware—once you’re at the table, there’s no turning back.

one of my top reads of the year!! incredible plot, characterization, and so tongue-in-cheek funny. i can't wait to sell this in october.

I am DNF'ing this - potentially just for now, until some reviewers I trust are able to tell me if it's worthing pushing through.

This is partially on me. I didn't realise that the second POV was a new mum who was leaving her kid at daycare for the first time. This is what I didn't love about Blake's previous book (Gifted and Talented ended up being very toddler/mum focused) and so I was immediately hesitant. However, there was a line in one of the chapters about the character loving the smell of her baby's farts and breath after it breastfeeds... I must respectfully bow out for now.

This will be an important book for a lot of people. A lot of moms will probably find it quite cathartic of a read. Personally, I'm not interested. Again, as a long time Olivie stan, I would give this a try in the future if I hear more good things about it.

Thank you so much to Tor for the e-arc of one of my most anticipated reads of the year.

Girl Dinner
By: Olivie Blake
Release Date: October 21, 2025

This novel is everything you hoped the darker side to the phrase “girl dinner” would be. Dark, sarcastic, and witty- there is an edge to this novel that only a few other books have managed to reach. And Blake does it all perfectly with the glittery bow that is “The House”.
We follow two main characters, Nina and Dr. Sloane, both looking for the social advantage and status the being part of The House will give them. But as they delve deeper into the politics and clever phrases like “girl dinner” used to control and exert the idea of what a woman should be, they both have to decide exactly how far they will go? And though we have all read that phrase before, Blake truly uses it to the full advantage in Girl Dinner, because how far would each of us go to fulfill our dreams? Where is the line for you?
This book is very different from her other series but I enjoyed it. It gave me Grace Year vibes but in a modern day setting. I had a bit of a book hangover after this one. Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Publishers for the ARC.

Stars ✨ 4/5

What worked for me (4.25/5):
• Tone & Voice: Blake balances sharp humor and creeping dread beautifully. It’s whip‑sharp, scathing, and deeply satisfying in how it interrogates female rage and social expectations .
• Characters & Themes: Nina Kaur and Dr. Sloane Hartley embody different struggles—ambition, motherhood, identity—drawing you into a morally ambiguous sisterhood where loyalty is bloody and power costs dearly .
• Cultural Relevance: It nails the zeitgeist—explores “white feminism in academia,” social media wellness trends, and toxic sisterhood dynamics .

Why not a full 5 stars:
• Plot Pacing: Some sections lagged a bit around the mid‑book mark, with digressions that didn’t always drive the story forward .
• Tone Intensity: It’s strong on atmosphere and ideas, but fans craving a more visceral or horror‑leaning climax might find it comparatively restrained .

This book was somehow completely bonkers and extremely relatable — it was all over the place, and I loved a lot of it, disliked some of it, and hated the ending.

The points Blake made about feminism and womanhood and motherhood and what a giant mess everything is and how impossible it can be to live in the world were insightful, but the way they were frequently delivered as big blocks of internal monologue pulled me out of the story and made me glaze over a bit. It felt like the satire and heart of the story got lost in too much term paper-y business, which stinks because there was a lot of good stuff being said.

Anyway, this would be a great bookclub pick - lots to discuss - and I hope a lot of people read this!

thank you so much for the approval- i cannot wait to dive in, this is one of my most anticipated reads of the year! i will be sure to leave a review on GR/retailers to come! 💞

Dinner by Olivie Blake is a dark deep-dive into ambition, power, and the performative veneer of perfection. With biting commentary and an unflinching eye for the grotesque glamour of institutionalized womanhood, Olivie Blake spins a dual narrative between Nina Kaur, a sophomore clawing her way toward law school redemption, and Dr. Sloane Hartley, a disillusioned academic reeling from postpartum depression and a husband who wrote the definition of weaponized incompetence.

Ummmmm…
Dark academia about womanhood. Very spot on about what it’s like to be a working mom. Different from her other novels but very much the same writing style.

A satire women’s fiction? Never read anything like this and I love it SO much. It is important to check your triggers if you are sensitive to certain topics but this was so well done!

Please please please write more adult horror! This was amazing. The perfect blend of dark academia and female rage. Loved it.

Thank you so much, Tor Publishing Group and Tor Books and NetGalley, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

TW; cheating, murder, cannibalism

Every member of The House is beautiful, brilliant and respected, so when Nina Kaur is one of the chosen ones to get accepted her dreams are slowly coming true. After a freshman year she wants to forget, now she only wants to belong in a place where she will be loved, protected and successful.
Meanwhile, Dr Sloane Hartley is a adjuct professor and she's struggling to accept the demotion to support her husband's new position at the university. After becoming a mum, Sloane struggles with balancing her work and her need for being with her daughter, with her partner not so much present for their girl and not fitting clothes. When she's invited to be The House's accademic liason, her whole world changes, introducing her to new friends, like Alex and a new lifestyle. Both Nina and Sloane are slowly captivated by The House's glamour and success, until they discover dark and bloody secrets. Then they will have to decide what they will be able to support in order to be powerful and in solidarity with others.

Girl Dinner is a brilliant satire, focused on white, attractive and brilliant educated women and it's a novel about power, lust, feminism, rage and so much more. With darkly cannibalism involved, Olive Blake talks about the struggles of being a mother, the need for your child, the worries about them, the complexity of changing your body, the unsupportive husbands and the whole complex relationship with media and feminism and what should a woman be and do? What the "right" thing to be? If a right thing, a right model exist. Should a woman prepare "girl dinner" and be the perfect wife and a perfect mother? What does that mean? Embracing feminine roles, traditional ones? What's the meaning of this? Could a woman have it all? What's all? Olivie Blake, through Sloane, Alex and their other friends, talk about roles and progress, the meanings of words and to choose for yourself, choose what do you want to be, refusing roles imposed by the social media or society.
It's also a celebration of sisterhood and girlhood, for both Nina and Sloane, in finding people that could support, understand and love them.
Brilliant, smart and so needed. I loved it!

Well,

This book was objectively terrifying and awfully disheartening. Why you may ask? Because Olivie Blake is asking questions we all are and the answers she's come up with are less than savoury. Because there is one hard truth that living in 2025 has taught me- the world hates women and in the midst of states losing abortion rights and the rise of the 'trad wife' narrative, there is literally nothing I can do to fix it. Girl Dinner feels like a collective scream into the void.

At its core Girl Dinner is satire, and perhaps I read it a little too literally- but the concept of it all the sorority, the cannibalism didn't really feel that far fetched.

Blake's story follow two women and I definitely felt myself more in tune with Sloane's point of view (the new mother, trying to balance work and career) as opposed to Nina our university student. Perhaps it's age, but watching Sloane beat herself up constantly over motherhood and being a wife and having a job and trying to attain the elusive "she does everything" title. Well it felt pretty familiar, because didn't most of us grow up watching our mothers agonizing over this? Food for thought.

I think I could sit here for hours speculating on my thoughts and feelings about Girl Dinner and how although the idea of cannibalistic sorority girls feels crazy, it feels like a very fitting metaphor. While I did laugh a few times, Blake was absolutely RUTHLESS with her comparison. It was absolutely insane, but I felt it so deep into my being that I will be talking about it for the rest of forever.

If you read Yellowface, I really feel like you will enjoy this book. It's so satisfying to read. I promise you will finish and finally be full.

Didn’t realize this was a book about cannibalism. Didn’t get past the first chapter. The main character Sloan was very dull and pretentious.

Girl Dinner is a tough one to review. On one hand, I loved the snarky tone and the overall vibe—there’s something biting and self-aware about Olivie Blake’s writing that really works here. The book feels sharp, stylish, and clever in a way that initially pulled me in.

On the other hand, it often felt like it was trying too hard to be “smart.” The metaphors, the structure, the commentary—all of it occasionally tipped from insightful to self-indulgent. I found myself wading through dense, layered language that seemed more interested in impressing than connecting.

That said, there’s definitely an audience for this kind of writing, and I can appreciate the ambition.

A delicious horror novel set around a sorority with a secret recipe for success! I absolutely love horror centered around monstrous women and girls, so this one was right up my alley. Two highly compelling protagonists, a sinister yet humorous narrative voice, and a whole lot of surprises in store. Do not miss this one!

I absolutely loved this dark, feminism horror. When I read the description, I immediately thought of the after school special where the sorority girls circle the fat on your body. This book was way more than that. We follow two characters, Nina, who wants a chance at a new start, and Dr. Sloane Hartley, who has her own struggles as a new mom. Each join the sorority in a different capacity, Nina as a pledge and Sloane as an academic liaison. This book was everything I had been hoping for! Definitely check your trigger warnings as cannibalism is represented in this book.

Girl Dinner is a sharp, satirical deep-dive into the performance of perfection and the quiet horrors of modern womanhood. Olivie Blake weaves a dual narrative between Nina Kaur—a sophomore desperate to belong—and Dr. Sloane Hartley—a postpartum academic unraveling in silence. Their connection through the elite sorority known as The House becomes a dark, glittering descent into ambition, conformity, and ritual.

With biting prose and eerie precision, Blake critiques class, motherhood, feminism, and the pressure to be "enough"—beautiful enough, accomplished enough, wanted enough. The result is part horror, part sociological commentary, all delivered with her signature wit and lyrical sharpness.

While the middle lingers and the ending lands quickly, the overall impact is searing and unforgettable. Girl Dinner is daring, disquieting, and brilliantly original—a must-read for fans of feminist horror and thought-provoking fiction.

Thank you to Olivie Blake, and Tor Publishing Group for the eARC.

Hi Olivie, I love you. Always. This was a crazy, twisty read, and I am so excited for its publication date. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this story in exchange for an honest review. I am currently working through my ARC backlog and will be posting full reviews momentarily for books that have been completed!

I.....I....um. what. it started very interesting. but kind of flopped and went alot of nowhere?
I mean. Im so confused. That's clear. I have no real solid thoughts on this book. It felt like I was high while reading it? or maybe the author was high while writing it 😅. But I kind of get it. But the story just ends out of nowhere. Just when we were about to get somewhere.

also. we just have to kind of accept so many things. I get this is satire. In her acknowledgment, she talks about her ideas for the book and the satire aspect of the book. but .... 👁👄👁 why did it end like that? No idea was ever very clear or fleshed out. I just wanted ideas to be started, fleshed out, and finished. Instead it was Just a random stream of thoughts around women and feminism and society. -THIS ASPECT I LOVED. BECAUSE IT FELT LIKE MY MIND ON THE DAILY. But I also have no finished thoughts. and I certainly wouldn't put it in a book like that unfinished.....
like would I recommend this? MAYBE because it was INTERESTING. but if they want a good book- could I say it was good?

....NO.