There’s something undeniably magnetic about Girl Dinner. It’s a raw, unsettling pull that kept me turning pages even when I wasn’t sure I wanted to. The themes, particularly the feminist undertones and the critique of societal expectations, are bold and unapologetic. However, while the message was strong, the delivery didn’t always hold up under scrutiny.

The pacing felt off-kilter in places, with some chapters dragging, while others barreled ahead. Additionally, the shifts in tone from dark comedy to outright horror left me more disoriented than intrigued. I can absolutely see this book lighting a fire in a book club setting, sparking debate and strong opinions.

The ending, thankfully, brought a jolt of surprise and a sense of closure I didn’t realize I was hoping for. It’s one of those payoffs that almost, but not quite, made the journey worth it.

Still, I’m conflicted. I don’t regret reading it, but I wouldn’t pass it along to a friend. That’s not because it’s bad, but rather because I’m not sure I’d want to unleash it on someone else. It’s not exactly a feel-good read. You’ll either emerge fired up or emotionally gutted. Possibly both.

wow wow wow
pages: 339
format: e-book (e-arc)

first, thank you netgalley for this arc! i enjoy this author a lot and this horror queer fiction did it for me. i was in a sorority in school and our founder was named maud so that was a fun personal connection.

this book had such a great balance of shock and mystery. i enjoyed the dual pov but def had more interest in nina’s pov. i didn’t have a clue what this book was initially about and finding out about the cannibalism was a crazy surprise. i enjoyed the themes of power and what it means to be feminist and what is too taboo.

def will recommend to readers and can’t wait to share on my bookstagram to highlight this read. can’t wait for a copy on my shelf!

I don’t know how it’s possible to make a book about cannibalism boring but uh, ya did a great job!

I just don’t vibe with books where the plot hasn’t started by the second half of a book, you know? It was also increeedibly long winded. We’d starting in one thought and start bouncing between different people and topics and conversations until we finally got back to the original point but by that time, I had already forgotten what we were talking about.

2.5/5. I know this book is a satire, but I've never been more confused in my life. The plot is super interesting, but the book is so fast-paced that I feel like a lot of the plot gets lost. On one hand, you have Nina, a student who recently joined The House. I love her perspective and could've read the whole thing from her viewpoint. On the other hand, you have Sloane, an adjunct professor. Sloane's perspective is all over the board and made the book challenging to understand. I also felt that it ended too abruptly.

Oh my gosh—I loved this book.
Girl Dinner is a razor-sharp, unflinching look inside an elite sorority at a prestigious college, and it completely delivered on the dark, glossy feminist thriller I was hoping for.

The House is the sorority—beautiful, influential, connected. Alumni are more than mentors; they shape careers and futures. We follow two main perspectives: Nina Kaur, a Black sophomore trying to find her place within the sorority’s insular world, and Sloane Hartley, an overworked adjunct professor balancing single motherhood and academic ambition, desperate for a path to tenure.

Sloane begins interviewing alumni—pushed to publish—and ends up drawn into the orbit of a viral tradwife influencer with millions of TikTok followers. Nina, meanwhile, wrestles with conflicting feelings about sisterhood, identity, and a complicated attraction to the sorority’s president.

The novel brims with feminist tension, social commentary, dark academia vibes (YES please), and characters who feel painfully real. Both Nina and Sloane are pulled toward belonging, but the question is—at what cost?

Gripping, smart, and crackling with feminist rage. I need more books like this. Immediately.

#GirlDinner #TorBooks #OliviaBlake #DarkAcademia #SororityThriller #FeministReads

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Tor for giving me a ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Combine commentary on the patriarchy and horror-sorority-cannibalism and you have the recipe for a good book on your hands. This was good, but Olivier’s books are always a hit or miss for me. Some of the execution for writing didn’t hit the spot like I wanted it to. I might revisit my rating once I give it some more thought and stew on it, but I liked this! Olivie giving us 2 books in one year is not an easy feat and I can absolutely admire that dedication.

There is so much depth to this book, what it means to be a "good woman", dripping with satire and biting wit this was hard to put down, loved the POV from the privileged/elite, anything Blake writes is razor sharp and cuts deep, provactive and entertaining , love this author!

You know the lyric "how did I go from growing up to breaking down?" This is what this novel felt like- in an exaggerated sort of way. To be a woman growing up, going to college, entering motherhood. I have felt all the things that Olivie Blake has written here, although I loved Sloane's story and didn't feel Nina's necessary to tell the story, but to each their own. There were parts that felt caricature like, and obviously the horror aspect is out there, but the main message of the book was received and that's what I appreciated.

Devoured this book. This was such an engaging dive and satire into feminism, girlhood, motherhood, trad wives, and what it means to be a “good woman” but also through the pov of white feminists, of the elite. This book inched along the edge of something darker, of women who are hungry and have a wish to be satiated and what they will do to have their fill and a place at the table.

While I agree this book may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I think it was such a pointed and important read that will invite soo much discussion. The book did often feel very abstract (which I honestly loved) but could take some people out of the story.

My only criticisms were that often some of the characters internal monologues felt a tad repetitive, along with not being a huge fan of the ending. The book had such a buildup and the ending didn’t feel satisfying (but then again may very well have been the point).

I haven’t read anything by Olivie Blake prior to this, but her commentary and writing was biting and unflinching. I’m excited to look into more of her writing.

Giving this book 5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC and which did not influence my review.

without a doubt, desperate times (the patriarchy) call for desperate measures (cannibalism).

✰ 4.5 stars

Somehow this satire reverently explores womanhood, motherhood, female-dominated institutions, and gender roles at the intersections of race and sexuality. all while promoting a sinister new wellness trend.

PERFECT! Gotta love a good feminist dadk academia. The snark of the humour, the cutting edge of the "romance," the calling out of problematic academic (and society standards) issues! I loved it so much

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book when I first picked it up, but I ended up devouring it (no pun intended) in just a few days. It's a very entertaining and easy read, with a unique cast of characters that I could never fully decide if I wanted to root for or against. There are some aspects of the book that I wish were more fleshed out, but I recognize the author intended this to be more of a satire than a deeper commentary on feminism. The mostly short chapters and the switch between two narrators kept me engaged the entire time, although I sometimes found Sloane's chapters to be incredibly repetitive, especially on the topic of motherhood. I would have been interested to learn more about some of the other sorority sisters, and even to hear parts of the story from their perspective. This was my first introduction to Olivie Blake's work, but I will definitely be checking out some of her other books in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

The writing in this book was divine and made me a better reader and writer for it!

Unfortunately, I give stars more for story than writing, which brings us to a three-star review. My version of: “It’s a book that was interesting enough to keep me from DNFing but not amazing enough to recommend to a friend.”

The heavy topics on feminism were interesting but felt repetitive as the story went on. I found myself getting depressed by the injustice of being a woman and wishing someone (ANYONE) would pull back the curtain on a silver lining (seriously. I’ll take the tiniest glimmer of positivity. I’m not picky!!!).

The ending was satisfying however and caught me by surprise. So the pay off was nice.

Still—I’m sorry—wouldn’t recommend to a friend. One who agrees with the guaranteed feminine injustice will only get angrier. And one who disagrees but understands it does happen will only fall into a deep-seated state of depression.

And I can’t do that to any of my friends.

**Edit: Just went into a long rant about feminism to my husband. This book would make an interesting book club discussion! …. I just wouldn’t attend that night because, to be honest, angry women scare me.**

I have a feeling this will be one of those books that stays with me long after I’ve put it away.

(Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!!!!! I am honored!)

Olivie Blake may not be the author for me... While I think the premise of Girl Dinner is compelling, the execution falters at times. The pacing is uneven, with certain sections feeling drawn out; the satirical elements, though biting, may not resonate with all readers. The tone shifts between dark humor and horror, which might be jarring for some. Thank you, NetGalley!

Girl 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. Their connection through The House (which is a sorority as intoxicating as it is insidious) becomes a mirror reflecting their compromises, self-deceptions, and the high price of belonging. The writing is phenomenal. She doesn’t flinch from critiquing the myth of female empowerment as filtered through elitism and white feminism, and the result is as thought-provoking as it is haunting.

This world is full of characters who are just flawed, hungry, and trying not to drown. Nina’s desperation is palpable, and Sloane’s quiet rage simmers beneath every page. There’s something deeply uncomfortable and true in watching these women twist themselves to fit into a house that was never really built for them. Girl Dinner is sharp, strange, and devastatingly on point. I knocked off half a star only because the ending felt slightly rushed compared to the slow, deliberate burn of the rest...but it’s still one of the most searing books I’ve read this year. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc <3

This book is AMAZING! It was highly entertaining. I really enjoyed the dual POV between professor and student both managing life as a woman and what it means to be the perfect woman in today’s society. The exploration of feminism, motherhood, sisterhood, and just womanhood in general was so well done. I even enjoyed the ackowledgement section where Olivie Blake dives a little more into the inspiration and motivation on exploring feminism in today’s work. This book is important- especially in today’s world.

Thank you NetGalley, Olivie Blake, and Publishers for this ARC. This was one of my most anticipated releases this year and it exceeded my hopes for it.

*will post reviews on other social medias closer to release date*

Wow. Wow?! I needed to take a few minutes to stare into the void after this one. It’s been a little bit since a book sent me down a spiral into the deepest depth of my mind.

I settled on four stars ⭐️
Dare I say…. I ate Girl Dinner up?

• Let me start by saying, I really don’t know if this book will be for everyone but I think everyone should read it anyway. I really don’t know if this book will be for everyone but it was certainly for me! This was basically my brain on paper but written in a way I could never achieve. Olivie Blake… forehead kisses for you!

💫 It was very very very political. It was very very very focused on feminist, patriarchal and pop culture topics. It was very very very question and answer and often times read like a sociology essay with a poetic, sarcastic and humorous prose (seriously, I was laughing out led while also being blown away). It was very very very disturbing and gross at times and I couldn’t tell you why without spoiling it.

💫 This was the height of satire. This was the height of exploring womanhood. This was the height of taking a question “what makes a good woman in this world that has set women up to lose regardless?” and turning it into a creepy, moody, and somehow still humorous horror novel.

💫 I was so incredibly sat for this. I highlighted half the book.

So why only four stars?

- I really felt like the ending could have given me a bigger bang. I did like it, but it wasn’t as explosive and pointy as the rest of the book felt. I wanted it to shock me and throw me around like other parts of the book were doing.
- Some of the inner monologues of Sloane specifically started to feel a bit repetitive towards the end. I had to actively try not to skim some of her spirals.



⭐️ Overall, I can’t WAIT for the girls to get their hands on this one. There is so much to discuss. I highly highly recommend this one and even more so I recommend doing this as a buddy read. There will be A LOT to talk about.

I loved the concept of this book.. a sorority of sisters who are slightly unhinged and get what they want through the means of cannibal ritualism.. odd, slightly humorous and unique for sure..

What didn’t hit the mark was the middle part of the book, what kicked off to an enticing start, slowly dissolved into a long winded slow burn. I’m glad i stuck with it as the ending came back with a vengeance but the author definitely lost me for a while in the middle there.

Overall an interesting take on some twisty topics,

Thank you for the gifted copy!

Publish date : October 21st

2.5 I really enjoy Blake's writing. It's always accessible, and it's clear that she has a certain sense of rhythm/familiarity when writing, but unfortunately this book fell relatively flat for me. The pacing and the repetitive nature felt jarring at times, made it semi-predictable. Both sorority stories and now cannibal stories are not new in the canon, and I didn't find anything new within this one. That being said, it was a very easy read with interesting characters and an interesting premise.

This story has a strong, feminist storyline which, I enjoyed. It was refreshing. What could go wrong with sororities and cannibalism? You heard me right. The story kind of petered out towards the end and the strong female storyline took a different direction. I liked the bold, horror satire and was a fun read!

Thank you for the opportunity!