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Sisters of Scandal: Mind-blowing tales of history's boldest and baddest women
Dirty secrets, wild romps, unruly behaviour, unapologetic rebels, wild seductresses and badasses galore ... History is HOT.
Did you know that women occupy only 0.5 per cent of the historical record? Diving into the lives of queens, witches, bitches and It Girls throughout the ages – from Cleopatra, Marie Antoinette and Mata Hari to the British PM’s secret Pamela Churchill Harriman – this is a fabulously illustrated compendium of those women (from the well known to the more obscure) who broke boundaries, rules and occasionally limbs, to carve out their place in the male-dominated history books.
From Alva Vanderbilt’s $6 million ball to Empress Sisi’s meat mask, we look at the boldest, most indecent and totally unruly things that pissed men off enough they simply HAD to write them down!
Did you know that women occupy only 0.5 per cent of the historical record? Diving into the lives of queens, witches, bitches and It Girls throughout the ages – from Cleopatra, Marie Antoinette and Mata Hari to the British PM’s secret Pamela Churchill Harriman – this is a fabulously illustrated compendium of those women (from the well known to the more obscure) who broke boundaries, rules and occasionally limbs, to carve out their place in the male-dominated history books.
From Alva Vanderbilt’s $6 million ball to Empress Sisi’s meat mask, we look at the boldest, most indecent and totally unruly things that pissed men off enough they simply HAD to write them down!
356 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 25, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 27, 2025
‘Dirty secrets, wild romps, unruly behaviour, unapologetic rebels, wild seductresses and badasses galore ... History is HOT.’
If history has ever felt a little too stiff, male and buttoned up for your liking, Sisters of Scandal is here to loosen the corset and kick over the table.
Ainslie Harvey delivers a gloriously unruly romp through the lives of women who refused to behave, stay quiet, or disappear politely into the margins. Queens, witches, seductresses, social climbers and outright troublemakers burst from the pages, reminding us that women only make up 0.5% of the historical record and somehow still managed to cause absolute mayhem.
This is history at its most deliciously messy. From Cleopatra and Marie Antoinette to Mata Hari and Pamela Churchill Harriman, Harvey serves up scandal with style.
The tone is sharp, funny, and unapologetically cheeky, with illustrations that make the whole thing feel like a secret gossip session you’re lucky enough to be invited to. It celebrates ambition, excess, rebellion and the kind of audacity that rattles the foundations of polite society.
Sisters of Scandal doesn’t just reclaim women from history, it revels in their chaos. Perfect for anyone (like me) who loves their feminism loud, their women feral, and their facts served with a wink.
I Highly Recommend.
Thank you Affirm Press for my early readers copy.
Available Now!
If history has ever felt a little too stiff, male and buttoned up for your liking, Sisters of Scandal is here to loosen the corset and kick over the table.
Ainslie Harvey delivers a gloriously unruly romp through the lives of women who refused to behave, stay quiet, or disappear politely into the margins. Queens, witches, seductresses, social climbers and outright troublemakers burst from the pages, reminding us that women only make up 0.5% of the historical record and somehow still managed to cause absolute mayhem.
This is history at its most deliciously messy. From Cleopatra and Marie Antoinette to Mata Hari and Pamela Churchill Harriman, Harvey serves up scandal with style.
The tone is sharp, funny, and unapologetically cheeky, with illustrations that make the whole thing feel like a secret gossip session you’re lucky enough to be invited to. It celebrates ambition, excess, rebellion and the kind of audacity that rattles the foundations of polite society.
Sisters of Scandal doesn’t just reclaim women from history, it revels in their chaos. Perfect for anyone (like me) who loves their feminism loud, their women feral, and their facts served with a wink.
I Highly Recommend.
Thank you Affirm Press for my early readers copy.
Available Now!
December 31, 2025
The women featured in Sisters of Scandal deserve better than this book gives them. Their stories are inherently fascinating and important, which is why this gets three stars at all. However, the execution falls far short of the subject matter.
The editing is disappointingly sloppy throughout. Basic errors like "burden to bare" instead of "bear" slip through, and there are factual mistakes that should have been caught—most notably placing Hypatia of Alexandria's birth in BCE rather than AD, which would make her over 700 years old at her death. These aren't minor quibbles; they undermine the credibility of the work.
I understand Harvey built her following as a TikTok historian, and the very casual, modern tone may work well in that format. But what translates as engaging in short videos feels misplaced in a published book about historical figures. The heavy use of contemporary colloquialisms and "yass queen" energy felt jarringly anachronistic and detracted from taking these women and their genuine accomplishments seriously.
The stories themselves carry this book, but they deserved more careful research, editing, and a tone that matches the gravity of their subjects. If a properly edited and revised edition is released in the future, I'd be more inclined to recommend it. For now, read it for the women, but prepare to cringe at the presentation
The editing is disappointingly sloppy throughout. Basic errors like "burden to bare" instead of "bear" slip through, and there are factual mistakes that should have been caught—most notably placing Hypatia of Alexandria's birth in BCE rather than AD, which would make her over 700 years old at her death. These aren't minor quibbles; they undermine the credibility of the work.
I understand Harvey built her following as a TikTok historian, and the very casual, modern tone may work well in that format. But what translates as engaging in short videos feels misplaced in a published book about historical figures. The heavy use of contemporary colloquialisms and "yass queen" energy felt jarringly anachronistic and detracted from taking these women and their genuine accomplishments seriously.
The stories themselves carry this book, but they deserved more careful research, editing, and a tone that matches the gravity of their subjects. If a properly edited and revised edition is released in the future, I'd be more inclined to recommend it. For now, read it for the women, but prepare to cringe at the presentation
April 17, 2026
3.75 🌟🌟🌟
Enjoyed this book more than I thought I would.
Learnt some tantalising facts about these “scandalise” women of history - new tidbits about those I already knew, fascinating facts about those I had heard of, while discovering new “girl power” in other scandalous sisters of history.
In saying this, it felt like they just transcribed Ainslie’s TokTok onto page, along with the ‘millennial’ antidotes to match. Followers of Ainslie will enjoy the read, though I felt it needed just a little more padding, a little positive facts to lift the women up. Though, as Ainslie notes, women’s history is usually written by men so only the ‘bad’ girls tend to get noticed - like this is what NOT to do.
Enjoyed this book more than I thought I would.
Learnt some tantalising facts about these “scandalise” women of history - new tidbits about those I already knew, fascinating facts about those I had heard of, while discovering new “girl power” in other scandalous sisters of history.
In saying this, it felt like they just transcribed Ainslie’s TokTok onto page, along with the ‘millennial’ antidotes to match. Followers of Ainslie will enjoy the read, though I felt it needed just a little more padding, a little positive facts to lift the women up. Though, as Ainslie notes, women’s history is usually written by men so only the ‘bad’ girls tend to get noticed - like this is what NOT to do.
January 11, 2026
Feel like this was trying too hard to be funny and relatable .
April 9, 2026
Really interesting stories of women throughout history, many of whom were new to me. The author points out that only .5% of written history is about women, and usually through the lens of men who as well all know can be unreliable when it comes to being factual. (I'm talking to you Patriarchy!) Ainslie Harvey did a good job of making history fun, interesting and getting a few laughs from me. If you've enjoyed the works of Jennifer Wright, Leslie Carroll or Michael Farquhar, you will probably enjoy this book. I do worry that this book won't age well, there were a bunch of pop culture references that I think happened within the last couple of years but in another year or two, I won't recall.
January 3, 2026
Lightweight (humorous) account of numerous (semi-famous) women over the course of history. According to the author, only 0.5% of recorded history relates to or is about, women. Probably correct.
From Cleopatra to American heiresses such as the Vanderbilts, she covers a wide range of women - all considered scandalous in their time. Largely for taking control over their own lives, being intelligent and getting sh*t done.
In "recorded" history, many of these women are described as astonishingly beautiful - as if that was necessary to explain their successes in life. It could NOT be just because they were smart cookies now could it?
A worthy read.
From Cleopatra to American heiresses such as the Vanderbilts, she covers a wide range of women - all considered scandalous in their time. Largely for taking control over their own lives, being intelligent and getting sh*t done.
In "recorded" history, many of these women are described as astonishingly beautiful - as if that was necessary to explain their successes in life. It could NOT be just because they were smart cookies now could it?
A worthy read.
April 19, 2026
Me gustó!!! Con las primeras biografías, pensé que iba a ser un libro que enlistaba a mujeres emblemáticas de la historia, las que influenciaron la cultura popular. Pero fue más allá de eso, no solo termino este libro sabiendo la diferencia entre la vida y mito de mujeres como Cleopatra o Maria Antonieta. Sino que tuve el gusto de conocer el impacto de Hypatia, Edi, Mata Hari...
Si tiene sus momentos de cringe con referencias a la cultura pop actual, tiene sentido ya que la escritora es tik toker, pero se puede dejar pasar por la manera en la que sintetiza y hace más amena la vida de estas mujeres increíblemente complejas y excepcionales.
Si tiene sus momentos de cringe con referencias a la cultura pop actual, tiene sentido ya que la escritora es tik toker, pero se puede dejar pasar por la manera en la que sintetiza y hace más amena la vida de estas mujeres increíblemente complejas y excepcionales.
April 11, 2026
This book taught me quite a bit - I am still in shock that Cleopatra and Julius Caesar had a son !!! I feel like I am now a well of fun facts of history.
This book reinforced that I'm allowed to be mad at the patriarchy because the only reason these women in history are considered 'scandalous' is because they acted like men, and men didn't like that 💀
Although the modern colloquialisms made this book entertaining and sort of conversation like, there were points where it was jarring and felt like it was trying too hard.
This book reinforced that I'm allowed to be mad at the patriarchy because the only reason these women in history are considered 'scandalous' is because they acted like men, and men didn't like that 💀
Although the modern colloquialisms made this book entertaining and sort of conversation like, there were points where it was jarring and felt like it was trying too hard.
January 12, 2026
Interesting.
March 13, 2026
3.75 stars!
Learnt a lot and felt so much for these women, but would have loved to have seen more women of colour have their stories shared.
Learnt a lot and felt so much for these women, but would have loved to have seen more women of colour have their stories shared.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews