The Lowe Job

by Grace Alexander

Pride and Prejudice for the modern a fresh and stylish debut following a family of women who are thrust into the spotlight in the wake of a scandal and expertly exploit their newfound fame, perfect for fans of Blue Sisters and Good Material .

When Lili Lowe gets caught having an affair with her married boss, an admired local politician, she finds herself at the epicenter of a scandal that could dismantle her life as she knows it. She turns, as many women would, to her mother. But Lydia Lowe is not the kind of mother to offer gentle words of consolation. Instead she devises a strategy that doesn’t just manage the fallout, it actively exploits it, and Lili goes from making coffee and booking meetings to making headlines and booking talk shows. Soon, thanks to the commodification of Lili’s scandal, the whole world knows the Lowe family.

Lili’s three sisters—Stevie, Iris, and Katie—have differing reactions to being in the spotlight, but once the wheels are turning, it seems impossible to stop what’s in motion…and it doesn’t take long for the craziness surrounding the Lowes to spiral out of control. Money and celebrity, the Lowes discover, come at a price—sometimes, the louder one’s voice (especially a woman’s), the more others will seek to silence it.

With a potent blend of spectacular style, compulsive voice, sharp social commentary, and ferocious heart, The Lowe Job is escapism with a contemporary book club novel for the modern listener looking for fresh fiction that is at once funny, sexy, incisive, and heartfelt.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Family, Literary Fiction, Adult Fiction

352 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication June 16, 2026

Reviews

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is packed with juicy drama that had me laughing, gasping, and shaking my head. An affair with a married politician creates an enormous scandal and the rest is entertaining and fascinating. The characters were amazing and so real and relatable. The themes in this book are super relevant today with exploiting things for TV, fame, money, and trying to speak the truth. I couldn’t put this one down. I already miss the characters. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Kayda Noelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn’t something I would typically pick up, but I was in the mood for a gossipy type of book, and this delivered on that front. I felt like I was reading a diary at times 🤣 the messiness was absolutely juicy. I will say, I didn’t like a single character…but I think that is kind of the point. They all ended up growing on me in some way by the end.

I read through this SO fast because of the style in which it’s written. I also liked the message behind it when it comes to how women are treated as opposed to men in these situations. Overall I had an entertaining time!

Thank you Harper Collins and Netgalley for the early copy!

[Stroop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lydia was once an actress and then a successful agent forced to give up her career once she became a mother. Her ambition has never wavered and she is determined to make sure her daughters become successful (i.e., rich and famous). When one of her daughters has an affair with her married boss, a politician rising in popularity, Lydia sees a perfect opportunity to control the narrative.

This is an entertaining and cheeky look at the way the media treats women and I was riveted by the Lowe sisters and their mother. 4.5 stars.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

[Lucy Skeet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was soooo incredible I loved it! Thanks so much to Orion for my copy, review soon

[Sian Isabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75⭐ What an incredibly bold, hilarious, raw and relatable debut, filled with strong, fierce, brave women 👏👏👏 I couldn’t recommend this more!

[Jessica Sullivan]

A fresh and contemporary take on the nature of scandal, fame, and media manipulation.

At its core, it feels like a satirical twist on reality TV dramas like The Kardashians, but with sharper cultural commentary and more nuanced characters. Following the inciting incident—Lili’s viral affair with her married politician boss, Teddy—the typical narrative is flipped on its head, with the incident used as a springboard to explore the fallout through a feminist lens.

The novel highlights the unfair ways women are treated in public scandals, reminiscent of how figures like Monica Lewinsky were vilified while men faced fewer consequences.

[Devin N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, here's the thing...there was a lot to LOVE about this book and a few things that were a little...meh. They DO carry weight (and I know that I'm going to keep thinking about them since finishing)...but at the same time, the book was so fun and entertaining that those things just sat in the back of my mind as I read along as opposed to overshadowing the experience. It's only now that it's over that I find them working their way into my thoughts more.

Let's be extremely clear about this: the book is FUN (the opening paragraph made me SNATCH the book off my ARC shelf), the dialogue is witty and HILARIOUS, and it's the characters themselves that truly drive this story forward. I mean, I got audibly EXCITED whenever I saw that I was getting to a part with Stevie and Charlie. Their banter was hilarious and I love how genuine and long-lived their friendship felt through the dialogue. INCREDIBLE CHARACTERIZATION!

There were many moments in the book where even when the "mini twists" felt a LITTLE bit predictable, my jaw would still drop. Why would it drop even though parts felt predictable? Well...I'm just not quite sure. You'll have to give it a read to understand what I mean.

This book is meant to be entertaining and fun—like watching a slasher movie or a rom-com. Are you leaving the theater fundamentally changed as a person? No. Are you going to find yourself quoting funny moments to a friend and chuckle (even if they haven't read it and look at you strangely for having an inside joke with yourself)? YES...not that I've done that (read: I totally did that). That being the goal, I would say that the author nailed it. It's hilarious. In the same vein as my little movie analogy, this was one book that I could definitely see being turned into a funny movie adaptation.

The further I got into the book, the more I found myself wondering, "Did the author's team tell her that the book was too long and so she had to cut some parts out, or was she just so excited to get to the end that there was magic lost along the way, or something else?" There were specific sections/chapters where I finished and felt like I just needed a LITTLE bit more to expand the world out and deepen some connections with the story/characters. Not a LOT more, but maybe an extra paragraph or a couple extra pages here or there. I think that the further I got into in, the more I found myself not being as willing to suspend my disbelief, or rather, I didn't "buy" some of the things, because it started moving SO fast or rapidly changing pace between sections SO quickly that it almost took me out of the world and felt more like I was just watching a recap for the episode of a show I missed. It always got back on track though a couple pages later, but I think that's why it ended up being a 4/5 instead of a 4.5/5 or 5/5 to me.

There was also a point around 30-35 pages to the end where I found myself asking, "I know that this book has to end, I'm not really sure how she's going to do it, but I do know that she'll need more than these final pages to do it." By the time I got to the last sentence and closed the back cover, I sat there for a moment and thought, "...hmm...I was right...I'm not really sure how to feel about that." Ultimately, I didn't feel like the ending was "earned." It just happened so quickly that I'm not sure that there was any ending that would feel "earned." Overall, it was a fine ending, but it just came up quick, happened quick, and moved on very quick. I felt like, "THAT is what we built up to?...You know what? Sure. Fine. I'll give it to you." I ALMOST wanted to rate it 3.5/5 stars, but ultimately...I had a LOT fun...in today's world. Fun is hard to come by, so maybe that means more to me.

As I said, the characters were great. I think that just having some more peaks and valleys for some of the characters really could have made me invest so much more. Stevie was easily my favorite character, and I felt like I was going on the emotional journey with her. Katie and Iris on the other hand, I just wasn't attached to them at all. It was like I was just hearing about them going through things, but didn't feel that sort of depth and emotional peaks and valleys like I did with Stevie. You may have noticed I haven't talking much about Lili or Lydia, the seemingly two most important characters, and yeah...they were alright. I didn't get bored of them, but they had the most real estate in the book, yet I also just didn't feel as much for them. For Lydia, I was really building that in the beginning chapters, but then I lost it by the halfway point (but again, was still fine with her being there). I think what really saved the more forgettable characters was the fact that they all consistently interacted with each other. I think that that was incredibly smart of the author. So while I might not have been invested in ALL of the characters, I was definitely okay with them being there and didn't skip over their parts, because the dialogue and interactions between them kept my attention enough to make it through.

I think that this book as a debut is so awesome. She's one of those authors where I am already excited to read how much growth she's going to make between her first and third book. I think she'll really hammer in on the pacing, maybe nail the emotional peaks and valleys that make you truly invest in the characters, but overall just a really funny, fun, and entertaining book (I know I've said that so many times).

[Morgan Murphy 🫀 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This really made me upset. I’m going to preface this review with a disclosure: if any of my gripes are obvious satire that I missed, PLEASE let me know—I don’t know enough about the author or her beliefs to make a wholly accurate judgement. I’m willing to admit when I misread something!

I detest Lili Lowe. I detest the Lowes PERIOD (with the exception of Katie, and Stevie is on thin ice). This premise really had me at first; I love a novel about unhinged women doing unhinged women things. It just fell so incredibly flat and felt VERY tone deaf. Lili considers herself to be a champion of feminism, yet doesn’t have ANY regard (at one point she directly says she doesn’t care) for the woman she’s screwing over by choosing to pursue an affair? That’s supposed to be #feministgirlboss to me? And she just… never faces any nuanced repercussions for that besides one-dimensional men calling her a slut? Also, she’s supposed to be this absolute genius, but we NEVER see that. All of her progressive takes reek of 2015 pink-p*ssy-hat feminism that have been regurgitated time and time again without a hint of intersectionality. SHOW me she’s smart; in my opinion, she didn’t really do anything to earn her ending at all. I don’t dislike her because she owns her sexuality—I think that’s awesome! I dislike her because her progressivism starts and ends with her, and other women who look like her. For example, not once does she (or ANYONE) say that some of the stuff Iris does veers into weird appropriation territory, specifically with her use of palo santo. At first I thought this was cheeky commentary from the author about how feminism is employed differently by wealthy white women, but the writing felt too earnest for that. I wouldn’t necessarily care too much if this book didn’t market itself as the next big work of raunchy feminist lit, but because it does, I’m going to hold it to the standards of feminism as it stands in 2026. This isn’t it anymore.

The only redeeming character is Katie. I loved seeing how the fame so quickly changed her and ruined her goals in a way that it didn’t for the other girls because she’s so young. I also did enjoy the complexity of Lydia; she wants what’s best for her girls, but it’s become warped by her own desires and how she’s been stiffed in the past.

What I really want to get across is that this novel isn’t WHOLLY bad. There’s some really interesting characters, and some MESSY action (I won’t even touch the Stevie-Iris thing with a 10 foot pole in this review because it’s a whole other can of worms) but I feel like the portrayal of feminism is lacking to the point where it was genuinely making me frustrated.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚The Lowe Job
⚠️Grace Alexander
Blurb:
Pride and Prejudice for the modern a fresh and stylish debut following a family of women who are thrust into the spotlight in the wake of a scandal and expertly exploit their newfound fame, perfect for fans of Blue Sisters and Good Material .

When Lili Lowe gets caught having an affair with her married boss, an admired local politician, she finds herself at the epicenter of a scandal that could dismantle her life as she knows it. She turns, as many women would, to her mother. But Lydia Lowe is not the kind of mother to offer gentle words of consolation. Instead she devises a strategy that doesn’t just manage the fallout, it actively exploits it, and Lili goes from making coffee and booking meetings to making headlines and booking talk shows. Soon, thanks to the commodification of Lili’s scandal, the whole world knows the Lowe family.

Lili’s three sisters—Stevie, Iris, and Katie—have differing reactions to being in the spotlight, but once the wheels are turning, it seems impossible to stop what’s in motion…and it doesn’t take long for the craziness surrounding the Lowes to spiral out of control. Money and celebrity, the Lowes discover, come at a price—sometimes, the louder one’s voice (especially a woman’s), the more others will seek to silence it.

With a potent blend of spectacular style, compulsive voice, sharp social commentary, and ferocious heart, The Lowe Job is escapism with a contemporary book club novel for the modern listener looking for fresh fiction that is at once funny, sexy, incisive, and heartfelt.
My Thoughts:
Lydia was once an actress and then a successful agent forced to give up her career once she became a mother, When her daughter has an affair with a married politician creates an enormous scandal and the rest is entertaining and fascinating.. relevant today with exploiting things for TV, fame, money, and trying to speak the truth. I couldn't put this down, add this to your TBR list, highly recommend.
Thanks NetGalley, William Morrow and Author Grace Alexander for the advanced copy of "The Lowe Job" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
#WilliamMorrow
#GraceAlexander
#TheLoweJob
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[ladieniqma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you William Morrow Books for this giveaway ARC by Grace Alexander. I could not put this one down.

Centered around a political scandal (an affair), the ugly, dramatic, yet realistic struggle of women under a structure ever tipped in men's favor besets the Lowe family. The matriarch, Lydia, devises a most delectably devious redemption arc. The journey? Not glorious by any means. The characters? Heavy on the flaws, just like the rest of us.

Plot twists, romance, friendships, witty banter, feminism, family dynamics, addiction, rags to riches, celebrity lifestyle, all come together in this political satire to poke at our messy and imperfect society. What better way for women to take an L than to flip it 180 into the most glorious opportunistic rise to power? Especially by playing the same game the men have been all along.

TRIGGER: male violence against women

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really took me on a journey. I hated the characters in the beginning and found myself so frustrated at the though of continuing. I am glad I stuck with it and gave it a chance! Something happened about halfway through where suddenly I was so invested, I wanted a happy ending for all of these girls and every bad thing had me STRESSED. This was fun and entertaining! I think it does it a disservice to compare it to Blue Sisters, a book I loved, they are very different books even though they deal with similar situations and this comparison was part of why I disliked it so much at the beginning. The end was semi-predictible but there were some twists and turns that had me seated. I will never like Lydia Lowe fyi, but it turns out I didn't have to enjoy the book. This wasn't perfect, but it was a fun read.

[mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

kris jenner wishes she was lydia lowe.

i’d more accurately give this book a 3.5 stars! 🍑 i received an uncorrected proof from a goodreads give away; i’m unsure of how it’ll differ from sold copies.

from my understanding, this is grace’s first novel and it was a joy to chew through. i liked how it focused on each of the lowe’s and not just lili, giving the story more depth than it would through lili’s eyes.

the beginning was kind of slow and as the book went on, it seemed to have sped up as it got closer to the end. plenty of authors struggle with it but it frustrated me here because by the middle of the book, i was entranced and wanted more.

i’m excited to see what grace comes out with next. ❤️‍🔥

[Elly Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS IS THE BEST BOOK OF 2026 ✨💐💋

The Lowe Job is a binge all nighter, then laugh at yourself for sobbing in your pjs in the morning type of book… and then you want to go back and read it all over again because you miss the characters too much.

Grace Alexander writes about this beautifully wild family in such detail that before you know it you’re weeping about the nostalgia of moments in the sister’s childhood like it was your own. It’s entertaining, squidgy and sexy in all the right places.

Can’t and won’t get over this for a while. Going to pre-order it for everyone I know so I can gossip about it with them. Genius. Yay.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Robert Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from the witty dialogue, fast moving plot, and deeper political layers in The Lowe Job, it was the characters and their relationships that will stay with me for the longest time:
The unconditional love and loyalty of the sisters. The simultaneous teasing and esteeming of the sisters to their mother. The vulnerability of Katie. The roles that they all play for each other (reluctantly, willingly, with resentment and love) all combined to create a depiction of family life that was complex, messy, flawed, but rooted in a fierce instinctive loyalty that endures beyond the final page.

[Sahar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Orion and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was messy, scandalous and full of drama. I don’t reach for this type of book often but it definitely was worth reading.

We follow a family led by mother who will stop at nothing to support her girls in succeeding. Set in London and specifically Westminster, having worked with the type of people the FMC calls colleagues I found this to be really interesting and at times, very close to home.

Definitely a fun one to read as there are a lot of twists and plenty of drama to follow between the siblings.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

After Lili Lowe is caught in a sex scandal with the married politician she works for, drama ensues. Her mother sees an opportunity to capitalize on the scandal and Lili and her three sisters are thrust into fame. The story touches on family drama, sisterhood, womanhood, and feminism. I had a hard time connecting with the characters but it was overall entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Skye Pestana · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Kardashians fan and a politics girl, this was a lot of fun. Although the sisters were definitely the feature and their relationships the most interesting, this book still had just enough romance side plots going. I would knock it down to a 4/4.5 potentially because a lot of the dialogue felt extremely unnatural and even made certain parts feel a bit cheesy.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced e-copy!

[Hanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m probably being a bit generous with my rating mostly because you can’t give half stars on this platform and also because I did enjoy the book for the most part. I found this book frustrating for many reasons that I’m hopefully going to cover in an official review of this book, but the last twenty pages or so just went batshit crazy in a way that completely took me out of the book. Also I love you Katie.

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was messy but honestly a fun read - it was interesting reading about a family diving into the world of fame following a sex scandal. The Lowes aren't always likable characters, but their honesty and messiness kept me engaged from the start of the book.There were a few plot points that felt unnecessary, too much, or too unrealistic but overall I enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

In her note, the author says that she hopes the book enabled the reader to "escape the crazy world we live in for a short while." And that is EXACTLY what this book accomplished. This is a wild ride, a soap opera, but one with quirky realistic characters that - even when doing things that you can't believe they would do - prove they have a heart of gold. I loved it. Delicious and fun, this is one you won't regret making room for in the beach bag.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so refreshing and fun! The scandals and drama were so entertaining. Almost like a UK version of the Kardashian or Nader sisters reality show? But better! Lydia was the perfect British “momager” and I couldn’t get enough of her insane plans to keep her daughters in the public eye. I also liked how the politics flashbacks were sprinkled in throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. I did not like any of the characters in the story. It was a satire on politics and the media. Women doing the same outrageous things as men, but getting persecuted for it.
Lots of sexual activity that managed to be boring. Sad family drama. I meant to rate this as a 2, but Goodreads won't let me change the rating from 3 t0 2.

[Kate Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodness me! What a very open and frank family they are. I do like reading about sisters interacting with each other. Never had a sister so it intrigues me. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Harleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a wild concept and honestly really entertaining. The reality TV scandal angle kept me reading, but I did not fully connect with the characters. Still a quick, dramatic read if you like reality TV style stories.

[Remi]

i mean, this sounds like the kind of chaos i crave

*thank you to William Morrow for the ARC*

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Fun read, felt very loosely based on the Kardashians.

[Polly Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devoured this and loved every single page. Totally fell in love with the Lowe sisters- funny, salacious, poignant and touching, a must read!

[Julianna Pedone · Rating 4 out of 5]

"some memories aren't memories, they're scars on your brain - healed tissue that will never leave us. Sometimes I wonder why our minds work this way. Why do we need these memories etched into our consciousness? I belive it's so that we can grow."


(bj-sisters-fame-politics)

[Jordan Birkle]

Hating this. DNF

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to thank Netgalley for gifting me with an ARC of this book. Based on the description alone, I most likely would not have picked this up to read. In the first couple of chapters, I did not like anybody in the slightest. And while I didn't end up especially liking them either, they did grow on me. This felt very much to me to be a Kardashian's origin story. And I really abhor their whole world. My favorite character was Stevie. She lost the most because her sister was a dipshit. Yeah, these people annoyed the hell out of me. If you like the Kardashians and what they represent, read it. If you don't, you probably won't love this story either.