MANTLE-1 Girl Dinner (International Edition).

by Olivie Blake

Good girls deserve a treat.

Every member of The House, the most exclusive sorority on campus, and all its alumni, are beautiful, high-achieving, and universally respected.

After a freshman year she would rather forget, sophomore Nina Kaur knows being one of the chosen few accepted into The House is the first step in her path to the brightest possible future. Once she's taken into their fold, the House will surely ease her fears of failure and protect her from those who see a young woman on her own as easy prey.

Meanwhile, adjunct professor Dr. Sloane Hartley is struggling to return to work after accepting a demotion to support her partner's new position at the cutthroat University. After 18 months at home with her newborn daughter, Sloane's clothes don’t fit right, her girl-dad husband isn’t as present as he thinks he is, and even the few hours a day she's apart from her child fill her psyche with paralyzing ennui. When invited to be The House’s academic liaison, Sloane enviously drinks in the way the alumnae seem to have it all, achieving a level of collective perfection that Sloane so desperately craves.

As Nina and Sloane each get drawn deeper into the arcane rituals of the sisterhood, they learn that living well comes with bloody costs. And when they are finally invited to the table, they will have to decide just how much they can stomach in the name of solidarity and power.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Dark Academia, Thriller, Audiobook, Adult, Contemporary

368 pages, Hardcover

First published October 21, 2025

About the author

Olivie Blake is the pseudonym of Alexene Farol Follmuth, a lover and writer of stories, many of which involve the fantastic, the paranormal, or the supernatural, but not always. More often, her works revolve around what it means to be human (or not), and the endlessly interesting complexities of life and love.
​
Olivie has penned several indie SFF projects, including the webtoon Clara and the Devil with illustrator Little Chmura and the viral Atlas series. As Follmuth, her young adult rom-com My Mechanical Romance releases May 2022.

Olivie lives in Los Angeles with her husband and new baby, where she is generally tolerated by her rescue pit bull.

Reviews

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (New House-Hiatus)]

My girl Olivie is blessing us with two new releases this year 😍 I can’t wait!

Macmillan posting “Calling all feral girls, we’re eating well “ 🙋🏻‍♀️ hi, feral girl here. We’re ready 🙌🏻💖

[Ricarda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to start this review with one big sigh. I'm really trying to like Olivie Blake and her concepts always appeal to me, but I seem to enjoy every new book of hers less than the last. In theory Girl Dinner should suit Blake's style perfectly. All of her stories are kinda pretentious (which doesn't mean that they are not interesting or entertaining) and this time she tried to really lean into that. This is supposed to be a satirical story and Olivie Blake explains in the acknowledgements that she's purposefully focusing on a privileged group of women with limited views that are to be taken ironically. Along the way she addresses all kind of themes and modern "trends" regarding women: motherhood, sisterhood, feminism, female rage, female empowerment, trad wives - all in all the theme of how women are treated in society and how they may reclaim power. There are two main characters, both basically trapped in society and in the world views they've internalized. Sloane is a mother returning to her job after her maternity leave and she's struggling with leaving her daughter in daycare and with a husband who is just not as affected by having a child as she is. She's constantly telling herself that she's a bad mother and that she's underperforming in her mediocre adjunct university teacher job. Then there's Nina, a university student fixated on getting into a prestigious sorority, viewing it as the only way to achieve anything in life. Both women are defined by one single thing - motherhood and sorority, respectively - and they only ever talk about that one thing. Often in an exaggerated way, but never as absurd or totally over-the-top that would make for an intriguing read. The book was not a fun time whatsoever, because it was mostly a frustrating stream of toxic consciousness for me. Endless babbling without ever making a point. This might have been Blake's intention, but my question is: who wants to read that? It's so dry and boring when these characters go on and on about what a horrible mother they are or who they want to sleep with or how they get fully integrated into the sorority. The book never gripped me with all that, but cover and title promised me that the story would go someplace unhinged eventually, so I kept going. In the end it was a good 60% of the babbling and then … boom … cannibalism. It wasn't even an interesting depiction of how the sorority earns power through unhinged methods, it was a whole lot of nothing and then the supposedly shocking cannibalism that I expected way earlier. You know what actually would have shocked me at this point? The appearance of literally any plot. If you thought that Olivie Blake's Gifted & Talented had little plot this year, Girl Dinner has negative plot. This book is so big on telling and never showing that I'm actually wondering if anything happened at all in here. Girl, if you have a human-eating sorority of hot and successful women, I want to SEE that. If you were interested in the unhinged cannibal girl vibes, I would rather send you to one of the other (surprisingly plenty) releases this year. Maybe you can get something out of the social commentary in Girl Dinner, but I really couldn't and I must call it a big disappointment.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan / Tor for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

------------------------------------------------
Pre read: I've only ever read The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake and didn't really like it, but a book called Girl Dinner sounds too iconic to miss out on, I'm afraid.

[Esta]

The best Valentine's Day gift = Finding out Olivie Blake is writing her first adult horror book. Please let it be good-for-her cannibalism.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

somehow slay and go girl give us nothing at the same time

[Madison Kait · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is at its core a story, & a really really good one at that - but WOW did it make my mind churn. this is one of those books that i will always associate with right now, it had a lot to say & so much of it feels timeless while also being a time capsule of now.

[jenny reads a lot · Rating 5 out of 5]

So like, after reading Girl Dinner, we all agree cannibalism isn’t that bad right?

The fact that this book had me thinking, “eh, I get it” says something about how good this book is… or maybe it says more about me.

I’m gonna be honest I don’t think I’m smart enough to give this the review it deserves, so I’m not going to try. Please enjoy my rambles instead.

This was wildly entertaining.

A little slow to start and definitely felt like satirical LitFic with a splash of horror. Don’t go into this hoping of a ton of cannibalism and you’ll set yourself up for success.

Its dark academia in the sense that its a pretty interesting (and dark) critique on academia but not in the dark academia in the vibes and atmosphere sense.

I knew I was getting sorority girls and commentary on womanhood and sisterhood, I did not expect to be hit in the face so hard (complimentary) with the motherhood theme. I felt Sloane’s struggles, her love, her fears. I think that might have been my favorite part. I’m not a mother, but I can see mothers really relating to Sloane’s sentiments.

Not for everyone but if you like the idea of a scathing, at times hilarious, and slightly creepy, critique on being a woman in the current world and don’t mind a little slower of a start this is *chef’s kiss* good. (pun intended)

Audiobook Narration: 3.5/5 Both narrators performances were fantastic, I would definitely listen to more by them. The issues I had with the audiobook were with mixing and production quality. There was so many instances where you could tell a section was cut in/added post production. And especially in the beginning of the book there was a notable difference, and an almost muffled quality to Nina's POV. Overall I would still recommend the audiobook.

4.75⭐️| IG | TikTok |

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

[Emma Griffioen]

I really think Oliva Maher (Ilona Maher's sister), the creator of Girl Dinner deserves some type of credit for this title...

[Dennis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand where the author was going with this one but it was boring and bad. Skip. That’s the review.

[Grace Quan · Rating 4 out of 5]

**arc review**
As a general rule, I think cannibalism is overdone in the horror genre. But surprisingly, this book managed to handle in a way that was equal parts delightful and unsettling.

First and foremost, this book is satirical. It talks in detail about what it's like being a woman in modern society. In the acknowledgments, Olivie states that there are a million better books that comment on this topic, but she hopes that Girl Dinner was thought provoking enough to start important conversations.

Girl Dinner follows Nina, a collage student and Sloane, an adjunct professor and mother of a one year old. I liked the two totally different perspectives and how it gave the opportunity to comment on the hardships of motherhood and the experience of finding yourself at uni.

For me, I found the social commentary on feminism much more interesting than the cannibalism aspect. But, I thought the two paired together made for the perfect women's horror book. Here's a quote that really stuck with me.

"You're a woman, and it's your job to make everything easier for everyone around you, even though nobody will ever think of you. You're a woman and it's your job to fade into the background. It's your job to make sure your children love their father and never know what a fucking idiot he is or how little he is capable of accomplishing without you.
You're a woman and it's your job to have it all but never complain about how heavy it is to carry."

This quote was longer, but I know people don't want to read a paragraph quote. This was personally my favorite quote, but there were many other wonderful lines throughout the book, about the paradox of simply being woman.

Overall, the book was fun and thought provoking. It's also a bit rage inducing when you truly stop to think about the unfairness of womanhood.

⋆୨୧˚ 4 stars ˚୨୧⋆

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

🩷🍴𝓟𝓻𝓮 𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭:🍴🩷 OMG OMG OMG! I got approved for this arc! I’ve been waiting!!!!

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, she meant “girl dinner” as in yapping, not snacking.

[TheConnieFox · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Girl Dinner” by Olivie Blake is a satire women’s fiction book. It deals with what it’s like to be a woman in modern day society. It comes with horror, cannibalism and completely unhinged characters. It gave me the series Yellowjackets vibes, mixed with sisterhood and women’s lust for power.
Be sure to read all of the content warnings on this book! I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys reading a great dark, feminism fiction book! Also, someone who is able to read about cannibalism. Overall, I rate this a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Olivie Blake and Tor Publishing Group for this digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is expected to be published on October 21, 2025!

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm generally a fan of Olivie Blake's writing but I am OBSESSED with Girl Dinner! It's a smart horror/satire about modern womanhood and it's one I'm going to be thinking about for awhile. Drawing on the viral Girl Dinner trend, she creates something entirely different that encapsulates different phases of women's lives, from coming of age to motherhood and beyond with biting satire and a side of horror.

We follow two women's perspectives. Nina is a college sophomore trying to join The House, an elusive sorority that's all about sisterhood and secret rituals. After facing misogyny and sexual assault in her first year, she's looking for a safe space and path to financial success. Also she kind of has a thing for one of her professors, and even more so for one of her sorority sisters. But what's behind the gleaming hair and polished beauty of The House?

Meanwhile Dr. Sloane Hartley is a new mother going back to work as an adjunct professor after prioritizing her husbands career over her own while staying home with their daughter. She feels like she's abandoning her child at daycare, is frustrated by her checked out husband, and is facing misogyny at work where her ideas aren't taken seriously. Then she meets a fellow mom who seems to get what she's going through, and asks her to become the faculty advisor for The House...

I really loved this. As a parent (and academic spouse!) this really resonated with me. Parenting is hard and the expectations placed on women across different ages are impossible. This gets at body issues, sexuality, motherhood, mental health, partnerships, "trad wife" content, and the myth of having it all. It's thoughtful and nuanced, but also a hell of a lot of fun to read. I absolutely loved it and the audiobook is done really well. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

[makayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

show, not just tell us, is a lost art form

[Greekchoir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Girl Dinner was a big step up from my previous Olivie Blake experience, The Atlas Six, so I already enjoyed this more than I expected. Blake it tackling a lot here: choice feminism, girlboss culture, tradwives, algorithms, sororities, motherhood, affairs. She's not offering definitive solutions, but who can? I appreciate how Girl Dinner accurately captures the 'feeling' of being online, and of the aesthetic allure of tradwife lifestyles; it was refreshing after reading If You're Seeing This, It's Meant for You, which never felt like it was approaching social media from a place of authenticity.

While reading Girl Dinner, I kept wondering if this was a book or an essay. Certainly there's a lot of moments where characters pause and monologue to themselves about feminist theory, which halts Girl Dinner's first half. But Blake proves there's an arc here to these characters, even if it's not always a satisfying one. I think this book would hit harder for people less Terminally Online, and maybe for those who can empathize with Sloane's conflicting feelings about motherhood. The cannibalism...I have nothing to say about the cannibalism. Which might be the problem with it.

Please note I work for Macmillan but opinions are my own. I am not involved in book production.

[Jillian B · Rating 5 out of 5]

After spending more than a year at home with her infant daughter, Sloane is experiencing a rough return to her work as a university professor. Her daughter weeps at daycare drop off, her allegedly feminist husband isn’t pulling his weight at home, and her chances of getting tenure seem slimmer every day. Then a chance encounter leads to an invitation to be faculty advisor for The House. Capital T, capital H. It’s the most elite, enviable sorority on campus. Not only are its members the most high-achieving, gorgeous girls at the school, but the alumni Sloane works with are the kind of women she wants to be. They effortlessly juggle demanding careers with parenting perfect children, all while looking perfectly polished and wearing the latest trends. Sloane yearns to be like them…until she learns about the gruesome ceremonies underlying the perfect exterior. Is it a cost she’s willing to pay?

I DEVOURED this book (pun fully intended). It’s like Nightbitch X Bunny. I’ve been a fan of Olivie Blake for ages despite not liking most other fantasy novels, so having her write in one of my favourite genres has been an absolute dream. This book shrewdly demonstrates the demands placed on women, especially mothers, while delivering both laughs and gore.

I especially liked the depiction of Sloane’s husband, because I think it will ring true for a lot of mothers. He’s not a conservative patriarch telling her to get back in the kitchen, and he encourages her in her career. But he is seemingly oblivious to how much more work she is doing at home than he is, and never questions why he has time for hobbies that she doesn’t have. They moved for his career, and Sloane is a spousal hire at a school much less suited to her ambitions than the one she left. They previously had a more egalitarian marriage, but bringing a child into the world led to an ever-growing shift in the division of labour.

This book has some truly gruesome moments but the real horror is the all-too-realistic patriarchy. I loved this book and fully recommend it.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me access to an eARC of this book!

[Kennedy Larson · Rating 2 out of 5]

What the hell

[Flo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't believe I'm rating an Olivie Blake book this low, but Girl Dinner just didn't do it for me. It's meant to be satire and social commentary, but all I got was underwhelming and boring.

[thevampireslibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved it
I feel like Blake is angry, and shouldn't we all be

[Cydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Girl Dinner was WILD!

This is one of those books where I feel like I can't talk about everything I loved without spoilers, but what I can say is I went into this not really knowing much about it, and that was absolutely for the best. I knew it was about a sorority, I assumed there was something bloody going on, but I never could have expected what actually went down. I am still a big baby when it comes to horror, so I know some horror readers might not consider this book to be horrific, but it absolutely was to me! I'm really squeamish in real life but it is difficult for me to get nauseated from a book—Girl Dinner made me nauseous, and that is absolutely a compliment!

To its bones, Girl Dinner is a very sharp, hilarious, satirical approach to what it means to be a woman, sister, wife, and working professional. It tackles multiple social commentary talking points, especially as it pertains to whiteness and white womanhood without being heavy-handed. There was even some tradwife commentary within that was hilarious and on-the-nose. Everybody involved was so freaking unhinged. The only sane person in this book was perhaps the baby. And I say perhaps because even though she's a baby, the final chapter left me with no hope for her LOL.

This was my first Olivie Blake book and I am locked in foreverrrrrr.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Tor Publishing Group, and NetGalley for the ALC!

5 ⭐️
1 🌶️

[Jessica Woodbury · Rating 2 out of 5]

If the title of your book is going to basically give away the twist of your book then you shouldn't take half the book to get to your twist. Having to pretend I didn't know what was going to happen when it was quite clear was irking me. There is a LOT of buildup here, could easily have turned the first 100 pages into 20 and been just fine. Once we finally get going, this is fun and there's a turn or two that I liked a lot. But those fun turns just made me wish they were in a better book.

There's also a real mismatch between that slow first half and the very fast ending. Not just in pacing (though definitely that) but also in what this book is. The first half is so much about being in the real world and having real problems. It really wants us to understand the political points of the satire and how real and relatable Nina and Sloane are. Except then in the second half they are no longer those characters. Once the plot is moving, they aren't real and relatable, they aren't making understandable choices. They feel like different characters and the tone becomes almost a different book. If it's about the wheels starting to come off, then great, let's do it, but it doesn't work so well after we've spent so long watching the wheels turn the same old way.

The bigger problem is that this book feels like it comes too late. Its girlboss bites back gimmick doesn't feel new or interesting. And for satire to be sharp it should feel like it has the current moment in the center of the target. Instead it made me realize how bored I am of books where women watch other women be perfect and wonder why they aren't perfect. And how bored I am of books where women have annoying husbands who do none of the childcare but these women never say, "Hey, you can do daycare dropoff today," but continue to martyr themselves to their maternal devotion because that is where the plot has to be. The moment is no longer about "having it all" but this book seems to be stuck in that conversation.

I use the horror tag here very lightly, it's really more horror in subject than in tone and it sure takes its time getting there. I think it's too generous, honestly, and I don't know that it's accurate.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published October21, 2025.

4.5 stars

The House is the most exclusive sorority on campus and all of its alumnae are gorgeous, accomplished and highly respected.

Nina Kaur had a rough freshman year so she knows being accepted into The House will give her a second chance to reach her potential and achieve her goal of being admitted to a top twenty law school. And will give her power.

Meanwhile, adjunct professor (and not by choice) Dr. Sloane Hartley is struggling after accepting a demotion to support her husband’s career at the University. She’s spent the last eighteen months at home with her newborn daughter and now her life is both incredibly stressful and flat. She’s offered the position as The House’s academic liaison and she hopes some of the alumnae’s perfection rubs off.

Both Nina and Sloane are in for some unpleasant surprises as they are drawn deeper into the rituals of The House and as they determine how far they will go to get what they want.

This was a wonderful surprise. This satire won’t be for everyone, but, for me, a former sorority girl turned top twenty law school lawyer who spent years looking for extra hours in each day and was often mistaken for the court reporter when I showed up for depositions (Yep. You’ve come a long way, baby, now could you go a few steps further and get me some coffee?) so much of this, both from Nina’s perspective and from Sloane’s felt like the story of my younger days.

And Blake can write. “He smelled like fresh linen and a previous life.” Exactly. And she cuts, too…”She’s not changing anything…like, we lost abortion rights under her watch, you know?” Oof. That hurts. A lot.

Everyone here is selfish in his or her own way. Compare Alex’s idea of feminism to Sloane’s thoughts to whatever the hell is in the minds of the girls currently in The House (I don’t think that it is feminism any more, just WANTING, for themselves, and to hell with who gets hurt. Depressing, but likely largely true. I really enjoyed this a lot and would highly recommend.

[Ajna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book marks the last time I’ll be eager to read a Olivie Blake book.
I love being a woman, I hope I’ll be born a woman in my every lifetime and I may be naive, but I don’t think that being born a woman is a form of oppression in itself. This book had a very pessimistic outlook on being a woman and a mother and, as someone who can’t wait to have children, it was probably honest in its intention, but it came out quite disheartening.
Aside from that, I actually liked the cannibalism theme for a book that came out during this time of the year, especially because it was mostly told, not shown – there was just the idea of cannibalism, a hint of it, no real descriptions (luckily). However, the plot was poorly executed, as were the characters – many of whom were actually very interesting, in the way they were presented, but we didn’t really get to understand the main characters, let alone the side characters. I’d have preferred if the book focused more on The House’s politics – what happened between Fawn and Tessa? – or relationships – i.e. Alex and Caroline – than rambling about how hard it is to leave your child at daycare – as horrible as that can be, I can’t see how that can be the main focus of a book about a sorority who yearly performs cannibalism as a ritual. Also, the one thousand pages long initial chapters and the half a page long final chapters should be regarded as a universal editorial mistake: it just doesn’t make sense.
She still has some decent books, so if you’re looking to read something by Olivie Blake you do have options, just don’t waste your time on this.

[sabrina (on vacation🏝️) · Rating 3 out of 5]

✨ Rating: 3 ⭐️
🫧 Vibes: dark satire
🎶 Song: vigilante shit - taylor swift
📖 Favourite Quote: "I can't be expected to girl boss under these fucking conditions!"
📚 Would I recommend? sort of
💬 tldr thoughts: I honestly don't know how I feel about this one

In the package:
📦 womanhood & expectations
📦 cannibalism
📦 sorority culture

Plot: Nina, a desperate college student and Sloane, a new mother, are drawn into the sorority world where the pursuit of perfection and belonging takes a grotesque turn — culminating in dark rituals, shocking revelations, and the ultimate question of what women must consume (and be consumed by) to succeed.

Thoughts: This is my first dark satirical fiction book and it was pretty decent! I really loved the fact that this had a dual POV of converging storylines between Sloane and Nina. Sloane's POV was the most relatable one and I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times. I love an over-the-top character. I can see this book being a massive hit in book clubs as the themes and symbolism can be discussed deeply. The chapters were quite long and wordy where the conveyed message felt repetitive.

Thank you Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for the arc!

✩⁺₊✩☽⋆ follow me on tiktok and instagram⋆☾✩⁺₊✩

[Rina | Worldsbetweenpages · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much Pan Macmillan | Mantle for the arc!

„We want them to think for themselves - to feel that the world is theirs to conquer. What we do not want is for them to believe life would be easier if they no longer had choices.“

- academic setting
- womanhood
- cannibalism
- trad-wife controversy

What I liked:
The overall way Olivie Blake managed to write a satirical and painfully accurate commentary on womanhood and all facets of feminism. What is the right way of feminism, is there one? Can women have it all? Is it even right to want more, when you have to acknowledge that you already are in a highly privileged position compared to most women worldwide?
The story comments on a few modern phenomens like trad-wives, girl bosses and she-EOs, and mixed with the horror elements it will definitely make you think!

What I didn’t like:
I wished for a bit more interaction between the main characters, or at least between Sloane and the sorority girls. Both groups, the women and the girls-felt, like two different bubbles, which they are, but more interaction and discussion about different stages of womanhood would have made it more interesting. Additionally, we are mostly in one of the women's heads, a bit more plot would have made the inner monologues more enjoyable and less dragging.

[Lilyya ♡]

arc secured 💆🏽‍♀️ i can die in peace..

[AG · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC!

🌟✨️/5

I've come to expect high levels of pretentiousness from Olivie Blake's novels, no matter the genre or themes. Depending on the book, it results in me either laughing out loud and enjoying the (relatively plot-less) narrative or being on the verge of ripping my hair out of sheer boredom. I'm sure you've guessed the category this falls into based on my rating, because WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THIS?! 'Girl Dinner' tried to grapple with questions like 'What makes a 'Good Woman?' and 'Who gets to define what a 'Good Woman' is?', but ended up being a convoluted, word soup-y mess.

I'll keep my review short because I don't have a lot of thoughts about this one and I don't want to think about it anymore. This is a book where the protagonists are neither likable nor interesting. I know it's supposed to be a satire but I just don't want to read pointless ramblings and repetitive writing for over 300 pages. Whatever interesting points the book put forth got lost amidst the overly dramatic yet dull prose. I also found the book to be heavy-handed overall. For me, it didn't really offer anything new or thought-provoking which made the reading experience so much worse. Even the cannibalism aspect wasn't very well done. The only reason why I didn't DNF the book was that I wanted to see how cannibalism was dealt with. I was left sorely disappointed. The sudden transition from the lack of plot and a glacial pacing to cannibalism was quite jarring. The ending didn't make sense to me. Maybe I didn't get it, and I just don't care at this point.

Olivie Blake novels always have an intriguing premise, but the execution doesn't always hit. Although I don't recommend this one, I will be reading more of her novels in the future (in hopes that at least a few might be enjoyable), and I'm really looking forward to 'Dreamland' coming out next year!

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deliciously depraved.
I didn’t even know what genre this was when I picked it up. I once said I’d read Olivie Blake’s shopping list and honestly with a title like ‘Girl Dinner’, this might have just been that.

It wasn’t. It is a biting😉 literary fiction that is a satire looking at womanhood and the performance of being a girl, mother, subject.

Sloane is a new mother to a demanding baby daughter. Her body has changed, her husband seems to be less encompassed by an all devouring love for their daughter, and she is trying to write another academic book that centre women in a department headed by white men.
Our other perspective is Nina, a sophomore, who is salivating to join THE sorority. Being a member of The House was not only to be gifted access to the launching pad for eternal success, it was to be preselected for it.

The physical shape-shifting only camouflaged a love that was more like insanity, contortions of the body to cage the madness inside. A love that defied reason and felt closer to pain. It would never be reciprocated—impossible, who had ever loved their parent as they loved their child? Who could ever reasonably ask for that kind of love in return?

This is a darkly humorous satire on what it means to be A Good Mother, to Belong. Every character is aware of the performance of womanhood and wants to rebel against it, but is aware they need to fit in to reach higher.

This was a hot mess. In a brilliant way.

You will either love or bounce off the writing style. Low-key stream of conscious, often uncomfortable and probing.
For example:

But even if she didn’t, Max was basically a lock for tenure—provided that he didn’t, like, accidentally piss off someone at a dinner party or something!—not that he would—it was pretty easy to forgive him basically anything—so the point was Sloane didn’t have to worry about losing health insurance or whether they could afford their absolutely ludicrous mortgage, even though for some reason (?) she absolutely did.

Is Olivie Blake inserting herself into this narrative? Are we as readers seeing ourselves in these words? Are we all secretly going to start what may potentially be a cult?

If you enjoyed Yellowface by Rf Kuang, you will find something in this.

Whilst this wasn’t a favourite from the author for me, I ate it up and left no crumbs. Basically, yes I would recommend this. Even if you haven’t enjoyed her other books, every book she offers something completely new.

Arc gifted by publisher.

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[h o l l i s · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here I am once again lured in by premise and disappointed by execution. But at least I didn't hate this one (at least, I don't think I did?) like that last Blake, I was just made existentially exhausted by the experience. However I am nonetheless keeping my word; this was the last chance I was going to give this author, as what's the point if time after time it never works out, so I'm officially done.

How was it that when we finally (more than half-way through..) got away from the circuitous and exhausting debates and soliloquys about feminism and motherhood and womanhood, to something grittier, we were still left unsatisfied? And by we I mean me. I'm so tired. And disappointed. Like, what even was that ending. I mean, I was miserable during every single moment of Sloane's POV but for that to be her choice, after I thought we were going in a different direction? I can't even tell what's supposed to be ironic at this point because sure this might be satire but also what.

I suppose if you choose to look at the concept of a girl dinner in a derogatory way, as in it's not a filling or rewarding experience, this story is aptly named. But I refuse to accept those connotations because girl dinners are amazing.

Also, labeling this a thriller is a misnomer. There were none thrills. Horror lite is maybe the right category.

Anyway, surprising no one, it's a no from me.

** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **

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This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.

[Sian · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

*review upon completing the book*

I’m still so conflicted. The first 60% - respectfully to miss queen Olivie - is so unbelievably fucking dull. Nothing happens. At all. The last chunk of the book flew by and was highly enjoyable.

[jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

me for the first 50% of this book: oh i see. olivie blake is subverting my expectations, i hear sorority so obviously i immediately think ‘cannibalism’ but there’s no actual cannibalism in this book. this is a genius ploy to keep me on the hook and a commentary on genre conventions.

me, later: well never mind