“This was always the way, wasn’t it? Another door, another hurdle you had to jump in order to prove yourself, in hopes of pushing off the gnawing unease that you were not enough.”
For years, rumours have swirled around New York about an exclusive, women-only social club where only the most elitist of the elite meet and plan world domination. The rumours are as outrageous as they are intriguing: Rihanna once visited, club membership costs a thousand dollars and the women in the club outright picked the city’s first female mayor. But no one has ever been able to prove the existence of the elusive Nevertheless club. That is, until Jillian Beckley, newly unemployed journalist, decides that she’s going to infiltrate the club and write an expose so cutting, she’ll have first-pick for any job. But the farther Jillian falls into this new world of power, pretension, and prosperity, the more Jillian learns that loyalty cannot be bought and failing to comply can be punished in the darkest of ways.
A Special Place for Women was an outrageously entertaining novel. It was a fun ride watching Jillian be sucked into the world of female empowerment and watch as an outsider trying to get into the closed ranks, even after she’s joined the club for real. This novel does not hold any punches and exposes the way people often misuse their power while thinking they’re doing so for the right reasons. This narrative definitely straddled the line between expose and satire and it worked astoundingly well.
There is quite the twist around two thirds into the book and while I absolutely did not see it coming, it finally clicked at that point why the author herself describes this novel as genre-bending. It was a risky, if highly entertainable twist and I think that people who like their novels to have that certain bit of shock value (even though, yes, this does not come completely out of the blue), will be very pleased by the turn of events.
What struck me the most was Hankin’s writing style. It has this certain kind of bluntness to it that makes you feel like a serial killer is after you with an axe and you can never tell whether they are going to use the dull or the razor-sharp edge of it to knock you out cold. This might not sound like a charming writing style, but it fit the theme and overall vibe of the book so well, that I could imagine Jillian’s reactions to everything she experiences in Nevertheless with so much authenticity that I wasn’t able to put the book down. The prose flows easily and simultaneously invokes this kind of looming dread, like you’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Jillian as a character was also super interesting. She’s not one you automatically root for and there are a few comments here and there about feminism and supporting women that made me groan because how dare she say things so controversial and yet so accurate? Ultimately, though, that’s what makes her so relatable. As a woman in this society, you really are damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Mistakes are blown out of proportion, flaws are exploited, and the rich do everything in their power to stay that way, no matter who stands in their way. Jillian is unforgettable in the way she’s like most of us – wanting to support others but also constantly seeing how that lands her on the backburner while others get ahead in life. It’s as sobering as it is honest, and that really worked for me. It showcases that no matter how many obstacles we face and conquer, there are another dozen waiting for us – life really is more of a parkour than a rollercoaster when you’re a woman.
I have only one small complaint and it’s really that both Miles and Raf weren’t all that dynamic of characters to me. They’re very much there to move along the plot and stakes for Jillian but it took me a little bit too long to really root for one of the two guys. This is by no means a love triangle and the fake dating element is also kept very mellow, but I just wanted a bit more spice to either characters. But like I said, in a novel this enticing, that can be easily overlooked in favour of the excellent premise.
Showing the dark underbelly of the “women support women” movement and what it takes to get to the top, A Special Place for Women is an atmospheric, sharp read, perfect for fans of Celeste Ng and Taylor Jenkins Reid.
A Special Place for Women is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of May 11th 2021.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
It’s a club like no other. Only the most important women receive an invitation. But one daring young reporter is about to infiltrate this female-run secret society, whose beguiling members are caught up in a dark and treacherous business.
For years, rumors have swirled about an exclusive, women-only social club where the elite tastemakers of NYC meet. People in the know whisper all sorts of claims: Membership dues cost $1,000 a month. Last time Rihanna was in town, she stopped by and got her aura read. The women even handpicked the city’s first female mayor. But no one knows for sure.
That is, until journalist Jillian Beckley decides she’s going to break into the club. With her career in freefall, Jillian needs a juicy scoop, and she has a personal interest in bringing these women down. But the deeper she gets into this new world–where billionaire “girlbosses” mingle with the astrology-obsessed–the more Jillian learns that bad things happen to those who dare to question the club’s motives or giggle at its outlandish rituals.
The select group of women who populate the club may be far more powerful than she ever imagined.
And far more dangerous too.
