I loved, loved. loved this book! The dynamic between the friends and how they consistently try to help each other, but also try to keep each other in check. And talk about taking down the patriarchy! Too many of us who identify as women have been torn down, disgraced, attacked, ignored, etc., by men they work with, live with, or even just associate with. Whisper Network turned the male-dominance on its head when the women introduced a list of men who had bad behavior in the office. This book was just so good and it had me cheering by the end!

I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis held so much promise, but the book failed to deliver as much as I hoped for from it. I enjoyed it well enough, but with a few tweaks it could have been an even more enjoyable read.

I thought the premise was timely and the characters were well written. I felt this book lacked diversity. I felt the one non-white character was inserted into the novel for diversity's sake.

This is a MeToo novel about women in a corporate world working in different capacities and sexual harassment. The novel to me is more a mystery drama than a thriller.

Told as a small flashback (three weeks), Whisper Network started with a bang! Then the reader gets more backstory for each main character. This is where it becomes a rather slow-burn and a confusing listening experience. Parts of the story are in other formats like messages and depositions, so the flow seems choppy without knowing what it is that I'm listening to. But after halfway I got used to it and I don't think I noticed it any longer. And of course, it was hard to put down. This turns out to be a riveting whodunit story.

I think we ladies can relate to some of these characters in one way or another. I have my own story, but not as drastic as these characters. The author's note at the end is worth listening to as well, you don't want to miss it!

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this audiobook

I liked the idea of this book, but the follow-through just wasn’t there for me. I loved the author’s note and even the outset of the chapters. I really wanted to like it more!!! I would definitely read more by this author and feel like this was a good start, but ultimately, I needed more.

Things are going to change at the law offices where the women have worked for years. The CEO has died and a new one will be chosen. When it appears that the frontrunner is Ames, a man who has a reputation for sexual harassment in the firm, some of the women lawyers decide enough is enough.
The women are all elite lawyers but quite different. There's Sloan who is a driven women determined to make her way up the ladder and who had an affair with Ames years ago. Grace is a new mom with a baby at home and struggling to keep up. Ardie is a bit older and is recently divorced, realizing that she is now the sole support for her new household of her son and herself. Katherine is a new hire, and seems to be Ames' new target.

The women decide to file a sexual harassment lawsuit against the company for providing an unsafe working environment and against Ames in particular for his acts over the years. The company is determined to fight back. When Ames goes over the railing on the rooftop of the firm to his death, lines are quickly drawn. Was it suicide? Was Ames pushed to his death?

Chandler Baker is an attorney herself and has written this novel from her own experiences and from stories other professional women have told her. Sexual harassment in the workplace is still a very real experience and not every women has the legal knowledge and expertise these women did to deal with a job threatening experience. This book is recommended for both mystery and women's fiction readers.

A powerful book on the struggles of being a working woman, not only dealing with sexual harrasment in the workforce but also all the hardships that go with being a working mother too. It's sad to think that the things happening in this book happen to thousands of women everyday. Do not get this book confused with a thriller, its definitely an eye opening drama very based on true life.

This one didn't move fast enough for me. I lost interest about 1/3 of the way through and did not finish the book. The writing was quality was fine, I just couldn't get engaged in the story or characters.

A genuinely engrossing thriller that rang some very believable bells as a woman who has worked in law firms and in corporate life. This one also has Greek chorus narration that doesn’t always work but works here.

Below are a few (somewhat) brief, $.02 opinions about books I've read or listened to recently but don't have time, inclination or opportunity to review in full. Their appearance in this recurring piece generally has little to nothing to do with merit. Many of these books I enjoyed as much or more than those that got the full court press. I hope you'll consider one or two for your own TBR stack if they strike your fancy whether they struck mine or not.

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Whisper Network, by Chandler Baker

Pop Culture Nerd and I read this together when it came out and it sparked a huge discussion. We had every intention of posting but it became way too unwieldy. But that's how thought-provoking this novel about workplace harassment, misogyny, power, working mothers, gossip and woes of the internet is. There were things we both loved and loathed about it, often differently; but one thing we agreed on was that there were countless lines that made us shout "Hell yes!" This is worth a read just to get you thinking.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I really wanted to like this book, but the characters were not developed enough for me. I am a Dallas girl, born and raised, and even I found it very difficult to relate to the characters. I love that the #MeToo movement was a central theme of the story, but there just weren't enough twists and terms for the story to be truly gripping.

I liked the premise of this book and really connected to some of the workplace problems the women were going through. I felt like it brought many issues to the surface that women deal with in society. It kept my attention and I finished it in two days because I couldn't wait to see what happened.

Whisper Network gave me vibes of the blockbuster film Nine to Five. This book has four protagonists, Sloane, Ardie, Grace and Rosalita. They all have worked at the Truviv firm for years and with the death of their company's CEO, their boss Ames is about to take over the reins. The book gets the title because throughout the company, there have been constant "whispers" of sexual abuse Ames had consistently gotten away with.

The women feel that if this man takes over he will never have to account for his actions and that more women could be hurt. The women plan a coupe, so to speak, and this will shake up the company from the ground up. Nothing will ever be the same, no matter the cost.

I had to check the genre more than once, because this book gave me more of a feel of a thriller rather than woman's fiction. That is because in the age #metoo, it is often a terrible, uphill battle for women to be heard and for the perpetrator to be brought to justice. This book by Chandler Baker is utterly, albeit sadly, relatable. I so wanted for these four women - for all the women in the company - to have their voices heard and to get justice.

Many thanks to Flatiron Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

The Whisper Network is a very timely book in the age of the #metoo movement. The three female protagonists are successful lawyers who have experienced sexual harassment by their male coworkers. The story alternates between the past and the present, which I enjoy in books. I liked the friendship of the three female characters, but some of the plot points were a bit unbelievable.

This novel is multilayered in my opinion. But it follows 3 different women & all of their experiences with one particular man in the company that they work for. These women work in the legal field & live different lives. One is a mother struggling with postpartum, another is recently divorced mother, the other is a mother who is still some what happily married with a middle school daughter who is experiencing bullying.
These 3 decide to move forward with a lawsuit that can completely change their lives and careers.

This book basically about harassment not only in the work place but how harassment can be prevented in young children as well if the correct actions are taken to correct behaviors. I feel like this book comes off very real, with portray many different angles and scenarios. From women being afraid to speak due to possible consequences, to women lying/denying the harassment they experienced, to going full force with sharing the truth.
I definitely feel like this book should have more hype & need to be talked about more.
Highly recommend.

I'm in the total minority with this book but it just didn't do it for me. I felt it was trying to exploit and capitalize on the #MeToo movement but was done in a bad way. I wanted to love this book but with a lot of Reese's book club picks, it fell short for me.

I tried to live this book, but struggled to get through it. A story about four women dealing with sexual harassment in a so called man's world and standing up for themselves, without refusing to take no for an answer. Was hoping for more edge of you seat, suspenseful moments.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2020 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2020/01/2020-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

This was an interesting read. It took me a minute to get into it as the story had quite a bit of setup to it, but once secrets started to spill, I did find it difficult to put down. I liked the different storytelling devices with the interviews, the 'we' chorus, and the close-third. I thought it was an interesting and intriguing way to tell the story. There were some big twists and turns that surprised me and a few I guessed along the way. Overall, an enjoyable read.