There are many twists and turns I’m Ms. Shepherd’s latest novel. As much as it is about the murder that almost becomes secondary to the secrets that everyone is keeping. Some are more twisted than others.

Even though I loved the TV series Pretty Little Liars, which was inspired by the Sara Shepard book series of the same name, I had never actually read one of Shepard’s books prior to requesting her latest novel, Reputation. I went into Reputation hoping for a fast-paced read filled with all of the elements I loved in the Pretty Little Liars series and that’s exactly what I got. The story is centered on a prestigious university that gets turned up on its end when a hacker infiltrates the university network and uploads all of the university’s emails into an easily searchable database. From students to faculty and staff, lives are turned upside down as the emails are leaked publicly exposing juicy secrets, extramarital affairs, and so much more. Then while everyone is busy dealing with the fallout from all of the exposed emails, a popular doctor is murdered. Who would have wanted him dead? Is his murder somehow connected to something that came out as a result of the hack? In typical Shepard fashion, the reader is taken on a wild ride that is jam-packed with shocking twists and turns as we watch the fallout from the hack, try to figure out who is responsible for the hack, and of course, who killed the doctor and why. My only real complaint about the novel is that I didn’t feel any real connection to the characters. The story is told from the perspectives of five different women, and while each woman was very well developed and had a compelling storyline, I just didn’t find any of them especially relatable. It didn’t hamper my overall enjoyment of the read at the time, but now sitting down to write this review, I can barely remember their names. Even with that lack of connection though, Reputation is still a fast and fun read, especially if you’re into scandalous soap opera-style drama. 3.5 STARS

Well cream my corn, smack my ass and call me biscuits. What am I talking about? Hell, I don't know but that's how I feel after reading this book because my neck hurts and my brain is muddled from all the whiplash.

Told from multiple POVs, this is QUITE the roller coaster of a read. And it makes total sense as it was originally written to be for TV. So yes to all the DRAMA MAMA BING BANG happening page after page after page! Think about it. Everyone has a reputation. You have one throughout high school, through college and then while you think it lessens as you reach adulthood - it doesn't - it just changes course. You're constantly comparing yourself to the other mother you think may have more advantages than you or is doing a better job, whatever that means. Or to the family you're missing out on because you never had kids. To the man you think you're not because you allowed this and that to happen. There's always SOMETHING. So you hide behind your secrets. You chase what you think will complete you, but does that ever really work? This is a fast lesson is learning that no matter what happens, eventually you WILL be found out.

If your emails got hacked, what would come out about you? Do you really think deleting your messages keep you immune? You realize that the person who holds your "secret" with you means it's not REALLY a secret right? Bring in this cast of characters where EVERYONE has some secret. Emails have gotten hacked and shit is about TO GO DOWN. No one is innocent. The author does an amazing job of keeping you guessing. There are little bombs dropped here and there and just when you think … THINK.. you have it almost figured out... BOMB DROPPED. Now, normally having ALL these twists and turns would almost seem to much but it really works for me here. Even while I was looking back and forth from character to character and all the messes they were in, I was still feeling for them... well... some of them. But with every black cloud, there is that little silver lining. Mostly. Maybe. Hell, I don't know.

Even with all the craziness that is going on, the book does touch on some very important subjects and it's all too real how certain things can easily be looked over when they shouldn't. And while, if I'm being completely transparent, the epilogue was nice to see where the characters ended up... it felt a little *off* after the crazy roller coaster... like I got stuck at the end for a few minutes, trapped, before I was let off. BUT... I do think it was necessary as well. People, be as good as you can be but remember we're all human. And in this day and age, be careful what you put out there. And as the author notes in her acknowledgments: "People will always find out."

When I started reading this book, I thought this was going to take me in deep. It did,in the beginning. I just found that it was hard to keep up with which character was which and what they were doing in the scheme of things. I found myself wanting to speed through it and just find out who started the whole thing. There were a lot of side angles going on and I had to go back and reread the name at the start of the chapter to remind myself just who was talking. It might not have been for me but I am sure there are people who will love it.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book and the review is my opinion.

3.5 Stars

Reputation by Sara Shepard is a book that will take you on a wild ride. This thriller is classic Shepard with no shortage of drama and plot twists. However, while the concept is fantastic, the amount of drama in the story becomes a bit too much.

The one thing that Sara Shepard books have in common is drama. That being said, at times there can be an overwhelming amount of dramatic scenes stuffed into the pages. With Reputation in particular, the story starts off really strong and then it seems as though there is no end to the melodrama.

❀ UNIQUE PLOT

What really drew me into the novel at first is the unique plot. Can you imagine all of your personal emails being available for anyone to read? That idea really sets up for an interesting plot. Add a murder investigation and there is just the right amount of intrigue for a great thriller. Everyone in the community has something to gain or lose here.

❀ INTERESTING AND WELL-DEVELOPED CHARACTERS

The story is told from multiple perspectives, which at first seems a bit daunting, but becomes easy enough to follow. None of these characters are ones that are easy to root for, although they are all interesting and well-developed. There is a mixed bag of women who have many different personality types.

Reputation by Sara Shepard is a page-turner that will keep you guessing. Although, about three quarters of the way through, I had hit my limit for twists and the overdramatic storyline. However, fans of the author and this style of book will most likely find it enjoyable.

What happens to Mean Girls and Pretty Little Liars when they grow up? They become concerned about their Reputation.

“Good reputations land jobs, find you a spouse, earn you the right friends. But have a bad reputation—well. Here come the whispers. Here come the slammed doors. So it makes sense to preserve a good name, sure. But how far would you go to preserve your reputation—especially when you fear you’re about to be exposed? Would you work on a good cover story? Would you lie? Would you kill?”—from Reputation

Kit, Lynn, Laura and Raina have a complicated relationship. One is Insta-curating her life to show perfection where little really lies. One is envious of another. Another is having an affair with someone else’s husband. When the college where they all work is hacked and their email exposed, they all scramble to conceal their secrets from each other. However, when one person is murdered, everything is exposed for all to see.

Reputation is an engrossing read. The story of the secrets that people have behind their heavily curated facade is compelling. It is truly difficult to stop reading because you want to see the author’s next sleight of hand twist, of which there are many. While the book dragged a bit in the middle—it is rather long for a domestic thriller—the surprising conclusion is well worth the time spent. If you liked the author’s previous work or just domestic thrillers in general, you will enjoy this book. 4 stars!

Thanks to Dutton Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

When someone hacks into the email system of elite Aldrich University, exposing the emails of everyone in relation to the school, all hell breaks loose. Through those emails, University employee Kit learns her husband Greg has been having an extramarital affair with a younger woman—possibly even a student.

When Greg turns up murdered days after the Aldrich hacking incident, no one seems to feel sympathy for this philanderer’s death. And everyone from Greg’s inner circle has a motive to kill. But the question is who actually went through with it?

Reputation is Sara Shepard’s upcoming thriller release. Years ago I read most of the Pretty Little Liars series but I have yet to read one of Sara Shepard’s adult titles. The premise of this drew me in from the start—I was intrigued by the email hacking. But unfortunately the story went downhill from there. Too many perspectives, too unbelievable, too much drama for my taste. 2/5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley, Dutton and Sara Shepard for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks for the ARC!

Ohmygosh was this juicy.

I finished this one at the 11th hour. Seriously it was like 11 when I turned the last page.

It’s SUPER SIMILAR to Pretty Little Liars. Technology plays a role and absolutely everyone has a secret they want to keep hidden.

This is a total guilty pleasure book. I mean, bingeing reality TV and eating nothing but pizza and cartons of ice cream worthy.

Anyone else think this book should be adapted for TV?! Especially for Bravo.

I can see it now: The Real Housewives of Aldrich University.

There are quite a few POVs! Not as many as PLL, but it’s still a fair few.

Get ready for information hacks, scandalous secrets, affairs, revenge and of course murder.

It’s definitely more adult than PLL, a little more graphic/vulgar. Still fabulously addictive.

Short review: it’s Sara Shepard. Be prepared for a juicy and page turning read.

Sara Shepard has outdone herself with this book. I read the whole Pretty Little Liars series and all of her adult books. This is by far one of the best she has ever written! The plot and characters keep you guessing until the very end.

How much does your reputation mean to you? Would you lie to save your good name? Would you kill to maintain outward appearances? In Sara Shepard’s latest release Reputation, we meet a group of women forever linked by a man whose reputation did not coincide with his true self. A man who appeared to be the perfect husband and father but was actually rotten to the core.

A cyber attack has struck the elite and prestigious Aldrich University. The emails of students, teachers, and administration staff has been published on a searchable data base. The entire school is thrown into turmoil as everyone’s private thoughts and secrets are made public knowledge. To make matters much worse Dr. Gregg Strasser has been found dead in his home. He is a doctor at Aldrich University Hospital, his wife Kit a fundraiser for the university. Strasser’s murder pushes the town of Aldrich over the edge. Everyone has something to hide and seems willing to do anything to keep their secrets hidden.

Reputation is told from several points of views. One of the main perspectives is Willow, Kit’s younger sister. Willow is an investigative reporter who moved from Aldrich to California fifteen years ago. The reason for Willow’s move to California is easily figured out, however trying to figure how that connects to her brother-in-law’s murder or if there is a connection at all is the real question. In fact trying to figure out how all the narrators are linked is the central mystery.

There are a lot of narrators in Reputation, a total of five. When starting Reputation it was a little difficult to follow the story due to the numerous narrators. With the exception of one narrator who was younger than the others, it was sometimes hard to differentiate the narrators. However there is a flow to the plot. When I got around 50-60 pages into the story, identifying the narrators became easier.

Although a bit predictable, Reputation is still a page turner. Readers will find it hard to not become invested in at least one character. Once the link between all narrators is unveiled the pacing of the story picks up. Readers looking for an entertaining yet light suspense read should add Reputation to their list of must reads.

Murder and Moore Rating :
3.75 / 5 Stars

Rants, Raves, and Reviews
I am no stranger to Sara Shepard’s books, having read her PLL series, The Lying Game, The Perfectionists, The Amateurs, and Heiresses. That being said, this is probably her first adult book I’ve read, as I haven’t tried The Elizas. Either way, I am used to multiple POVs, everyone hiding something, and that while there may be an answer at the end of the book, the likelihood of this being the real killer or solution is going to disappear in the sequel. I expect disjointed insanity. Basically, I knew I was in for a ridiculous trip.
Thankfully, Reputation doesn’t appear to have a sequel in the works, but WHO KNOWS.
Knowing all of this, I still didn’t enjoy Reputation like I thought I would. At first it was fun — rich, entitled women being awful, knowing that they’re world was going to be flipped upside down. The college girl who is pretending to be someone else. It’s all great! Except that it is too disconnected to follow, and there aren’t enough mysteries or secrets to keep my interest.
Greg dies, and his wife Kit is the number one suspect. We find that maybe their courtship was questionable, but immediately are told it’s ALL ABOVE BOARD. Her sister Willa comes into town and has a secret she’s trying to run away from. It only pops up as a plot device when things get slow?
And then there is Raina, the girl who has tricked her way into the university. She’s secretive, best friends with one of Kit’s daughters, used to be her dad’s secretary, very much the girl who doesn’t belong and we aren’t supposed to trust. When she finally opens up to someone, it backfires in her face — it’s a great moment. Only to be ruined by another character suddenly knowing her whole back story as well, a chapter later, with NO explanation??

Final Thoughts
This book is trying to be a mystery/thriller in a #metoo era, and it fails at that completely. I need authors to stop doing this. I haven’t read one that feels sincere or well done, and frankly, I’m not ready to read about this era yet. We are still in it, waiting to see what’s going to happen and if there are long term repercussions. The fact that there are frats being accused in the background of this story, just as like dressing on the wall, is weird. And then adding graphic sexual assault to this book was what honestly pushed me to dislike this book in the end. I love Sara, but this one is definitely a miss for me.

Once again Sara Shepard has outdone herself as an author. Reputation was exactly the thriller that I needed. There were many times while reading this book that I could not put it down late at night. The book concentrates mainly around a girl named Kit and her family. Kit and her family are consumed in so many lies after many of their emails are exposed during a major university email computer hack.

This was one thriller where I did not see the ending coming which is extremely rare to find for me. After the hack, Kit's doctor husband is suddenly murdered. The novel focuses on finding out who killed her husband and the many secrets that he kept while he was alive. The entire story and plot are one complete whirlwind and exactly what a thriller should be.

There are several triggering scenes in this book. Reputation is an adult novel. It can be pretty graphic at times. So be warned before picking it up. The book is told from multiple different perspectives which I thoroughly enjoyed. As there are two sides to every story. Reputation is very entertaining and I loved all the drama that ensued. It is for sure a page-turner.

The only reason why I did not give the book five stars is because some of the resolutions and falling out of the book almost seemed too far fetched. I also didn't care much for the characters. Most of them were very spoiled brats but the author wanted it that way..... so it was done very well in that sense. I just became somewhat annoyed at times even though that was the point.

Without giving anything away, I was kind of disappointed with one of the outcomes but I didn't see it coming. So props to the author! Sara Shepard's writing is pure beauty. She draws you in from the very beginning. I love how she gets right to the drama of the novel instead of waiting until the middle of the book to get things moving. Reputation is so deliciously good. If you like thriller novels and drama then you have to pick up this book! Every character has a motive in the main murder that I had no idea who actually did it until the very end! I loved this book!

An Email Hack Leads to Embarrassing Revelations and Murder

The entire faculty and student body of Aldrich University, an almost Ivy League School, is thrown into a panic when the school’s email system is hacked and the data exposed on a searchable database. Some people worry their secrets will be revealed, others search the database avidly hoping to discover dirt on their friends and associates.

Kit Manning, daughter of the president of the University and a university fund raiser, is married to handsome Dr. Greg Strasser. Her emails aren’t a problem, but it becomes apparent that Greg has been involved with numerous women, one underage, The hack takes a serious turn when Greg is murdered in his home during the major fundraising event of the year.

The story is told from multiple points of view by people who were damaged by the revelations, had something to hide, or wanted to use the information to undermine others. Lynn, a member of the fundraising team, hates the fact that Kit is the favored one in the department. She’s very catty and will do anything to get her own way. She’s an amusing character because she’s so unashamedly self-centered.

The story is full of twists, just when you think you’ve figured out the murderer, a new fact crops up. The only problem is that it puts the reveal very close to the end making the end of the book feel rushed. However, it was a good mystery with well drawn characters and an interesting setting.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

I was really excited for this one, and I have to admit I read every last Pretty Little Liar book, and Lying Game in high school. So I was worried this one may be too “YA” or that it would be too similar. IT WASNT.
I had high expectations at the same time and it followed through.
I did have a hard time keeping track of the characters at first, but quickly got the hang of it.
I read it in two sittings (because life interrupted me from finishing it in one.)
There was so much scandal, that even when you start to guess who did what, another twist comes along and throws you off that track.
Completely recommend reading this one!
4.5 stars

4.75 out of 5 stars if I could. I read this book in a day and a half. I ignored chores and was grateful for a snow storm so I could stay comfy and find out who killed Dr. Greg Strasser. I won’t post spoilers but I will say I couldn’t figure out who did it until it was being discovered in the book. Great writing, especially being able to change points of view chapter by chapter so seamlessly.

hepard’s Reputation follows a cast of characters as they deal with the fallout of a server hack at Aldrich University. Reputations are on the line as secrets make their way into the public sphere and Dr. Greg Strasser is murdered.

I’ll always give Shepard’s novels a chance because Pretty Little Liars holds a special place in my heart. I know that the TV show is different from the books, but Shepard created those characters, so I know she’s a capable writer. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy Reputation as much as I thought I would.

My biggest criticism of the novel is that it has too many moving parts and too many red herrings. In my opinion, a well plotted and constructed mystery includes many moving pieces but doesn’t make it obvious that theses pieces are attempting to redirect readers’ attention. All of the red herrings in Reputation were blatantly obvious.

Shepard tried to tie Reputation to the #MeToo movement, but ultimately failed to offer anything substantial or significant to the conversation. Instead, it’s mentioned directly by the characters and left at that.

Reputation is probably 100 pages too long. With all the red herrings and plots loosely related to the main mystery, it’s hard to enjoy the final reveal since it felt like a slog getting to it. It also comes out of left field with hardly any set up. It’s pretty horrible in terms of its content, so I was expecting Shepard to debrief readers. Unfortunately, Shepard presents her reveal and moves on almost immediately.

Overall, Reputation was a decent read. It kept me, for the most part, entertained and engaged while I was reading. Would I recommend it? Probably not. There are better mystery novels out there.

<i>Reputation</i> by Sara Shepard is a fast paced thriller told by alternating narrators, all of whom were affected by a wide reaching release of hacked emails at an elite private college. The scandals revealed include marital infidelity, test cheating, and cover ups of fraternity misbehavior. In short order, a murder is committed, sending the family of Kit into a spiral, as well as her coworkers and coworkers of her murdered husband. Willa, her journalist sister, begins to unravel the relationships and activities of various others in an effort to discover the murderer. A quick read, <i>Reputation</i>, disappoints a bit at the end with the rather trite conclusion. Recommended for fans of Shepard's earlier novels and those looking for a little more thriller-esque novels.

This is the grown-up version of Pretty Little Liars—everyone has a secret, and the social dynamics are twisty and full of intrigue. A very satisfying thriller!

This is a thriller that fits into todays technology world. Reputations are important to all but in the college academic community they are gold. An e-mail hack sends this small town into a frenzy. When murder occurs the affairs and shopping details become mundane. Good story and the characters are realistic and well written. The family aspect is un unexpected treat. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Reputation relays the consequences of a communities secrets being revealed when their server is hacked. Told from multiple point of views but centered around one marriage’s downfall we discover that many things are hidden beneath a facade of happiness and the results of their secrets being revealed can lead to murder.

I don’t typically read novels that revolve around gossip and scandal but there was something about the synopsis of Reputation that drew me in. As I started reading it my reservations quickly faded and I got caught up in the lives of these characters and how they were all so danged unhappy. Just as we see only the good on our friends social media feeds, the characters in Reputation outwardly showed bliss, but as their secrets became cannon fodder for gossip their masks were ripped off. When they all became suspects in a murder they each showed culpability and I was kept in ignorance until the end.

The hardest part about reading this novel was that the characters were all unlikable. I felt sorry for many of them but really couldn’t find any sympathy for the predicaments they found themselves in. Even Willa, the main characters sister who was introduced later in the book and became the catalyst in investigating the murder was a tentative character built on uncertainty and fear. Her background was the most interesting to be revealed but even though she had the gumption to investigate to prove her sisters innocence, I still felt ambivalent. I really wanted to root for someone to either be innocent or guilty but I had trouble getting beyond that feeling of wanting the story to end. With that being said, I did have enough interest that I read it all the way through, but I’ll admit to skimming a few chapters to get to the conclusion a little quicker.

I’ve never read a book that Sara Shepard has written but have heard good things about her style of writing. Like I said above, there were twists and turns, suprises and reveals that kept me reading and I truly didn’t guess the whodunnit before the final couple of chapters. I can say honestly that she’s got skills, I just wish I had liked these characters a little bit more. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley and it’s publisher for my honest review and it was honest!