Definitely not what I expected. The twists and turns made me unable to put the book down. Such a fast, fun, nail-biting read

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

I took my time with this. In an obvious book slump from everything 2020 ish and being stuck inside since the Spring. This book felt like it reawakened my inner thriller lover back to life. I dragged it out slowly and I loved being surprised by all the things uncovered after Eleanor went missing. I liked the authors writing style and the way the story played out. I will be looking for more books from her now on. Thank you for gifting me this copy from a contest I won.

This was an interesting premise and I had high hopes that it would be exciting and suspenseful. There were times when there were twists but then there were long times where nothing happened. The characters were just not relatable and you never felt like you wanted to cheer them on. All they did was backstab each other.

This book had the potential to be something special but unfortunately the author’s amateur writing and beyond ridiculous ending made for a flop.

Loved the Lost Night, loved this. My one criticism of the Lost Night was the incessant droning about Bushwick and hipsters, and I really wish the author would write just one book set outside of New York. WE GET IT.

This was not my favorite book, but I gave it between 2.5 and 3 stars. I’m definitely planning on reading this author’s debut work.

I liked this book. I think the premise of it is actually pretty brilliant, but the execution left me wanting more. It was a little slow in the beginning, and I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters until the very end. It's not a super memorable book for me, but I enjoyed it while reading.

This book was not what I had expected it to be at all! I liked the suspenseful plot, but I was not a fan of the characters involved. It was also hard to follow along for me, I am unsure if that was due to the writing style or my disinterest in where the plot was going.

I really liked the premise, but wasn't really feeling the execution. I didn't have any characters I liked, which is almost always a deal breaker f0r me.

Enjoyed this one trying to figure out what happened to Eleanor. I didn't particularly connect with the setting or the characters but enjoyed the story overall.

Actual Star Rating - 3.5

Ugh. This was one of my most highly sought after books of 2020 and sadly, this one did NOT hit the mark for me. I was pretty confused for most of the book and really had a hard time connecting with the characters and the plot. What I did love was the strong sense of female empowerment and the super cool NY vibe / cohort where most of the novel took place, but that is where my fascination ended.

This was a super slow read for me and I had to constantly find excuses to pick it back up. I wanted to love this one so much because it was a murder mystery (which I love) at an elite club for women, but it just didnt do it for me :(

Thank you Netgalley for my early copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley for granting my wish to read The Herd by Andrea Bartz. I had been hearing about this book for while, so when I was granted my wish to read it, i was really thrilled.
The Herd is not for the weak of heart ladies - and in view of the "me 2" movement, and what's going on in the world, Bartz writes a relevant story that hits the heart very hard.
With an interesting cast of female characters, a great plot, and mystery to solve this book will keep you on the edge. Sometimes uncomfortable reading, but guaranteed to keep you thinking for while.
3.5 stars.

Loved the twists and turns in this one! I couldn't put it down because I had to know what happened! Great mystery for any thriller lover!

This one started off really slow for me. I found it really hard to keep up with the characters and didn't find any of them very relatable or interesting. I found myself skimming through a lot of the book. I did enjoy when the book began to pick up the pace once Eleanor disappeared. The surprises and twists I did not see coming, so those redeemed the book for me a little bit. Overall this one gets 3 stars.

The concept of The Herd is great, a female co-working space started by a group of friends intended to fight the patriarchy, and show that women are just as capable of success as their male counterparts. Throw in a younger hopeful member-to-be , a bit of missing person and possible murder and you should have a great story. Unfortunately it wasn't until I was halfway done with the book that I felt it got interesting. The main characters all have secrets, and while the mentioning of the secrets was most likely intended to be intriguing it left me feeling annoyed instead. There is no real hint to what the secrets are until they are completely given away. A few little tidbits would have made me feel more engrossed in the backstories that end up being such a major part of the book. Ultimately The Herd didn't give me that I must continue reading to find out what happens feeling. It was just a slightly entertaining read that I enjoyed, but won't have a desire to ever revisit.

The Herd was an engrossing, twisted story about an up and coming female empowerment company. The women include leader, Eleanor, friends Mikki and Hanna, and Hanna's sister, Katie who is trying to become a Herd member. The Herd is about to make a huge business announcement, but when Eleanor doesn't show to the PR event, her friends become alarmed. As the group digs into her disappearance, its clear that Eleanor is hiding more than a secret business agreement.

Occasionally I got the characters mixed up and there seemed to be a lot of tearing down among all the females. They didn't have much chemistry so their friendships didn't seem genuine. But the writing was smooth and flowed well with the dialogue. The story line was very unique and I enjoyed this one overall.

Set aside a few hours and dig into this suspense thriller from Andrea Bartz. You won't want any interruptions while you're reading.

Kate comes to The Herd, a workspace for women (and only women--men can take a hike), at a low depth of vulnerability. The book she's been trying to write while in Kalamazoo looking after her cancer-stricken mother is no longer coming together because of a mistake she made, so she is professionally at-odds. Her love life, too, is going nowhere. Her older sister Hana is the PR manager for The Herd and its charismatic, enigmatic founder, Eleanor. Hana, Eleanor, and Mikki (who also uses The Herd) were friends at Harvard and now have come together to support each other and Eleanor's endeavor.

These four women hoard a plethora of secrets between them. When Eleanor disappears just as she is about to announce an important move for her company, Kate, Hana, and Mikki anxiously try to figure out what happens. Over the course of a week, they learn all manners of deception, some perpetuated by each other and some centered around Eleanor.

The Herd's appeal is its veneer of perfection. When Kate first walks into The Herd's complex, she is struck by how flawlessly it looks. The colors reflect feminism, hope, joy, peace--it's everything Kate thinks she's looking for. The more she gets to know Eleanor, though, the less appealing she and her creation become. But that herd mentality--that sense that everyone else here is so happy and productive--is tough to kick.

I inhaled this book, even the parts that frustrated me. It's difficult to like Kate, Hana, Mikki, and Eleanor. I'm sure that's deliberate on Andrea Bartz's part as she makes you confront why you want to like people who appear perfect, why you want to be a part of their world. They aren't perfect, and those flaws can be ugly. I think, though, that you need to align yourself with at least one of these women. You need to care and buy into them in order for the twists and turns and revelations to shock and affect you.

This is one of those books that begs to be discussed. You will want to debate the four women (Eleanor in particular), and you will want to talk about the ending. Is it too contrived? Does it work?

Hit up the comments and let me know your thoughts.

I reviewed Andrea Bartz’ debut novel The Lost Night last year, which was a stunning debut – a page-turning narrative that will continue to linger long after you’ve read it (no easy feat). I fully expected to enjoy The Herd, and true enough I did. The building of suspense and abundant red herrings led me down an enjoyable path of guess-work, never quite pinning down the culprit until the last moments, which is a testament to Bartz’ skill.

Bartz ups the ante from the get-go, choosing to have two narrators instead of one, weaving her narrative around the perspectives of two sisters, Katie and Hana Bradley, both connected to Eleanor Walsh, the founder of The Herd, an elite, women-only working space that prides itself on mentorship and empowerment. The opening scenes involve Katie interviewing with Eleanor to join the space, a space she can use to work on her book, a book that she doesn’t want to write anymore because of a traumatic past event, one that she refuses to remember or think about.

While this constant switch in narrators contributes to the suspenseful spaces of the book, Katie and Hana’s narrative voices don’t always feel distinctly different. This got a bit confusing towards the end because we were speeding up as we headed towards the climax, so I had to keep backtracking to remember whose head I was in.

Bartz allows us to spend some time with Eleanor before she disappears, fleshing out the challenges a woman boss has to grapple with; a man in power is expected, a woman in power has to prove her worth. Bartz includes this interesting article by Katie in the course of the novel, which discusses how things would have turned out differently for Steve Jobs if he was a woman, laying out the numerous instances that would have got him fired. Instead, his antics and ego trips are viewed as genius and visionary.

It’s a difficult thing to be a woman in power, mainly because of the unseen caveats attached to the position. You have to craft an image so beyond reproach; any time there is a chink in the armour or a hint of vulnerability, this is a sign of your lackluster leadership. Too professional and you are viewed as cold, too personable you might find yourself not being respected and trodden on. Eleanor has managed to keep the balance and delivered on the expectation, both a thriving businesswoman and happily married – or so it seems.

While Eleanor was alive, all we got was the surface, it is only in her death that secrets start to pour out, painting this image of an ambitious woman who had no compunctions stepping on her friends to get to the position she now holds. Bartz very cleverly shows us that this could have been prevented if the people around held her accountable and didn’t just play dead as she steamrolled over them. An individual can run amuck with a pair of scissors in hand, destroying everything in sight, only if we allow them to.

Her parents looked at her like this precious seed, protecting and enabling her so she could succeed, having to live with all the ghosts they helped her bury. Her friends kept silent and didn’t speak out about their frustrations because they admired her and were so afraid of losing her good will. Her relationships with men were also mishandled, which led to hatred and resentment.

I do wish that the community space of The Herd had been developed more. Besides the brief moments we spend with Katie while inside, the novel is more focused on the mystery of who forced Eleanor to kick the bucket. We are given the impression that The Herd is a successful enterprise, since Eleanor is offered a buy-out. Thus, the irony of it all would really hit home if we can actually experience how Eleanor has build a space of female empowerment and camaraderie, while practicing none of her own.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Unfortunately, I just could not get through it. The premise was great, but the execution fell flat for me.