3.5 stars.

This book was a mash up between The Firm, a Shonda Rhimes TV show and the #metoo movement. The book was a fun read but I found myself not liking the main character and her choices about mid way through the book.

She was selling herself out for money, prestige, to be on the inside, etc. The consequences of her choices were real but the topics in this book didn't resonate with me at this point in our world.

#BoysClub
#NetGalley

I could not put this book down. It was so gripping and fast paced and the dialogue and descriptions so witty and entertaining. The treatment of women in the corporate world is still so broken and I love how it was explored with such raw emotions and self doubt. As a lawyer, I loved the depiction of life as an associate in terms of the long hours, last minute assignments, client schmoozing obligations and the dreaded fear of a mistake. While my experiences did not involve such debauchery, the exaggeration here made for such a great read. One of my favorites of 2020 so far.

What an interesting concept. Upon finishing the book, you learn that the author actually works at a big time law firm and is wrote this book under a pseudonym. It was already an intriguing book but knowing what I know now about the author, I think it changed my overall experience to like the book even more. My only qualm with the book is the cover. I am a firm believer that the cover does a lot for a book and the cover just didn't get me excited to the book even though the cover is beautiful in it's own way.

The Boys' Club is fairly entertaining, but a bit repetitive and over the top. While we root for Alex, it's not a surprise that she gets sucked into the dark underbelly of the firm. Watching her find her way makes for a fun read, although I grew bored in places as we are treated to the same types of descriptions and commentaries over and over. The novel would have been greatly improved by trimming some pages. Also, the character development was pretty weak with many characters appearing as nothing more than cardboard stereotypes. That being said, if you want a beach read depicting Big Law, check this one out. As a former Big Law associate, the details are accurate and you'll feel like you've had an inside look.

Alex Vogel just landed a job at Klasko & Fitch, one of the top law firms in Manhattan. Having recently relocated from Boston with her boyfriend so he can secure funding for his own business venture, things finally seem to be settling into place for Alex. Initially wanting to play it safe in real estate, the excitement, money, and men of Mergers & Acquisitions quickly lures her in. Before she knows it, she is working with some of the top lawyers and accounts at the firm, earning $50,000 bonuses and partying with clients at all hours of the day and night (sleeping is now a long forgotten pass time). As her relationship becomes increasingly difficult to manage with her hectic work schedule, it becomes even easier to give into other temptations at work. Alex quickly learns that success at Klasko & Fitch means playing by a different set of rules; a set that is not always to the benefit of women.

This was wild. Any type of legal thriller/drama basically sucks me right in; needless to say, I was hooked as soon as I started reading. Speaking of drama, I love this cast of characters and how well they compliment one another. They all have such unique personalities (and issues) that the reader had a glimpse of a true office community, instead of a cookie cutter idea of what a lawyer should look/dress/act like on repeat for each character.

On a more serious note, I appreciate that it is written by an attorney because it contains details that someone without that background may have overlooked. As someone who enjoys expanding my (very limited) legal knowledge, I also enjoyed the book organization. It was clever to set it up as the parts of a failed merger, but most of all I loved that it flipped back and forth between events and trial transcripts. I feel that it added a layer of suspense that kept me turning pages well after my vision began blurring from reading for so long.

Serious props to the author for tackling women's issues in the office. It is so much bigger than simply what to wear; it really is playing by a whole different set of rules and walking a tightrope while you do it. One mis-step and it's over.

The Boys' Club = The Firm + the #metoo Movement. This fast paced book tells the story of Alex, a first year lawyer in a Big Law lawfirm. She becomes one of the boys, but then notices some situations in the law firm that aren't right. I flew through this book and look forward to the Netflix series based on this book!

I loved this book. The storyline may seem unbelievable to those who are not familiar with BigLaw, but, incredibly, this book accurately portrays the ugly side of huge law firms in new York City. Although the main character was somewhat unlikeable at first, her desire to achieve the highest level of success and the way she was seduced by the glamour of BigLaw was entirely relatable. Each character serves a purpose and portrays a player in the BigLaw scene - each is complicated, loveable, and deplorable. I enjoyed this book from cover to cover - finished in a day.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Alex is a first year attorney at a prestigious firm. She is backstabbed and betrayed, only to then betray others herself. In the end, she finds a conscious and her voice.

A must read for women who work in a male dominated profession. Those who enjoyed Whisper Network will probably love The Boys Club even more. A book that is strongly feminist in a subtle way while also promoting female empowerment. A poignant and all-too-familiar story for many that furthers the cause of the #MeToo era.

As a female it is unfortunate that we have to approach everything in a different manner than men. The book opens with the main character considering what to wear for her first day. This is a major concern for women, especially women in male dominated fields. We want to look professional but not provocative, we want to look smart and put together but not like we are trying to hard or are overly conservative or hesitant. Despite the power instilled in women thanks to the "me too" movement, there is an entirely different level of power to content with: money, social station, and influence. A decision must be made between what can be managed, tolerated, and ignored; and what is too far and crossing the line. There also comes a point in which one must consider if what occured is enough to warrant a report to HR or a report to the police. The two of which can mean very different consequences and outcomes. This book managed to hit any and all stressors, fears, and questions women have regarding sexual encounters, harassment and assault.

The content is relevant, the story is digestible and complex but also the characters are involved in situations that many (arguably most) women are forced to deal with. I hesitate to say that almost every woman has dealt with something similar to what happened to the characters, even the minor ones, in this book.

The Boys' Club was just ok for me. The plot line is predictable - woman breaks into a male-dominated company. The male characters are absolutely disgusting - their behaviors are deplorable - but I do suppose that is the point that is being driven home. The corporate law jargon is a bit much but overall the book reminds me of Mad Men and Grisham's The Firm. I do wish the ending was different - it didn't pack as much of a punch as I would have liked.

This book starts off on a cliffhanger with a mystery trial and protagonist Alex giving a deposition about her first year of experience at a big law firm in Manhattan. As she recounts her memories, the book flashes back to the beginning of her career at the firm. I was intrigued from the get-go with its relatable language that feels like you are in Alex's head. It reads very quickly and is really intriguing. It is engaging and juicy, like I just wanted to know what happened! The book is less about romance or friendship but more about a woman's drive to succeed on her own terms yet play by the "boys club" rules of the legal profession to get there. You aren't rooting for Alex and a partner but rather her succeeding at shattering the glass ceiling for future female attorneys to come. It's inspiring and empowering to see that as the primary theme of the story. Great read.

I just couldn't get into this. If I were a lawyer, or working in the corporate world, I might find this more compelling, but as I am not, I just did not care about the plotline or characters.

At the end of The Boys’ Club, the “About the Author” blurb says that Erica Katz is a pseudonym for a Columbia law school graduate and working New York City lawyer. That, of course, leads to speculation about how much of the debut novel is true, how close the main character, Alex, is to the author, and does this make the book any better? Katz has done an admirable job of portraying the difficulties faced by women in “Big Law”, and the writing remains steadily pedestrian, but the plot stumbles along as much as Alex--sometimes ridiculous and at points veering into the truly absurd. All of this may have actually happened to the author, but as a book, too many things happen that make no sense.

This was a fascinating read and hard to put down. Fast paced action matched the self destructive pace of the main character's life. It provided a window into corporate culture and how people lose perspective when they get caught up in it. I did feel the destructive behavior got too long and overblown and then the ending was too short and tidy, as if the author said, "Ok, time to end it now." That part was less than satisfactory but overall, entertaining for the duration of the read.

The Boys' Club, by Erica Katz, is a novel about the legal world and the struggle of a woman within that world. While the story is a sad reality, it is not a new story and I have read many similar books. Nothing really new here. It was an easy, quick read, and someone who hasn't read a lot of "lawyer books". may rate it higher. Thank you, Harper and Netgalley for giving me an ARC for an honest review.

While this book was fun, it also felt more important than I expected. I enjoyed the deep dive into what life is like for a woman in law, and how gender dynamics affect the workplace. Don't miss The Boys' Club!

The writing is super lean and crisp, and i moves really well. It will resonate well in the time of "me too" and also for anyone who has been marginalized in the workplace. She describes the whole BigLaw process in a very accessible way. It was a nice escape, and there were a few good twists, but I wasn't running through the fields or anything after I read.

I always enjoy to read legal thrillers, for having opportunity to get a closer look to the lawyers’ world and when the book’s blurb gives you some vibes: Devil Wears Prada (young candidate tries to prove herself, turns into workaholic and gets estranged with her boyfriend parts, but unfortunately we don’t have our Miranda Priestly in this equation) meets Firm ( a candidate gets in bed with corporate law evils, losing control of her life) and a little similarities with Escape Room. Who says no to the gripping, exciting, fast pacing page turner! Of course I didn’t.

BUT… (Yes I hate to start sentences with caps locked words)In the beginning you just root for Alex Vogel, chanting for her: Go girl, show those mother*ckers how a brilliant woman can climb to the career ladders and impress everyone with her extraordinary, exquisite ideas. Alex was idealist, naïve but also determined, hard worker, doing everything to find her place at corporate law management. She tells herself she will never change and her job will never affect her relationship with boyfriend. But at the second half of the book, our character turns into a real bitch, cheater, having affair with a married man (because she can and it’s fun!), corrupted by the system and being worse version of her colleagues.

I know it’s so natural to hate lawyers and we all know they’re so ambitious to win their ways but in this book: the lawyers are portrayed like real scumbags and worst kind of human waste. They are depicted more disgusting than politicians which made me stop right there.
The way of their celebration of their bonuses at the office parties reminded me of scenes from Scorsese’s Wolf of Wall Street. And also losing my connection with the character, turns into meaner and more despicable person at each page made me lose my interest. The book’s direction lost its way at the last quarter, kept repeating itself made me feel like a hamster chasing its tail and getting nowhere!

Don’t get me wrong! There is nothing boring, dull or flat about the subject but I think character developments were problematic and over exaggerated. I felt like I was reading a reality show script with so many scumbags and illogical, nonsense, unrealistic people.

I’m just rounding up 2.5 stars to 3 because the beginning was promising and I haven’t had any problem about pacing. Even though I hate the story’s progression and characters’ evolving, it was still fast read. I want to call this one in the middle, junkie food reading. There was nothing nutritional valued inside of it. But it was easily consumed even though later it will give me stomach burning, it was good as one time thing!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for sharing this legal Thriller ARC in exchange my honest review.

Unfortunately, I did not finish this book. I read about half of it, but I could not get engaged with the story.

I really enjoyed this book! I found it a fresh new voice and type of read. It was similar to The Firm, but with a female point of view. Alex finds herself at a super prestigious law firm and quickly wrapped up in the competitive, outlandish lifestyle of those around her. Through her journey to "match" with the department she wants, I found her transformation not only believable, but eerily realistic as to what it was probably like. This was a fast paced read, with an element of suspense and some twists as well. Highly enjoyable!