A Special Place for Women by Laura Hankin is a perfect fit for readers who crave a thrilling and provocative exploration of feminism, power, and the uncharted territories of female relationships, with a dash of mystery and intrigue that will keep them on the edge of their seats.

Although a little unrealistic I really loved this one. It was political and witchy. What else could I ask for?

I loved her first book so much and I was disappointed after I finished this one. I thought the story was promising and it was interesting at first but the plot I couldn't get behind. My understanding was the book was intended to be funny, but it wasn't, at least to me. I'm a huge fan of chick-lit but this fell so flat for me. I didn't care for the big "twist" and I honestly couldn't wait for this book to be done.

I saw another reviewer call this "fun, if a bit odd," and that exactly reflects my feelings. The premise is excellent -- who *wouldn't* want a look at a secret society for millennial women in New York City? The execution is at times a little chaotic, funny and, yes, odd -- but I actually enjoyed it even more than the author's first book. Laura Hankin writes about the eccentricities of New York's wealthy and elite in such a captivating way, and I'm excited to read more from her.

I knew I was going to like this book and I did. I had it finished in two days. I couldn't put it down. So, thank you NetGalley. Who isn't curious about an elite millennial women's club in NYC? The best part is about 60% through when you are blindsided by what is actually going on. I am usually pretty good at guessing but this one got me before I got it. I know many readers didn't enjoy the plot twist but I was all for it. Jillian is a bit insufferable at times with her obsessing over a married man or her fake dating friend. She clearly needed to make some friends that were female.

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.

Such a fun read--I had always wondered about those female coworking sites, and I enjoyed this take on them. I love Laura Hankin, and anything she writes goes to the top of my TBR pile!

Laura Hankin outdid herself with A SPECIAL PLACE FOR WOMEN. This book is a fun, funny, and dark sophomore thriller with a twist I wasn't expecting. As a member of a women-only coworking space, I appreciated the cultiness of the whole thing. A great autumn read!

To save her career, journalist Jillian starts a secret club for women in New York.

Created to empower women but also to bring them down, I loved the secret cultish aspects and thought it was a fun escape read.

*many thanks to Berkley/Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I could not get interested in this book. I liked Laura Hankin's previous book, but I had such a hard time getting hooked with the storyline on this one. The characters didn't click with me and I wasn't invested in any of their lives, as I feel with characters in most books. Thank you for the early review copy, but this was a DNF for me.

This was my book club pick . This is a gender binding book (there’s satire, romance, mystery, magical realism) and not what I was expecting at all. It is a bingeable book and a great book for a book club. When I finished reading the book I didn’t know how I felt about it. However, after the discussion with the women on my book club I ended up understanding the book better and I haven’t stopped thinking about the book

Oh wow, I loved this book so much! Hankin's prose flies off the page and she blends genres so effortlessly, all creating a truly captivating read.

This one lost my interest - I loved the first by this author but every time I try to read this one I just can’t get into it.

I love the premise, I think there is an audience for it, I just am not it unfortunately.

I LOVE LOVE LOVED this novel. It had everything I was looking for - a SoHo-house esque secret women's club with witchcraft woven in, and a bit of mystery around the whole thing. I really enjoy Laura Hankin's novels and this was no different.

If this book were satire, it would get a million stars. Unfortunately, it's not. Therefore it gets one.
This book essentially depicts a fictionalized version of the Wing, the exclusive, yet problematic womens workspace and gives modern Sex In The City vibes. Think stylish female friendships, women who like to exclaim how they are "boss bitches" and a sprinkle of romance. The author does this as if to say, "ugh, basic white bitches, amirite?" But the critiques of white feminism aren't explicitly stated and eventually, the book becomes the very thing it was mocking. There was an opportunity for some great commentary about white, wealthy, lean-in feminism.

Well Shucks! I really wanted to love this book, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. This book about women's empowerment didn't quite do it for me. Not sure if I didn't quite buy into the storyline or if the characters just didn't grab me... either way, I'm just not the right reader for this novel.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for giving me a copy of the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately it just wasn’t a good fit for me. I struggled to connect with the characters and/or the storyline.
As a result I found myself skimming to the end. Just not the right reader for this novel.

A Special Place for Women was a fun escape.

It was little bit mysterious, with a heavy dose of 'female empowerment', a touch of the witchy, and a whole lot of batsh*t crazy. This one was bizarre in the best of ways.

When Jillian loses her journalist job after the death of her mother, she's determined to infiltrate the whispered about, secret society Nevertheless - and get a big scoop by finding out what these rich and powerful women are really up to. For a secret underground club that has a sole goal of smashing the patriarchy... it's quite suspicious how they pick and choose which women are "worthy" of joining.

Once she is "in" it, it's such a satirical and silly story that follows - and also feels a little bit culty - which is always a winner in my book.

I loved Laura Hankin's last book and really wanted to like this one. I'm in my 40s and I think that I'm just too old for this one. An exclusive women's club that a reporter is trying to infiltrate seems like a good premise. But there was just something lacking here. And it got a little ridiculous. Also, the Miles character was a horrible person and I hated the main character's relationship with him.

I absolutely loved this book! I was so engrossed by the characters right off the bat. Laura Hankin's writing is out of this world, if you've been in a reading slump this is a great place to start, it absolutely blew me away!

Just couldn't get into it. Disappointing since I LOVED Happy and You Know It. The writing felt clunky, and the premise just felt a little too absurd.