📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Whisper Network by Chandler Baker

#TheWhisperNetwork has been widely touted for being “honest” and “relevant” and “scarily relatable” in the #MeToo era. Meh. Really? In general, this was an entertaining read, but it wasn’t the the “fierce” and “furious” call to arms it was hyped up to be. I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable or relatable.

The #audiobook version of the book was narrated by Almarie Guerra, who did a nice job. Thank you @NetGalley for the free copy.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ / The Whisper Network by Chandler Baker / Pages: 352 / Genre: Fiction / Narrator: Almarie Guerra

I loved the idea of this book but it started to fall flat for me. You never really knew which character to trust, though all were charming for sure. This book has a slow burn. I really liked how each chapter alternated the POV.

This book was really good . It did have it slow parts but I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook! There were so many good plot twist that did not see coming! My favorite would have to be revealing that Rosalita son was the product of her being sexually assaulted, obviously it was really sad and upsetting what happen to her . But I totally did not see it coming! It was also interesting to read from older women’s point of view.

🎧Audiobook review: I loved the narration, it did not disappoint, I loved the way the narrator expressed the character emotions , it was really realistic!

Cover review: I love the cover , but I would prefer that the cover does not have the pink spray paint looking thing .

Unfortunately, this book didn't do it for me. I loved the premise and was really looking forward to loving it. I didn't like any of the characters and everyone involved made poor choices. Would not recommend sadly.

3.5 stars!
Written in the era of the #metoo movement, Baker takes on the story of sexual harassment in the workplace. Sloane, Ardie and Grace are all employed by an athletic wear company called Truviv based out of Nashville, Tennessee as lawyers. They all face struggles as women in a male-dominated workplace as they struggle with sexual harassment, balancing a career and motherhood and navigating raises and promotions. They have bonded over their understood inequity and are friends at work and outside of work. We also get to hear the story of Rosalita, a cleaner that is an immigrant to the US and works on cleaning Truviv’s building at night. Katherine arrives as a new hire to the legal team and immediately catches the eye of the three other women’s boss, Ames. Little does Katherine know, Ames has a history of being inappropriate with his female staff. As soon as a list starts circulating via email with men’s names on it who have sexually harassed female lawyers in Nashville, Sloane seizes her chance and things quickly begin to unravel at Truviv.

I picked this one up thinking it was a thriller and that’s what has influenced my review, because it wasn’t a thriller. I was disappointed - not going to lie. The blurb on the back seems to say to me that it was a “whodunnit” mystery but finding out who was the murderer was underwhelming and easily predictable. There are many preambles to the chapters that analyze the sexism that women face in the workplace and in society. I liked that the depositions were included from the investigation and the complexity of some of the relationships such as the ones between Rosalita and Ardie and Sloane and Ames.

"If only you had listened to us,” they tell us on page one, “none of this would have happened.”

The Whisper Network is an interesting premise where four women decide enough is enough. When their boss is set to be promoted to CEO, they take on the soon to be CEO of their company because of his history of misconduct and sexual harassment that has gone uninvestigated by the company. The author discusses the power struggles and politics of corporations and male dominate work forces like law. Where women traditionally have to accept bad behavior, biases, sexism, and harassment. They have their own difficulties but then set to expose the Whispers and stand up for what is right.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting look at the lives of four very different women and their relationships with other women as well as work and personal ones. However, while there was tension, I would not call it a thriller. It was suspenseful but a slow burn.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and view this novel. I truly appreciate the experience.

https://www.instagram.com/dani.reads.too.much/
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QOTD: how do you rate your books? Is it on writing, experience as a reader, plot, character development? This nosey reader wants to know!

I wish I had a better answer myself, but I think I usually go by how the book made me FEEL. If I can’t stop turning pages, if I fall in love with the characters, if the writing is especially lyrical . . . Idk it just depends on how I feel walking away from whatever I just read.

That said, Whisper Network by Chandler Baker was a little middle-of-the-road (which is perfectly fine). The story was so much more interesting as we were getting to know the characters in the beginning IMO than the second half.

It was interesting to get into a theoretical male-dominated workplace and the psychology behind why women might do what they do, especially as a woman who has only worked for female forward companies. I didn’t love the, “thriller,” aspect of it at all.

This one has been sitting on my shelf for a little while. So, I was thankful to have the opportunity from @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for providing the audiobook to read in tandem with the text.

#whispernetwork #macmillanaudio #audiobooks #audiobook #audiobookstagram #audiobookreview #netgalley #netgalleyreads #netgalleyreview #bookreview #bookreviews #bookblog #bookblogger #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstafam #bookishpost #bookpost #bookishfeatures #instabooks #instabookstagram #instabook #instareads #instareading #booksofinstagram #booksofig #booksofinsta #readersofinstagram #readersofig #readsofinsta

Four women Ardie, Sloane, Grace and Rosalita have worked for the same company for several years. The CEO suddenly dies and his likely replacement is a man that the four women separately have been mistreated by to varying degrees. They decide they are going to stand up for themselves and the other women of the company. There’s a surprising death that sends their plans into a tailspin.
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Overall, this book is pretty intense and I did enjoy it. It’s uncomfortable at times when the corporation goes after the women who are trying to speak up. The perils of being a woman in a male-dominated corporation are pretty shocking but I guess it really shouldn’t be. Also, the author’s portrayal of motherhood is spot on and that felt validating. Finally, there is a satisfactory ending and faith is restored in the world.
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PS The narration is great.
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Thanks to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for a copy of this book.

I am a 29 year old female who works in the corporate world. Listening to the Whisper Network was facinating. How could a novel have so many reality in it? This was such a great story. I laughed, I got bummed out, I cheered and I felt inspired. What a twist on the realities of the modern workplace. I love how Chandler Baker was able to tell a story that was entraining and interesting while still packing a punch.

This was a good book. The plot was interesting and extremely relevant to today’s society. The characters were strong willed and developed well. There were multiple narrators which got confusing at times, it was hard to tell who the narration was being switched to. The audiobook narrator should have used a few more different tones to help distinguish between them more. Overall, it was good!

I really enjoyed how strong the female characters were in this - but that was the best part of this for me. I enjoyed this but didn't love it. While this book absolutely speaks to an important and culturally relevant issue for women, I did not love how it was executed here. Going into this, I expected a whodunnit thriller, but this title would do a disservice to the genre. This is more aptly put in the women's fiction category with a little mystery ( a whodunnit death thrown in). Overall, it was entertaining and enjoyable but was a bit of a letdown for a thriller.

a #metoo story plays out among mostly white lawyers at a Fortune 500 company. some described WHISPER NETWORK as a thriller. I didn’t find it thrilling tbh. I saw others describe it as ‘white feminism.’ I agree wholeheartedly! not bc of the characters’ race, but bc of the emphases & focus. at least one bookstagrammer compared WHISPER NETWORK to BIG LITTLE LIES, but I much much prefer BLL. better character development, pacing, & plotting in BIG LITTLE LIES by far.

Wow! This novel addresses gender expectations, especially in the workplace, in such a way that has me rethinking a great deal of my behaviors throughout my life and the behaviors of so many men and women co-workers! I am amazed at the behavioral subtleties we as a society have grown to accept as okay. The book encourages the conversation of gender norms and sexual misconduct to continue. I have never read anything quite like this and feel like it should be a mandatory read! I highly recommend it! I will say the narrator mispronounced a few words which was distracting (ex: character),but otherwise did a good job.

<b><i>”Sloane’s most closely held tenet was that women could not be real friends unless they were willing to talk shit together.”</i></b>

<b>This legal thriller reads like a humorous soap opera at times.

A spreadsheet titled “BAD Men” is circulated around the corporate offices of Dallas. It contains the names of sleazy and predatory men, a kind of alerting cheat sheet for woman. The woman that came up with the idea is a genius!</b>

For years, the women of a Dallas law firm have put up with sexual harassment from their boss, Garrett Ames. Then the sudden death of the company CEO leads to the potential promotion of Ames, and the women decide to take action. His name is added to “the spreadsheet” and a few of the women file a lawsuit against Ames and the company.

The book describes how Ames abused each of the women. It talks about how the expectations differ for women in the office, their encounters with sexism on a daily basis, struggles with motherhood and more. Some of it will make you laugh, some of it will make you angry and some of it is likely relatable. The author did a great job!

Thank you to GoodReads Giveaways, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. I received an ARC for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

<b>My Rating: </b> 4.5 ⭐️’s (rounding up)
<b>Published:</b> July 2nd 2019 by Flatiron Books
<b>Audio:</b> 12 hours 45 minutes
<b>Recommend:</b> Yes!

#WhisperNetwork #NetGalley #GoodReadsGiveaways #NoRulesJustThrills #ARC #InExchangeForReview #JustFinished #BookReviewer #MeToo #Audiobook

After publication my reviews can be found at Amazon, Twitter, GoodReads, Barnes and Noble, BookBub, NetGalley, and Edelweiss

@cbakerbooks @Flatironbooks @MacmillanAudio @GoodReads @NetGalley

thank you to @macmillan.audio & @chandlerbakerbooks for sending me the an e-ARC of Whisper Network. This has been on my TBR for a while but when i saw it available on audio I knew i needed to grab a copy!!
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I thought this book was such an empowering read. It dealt with 4 women who learnt that their boss (a man who hasn’t be shy from rumours about harassing the women who he works with) was next in line to become CEO after their current CEO dropped dead. All four women have heard stories or experienced first hand what exactly the rumours were made of. The story follows each women & the measures that they’re willing to take in order to prevent a predator from becoming CEO.
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This book is like the definition of women empowerment! It was such a refreshing book to see the strength that these women had and the support they found in each other. There’s also sooo many plot twists!!
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favourite quote: scene: women are sitting around a dinner table after becoming victorious in their battle:
“i felt a little sorry for men because they never got to hold hands with each other” - whisper network

The Whisper Network by Chandler Baker, set in Texas was an honest examination of several current topics such as sexual harassments at work, the challenges of working moms and stay-at-home dads, rolls of woman in the hierarchy in the office and other social relationships and judgments. I listened to this book on audio, and found it enlightening and interesting. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the copy for review. All opinions are my own.

“When a woman offers to help you, you let them,” Rosalita urges. This is the basic premise of the Whisper Network. Women helping women maintain the career track while gracefully navigating what was traditionally a mans world. This help could include pointing out mannerisms that make you seem less confident such as saying “like” or twirling your hair. In the Dallas area, this included a list which was created by women, for women, to avoid predatory men. However, is whispering warnings enough? Or is it time to take a stand? That is the question the women at Truviv ask themselves as an executive with a reputation for making unwanted advances is set to become to CEO of the company. Throw in a possible murder and a lot of unspoken secrets, and you have The Whisper Network.
I found this story riveting! Told through the voice of four women, I found the scenarios they found themselves in so believable. I could not put this book down. I highly recommend this book.

A timely book which discusses 5 women in a male dominated workplace where sexual harassment is happening. The story alternates between the past and the present and shows the relationship between the women, Sloane, Ardie, Grace, Rosalita, Katherine, and General Counsel, Ames Garrett.
I listened to the book and have to wonder if I would have like it better if I had read it. The narrator sounded like a computer/robot at times.
Thank you NetGalley for the copy of the book.

I thought this story was an interesting exploration into the friendships of women and also how women are treated differently in the workplace. I do believe that in industries such as banking or lawyering, women are not given as much respect as they should be due to it being a man driven work force. And women know this and do whatever they can to keep their job and pay. That shouldn't include having to suffer sexual harassments and I think Whisper Network does a great job at showing how women feel in these certain man-heavy work environments. However, with doing only audio, sometimes I felt like I couldn't keep the characters straight (and there are a lot of them) because they all kind of seemed one-note, just at different stages in their lives. The narrator also sounded more like a robot or AI instead of a real human. But that could be the download or the app and not the narrator's fault at all. Some of the plot was hard to follow but I still was able to predict some of the twists. Overall, it's an entertaining read and I think an important one for young women in the work force to read.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* had the biggest sense of déjà vu when reading this but i guess I've never read it before?? Besides that it was a good read just. Like. Wow i swear i read this before.