I've read several books by Catherine McKenzie in the past, and in my opinion, this is her at the top of her game. I loved the devious nature of most of the women in this novel- it made for a fast-paced, interesting read. I hard a hard time putting it down. The good-trumps-evil plotline wrapped everything up perfectly, and I liked how everyone got either their comeuppance or their happy endings. Absolutely will look for future novels by this author!

Thank you Atria Books for my advanced copy of Please Join Us in exchange for my honest review. This was a fast paced legal thriller with delicious suspense. Some surprises will leave you shocked!

Catherine McKenzie really pulled out all the stops with this one! The tale of a woman whose career is in shambles and gets a one time chance to join a group of female professionals that elevates her status but might also get her in a lot of hot water with the law.

I wouldn’t say I loved this book, but I was also far from hating it.

I enjoyed the premise, as well as the characters. The ending was excellent. But I was a bit shocked at the tameness of the Nicole/Dan secret, as well as, and I felt the main plot beggared some reasonable questions.

If you can put aside your skepticism a bit, this book would a great read for you!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this free arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

🦁 BOOK / REVIEW 🦁

Love books that feature fierce, powerful women willing to do anything for revenge? If so, #pleasejoinus by @catherinemckenzieauthor may be the perfect read for you! This one reminded me of a blend between #nineperferctstrangers and #thecollective, making it a very unique read. There is a lot going on in the plot, so you'll definitely need pay attention and not speed read, which can be hard for me. I was so worried I had missed something crucial because this one takes a lot of twists and turns, but it comes together in the end. Thank you @kccpr and @simonandschuster for my copy! This one publishes in May, 2022! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another solid offering from Ms McKenzie! Strong characters and quick pacing make for a fun thriller. I loved the kick-ass-ness of the women, and the end plot twist was a great one--I saw some of it coming, but its execution was very well done. I'll definitely recommend this one via RA!

I was completely drawn in by the premise of this book-- a professional women's networking group with members that will do literally anything to buoy one another's careers and professional reputations-- but this fell flat for me. I couldn't buy in to what was so alluring about the leaders of the organization and I didn't care much for the main character. This is basically Nine Perfect Strangers but with a group comprised entirely of ambitious women trying to get ahead in fields dominated by men.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WOW. Catherine McKenzie knocked this book out of the park for me - what a way to start my 2022 reading adventure.

If you have been following me for a while, you'll know I love psychological books that take twists and turns I didn't see coming. Please Join Us definitely filled my cup with what I look for in a book. The character development was great, all bringing something unique and interesting to the story line. I am a huge fan of "cult-like" scenarios, and from the get go of this women's networking group, I was definitely feeling cult vibes. Although I knew the group wasn't 100% innocent, I truly did not see the bombshell events that occurred throughout. The last half of the book had me so captured, I did not want to put it down.

Please do your self a favour and read this book as soon as you can!

When I saw that Catherine had a new book coming out, I immediately had to request it. She has been and continues to be a go-to favourite author!

Thank you so much NetGalley for the advance read! This one did not disappoint. I could not put it down. From the first reference to NXIUM and the initial invitation, I was intrigued!

The web of connections, the deep plot and the mind blowing revelation of it all was so much and TOO good! With this review I could go into the specific details and favourite pieces of the story, but there is just too much and I would hate to reveal any spoilers. The suspense is part of the experience and let me tell you, it’s SO worth it!

I’ve already told my girl friends who have been pre-approved to read it, to get on it now! For the others, it’s already been recommended as a MUST read and to mark it on their to read lists!

This is a MUST read!

I LOVED this book. I love the concept of secret societies, so this was super interesting to me. I felt it was more suspense than thriller, but riveting nonetheless! Highly recommend.

3 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️

Just as Nicole Mueller’s work and personal life seem to be falling apart, she receives an email with an invitation to an exclusive women’s club. Members of Panthera Leo are all successful, professional women, and being part of the group could help solve all of Nicole’s problems. Despite her husband’s concerns that she is joining a cult, Nicole accepts the invitation and attends a retreat where she learns the ins and outs of the club. Soon after returning, Nicole begins to reap the benefits of Panthera Leo. But at what cost?

From the start I agreed with her husband, Dan– Panthera Leo absolutely sounded like bad news. Nicole was blinded by her failing career and definitely ignored the warning signs at the retreat and after. But I guess if she didn’t join, then there wouldn’t be a book! Overall I thought this was a sometimes interesting read. The first half was decent, as we learn about the group as well as the lengths Nicole is asked to go… but I wasn’t thrilled with the second half. Too much legal/business jargon and not enough thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Ohhhh did I love this. This is a very slow-burn, girl-boss/frenemies type book.

The writing is excellent and I loved how distinct each character was in the story. You do have to suspend your belief quite a bit but the overall story and message where great.

I did have to take off a star because the ending was a bit too far-fetched even for me, and it did get a little confusing, but overall, highly recommend!

An email arrives in Nicole Mueller’s inbox. It is an application to join a women's networking group that promises to help women succeed. Panthera Leo may just be what Nicole needs to get her career back on track. So, why not?

She joins and goes off to the corporate team-building retreat. I could tell right away, that this group was up to no good. They are demanding and things turn pretty complicated and tangled. I had a hard time believing that Nicole would let herself be sucked into such promises. Her husband, Dan seemed to have a better sense of how things might turn out.

I found this to be more of a mystery than a thriller. There was quite a bit of build-up and team building where the women and their motivations start to become clear. I found much of the first half to be slow and a bit mundane, at 55%, I was still wondering if anything surprising would happen.

Then, yes, a nice surprise twist near the end, but the way it played out was so unimaginative. I was hoping the book would make a turn at that point (and save the book), but instead of using the twist to take off, it fell a bit flat and predictable.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This reminded me of another newish book I just finished called A Special Place for Women: both books were about secret societies for smart, powerful, successful women in which they were expected to complete tasks they never anticipated. However, this book was somewhat darker than the other. I enjoyed it about the same - a quick read that kept me reading but didn’t really wow me. 3.5 stars.

I have gotten about 1/4 the way through and am struggling to keep reading. I plan on coming back and trying to finish it in a few weeks- I may just be in a book slump. The concept seems interesting I just can’t get into it.

A super exclusive women’s group - what would you do for them to welcome you in and treat you as their own? Any job you want, any place you want to live - regardless if you are qualified for it or can afford it - it is yours. This women’s group is strong and everywhere. But. With what will they want in exchange? A attorney working a high profile case is a lucky person whose life is changed. But she is about to find out just how much this new life will cost her. This book was a page turning thriller and I highly recommend. A little predictable but totally worth the read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Excellent thriller with a very unique plot. Nicole is a lawyer that receives an invitation to join an all female networking group. This invite comes at the perfect time because Nicole's billable hours have decreased. If you enjoy thrillers,especially domestic thrillers, but are tired of reading the same plot over and over, then this book is for you!

This is an amazing read I enjoyed it so much!! Besides having thrill and excitement the women empowerment and wit that was written into the story made it phenomenal!! Women are always up against men trying to make it past the good ol' boys club and the group PL in this book definitely gave it the women empowerment edge I loved! The whole secret society vibe really brought the mystery, but my favorite was Nicole and how she seemed to start out weak but her character developed all the way to the end and used grit, wit, and her own inner empowerment to do what needed to be done. I don't know how to describe too much without giving it away but this book was edge of your seat exciting for me and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!! There were multiple characters but it wasn't hard to follow all of them and see their roles they each played and it all flowed together. This is the first book I have read by Catherine McKenzie and I have become a fan instantly! I'm ready to start ordering some of her other books to see how they turn out, she is a writer that has captivated my attention! Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the copy to review!

A networking group to aspire women to build confidence in male-dominated work forces turns out to be an ugly farce in Please Join Us by Catherine McKenzie. Thirty-nine year old Nicole is on the verge of being ousted from a law firm because it appears she is underperforming. Her husband, Dan, is hinting that it is time for Nicole to step back and consider raising a family. Nicole decides to use her remaining training budget to escape New York City and spend a week near Aspen to take regroup with Panthera Leo, a girl's club in a boy's world. What follows is Nicole's fall into a pit of deception. The novel brings up the interesting point of emotion in the workplace: men can show anger, but women cannot shed tears. Also, the novel is set in 2021, and pandemic isolation is considered a thing of the past. Interesting to see how writers will include the pandemic in contemporary settings, because it remains a current factor in American life.

I'm a diehard Catherine McKenzie fan, and this might be my favorite of her books to date (although SPIN has a special place in my heart). A compulsive page-turner, the tension mounts from the day Nicole joins the super secret women's organization her husband believes to be a cult, and yet I couldn't figure out what was going to happen … until it did. And even then, the twists kept coming.

A deeply unsettling (in the best way) story about successful women with their own agenda, a flawed heroine with a brilliant legal mind, and a husband I loved!