I absolutely loved “I’ll never tell” by Catherine McKenzie so when I got the ARC for “please join us” I was so excited I couldn’t wait to jump in.

Right from the start this book is serving cult vibes, which from someone who has a slight obsession with the researching and reading about cults, I was eager to see where this would go.

This book had such a captivating concept, it was psychological, manipulative and so much more.

What starts off as a seemingly innocent “girls club” to conquer a world dominated by men who just take and take, was so much more then just that.

From page one I found this book compellingly addictive. Every time I thought I’d figured out what was going on (right along with the MC, if I’m being honest) I was blind sided and completely wrong, not once but twice. Which was surprisingly satisfying!! I have no doubt this book is going to be an instant hit come it’s release.

The premise of this book was great. While it had some lagging moments for me - the core of it rings true - what lengths would you go to in this world to get ahead? Money and power are sultry beasts, and I thought the book did a great job exploring how far people would go when tested - and tempted.

This book was a fast paced read - I rushed through it - staying up late into the night to finish it. It was just that good. I will be reading more books by Catherine McKenzie.

A twisting turning novel by Catherine McKenzie.another of her phenomenal books.keeps you guessing with every turn of the page! People can be so conniving and ruthless whether it means money or status.

Nicole Mueller’s life is definitely taken an unexpected turn for the worse. Her law career is falling apart and she has to give up her apartment that she adores. She receives an invite to a group event held by Pathera Leo. Panthera Leo is described as a women’s networking group that consists of successful professionals from a variety of different fields. Nicole is anxious to attend and is hopeful that it will help save her ailing career as a lawyer. Her husband, Dan, is cautious and is concerned that the group is some sort of cult. Nicole decides to take a chance and heads to Colorado for the retreat. Everything goes perfect and even after Nicole returns home, her newly found network helps to re-launch her career. She isn’t quite sure what she has to do in return for all the favors until one night she receives a late night phone call. The resulting request is something she could not have imagined!

A whole new take on the cult theme. I have enjoyed a few cult themed books lately, but his one was totally different for me. The author is a former lawyer and it really shows in the writing. It got better and better as I read and by the end I was completely enthralled! All the stars for PLEASE JOIN US!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Please Join Us by Catherine McKenzie was a tension-filled, suspenseful novel I couldn't put down. It was almost like watching a chess game, as a high-powered attorney uses her keen mind and quick wits to disentail herself from a secret society-esque women's networking group. When I finally got o the last page I was blown away by McKenzie's skill and building such a compelling, twisty thriller. Highly recommend!!

I was a big fan of Catherine McKenzie's You Can't Catch Me and was super excited to get approved for this. Please Join Us was a great thriller - I could not put it down! The last few chapters were a little wild, but overall I enjoyed it and would highly recommend it! I enjoyed the twists and turns, had a few WTF moments, and thought the "secret org" was done well.

Thank you to Atria Books, the author, and NetGalley for providing a copy to review!

3.5 stars - Catherine McKenzie is quickly becoming a must-buy author for me. All of her books (that I've read so far) are so well thought-out and I never guess the endings!

When I was reading this one, I really felt like I was trapped in a web of lies and revenge. Holy, it was complex! (Maybe too complex? I'm going to need time to process everything I think.)

I liked so many aspects of the book.. but it's hard to say much without giving anything away ;)

Women are handpicked after a career failure to join a fringe women's group lead by two women. The group forms a type of lion pride and then are encouraged to commit illegal acts. The women go to a ranch outside of Aspen for initiation to form their pride. I found myself skimming a lot of the novel and was glad to reach the end.

Nicole has just been dealt a major blow at work when a mysterious email pops up in her inbox. She is invited to a women's "retreat" of sorts. It's a networking opportunity for women who want the next leg up in their career. Her husband is instantly suspicious and accuses the whole thing of sounding very cult-ish. Nicole decides to go anyway and is pleased to make some new friends in some very high up places. The next thing she knows her career is doing better, she has a swanky new apartment, and a close knit circle of friends that she can count on. Little by little she also starts to become suspicious of the group and exactly what its purpose is. As she investigates more she starts to suspect that there was an ulterior motive to her joining the group and she's determined to get to the bottom of it.

The first half of this book grabbed me right away. I enjoyed meeting all the characters and seeing how they connected with each other. Toward the last half the legal jargon got a little too much for me and lost me a little. I still enjoyed the book and it was a quick read that held my interest.

Nicole, an attorney at a top law firm, gets a warning at work that she needs to increase her billable hours. Shortly thereafter, she receives an email inviting her to attend a woman’s networking workshop from a mysterious group, which she accepts. Please Join Us is a spellbinding story of empowerment and revenge, and I literally couldn’t put this book down until I finished. Early chapters lay the groundwork for this intricate and unique plot, told in then/now format until the timelines merge. The reader is totally engaged with Nicole and her new friends as her involvement in the group spirals out of control. Lots of tension, surprises and great characters all add up to a timely, totally captivating 5 star read! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've enjoyed all of Catherine McKenzie's books, and this one is no exception. It grabbed me from the very beginning and kept me reading to find out what was going to happen and how it would all end. There were plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing up until the very end.

Thanks to Catherine McKenzie and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Lawyer Nicole is feeling down on her luck when her numbers at work aren’t looking too good. Displeased, she receives a mysterious invitation to join a women’s networking group, Panthera Leo. Nicole’s husband, Dan, thinks it sounds like a cult, but she decides to go to the retreat she’s invited to and see what’s going on.

The other women in the group are very powerful, and Nicole quickly realizes how wonderful joining the group is. The network gets her more work, finds her and her husband a new place to live, and checks in with each other whenever necessary.

All is fine and dandy until Nicole gets a call in the middle of the night, demanding she go to one of the women’s houses. Nicole finds a dead boy on the floor. More disturbing than that, the group wants her to help cover up the murder.

This is an enjoyable, fast-paced, suspenseful legal story with intriguing characters and threads. Author Catherine McKenzie does a brilliant job of explaining legal jargon without making it fly over the head of a reader who knows barely anything about it.

The last section is very clever, and I definitely enjoyed seeing everything fall into place…with a few surprises to boot.

TW: A brief, but unenjoyable, moment involving the killing of a deer.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 5/24/22.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

I was a fan of the concept here, and was really engaged for the first 2/3 of the book. It got a little too convoluted after that, with way too much dialogue just explaining the same mundane details over and over again. A little too overwrought for me but I can see how this will be a big hit with certain audiences.

As always Catherine McKenzie's latest book kept me awake when I should be sleeping. There are red herrings too hidden that I surely missed but when the book wrapped up near the ending chapter I thought I had figured out the machinations of Karma, Connie, Athena, Samantha, Heather and surprisingly Michelle and Julia. Nicole was all set but didn't count on one leverage and the nightmare deal would be over. I was letting out my breath sure the plan had worked then a twist more deadly than all the rest ...you have to read this book to find out- you won't be disappointed, I love this author and this book is one of her best.

Please Join Us
Catherine McKenzie
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Successful Nicole Mueller suddenly finds herself in trouble at work and is looking for something to revive her career. Enter a mysterious email inviting her to join Panthera Leo, an exclusive invite-only group for elite women. What starts as a motivating tribe of women quickly becomes more than Nicole bargained for - can she remove herself from the group before something truly horrible happens?

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is easily one of my favorite thrillers I’ve read recently! If you like cultish behavior, cat-and-mouse thrillers (who will outsmart who?) and just badass women in general, you will LOVE this book! The set-up in the beginning was slow in parts, but it honestly made the last 50-60% of the book that much better. My heart was racing the entire back half and I could not put it down. In my opinion, the ending totally delivered, which is half the thriller/suspense battle as far as I’m concerned. 4.5 stars rounded up!

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read the arc of this book! I loved the characters - very well-drawn and multi-dimensional I really liked how smart Nicole was. The writing was as good as I expected from this author. I liked the story, and even though I have read other books about 'women's empowerment groups' lately, this one took some turns that were completely unexpected. I didn't really understand the last page though. This would be a great book club read - easy to read and thought-provoking.

I would give this book 10 stars if I could! One of the absolute best I've read in awhile.

The book kept me interested all the way through, and the ending! I would have never imagined. I had to go back and read the last part again, to make sure I was reading it correctly.

Catherine McKenzie hit it out of the park with this one! Her books just keep getting better and better.

Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read this amazing book.

This is perhaps the third novel I have read which featured a powerful women's group which turned out to be a cult; but this was the best one in terms of characters, plot and pacing. This story is about Nicole, a 39 year old attorney that works all of the time yet has found herself being put on the back burner in her law firm after one of her big clients files bankruptcy. Nicole has a good marriage to Dan who works as an in-house attorney and is not as ambitious as his wife. The two live the brownstone NY apartment of Dan's aunt Penny who loves her kind nephew and his wife. Nicole receives an invitation to join a group called Panthera Leo, a women's empowerment group and she is invited to a weekend outing to find out more about what they can do for her and what she can do from them.

Like all of the groups in these type of books, the group is mysterious and won't answer any of Nicole's questions. While that would be a red flag for most people, Nicole wants to get back on top of her life, her job and even her body. She meets only a few members of the group including the leaders Karma and Michelle and is told she can recognize group members because they will be wearing a female lion brooch. It doesn't take long before Nicole's life starts to improve:: she is given a large client to represent, a beautiful apartment is available to her when she loses the family apartment to Dan's sister and she even starts to exercise and take care of herself. But Dan is not only suspicious of this new group, he doesn't like the apartment or the times Nicole has to run off with no notice because one of the main rules of the group is you can never say no to a request, even if that request involves a murder.

This was a quick read and there were some twists I did not anticipate as Nicole and Dan try to find a way out of their situation. There is a lot of business talk which makes sense since the group is business oriented and I enjoyed the book and the ending. I would recommend this book to those who like cult like thrillers, women's empowerment and well drawn characters. Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest revierw.

Fantastic book by a wonderful author! Highly recommend this book. Kept me interested from very beginning. Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book..