Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance listener's copy of this book.

3.5 stars, rounded up. NSFW by Isabel Kaplan is the story of a young woman working in Hollywood at a TV network. She gets her foot in the door because of a friendship between a powerful executive and her mother, a prominent attorney. Her experiences in the workplace give us a window into abuses of power, including harassment and sexual assault (definite content warning here), and the unnamed protagonist simultaneously navigates a difficult relationship with her mother. The audio was well done, and I enjoyed the novel even though it was fairly bleak overall. I would recommend it to anyone who likes workplace novels and is interested in a me-too novel set before me-too was a cultural touchstone.

The unnamed female main character works in television and is surrounded by high powered men, many of which prey on unsuspecting women. It did kind of bother me that she remained unnamed. I guess that makes it so it is easier to picture yourself in her shoes. I don't mind when a character stays unnamed for a long time in the book, but I would like a name eventually. But that is more of a preference than something that deters from the book.

This book has good commentary on privilege, sexism, assault and harassment, and the unspoken expectations of women. This was an interesting read, especially the morally gray mother of the main character who is a lawyer and rape survivor. I thought it was cool how open her mother was about what happened to her. As someone who has been through what her mom went through, it was refreshing and awesome to see someone stand up for herself and others.

The description of OCD is very stereotypical and not necessarily an accurate portrayal of what OCD is actually like and mentions the character just grew out of it in adulthood and that maybe something that happens but it's not something that I have ever heard of ( which i guess you can totally take with a grain of salt).

NSFW by Isabel Kaplan

In NSFW, we’re following an intern at a television network in bustling Los Angeles.

This book is very LA. That is not compliment, completely.

Overall, I was disappointed in how the ending was handled. This may have been a case of wrong reader right book because according to Goodreads this rates about four stars.

On the back of the book there are blurbs referencing the smart humor and I completely missed that. However, the original title “The Feminist Guide to Getting Ahead”, might have been a more appropriate title than NSFW, which stands for Not Safe For Work.

I appreciated some of the commentary however mousy it was conveyed. I could handle a lot more clarity and a better tied up ending.

I think given the nature of the themes it would be warranted.

NSFW…⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy!

(CW:sexual assault, sexism)
NSFW is a story told by the unnamed protagonist as she gets a coveted entry-level job at a big TV network in Hollywood, post graduation. She doesn't have all the right connections, having a mom who is a feminist attorney. But she still has some connections.
Initially she's ok with the daily grind, excited to start to be taken seriously but as she starts to notice workplace sexism and hears whispers of sexual assault it get harder for her to keep going.

I'm some ways the protagonist is still privileged which made her story a little less relatable. That being said I've definitely felt i was taken less seriously at work as a woman so many times. There are also things that have happened like a male co-worker watching me and winking when they saw me eat a banana. So overall I found value in this listen, finding things similar to what I've experienced. Being able to work from home, i have been able to avoid some unwanted interactions, but this has brought back a lot of bad memories too. Which made my husband give me confused looks as I glared while listening to the audiobook. If you go the audio route, the narration is great and easy to follow.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this one, it's out now!

🔊Song Pairing: NSFW - Cheat Codes (I mean I had to)

💭What I thought would happen:

Something not face for work, perhaps a work scandal?

📖What actually happens:

Unknown woman doesn’t know where her life is going, she is a Harvard graduate born to a mother who is a known for breaking glass ceilings in the legal world. Her mother gets unknown a job as a temp in a prominent Hollywood agency office.

Unknown makes it her goal to climb the Hollywood ladder not even quite knowing what she wants but sees the opportunity. On her journey to success she witnesses all the sexism and harassment women endure in the industry, still shocked that this is a going’s on (In a pre-Harvey Weinstein world)

🗯Thoughts:

⚠️ Trigger warnings for rape, sexual harassment, work place harassment, abuse

Wow, the scariest part of this book was that it was so believable. Sexual harassment in the work place is still very much a real this and this book makes a good attempt at shedding light on the very real issue.

I love that the main character is unnamed. I felt like this added so much to how women who are raped or harassed are dimmed down to a statistic or Jane Doe, or a woman that doesn’t come forward at all.

Not certain that I really loved the ending. It was just over and I didn’t love or feel like the unknown woman truly learned from her job nor could I even tell if she really knew what she wanted except to be a nepotism privileged success story. Also, don’t get me started on her mother.

Here for the #MeToo story but could have been done better.

NSFW by Isabel Kaplan is an interesting look at a young woman trying to succeed in a male dominated Hollywood workplace. The unnamed main character has to deal with office politics at her first job out of college, romantic relationships and her mother. I applaud this debut novel for dealing with timely topics such as misogyny and the me too movement. Definitely look up content warnings before reading this book. I think it was fine but I wouldn’t read this again. I’d still be curious to read Kaplan’s next book. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Stephanie Nemeth Parker and that was fine as well.
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Thank you to Henry Holt Books for my advance review copy and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley for my ALC!

NSFW is a fascinating story set at a TV network office. It's set in 2015/2016, right before Me Too became a worldwide phenomenon and revolves around the secretive nature of assault and cover ups in the entertainment industry. It started off a little slow, but once I was 1/3 in, I was hooked! The novel follows an unnamed narrator, who is a recent Harvard grad and whose mother is a prominent feminist lawyer. The narrator has just returned home to Los Angeles, where her mother has secured a job for her as a temp at a major TV network. Her mother is narcissistic and doesn't observe boundaries, so their relationship is complicated and often toxic. The narrator swiftly snags a job of assistant to a director and becomes exposed to the intricacies and secrets of Hollywood and TV. From there the story really takes off and we start to understand why there have been so many cover ups of assault over the years. I listened to the audiobook, which was well narrated by Stephanie Nemeth Parker. Recommended if you're looking for a summer read with a little more substance.

Thank you Henry Holt Co. / Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

This is a book that is important for everyone to read. It is a common occurrence in workplaces for sexual harassment to go unreported and it has got to stop! This book dives into what happens when nobody is looking!

NSFW begins with an unnamed narrator who has just landed her first job in Hollywood as a result of some connections her mother has. The story follows her as she navigates the workplace in her role as an assistant, personal relationships, and her codependent relationship with her mother. As she climbs the ranks, she is given more glimpses behind the curtain and begins to truly understand how the patriarchal system opposes her hopes and dreams. As a self-described feminist, the seeming obligation to be quiet and complicit in the face of workplace harassment and abuse is deeply conflicting for the narrator and we follow her coming to terms with what actions (or inactions) she feels she should take.

I really loved this book. It takes place around 10 years ago, before the #MeToo movement and right after the 2012 presidential election, which was when I was a young adult entering the workforce as well. I related so much to narrator's inner monologue and turmoil, but what really set this book apart was the relationship between the narrator and her mother. I thought the description of their relationship and codependency, the tug-of-war going on between them, was incredibly realistic. Frustrating, but realistic, which is how I would describe much of this book.

Overall, this was a freaking great book. I listened to the audiobook, and this narrator was so good. I really felt the emotion behind her voice, she sounded so genuine. I loved that. Social commentary can be a harder sell for me sometimes, but in this instance it is just pulled off so well. There are times when I laughed, but there were also many times I was emotional listening to this book. This would make a FANTASTIC buddy read or book club book because man, I wish I could have discussed it with someone as I read!

I selected this audiobook as one I wanted to experience as it sounded interesting with a plot set in Hollywood with a young unnamed woman entering the world of work in a studio with her mother’s help and connections.

She begins to experience many different negatives within the workplace including sexual assault, harassment, comments on her body, disordered eating, mental health concerns, etc.

As the book continues, we see more and more of the atrocities that women face in the workplace, especially in male dominated industries and the discussion of the benefits of speaking out or staying silent.

As a woman that’s experienced sexual harassment in the workplace before, this one hit home at several points for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book was…complicated. And showcased the complications of being a woman in the professional world of Hollywood (and also, almost everywhere else.) It began a little on the slow side but once I hit about halfway I couldn’t wait to find out how it would end.

The main character’s relationship with her mother was fascinating and infuriating and is really what made this book feel different than other books with the same basic plot. I’ll be wrestling with some of the things they discussed for a long time, like how does a woman make a difference in a toxic environment without being complicit in that toxic environment?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 rounded up!

This will be one of those books that readers either love or hate, and for me, I loved it.

If you’re a woman and have held or currently hold a position in corporate America, there’s a good chance you’ll feel seen reading this book. What does a woman have to do to get a job? Promoted? Be taken seriously? There is SO much to unpack and will provoke a lot of feelings from readers.

Between sexism, morals, toxic relationships and just starting out in our MC’s career, this book depicts an accurate description of how I felt getting started in my career (in TV no less). It was this fish out of water experience all while wanting to be taken seriously and navigating thoughts of “was that sexual harassment?”

The story starts out slow and it’s one of those books the author includes a lot of hot topics (still) happening around us in the world. Normally, I’d call this book a situation jambalaya, but the amount this young woman dealt with fresh out of college was the perfect explanation of how young professionals do too much and stretch themselves thin.

The ending made me absolutely squirm.

Big thank you to Henry Holt and Co for the gifted copy!! And Macmillan audio for the ALC!

Content warnings: sexual assault, sexism, eating disorder, toxic relationships, mental illness, victim blaming

A codependent mother/daughter relationship, a desired to change the world and the daunting realization you’re a part of the problem.

NSFW takes on body shaming, sexual abuse, misogyny, and the toxicity of Hollywood. Or rather, those topics (and all of the accompanying triggers) are present in the narrative. But, the novel doesn’t really give a new perspective or empowerment here, making this one fall flat. I did enjoy the narration.

Tw: sexual assault, eating disorder, abuse.

NSFW is a debut by Isabel Kaplan. This novel explores a young, feminist, woman who has a job in a Hollywood development company as an assistant, The MC, who is unnamed, has to deal with work related assault and an abuse of power.

I think the subject matter of the book is extremely relevant and note worthy! However, it dragged so much. I think because the character is unnamed it was very hard to connect with her and I just did not care about what was happening in the book until the 75% mark. Sometimes it felt like we were more worried about the relationship with the MC and her mother versus the actual abuse and assault the book was apparently about.

This book was in first person and usually that makes me connect with characters better and faster, but I was so detached from everyone. This was not a long book yet still felt like there was so much unnecessary dialogue and descriptions. There also seemed to be an open ending, but we all know there is only one answer to what the MC has to do after the book is finished.

The audio was average, but sometimes when sped up the words felt more robotic. That is just a down that I had.

2 stars.

NSFW is a breakout debut novel by Isabel Kaplan about working the system, sexism, sexual abuse and the power imbalance in Hollywood. It's also about a tumultuous relationship between a mother and daughter that involves guilt, manipulation and loads of drama.


What I liked:

- Smartass, feminist humor.

- Narrator Stephanie Nemeth's delivery.

- Behind-the-scenes look at L.A./Hollywood industry scene

- Length of book (<8 hours)

- Biting off juicy, ugly, horrible topics that we always sweep under the rug.



What I didn't love:

- The mother.

- The abuse.

- The patriarchy.



Special thanks to Macmillan Audio for an advanced listener copy via the NetGalley app.

I received a free Advanced Reading Copy via NetGalley in exchange for a complete and honest review.

One of the best books I've read in a long while.

The unnamed female main character works in television and is surrounded by high powered men, many of which prey on unsuspecting women.

This book has good commentary on privilege, sexism, assault and harassment, and the unspoken expectations of women. This was an interesting read, especially the morally gray mother of the main character who is a lawyer and rape survivor.

This book really bones in on the patriarchal structures of our society as a whole and the ramifications women face even when doing the right thing.

The description of OCD is very stereotypical and not necessarily an accurate portrayal of what OCD is actually like and mentions the character just grew out of it in adulthood and that’s extremely unlikely and just about always persists into adulthood. There needed to be more research done into this particular topic.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank You to NetGalley, Henry Holt, and MacMillan audio for the Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

NSFW by Isabel Kaplan explores the power dynamics at play in Hollywood (and any industry). Our protagonist gets a job working for an executive at a leading TV network thanks to connections from her mom, a well known lawyer advocating for equal rights, and starts to learn more about the realities of working as a woman in a male dominated industry. Throughout the story she is constantly faced with the same choice - do I use this as an opportunity to get ahead in my career or do I do what I believe is right?

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that was especially poignant in the light of “Me Too” and the current climate of Roe v Wade. I found the story to be realistic and believable but slightly predictable and direct. I would recommend this to readers - this would be perfect for a book club to read and discuss!

The audio version is narrated by Stephanie Nemeth Parker who did a fantastic job - her performance moved the story along and added a layer of emotion and empathy to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC - NSFW is out 7/5/22.

NSFW was an interesting look behind the scenes of the Hollywood TV scene. At times funny and other times deeply disturbing, this quick read drew me right in. The protagonist is struggling with imposter syndrome, workplace harassment, work-life balance, and a narcissistic parent. There’s a lot to unpack in this story, and it may not be suitable for all readers.

Since the protagonist was unnamed, it was easy to put myself in her shoes despite not having anything in common with her. The ending also more or less leaves things up to the reader’s interpretation. I thought this was an interesting way of showing that these things can happen to any woman.

I appreciated that NSFW was quick and to the point. It was the perfect length to get its point across without fatiguing the reader with heavy subject matter.

Overall, an interesting read about an important topic, but certainly not escapist by any means.

Audio Review: I appreciated being able to listen to the audiobook of NSFW. When I’m reading a book outside my preferred genres, I definitely find it easier to listen than to read a physical copy. Narrated by Stephanie Nemeth Parker, NSFW was a very quick listen at just 8 hours sped up above 2x speed. I believe Parker was a good fit for this unnamed protagonist, and enjoyed listening to her work.