Andrea Bartz | THE HERD

Plot (via Goodreads):

The name of the elite, women-only coworking space stretches across the wall behind the check-in desk: THE HERD, the H-E-R always in purple. In-the-know New Yorkers crawl over each other to apply for membership to this community that prides itself on mentorship and empowerment. Among the hopefuls is Katie Bradley, who's just returned from the Midwest after a stint of book research blew up in her face. Luckily, Katie has an in, thanks to her sister Hana, an original Herder and the best friend of Eleanor Walsh, its charismatic founder.

As head of PR, Hana is working around the clock in preparation for a huge announcement from Eleanor—one that would change the trajectory of The Herd forever. Though Katie loves her sister's crew, she secretly hopes she's found her next book subject in Eleanor, who's brilliant, trailblazing—and extremely private.

Then, on the night of the glitzy Herd news conference, Eleanor vanishes without a trace. Everybody has a theory about what made Eleanor run, but when the police suggest foul play, everyone is a suspect: Eleanor’s husband, other Herders, the men’s rights groups that have had it out for the Herd since its launch—even Eleanor’s closest friends. As Hana struggles to figure out what her friend was hiding and Katie chases the story of her life, the sisters must face the secrets they’ve been keeping from each other. From the author of The Lost Night comes a thrilling novel that shows just how dangerous it can be when women's perfect veneers start to crack, crumble, and then fall away all together.

Review:

The Herd is the kind of novel that I wish I knew nothing about going into it. But, I am a huge fan of Andrea Bartz so by the time my copy came, I pretty much could recite the synopsis to a t. Oopsie! Well, have no fear because this top-notch feminist thriller is so stylish and smart that you really haven't even scratched the surface when it comes to understanding the full story. I loved Bartz's debut novel so much that for as complex and different that this one sounded, I was initially nervous to pick it up. Foolish. I will never doubt myself again when it comes to Andrea Bartz because this one solidifies my memory of last winter when I knew this was going to be a remarkable and fresh new voice for the genre and I'll be damned, Bartz just got even better with her second novel. 

The plot to this one was so enjoyable to read. It has wit and humor and it's stylish and sexy, yet there's something ominous that weaves its way throughout Bartz's dazzling prose that leaves you a bit unsettled and yet dying for more. I found the characters to be refreshing, non-cliche, and the kind of people that I would either want to have cocktails with or some that I would steer clear of their icy glare - and those are the exact type of people that I just love to read about. Not only is the prose within this story remarkable, but the plot moves with ease and the characters are riveting to read. Andrea Bartz masterfully and artfully created a masterpiece of fiction that blends together strong female characters with a novel full of twists and turns. I felt that with this one it kind of grouped together a few different genres with the thriller genre being the trunk of a tree and these others branching off from time to time which kept me on my toes and eager for more. 

I loved this story and while I knew I was very intrigued by the initial plot, there is another backstory in this one that I found to be a great addition to the story and almost as enjoyable as the present timeline. In a perfect world, I could have read one novel about the backstory and another about the present; it is just that good and Bartz's delivery of the backstory is sprinkled throughout so effectively that aliens could have landed in the middle of this novel and taken the story in a whole other direction and I still would've been just as invested. She can really take a thriller to the next level and I am not only excited but nervous to see what she is going to do to me and her characters with her third novel. I completed this one in one sitting and loved it, I thought about it days and weeks after I read it, I am still thinking about it now, and also with such a jaw-dropping finale that this one had, I was more than satisfied with the ending. That is, until I read the epilogue and found myself eyes wide, jaw on the floor, mind boggled, and mystified. I was thinking "she did not just go there..." and I read the epilogue three times and vowed that this summer I would read this one again by my pool because as much as I love cozying up with a great book during the winter, this is honestly the perfect read for any season...that is if you can wait long enough. 

Special thanks to Ballantine Books for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5/5