Sweetbitter meets The Firm in this buzzy, page-turning debut novel about sex and power in the halls of corporate America.
One of Buzzfeed’s Most Anticipated Books of 2020, Cosmopolitan’s Best Summer Reads of 2020, and the New York Post’s 30 Best Summer Books
Alex Vogel has always been a high achiever who lived her life by the book—star student and athlete in high school, prelaw whiz in college, … who lived her life by the book—star student and athlete in high school, prelaw whiz in college, Harvard Law School degree. Accepting a dream offer at the prestigious Manhattan law firm of Klasko & Fitch, she promises her sweet and supportive longtime boyfriend that the job won’t change her.
Yet Alex is seduced by the firm’s money and energy . . . and by her cocksure male colleagues, who quickly take notice of the new girl. She’s never felt so confident and powerful—even the innuendo-laced banter with clients feels fun. In the firm’s most profitable and competitive division, Mergers and Acquisitions, Alex works around the clock, racking up billable hours and entertaining clients late into the evening. While the job is punishing, it has its perks, like a weekend trip to Miami, a ride in a client’s private jet, and more expense-account meals than she can count.
But as her clients’ expectations and demands on her increase, and Alex finds herself magnetically drawn to a handsome coworker despite her loving relationship at home, she begins to question everything—including herself. She knows the corporate world isn’t black and white, and that to reach the top means playing by different rules. But who made those rules? And what if the system rigged so that women can’t win, anyway?
When something happens that reveals the dark reality of the firm, Alex comes to understand the ways women like her are told—explicitly and implicitly—how they need to behave to succeed in the workplace. Now, she can no longer stand by silently—even if doing what’s right means putting everything on the line to expose the shocking truth.
more
I devoured The Boys’ Club in a couple of hungry sittings — it was one of those books that I couldn’t put down without wanting to pick it right back up. Like Stephanie Danler’s Sweetbitter, this is a story that anyone who’s ever been young and confused and dream-driven in New York will find all too relatable. I simply loved it.
Fiction is not my main genre, I read. When I picked this book up, it took me a while to get through. I thought it was slow paced. Now, it could be because I wanted a break and shift in what I was reading prior to this, which was mainly young adult and adult scifi and fantasy, and I was coming off the adrenaline high.
Alex Vogel, the main character, was likeable. I enjoyed her and felt she was a solid character. I can see the change in her throughout the book, much like her family and boyfriend. She was slowly falling into the trap of the blue collar world. These changes were slow, and I liked how well written these were. As a reader, the changes in Alex started when she was getting praised from her M&A male colleagues. Then grew wild during her Miami trip. As a first-year associate, she was trying to prove herself and while doing that; she was blind about what was happening to her.
The other characters in this book are likeable or solid. They feel human and not an exaggerated superhuman. Each of these characters has a or many flaws. This falls mostly with the characters in Alex’s lawyer world. The world behind the lawyer feels real. I sadly can see a lot of this happening. Doing anything to make a client happy, a high paying client to boot, taking some advantage on new associates and their naivete of the company. Some of these characters do not feel what they are doing is wrong, they are blind, or choose not to see anything.
I feel this world to be real and can be still be happening. I can feel the genuine idea and message this book is trying to say. It is sad something terrible had to happen to Alex to get her blinders off and see what was happening within the company, people around her, and herself. I almost think maybe something about the “integration”, which they were not really, questions could have been mentioned in the beginning. I was confused over what they were for and after realizing myself what was going on in the book, I understood what the questions and answers were about.
I would recommend this book. It was a pleasant story. It gave me a Devil Wears Prada vibe.
*I received an ARC, and this is my honest opinion.
You can find this review on my website:
https://www.charliadamswriter.com
4.5 rounded up to 5! (Yes I am back to using half stars, don’t judge me)
All hail the queen of the legal drama which is apparently Erica Katz! The Boys’ Club is so smart and I enjoyed everything from the pacing to the storyline, even though some of the content is hard to read, albeit very important. I didn’t find myself truly loving any of the characters, but luckily Alex fully redeems herself by the end. There is a lot of legal jargon, but I thought Katz did a great job of explaining most of what it all meant, and I didn’t find myself feeling lost at all. I am a huge fan of the legal thriller/drama genre, and this book totally worked for me.
I listened to the audio and was excited to see Julia Whelan as the narrator. She is one of my favorites, and I could listen to her all day every day. I thought she was the perfect fit for Alex, and she sounded exactly how I would picture that character to sound. I have recently found out that Netflix picked up The Boys’ Club and is developing it into a film and that is something I can’t wait to see. I think this book will make a PERFECT movie, and I only wish Whelan could play Alex in that too!
I loved Katz’s clear way of writing and I thought the flow of the book was absolutely perfect. It’s not fast-paced by any means, but you can’t tell when you’re reading (or listening) to it which was pretty amazing in my opinion. There’s a lot of people behaving very badly in The Boys’ Club, and while I wasn’t completely satisfied with the ending, I know it was more realistic than some books and most of it was indeed very satisfying. Highly recommend to lovers of legal thrillers/dramas who don’t mind a slower burn. I really hope this author writes a ton more books, and it was an amazing debut novel!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions and thoughts are my own.
This book was not on my radar but popped up when I was searching for a new Audible listen. When I saw Julia was narrating, it was a no brainer. She can make the phone book sound good. Great listen and very relatable to the MeToo movement. Whether a law firm, a corporate business, etc; it goes on everywhere with and without consent. Great character development and I hated when it was over. This would be a really good Netflix series. Definitely worth the credit.
I saw that Erica Katz’s book has been optioned by Netflix for a series, and I think this is the case of what’s on the page translating better on the screen.
Not that this is a bad book. I liked Alex, and I cheered loudly for her. I wanted more for her than her bland boyfriend, and I also wanted her to achieve professional success, thwarting those who tried to get in her way. The “will she? won’t she?” mystery kept me anxiously turning the pages.
The problem is that too many of the supporting characters feel like caricatures. The brash lawyer who’s hot as sin! The evil partners! The fawning women! Only Alex comes off as original and fully developed. Her dynamism as a well-drawn character causes problems, though, when those around her aren’t as skillfully presented.
Let me know what you think of this book. Can you see it on TV? I sure can.
Sharply observed and utterly engrossing, The Boys’ Club is part coming of age story, part riveting workplace drama, set in the world of big firm law where one young female associate finds that getting ahead means there are no good choices.
Fast, sharp and utterly compulsive, The Boys’ Club hit me right where I live in the most satisfying way possible. Erica Katz writes a wildly juicy story of office politics with the rare warmth and empathy of a true insider.
The Firm, but from a female perspective, with sharp insight into all it entails to succeed as a woman in corporate America. A smart and thrilling page-turner — written with intelligence, heart, and incredible insight.
I devoured The Boys’ Club in a couple of hungry sittings — it was one of those books that I couldn’t put down without wanting to pick it right back up. Like Stephanie Danler’s Sweetbitter, this is a story that anyone who’s ever been young and confused and dream-driven in New York will find all too relatable. I simply loved it.
Fiction is not my main genre, I read. When I picked this book up, it took me a while to get through. I thought it was slow paced. Now, it could be because I wanted a break and shift in what I was reading prior to this, which was mainly young adult and adult scifi and fantasy, and I was coming off the adrenaline high.
Alex Vogel, the main character, was likeable. I enjoyed her and felt she was a solid character. I can see the change in her throughout the book, much like her family and boyfriend. She was slowly falling into the trap of the blue collar world. These changes were slow, and I liked how well written these were. As a reader, the changes in Alex started when she was getting praised from her M&A male colleagues. Then grew wild during her Miami trip. As a first-year associate, she was trying to prove herself and while doing that; she was blind about what was happening to her.
The other characters in this book are likeable or solid. They feel human and not an exaggerated superhuman. Each of these characters has a or many flaws. This falls mostly with the characters in Alex’s lawyer world. The world behind the lawyer feels real. I sadly can see a lot of this happening. Doing anything to make a client happy, a high paying client to boot, taking some advantage on new associates and their naivete of the company. Some of these characters do not feel what they are doing is wrong, they are blind, or choose not to see anything.
I feel this world to be real and can be still be happening. I can feel the genuine idea and message this book is trying to say. It is sad something terrible had to happen to Alex to get her blinders off and see what was happening within the company, people around her, and herself. I almost think maybe something about the “integration”, which they were not really, questions could have been mentioned in the beginning. I was confused over what they were for and after realizing myself what was going on in the book, I understood what the questions and answers were about.
I would recommend this book. It was a pleasant story. It gave me a Devil Wears Prada vibe.
*I received an ARC, and this is my honest opinion.
You can find this review on my website:
https://www.charliadamswriter.com
4.5 rounded up to 5! (Yes I am back to using half stars, don’t judge me)
All hail the queen of the legal drama which is apparently Erica Katz! The Boys’ Club is so smart and I enjoyed everything from the pacing to the storyline, even though some of the content is hard to read, albeit very important. I didn’t find myself truly loving any of the characters, but luckily Alex fully redeems herself by the end. There is a lot of legal jargon, but I thought Katz did a great job of explaining most of what it all meant, and I didn’t find myself feeling lost at all. I am a huge fan of the legal thriller/drama genre, and this book totally worked for me.
I listened to the audio and was excited to see Julia Whelan as the narrator. She is one of my favorites, and I could listen to her all day every day. I thought she was the perfect fit for Alex, and she sounded exactly how I would picture that character to sound. I have recently found out that Netflix picked up The Boys’ Club and is developing it into a film and that is something I can’t wait to see. I think this book will make a PERFECT movie, and I only wish Whelan could play Alex in that too!
I loved Katz’s clear way of writing and I thought the flow of the book was absolutely perfect. It’s not fast-paced by any means, but you can’t tell when you’re reading (or listening) to it which was pretty amazing in my opinion. There’s a lot of people behaving very badly in The Boys’ Club, and while I wasn’t completely satisfied with the ending, I know it was more realistic than some books and most of it was indeed very satisfying. Highly recommend to lovers of legal thrillers/dramas who don’t mind a slower burn. I really hope this author writes a ton more books, and it was an amazing debut novel!
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions and thoughts are my own.
This book was not on my radar but popped up when I was searching for a new Audible listen. When I saw Julia was narrating, it was a no brainer. She can make the phone book sound good. Great listen and very relatable to the MeToo movement. Whether a law firm, a corporate business, etc; it goes on everywhere with and without consent. Great character development and I hated when it was over. This would be a really good Netflix series. Definitely worth the credit.
I saw that Erica Katz’s book has been optioned by Netflix for a series, and I think this is the case of what’s on the page translating better on the screen.
Not that this is a bad book. I liked Alex, and I cheered loudly for her. I wanted more for her than her bland boyfriend, and I also wanted her to achieve professional success, thwarting those who tried to get in her way. The “will she? won’t she?” mystery kept me anxiously turning the pages.
The problem is that too many of the supporting characters feel like caricatures. The brash lawyer who’s hot as sin! The evil partners! The fawning women! Only Alex comes off as original and fully developed. Her dynamism as a well-drawn character causes problems, though, when those around her aren’t as skillfully presented.
Let me know what you think of this book. Can you see it on TV? I sure can.
Sharply observed and utterly engrossing, The Boys’ Club is part coming of age story, part riveting workplace drama, set in the world of big firm law where one young female associate finds that getting ahead means there are no good choices.
Fast, sharp and utterly compulsive, The Boys’ Club hit me right where I live in the most satisfying way possible. Erica Katz writes a wildly juicy story of office politics with the rare warmth and empathy of a true insider.
The Firm, but from a female perspective, with sharp insight into all it entails to succeed as a woman in corporate America. A smart and thrilling page-turner — written with intelligence, heart, and incredible insight.