A Special Place for Women

April 15, 2021
Hankin follows Happy & You Know It (2020) with another utterly addictive tale. Rumors abound about Nevertheless, a secretive women-only club where for $1,000 a month you can mix with the movers and shakers of New York City. It is widely speculated that the group engineered the election of the city's first female mayor, only to eventually bring her down. Desperate to get her journalistic career back on track, Jillian Beckley decides to get the scoop and finagles her way into the club's inner sanctum, quickly deciding that these women are "absolutely nuts." But they are also powerful and, as it turns out, dangerous. Jillian counters them with her sheer determination and will, making for a delicious cat-and-mouse game, although she begins to find herself oddly drawn to their outlandish rituals. The forthright and witty narrative creates an intimacy with Jillian that will make the reader feel as though a good friend is telling one of her bizarre and drawn-out stories. Highly recommended for the Sex and the City audience.

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April 19, 2021
A journalist infiltrates a secret society in the diverting if far-fetched latest from Hankin (Happy & You Know It). Jillian Beckley tries to impress her crush, Miles, a married editor, by promising him an exposé on the secretive, influential New York City women’s social club Nevertheless, rumored to be the force behind the rise-and-fall of a recent progressive mayoral candidate. Jill ropes her friend, rising-star chef Rafael Morales, into pretending he’s her boyfriend in order to get enough cachet for an invitation to one of the club’s events, where she unexpectedly bonds with member Margot Wilding over the loss of their mothers. Meanwhile, Jill deals with her feelings for Miles, who’s having marriage woes, and Raf, who confesses his love for her. After Jill’s initiation, Margot takes Jill under her wing and reveals the truth about the club, at which point Jill questions whether the sisterhood and power of the group is worth sacrificing in order to give Miles a great article. It would break the rules of Nevertheless—and spoil the book—to dish on what’s really going on, but it’s safe to say it involves rituals that go beyond the standard fare for socialites. The narrative has a couple of nice twists, but the ending’s a bit of a stretch. Still, this should amuse anyone who keeps tabs on the tastemakers. Agent: Stefanie Lieberman, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc.

May 1, 2021

Struggling journalist Jillian Beckley gets the go-ahead from Miles, a married magazine editor she used to work with (and whom she kissed once, but that meant absolutely nothing!), to infiltrate a secret elite New York City women's society (are they witches?) and deliver an expos� to him. Her first task is getting an invitation. Enter her attractive, longtime platonic friend Raf, a celebrity chef. They pretend to be dating, which gives Jillian some much-needed clout with the secret society. After passing some tests, she's invited into the group, where members meet in a cool clubhouse with a secret door, pay membership dues, attend career workshops, and get tarot card readings. Though the club purports to lift women up, it sometimes tries instead to bring them crashing down. Hankin's second novel (after Happy & You Know It) is a fast and funny first-person read, boasting a well-crafted heroine and an eclectic, compelling supporting cast; with the exception of Raf, who is Cuban American, the central characters are white. They're all refreshingly flawed, which adds realism compared to the sometimes WTF goings-on in the secret society. VERDICT Fans of clever, witty women's fiction with some family matters and a touch of romance will appreciate this unique story.--Samantha Gust, Niagara Univ. Lib., NY

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