When a hacker dumps 40,000 people's emails onto an easily accessible database, the entire student body, faculty, staff, and alums at Aldrich University are rocked. Secrets, affairs, scandals...it's all there.
But when Kit Manning's husband, Dr. Greg Strasser, is found murdered in his kitchen, things take a dramatic turn. Kit's sister, Willa, returns home to attend Greg's funeral. She fled fifteen years ago after a night she desperately would like to forget. Willa is an investigative reporter and knows that something is off with the events surrounding Greg's death—she's determined to find out what actually happened before someone else ends up dead.
Sara Shepard is always a standout. This explosive, sharp, and propulsive novel is full of twists and shocking reveals. Her writing is captivating, clever, and above all, entertaining. It is framed more like a TV series, with Shepards foot firmly on the gas, but it works. There are several moving pieces to this story—none of the characters are innocent and they all have something to hide. She skillfully tells the story from multiple female perspectives. None of these women are particularly enjoyable, but that just amps up the drama and pettiness.
Given the number of twists and turns the narrative takes, unfortunately the #MeToo tie-in gets lost and ultimately ends up as more of a comment in passing. For me, this was the difference between 4 and 5 stars.
Reputation is a soapy story of intrigue, sabotage, secrets, and the lengths we go to keep them. I devoured it for the gossipy treat it was.
BUY NOW
SARA SHEPARD is the author of two New York Times bestselling series, Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game, as well as the series The Perfectionists. She is a graduate from New York University and holds an MFA from Brooklyn College.
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