What does it mean to be a 'good woman'?. Olivie Blake explores this and rakes through feminism in a hauntingly gory way. I loved the concept, I could relate to so many of the characters struggles - balancing work, family life, self-care, being a wife and womanhood in general. I would have liked more background on the ritualistic elements, purely for my own interest. I really enjoyed Olivie's prose in this novel, I felt swept away by it at times in a good way. A great novel to get your teeth into.

Girl Dinner is a new standalone from Olivie Blake. The story follows Sloane who is a professor and has spent the last eighteen months with her newborn daughter. Sloane worries about her daughter and her husband doesn’t pay enough attention to her or his daughter. The story also follows Nina Kaur who is a sophomore who joins The House. The house will ease her years of failure and make her a success. Nina and Sloane will both be drawn into the sisterhood but will have to decide if they can stomach the cost.

Wow. I really enjoyed this and I can see this being super popular. It’s a sad girl novel in disguise and I loved it. The girlies who love weird fiction will really love this. The writing was accessible and I found it easy to get into the story. I enjoyed reading from both Sloane and Nina’s perspective. I particularly appreciated Sloane and how much she had to deal with. This had some absurd moments which just made me laugh out loud with shock. I loved the twists in this and thought it was perfect. This had so much to say about womanhood and motherhood. Sloane worries she’s not good enough for daughter and whilst I don’t have children I’m sure many women will be able to relate to that. It’s clear from reading the author’s note that Olivie Blake put the love she has for her son into Sloane’s love for Isla. That was really beautiful. This was so good and I can’t stop thinking about it. I hope Olivie Blake writes more stories like this. I loved it and will be recommending this to everyone I know.

Olivie Blake the woman that you are!! This is one of my favorites ever from her-i was completely totally hooked from the beginning. An observational, smart horror/thriller (the gore is minimal) i had such a fun time despite feeling a low level anxiety that permeated each chapter with insidious female rage. Also not for nothing, as the mother of two young children Blake’s observations on the inequality of parenting EVEN in a “liberal” household rang extremely true and cut to the quick, in my personal experience.

I really connected with Girl Dinner. It is a clever and emotional read that dives deep into what it means to grow up and figure out who you are. The main character, Liv, is raw and real, with all her flaws and struggles laid bare, which made her feel so relatable. I loved how the story explores her messy relationships and the way she’s trying to find her own path amidst the chaos.
What stood out most was how Blake balances the heavier themes with sharp humour and moments of tenderness. Liv’s journey isn’t neat or perfect, but it feels honest and unfiltered, which I really appreciated.

Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake

"𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒖𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒂 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒊𝒄 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒚-𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒊𝒑𝒆𝒅𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅."

Girl Dinner is a dark novel about power, a lust for life, and a sisterhood. It has themes of dark academia and a strong point of view towards feminism. We witness sorority friendships, motherhood, and a sprinkling of feminine rage.

Wow! This book really got me thinking, about feminism, about what it means to be a woman, or to be a young girl growing into the world that we live in. I really enjoyed the friendships between the sorority girls and the complexities of the characters. I also really enjoyed watching Sloane evolve into something powerful.

Like, what makes us "good girls?" Can we choose power and beauty? Do we have to chose or can we have it all?

Excuse the pun, but I completely ate this book up! It's thought provoking, the dinners' are deliciously yummy and I just couldn't get enough of it! I was routing for the sisterhood and everything they fight for.

This book has officially surpassed my favorite Olivie Blake book.

This is a slow burn cannablistic story of a mother returning to work and dealing with the internal mom guilt we all tend to deal with, whilst also navigating in a male dominated space with a husband who is both useless at home and at work.

We also follow a new pledge for The House as she navigates her sophomore year of college and becoming a member of The House.