Review: A Sisterhood of Secret Ambitions, Sheena Boekweg

A Sisterhood of Secret Ambitions by Sheena Boekweg
on June 1, 2021
Genres: young adult, historical
Format: ARC
Source: Macmillan INTL, Edelweiss
Buy on Amazon, Book Depository, Barnes & Noble, Publisher, Bookshop, Blackwell's
Goodreads

Behind every powerful man is a trained woman, and behind every trained woman is the Society. It started with tea parties and matchmaking, but is now a countrywide secret. Gossips pass messages in recipes, Spinsters train to fight, and women work together to grant safety to abused women and children. The Society is more than oaths—it is sisterhood and purpose.
In 1926, seventeen-year-old Elsie is dropped off in a new city with four other teenage girls. All of them have trained together since childhood to become the Wife of a powerful man. But when they learn that their next target is earmarked to become President, their mission becomes more than just an assignment; this is a chance at the most powerful position in the Society. All they have to do is make one man fall in love with them first.

I received this book for free from Macmillan INTL, Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS:

anxiety, panic attacks, fire, child death, grief.

☂️ DIVERSITY:Plus-size main character, asexual side character, trans side character.

There are no spoilers in this review.

This blog post contains affiliate links. If you buy something on my recommendation, I will receive a small commission. Purchasing via these links will not cost you any extra and will help me cover the costs of book blogging. You will find more info on my privacy policy and disclaimer pages. Thank you!

I ENJOYED…

☂️

• A Sisterhood of Secret Ambitions was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021. I just loved the concept of this story right away: Elsie is part of a group of women called The Society and, since childhood, she has been trained to become the wife of a powerful man. When her assignment ends up tied to the future President of the country, things get a little bigger than she imagined it to be.
• The world created within this book is really, really cool. I enjoyed getting to know this Society and the way it worked. It was so much fun to see just how these women were behind everything, exchanging secret messages through recipes and working behind the scenes like that. It was so much fun to read about this group of girls trying to seduce the future President, kind of a The Bachelor remake of sorts with each girls having their own tips and tricks to make themselves go out on top.
• I enjoyed following the main character, Elsie, a whole lot. She was such a great main character, carried by her own passions, her poetry, her own ambitions she’s afraid to mention out loud, as well. All she wants is for her life to matter just as much as her brother’s, for her own desires and ambitions to be taken as seriously as her brother’s would. She’s constantly fighting and struggling between who she’s supposed to be and what she could be, really, if society, prejudices and everything else around her fell down to leave her some space to do so. I loved her growth through the story and loved seeing her fighting for what she believed in, as well.
• One of the strongest suits of this book certainly was the female friendships. This group of girls is at the heart of it all and, honestly, the best things about this book. They all have their flaws, they’re fighting and not always seeing eye to eye, but they got each other’s backs and their unconditionnal support for each other through it all, even with the competition they’re put through, warmed my heart SO much. If you love a great story with women supporting women, this book is so good for that.

I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…

☂️

• What disappointed me a little bit in A Sisterhood of Secret Ambitions is.. maybe my own expectations versus reality. While I fell for the concept of this book, its execution was a bit lacking for me, at times. I expected more fireworks, more tension, more things happening and at some moments, the book fell a little flat for me.

OVERALL

☂️

If you’re looking for a bold, feminist tale with strong friendships, I’d definitely recommend A Sisterhood of Secret Ambitions. Even if I thought it could have been more, I still found it really entertaining and loved these characters, so I’m recommending it for sure!

FINAL RATING : 3,5 drops!

📌 Pin the book review of A Sisterhood of Secret Ambitions, by Sheena Boekweg on Pinterest!

📚 Books similar to A Sisterhood of Secret Ambitions that I’d recommend:

• For the strong female friendships, Girls With Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young
• To smash the patriarchy, We Set The Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Did you read A Sisterhood of Secret Ambitions or do you want to? What’s the latest YA book with strong friendships you read and enjoyed? Let me know in comments!

Twitter ☂️ Bookstagram ☂️Goodreads ☂️ Bloglovin’ ☂️ Support the blog