This is 2.5 stars but I'm rounding up so I don't hurt the average.

There's a lot in this book that's relatable – strong, successful, professional women navigating a male-dominated industry rampant with workplace sexual harassment while trying to also find some sort of balance between work and family. I also appreciated that this was largely a novel about women helping other women (via the Whisper Network). And yet, even with those marks solidly in its favor, I found it hard to get into this book... something about it felt mechanical rather than fluid. The protagonists felt two-dimensional and the villains didn't have much to redeem them. It was heavy on plot and light on sympathetic characters.

This book would (will – it might be under development?) make an excellent screenplay. I can picture the entire cast from Big Little Lies reuniting to make this a multi-part HBO movie. With an opportunity to allow character development to keep pace with the plot, this could knock it out of the park.