"Horrible Women, Wonderful Girls"

Although there's a large cast of quirky characters, each with hidden backstories and deceptions, the story after a time became a task for me to follow, the narration is jumpy and hard to follow. I felt the characters were interesting but it all didn't come together as I would have liked.
It's satirical, clever and entertaining, features a feisty protagonist and unexpected twists. Loved the bond between the sisters, the overall theme.

Summary - The story follows Jaycee Grayson, a 40-year-old former Hollywood studio executive who, after a stint in rehab and losing her job, relocates to Littleburgh, Wisconsin. There, she assumes the role of executive producer and vice president of global entertainment at "Wonderful Girls", a company renowned for its lifelike dolls that embody individual personalities and aspirations.

Anticipating a supportive environment, Jaycee instead encounters a workplace rife with backstabbing and sabotage. Determined to succeed, she allies with fellow misfits to uncover a billion-dollar secret lurking behind Littleburgh's storybook facade. Amidst these challenges, Jaycee grapples with personal dilemmas, including a budding romance and distressing news from home, forcing her to choose between retreating to a shattered dream or fighting for a life she never knew she wanted.

I found this book to be a fun read. What makes the story really come to life is the rich, often humorous, descriptions of the sights, sounds, smells, and characters that make up the midwest world the Hollywood protagonist finds herself in.

There are a lot of relatable themes that are nicely woven together in the story: workplace rivalry, cultures, sibling bonds, (light) romance. There’s also a bit of mystery. Best of all, it’s funny! I found myself laughing out loud at pithy phrases delivered on the heels of well-crafted setups.

I could see this story on the screen, small or large. Glad to see it will be a series and we can get more of this feisty, honest main character.

Here’s a favorite gem from the book. I want to include a few others but will refrain so readers can enjoy coming upon them themselves.

“Don’t ever mistake HR for a friend, Meredith had so often forewarned me. Think of them as the company prosecutor, and you’re the defendant of some regrettable set of charges that you’ve already copped to in the form of a weekly paycheck.”

Horrible Women, Wonderful Girls – Julie Ann Sipos
A bold and thought-provoking novel that explores the ways society views and defines womanhood. Sipos crafts a multi-generational narrative filled with complex, unforgettable characters who challenge societal expectations at every turn. Darkly funny and deeply moving, this book is a sharp critique wrapped in a compelling story.

I can’t remember laughing this hard at a book in a long time. Jaycee has to leave her Hollywood job making games and movies for kids because the men are so awful but then she finds out the women are way worse when she goes to work in a doll company in the middle of nowhere. It’s actually a pretty little town in Wisconsin where you’d think people would be nice, and at first they seem that way, but then you start to see the truth behind this messed up jumble of characters. They all have crazy issues and it’s the kind of toxic workplace where everybody dumps on the outsider until they break her. But there’s a sweet side to all of it with a devastating old sister relationship that starts to collapse when Jaycee moves away. They are more like mother and daughter, since their mom left when they were little and the older sister, Meredith, basically raised her. I also liked the love triangle with the police chief Abel and the village council guy Freddie—you can’t really tell who to root for before you totally do. Jaycee really just wants to be happy, don’t we all? And she never gives up, on herself or anyone else, which is honestly where most of the comedy comes in. Jaycee makes friends with this farmer girl who works for her and turns out to be a genius in the kitchen so you get the idea the two of them are going to do something big together in the next book but that's just a guess. I won’t spoil the ending but it reminded me of George Bailey in “It’s A Wonderful Life” where he had no idea how his life impacted everyone else’s just by wanting what he wanted and refusing to ever give up and being a decent guy all in all even when he’s being kind of a jerk to Mary. I’m glad this is a series, it feels like the adventure is just starting. Totally recomned.

ew I did not like this book. It is anti-woman, it promotes misogyny and it is just sad to view women in such a negative way

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

This voluntary review is based on an ARC I was provided, all opinions are my own. Jaycee, a cynical film industry exec, is wrongfully terminated from a sexist and toxic workplace. Looking for a fresh start, her sister Meredith finds her a marketing job for a female-staffed Wisconsin doll company. Faced with subterfuge and corporate backstabbing, Jaycee finds herself questioning who she can trust amongst her "Prairie Karen" co-workers. And there are a LOT of them, so many I couldn't keep track. (And it was a little hard to believe that Jaycee, who worked at a cut-throat Hollywood firm, so easily let down her guard and was taken in by her colleagues. I'd have thought she would have been less trusting given her previous work experiences.)

I loved the premise (and the book cover was especially cute). This book is written with a hard and clipped writing style, the plot is a bit dense and the story felt overly complicated at times with a very large cast of characters. The author has some impressive descriptive skills, and I loved the narrative details like the gifts from Jaycee's neighbors and her house of dubious origins. And Jaycee uses a hefty dose of sarcasm to get through her life, of which I approve. But, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would, which was disappointing. Jaycee is over-dependent on her lawyer sister Meredith, although that's explained by the fact that Meredith is a hovering older sister, with both of them impacted by their mother's abandonment in childhood. They both seem to have dysfunctional personality styles, with each other but also in their interpersonal relationships. Which is not a deal-breaker for me, that can keep things interesting. However, the biggest roadblock for me to finishing this book is that I found Jaycee (and Meredith at times) to be unlikeable. I struggled to think of reasons to root for Jaycee, other than that she's the main character and I was supposed to, but it got harder to do as the story went on. I *really* didn't like Jaycee's frequent mentions of her sister's weight and her unflattering comparisons between their body types (as well as the snarky inner commentary about her co-workers' bodies). It was unkind and unnecessary, other than to depict Jaycee as a superficial and fat-shaming/body-shaming mean girl. And it got to the point where it was enough to make me DNF at around the 50% point after a surprisingly hurtful weight comment (that was masked as a joke) made to her sister at an especially vulnerable time.

Overall I struggled to invest in Jaycee and I didn't warm up to her, which hindered my enjoyment of the book. While her character wasn't very inviting, I did admire her tenacity with her job and with getting to know those in her new community. I do think this author writes well, and I loved the chapter headings, but this book wasn't for me. But if you enjoy women's literature about a quasi business-savvy fish-out-of-water FMC in a Midwestern setting, who has the guts to successfully butt heads with a whole herd of Prairie Karens, then this is the book for you. 2.5 stars rounded up to a very generous 3 stars for Jaycee's snark and the author's writing skills.

When the bottom drops out of her carefully planned career, Jaycee retreats to Betty Ford to regroup. An offer to work for a well known doll manufacturing company in Wisconsin promises her the chance to take positive steps away from her history. The story line is an original look at one woman's feverish efforts to succeed. A considerable cast of supporting characters displays the lengths Jaycee goes to never be in "that space" again. Her actions and the consequences of them will lend an unbelievably comic touch to her earnest efforts. The book is enjoyable in a "oh my goodness" type of reaction. It definitely would play out as a television series where Murphy's law dictates.

It took me a minute to figure out how to rate this book. I really enjoyed reading it, it is highly entertaining and I found the whole set-up hilarious. Being from the Upper Midwest, it is always interesting to see how outsiders (from one of the coasts) deal with the culture here. Ms. Sipos can really paint a picture, and I was consistently surprised and delighted by her descriptions and characterizations. That said, the book is not perfect. I had a difficult time following who all the characters were, and an even harder time figuring out what they were doing and why. The narrator is unreliable (I think by design) but in a novel that is about duplicity, it would have helped to feel I could trust at least one of the characters to relate what was actually happening. The central relationship, between Jaycee and her sister, is well-drawn and heartfelt, but all the other relationships within the story are sketchy and the characters a little hard to get a read on. In the end, I rated this one highly because it was fun, and the world-building was impressive. If you get a chance to download the cookbook, do it. Despite being a bit messy, I highly recommend this one. I hope to read more from Ms. Sipos.

I was drawn to this book because of the cover and the title. I was also excited by the description. It was kind of a tough read because it jumped around a bit in the timeline and in location so I had to flip back a lot to see if I missed something or if we were somewhere else in the story.

I liked the concept of the book and the prairie Karen's were very funny. I pictured them like that pack of moms who come after Lorelei in that one Gilmore girls episode.

I definitely had some laugh out loud moments, but overall I'm not sure this book was for me.

Thank you to Net Galley and Dartmouth Park for this advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

I was immediately intrigued by this amazing cover and flashy title. Then I read it took place in Wisconsin and reminded me of a certain doll company that used to have an office near Madison. 👀 Say less.

📖: After an embarrassing incident at company gathering, Jaycee Grayson lands a new job at Wonderful Girl, a Wisconsin-based doll company. As Jaycee acclimates to and embraces her new home, her struggles at Wonderful Girl build.

🤝: This could be a good fit if you enjoy:
- Midwestern settings
- Chaotic, sarcastic main characters
- Corporate Mean Girls but Midwest nice (IYKYK)

👍: What worked for me:
- As a Madison-dwelling Wisconsinite, the shoutouts to local places was fun.
- The vibe reminded me of one of my favorite midwest satires, Drop Dead Gorgeous, but instead of a beauty pageant, it was a dominant all-women run doll company.
- I liked the emotional moments and who came through in the end.

👎: What didn’t work for me:
- The narrative seemed chaotic and jumpy which left me feeling like I missed something multiple times. Being in Jaycee's head made mine spin sometimes. 😅
- It was easy to lose track of the similar-seeming characters working at the company.

The concept of this book is amazing. The execution wasn't for me, but I think it could work for others. I'm curious to see how other locals receive this one!

Thank you to Dartmouth Park, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ebook early in exchange for an honest review.