Megan Collins's Reviews > The Herd

If I hadn’t been away this weekend, I would have ripped through THE HERD in two sittings at most. Just like Andrea Bartz’s critically acclaimed, heart-pounding debut THE LOST NIGHT, THE HERD pulses with tension and suspense from beginning to end. The story is told by Katie and Hana, two sisters burdened with secrets who are finally living in New York at the same time. When their close friend Eleanor, the cofounder of the Herd, a glamorous all-female workspace, goes missing, they launch separate investigations that will lead them deeper and deeper into Eleanor’s dark past—as well as their own. I loved this book so much; it’s got Andrea Bartz’s signature snappy writing, with a propulsive plot that I found even more addictive (if that’s even possible!) than her stellar debut. This book also has a prologue and epilogue that bookend the story in a unique, stunning, and immensely chilling way, making it a memorable standout in the thriller market. I was immediately drawn in by the dark and beautiful writing in the opening pages, and the story zoomed on from there, pulling me along on an atmospheric and eerie ride with delicious twists and reveals. The book also deals with themes both timely and timeless—the masks of perfection that women are pressured to wear; female ambition in what is still a man’s world; the price of success for a woman—and I appreciated the opportunity to sit with the ugly but important insights this story brought to light.