Title: Goddesses

Author: Nina Millns

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 20th July 2023

Rating: 4/5

Cover:

Summary:

Some friends have your back.
Some friends stab you in the back.

Ayesha is just about finding her feet on the London stand-up scene, but when her response to a sexist heckler goes viral, she finds herself drawn into an exclusive group of activists: a sacred circle of change makers, each woman with a specific gift to contribute to the cause.

The circle draws in her friend Yaz too and they are both invited to an intimate hen do, except it’s not a hen do – it’s a Goddess Retreat. While Ayesha, longing to find her tribe, tries desperately to fit herself into a shape that the women will accept, Yaz treats the entire ‘itinerary’ with open disdain. But the Goddess Retreat is no laughing matter. As the weekend descends into chaos, they’ll need to stick together if they want to get out alive.

Review:

I was immediately intrigued by the premise of Goddesses, which promised something dark and revelatory. It definitely delivered on that front. Goddesses is a sharp, witty, unique and thought provoking read that I found both deeply unsettling and extremely interesting. It is an indictment of a certain type of ‘white feminism’ that suffers from delusional grandiose attitudes due to a lack of intersectionality. Goddesses also demonstrates the less positive and sometimes downright dangerous side of activism and how it can sometimes slide into something more akin to a cult-like atmosphere.

Goddesses is hard to review in some ways, because I’ve really never read anything quite like it, but I can definitely say it is a book worth reading and one that will absolutely leave its readers with a great deal to think about. There is a slightly discordant atmosphere from the very first page which I found unnerving and fascinating. Things do indeed get pretty crazy as the bizarre goddess retreat unravels into chaos but I think that was wholly intentional. Goddesses is an original and crucially relevant read that I would definitely recommend – it will certainly leave an impression.

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Thank you so much to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for inviting me on this tour and organising it. I kindly received a copy of the book from the publisher. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

Buy the book:

Waterstones | Blackwell’s | Amazon