Girl Dinner

Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake is a dark, funny, feminist satire about being a perfect woman, wife, mother, sister - and what must be sacrificed to achieve it.

Girl Dinner follows two women, college sophomore Nina Kaur, eager to join the most exclusive sorority on campus, known as “The House”, and adjunct professor Sloane Hartley, returning to work after giving birth to a daughter Isla, now 18 months old. Nina becomes the first sophomore to join the sorority, and Sloane is asked to be the House’s academic advisor, and they both realize that something sinister is going on as the benefits of being a part of this feminine space are unusually exceptional as all the girls are extremely healthy and beautiful- and go on to be extraordinarily successful in their chosen careers - more than can be accounted for by simple sisterhood.

Girl Dinner was predictable in places (cannibalism) but surprised me in others (spoilers!). I listened to it on audio (excellent performances by Rita Amparita and Stephanie Németh-Parker made it easy to follow which narrative we were in), and the more introspective segments about womanhood, feminism, and success in a patriarchy especially felt like a snarky conversation with girlfriends over a bottle (or three) of wine.

Besides that, though their choices frustrated me sometimes, both Nina and Sloane were fully realized, empathetic characters, and I was invested in their personal stories as well as uncovering the mystery of the House.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy for my honest review. Pub. Date 10/21/25

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