Sarah Pekkanen has done a lot of co-author stories lately, so it’s so good to see her do a solo thriller and spoiler alert, she does not disappoint.

** Preorder Links are listed below!**

The Women in White pulled me in immediately. I felt instantly invested in the story and the characters the author introduced us to. I don’t know what magic Pekkanen did in the beginning, but she captured my attention.

The topic alone is absolutely fascinating. I was really excited to see that she pulled in real experiments and tried to make this almost historical fiction (lol). I overall enjoyed a lot about the story, but there were some, I don’t want to say plot holes, but, plot holes that annoyed me.

For me, Riley didn’t ask enough questions. I get she probably wants to keep her job with Betty, but at the same time she’s going about these “tasks” without having the full picture and all the information. A few simple questions to clarify Betty’s relationship with these other women, even if Betty would’ve lied, would have made more sense to me.

I also thought that Betty and her husband‘s relationship was supposed to be a lot different than the other women. Betty and husband were closer and more caring. Her husband didn’t treat her as a maid. So then why did it feel like the husband was lying to her? Why didn’t Betty feel comfortable asking her husband more about what happened? Why now with Riley coming into the picture did Betty suddenly want to know more? If I remember correctly, the author tried to tell us the answer to these questions later in the book, but I found the answers very unsatisfying.

Additionally, the whole storyline of Riley and her horrible husband could have been completely cut out. Riley didn’t need to be running away from her gambling husband to be in the position where she is working and living with Betty. The backstory could have been simplified. It added extra, unnecessary noise to an otherwise tight, well thought out plot.

I found it very annoying how Riley dealt with her husband at the end of the story. This feels like it was trying to be a women’s empowerment and in the end you made Riley just as pathetic as all the other women. (Doing my best to avoid spoilers here.)

I still really enjoyed myself while reading the book. I found the topic and the characters super intriguing. I felt compelled to keep reading and keep picking up the book to know what was happening next. With all the  annoyances I have, I would still recommend this book to all my reader friends. 

Stats: 344 pages – Expected publication August 4, 2026

**Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review.