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BOOK TOUR STOP x RANDOM THINGS TOURS: Goddesses by Nina Millns



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. 

The next time someone wonders why feminism needs to be intersectional, I’m showing them this book. This is a searing exposé on the way mainstream, white feminism forgets that women of colour and other women didn’t have the same journey as them, and shows us the darker side of activism when it’s in the wrong hands. This was a blindingly impactful story that not only weaved a brilliant narrative but punched hard and landed hit after hit as we saw the machinations of manipulative people, the power of brainwashing and extremism at its most dangerous.

The way the author created this beautifully idyllic retreat and juxtaposed it with the undercurrents of fear and tension was perfect — an uncomfortably reflective parallel to a lot of things going on today and it had me wanting to take up biting my nails again because it was so damn INTENSE.

Ayesha and Yaz were absolutely amazing narrators. Their characters felt realised and fleshed out, and we get to know them and their styles right away. The first moment we meet them made them relatable; we find them in an awkward situation that just immediately made me think of all the times I’ve seriously not found myself on the same wavelength as everyone else and of course those horrific almost universal experiences of misogyny that has followed them. But as get to know them, it just makes us care and fear for them even more as this break gets worse …

We move fluidly between the present day and little snippets of the womens past with a steady, slow but easy pace that gives us little bits at a time but constantly leave us guessing. From the get go everything just feels off — these subtle moments that start a quiet, subtle nervous energy until things start to unravel and everything falls apart piece by piece.

A dark and thrilling story with a serious edge that definitely needs to be on your bookshelf.


⭐⭐⭐⭐




I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review. 

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