Review: A Sisterhood of Secret Ambitions by Sheena Boekweg

Release Date: June 1st, 2021

Genre(s): Young Adult, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+

Publisher: Fiewel and Friends

Pages: 352

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

Synopsis

A Sisterhood of Secret Ambitions takes place in 1926 and follows Elsie, who is dropped off in a city with four other girls. They have all been trained together by The Society to become wives of powerful men. But when they find out their next target is earmarked for Presidency, they have a chance to become the most powerful woman in The Society.

Review

A Sisterhood of Secret Ambitions has been on my TBR for a while, so I’m happy I finally got to read it as part of the Turn the Page Bookstagram tour. I wasn’t sure what to expect from such a unique concept for a historical fiction novel, and while the synopsis led me to different expectations, I enjoyed what this book turned out to be and all of the messages shared along the way.

At first, I was expecting a competitive aspect to this book. But it didn’t turn out to be that way for the most part and I really liked that. Instead, there was a lot of focus on the Society’s values and the importance of women having a voice and being able to contribute their own opinions and that having an impact.

I also really liked the conversations between the characters in the book. In a time where women were recently given the right to vote, but still had many more limitations, there were a lot of really nuanced discussions about women’s roles in society and all of the different ways women can strive to make a difference in these communities. I also really liked how these conversations were intersectional in nature – I think it’s important to demonstrate that these conversations did happen throughout history and that they are present in historical fiction novels. 

The one thing that I really grappled with while reading A Sisterhood of Secret Ambitions was the pacing. After the main mission was revealed, I felt like things really slowed down in the middle before they make a sharp turn and pick up at the end. And while I found that the middle of the book is where a lot of the book’s themes come in, I do wish that it moved in the same way that the beginning did. 

Regardless, A Sisterhood of Secret Ambitions was a great read overall and it’s reminded me to read more YA historical fiction again! I’m looking forward to seeing what Boekweg publishes in the future.

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