Furious Women: Books That Stick It To the Men

I’ve noticed a mini-trend in books lately, one that feels like the #MeToo movement meets Get Out: books featuring unlikeable, egotistical, or just clueless guys who are dramatically punished by avenging women in a way that veers into horror. Sound new? Sound good? Sounds like it’s about time? Check out my Furious Women: Books That Stick It To the Men!

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Furious Women: Books That Stick It To the Men

I want to do this without spoilers, so I’m going to feature a list of books with links to my review and, if applicable, to my SPOILER review of the book so that if you want to know what happens, you can.

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

The Plot is about a middle-aged male writer who’s suddenly targeted by a mystery person who says that his bestselling novel was plagiarized. If you’re a fan of classic psychological suspense, this was such a fun homage to books like those by Patricia Highsmith, but with a modern twist.

You can read my review of The Plot here, and my SPOILER discussion for the Plot is here.

Dream Girl by Laura Lippman

Dream Girl is weirdly similar to the Plot (they were published only a few weeks apart, but it’s meta that there are two books about someone stealing/copying a plot!). Again, we have a middle-aged writer who achieved his success off a plot that was allegedly stolen from someone else … and they’re coming for him! This is Misery meets The Talented Mr. Ripley.

The Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones

The Guilt Trip is about a destination wedding gone wrong, as a formerly tight-knit group of friends, relatives, and couples implodes as suspicions, secrets, and lies all come to the surface.

You can read my review of The Guilt Trip here and my SPOILER discussion of the Guilt Trip is here.

The Whisper Network by Chandler Baker.

Which one is for you? The Whisper Network is more about women fighting sexism and rape culture at the workplace. It’s also a much more realistic book.

The Husbands by Chandler Baker

If you want the out-there version, go for The Husbands. This book is more about working moms and the unfair division of labor at home. It’s funny and does have a hard-hitting feminist bent, but does the craziness of the ending undercut that? I reviewed it here on Goodreads.

If you’ve read other books that you think fit into the Furious Women category, please tell me about them in comments!

On a somewhat related note, I also have a list of YA Books About Revenge AND YA Books About Rape Culture.

AND this trend continues into 2022. Check out Killer Queens: Mysteries and Thrillers About Women Who Kill!