Reputation

A Novel

By: Sara Shepard

Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan, Allyson Ryan, Phoebe Strole, Brittany Pressley, Karissa Vacker

In this perfectly-paced new novel from Sara Shepard, the number one New York Times best-selling author of Pretty Little Liars, the women of a tight-knit college town learn through gossip, scandal, betrayal, and even murder who their neighbors and husbands really are.

Aldrich University is rocked to its core when a hacker dumps 40,000 people's e-mails - the entire faculty, staff, students, alums - onto an easily searchable database. Rumors and affairs immediately leak, but things turn explosive when Kit Manning's handsome husband, Dr. Greg Strasser, is found murdered. Kit's sister, Willa, returns for the funeral, setting foot in a hometown she fled 15 years ago, after a night she wishes she could forget. As an investigative reporter, Willa knows something isn't right about the night Greg was killed, and she's determined to find the truth. What she doesn't expect is that everyone has something to hide. And with a killer on the loose, Willa and Kit must figure out who killed Greg before someone else is murdered.

Told from multiple points of view, Reputation is full of twists, turns, and shocking reveals. It's a story of intrigue, sabotage, and the secrets we keep - and how far we go to keep them hidden. Number one best seller Sara Shepard is at the top of her game in this brand-new adult novel.

Featuring Lisa Flanagan as Kit, Allyson Ryan as Willa, Phoebe Strole as Raina, Brittany Pressley as Laura, and Karissa Vacker as Lynn.

©2019 Sara Shepard (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"An Agatha Christie for the 21st century, Shepard masterfully crafts a prestigious town rife with hidden temptation and sin.... From chapter to chapter, Shepard's plotting breathlessly careens between characters, with each cliffhanger swiftly answered by another, ratcheting up the stakes until the killer is finally unmasked. A fast-paced, twisty-turny mystery perfect for a cozy weekend read." (Kirkus)

"[An] exceptional suspense novel.... In this viscerally satisfying thriller, Shepard forces readers to contemplate the inescapable aftereffects of impulsive poor choices." (Publishers Weekly starred review)

"[Shepard is] a master at keeping you on your toes - and this novel is no exception. If you're looking for a new novel that draws you in and just won't let go, you've found it." (Marie Claire, "The 27 Best Fiction Books by Women This Year")

"Shepard throws every cliché imaginable at the reader and then artfully massages them into a brilliant narrative told in the voices of the many women involved in the story who, having managed to make victims of one sort or another of themselves, all emerge victorious, each in her own fashion.... Everyone is hiding a closetful of secrets, which, when finally revealed, provide some excellent misdirection and a few OMG moments, until one final and shocking truth emerges. Fans of domestic suspense will devour this one." (Booklist starred review)

Good story with relevant topics…

I enjoyed this book - although it’s not likely all this would happen to such a small group of people it was entertaining with some good twists and held so many relevant topics in our society. I always enjoy books with different points of view as well - so I would recommend.

Listening while doing housework is fun!

Night time soap opera quality. Characters are not likable because they are selfish. Secrets make people more selfish and selfish people have more secrets?
An overwrought narration by one character made me want to skip a few chapters, that’s why it’s a 4 star. The character would have been sympathetic to me if I’d been reading it but with this particular narration I felt very irritated by her.

Suspense

Tragic and depressing but kept interesting to know who done it


Not what I expected but good enough

No likeable characters

This was a well plotted but somewhat depressing book, but I listened until the end and kept hoping for a bit more upbeat ending. No such luck, but it did wrap everything up.

Terrible Ending

Good story that results is a self-righteous woman who thinks she did nothing of real consequence despite her infidelity and trying to lead her husband to believe the illegitimate child is his. Poor girl having to deal with such toxic masculinity. Tsk, tsk.

Great story

Interesting story and wonderful narration. Definitely worth the credit. Kept me on edge until the end

Twisty

This story starts out as any other thriller trying to find the bad guy, then it turns and gives backstories and you realize how your past sometimes effects your present traumatically.

Enjoyable

I was a sucker for the Pretty Little Liars show, but it became repetitive and stupid in the end. I saw that Sara had written a book for adults, and I wanted to give it a try. I am glad I did.

There were several twists and turns, and likable (and not so likable) characters in Reputation. I was able to listen to it quickly with keen interest, and I found it enjoyable and very 'Pretty Little Liars-ish.' The truth is, we never really get out of high school our whole lives, and gossip is a big role in our social order.

I would recommend 'Reputation' as a guilty pleasure, enjoyable read.

-Wendi

Quick listen- who done it

Overall a good listen with twists and turns
Initially and at times the narration sounded electronic- strange.
It kept me engaged to listen straight through.

Did another writer take over halfway through?

It started out fine. The premise was a little over the top but the different stories and they way it looked like they would connect held my interest. Then...wham! They plot and the characters veered totally off course. The storyline went from over the top to outright stupid. In order to make things work, several of the characters had to behave in ways that were, well, completely out of character. And the dialogue became inane. Towards the end the novel actually became hard to listen to. Boring. A shame.