The Jills: A Novel
In this propulsive debut, a Buffalo Bills cheerleader will stop at nothing to solve the disappearance of her best friend and teammate, navigating the dark underbelly of a hardscrabble city, the grime and glamour of professional cheerleading, and her own tangled family history.
“A nuanced, incisive exploration of the world of NFL cheerleading—and the complex power of sisterhood, both familial and chosen.”—Chloe Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Immortalists
Virginia is a Jill—a cheerleader for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills—living the life of her dreams: she spends her weekdays practicing, her weekends cheering, and her nights hopping between bars and clubs with her teammates, including the fearless, charismatic Jeanine, whose friendship has given Virginia confidence in spades and helped her forget her troubled past with her estranged sister, Laura.
One Sunday, Jeanine fails to show up for a game, and calls and texts to her go unanswered. Virginia embarks on an investigation into Jeanine’s disappearance, aided by a network of Jills, ex-boyfriends, seedy fixtures of Buffalo’s criminal underground, and unexpected figures from her past. But as her search grows increasingly dangerous and spirals into obsession, disturbing questions about who Jeanine really was begin to emerge.
Soon, Virginia finds herself wondering how well she knew her best friend, if she can trust the people she thought were protecting her, and whether—when trying to save the ones she loves most—she’s capable of saving herself, too.
Part bingeable mystery, part character-driven tale of a woman discovering her own strength in a system built by and for men, The Jills is a page-turning novel that brims with wit and heart while reminding us of the healing power of sisterhood.
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Community Reviews
Drugs, murder, and NFL cheerleaders…
Virginia is on the Jills cheer squad for the Bills. When her best friend/fellow cheer mate, Jeanine, goes missing she’s stopping at nothing to find her.
The Jills read like a cross country event. You start the run, full of excitement, but as time goes on you start to slow down, want to stop, pushing yourself to keep going. When the finish line is near you gain a sudden boost of energy to champion through the finish line.
This started really slow, but I was committed to seeing it through since it was a buddy read and I couldn't let Adanna down! I had time to sit and really dive into the audiobook and more juicy details were added in, building my interest. The ending brought a surge of revelations, confessions and twists that packed a big punch.
Virginia was one of those characters who will drive you mad. This girl did entirely too much and I think the story would have benefited greatly from 1 or 2 other POVs. She was too intense, anxious and high strung which transferred directly to me.
I ended up enjoying it. I know I would've loved it more if maybe 10/25 of the "sister" aspect was removed. There was so much repetition with Virginia and Laura's bickering about their past.
The narration was good, it’s my first Gail Shalan performance. She definitely brought the high strung energy, alarm and panic of the MC. I feel like 85% of the narration was with her in a high pitched hurried tone which fit the mood of the story very well. I was gonna pull my hair if I heard her say Jeanine one more time 🤣
Thanks at @prhaudio for my gifted ALC 🎁
