What if all that glitters really isn’t gold? Virginia is a Buffalo Jills cheerleader, and seemingly has everything she ever wanted - the dancing dream, the fun nights out, the priceless bonds of sisterhood, and her best friend, Jeanine, to share it all with. But when Jeanine doesn’t show up to cheer practice one day, Virginia finds herself thrust into a Buffalo that is very unlike her own in an attempt to find Jeanine before it’s too late. Karen Parkman’s THE JILLS takes you along on Virginia’s journey through Buffalo’s dingy and gritty underbelly as she reckons with difficult emotions and discovers herself and what it truly means to be a sister.
Raise your hand if you’ve watched every season of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team twice. Okay, three times. Not just me? Then keep reading. Professional cheerleading fans who are drawn to this work, expecting a more in-depth expose into the trials and tribulations of being a famous dancer may be left wanting more. Although plenty of tidbits about cheer life are peppered throughout the story, THE JILLS is primarily about resolving emotional wounds, coming to terms with flawed sister relationships - both chosen and biological, and the impacts of addiction on the family unit. And, most charmingly, it is a love letter to the city of Buffalo, warts and all.
Parkman has fused together the coming of age, mystery, thriller, and psychological fiction genres in THE JILLS. While this makes for a truly unique read, some readers may find that the novel is pulled in too many different directions, and none of them are fleshed out to the depth that they could have been had the plot been more narrowly focused. THE JILLS is a bit of a slower burn, but it will reward you with many surprising twists as it comes to a close.
On the whole, Karen Parkman’s THE JILLS is a thought-provoking mystery that you should bring to your next book club. It is sure to generate spirited discussion about female empowerment in male-dominated industries, whether living the dream is all it’s cracked up to be, and who would be the first one to fold under the pressure of some of the wild (and real) rules that professional cheerleaders must follow.
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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