We all have heard the little voices in our heads that whisper self-doubting thoughts; I can't do this, I can't try that, I'm not good enough, everyone will laugh at me, etc. But what if these thoughts weren't coming from your mind at all but from a place outside of you that monetizes your feelings to make you buy things? That is the premise of The Naysayers, an extremely original novel by Fenton and Steinke.
Naysayland exists as an alternative to the Real World, and it's about the size of Manhattan. The main place of employment is Naysay Inc., and it's so prestigious that jobs are very competitive. Megan has joined this family firm headed up for many years by her mother and her grandmother before that. She interviewed for the job and nailed it on her own merits, as she didn't want to just be a nepo baby. But raised in the Lowell tradition, she too was tough, ruthless, and ready to make a name for herself at the company. Each department was responsible for different ways to undermine their client's confidence, but Megan wanted to really excel so she requested being one of the lead naysayers for young influencers. Everyone had their cubicles and above the door was an electric leaderboard which showed how well the whisperers were grinding down their victims. She soon learned that Ben was the best by far-his name was always first on the scoreboard and his ego was really annoying. But she knew he could be taken down by being smart and deadly-if only he weren't so funny and ultra-hot.
Her main client, Lily, had just touched rock bottom, and Megan was there to finish her off so she could be manipulated into buying lots of comfort items and costly therapy. She fought the whispering in her head long enough to gather the courage to attend an awesome party, where she met a budding author named Jasper, and they quickly hit it off. Megan is surprised that Ben controls Jasper and both are devastated to find out that the attraction between Lily and Jasper is so intense that they've both managed to shake off the voices in their heads. How are they going to meet their sales quotas now when these fools are so into each other. And why is Megan thinking forbidden thoughts about Ben?
Although the premise of the novel seems crazy, the authors do a great job of making this unlikely scenario very believable. The reader gets really involved in the universe they create and the double romance plots that evolve through the story. You would hope that people could not be so easily manipulated, but self-images are fragile and this just might be happening. Time to invest in those noise cancelling headphones.
Reviewed by Donna Ballard
January 13, 2026
Reserve a physical copy - Coming soon
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