This book started off really strong. I couldn’t put it down for the first 3 parts. Montell was ambitious in the first part; her discussion on what defines “cult” and how pervasive cults are in our society is unsettling, but true. She describes, in great detail, the tactics of cult leaders, their strengths and weaknesses, their climaxes and their demises. Her linguistic expertise is fascinating. The second half- 3 parts about MLMs, gym cults, and influences- fall short. She makes, or at least I thought she makes, a commitment to talk about US Greek Life and stan culture, but doesn’t mention them again after the first 50 pages (sad). However, these 2 seemingly big negatives, really don’t ruin the book. “Cultish” is truly fascinating and I cannot stop thinking about it- how I use Cultish and when other people use Cultish, and whether or not it’s inherently bad or if the use of it, as a language, is just the direction our society is moving towards.