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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
Three college friends, now approaching 40, take a girls trip to Tulum, Mexico. They've had some friendship issues, business problems, and personal tragedies and a jaunt to paradise with girlfriends seems like an ideal way to get back on track. Things don't go as planned, and one of the women goes missing.
This exciting, tense thriller goes back and forth in time and alternates between all of the womens' perspectives. The descriptions of friendship, especially the difficulties in a triad friendship are spot on. The mystical, beautiful location adds to the suspense of the book. Great suspense , read this in a day!
This exciting, tense thriller goes back and forth in time and alternates between all of the womens' perspectives. The descriptions of friendship, especially the difficulties in a triad friendship are spot on. The mystical, beautiful location adds to the suspense of the book. Great suspense , read this in a day!
I had a hard time remembering all three players in the past and present.
Friends since college, Ashley, Lauren and Natalie are estranged after an argument a year ago. Thinking it might make them bond and rekindle their friendship, Ashley books a girly holiday in Talum, Mexico.
But even after they are reunited, things are strained. Ashely and Natalie are partners in a successful company, BlowMe. Revlon have made an offer to buy it off them for a substantial sum of money. Ashley is adamant she doesn't want to sell, while Natalie does. Ashley and Lauren fell out after Lauren's abusive husband died - Lauren blamed Ashley for his death and the hadn't spoken since.
Things are tense, so when Natalie wakes up on a sun lounger on a beach after a girls' night out, wet through with no idea how she got there she is worried. When she gets back to their room to find Ashley is missing she instantly knows something is wrong.
This is a real page turner! Told from the viewpoint of each of the women and flipping between different time periods, it makes you want to keep reading quicker to find out what happened to Ashley! Lauren and Natalie are both suspicious of each other and I really had no idea until the "reveal" what the outcome was going to be. A great fast paced thriller perfect for summer!
Thank you to the authors and ed public relations for my copy.
But even after they are reunited, things are strained. Ashely and Natalie are partners in a successful company, BlowMe. Revlon have made an offer to buy it off them for a substantial sum of money. Ashley is adamant she doesn't want to sell, while Natalie does. Ashley and Lauren fell out after Lauren's abusive husband died - Lauren blamed Ashley for his death and the hadn't spoken since.
Things are tense, so when Natalie wakes up on a sun lounger on a beach after a girls' night out, wet through with no idea how she got there she is worried. When she gets back to their room to find Ashley is missing she instantly knows something is wrong.
This is a real page turner! Told from the viewpoint of each of the women and flipping between different time periods, it makes you want to keep reading quicker to find out what happened to Ashley! Lauren and Natalie are both suspicious of each other and I really had no idea until the "reveal" what the outcome was going to be. A great fast paced thriller perfect for summer!
Thank you to the authors and ed public relations for my copy.
Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars: So much yes in this book. The alternating time was perfect because all of the events were condensed. There wasn’t huge time gaps or any random characters that did not have a specific role in the book. Though I did not like Ashley– she’s a terrible person– I needed to know. I was totally vested into knowing what happened to her. Was she alive? Dead? If alive where is she? If dead how?
The pacing was perfect for the most part. It was the only reason I went four stars. Steinke and Fenton obviously did their research of the vacation spot of our main characters. However, there was times where the history was slowing me down. I may or may not have skimmed some of that. I do plan on going back and reading the information because I am interested. But at the time of wanting the plot to move so I can find out what happened on this girls’ trip, it was too much for me.
Very happy I received the ARC for this book and highly recommend this book for fans of suspense novels!
4 stars: So much yes in this book. The alternating time was perfect because all of the events were condensed. There wasn’t huge time gaps or any random characters that did not have a specific role in the book. Though I did not like Ashley– she’s a terrible person– I needed to know. I was totally vested into knowing what happened to her. Was she alive? Dead? If alive where is she? If dead how?
The pacing was perfect for the most part. It was the only reason I went four stars. Steinke and Fenton obviously did their research of the vacation spot of our main characters. However, there was times where the history was slowing me down. I may or may not have skimmed some of that. I do plan on going back and reading the information because I am interested. But at the time of wanting the plot to move so I can find out what happened on this girls’ trip, it was too much for me.
Very happy I received the ARC for this book and highly recommend this book for fans of suspense novels!
From the first paragraph to the last, this fast paced read will keep you wondering. Three besties at a crossroads in their friendship. They take a trip hoping to heal and get back on track. Do we really tell our friends everything? And what happens if we do? Does it change the way we see ourselves, or the way we see each other? And, maybe, if we open up, will things be better? Or, have some friendships run the course and it’s time to move on?
Loved the complexities of these relationships, the characters..real, relatable, flawed. Marriage is hard, friendships are hard. This book showed that and more.
I received an ARC of this book.
Loved the complexities of these relationships, the characters..real, relatable, flawed. Marriage is hard, friendships are hard. This book showed that and more.
I received an ARC of this book.
(Would like to make it clear I got an ARC of this before it's release)
This was a relative waste of my time. End of story.
This was a relative waste of my time. End of story.
3.5/5 stars for this adult mystery read
The tagline says it's "a heart-stopper of a thriller," but I didn't find it very thrilling. Narration wasn't my favorite. Reading Riley Sager this month could have skewed my rating lol
The tagline says it's "a heart-stopper of a thriller," but I didn't find it very thrilling. Narration wasn't my favorite. Reading Riley Sager this month could have skewed my rating lol
I loved the air of intrigue in the book, the search for Ashley kept me at the edge of my seat. The characters and their flaws were realistic. In a group of three friends, one always feels left out, if you have ever been in a such a group you can relate easily to the characters. I don't know if I have a favorite character. Ashley was little bossy, even though it was hard to like her i still wanted to know what happened to her. Lauren was still recovering from Geoff 's death,but she still was not able to forgive Ashley. Natalie was finding hard to find a work life balance, I could feel her frustration through the book. The ending was a tad disappointing as I was expecting a twist.
"There was something both eerie and beautiful about this place--as if it could save you or break you depending on what you wanted from it."
The whole time I read this book, I thought of all my girlfriends, the ones I've known for decades as the girls in the book, the ones I hope to know for decades to comes, and the ones I'd go on a vacation just like this one with....except let's hope our vacation would go much, much better. In a weird way, even among all the drama and problems, the trip still had the potential for a fun trip. A trip I would want to go on.
And I want to tell all of my girlfriends to read this book. Not because it reminds me of us....because well, yikes, but because its the kind of book you want to read with a group of girlfriends. I love that it was even written by best friends who have been friends for decades. It makes Lauren, Natalie and Ashley feel so real.
The book had me going back and forth, suspecting everyone the way books with unreliable characters do so well. And I hoped so much for each of them that it wasn't them. Even the slimy Marco, I hoped wasn't slimy. I even suspected people who weren't on the vacation!
Some of the middle began feeling repetitive while Natalie and Lauren were reiterating all of what had happened to all the different people. And even when they were rethinking all of what had happened, questioning what they thought they knew and believed. I'm sure it was supposed to add to the suspense, but it drug on a bit.
But once we hit the climax, I could NOT turn the pages fast enough.
*I received this book from the publishers through netgalley. But that in no way alters my opinion or review.
The whole time I read this book, I thought of all my girlfriends, the ones I've known for decades as the girls in the book, the ones I hope to know for decades to comes, and the ones I'd go on a vacation just like this one with....except let's hope our vacation would go much, much better. In a weird way, even among all the drama and problems, the trip still had the potential for a fun trip. A trip I would want to go on.
And I want to tell all of my girlfriends to read this book. Not because it reminds me of us....because well, yikes, but because its the kind of book you want to read with a group of girlfriends. I love that it was even written by best friends who have been friends for decades. It makes Lauren, Natalie and Ashley feel so real.
The book had me going back and forth, suspecting everyone the way books with unreliable characters do so well. And I hoped so much for each of them that it wasn't them. Even the slimy Marco, I hoped wasn't slimy. I even suspected people who weren't on the vacation!
Some of the middle began feeling repetitive while Natalie and Lauren were reiterating all of what had happened to all the different people. And even when they were rethinking all of what had happened, questioning what they thought they knew and believed. I'm sure it was supposed to add to the suspense, but it drug on a bit.
But once we hit the climax, I could NOT turn the pages fast enough.
*I received this book from the publishers through netgalley. But that in no way alters my opinion or review.
I received a copy of this title via NetGalley. It does not impact my review.
Well, I really did not care for this book. Unlikable characters and an entirely predictable plot made it a struggle to complete and I wish I didn’t waste my time on it.
The synopsis for Girls’ Night Out makes the story seem much more interesting than it actually is. There are no earth shattering secrets revealed and really no suspense. I’ve read some reviews talking about the great twist ending and I am here to tell you that is false. If you are looking for a really character-driven novel about insufferable women not getting along, then this book is for you. If you’re looking for mystery and suspense and some shocking twists, you should probably take a hard pass on this one.
Ashley was a very selfish, very self-indulgent character. While she seemed to have good intentions, her selfishness was still at the root of all her actions. It was very hard to feel bad for the beautiful, charming (aka: manipulative), rich, self-centered “victim”. Natalie was also not a likable character. She let herself be steamrolled by Ashley for pretty much their whole relationship and is only beginning to show her resentment towards it. I couldn’t help but feel like if she was just more honest with Ashley then maybe she could have talked some sense into her before things got so far gone. Lauren was basically a pointless character. I really don’t have any idea why she was even in the story, except to add just a tiny bit more drama and shine a brighter light on Ashley’s inability to maintain positive relationships. Lauren also has a scandalous addiction that is mentioned and then nothing really else happened with it. It didn’t portray how damaging it is or how it really affected her day to day life. It seemed like it was just something thrown in for shock value and felt a little irresponsible to me.
Overall, I just really didn’t like Girls’ Night Out. I feel like basically your guess from the first chapter pretty much ends up being true and it made a lot of the middle just seem pointless. I also am not a fan of the “amnesia/blackout” trope which the story heavily relied on. Maybe if the characters were a little more likable it would make up for the poor plot, but unfortunately they just made it worse. The only reason this is getting more than one star from is because I liked the use of multiple POVs and timelines.
Overall Rating (out of 5): 2 Stars
Well, I really did not care for this book. Unlikable characters and an entirely predictable plot made it a struggle to complete and I wish I didn’t waste my time on it.
The synopsis for Girls’ Night Out makes the story seem much more interesting than it actually is. There are no earth shattering secrets revealed and really no suspense. I’ve read some reviews talking about the great twist ending and I am here to tell you that is false. If you are looking for a really character-driven novel about insufferable women not getting along, then this book is for you. If you’re looking for mystery and suspense and some shocking twists, you should probably take a hard pass on this one.
Ashley was a very selfish, very self-indulgent character. While she seemed to have good intentions, her selfishness was still at the root of all her actions. It was very hard to feel bad for the beautiful, charming (aka: manipulative), rich, self-centered “victim”. Natalie was also not a likable character. She let herself be steamrolled by Ashley for pretty much their whole relationship and is only beginning to show her resentment towards it. I couldn’t help but feel like if she was just more honest with Ashley then maybe she could have talked some sense into her before things got so far gone. Lauren was basically a pointless character. I really don’t have any idea why she was even in the story, except to add just a tiny bit more drama and shine a brighter light on Ashley’s inability to maintain positive relationships. Lauren also has a scandalous addiction that is mentioned and then nothing really else happened with it. It didn’t portray how damaging it is or how it really affected her day to day life. It seemed like it was just something thrown in for shock value and felt a little irresponsible to me.
Overall, I just really didn’t like Girls’ Night Out. I feel like basically your guess from the first chapter pretty much ends up being true and it made a lot of the middle just seem pointless. I also am not a fan of the “amnesia/blackout” trope which the story heavily relied on. Maybe if the characters were a little more likable it would make up for the poor plot, but unfortunately they just made it worse. The only reason this is getting more than one star from is because I liked the use of multiple POVs and timelines.
Overall Rating (out of 5): 2 Stars