Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
Really interesting
Really great story line, intriguing and riveting. But a bit long. Felt like the same story could have been told in maybe 100 less pages.
Really great story line, intriguing and riveting. But a bit long. Felt like the same story could have been told in maybe 100 less pages.
Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren have been friends for twenty years, but lately their friendships have been on the rocks. Ashley decides to invite them on a trip to Mexico so that they can hopefully regain their friendship and help sort out the turmoil each has within their own lives. Along the way, they meet Marco, who is obsessed with Ashley but claims that he will be their "tour guide" throughout the trip. Natalie wakes up one morning completely soaking wet on the beach with no idea what happened or how she got there. Girls' Night Out was a frantic, suspenseful read that had me carrying it with me everywhere I went, even just to read a few sentences! The very last chapter was stunning! I would definitely recommend Girls' Night Out to anyone who enjoys a psychological thriller/mystery!
This book was received from the publisher in return for an honest review
Lauren, Natalie and Ashley met at college and became the closest of friends, until Lauren’s husband dies unexpectedly and they fall out at his funeral. Lauren hasn’t spoken to Ashley and Natalie for over a year when Ashley invites her to Mexico – one last chance for the three women to try and mend their broken friendship – but when Natalie wakes up on the beach with no memory of the night before and Ashley is nowhere to be found it soon becomes clear that this trip is not going to have the outcome they were all hoping for!
Girls’ Night Out uses a non-linear narrative to tell the story, with the chapters moving backwards and forwards, before and after Ashley’s disappearance. The chapters are also told from the points of view of the different friends – it’s a narrative style that requires a little attention at the start of each chapter to take in whose story you are reading, and where in the overall timeline the chapter fits but one that I think worked well in this novel. I know some people will prefer a straightforward timeline for the plot but I do enjoy the back and forth, slowly filling in the gaps and discovering if any of my guesses about what could have happened are right.
The characters – the book focuses primarily on the three women with some other characters who play fairly significant roles. I think it would be fair to say (for me at least) none of the ladies were completely likeable, I certainly had problems with all three, although some problems were bigger than others. Ashley seemed to be the central figure of the three friends, the one that both Natalie and Lauren were drawn to, both seemed to want to claim Ashley as their best friend, with little regard to the other, almost to the point of intentionally damaging the other’s friendship. At the same time Ashley didn’t come across as deserving of having these two grown women basically fighting over her, she came across as manipulative and selfish, she certainly seems to love the attention but I’m not convinced she deserved it.
Then we come to the supporting characters. Marco takes a shine to Ashley when the group reach Mexico and swiftly inserts himself into their group, to the annoyance of both Natalie and Lauren. You can’t help but see their point, they’ve come to Mexico to rescue their friendship and Ashley is more keen on spending time with Marco, but is he just an irritating interloper or is he something darker? And the husbands – I won’t say too much about them as I don’t want to spoil any of the plot but they both have parts that irritated me as well.
I think it’s important that I say here that while I didn’t particularly love any of the characters that certainly doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the book. I did! It’s a great piece of escapism – much like watching any of The Real Housewives of… shows – You don’t like all of the women all the time, you might even completely dislike one or two but the drama! That drama is fun to watch, for me this book is the paperback equivalent of The Real Housewives.
Would I Recommend?
I really enjoyed Girls’ Night Out, this narrative style is something that I’m seeing more frequently and while it’s not for everyone I find I quite like the non-linear storyline. I found the story to be an interesting mystery even without the darkness that I normally look for in my mysteries and thrillers! Certainly a great bit of summer escapism!
Lauren, Natalie and Ashley met at college and became the closest of friends, until Lauren’s husband dies unexpectedly and they fall out at his funeral. Lauren hasn’t spoken to Ashley and Natalie for over a year when Ashley invites her to Mexico – one last chance for the three women to try and mend their broken friendship – but when Natalie wakes up on the beach with no memory of the night before and Ashley is nowhere to be found it soon becomes clear that this trip is not going to have the outcome they were all hoping for!
Girls’ Night Out uses a non-linear narrative to tell the story, with the chapters moving backwards and forwards, before and after Ashley’s disappearance. The chapters are also told from the points of view of the different friends – it’s a narrative style that requires a little attention at the start of each chapter to take in whose story you are reading, and where in the overall timeline the chapter fits but one that I think worked well in this novel. I know some people will prefer a straightforward timeline for the plot but I do enjoy the back and forth, slowly filling in the gaps and discovering if any of my guesses about what could have happened are right.
The characters – the book focuses primarily on the three women with some other characters who play fairly significant roles. I think it would be fair to say (for me at least) none of the ladies were completely likeable, I certainly had problems with all three, although some problems were bigger than others. Ashley seemed to be the central figure of the three friends, the one that both Natalie and Lauren were drawn to, both seemed to want to claim Ashley as their best friend, with little regard to the other, almost to the point of intentionally damaging the other’s friendship. At the same time Ashley didn’t come across as deserving of having these two grown women basically fighting over her, she came across as manipulative and selfish, she certainly seems to love the attention but I’m not convinced she deserved it.
Then we come to the supporting characters. Marco takes a shine to Ashley when the group reach Mexico and swiftly inserts himself into their group, to the annoyance of both Natalie and Lauren. You can’t help but see their point, they’ve come to Mexico to rescue their friendship and Ashley is more keen on spending time with Marco, but is he just an irritating interloper or is he something darker? And the husbands – I won’t say too much about them as I don’t want to spoil any of the plot but they both have parts that irritated me as well.
I think it’s important that I say here that while I didn’t particularly love any of the characters that certainly doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the book. I did! It’s a great piece of escapism – much like watching any of The Real Housewives of… shows – You don’t like all of the women all the time, you might even completely dislike one or two but the drama! That drama is fun to watch, for me this book is the paperback equivalent of The Real Housewives.
Would I Recommend?
I really enjoyed Girls’ Night Out, this narrative style is something that I’m seeing more frequently and while it’s not for everyone I find I quite like the non-linear storyline. I found the story to be an interesting mystery even without the darkness that I normally look for in my mysteries and thrillers! Certainly a great bit of summer escapism!
I seem to be on a roll with books at the moment so I was a little apprehensive that my standards incredibly higher than usual but Girls Night Out was another absolutely amazing read that I practically inhaled in two sittings.
When Ashley, Natalie and Lauren embark on a girls trip to Tulum, beyond the beaches and margaritas there is a real reason they are there beyond having fun - to repair their friendship that has been under strain. Ashley and Natalie own a successful hair tool comparing, BloMe, and with Revlon swooping in to offer to buy the company, one wants to sell while the other doesn’t. It has caused some friction between their relationship and they hope by the end of the trip, they can reconsider each other’s feelings and it can all be resolved. Lauren, who often feels like the third wheel in their friendship, hasn’t spoken to Ashley and Natalie for over a year but wants to also get back on track after tragically losing her husband a year prior. But when a girls night out goes terribly wrong, Ashley goes missing. With Natalie not being able to recall the night - they are determined to find their friend.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book. It was a proper girly, beach read and I secretly wished I was in Tulum sipping on some cocktails with this read to accompany me. I don’t want to give tooooo much of the plot away but it’s definitely engrossing and I managed to fly through it pretty quickly. Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke are fantastic writers. The plot flowed at a nice pace and although you were keen to find out what happened to Natalie, it was nice to read a mystery book without having tons of characters to suspect or be pulled in all different directions. It was just so enjoyable and well written.
Thank you to the publisher and @netgally for giving me the opportunity to read this. If your headed on a beach holiday this summer, this would be the perfect by the sea or pool read. I’ll definitely be recommending it to my friends.
When Ashley, Natalie and Lauren embark on a girls trip to Tulum, beyond the beaches and margaritas there is a real reason they are there beyond having fun - to repair their friendship that has been under strain. Ashley and Natalie own a successful hair tool comparing, BloMe, and with Revlon swooping in to offer to buy the company, one wants to sell while the other doesn’t. It has caused some friction between their relationship and they hope by the end of the trip, they can reconsider each other’s feelings and it can all be resolved. Lauren, who often feels like the third wheel in their friendship, hasn’t spoken to Ashley and Natalie for over a year but wants to also get back on track after tragically losing her husband a year prior. But when a girls night out goes terribly wrong, Ashley goes missing. With Natalie not being able to recall the night - they are determined to find their friend.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book. It was a proper girly, beach read and I secretly wished I was in Tulum sipping on some cocktails with this read to accompany me. I don’t want to give tooooo much of the plot away but it’s definitely engrossing and I managed to fly through it pretty quickly. Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke are fantastic writers. The plot flowed at a nice pace and although you were keen to find out what happened to Natalie, it was nice to read a mystery book without having tons of characters to suspect or be pulled in all different directions. It was just so enjoyable and well written.
Thank you to the publisher and @netgally for giving me the opportunity to read this. If your headed on a beach holiday this summer, this would be the perfect by the sea or pool read. I’ll definitely be recommending it to my friends.