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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
A fun psychological thriller. Three girls’ friendships begin to unravel in Mexico. The story clips from the past to the present time allowing the reader to try to piece things together.
Reco’d on “strong sense of place “ podcast.
I enjoyed this thriller. I thought the authors did a good job of handling the domestic abuse storyline with nuance. It wasn't quite so black and white for the characters and I have a feeling that is how it feels to people caught in it.
spoiler below.
What about Marco?! This is the one thing that drove me nuts. It was so unresolved. It's like the authors got to the end and said "eh.... good enough."
I enjoyed this thriller. I thought the authors did a good job of handling the domestic abuse storyline with nuance. It wasn't quite so black and white for the characters and I have a feeling that is how it feels to people caught in it.
spoiler below.
What about Marco?! This is the one thing that drove me nuts. It was so unresolved. It's like the authors got to the end and said "eh.... good enough."
Holy hell!!! What a ride! I very much enjoyed this book. The story intrigues and draws you in... making it very hard to put down! The three main characters lives are meshed yet broken and it seems they are wanting to fix it, yet not so much!
I had a hard time putting this down!!!
I had a hard time putting this down!!!
Good. A little slow in spots. All 3 of the women drove me crazy - all very self absorbed.
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
This one left me a bit in shock. I did feel parts were a tad drawn out and very repetitive however the storyline itself made for a great read. This thriller was a good page turner and I’d recommend it. As my Nanny used to say, it’ll keep you guessing. Girl’s Night Out is going to make great discussion for this month’s book club!
A beautiful, haunting story of friendship and what happens when that friendship is put to the test. A must-read for women of all ages!!!
Girls’ Night Out by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke is a gripping tale of friendship and the cracks that form over time. This book reminds me a bit of what makes Liane Moriarty successful—it’s a deep character study of women and their lives both separate to and in relation to one another, and with a dash of suspense. Readers will find themselves turning the pages, wanting to find out the hidden secrets of these three women that will answer the question, what happened to their friendship??
From the outside Ashley has everything a girl could want—a handsome husband, two lovely daughters, a successful business, a 7,000 square-foot home in California, stunning good looks, and a magnetic personality. But these things that Ashley has that make her enviable also make it hard for her to connect with even those she loves most. Since college Ashley has been best friends with Lauren and Natalie. Now that they are turning 40, the cracks have formed in their friendship. Desperate to save them, Ashley invites her friends on a girls’ trip to Tulum—to reconnect and hopefully say the things they’ve been unable to say for so long.
Natalie sometimes feels like the sidekick—she is Ashley’s best friend and business partner. It was Natalie’s idea to create the BlowBrush—a combination brush and blow dryer with a patented battery that makes the hair styling process easy for all women. But it was Ashley that used her charms to get the BlowBrush as successful as it is. Now with a huge offer from Revlon to purchase their company, Natalie is ready to get out. The only problem is convincing Ashley to do the same. This argument has caused a divide between the two women, but Natalie is not telling Ashley the real reason she wants to sell the company—the secret she has been keeping from the world. Natalie agrees to the girls’ trip thinking it may give her an opportunity to convince Ashley to sell, but will she be able to tell Ashley the truth?
Lauren feels like the third wheel—she isn’t in business with Ashley and Natalie, and she isn’t sure she really has a friendship with Natalie outside of Ashley. Lauren is recently widowed and dealing with her own demons. And something happened between Lauren and Ashley a year ago that has caused them to stop speaking altogether. But Lauren wants to try to reconnect; she wants to try to forgive Ashley. But that may also mean forgiving herself, and facing some darkness she has held onto that she would rather avoid.
The trip is meant to reestablish their friendship—but the reality is, that the secrets they keep and the pain that each other has caused may be difficult to repair. The trip isn’t going at all as planned. And then one night Ashley goes missing, and the torment between the three women is suddenly forgotten… Where is Ashley???
Every woman knows what it is like to feel like the third wheel in a group of three. What’s interesting about the way Liz and Lisa wrote this book is that at times, all three of these women are convinced they are the one left out—the one that is not connecting as well. The authors write masterfully the way our own neuroses contribute to this disconnect. When we should be relaxing and letting people in, we get in our heads about feeling left out, and this increases the space between us.
As the book unfolds, you’ll be convinced you know who the problem is. You’ll see the story told from each woman’s perspective. What I love, though, is that the further in you get, the more you realize that each of them has contributed in equal parts to the situation they are in now. Sometimes its easy to see the other people as at fault, but there are things all of us do to alienate others. Getting over our own demons is needed to be able to not only forgive others, but ask them to forgive us as well. Forgiveness may be the most important theme of this novel, followed closely by secrets. We all have things we are too afraid for others to know. And sometimes revealing those things to the ones closest to us is the hardest thing of all.
Also see my review here!
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, and to NetGalley for an opportunity to read this book in advance of publication in exchange for an honest review.
Girls’ Night Out by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke is a gripping tale of friendship and the cracks that form over time. This book reminds me a bit of what makes Liane Moriarty successful—it’s a deep character study of women and their lives both separate to and in relation to one another, and with a dash of suspense. Readers will find themselves turning the pages, wanting to find out the hidden secrets of these three women that will answer the question, what happened to their friendship??
From the outside Ashley has everything a girl could want—a handsome husband, two lovely daughters, a successful business, a 7,000 square-foot home in California, stunning good looks, and a magnetic personality. But these things that Ashley has that make her enviable also make it hard for her to connect with even those she loves most. Since college Ashley has been best friends with Lauren and Natalie. Now that they are turning 40, the cracks have formed in their friendship. Desperate to save them, Ashley invites her friends on a girls’ trip to Tulum—to reconnect and hopefully say the things they’ve been unable to say for so long.
Natalie sometimes feels like the sidekick—she is Ashley’s best friend and business partner. It was Natalie’s idea to create the BlowBrush—a combination brush and blow dryer with a patented battery that makes the hair styling process easy for all women. But it was Ashley that used her charms to get the BlowBrush as successful as it is. Now with a huge offer from Revlon to purchase their company, Natalie is ready to get out. The only problem is convincing Ashley to do the same. This argument has caused a divide between the two women, but Natalie is not telling Ashley the real reason she wants to sell the company—the secret she has been keeping from the world. Natalie agrees to the girls’ trip thinking it may give her an opportunity to convince Ashley to sell, but will she be able to tell Ashley the truth?
Lauren feels like the third wheel—she isn’t in business with Ashley and Natalie, and she isn’t sure she really has a friendship with Natalie outside of Ashley. Lauren is recently widowed and dealing with her own demons. And something happened between Lauren and Ashley a year ago that has caused them to stop speaking altogether. But Lauren wants to try to reconnect; she wants to try to forgive Ashley. But that may also mean forgiving herself, and facing some darkness she has held onto that she would rather avoid.
The trip is meant to reestablish their friendship—but the reality is, that the secrets they keep and the pain that each other has caused may be difficult to repair. The trip isn’t going at all as planned. And then one night Ashley goes missing, and the torment between the three women is suddenly forgotten… Where is Ashley???
Every woman knows what it is like to feel like the third wheel in a group of three. What’s interesting about the way Liz and Lisa wrote this book is that at times, all three of these women are convinced they are the one left out—the one that is not connecting as well. The authors write masterfully the way our own neuroses contribute to this disconnect. When we should be relaxing and letting people in, we get in our heads about feeling left out, and this increases the space between us.
As the book unfolds, you’ll be convinced you know who the problem is. You’ll see the story told from each woman’s perspective. What I love, though, is that the further in you get, the more you realize that each of them has contributed in equal parts to the situation they are in now. Sometimes its easy to see the other people as at fault, but there are things all of us do to alienate others. Getting over our own demons is needed to be able to not only forgive others, but ask them to forgive us as well. Forgiveness may be the most important theme of this novel, followed closely by secrets. We all have things we are too afraid for others to know. And sometimes revealing those things to the ones closest to us is the hardest thing of all.
Also see my review here!
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, and to NetGalley for an opportunity to read this book in advance of publication in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
You can find all of my reviews over at http://www.novelthrillsandchillsreview.wordpress.com
Before picking up this book to read, I received it back in May. There were many times I wanted to pick this up but other books and life got in the way of doing that. I am extremely sad that I did not choose to read this book the second it arrived in the mail!
This book was refreshing. It wasn’t too murderous, it wasn’t too creepy and it wasn’t a slow read. This book kept me on my toes guessing what could have happened to Ashley and guessing on where she might be. Lisa and Liz not only brought suspense to this novel but they also brought the drama. The characters had their own unique personalities and quirks that made them all a little relatable.
I loved everything about this book. A fast paced read that made putting it down to go to work very hard. I was really hoping for a different ending. Be prepared readers, the last chapter will tug at your heartstrings.
Thank you again to Lisa and Liz for my free signed copy for an honest review. I am looking forward to your next novel!
Before picking up this book to read, I received it back in May. There were many times I wanted to pick this up but other books and life got in the way of doing that. I am extremely sad that I did not choose to read this book the second it arrived in the mail!
This book was refreshing. It wasn’t too murderous, it wasn’t too creepy and it wasn’t a slow read. This book kept me on my toes guessing what could have happened to Ashley and guessing on where she might be. Lisa and Liz not only brought suspense to this novel but they also brought the drama. The characters had their own unique personalities and quirks that made them all a little relatable.
I loved everything about this book. A fast paced read that made putting it down to go to work very hard. I was really hoping for a different ending. Be prepared readers, the last chapter will tug at your heartstrings.
Thank you again to Lisa and Liz for my free signed copy for an honest review. I am looking forward to your next novel!