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kshipe91's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
fairyswoo's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
bookph1le's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
This kept me entertained and I appreciated that the twists came from people holding secrets back from one another in a way that felt organic and believable to me. Not sure I really cared for the ending, though.
This kept me entertained and I appreciated that the twists came from people holding secrets back from one another in a way that felt organic and believable to me. Not sure I really cared for the ending, though.
tracia32chapters's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
For the love of all that is holy, authors: PLEASE STOP writing insecure female characters in the same way. They all think the same and have the same insecurities. "My ex's new wife is perfect." "My ex-husband's wife is prettier than me." "I'm too shy to speak out loud." This book doesn't even reach middle-of-the-road thriller status because 1) it isn't very interesting, and the characters are, simply, boring and horrible to read about. 2) the writing is juvenile 3) the twists and turns are basic. I'm actually upset that I wasted my time with this book.
krista_billings's review against another edition
5.0
It's been a very long time since I didn't have even an inkling of how a book would end! There are so many twists and turns... So many surprises. Just when you think you know exactly what's going on, BAM.
An excellent, suspenseful read.
An excellent, suspenseful read.
lindseyannd's review against another edition
4.0
Kept me interested with every chapter. Wasn’t super drawn to any character but good for a quick two day read.
thephdivabooks's review against another edition
4.0
This is easily a read-in-a-day type of thriller. The pace moves quickly, the characters are strong but mysterious, and there are lots of twists and reveals along the way to give you just another piece of the puzzle. We read this for our book club and it worked so well for the midway chat because there were some many questions raised but not yet answered to discuss.
Sam, Margaret, and Diana bonded over margaritas and the recent dissolution of their marriages. Each of these women has gone through a difficult period of breaking up and they have become each other’s support, champion, and shoulder to cry on.
Narrated largely by Sam at first, there was so much to unpack with Sam’s marriage and a lot that you learn about Sam and her story as the book progresses. I really enjoyed Sam and I felt for her. Her heartache is so palpable, and Leah Konen writes her perspective well.
The three leave for a girls weekend and it’s clear that though Sam and Margaret have known each other longer and work together, Diana is the glue that holds the threesome together. Diana balances them out. Margaret plays it safe and is more guarded, while Sam is a bit more driven by feelings. Diana is a strong force and she simultaneously pushes them forward and is the easiest to go to when you’re in a bad spot.
When they stop for gas on their way to their vacation rental, they have car trouble and the three quickly realize they are stranded. Thinking fast, Diana finds an AirBnB nearby they can stay in until their car is fixed. But Sam soon realizes they aren’t just in any random town, they are in the town where her ex-husband and the woman she left him for live.
A wild night in the bar leads Sam to have a face-to-face encounter with her ex, Margaret to meet a handsome stranger while dealing with texts from her alcoholic ex, and Diana missing. The women assume Diana must have already left, but the next morning it is clear Diana never came home.
In a race to find their friend, Sam and Margaret both find themselves unraveling in different ways. Where is Diana? And why do their exes keep popping back up? Who else knew they were there and is taking advantage of it?
I don’t want to say much more—so many twists and turns along the way that had me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed learning about the three women and their friendship and secrets. Theirs is an interesting dynamic because they bonded so quickly over their shared grief and anger over their marriages ending.
A perfect weekend or vacation read, since you won’t want to put it down!
Sam, Margaret, and Diana bonded over margaritas and the recent dissolution of their marriages. Each of these women has gone through a difficult period of breaking up and they have become each other’s support, champion, and shoulder to cry on.
Narrated largely by Sam at first, there was so much to unpack with Sam’s marriage and a lot that you learn about Sam and her story as the book progresses. I really enjoyed Sam and I felt for her. Her heartache is so palpable, and Leah Konen writes her perspective well.
The three leave for a girls weekend and it’s clear that though Sam and Margaret have known each other longer and work together, Diana is the glue that holds the threesome together. Diana balances them out. Margaret plays it safe and is more guarded, while Sam is a bit more driven by feelings. Diana is a strong force and she simultaneously pushes them forward and is the easiest to go to when you’re in a bad spot.
When they stop for gas on their way to their vacation rental, they have car trouble and the three quickly realize they are stranded. Thinking fast, Diana finds an AirBnB nearby they can stay in until their car is fixed. But Sam soon realizes they aren’t just in any random town, they are in the town where her ex-husband and the woman she left him for live.
A wild night in the bar leads Sam to have a face-to-face encounter with her ex, Margaret to meet a handsome stranger while dealing with texts from her alcoholic ex, and Diana missing. The women assume Diana must have already left, but the next morning it is clear Diana never came home.
In a race to find their friend, Sam and Margaret both find themselves unraveling in different ways. Where is Diana? And why do their exes keep popping back up? Who else knew they were there and is taking advantage of it?
I don’t want to say much more—so many twists and turns along the way that had me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed learning about the three women and their friendship and secrets. Theirs is an interesting dynamic because they bonded so quickly over their shared grief and anger over their marriages ending.
A perfect weekend or vacation read, since you won’t want to put it down!
paulabrandon's review against another edition
2.0
Sam, Margaret and Diana are friends who have bonded over the end of their marriages. They decide to get away for a girls' trip, but on the way to their destination, get stuck in Catskill when the car key mysteriously disappears. They manage to find a place to stay, and head to a bar to get drunk. There, Sam sees her ex, Harry. Margaret meets younger man, Alex. As for Diana, she just disappears! When she isn't home the next morning, Sam and Margaret must figure out what happened to her.
This is another time when I wish Goodreads would allow half stars! This is a definite 2.5 star story. Not nearly interesting or good enough for 3 stars, so I rounded it down to 2. I guess that makes me a bit negative, but I just wouldn't class this as "I liked it", and it wasn't a 3 star story.
Anyway, with that rambling justification out of the way, this failed to grab me. The story is told from the viewpoints of Sam and Margaret, and I could barely tell them apart. I would sometimes forget who was narrating! Sam carries on endlessly about Harry (who it would seem she was only with for a year and a half), and it got tiresome. Margaret is still haunted by having to abort a baby that would have had serious medical complications (Edwards syndrome), which came across as more believable and sympathetic, as she not only lost a much-wanted child, but it also tore her marriage apart. Yet even with these very different backgrounds, Sam and Margaret felt almost like the same person.
Once the story hits the halfway mark, it starts getting more interesting, but a lot of what happens are plot tricks, not plot twists, in which a character simply withholds information as opposed to it arising naturally out of the plot. A character written in first person can't wonder to themselves about, "What happened to the keys?" and then turn out to have known all along. That's not playing fair with the reader! Indeed, there is no way to figure out how things might play out when characters aren't being honest with themselves in their own internal monologues! It leads to this being the umpteenth book I've read this year that relies on a character popping up to explain everything and why they did what they did, without any reason to do so, because otherwise they would have gotten away with everything! The climax was very, "That's it?" Margaret's insta-love romance with Alex was pretty cringe, too. You can tell this author used to write YA romance.
I wish I could have liked this more, as it seemed like good escapist fare, but I'm not very forgiving when it comes to the sort of plot trickery and unlikely ending found here.
This is another time when I wish Goodreads would allow half stars! This is a definite 2.5 star story. Not nearly interesting or good enough for 3 stars, so I rounded it down to 2. I guess that makes me a bit negative, but I just wouldn't class this as "I liked it", and it wasn't a 3 star story.
Anyway, with that rambling justification out of the way, this failed to grab me. The story is told from the viewpoints of Sam and Margaret, and I could barely tell them apart. I would sometimes forget who was narrating! Sam carries on endlessly about Harry (who it would seem she was only with for a year and a half), and it got tiresome. Margaret is still haunted by having to abort a baby that would have had serious medical complications (Edwards syndrome), which came across as more believable and sympathetic, as she not only lost a much-wanted child, but it also tore her marriage apart. Yet even with these very different backgrounds, Sam and Margaret felt almost like the same person.
Once the story hits the halfway mark, it starts getting more interesting, but a lot of what happens are plot tricks, not plot twists, in which a character simply withholds information as opposed to it arising naturally out of the plot. A character written in first person can't wonder to themselves about, "What happened to the keys?" and then turn out to have known all along. That's not playing fair with the reader! Indeed, there is no way to figure out how things might play out when characters aren't being honest with themselves in their own internal monologues! It leads to this being the umpteenth book I've read this year that relies on a character popping up to explain everything and why they did what they did, without any reason to do so, because otherwise they would have gotten away with everything! The climax was very, "That's it?" Margaret's insta-love romance with Alex was pretty cringe, too. You can tell this author used to write YA romance.
I wish I could have liked this more, as it seemed like good escapist fare, but I'm not very forgiving when it comes to the sort of plot trickery and unlikely ending found here.
abigailcampbell's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty slow moving and predictable but still fun and interesting !! Read it on the plane and it was a good lil page turner