For fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley, a riveting locked-room mystery about five college friends eager to reunite after years apart–only to be ripped apart again when their host’s disappearance unearths dark secrets and old grudges.Their reunion just became a crime scene . . .June Moody, a thirty-something English professor, just wants to get away from her recent breakup and reunite with … breakup and reunite with girlfriends over summer break. Her old friend and longtime nemesis, Sadie MacTavish, a mega-successful author, invites June and her college friends to a baby shower at her sprawling estate in the San Juan Islands. June is less than thrilled to spend time with Sadie–and her husband, June’s former crush–but agrees to go.
The party gets off to a shaky start when old grudges resurface, but when they wake the next morning, they find something worse: Sadie is missing, the house is in shambles, and bloodstains mar the staircase. None of them has any memory of the night before; they wonder if they were drugged. Everyone’s a suspect. Since June had a secret rendezvous with Sadie’s husband, she has plenty of reason to suspect herself. Apparently, so do the cops.
A Celtic knot of suspense and surprise, this brooding, atmospheric novel will keep you guessing as each twist reveals a new possibility. It will remind you of friendships hidden in the depths of your own past, and make you wonder how well you really know the people you’ve loved the longest.
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The Girls Weekend is a 2020 release by Jody Gehrman, a new author to me. I found the book on NetGalley and thought it would be a clever thriller to read this week. I enjoyed the book and ended up allotting 3.5 stars, as it was a good story but didn’t fully pop or surprise me at any point. That said, I recommend it as a solid thriller and suspense novel for fans of this genre.
Five college friends lost touch over ~20 years. Some stayed close, others drifted… the missing years are a little murky. When one is pregnant, another throws a weekend bash to celebrate and reunite. During the course of the evening, secrets come out, blood appears on the wall, and people go missing. What happened that night? Someone drugged the others, or an outsider sneaked in and drugged the whole group. Toss in a husband, a daughter, a boyfriend, and a curious landscaper, you’ve got a cast of ~10 potential culprits, or is the missing woman faking her death?
The story is easy to read. The writing is good, and it kept me interested. I kept waiting for the major shocker, but it never quite came. I had expected some illicit relationship or secret popping up. Instead, we knew the basics, but figuring out how those played into someone’s disappearance and/or death was the puzzle placed before us. I never really connected with any of the characters enough to wish they would be innocent. Our narrator, the main girl who never wanted to attend the event, is a bit wishy washy, and one of the other girls is so erratic, I couldn’t understand why anyone would choose to befriend her. So… given all those things, I couldn’t push it up to a 4 as a really great read.
I did like the setting and the dialog felt real. I would read another book by this author, as I think maybe this story was just a little underwhelming for me. The rest was all good.
Several former college friends, now in their thirties, reunite for a weekend at a sprawling estate owned by the most successful of the group. Sadie MacTavish has achieved J.K. Rowling like fame through a series of middle grade novels that were optioned for the big screen. Life with her handsome Scottish husband, and beautiful teen daughter appears idyllic and perfect.
By contrast, June Moody’s boyfriend has just dumped her via text, and she hasn’t become the great American novelist she once envisioned. The last thing she wants to do is spend a weekend with her former frenemy/rival, Sadie, and Sadie’s husband, Ethan, who once proposed marriage to June. But mutual friend, Amy, is expecting a baby, and Sadie is the one throwing the shower.
June joins Sadie and Amy, along with their remaining friends from college–Em and Kimiko. It’s obvious from the get-go Sadie is a control freak who manipulates everyone and everything in her orbit. When she turns up missing after the first night, blood splatter and a broken statue point to foul play.
There are plenty of undercurrents and baggage among the characters. Amy has suffered mental problems most of her life, Kimiko has a fondness for drink and drugs, Em wants to keep something hidden, and Ethan isn’t as devoted as Sadie has led everyone to believe. A landscaper who lives on the property was overheard arguing with Sadie, and her daughter’s boyfriend isn’t well received by mom.
Suspects, much?
This book kept me flipping pages as the relationships between the characters become more detailed, many overlapping as the chapters progress. Watching all the pieces fall into place is a bit like a slo-mo train wreck. I’m usually able to figure out “whodunit” before the end of most mysteries, but my initial guess was proved wrong.
As the narrator, June is a relatable character, one it’s easy to get behind, especially when she finds herself the prime suspect due to her previous relationship with Ethan.
Overall, I found the story suspenseful, but at the same time breezy and fast-paced. The writing is exquisite, with many turns of phrase and descriptions that made me stop to soak them in. Highly enjoyable and atmospheric!
This was a good story with relatable and realistic characters. Enjoyed this book very much and looking to read more from this author.
I first learned of The Girls Weekend through a Book Bub recommendation. Because of mixed reviews, I hesitated to buy it until I read a friend’s review. I’m glad I did.
Five former college friends, now in their late thirties, decide to get together for a girl’s weekend at the home of Sadie MacTavish. Sadie is a highly successful author who has it all—success, a beautiful house, husband, daughter, wealth.
It doesn’t take long to realize Sadie is a manipulative and cunning person. Easy to see why everyone has a reason to dislike her, especially June Moody, the POV character. After a night of drinking, four friends wake up to find Sadie has disappeared and none of them can recall what they did the night before. Blood spatter and a missing statue leads them to believe Sadie isn’t just missing but possibly murdered.
The book kept me guessing as to the killer’s identity—Sadie’s family, the gardener, the daughter’s boyfriend, the four friends—even the main character, June. I have to say I was surprised by the outcome.
Several reviewers were critical of the sloppy police procedures followed in this book, but imagine an Agatha Christie type murder mystery (sans Hercule Poirot) and you have the makings of a great story.
Five stars from me.
When four college “friends” reluctantly gather at the estate of the most successful of the group, long-hidden animosity surfaces between the women. Waking to a house filled with remnants of a massive party, a wall speckled with blood spatter, and a missing house guest, the remaining women must uncover what happened before the police make an arrest. This book had me guessing until the very end.
I wasn’t expecting this to be good. But it was and i sure Wasn’t expecting the ending. June always envied Sadie until she stays at Sadie’s home for the weekend for a fantastic 5 reunion.
Sadie, Amy, June, Em, and Kimiko were all good friends in college and called themselves the Fearless Five. Sadie is a famous and wealthy author with a large estate in Puget Sound. She contacts her old friends and invites them to a Fearless Five Reunion. It will also be a baby shower for Amy, Sadie’s cousin, who lives with her. The other gals accept, but June is not sure she wants to attend. She is a professor of English and has just broken up with her boyfriend. In addition, back in college, she had had a crush on the man Sadie married. She finally relents and agrees to attend.
Kimiko wants to do a lot of drinking but Amy can’t as she’s pregnant, and Sadie limits herself. They enjoy Sadie’s beautiful home, enjoy some nice dinners, and do some kayaking. One morning, June wakes up with a terrible hangover and finds the rest of the gals are in the same shape. But Sadie is missing and there is blood on the wall. What happened last night? Is Sadie injured? If so, where is she?
These women are friends?? They seem to hate one another and I cannot believe how much they drink. Is a girls weekend just an excuse for a drink fest? Good grief. The characters all needed a swift kick. However, I am giving this book 4 stars because it seems to come under the heading: You just can’t make this stuff up! (Of course, someone did.)
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Murder Mystery | Suspense
The Girls Weekend is a suspenseful murder mystery! I’m actually quite surprised by some of the reviews of this book because I personally thought this was a really great read! I love a weekend getaway type mystery, one where the characters have come together after a long period of time, and dark secrets are shared one by one. Add into this the seclusion of the setting, the unpredictable plot twists, and some intriguing characters and you have all the makings for a great read! This is how I viewed the book and all around and I enjoyed it immensely! Fans of Shari Lapena, Ruth Ware, and Lucy Foley would be perfect candidates for this one.
One of the things that I loved about this one was the smattering of breadcrumbs the author left for us to follow in figuring out the killer. You think it’s one person (Sadie had a little something on EVERYONE), but then are led to see that them being the killer isn’t really plausible. On and on you go until the big reveal at the end. Sure, you may be able to figure it out before it’s revealed, but I honestly think it’s HOW you get there that makes it so exciting.
Another thing I loved about this book was the characters. Each have their own secrets to hold and they make for some intriguing people. I found each one of them guilty at one point or another which helped with the suspense. No one was really “good” or unbelievable to be the killer. I felt like I was making my way through a maze!
I’m giving this one 4.5 stars because I honestly just enjoyed the heck out of this book. It may have been a tad bit slow in some areas but most of the book flew by for me. I found myself wanting to read it when I couldn’t and not wanting to put it down when I was reading. That my friends, is a successful read! I recommend it to all fans of mystery and thriller novels.
June gets invited to her college friend/nemesis house for a girls weekend with their college friends. June was just dumped by her boyfriend via text and she feels her life is less thank Sadie’s so does she even want to go? Their mutual friend talks June going and the fun starts immediately! Ethan, Sadie’s husband, is June’s ex-boyfriend. The girls drink and wake up the next morning and all have zero idea what happened the night before. Sadie is missing! Where is Sadie? That is the question the 4 remaining women are asking each other! So many secrets come out and it takes the reader on a wild ride! I decided finishing this book was more important than sleep but it was so well worth it! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.