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Girls' Night Out
For estranged friends Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren, it’s time to heal the old wounds between them. Where better to repair those severed ties than on a girls’ getaway to the beautiful paradise of Tulum, Mexico? But even after they’re reunited, no one is being completely honest about the past or the secrets they’re hiding. When Ashley disappears on their girls’ night out, Natalie and Lauren have to try to piece together their hazy memories to figure out what could have happened to her, while also reconciling their feelings of guilt over their last moments together.
Was Ashley with the man she’d met only days before? Did she pack up and leave? Was she kidnapped? Or worse—could Natalie or Lauren have snapped under the weight of her own lies?
As the clock ticks, hour by hour, Natalie and Lauren’s search rushes headlong into growing suspicion and dread. Maybe their secrets run deeper and more dangerous than one of them is willing—or too afraid—to admit.
Was Ashley with the man she’d met only days before? Did she pack up and leave? Was she kidnapped? Or worse—could Natalie or Lauren have snapped under the weight of her own lies?
As the clock ticks, hour by hour, Natalie and Lauren’s search rushes headlong into growing suspicion and dread. Maybe their secrets run deeper and more dangerous than one of them is willing—or too afraid—to admit.
323 pages, Paperback
First published July 24, 2018
About the author
Liz Fenton
12 books1,632 followersLiz Fenton and Lisa Steinke have been best friends for over thirty years and survived high school and college together. They’ve co-authored seven novels, including the Amazon Charts bestseller, The Good Widow. Their forthcoming book, Forever Hold Your Peace, will be published on July 11, 2023.
In addition to writing books, they created a podcast, We Fight So You Don’t Have to: Lessons from a thirty-year friendship. They also appear monthly on a San Diego news station to share their favorite book club picks.
They both reside in San Diego, California with their families and several rescue dogs.Connect with Liz and Lisa on Instagram at @lisaandliz or at www.lizandlisa.com.
Connect with Liz and Lisa on social media: www.lizandlisa.com Instagram: @lisaandliz Twitter: @lizandlisa FB: Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
In addition to writing books, they created a podcast, We Fight So You Don’t Have to: Lessons from a thirty-year friendship. They also appear monthly on a San Diego news station to share their favorite book club picks.
They both reside in San Diego, California with their families and several rescue dogs.Connect with Liz and Lisa on Instagram at @lisaandliz or at www.lizandlisa.com.
Connect with Liz and Lisa on social media: www.lizandlisa.com Instagram: @lisaandliz Twitter: @lizandlisa FB: Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,440 reviews
March 28, 2018
"It's all very well to tell us to forgive our enemies; our enemies can never hurt us very much, But oh, what about forgiving our friends?"
-Willa Cather, My Mortal Enemy
You know that old saying where there's always one left out in a group of 3 friends? Welcome to Girls' Night Out, where this theme is explored and portrayed in the most delicious and dramatic of ways. If you're like me, then you wholly enjoy some "escapism" fiction, and this guilty pleasure novel is just that. I was so completely sucked in by the drama that I was sure this plot put the Real Housewives ofinsert any city I'm not as knowledgable as Dennis on these things to shame. Ladies, you want domestic drama? You want cat fights? You want suspense that compels you to keep reading even if your family is begging you to feed them and wash their clothes but you say, not today fools? Then sit down and read on; this book is for you!
Suspenseful and compelling- I know I already implied this above, but I swear they are the two most legit adjectives I can use to describe this plot. The deeper I went, the more I had to keep going. I was a woman on a mission, and I needed to know what happened to Ashley! It's tricky, because Ashley initially is an extremely unlikable character, but by the end of the book, the authors leave all the pieces for you to decide whether you think she was redeemable or not. I LOVED THIS. I adore when authors give their readers the freedom to make their own conclusions and assumptions rather than spoon feeding us how we should think and feel. I can't promise you'll feel sorry for any of the characters, as that will be up to you, but I can promise that by the end of the book you're brain will be digesting every aspect long after you close the book.
I really don't want to discuss any specific plot points, because this book is best read going in blind, but I did love how the story flips between the days of the girls' trip and the present day where Ashley is missing. It's still a relatively short span of time with no major calendar jumps to keep track of, which makes it easy to follow but ratchets up the tension to the point you just want to fly through to the ending to know what happens and have closure. There are multiple POVs, so we get a little glimpse into each character's side of the story for a well-rounded and balanced narrative. Again, if you like drama you are going to eat this one up.
I know there will be people who won't take to this book, but if you've been a fan of Liz and Lisa's novels in the past, it's a safe bet you'll enjoy this one too. These ladies have really upped their game by switching over to the suspense genre, proving they know how to keep a reader flipping the pages at lightning speed. I look forward to more from the duo and can't wait to hear everyone else's opinions of THAT ENDING. This book goes best with a pint of ice cream, a bottle of wine, and a week at the beach. Ok, maybe that's a bit lofty, but this is a beach read at it's finest! Thank you so much to Lisa and Liz for sending me an early copy; I adore you both and look forward to the next one! And the next one and the next one and the...
-Willa Cather, My Mortal Enemy
You know that old saying where there's always one left out in a group of 3 friends? Welcome to Girls' Night Out, where this theme is explored and portrayed in the most delicious and dramatic of ways. If you're like me, then you wholly enjoy some "escapism" fiction, and this guilty pleasure novel is just that. I was so completely sucked in by the drama that I was sure this plot put the Real Housewives of
Suspenseful and compelling- I know I already implied this above, but I swear they are the two most legit adjectives I can use to describe this plot. The deeper I went, the more I had to keep going. I was a woman on a mission, and I needed to know what happened to Ashley! It's tricky, because Ashley initially is an extremely unlikable character, but by the end of the book, the authors leave all the pieces for you to decide whether you think she was redeemable or not. I LOVED THIS. I adore when authors give their readers the freedom to make their own conclusions and assumptions rather than spoon feeding us how we should think and feel. I can't promise you'll feel sorry for any of the characters, as that will be up to you, but I can promise that by the end of the book you're brain will be digesting every aspect long after you close the book.
I really don't want to discuss any specific plot points, because this book is best read going in blind, but I did love how the story flips between the days of the girls' trip and the present day where Ashley is missing. It's still a relatively short span of time with no major calendar jumps to keep track of, which makes it easy to follow but ratchets up the tension to the point you just want to fly through to the ending to know what happens and have closure. There are multiple POVs, so we get a little glimpse into each character's side of the story for a well-rounded and balanced narrative. Again, if you like drama you are going to eat this one up.
I know there will be people who won't take to this book, but if you've been a fan of Liz and Lisa's novels in the past, it's a safe bet you'll enjoy this one too. These ladies have really upped their game by switching over to the suspense genre, proving they know how to keep a reader flipping the pages at lightning speed. I look forward to more from the duo and can't wait to hear everyone else's opinions of THAT ENDING. This book goes best with a pint of ice cream, a bottle of wine, and a week at the beach. Ok, maybe that's a bit lofty, but this is a beach read at it's finest! Thank you so much to Lisa and Liz for sending me an early copy; I adore you both and look forward to the next one!
May 27, 2018
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.
September 29, 2019
My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...
3.5 Stars
Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren have traveled all the way to Tulum, Mexico in hopes of rekindling their previous friendships.
The book opens in present time. Natalie awakens the morning of their last day in Mexico. She panics when she realizes she’s not in her hotel bed. She’s not in any bed. She is outside the hotel, on the beach…alone. She heads to her hotel room to find Ashley, hoping she can help her figure out what happened. Bits and pieces of the previous night flit in and out of her mind, but there are some big gaps in her memory. When she gets to the room she sees Ashley’s things are there but Ashley isn’t. Natalie figures she must be with Lauren. But when gets to Lauren’s room, Lauren says she hasn't seen Ashley either.
The trip had been Ashley’s idea. She wanted to reconnect with her friends. Ashley and Natalie work together but they had barely seen Lauren after a tragedy and a terrible fight the year before.
Unfortunately, the trip hadn’t been going as planned. It didn’t help that Ashley had been spending a lot of time with a local man. This caused friction between the friends as the man barely left their sides, making it very hard for them to reconnect. It also doesn’t help that they're all keeping secrets from each other.
Was the trip that was meant to bring them back together pushing them even further apart?
Now Ashley is missing. Did she go off somewhere willingly? Was she kidnapped? And why is Natalie having such a hard time remembering what happened the night before? And how come her dress was wet when she woke up on the beach?
Where is Ashley?
We hear all of the friend’s perspectives as the time frame flips back and forth over the past few days and up until the present time. A couple of times the characters seemed to flip faster than I could keep up with so occasionally I had to take a moment to figure out who was who. But for the most part, I was able to keep everyone straight.
It's always nice when you feel you can relate to some of the characters you are reading about. I felt like I could relate to some of the things these women were going through. I liked that the authors dedicated the book to friendship.
All in all, this was an interesting read with some good twists, engaging characters, and an intriguing plot. A good summer read! This was my first read from Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. I’m looking forward to reading more from this talented duo.
I'd like to thank Lake Union Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
3.5 Stars
Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren have traveled all the way to Tulum, Mexico in hopes of rekindling their previous friendships.
The book opens in present time. Natalie awakens the morning of their last day in Mexico. She panics when she realizes she’s not in her hotel bed. She’s not in any bed. She is outside the hotel, on the beach…alone. She heads to her hotel room to find Ashley, hoping she can help her figure out what happened. Bits and pieces of the previous night flit in and out of her mind, but there are some big gaps in her memory. When she gets to the room she sees Ashley’s things are there but Ashley isn’t. Natalie figures she must be with Lauren. But when gets to Lauren’s room, Lauren says she hasn't seen Ashley either.
The trip had been Ashley’s idea. She wanted to reconnect with her friends. Ashley and Natalie work together but they had barely seen Lauren after a tragedy and a terrible fight the year before.
Unfortunately, the trip hadn’t been going as planned. It didn’t help that Ashley had been spending a lot of time with a local man. This caused friction between the friends as the man barely left their sides, making it very hard for them to reconnect. It also doesn’t help that they're all keeping secrets from each other.
Was the trip that was meant to bring them back together pushing them even further apart?
Now Ashley is missing. Did she go off somewhere willingly? Was she kidnapped? And why is Natalie having such a hard time remembering what happened the night before? And how come her dress was wet when she woke up on the beach?
Where is Ashley?
We hear all of the friend’s perspectives as the time frame flips back and forth over the past few days and up until the present time. A couple of times the characters seemed to flip faster than I could keep up with so occasionally I had to take a moment to figure out who was who. But for the most part, I was able to keep everyone straight.
It's always nice when you feel you can relate to some of the characters you are reading about. I felt like I could relate to some of the things these women were going through. I liked that the authors dedicated the book to friendship.
All in all, this was an interesting read with some good twists, engaging characters, and an intriguing plot. A good summer read! This was my first read from Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. I’m looking forward to reading more from this talented duo.
I'd like to thank Lake Union Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
October 10, 2018
The mystery of the disappearance of one woman who goes missing as the three friends are in Tulum, Mexico, trying to repair their friendship kept me reading to the end, but their differences and arguments got tedious and none of the women was likeable.
The story not only alternates from the three women’s points of view, it also bounces back and forth between the few days before Ashley disappears to the days after. So, one chapter you’ll be reading about the night they arrived, the morning after she disappears, two days before she disappears, the night she disappears, then back to three days before she disappears. That had to be a very hard way for the authors to plot this novel, but it did let all three women’s secrets be revealed in a way that unravels nicely.
Both Lauren and Natalie have reason to be pissed at Ashley, but there has also always been a rivalry between the two of them for her affection for the twenty years they’ve been friends. Though the trip was supposed to be about the three of them forgiving each other, Ashley spends much of her time with a handsome stranger, Marco, (despite the fact she’s married) adding tension between the three women.
Despite the good things about the novel, their endless arguments over the same things over and over again made it an unenjoyable read in the end.
The story not only alternates from the three women’s points of view, it also bounces back and forth between the few days before Ashley disappears to the days after. So, one chapter you’ll be reading about the night they arrived, the morning after she disappears, two days before she disappears, the night she disappears, then back to three days before she disappears. That had to be a very hard way for the authors to plot this novel, but it did let all three women’s secrets be revealed in a way that unravels nicely.
Both Lauren and Natalie have reason to be pissed at Ashley, but there has also always been a rivalry between the two of them for her affection for the twenty years they’ve been friends. Though the trip was supposed to be about the three of them forgiving each other, Ashley spends much of her time with a handsome stranger, Marco, (despite the fact she’s married) adding tension between the three women.
Despite the good things about the novel, their endless arguments over the same things over and over again made it an unenjoyable read in the end.
July 29, 2018
4 Stars and A Margarita🍹 🌟🌟🌟🌟
First of all where can I get me one of those BLOWN brush things? Seriously the curly hair struggle is real!!!
My daughter and I were out to dinner tonight and we were talking about things and it came up that I am a girls girl, her... not so much... i’ve always had strong female friendships, and I’ve been beyond blessed to have had the amazing friends that I have had throughout my entire life.... yes even in high school! However even the strongest of friendships can be complex... and the more friends you add to the group the more challenging it can become, it’s hard to maintain a balance... sometimes even the most innocent of actions can cause a great deal of hurt... The fact that the authors of this book are friends added so much authenticity to the book, their friendship poured through the pages...
Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren have been the best of friends for decades... and even though they have been estrange from Lauren for the past year, Ashley is convinced she can rectify this with a fabulous girls getaway to Mexico... some sun, some sand, some tequila, and things will be as good as they used to be, right? Wrong! There are a lot of secrets and hurt between these girls, and even the best of margaritas cannot quickly fix this...
This really was a book about secrets and forgiveness... now I am a true oversharer so I wasn’t always sure why they didn’t share some of this information with one another? especially if they are friends? Just seems like a lot of problems could have been solved if everyone knew what was going on... but this seems to be very common in books and in life... seriously these girls knew how to keep a secret after three margaritas I’d be spilling my secrets to whoever would listen, LOL.... The forgiveness in this book was interesting, I felt some things were more forgivable than others.... how far can you push someone before they’ve had enough?
I liked how we got all three of the girls perspectives... Ashley was a hard character to have much sympathy for... she kept saying how much she wanted to repair their friendship, and then she had a guy spend most of their vacation with them? I would have found this so annoying! A girls vacation should be just that... a GIRLS vacation! Natalie and Lauren were much more likable and relatable, there were times in this book I thought they should just be BFFs and forget about Ashley!
This book really had a bit of everything friendship, secrets, forgiveness and a mystery... where is Ashley? And will Natalie recover her memory? This was just such a good story that truly explored the complexities of female friendship.... the good, the bad, and the ugly.... cannot wait to see what these authors have in store for us next!
Absolutely recommend to everyone who loves a book filled with secrets, mystery, and complicated female relationships...
*** Many thanks to Lake Union for my copy of this book ***
📚 you can find all my reviews on my blog @
https://audiokilledthebookmark.com/
First of all where can I get me one of those BLOWN brush things? Seriously the curly hair struggle is real!!!
My daughter and I were out to dinner tonight and we were talking about things and it came up that I am a girls girl, her... not so much... i’ve always had strong female friendships, and I’ve been beyond blessed to have had the amazing friends that I have had throughout my entire life.... yes even in high school! However even the strongest of friendships can be complex... and the more friends you add to the group the more challenging it can become, it’s hard to maintain a balance... sometimes even the most innocent of actions can cause a great deal of hurt... The fact that the authors of this book are friends added so much authenticity to the book, their friendship poured through the pages...
Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren have been the best of friends for decades... and even though they have been estrange from Lauren for the past year, Ashley is convinced she can rectify this with a fabulous girls getaway to Mexico... some sun, some sand, some tequila, and things will be as good as they used to be, right? Wrong! There are a lot of secrets and hurt between these girls, and even the best of margaritas cannot quickly fix this...
This really was a book about secrets and forgiveness... now I am a true oversharer so I wasn’t always sure why they didn’t share some of this information with one another? especially if they are friends? Just seems like a lot of problems could have been solved if everyone knew what was going on... but this seems to be very common in books and in life... seriously these girls knew how to keep a secret after three margaritas I’d be spilling my secrets to whoever would listen, LOL.... The forgiveness in this book was interesting, I felt some things were more forgivable than others.... how far can you push someone before they’ve had enough?
I liked how we got all three of the girls perspectives... Ashley was a hard character to have much sympathy for... she kept saying how much she wanted to repair their friendship, and then she had a guy spend most of their vacation with them? I would have found this so annoying! A girls vacation should be just that... a GIRLS vacation! Natalie and Lauren were much more likable and relatable, there were times in this book I thought they should just be BFFs and forget about Ashley!
This book really had a bit of everything friendship, secrets, forgiveness and a mystery... where is Ashley? And will Natalie recover her memory? This was just such a good story that truly explored the complexities of female friendship.... the good, the bad, and the ugly.... cannot wait to see what these authors have in store for us next!
Absolutely recommend to everyone who loves a book filled with secrets, mystery, and complicated female relationships...
*** Many thanks to Lake Union for my copy of this book ***
📚 you can find all my reviews on my blog @
https://audiokilledthebookmark.com/
April 16, 2018
"The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies." (Chobir Dokan)
The penetrating rays of the intense sun beckon three estranged friends to mend their disjointed relationships on the beaches of the Yucatan Peninsula. Tulum seems like just the right destination to sort the broken shards among the seashells. But this attempt at reunion will be more than they ever bargained for.
Once upon a time in a kinder, gentler universe, Natalie and Ashley brilliantly developed a styling brush that hit the market by storm. They worked tirelessly to get it the attention it deserved. The result was mega orders from big box stores and a surge of recognition on social media. Lauren, their mutual friend, was supportive from the onset.
But like the typical honeymoon stage, there eventually became so much less honey and so much less moon. Stress became the daily garment that enveloped these women constantly and it bled into their personal lives. It was time to have a face-to-face meeting and sort out the future come hell or high water.
Not even Mexico has enough tequila shots to deaden the anxiety that these women faced in finding a mutual platform for discussion. Too much pain from the past and too much inability to arrive at a consensus. A few too many mojitos brings Marco, a local, into this mix. He seems to have Ashley's attention, though. But when Ashley goes missing, questions are raised as to why. Was she running away from something or towards something?
Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke (quite the writing duo) have created the perfect getaway from one hot spot of existence into another. The dialogue is spot-on with female friends caught up in what's fair and what's not. Oh, and the blame game ratchets up the stakes until perhaps there will be no winners. It can be a bit off-putting at times when you feel the need to cup them alongside the head as the intensity escalates. But that's what happens when you cast your fate to the windward side of the peninsula. Internal fear and utter helplessness drive this one into a scorpion infested jungle of their own making.
I received a copy of Girls' Night Out through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke for the opportunity.
The penetrating rays of the intense sun beckon three estranged friends to mend their disjointed relationships on the beaches of the Yucatan Peninsula. Tulum seems like just the right destination to sort the broken shards among the seashells. But this attempt at reunion will be more than they ever bargained for.
Once upon a time in a kinder, gentler universe, Natalie and Ashley brilliantly developed a styling brush that hit the market by storm. They worked tirelessly to get it the attention it deserved. The result was mega orders from big box stores and a surge of recognition on social media. Lauren, their mutual friend, was supportive from the onset.
But like the typical honeymoon stage, there eventually became so much less honey and so much less moon. Stress became the daily garment that enveloped these women constantly and it bled into their personal lives. It was time to have a face-to-face meeting and sort out the future come hell or high water.
Not even Mexico has enough tequila shots to deaden the anxiety that these women faced in finding a mutual platform for discussion. Too much pain from the past and too much inability to arrive at a consensus. A few too many mojitos brings Marco, a local, into this mix. He seems to have Ashley's attention, though. But when Ashley goes missing, questions are raised as to why. Was she running away from something or towards something?
Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke (quite the writing duo) have created the perfect getaway from one hot spot of existence into another. The dialogue is spot-on with female friends caught up in what's fair and what's not. Oh, and the blame game ratchets up the stakes until perhaps there will be no winners. It can be a bit off-putting at times when you feel the need to cup them alongside the head as the intensity escalates. But that's what happens when you cast your fate to the windward side of the peninsula. Internal fear and utter helplessness drive this one into a scorpion infested jungle of their own making.
I received a copy of Girls' Night Out through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke for the opportunity.
September 15, 2019
Oh WOW
What a ride. I feel like I’ve been in a maze and just found my way out.
I haven’t had the pleasure of reading The Widow, these duo authors previous book. I need to though going by this fantastic read.
The authors write up at the back of the book also impacted on me after I had finished the story then got to read this.
We all have friendships, sometimes we don’t see eye to eye, we fall out. Or harbour resentments towards each other hiding what we really feel because if we voice them we risk falling out or the friendship being so badly broken it never fails to mend.
But this is way way way more than friendships between several women. There are twists and missing persons. There is a company involved, a man involved and the secrets of the women involved.
Have you ever informed a close friend about something you’ve agonised over? Knew she should know but also knew it would break her? Then it’s backfired on you?
Friendships can be a fragile relationship because of the closeness. The intimacy of things you reveal about yourself, your personal life, loves and innermost feelings. Your vulnerability is laid bare.
These friends had a long standing relationship for over twenty years.
So the duo authors revealing what it was like writing this book certainly I could taste a little of what the characters felt within the confines of these pages.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a thriller. Make no mistake about that! The impact left my draw dropping to the floor by the time I finished.
I am so looking forward to more from these two.
My thanks to Lake Union for the chance to read this awesome book.
Straight into my top 2018
What a ride. I feel like I’ve been in a maze and just found my way out.
I haven’t had the pleasure of reading The Widow, these duo authors previous book. I need to though going by this fantastic read.
The authors write up at the back of the book also impacted on me after I had finished the story then got to read this.
We all have friendships, sometimes we don’t see eye to eye, we fall out. Or harbour resentments towards each other hiding what we really feel because if we voice them we risk falling out or the friendship being so badly broken it never fails to mend.
But this is way way way more than friendships between several women. There are twists and missing persons. There is a company involved, a man involved and the secrets of the women involved.
Have you ever informed a close friend about something you’ve agonised over? Knew she should know but also knew it would break her? Then it’s backfired on you?
Friendships can be a fragile relationship because of the closeness. The intimacy of things you reveal about yourself, your personal life, loves and innermost feelings. Your vulnerability is laid bare.
These friends had a long standing relationship for over twenty years.
So the duo authors revealing what it was like writing this book certainly I could taste a little of what the characters felt within the confines of these pages.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a thriller. Make no mistake about that! The impact left my draw dropping to the floor by the time I finished.
I am so looking forward to more from these two.
My thanks to Lake Union for the chance to read this awesome book.
Straight into my top 2018
June 24, 2019
I was excited to get this novel, as I had loved the authors' previous work "The Good Widow" and was looking forward to experience this latest book. However I found this novel to fall well short of that..
It sees three women travelling to Mexico to try to mend unravelling friendships. Their relationships become more and more strained over the week, and then on the last night one of the women, Ashley, disappears, leaving Lauren and Natalie frantically looking for her. Lauren had left them earlier in the night and Natalie had woken up on the beach with her clothing wet, and no memories of the night, coming to believe she had been drugged. Ashley had been spending time with a local man Marco, much to the annoyance of her friends, but he is now nowhere to be found. The police are soon around asking questions, but has Ashley simply run off with Marco? Or has something more sinister happened?
This book is told in alternating chapters from before the fateful night and from after it, with the women taking turns to narrate. This did hold my interest, as we start to explore what did happen in the leadup, who was hiding secrets and why they thought their lives were falling apart. Honestly though I found none of them sympathetic with each of them in turn trying to blame the others for their unhappy lives.
All in all, the majority of this novel is about three stubborn, selfish cows that spend their whole time arguing. It overpowers the suspense that could have built into something chilling, but never quite reaches those heights. I found that this novel did have the potential to be more riveting, but in the end it was disappointing.
My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It sees three women travelling to Mexico to try to mend unravelling friendships. Their relationships become more and more strained over the week, and then on the last night one of the women, Ashley, disappears, leaving Lauren and Natalie frantically looking for her. Lauren had left them earlier in the night and Natalie had woken up on the beach with her clothing wet, and no memories of the night, coming to believe she had been drugged. Ashley had been spending time with a local man Marco, much to the annoyance of her friends, but he is now nowhere to be found. The police are soon around asking questions, but has Ashley simply run off with Marco? Or has something more sinister happened?
This book is told in alternating chapters from before the fateful night and from after it, with the women taking turns to narrate. This did hold my interest, as we start to explore what did happen in the leadup, who was hiding secrets and why they thought their lives were falling apart. Honestly though I found none of them sympathetic with each of them in turn trying to blame the others for their unhappy lives.
All in all, the majority of this novel is about three stubborn, selfish cows that spend their whole time arguing. It overpowers the suspense that could have built into something chilling, but never quite reaches those heights. I found that this novel did have the potential to be more riveting, but in the end it was disappointing.
My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 18, 2018
Natalie, Ashley, and Lauren have been best friends since college but they drifted apart and have not spoken in a few years. In hope of repairing their broken friendship, Ashley invites the girls on a spur of the moment trip to Mexico.
Ashley is hopeful that the trip to Mexico will magically bring the girls back together...but little did the girls know that their lives will be turned upside down. After a tragic fight one night between the girls, Ashley disappears. Has she been hurt? Where could she have possibly gone??
The story is told from multiple POV's between Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren plus different timelines. Now, I usually always enjoy multiple POV but in this case... it didn't work at all for me. The timeline would alternate between 2 days before/3 days before Ashley's disappearance etc. This was hugely distracting for me and didn't work at all.
I was confused and couldn't keep up with the different alternating time frames of back and forth.
And... I had a hard time connecting with the women. I honestly felt like all three character were selfish and spoiled. AND honestly, I felt like I was hit in the head with a frisbee multiple times constantly hearing about the fighting between the girls. Especially Natalie and Ashley receiving an offer from Revlon who wants to buy the company they share together. They're constantly fighting about one wanting to sell and the other wanting to keep the company. Ugh... this was majorly annoying and not that interesting either.
It was pretty slow to pick up and didn't get invested until about 50 percent in. Mmm... I honestly wasn't really that impressed with this book.
I've heard great things about this author and I wanted to love it but I of course am the outlier on this one again.
Overall, 2.5 stars for me on this one.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
Publication date: 7/24/18
Published to GR: 6/17/18
Ashley is hopeful that the trip to Mexico will magically bring the girls back together...but little did the girls know that their lives will be turned upside down. After a tragic fight one night between the girls, Ashley disappears. Has she been hurt? Where could she have possibly gone??
The story is told from multiple POV's between Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren plus different timelines. Now, I usually always enjoy multiple POV but in this case... it didn't work at all for me. The timeline would alternate between 2 days before/3 days before Ashley's disappearance etc. This was hugely distracting for me and didn't work at all.
I was confused and couldn't keep up with the different alternating time frames of back and forth.
And... I had a hard time connecting with the women. I honestly felt like all three character were selfish and spoiled. AND honestly, I felt like I was hit in the head with a frisbee multiple times constantly hearing about the fighting between the girls. Especially Natalie and Ashley receiving an offer from Revlon who wants to buy the company they share together. They're constantly fighting about one wanting to sell and the other wanting to keep the company. Ugh... this was majorly annoying and not that interesting either.
It was pretty slow to pick up and didn't get invested until about 50 percent in. Mmm... I honestly wasn't really that impressed with this book.
I've heard great things about this author and I wanted to love it but I of course am the outlier on this one again.
Overall, 2.5 stars for me on this one.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
Publication date: 7/24/18
Published to GR: 6/17/18
July 25, 2018
Girls’ Night Out by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke is a psychological thriller that has multiple points of view along with alternating timelines. The story begins at the end of a week long vacation between three very good friends but then goes back to the days leading up to that morning while also following what happens from that morning onward.
All three ladies in this book are given a voice to show how each is dealing with each event as the book goes along. Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren have all been good friends for years but at this point in their lives all the relationships have gotten pretty rocky so Ashley had planned the week in Tulum, Mexico in an attempt to mend their friendship.
As the story begins Natalie wakes up on the beach the morning after what should have been their last night together with no memory of how she got there. As Natalie returns to the room she shares with Ashley she finds her friends hasn’t returned and gets worried something happened that Natalie isn’t remembering.
I have to say having read The Good Widow and now Girls’ Night Out what I find Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke absolutely excel at is getting their settings across in their stories. It really felt as if I’d stepped into Tulum right from the moment I began to read and this made following the story as the secrets and lies were unraveled all the more fun to me. To be honest these ladies were a hot mess but it was a compelling mess as I waited to see just what had happened that fateful night.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
All three ladies in this book are given a voice to show how each is dealing with each event as the book goes along. Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren have all been good friends for years but at this point in their lives all the relationships have gotten pretty rocky so Ashley had planned the week in Tulum, Mexico in an attempt to mend their friendship.
As the story begins Natalie wakes up on the beach the morning after what should have been their last night together with no memory of how she got there. As Natalie returns to the room she shares with Ashley she finds her friends hasn’t returned and gets worried something happened that Natalie isn’t remembering.
I have to say having read The Good Widow and now Girls’ Night Out what I find Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke absolutely excel at is getting their settings across in their stories. It really felt as if I’d stepped into Tulum right from the moment I began to read and this made following the story as the secrets and lies were unraveled all the more fun to me. To be honest these ladies were a hot mess but it was a compelling mess as I waited to see just what had happened that fateful night.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
July 24, 2018
4 Stars!
Happy Publication day to Girls' Night Out! I love Lisa and Liz's books and am very thankful to Amazon Publishing for sending me an advanced copy.
Ashley, Natalie and Lauren have been friends for 20+ years. They say that you need to be friends for 7 years in order to be friends for life but if your friends held secrets and said things to you that you deem unforgivable would you still be friends? Natalie and Ashley are in business together and struggling if they should take a buyout from a larger company for their company. Lauren is a recent widow but at her husband's funeral was told some harsh truths by Ashley. Since Natalie is Ashley's business partner her loyalty defaulted to Ashley in the situation. This started the break of the long bond between the ladies.
Ashley wants to bring the girls together so she plans a trip girls' trip to Mexico. When they get there the secrets start spilling: marriages are in shambles, people gambled money away and are able to lose everything, multiple instances of spousal abuse, etc. The girls try to work through these until they meet Marco who may be suave but is certainly deceitful. Ashley falls for him and this is where the trouble starts. One morning Ashley is no where to be found and Natalie and Lauren start the search for Ashley that may really end their 20 years of friendship...
The thing I enjoyed most about this book was the exploration of friendship and relationships. I took a night to reflect on my own friendships. Are the petty things that you fight about really worth it in the end? If you knew that the last day you saw your best friend was the last one what would you say? Lisa and Liz even put in their acknowledgments that this book almost broke their own friendship. I think that relationships are hard but you also need to be unselfish which in this book all 3 women are pretty selfish people. So the question is, does friendship work between two selfish people? My initial answer is no.
The book definitely falls into the suspense category more than a thriller. I read it in about a day and wanted to get to the end the entire time to find out what happened between the girls!
If you are looking for a book about long friendships with some deep rooted issues I recommend picking this book up!
Happy Publication day to Girls' Night Out! I love Lisa and Liz's books and am very thankful to Amazon Publishing for sending me an advanced copy.
Ashley, Natalie and Lauren have been friends for 20+ years. They say that you need to be friends for 7 years in order to be friends for life but if your friends held secrets and said things to you that you deem unforgivable would you still be friends? Natalie and Ashley are in business together and struggling if they should take a buyout from a larger company for their company. Lauren is a recent widow but at her husband's funeral was told some harsh truths by Ashley. Since Natalie is Ashley's business partner her loyalty defaulted to Ashley in the situation. This started the break of the long bond between the ladies.
Ashley wants to bring the girls together so she plans a trip girls' trip to Mexico. When they get there the secrets start spilling: marriages are in shambles, people gambled money away and are able to lose everything, multiple instances of spousal abuse, etc. The girls try to work through these until they meet Marco who may be suave but is certainly deceitful. Ashley falls for him and this is where the trouble starts. One morning Ashley is no where to be found and Natalie and Lauren start the search for Ashley that may really end their 20 years of friendship...
The thing I enjoyed most about this book was the exploration of friendship and relationships. I took a night to reflect on my own friendships. Are the petty things that you fight about really worth it in the end? If you knew that the last day you saw your best friend was the last one what would you say? Lisa and Liz even put in their acknowledgments that this book almost broke their own friendship. I think that relationships are hard but you also need to be unselfish which in this book all 3 women are pretty selfish people. So the question is, does friendship work between two selfish people? My initial answer is no.
The book definitely falls into the suspense category more than a thriller. I read it in about a day and wanted to get to the end the entire time to find out what happened between the girls!
If you are looking for a book about long friendships with some deep rooted issues I recommend picking this book up!
July 19, 2018
4 suspenseful stars to Girls’ Night Out! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke are lifelong best friends who co-author books. I read and enjoyed two of them, and I have anticipated Girls’ Night Out since they posted on Facebook about their girls’ trip to Tulum, Mexico when they were in the writing process. Follow them on Facebook if you have not already. They are so fun! The setting in Tulum piqued my interest because I traveled there years ago, and I remember its immense beauty well.
Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren were best friends for over twenty years, but lately they have not spoken. They determine it is time to mend fences and, to do that, they travel to Tulum, Mexico. When one friend (Ashley) disappears on the trip, Natalie and Lauren try to figure out where she is, but their memories are not clear because there was plenty of drinking on girls’ night. They are not sure if she left, or if she could have been kidnapped. They really have no idea. Natalie and Lauren search for Ashley, but as they do, dangerous secrets come to a head.
Liz and Lisa are skilled in writing about friendship. I think their own friendship adds to the authenticity in their writing. Each of the friends has a role to play in the triad. With a group of three, someone is always left out, and my mom has always said a group of three friends would never get along. (She was always right about that by the way).
While Girls’ Night Out is most definitely an intriguing, twisty thriller and kept me guessing, there are also themes of friendship and forgiveness and the secrets we hold back from the ones we love and trust most. Will these friends and their friendship survive the trip to Tulum?
Thank you to Amazon Publishing/Lake Union for the complimentary ARC. Girls’ Night Out will be published on July 24, 2018.
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke are lifelong best friends who co-author books. I read and enjoyed two of them, and I have anticipated Girls’ Night Out since they posted on Facebook about their girls’ trip to Tulum, Mexico when they were in the writing process. Follow them on Facebook if you have not already. They are so fun! The setting in Tulum piqued my interest because I traveled there years ago, and I remember its immense beauty well.
Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren were best friends for over twenty years, but lately they have not spoken. They determine it is time to mend fences and, to do that, they travel to Tulum, Mexico. When one friend (Ashley) disappears on the trip, Natalie and Lauren try to figure out where she is, but their memories are not clear because there was plenty of drinking on girls’ night. They are not sure if she left, or if she could have been kidnapped. They really have no idea. Natalie and Lauren search for Ashley, but as they do, dangerous secrets come to a head.
Liz and Lisa are skilled in writing about friendship. I think their own friendship adds to the authenticity in their writing. Each of the friends has a role to play in the triad. With a group of three, someone is always left out, and my mom has always said a group of three friends would never get along. (She was always right about that by the way).
While Girls’ Night Out is most definitely an intriguing, twisty thriller and kept me guessing, there are also themes of friendship and forgiveness and the secrets we hold back from the ones we love and trust most. Will these friends and their friendship survive the trip to Tulum?
Thank you to Amazon Publishing/Lake Union for the complimentary ARC. Girls’ Night Out will be published on July 24, 2018.
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
October 7, 2018
I went into this with high expectations. Unfortunately, I came out the other side with just an average, “hmm...that was just an OK” read.
Three women, lifelong friends. Two of the three are business partners as well. They’ve all decided to head for Mexico for a much anticipated “friends” retreat. They hope to rebuild their fractured friendships and maybe even make a final decision on the direction of their business.
Of course, nothing goes smoothly, to say the least. In fact, it all hits the fan when their thinly-veiled animosity towards one other explodes. Suddenly, the three women are now just two!
I found this book to be somewhat drawn out and struggled connecting to any of the characters. Told from all three voices, and in different timelines, before and after the disappearance.
There seemed to be nothing of substance that made any of the three women’s voices distinguishable from one another. I constantly had to refer back to the beginning of each chapter to confirm who was speaking.
Sorry to say, this just wasn’t a good fit for me. I wish you better luck that you’ll enjoy it!
A buddy read with Susanne!
Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke for an ARC to review in exchange for an honest review.
Three women, lifelong friends. Two of the three are business partners as well. They’ve all decided to head for Mexico for a much anticipated “friends” retreat. They hope to rebuild their fractured friendships and maybe even make a final decision on the direction of their business.
Of course, nothing goes smoothly, to say the least. In fact, it all hits the fan when their thinly-veiled animosity towards one other explodes. Suddenly, the three women are now just two!
I found this book to be somewhat drawn out and struggled connecting to any of the characters. Told from all three voices, and in different timelines, before and after the disappearance.
There seemed to be nothing of substance that made any of the three women’s voices distinguishable from one another. I constantly had to refer back to the beginning of each chapter to confirm who was speaking.
Sorry to say, this just wasn’t a good fit for me. I wish you better luck that you’ll enjoy it!
A buddy read with Susanne!
Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke for an ARC to review in exchange for an honest review.
July 15, 2018
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley. This will not effect my review of this book.
“Nothing hurts more than being disappointed by the person you thought would never hurt you.”
No truer statement describes the theme of Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke’s book, Girls’ Night Out. A tale of friendships, betrayal, doubt and the fallout of some costly decisions describe this book in a nutshell. What the reader gets to experience are the consequences of what happens when three friends try to reconnect and reestablish an already flawed and strained friendship.
Lauren, Natalie and Ashley put their friendship on the line over the course of a five day trip to the warm and exotic beaches of Tulum, Mexico located on the Yucatán peninsula and get more than they bargained for. Each one takes turns telling their story, what their history is with each other, their hopes for this trip and their true feelings about their other friends.
The reader will not want to put this book down because of the hidden secrets that are revealed on every page.
Fenton and Steinke play a masterful game of suspense and draw readers into a web that will only unravel itself at the very end to know the real truth as to whether three women can save their friendship and ultimately their lives.
#netgalley #GirlsNightOut
“Nothing hurts more than being disappointed by the person you thought would never hurt you.”
No truer statement describes the theme of Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke’s book, Girls’ Night Out. A tale of friendships, betrayal, doubt and the fallout of some costly decisions describe this book in a nutshell. What the reader gets to experience are the consequences of what happens when three friends try to reconnect and reestablish an already flawed and strained friendship.
Lauren, Natalie and Ashley put their friendship on the line over the course of a five day trip to the warm and exotic beaches of Tulum, Mexico located on the Yucatán peninsula and get more than they bargained for. Each one takes turns telling their story, what their history is with each other, their hopes for this trip and their true feelings about their other friends.
The reader will not want to put this book down because of the hidden secrets that are revealed on every page.
Fenton and Steinke play a masterful game of suspense and draw readers into a web that will only unravel itself at the very end to know the real truth as to whether three women can save their friendship and ultimately their lives.
#netgalley #GirlsNightOut
September 22, 2018
Girls Night Out started off intriguing and I was drawn into the lives of these three friends and their secrets and troubling past. I was turning those pages as fast as I could but I soon got weary of being drawn into their consent resentment for each other and things from their past and the bickening between them.
The tension does increase as Natalie and Lauren search for answers as to what happened the night their friend Ashley disappears. The drama also increases and unfortunately for me I didn’t really find anything interesting in the dynamics between these friends. The pace started to slow down for and my focus for the story just wasn’t there.
Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Press for a copy to read and review.
The tension does increase as Natalie and Lauren search for answers as to what happened the night their friend Ashley disappears. The drama also increases and unfortunately for me I didn’t really find anything interesting in the dynamics between these friends. The pace started to slow down for and my focus for the story just wasn’t there.
Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Press for a copy to read and review.
May 31, 2018
Natalie, Ashley and Lauren have been best friends since college but life happened and they drifted apart so in hope of repairing their broken friendship, Ashley invited them on a trip to Mexico. After days of fighting with each other, Ashley disappears and the others are trying to figure out what happened.
I did not connect with the characters, all three women seemed too immature for their age, they are selfish and whiny and at times I had a hard time telling them apart.
The changing of POV’s and different timelines is usually what i enjoy the most, but in ‘Girl’s night out’ it was too distracting, it didn’t work for me, there was too much jumping around back and forth all the time.
The part of the tension between Natalie and Ashley is that they received an offer from Revlon who wants to buy off their company. One wants to sell, the other one does’t. Could the authors really not come up with something more interesting than that?
It’s not a badly written book and I can see why some gave it a high rating but sadly I can’t be one of them.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy.
I did not connect with the characters, all three women seemed too immature for their age, they are selfish and whiny and at times I had a hard time telling them apart.
The changing of POV’s and different timelines is usually what i enjoy the most, but in ‘Girl’s night out’ it was too distracting, it didn’t work for me, there was too much jumping around back and forth all the time.
The part of the tension between Natalie and Ashley is that they received an offer from Revlon who wants to buy off their company. One wants to sell, the other one does’t. Could the authors really not come up with something more interesting than that?
It’s not a badly written book and I can see why some gave it a high rating but sadly I can’t be one of them.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy.
July 25, 2018
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
1.5 Stars
Yeeeesh. This one did not work for me AT. ALL. The story here is about three 40-somethings who take a girls’ trip in order to reconnect. There’s drama between two of them due to the fact that they hit the bigtime with their company “BloMe” (okay I’ll give credit where it’s due to that name) when they invented something every woman didn’t even know they needed until they saw it . . . .
Now one wants to sell and the other doesn’t. Both because of reasons that come out that I didn’t give a rip about. The other friend is there . . . . because I guess the author thought she needed a third wheel/someone to exchange dialogue with about what a dumb bitch the one who goes missing is????
Anyway, as I just said one of thesecardboard cutouts idiots goes missing and the book is about trying to find her.
Warning for anyone who might be interested in going on a trip with me – there’s a pretty simple code you should respect and it goes a lil’ summin’ like . . . . .
If you don’t follow it?????
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
1.5 Stars
Yeeeesh. This one did not work for me AT. ALL. The story here is about three 40-somethings who take a girls’ trip in order to reconnect. There’s drama between two of them due to the fact that they hit the bigtime with their company “BloMe” (okay I’ll give credit where it’s due to that name) when they invented something every woman didn’t even know they needed until they saw it . . . .
Now one wants to sell and the other doesn’t. Both because of reasons that come out that I didn’t give a rip about. The other friend is there . . . . because I guess the author thought she needed a third wheel/someone to exchange dialogue with about what a dumb bitch the one who goes missing is????
Anyway, as I just said one of these
Warning for anyone who might be interested in going on a trip with me – there’s a pretty simple code you should respect and it goes a lil’ summin’ like . . . . .
If you don’t follow it?????
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
April 16, 2018
I received this book for free from the authors in exchange for an honest review.
I give this book 3.5 stars which rounds up to 4.
This book started off really strong. There was a lot of intrigue, which made this a complete page turner. I just couldn’t put it down! I needed to know what happened to Ashley.
Then the ending came and I was a bit disappointed. It wasn’t as big of a reveal as I thought it was going to be. I was expecting a huge twist that usually comes with thrillers, but instead it was more subdued. That being said I still enjoyed the book overall.
I really liked how the authors combined chick lit elements with thriller/suspense elements. The book was a strong blend of the two genres. The setting really helped with that. Mexico was perfect for this story to take place in.
As for the characters, I wasn’t a big fan of any of them. All three of the main characters annoyed me at some point. I just couldn’t get over some of their reasonings for the things they did and the attitudes they held. They were all a little too self absorbed and it was hard to feel any sympathy towards them.
Overall, if you’re looking to unwind and want to read a fast paced and thrilling beach read for the summer, be sure to check out this book!
I give this book 3.5 stars which rounds up to 4.
This book started off really strong. There was a lot of intrigue, which made this a complete page turner. I just couldn’t put it down! I needed to know what happened to Ashley.
Then the ending came and I was a bit disappointed. It wasn’t as big of a reveal as I thought it was going to be. I was expecting a huge twist that usually comes with thrillers, but instead it was more subdued. That being said I still enjoyed the book overall.
I really liked how the authors combined chick lit elements with thriller/suspense elements. The book was a strong blend of the two genres. The setting really helped with that. Mexico was perfect for this story to take place in.
As for the characters, I wasn’t a big fan of any of them. All three of the main characters annoyed me at some point. I just couldn’t get over some of their reasonings for the things they did and the attitudes they held. They were all a little too self absorbed and it was hard to feel any sympathy towards them.
Overall, if you’re looking to unwind and want to read a fast paced and thrilling beach read for the summer, be sure to check out this book!
January 22, 2018
It's trouble in paradise for three best friends struggling to make amends in the latest thriller from the dynamic writing duo of Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. GIRLS' NIGHT OUT is a chilling page-turner full of secrets and hostility that will leave readers shocked again and again... and again. I loved it
August 1, 2018
DNF 60%
SOMEONE GIVE ME THE HOURS I WASTED ON THIS BOOK BACK! I WANT THEM BACK! Reading this was a M I S E R A B L E experience. I love me a good thriller and I was super excited to read one about a girls’ night gone wrong because I love a good girls’ night as much as the next lady, but I also love murder and mystery. Double score. Silly me, I also thought that this was going to be some kind of badass “best girlfriends vs. the bad guy” story.
^^^^ that’s now me laughing at then me
Nat, Ashley and Lauren decide to have a girls’ trip to Tulum to try to repair their friendship, which has fallen apart. Except apparently none of these bitches got that memo because they were so ridiculously petty, argumentative and stubborn. This book gives us all three POVs and not once did it seem like they genuinely wanted to bury the hatchet, besides in each other’s backs. Every attempt to try and “resolve things” turned into a STUPID argument, where they would scream at each other and storm off. You know, like reasonable adults trying to move passed issues. Throughout the whole book I questioned why they even agreed to this trip, it was clear they didn’t like each other. They even went back and forth on whether or not they even wanted to repair anything. WHY ARE WE HERE, LADIES!?
During all this hissing and clawing and suburban housewife inner turmoil (that I didn’t give two shits about) Ashley disappears. Then Lauren and Nat are all, “Remember our “good friend” Ashley? The one we FUCKING HATED? She’s missing, omfg this is so sad”. Now Lauren and Nat give a shit about her, they panic, they cry, they try to figure out what happened while being suspicious of each other. Yada, yada, boohoo, good riddance honestly. Would’ve been better if they all just died.
Not only do these characters suck as a cluster but they are the worst as individuals. They’re boring, and trivial and just so ridiculously annoying. For example: Lauren’s late husband was abusive, Ashley finds out and helps Lauren see that she needs to leave him. Lauren tells him “I’m leaving you because you’re an abusive asshole” and he has a heart attack and dies. That scenario in and of itself is completely unrealistic and ridiculous, but what is even more so is that LAUREN THEN BLAMES ASHLEY FOR HIS DEATH. Another example: At one point Ashley decides it’s a great idea to stand on the sacred table in El Castillo, which they climbed illegally while being in Chichén Itzá illegally, and scream her problems at Lauren. SERIOUSLY. FUCK. THESE. CHARACTERS. They fill me with rage.
The plot is boring and I don’t even care about touching on it. Though what I do care to talk about is the thing that bothered me the most about this book, and that’s how much it villainizes Mexico. Reading this book felt like sitting in a circle of American housewives around their perfectly decorated tables, in their Stepford homes, while they talk about how scary the world is with an emphasis on the Spanish speaking world. Yes, Mexico has gangs and violence and bad people and you could get killed BUT SO DOES EVERY OTHER COUNTRY, MOTHERFUCKERS!! Every country is dangerous. Every country has bad people and opportunists. Just like every country has bad, every country also has good and this book touched on none of the good and beauty of Mexico and it’s people. The amount of times I read lines like “*insert bad thing here* this is mexico after all” filled my travel loving soul with rage. I hateeee people like this. Sorry not sorry. Maybe I would have been a little more lenient if they were in Mexico City but these bitches are in Tulum, IN A RESORT.
*breaths fire*
So yeah, fuck this book. I don’t know who did it or what happens at the end and I don’t even care. I’m just going to keep living in my happy place where they all die at the end.
Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing an ARC in exhange for an honest review.
SOMEONE GIVE ME THE HOURS I WASTED ON THIS BOOK BACK! I WANT THEM BACK! Reading this was a M I S E R A B L E experience. I love me a good thriller and I was super excited to read one about a girls’ night gone wrong because I love a good girls’ night as much as the next lady, but I also love murder and mystery. Double score. Silly me, I also thought that this was going to be some kind of badass “best girlfriends vs. the bad guy” story.
^^^^ that’s now me laughing at then me
Nat, Ashley and Lauren decide to have a girls’ trip to Tulum to try to repair their friendship, which has fallen apart. Except apparently none of these bitches got that memo because they were so ridiculously petty, argumentative and stubborn. This book gives us all three POVs and not once did it seem like they genuinely wanted to bury the hatchet, besides in each other’s backs. Every attempt to try and “resolve things” turned into a STUPID argument, where they would scream at each other and storm off. You know, like reasonable adults trying to move passed issues. Throughout the whole book I questioned why they even agreed to this trip, it was clear they didn’t like each other. They even went back and forth on whether or not they even wanted to repair anything. WHY ARE WE HERE, LADIES!?
During all this hissing and clawing and suburban housewife inner turmoil (that I didn’t give two shits about) Ashley disappears. Then Lauren and Nat are all, “Remember our “good friend” Ashley? The one we FUCKING HATED? She’s missing, omfg this is so sad”. Now Lauren and Nat give a shit about her, they panic, they cry, they try to figure out what happened while being suspicious of each other. Yada, yada, boohoo, good riddance honestly. Would’ve been better if they all just died.
Not only do these characters suck as a cluster but they are the worst as individuals. They’re boring, and trivial and just so ridiculously annoying. For example: Lauren’s late husband was abusive, Ashley finds out and helps Lauren see that she needs to leave him. Lauren tells him “I’m leaving you because you’re an abusive asshole” and he has a heart attack and dies. That scenario in and of itself is completely unrealistic and ridiculous, but what is even more so is that LAUREN THEN BLAMES ASHLEY FOR HIS DEATH. Another example: At one point Ashley decides it’s a great idea to stand on the sacred table in El Castillo, which they climbed illegally while being in Chichén Itzá illegally, and scream her problems at Lauren. SERIOUSLY. FUCK. THESE. CHARACTERS. They fill me with rage.
The plot is boring and I don’t even care about touching on it. Though what I do care to talk about is the thing that bothered me the most about this book, and that’s how much it villainizes Mexico. Reading this book felt like sitting in a circle of American housewives around their perfectly decorated tables, in their Stepford homes, while they talk about how scary the world is with an emphasis on the Spanish speaking world. Yes, Mexico has gangs and violence and bad people and you could get killed BUT SO DOES EVERY OTHER COUNTRY, MOTHERFUCKERS!! Every country is dangerous. Every country has bad people and opportunists. Just like every country has bad, every country also has good and this book touched on none of the good and beauty of Mexico and it’s people. The amount of times I read lines like “*insert bad thing here* this is mexico after all” filled my travel loving soul with rage. I hateeee people like this. Sorry not sorry. Maybe I would have been a little more lenient if they were in Mexico City but these bitches are in Tulum, IN A RESORT.
*breaths fire*
So yeah, fuck this book. I don’t know who did it or what happens at the end and I don’t even care. I’m just going to keep living in my happy place where they all die at the end.
Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing an ARC in exhange for an honest review.
March 20, 2022
Estranged friends Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren take a trip together to Tulum, Mexico to try to restore their damaged friendship and to heal old wounds. While there, all doesn’t go as planned and along the way Ashley goes missing. I thought this book had an interesting premise, but unfortunately that couldn’t save it from the completely unlikable and selfish cast of characters. The story was filled with constant bickering and arguing amongst the three “friends” (who it was hard to believe were ever friends to begin with). I only persevered through this story because I was interested enough to find out what happened to Ashley, but too much negativity and fighting just made this a tiresome read.
August 5, 2018
3.5 Stars* (rounded down)
Ashley, Natalie and Lauren have been best friends since College, yet as time has gone on, their friendship has waned. It happens to everyone right? Yet Ashley just can’t handle it. She needs them and just isn’t whole without them. As a way to re-solidify their friendship, and celebrate their all turning the big 40, Ashley plans a trip to Tulum, Mexico.
There is only one small problem with her idea. Lauren and Ash haven’t really spoken in a year. Not since their “big” fight at Lauren’s husband funeral and Natalie and Ash? Well they have been arguing over their uber successful company - which Natalie would like to sell to Revlon and Ash would like to keep. Oh…and the other problem? All three have secrets from each other. Big secrets. Secrets that threaten to tear them apart.
Once the Girls arrive in Mexico the barbs fly. So do the drinks. If only they could relax, have fun and enjoy - things would have been different. Maybe nothing would have gone wrong. Maybe Ashley would not have gone taken off. But she did. And now she’s missing.
“Girls Night Out” is a quick, easy read. It was crazy, suspenseful and intriguing. Unfortunately, none of the characters were likable which made it hard to invest in the story. In addition the events were somewhat unbelievable, regardless, I still found the book entertaining and would recommend it to those looking for a mystery/suspense.
This was a buddy read with Kaceey. This read garnered lots of discussion between the two of us.
Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Published on Goodreads and NetGalley on 8.4.18.
Ashley, Natalie and Lauren have been best friends since College, yet as time has gone on, their friendship has waned. It happens to everyone right? Yet Ashley just can’t handle it. She needs them and just isn’t whole without them. As a way to re-solidify their friendship, and celebrate their all turning the big 40, Ashley plans a trip to Tulum, Mexico.
There is only one small problem with her idea. Lauren and Ash haven’t really spoken in a year. Not since their “big” fight at Lauren’s husband funeral and Natalie and Ash? Well they have been arguing over their uber successful company - which Natalie would like to sell to Revlon and Ash would like to keep. Oh…and the other problem? All three have secrets from each other. Big secrets. Secrets that threaten to tear them apart.
Once the Girls arrive in Mexico the barbs fly. So do the drinks. If only they could relax, have fun and enjoy - things would have been different. Maybe nothing would have gone wrong. Maybe Ashley would not have gone taken off. But she did. And now she’s missing.
“Girls Night Out” is a quick, easy read. It was crazy, suspenseful and intriguing. Unfortunately, none of the characters were likable which made it hard to invest in the story. In addition the events were somewhat unbelievable, regardless, I still found the book entertaining and would recommend it to those looking for a mystery/suspense.
This was a buddy read with Kaceey. This read garnered lots of discussion between the two of us.
Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Published on Goodreads and NetGalley on 8.4.18.
April 25, 2018
Before I start my review, I just want to say that I'm so happy that I waited until after my trip to Mexico to read this. It soooo would've given me nightmares! Dynamic duo Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke are back causing trouble for us with
Girls Night Out
. Three estranged long-term friends Natalie, Ashley, and Lauren decide to vacation in Tulum, Mexico (been here before and it's AMAZING! Definitely try to make an effort to visit before it becomes the next Cancun) for a girls getaway in hopes of healing old wounds and starting the next chapters of their lives together. The three of them carry a lot of baggage—too much for just one quick getaway can manage (Delta charges $50 per checked bag btw, WTF?!). Ashley and Natalie have launched a successful business together, climbing the beauty industry ladder day-by-day; Lauren is coping with the fallout after her husband Geoff's death last year and her strained and distant relationship with Ashley. Can the three manage to patch up old wounds and start fresh?
Everything seems to be going according to the ladies's plans, until one night Natalie wakes up on the beach, hungover and blacked out from the night before. In order to retrace her steps, she hopes to find Ashley and Lauren and see if they can help her piece together anything that could let her know why she was being so careless. When Natalie tries to find Ashley at their shared hotel room, she is nowhere to be found—Ashley is missing!
Natalie and Lauren decide to involve the authorities, but also try to retrace their steps and figure out what exactly happened the night before. Was Ashley kidnapped? Who was that man that she ignited a friendship with earlier that day? With time running out, Natalie and Lauren's search grows in suspicion and deception. Will they find Ashley or are there some secrets never meant to be found?
Girls Night Out is a light mystery that is totally perfect for summer. It's a quick, easy read that you can totally pick up while at the pool, cuddled up on the couch, or a read before bed. It's meant to be light and mysterious, yet also realistic and relatable. While I was reading Girls Night Out , I could totally envision the story happening in my real life! This makes for more of an engaging story for those who have deep friendships that have gone through the gauntlet before. While none of the three characters are extremely likeable, they are all in fact relatable to some degree. Each of the three women are dealing with serious issues that we all face at some point: e.g.: the loss of a loved one, relationship hurdles with your significant other, financial insecurity. I have not met one person who cannot raise their handle to all three. The way that the Fenton and Steinke team have assembled this mystery while undertaking these thematic elements resonated with me so much. While this story may not be for everybody (I seriously want to make this disclaimer), I think many will appreciate the honest storytelling in Girls Night Out .
Thank you to Amazon Publishing for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Girls Night Out will be released on July 24, 2018.
Everything seems to be going according to the ladies's plans, until one night Natalie wakes up on the beach, hungover and blacked out from the night before. In order to retrace her steps, she hopes to find Ashley and Lauren and see if they can help her piece together anything that could let her know why she was being so careless. When Natalie tries to find Ashley at their shared hotel room, she is nowhere to be found—Ashley is missing!
Natalie and Lauren decide to involve the authorities, but also try to retrace their steps and figure out what exactly happened the night before. Was Ashley kidnapped? Who was that man that she ignited a friendship with earlier that day? With time running out, Natalie and Lauren's search grows in suspicion and deception. Will they find Ashley or are there some secrets never meant to be found?
Girls Night Out is a light mystery that is totally perfect for summer. It's a quick, easy read that you can totally pick up while at the pool, cuddled up on the couch, or a read before bed. It's meant to be light and mysterious, yet also realistic and relatable. While I was reading Girls Night Out , I could totally envision the story happening in my real life! This makes for more of an engaging story for those who have deep friendships that have gone through the gauntlet before. While none of the three characters are extremely likeable, they are all in fact relatable to some degree. Each of the three women are dealing with serious issues that we all face at some point: e.g.: the loss of a loved one, relationship hurdles with your significant other, financial insecurity. I have not met one person who cannot raise their handle to all three. The way that the Fenton and Steinke team have assembled this mystery while undertaking these thematic elements resonated with me so much. While this story may not be for everybody (I seriously want to make this disclaimer), I think many will appreciate the honest storytelling in Girls Night Out .
Thank you to Amazon Publishing for providing me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Girls Night Out will be released on July 24, 2018.
May 6, 2018
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a free, electronic ARC of this novel.
In a desperate attempt to rekindle their dying friendship, Natalie, Lauren and Ashley take a vacation to Tulum, Mexico, a resort town known for its restorative properties. When Ashley goes missing after a girl’s night out, Lauren and Natalie must try and recover their foggy, alcohol-infused memories, as well as come to terms with their own secrets and feelings, and try to discover what happened to Ashley. Did she run away from her life, as she often talked about? Was she kidnapped by the handsome tour guide, Marco? Or, what’s worse, could Lauren or Natalie have been responsible?
Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, authors of “The Good Widow”, return with “Girls’ Night Out”. The novel, identified as psychological suspense, starts off very slow. In fact, I almost DNF’ed it before I reached the halfway point. Lauren, Natalie and Ashley are grown women who abandon their husbands and families to travel to a resort in Mexico to try and rekindle a friendship that should have been dissolved years ago. Ashley is a completely unlikable character, she is completely selfish, shallow and self-centred and without Lauren and Natalie, she has absolutely no appealing characteristics.
The story is told from all three of the characters’ perspectives, both before Ashley disappears and after. The alternating timelines help build up the plot, and are relatively easy to follow.
It wasn’t until more than halfway through this novel when I actually became engaged in it. The shallow drama between the three women was boring and pedantic, and it wasn’t until Ashley went missing that the story began to draw me in. After the halfway point, I found this novel difficult to put down. I wonder how the authors “co-wrote”. Did one author write the first half and the other the second? Or did they alternate chapters? The novel seemed to be written in two completely separate writing styles.
The ending was satisfying and, although not entirely unpredictable, it brought the novel to a just conclusion.
Initially, I would have given this novel a high three-star rating, but due to the fast-paced, entertaining ending, “Girls’ Night Out” gets a four-star. That being said, I am absolutely desperate for a really good, five-star, pulse-pounding, thought-provoking read. Let’s hope my next read brings me what I seek.
In a desperate attempt to rekindle their dying friendship, Natalie, Lauren and Ashley take a vacation to Tulum, Mexico, a resort town known for its restorative properties. When Ashley goes missing after a girl’s night out, Lauren and Natalie must try and recover their foggy, alcohol-infused memories, as well as come to terms with their own secrets and feelings, and try to discover what happened to Ashley. Did she run away from her life, as she often talked about? Was she kidnapped by the handsome tour guide, Marco? Or, what’s worse, could Lauren or Natalie have been responsible?
Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, authors of “The Good Widow”, return with “Girls’ Night Out”. The novel, identified as psychological suspense, starts off very slow. In fact, I almost DNF’ed it before I reached the halfway point. Lauren, Natalie and Ashley are grown women who abandon their husbands and families to travel to a resort in Mexico to try and rekindle a friendship that should have been dissolved years ago. Ashley is a completely unlikable character, she is completely selfish, shallow and self-centred and without Lauren and Natalie, she has absolutely no appealing characteristics.
The story is told from all three of the characters’ perspectives, both before Ashley disappears and after. The alternating timelines help build up the plot, and are relatively easy to follow.
It wasn’t until more than halfway through this novel when I actually became engaged in it. The shallow drama between the three women was boring and pedantic, and it wasn’t until Ashley went missing that the story began to draw me in. After the halfway point, I found this novel difficult to put down. I wonder how the authors “co-wrote”. Did one author write the first half and the other the second? Or did they alternate chapters? The novel seemed to be written in two completely separate writing styles.
The ending was satisfying and, although not entirely unpredictable, it brought the novel to a just conclusion.
Initially, I would have given this novel a high three-star rating, but due to the fast-paced, entertaining ending, “Girls’ Night Out” gets a four-star. That being said, I am absolutely desperate for a really good, five-star, pulse-pounding, thought-provoking read. Let’s hope my next read brings me what I seek.
July 25, 2018
I knew straight away this was the book for me!! A story about friendship and betrayal that’s beautifully written and stays with you after reading it.
Lauren, Ashley and Natalie are friends that are not as close as they used to be, so Ashley invites them to stay with her in Mexico hoping that they can build bridges between them, but it will take more than sea, sand and Sangria’s when friends are keeping secrets from each other!!
After a night out with local Marco, Natalie wakes up the next day on the beach alone and Ashley is missing. Has something happened to her or has she run away!!
I loved the dynamics of this friendship, 3 close friends but 1 will always feel left out. As the story unfolds we discover why their friendship unravels and that each of them was partly to blame.
The question is do we ever really know someone or what they are capable of doing? We all have secrets that we may not want to share and this book just blew me away. This twisting intriguing thriller made me think about my friendships and whether I am a good friend after all!!
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for a review.
Lauren, Ashley and Natalie are friends that are not as close as they used to be, so Ashley invites them to stay with her in Mexico hoping that they can build bridges between them, but it will take more than sea, sand and Sangria’s when friends are keeping secrets from each other!!
After a night out with local Marco, Natalie wakes up the next day on the beach alone and Ashley is missing. Has something happened to her or has she run away!!
I loved the dynamics of this friendship, 3 close friends but 1 will always feel left out. As the story unfolds we discover why their friendship unravels and that each of them was partly to blame.
The question is do we ever really know someone or what they are capable of doing? We all have secrets that we may not want to share and this book just blew me away. This twisting intriguing thriller made me think about my friendships and whether I am a good friend after all!!
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for a review.
April 30, 2018
Liz and Lisa's GIRLS NIGHT OUT is a strong follow-up to the bestselling THE GOOD WIDOW. Three friends go on a girls' trip to Mexico to try to repair their friendship. But when one of them goes missing after a night out drinking--and fighting--they're left trying to puzzle out what happened the night before. Sparkling characters, real friendships, and a fast-paced mystery: what more could you ask for in your next read?
February 23, 2020
"There was still time to rediscover the smiling women from the framed picture. They hadn't veered so far off the path.
Had they"?
Girls' Night Out by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke
It seems appropriate I would be reviewing this book on National Margarita day.
So this was a quite a read and I mean that in a good way. There are so many mixed reviews of this book. I fall into the "loved it" camp.
Plot has been gone over..three friends looking to reconnect take trip to Mexico. The book initially appears that it is going to be way lighter than it is. Man, this was a painful read!
The themes here are friendship..and forgiveness. What I really loved is how the writers were able to get inside the heads of the women and show how simmering resentment can lead to utter and complete toxicity.
I speak from personal experience. I have lost friends and while the reasons maybe different, the bottom line is I was thrust back in time reading t hi s. I understood these women. I sure can understand not speaking up, allowing resentments to pile up, culminating in total and complete disaster.
I have had more dysfunctional friendships than I care to remember. And I think many people have. It is a pretty harsh reality when one realizes that maybe caring cannot save the day.
The writers included a note on how writing this almost broke apart their own friendship. I get that and am glad it didn't. We need these two writers to write more books! They did an outstanding job with this one.
I honestly disliked ALL the women at various points. Lauren was the toughest for me to understand. But I felt for Ashley although I started to dislike her too. Her manipulative ways and utter disregard for her best friend's life and needs..that was painful.
Still, she did not deserve her final fate. I have to say that, like the women, my loyalties were shifting constantly. But through the book, I had to know what happened to Ashley. I just had to.
My opinion at the end of the day is that these women were toxic for each other and no way was their friendship salvageable. To much pain, to much hurt. It was a very sad book. And so addicting!
SPOILERS:
The twist at the end made sense given what the reader is told about Ashley.
I did love the lovely descriptions of Mexico and I love Margaritas so there's that!
I would strongly recommend this book.
Had they"?
Girls' Night Out by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke
It seems appropriate I would be reviewing this book on National Margarita day.
So this was a quite a read and I mean that in a good way. There are so many mixed reviews of this book. I fall into the "loved it" camp.
Plot has been gone over..three friends looking to reconnect take trip to Mexico. The book initially appears that it is going to be way lighter than it is. Man, this was a painful read!
The themes here are friendship..and forgiveness. What I really loved is how the writers were able to get inside the heads of the women and show how simmering resentment can lead to utter and complete toxicity.
I speak from personal experience. I have lost friends and while the reasons maybe different, the bottom line is I was thrust back in time reading t hi s. I understood these women. I sure can understand not speaking up, allowing resentments to pile up, culminating in total and complete disaster.
I have had more dysfunctional friendships than I care to remember. And I think many people have. It is a pretty harsh reality when one realizes that maybe caring cannot save the day.
The writers included a note on how writing this almost broke apart their own friendship. I get that and am glad it didn't. We need these two writers to write more books! They did an outstanding job with this one.
I honestly disliked ALL the women at various points. Lauren was the toughest for me to understand. But I felt for Ashley although I started to dislike her too. Her manipulative ways and utter disregard for her best friend's life and needs..that was painful.
Still, she did not deserve her final fate. I have to say that, like the women, my loyalties were shifting constantly. But through the book, I had to know what happened to Ashley. I just had to.
My opinion at the end of the day is that these women were toxic for each other and no way was their friendship salvageable. To much pain, to much hurt. It was a very sad book. And so addicting!
SPOILERS:
The twist at the end made sense given what the reader is told about Ashley.
I did love the lovely descriptions of Mexico and I love Margaritas so there's that!
I would strongly recommend this book.
June 22, 2018
Last summer I was raving about Liz and Lisa’s The Good Widow and was SO excited to hear that they would be sticking with suspense for this next book as well. This had many of the same aspects that worked so well for me in TGW; it’s extremely fast paced and exciting, it’s addictive the kind of book you can’t put down until you finish and it’s set in another stunning location that the authors bring to life!
At its core this book is about female friendships and not just the fun, sunny side. It explores the darker side and how the dynamics of a group of three can be so tricky even in a small group that’s known each other for two decades. You get to hear from all three ladies and it flips from the day they arrive to the morning after the night Ashley disappears. The idea of someone vanishing in Mexico scares the living hell out of me, my family and I travel to Mexico at least twice per year but three women vacationing alone there? Yikes, I won’t be doing that anytime soon! The possibilities were endless in terms of what happened to Ashley, was she kidnapped? Killed? Did she abandon her old life to start a new one? The theories were abundant and as more details were revealed about the intricacies of Ashley, Lauren and Natalie’s friendship, questions just kept piling up.
I’m going to stop there and just say this has beach read written all over it, it’s intense enough to satisfy thriller fans yet light enough for readers who don’t do well with violence, it will appeal to everyone, so don’t miss it!
Girls Night Out in three words: Dramatic, Entertaining and Addictive.
At its core this book is about female friendships and not just the fun, sunny side. It explores the darker side and how the dynamics of a group of three can be so tricky even in a small group that’s known each other for two decades. You get to hear from all three ladies and it flips from the day they arrive to the morning after the night Ashley disappears. The idea of someone vanishing in Mexico scares the living hell out of me, my family and I travel to Mexico at least twice per year but three women vacationing alone there? Yikes, I won’t be doing that anytime soon! The possibilities were endless in terms of what happened to Ashley, was she kidnapped? Killed? Did she abandon her old life to start a new one? The theories were abundant and as more details were revealed about the intricacies of Ashley, Lauren and Natalie’s friendship, questions just kept piling up.
I’m going to stop there and just say this has beach read written all over it, it’s intense enough to satisfy thriller fans yet light enough for readers who don’t do well with violence, it will appeal to everyone, so don’t miss it!
Girls Night Out in three words: Dramatic, Entertaining and Addictive.
July 24, 2018
Three friends with issues to resolve take a trip to Mexico to try to reconnect.
The issues seemed to compound rather than lessen. When one of the friends is missing the morning after a wild night of drinking, the tension between the two remaining friends continues and worsens as their fears mount.
GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT goes back and forth from past to present bringing with it a bit of confusion as to what is going on for the reader, but revealing that the friends have a lot of secrets they never told each other.
The book actually dragged on for me even though the secrets were interesting, but they were a bit too vague to bring anything to the story for me until around half way through the book when the reasons for the fights and the estrangements started to emerge.
The tension mounted even more when the police arrived, but up until that point, I didn’t think there was that much suspense.
GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT gives wonderful reasons for friendships to repair themselves and for women to support each other.
GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT was suspenseful because of the missing friend, but the majority of the book was about repairing friendships and revealing secrets.
Most of the secrets dealt with domestic abuse which is an excellent topic to get out in the open.
Another issue about being safe and making smart decisions when you are in a foreign country and with strangers was addressed. That is great advice and very frightening.
The tension in the last 20% of the book definitely picked up my interest and my opinion despite the slow read until then. So instead of a 3/5, I am changing my rating to a 4/5.
I received an Advanced Reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
July 24, 2018
Ashley, Natalie and Lauren. Is three a crowd? Can three women be best friends and there NOT be any drama? Sometimes a good travel for some quality face time can help these tenuous relationships - sometimes. Look, I'm not going to go deep into the plot - I'm going to explain why this book resonated with me.
Best friendships are like marriages and family - there are ups and downs. It's easy to take your irritations and frustrations out on the people you know best. There WILL be some drama and especially in a core group of 3, sometimes you feel closer to one than the other and then switch off and typically two will always be a bit more bonded - for whatever reason or circumstance. It's purely mathematics, people 😉. Jokes aside, this resonated with me because I happen to have two best girl friends - we do a girls trip every year and there have definitely been ups and downs and drama and yada yada throughout our 20 plus years of friendship. The fact that the trio in the book are basically our ages made it all the more real. (Noting, do NOT go to Tulum - I kid! I kid!)
What I got from this book is that it is a book about friendship, forgiveness, the need for freakin' communication and how no matter how bad it gets, these women are your ride and dies and quite frankly, not easy to shake! I did want to know what happened to Ashley - this ending. Who has read this? CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS ALREADY? It triggered a tingling that was fairly reminiscent to something else I read not too long ago... I just wish my brain would work for me so I knew exactly what that was. Is there such thing as book deja vu?
If you've read books from this fabulous duo already then you'll be apt to like this one as well. They're proving to write compelling thrillers. I think those who can understand this friendship dynamic will really find this book to touch them in a different way than others might. I can't wait to tell my besties about this while we're on our girls' trip next month... and I hope WE have a different ending. 😜
Thanks so much to the publisher for this copy!
Best friendships are like marriages and family - there are ups and downs. It's easy to take your irritations and frustrations out on the people you know best. There WILL be some drama and especially in a core group of 3, sometimes you feel closer to one than the other and then switch off and typically two will always be a bit more bonded - for whatever reason or circumstance. It's purely mathematics, people 😉. Jokes aside, this resonated with me because I happen to have two best girl friends - we do a girls trip every year and there have definitely been ups and downs and drama and yada yada throughout our 20 plus years of friendship. The fact that the trio in the book are basically our ages made it all the more real. (Noting, do NOT go to Tulum - I kid! I kid!)
What I got from this book is that it is a book about friendship, forgiveness, the need for freakin' communication and how no matter how bad it gets, these women are your ride and dies and quite frankly, not easy to shake! I did want to know what happened to Ashley - this ending. Who has read this? CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS ALREADY? It triggered a tingling that was fairly reminiscent to something else I read not too long ago... I just wish my brain would work for me so I knew exactly what that was. Is there such thing as book deja vu?
If you've read books from this fabulous duo already then you'll be apt to like this one as well. They're proving to write compelling thrillers. I think those who can understand this friendship dynamic will really find this book to touch them in a different way than others might. I can't wait to tell my besties about this while we're on our girls' trip next month... and I hope WE have a different ending. 😜
Thanks so much to the publisher for this copy!
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