Give Me Your Hand follows two ex-friends, Kit Owens and Diane Fleming who met when they were teenagers at camp. Diane appears in Kit's chemistry class and they are forced into a competition. Their friendship is sealed, and they soon become inseparable. But Diane shares a secret with Kit, a secret which changes their friendship forever. Kit shared a secret she had at camp, but it wasn't as big as Diane's secret. The teens drift apart and both go their separate ways.

I love reading stories in which you go from the past to the present.

I love Megan Abbott. I think she is one of the most accomplished novelists writing today. Just the mere scent of a new book from her gets my reader blood all bubbly and excited. Getting to meet her in person is one of those experiences that cannot be measured in the regular way.

But Give Me Your Hand didn't quite do it for me. It's a good book with a compelling plot, and strong female characters. I just didn't fall down the rabbit hole this time as quickly or deeply as I usually do with Abbott's books. Everyone else is five starring this though, so I'm fully taking the blame that it's my fault and I'm bummed that I didn't experience what everyone else did.

Now back to counting down the days to Abbott's next book. The wait is always agonizing.

Give Me Your Hand is difficult to rate. Some parts were excellent while others were just okay. The story is told in the "Then" and "Now," and I think I preferred the Then sections. I think the best part of the novel is the exploration of the complexities of friendships. Early on, you can see the cracks in Kit and Diane's relationship and it was interesting to see how jealousy can drive people apart so spectacularly. I also enjoyed the parts that delved into ambitious women and the roadblocks in place when trying to make their way in a male-dominated profession. Although good at times, the story did seem to drag and the ending didn't work for me. Overall, 3.5 out of 5 stars.

First Meg Abbott book I’ve read but won’t be my last. Kept my attention and had me reading past my bedtime to see what happened.

I love Megan Abbott, and Give Me your Hand did not disappoint. I could not put it down! I highly recommend this one.

Ok read. Not good not bad. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I enjoyed this read, but can't say I loved it. I had a hard time connecting with the two main characters and had trouble really caring about their outcome. I liked the ending and felt that it brought a new look to the secret.

This was just an okay read for me. It was kind of slow in some places, but otherwise, not the greatest thriller that I've read.

I don't know...this one really missed the mark for me. I loved the "Then" and "Now" format as we learn about the two high school friends, Kit and Diane and the past they shared, but it felt like a YA novel with the high school rivalry. I really wasn't as invested in the characters in this book which made it harder for me to get into. The ending really confused me.

How do you go through life knowing that no matter what you accomplish you’ll always be second best. This is what Kit has dealt with since meeting Diane. Diane is no angel, but has somehow convinced society she is the smartest and most reliable person in science right behind the genius Dr. Severin. However, Diane has a dark secret that only Kit knows. Now when Kit is once again running against Diane in her profession, she has some hard choices to make. This book is one twist after another. I could not put it down!

Give me your hand by Megan Abbott, psychological thriller, weaves an intricate pattern with the past and present twisting who you can trust into a complex maze to challenge the sleuth in the reader.

While I usually enjoy Megan Abbott's books, this one didn't do it for me. I found it to be a slow read--it wasn't holding my interest. I also thought the plotline was a bit unrealistic, which may have played into the difficulty I had in finishing the book. The main characters were not particularly likeable and I found myself not really caring what happened to them. I much prefer her earlier works.

This is a super fast paced read. So many time I asked myself "what the hell just happened". I loved not knowing what would happen next. The author also does a great job at switching from past to present, only giving a little of the story away each time, you will truly not know the full explanation of what happened until the very very end, this created such good suspense. Highly Highly Recommend.

This book was quite captivating—it was a challenge to put it down! It kept me on my toes and constantly guessing what might happen next. There were several unexpected twists and turns. If you are a fan of this author, you will love this book!

It is the personal secrets, both the secrets we tell and the secrets we keep, that fuel Megan Abbott’s latest novel, Give Me Your Hand. Kit is a rising star in her hard-earned career as a postdoc researcher in Dr. Severin’s lab, a scientist whom she has looked up to since she was a teenager. Yet everything becomes a lot more tenuous when a former friend and rival is hired at the lab with the assumption that the latter will be awarded one of the two coveted spots on Dr. Severin’s upcoming and well-funded project. The recent hire isn’t any ordinary competition, she is Kit’s high school friend Diane Fleming, who revealed a dark and devastating secret to her when they were younger.

Up until Diane’s arrival, Kit’s life has been routine and consumed by work: early mornings before her colleagues arrive at the lab and the last one out at the end of the day. But with her, Diane brings a destructive secret, one that so burdens Kit that she doesn’t initially reveal their past friendship to the other researchers. She is haunted by it, almost bubbling over, ready to tell the secret at any chance. When a horrifying incident in the lab stuns Kit, leaving her unable to act rationally, she becomes wrapped up once again with Diane, who now has a secret on Kit.

Abbott is slyly adept at exponentially building tension. The novel is from Kit’s point of view, both now and then, with the then being her time in high school and summer camp with Diane. The past informs the future and the temporarily unknown finally bursts through as the reader waits for all the secrets to pour out in one satisfying flood. Abbott satisfies the desire for suspense, and, like her previous novels, the author masterfully delves into the complicated relationships between women and girls. Give Me Your Hand is all-around gratifying and another addition to Abbott’s already stellar oeuvre.

I love Megan Abbott and I was thrilled to get the chance to read more of her and she didn't let me down! This was another well written suspense novel and the cover art grabs you. Spectacular job all around.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for and honest review.

I really enjoyed the Then and Now timeline in this book. It helps get you invested in the characters without revealing to much.

Abbott gives you a little bit of friendship and secrets in this book Abbott is able to give you atmosphere and make it look effortless!

This is a tale of female empowerment gone a little off the rails. Abbott really knows how to develop female relationships. They may be a bit crazy but she gets all of the nuances just right.

I wish I had known this was based on a true story. I literally went down a rabbit hole when I found out.

My second Megan Abbott book and it is just as dark and cruel as the last. Abbott has a very distinctive writing style: it's almost as if she's vivisecting her characters with her words. There is a careful, sharp, ruthlessness to her prose.

I am sorry for not reviewing fully but I don’t have the time to read this at the moment. I believe that it wouldn't benefit you as a publisher or your book if I only skimmed it and wrote a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for not fully reviewing!