This book is my first by these 2 authors, but I will be reading more. The story focuses around 3 best friends. They are taking a dream trip to Tulum, Mexico in order to reconnect their friendship. Sand, sun, drinking on the beach.....what more could a girl ask for? The girls need to sort through their past that is full of secrets, betrayal, and lots of lies. Jump right in and read all about Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren. One night out full of drinking and fighting and Ashley never returns to her room....she is missing and no one knows where she's at. You will be rushing to read this book to put the pieces together. This book was an amazing read with lots of twists and turns! You will love it....and it will keep you on your toes!

Thank You to Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and the authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke for an ARC in exchange for an hones review. All opinions are my own and independent of receiving and advanced copy.

Three girls, who were at one time best friends, had a falling out and decide to go to Mexico to see if they can mend their relationships. Ashley, Natalie and Lauren soon discover that friendships are not so easily put back together, even if they miss each other and want to try to mend fences. What was supposed to be a week of reconnecting and reaffirming their love for each other, ended up being filled with harsh words and hurt feelings. Then, tragedy strikes when Ashley goes missing and Natalie wakes up disoriented, on the beach, with no memory of what happened. The story is told in alternating chapters, through all three of the girls’ perspectives and jumps back and forth in time from the days leading up to Ashley’s disappearance to the days after.

Ashley and Natalie are co-owners of a very successful business with a product called “Blo-Me”, a hair brush that blow dries your hair. I know right! The authors do have fun with it and those tongue in cheek moments are only part of the charm of this book. The novel could have an identity crisis - am I a thriller?, am I chick lit?, am I about friendship?, but it does such a great job of combining all these different aspects into one really enjoyable read. I was reading something else and someone’s review of this book caught my eye. I didn’t read the review because I didn’t want it to influence (or ruin) the book for me, but I thought I would just see what the first few pages were like. I was hooked. It was such easy reading that I flew through the book in about a day. It did a great balancing act between these different genres that it’s parts ended up becoming greater than the whole.

So Ashley and Natalie are at odds because a huge offer from Revlon has come in to buy their company. Natalie wants to, well needs to sell and Ashley refuses. They each have their reasons but has caused a rift in their very strong bond. This tension between them has also caused them to stop confiding in each other, which further creates distance. Then there is Lauren, who lost her husband a year ago. Ashley and Lauren had a huge fight at the funeral and both said horrible things that has led them to not speaking for the past year. Ashley’s marriage is falling apart and she needs her best friends. She invites them both to go on this trip to Mexico and hopes that by extending the olive branch they can all make their way back to each other.

Fenton and Steinke get so many things right about friendships, which I found to be the most enjoyable part of this book. Ashley is a force of nature. Beautiful and outgoing, she is someone who is used to getting her way. Confident and sexy, she can manipulate anyone to give her anything and is used to flying by the seat of her pants leaving someone else to clean up her mess. But everyone is drawn to her, including both her best friends. As can happen in threesomes, both Natalie and Lauren are jealous of the other person’s relationship with Ashley and they each want Ashley to choose them first. They fight for her attention. The dynamics of their relationship along with their personalities impacts on whether or not they will be able to reconcile on this trip. As the book develops and more facts become clear, you really understand how this plays out in their friendship. Who hasn’t had these relationships in their life? You can relate to each of these women because we have all been them at one point or another in our lives.

The thriller part of the novel was enough to keep me intrigued. There is a mysterious man, Marcos, who enchants Ashley. The girls know that he has lied about who he is. Natalie wakes up all wet after having slept on the beach with no memory of the night before. Was she drugged or is her mind protecting her from something worse. Lauren had a terrible fight with Ashley and left them to return to the hotel. Her words were so awful, if only she could have forgiven Ashley. Everything gets answered, if in an ambiguous sort of way. The only weak part of the book for me was the role of mother. Both Ashley and Natalie are mothers and neither of the depictions rang true. It could be that it would have been too much to add something else in the mix but I didn’t buy it. There was a lot of time and effort put into each of the ladies’ husbands but the kids part seemed off. I didn’t need them to be mother of the year, but I didn’t buy these women who were so invested in their relationships with each other, their husbands and their business to then be so flat with their kids.

You should also check out the story behind the authors. I read the afterwords and was so intrigued I went to their website. Their story was so cute and exciting that I am interested in reading (and have purchased) their other novels. I can see why they write about friendship so clearly!

I received a free e-copy of Girls' Night Out by Liz Fenton from NetGalley for my honest review.

Three women (Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren) who have been friends since college go on a vacation to Tulum, Mexico in order to reconnect their friendship. One year ago, Ashley and Lauren had a falling out and Ashley is hoping the vacation can repair their friendship.

Ashley's life seems perfect. She lives in a giant, beautiful home, has a wonderful husband, and two daughters. Her company is a success and Revlon has offered to buy it from her. People love her. But, Ashley is keeping secrets from her best friends.

Lauren has had a rough year. After her fight with Ashley, her life has been full of bad times. When she's invited to Mexico, she has mixed feelings on if she should go. She wants to forget about what tore their friendship apart but she wants to punish Ashley as well.

Natalie is Ashley's business partner of a company named BloMe. She came up with the idea of the BlowBrush, but Ashley is the one who did all the marketing on it. Natalie holds a grudge against Ashley because she made the company a success. But Natalie and her family have benefited from the success of the company. Natalie wants to sell the company to Revlon but she won't tell Ashley why she wants to sell it.

On vacation they spend a lot of time drinking. Then one night Ashley doesn't come back to the hotel. Where is Ashley? Did she run away from her friends to escape her problems? Did she get kidnapped or worse? This book is a roller coaster of a ride.

Girls` Night Out has a strong message about friendship. The authors gave us a good look at the different nuances of friendship and how each one deals with the interactions.

Wow what a ride this book took me for. Girls Night Out follows three friends trying to fix their friendship while on a trip to Mexico. The twists and turns in this story kept me engaged and guessing until the end. I loved that I really couldn't tell the difference in where one author ended and the other started. It was very well written! Can't wait for more!

Love the setting of the book. Kind of a little slow for me. The Friends made me very mad a a few points. But the book did keep me interested and was a very nice written book.

I was so excited to open the pages of this book and settle in for a few hours of pure entertainment, which is exactly what I got with this story. There were some very tense moments, very strained friendships and so many secrets, so the reading wasn’t always calm and peaceful but boy was it fabulous. It took me a long time to figure out the chilling mystery but I loved that this book kept me guessing.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of atmospheric suspense where the setting is as real as the characters. This one was so well written and I loved every minute.

I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

It took me twice to pick up this book and get involved, but once I did: wow!

This book is about estranged friends who come together for a reunion trip and one ends up missing. The book travels back and fourth in time, but it was never confusing. I don't want to discuss the plot too much, as you do not want to be spoiled heading in. Plenty of suspense and drama!

I really enjoyed the authors' voice and would like to read other books by them.

Three friends of over twenty years go on a Mexican vacation to repair their fractured relationship. Ashley, who planned the trip is desperate to fix her bond with Lauren and Natalie, but seems to ignore them completely in favor of a handsome stranger who says the things she wants to hear. On their last night Ashley goes missing, Natalie wakes up on a beach soaking wet with no memories of what happened the night before. As the book progressed and we find out all the hidden secrets of the women, I found myself not really caring what happened to Ashley or who was responsible. We've all known Ashley's selfish type of person who use whoever is available to get their way in life. The final solution proves how selfish Ashley was not caring whose life she destroyed on her path to enlightenment. Although I did enjoy the descriptions of Tulum, Mexico and the ruins of Chichen Itza, the rest of the book fell flat for me.

I enjoyed this book! I liked the back and forth of the past and present, it helped add to the suspense of the story.

Three women take a vacation to Mexico in an attempt to mend their relationship. The problems between Ashley, Natalie and Lauren are complicated. Lauren blames Ashley for the death of her husband. Natalie wants Ashley to agree to sell the corporation they built together. And Ashley wants to keep control of her life, her business...and her secrets. But she also wants her two best friends back. The trip takes a strange tangent when Ashley becomes obsessed with a local man. Marco talks about native rituals, ceremonies and magic.....a way to bring peace back to life. And Ashley just loses focus. When she disappears, things careen out of control for Natalie and Lauren. Natalie can't remember what happened that last night, and Lauren regrets things she said and did. What happened to Ashley? And will their lives ever be the same?

Wow....this book was suspenseful, disturbing and awesome. It kept me guessing until the very end. Just as I thought I knew what happened....the story would take a twist and leave me wondering again. What a bunch of F'd up people. But aren't we all just a little F'd up? Not to this extreme I hope....but we all have secrets, regrets, friendships we screwed up, mistakes made, lessons learned. These three women want to re-forge their friendship, but sometimes it's difficult to rebuild burnt bridges or get past insurmountable personality differences. None of them are totally honest with any of the others. And that sort of fake, yet emotionally binding, friendship has a cost. It's a toxic mix. Each one is selfish in their own way, wanting the friendships to last for their own gratification not for any bond or caring for any of the others. I disliked, yet sympathized, with each of them. Ashley is clueless about her controlling and manipulative behavior. Natalie is weak-willed and lets others take control, then resents it. Lauren blames others for the crap in her life, rather than admitting the fault is her own. They are all whiny, immature, manipulative bitches......yet very very human. Just like all of us. Ultimately, they all pay a price for their mistakes.

This book sucked me right in. I couldn't stop reading. I stayed up way too late because I had to know what happened! Definitely a binge reading event! Loved it! The characters frustrated the piss out of me....but I couldn't stop wondering what the hell was going to happen to them. Perfect. Love-hate relationship with the story. It definitely kept me reading! Like a soap opera keeps you watching, even though you want to look away.

This is the first book I have read by these authors. I'm definitely reading more! Great book!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

The story line is what originally caught my eye, it’s so intriguing! I think that overall, this book is well-written and one of a kind. Although it was engaging and fast paced most of the times, it stalled at some times, making it a little difficult to continue on. The characters are great, both engaging and offputting st the same time. At times, I loved them all and at times I hated them all. I wish there was a bit more to the ending, which speaks to the depth of the story!

women who, at forty years of age, don't yet understand the depth of their own resilience and power, much less how to wield that power. They have all experienced great successes and failures -- the latter in their marriages and other personal relationships -- but are teetering on the edge of survival. And for the past year, instead of leaning on each other and their shared histories, they have all been turning inward for answers. The status of their relationships demonstrate that they are much poorer for having done so. The dramatic tension in the story is focused upon whether they can re-establish their bond while there is still time to do so.

Fenton and Steinke explore the friendships of Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren in a surprisingly satisfying manner, despite the patently ridiculous backdrop for the tale. The story is told from the perspective of each woman, detailing her struggle over the course of the previous year that has led her to the Mexican reunion and examining her feelings about reconciliation -- her anger, resentment, and grief about the various aspects of her life that have proven disappointing and heartbreaking. As the search for Ashley continues and Natalie's memories come flooding back, horrible, unchangeable truths are revealed. Readers will likely question the manner in which Fenton and Steinke opt to resolve the mystery of Ashley's disappearance and the story's conclusion long after they read the last page. And perhaps that's their intent because despite its imperfections, Girls' Night Out delivers an emotional impact and the characters' relationships and journeys provide plenty of material for vigorous discussion.

Three friends from college venture to Tulum, Mexico on a girls trip in hopes to mend their strained relationship. We quickly learn that something has gone wrong and Ashley is missing. Ashley is a successful, seemingly happy
mother of two girls, so where could she have gone? The facts that surface as her friends Natalie and Lauren try to put the pieces back together, proves that the girls may not have known each other like they thought they had.

Through chapters in each woman's perspective, we slowly learn about how their friendship fell apart the year
prior and what ultimately led to Ashley's disappearance leaving them where they are today.

Although the middle seemed a little slow, it was a page turner due to the fact that I needed to know how it
ended. A true tale of friendship and secrets.

I just finished Girls Night Out, and enjoyed it as much as the author's previous book. While I thought the writing style might be confusing (jumping between characters and timelines), it was easy to read and follow. Great summer beach read (as long as you're not on vacation in Mexico!!)

A page turner from the beginning, this book had me wishing I could skip to the end and know what happened! Extremely well written with an intricate web of back stories led for a great summer read. Definitely reccomend!

This was such a great read and it’s such a coincidence that they were in Mexico because I was just there about a month ago and I saw all the sights that they saw! How funny is that?

3 friends take a trip to Mexico to get close to each other but when one of them disappears, they realize that all their secrets are what will keep them apart on this trip.

This is such a great summer read. It’s been a while since I read a book like this. There are so many secrets in this book, I just loved it. It’s so interesting because it’s told in all three point of views of each character and it switches from before Ashley disappears and after. It really kept me hooked though I wouldn’t exactly call it a thriller but it sure falls under the category of a mystery.

The good thing about this book is that you really don’t know what happened to Ashley because there’s just so many possibilities. You also don’t know who you can trust because each and every character has their own secret. I just loved every minute of it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGally, Lake Union Press and the authors for an ARC Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Girls Night Out is told from 3 points of view and a few different time frames.

This book had mystery, suspense, intrigue and a whole lot of people with a whole lot of issues. When issues get in the way of friendship people have to know when to stop being friends.

I liked the book. I did not love the book. I think the issues became too much. Yes, they were integral to the plot ~ but there were times I just said "come on".

Ashley, Natalie and Lauren have been friends for 20 years. The events of the last few years have taken a toll on the friendship and on the women. In an effort to bring them closer, Ashley arranges a girls trip to Mexico so they can have time away and have fun like the good old days.

The trip doesn't go as planned and after spending time with a mysterious stranger Ashley goes missing.

The story is told in 3 perspectives, each of the women having her voice. It also jumps back and forth in time, from the days leading up to Ashley going missing to the days after.

I had read a few reviews prior to receiving the ARC from NetGalley and they spoke of how great the second half of the book was and how thrilling the ending turned out to be. Unfortunately, I can't say I was glued to the pages, nor did I find the ending that exciting. I didn't love any of the characters, nor did I love the story or the ending. It was all just OK for me. Middle of the road, not bad but not a great read.

That being said, I've never read another book by Liz Fenton & Lisa Stienke but I certainly would give them another try.

If you are considering this book I say you should give it a chance.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy of Girls Night Out in exchange for my honest review

Girls' Night Out by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
Three best friends head out for a ladies' retreat in Mexico to hopefully fix their broken friendship. The vacation is at best tense. They decide to try one last time to go out and have fun on their final night. One wakes up on the beach with no memory of the night before and another doesn't return at all. As they try to piece together the night's events, one thing is clear: their friend is in danger and one of them may have done it.
(Keep in mind I read the uncorrected proof).
I give this one a 3 out of 5 stars. It has a good story and a surprise twist, but honestly, none of the characters were likeable. It's hard to become invested in a novel when you don't really care for any of the characters. In saying that, we see real people. No one is liked 100% of the time, so it make be just that it's too realistic.
#GirlsNightOut #NetGalley