I enjoyed this book. It had so many twists and turns right up to the end. I envy the friendships they had and I was rooting for them to get back on track. I loved the descriptions of the Mexico and I thought of my graduation trip to Cancun. This was my first book that I have read by authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. I have found new authors on my list to read and recommend to my friends.

Great plot, but I found it to be ruined by the characters within the book.

My full review here > https://readwithsam.com/2018/07/22/book-review-girls-night-out-by-liz-fenton-lisa-steinke/

Although it sounds like chick lit, Girls Night Out, is a wonderful, twisty mystery. Three long-time friends travel to Cancun hoping to mend their broken friendship. With the dangers of foreign travel, one missing friend and one with amnesia, you don't know what actually happened until the very last page. Highly recommended!

In 'Girls' Night Out', three girlfriends set out to fix their ruptured relationship by taking a trip together to Tulum, Mexico. Will only two of them return to Los Angeles? This latest book by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke is billed as a thriller and a mystery. Personally, I think that it falls more firmly on the Mystery side of the genres, than the Thriller.

Ashley, Natalie and Lauren have been friends for many years, but it’s always been an awkward threesome. Ashley is the vibrant, if flighty, sun that Natalie and Lauren rotate around, and compete for attention. Natalie and Ashley have built a successful business together, but both have kept secrets from each other along the way. Lauren was recently widowed, and she blames Ashley for the death of her husband.

Ashley invited Natalie and Lauren on the Tulum trip. She really wanted to bring their friendships back in alignment. But in typical Ashley fashion she is soon pulled into a new, possibly romantic, relationship with Marco, a guy who seems to be able to provide answers to relieve some of the stresses in her life. He may provide a way out of her angst. The other two ladies resent Marco’s continued presence on this supposed Girl’s Trip, and finally have it out with Ashley about this. This is done amid a lot of drinking on the final night of the trip. Then Ashley is nowhere to be found on the morning of their planned departure.

The story is told in rotating chapters from all three main character’s POV; and from before Ashley’s disappearance and after it. Both timelines move towards to the night of the disappearance. Was Ashley killed, or did she run away with Marco? If she was killed, who could have done it?

For me, the pace of this book was too slow, and there was way too much description of the internal angst amongst all the parties. Come on ladies, just a little bit of honesty from any one of them could have cleared everything up in minutes. Instead the drama and resentment dragged on for months and in some cases years. Really? It seemed far-fetched to me that this behavior would go for so long in our contemporary world where feelings and emotions are shared so readily.

I liked that there was time devoted to the description of Tulum and Chichen Itza, and the powerful spiritual centers in both locations. I’ve travelled to Tulum and Chichen Itza. I’ve also had the privilege to climb El Castillo at Chichen Itza before it was shutdown to tourists. I enjoyed reading the accurate descriptions of that area.

I’m giving this three stars because of the slow pace of the story, and my frustration with the character’s inability to communicate on a trip where that was the supposedly the main focus.

The ending was not what I expected. That was a big plus for me.

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; Lake Union Publishing; and the authors, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke; for providing a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: July 24, 2018

Thank you for the advanced read on this! I typically am not drawn to this genre enjoyed reading it nonetheless. I felt it was redundant throughout the book and more of a chick-lit or beach read.

I received this advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book starts with a bang! Three women take a trip to Mexico; Natalie, Lauren and Ashley. Natalie wakes up and doesn't remember what has happened, why she has woken up on the beach and where her friends are. We are taken through Natalie trying to reconnect with her memories from the night before and where she last saw Ashley. The girls are all connected by a product comically called BloMe, a brush and blow dryer all in one.
This book unravels nicely as memories are recovered. I am trying my best not to give anything away, so I will have to make my review short. Needless to say, i whippes theough it and was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out how the story unravels. It is filled with juicy discoveries, drama, betrayal and friendship. Make sure you read until the very end as the authors give you a must visit list in Mexico. I was so excited to get this list, as it seems simply wonderful! Make sure to get your copy!

The book comes out July 24th, you can pre-order it here: https://www.amazon.com/Girls-Night-Out-Liz-Fenton-ebook/dp/B078GPQS1P/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531965508&sr=8-1&keywords=girls+night+out+by+liz+fenton+and+lisa+steinke

Girls’ Night Out will take you on a wild ride. The book starts out with Natalie waking up on a beach with a large chunk of memory from the night before gone. Her best friend Ashley is missing, and Lauren can only fill in a few blanks of the previous night. What happened to Ashley?

The three friends went to Tulum, Mexico to rekindle their friendship. Things are tense between them all because they haven’t been honest with one another. Secrets come out and more fighting continues. The story is told from all three girls and will bounce back and forth between present and the few days leading up to Ashley’s disappearance. I loved how this book was written giving me just enough info to keep me guessing until the end.

After reading the acknowledgements at the end, I now want to make my next vacation to Tulum and visit every place the Lisa and Liz recommend. Many thanks to the authors, Lake Union Publishing, and Netgalley for the eARC! Highly recommend!

Thank you Amazon Publishing/Lake Union for gifting me an advanced copy of this light but suspenseful book, in exchange for my honest review.  This title releases July 24.

Three estranged girlfriends, Ashley, Natalie and Lauren, take a trip to Tulum, Mexico in hopes of healing wounds of the past year between them.  They have been somewhat estranged from each other over the past year and have high hopes that a girls getaway will help rekindle their friendship.

The highly anticipated reunion proves irreparable as temperatures rise and frustrations run high after Ashley meets a man on the trip, who seems to be nothing more than a thorn in Lauren and Natalie's side; as he whisks away their friend's attention from them.

On their last night, the three women decide to give their friendship one last shot and plan to have a great night together; however the night turns out to be one they each will never forgive or forget...when Ashley goes missing.

This book was PURE drama!  The tension between Lauren, Ashley and Natalie was so thick - yet relatable (typical girl group problems!).  

I thought the storyline to be quite plausible and the authors definitely keep you engaged with each chapter bouncing back and forth between the women and each of their perspectives throughout their trip.  Each woman's secrets and fears slowly unfold and you begin to actually dislike all three of these women by the end.  They are each selfish and seem to use their friendship as collateral with each other.  They have each suffered some loss and instead of healing together, they throw blame at one another for their sufferings. 

It was definitely a slower burn than my usual mystery/suspense but there's enough intrigue to keep you wanting to turn to the next page.  I will admit I wasn't enjoying it at first because of the slow pace, but quickly turned when Ashley disappears and things started to 'heat up.'  

It's a light enough read that you can most certainly pick this one up for vacation/beach read and it has just the right amount of suspense to hod your interest throughout.  The short chapters always left you wanting more.

It may not be for everyone (due to the slow pace and simplicity of the mystery) but I would recommend adding it to your summer reading list - if for anything, to join us all on the bandwagon that this book has created so far.

My Rating 3.5/5

It continues to amaze me how two authors can work together to produce a book that is so seamless, you'd never guess that it wasn't written by one talented person. Girls' Night Out is a good example of that!

Three women, Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren, have been friends since college. Now twenty years later as they approach their 40th birthdays, Ashley decides to schedule a girls' getaway to Tulum, Mexico hoping to rekindle the closeness they once shared and which time and difficulties have frayed. The trip doesn't quite have the effect she hoped, and it seems, may have made their differences more acute than ever. On their last night together, Ashley disappears. Did she do so willingly, or has she met with foul-play? Did Natalie and/or Lauren play a part?

The story is told from the POVs of the three women throughout the book. This is great, because the reader gets to see the situations as each of them experiences it. The book also varies in time throughout the book (i.e. one day before the disappearance, two days after the disappearance etc.) for each of the characters, which makes for an intriguing read. Layer by layer, more is disclosed about each of the women as they share bits and pieces of themselves (and their secrets) with one or both of the others.

Ashley, is a beautiful, smart woman who is an executive in a company that she and Natalie created. She lives the good life, has a 7,000 square foot home, two beautiful children, and a handsome husband, Jason. She is used to getting what she wants and seems at a loss to understand how anyone could hold any hard feelings towards her. She really wants to get these friendships back on track, because her life is emptier than she wants to admit.

Natalie, partner of Ashley in the company which sells the hair-grooming product which she invented, has been ground down over the years by the day to day details and long hours that making the company what it is entails. Revlon has offered to buy their company. She is all for it, but Ashley is just as staunchly opposed. She's hoping that getting away will give her a chance to press her desire to sell the company and change Ashley's mind.

Lauren, has always supported Natalie and Ashley in their company, but is automatically a third wheel, not having the daily interactions that the other two do. A recent widow, she holds a lot of grief and anger, and is none too sure that things among the three can ever be what they once were. Nevertheless, she's willing to try.

It is interesting to watch the dynamics between the three women, and the dialog is quite spot on. Each of the three has played a part in why the relationships are where they are. While there may be a time or two (or more) that you wish you could smack each of them upside the head and say "what are you thinking?!?" you will be invested enough in the story to keep turning pages to find out what really happened to Ashley.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased opinion. All opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke let you know early in this book that something happened to Ashley, and they make you sense that that something is not a good something.

Going back and forth through time and putting you in the perspectives of Ashley and her two former BFFs, Natalie and Lauren, Fenton and Steinke take you to Mexico with the three estranged friends and fill you with dread.

For one thing, these three have ISSUES. Financial, sexual, marital. ISSUES. Not one of these women is happy. Not one of them is content or settled. They are troubled with a capital T. So when Ashley goes missing, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke take you on a long, strange trip to find out what happened and, more tragically, why it happened. Can Ashley, Lauren, and Natalie get some kind of closure? Can they find peace?

I think this book would be endless fun to talk about with a book club--dissecting the three women, their motivations, their needs, their reactions. Which one do you like most? Which one do you side with over the others? Or did Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke give you three flawed women who are uniform in their humanity?

Parts of this book are gripping and compelling, and parts feel a little too uneven, a little too familiar and predictable. One thing Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke do exceptionally well is bring you close to their characters. You get to know Ashley, Lauren, and Natalie. You get to understand them. And then you will want to talk about them with someone because those three bear long, long discussions.

Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren have been friends for more than twenty years, but a lot of wounds have been inflicted on their friendship over time. So they agree to a girls’ trip to Mexico to bond and reconnect. But as they reunite, everyone is keeping secrets of their own, and nothing about the trip is going as planned. Their adventure culminates in a disastrous night out where one of the women goes missing, and another can’t remember anything about what happened. The story alternates among several different time points both before and after that fateful night, as we learn how things went so badly wrong. It’s truly a tale of trouble in paradise!

Whew! At its core, this book is about women’s friendships, and it seems to ask how much a friendship can survive before it implodes. Our author duo, Liz and Lisa, have themselves been best friends for decades, so they know a thing or two about complicated, long term pairings. In fact, they have described how this novel temporarily put a huge strain on their relationship through the process. In the acknowledgments of this book, they state,

“Girls’ Night Out broke us open, hard and wide, before putting us back together again. Our friendship and our partnership were put to the test in a way we’d never experienced before.”

I think we’ve all been there, right? Maybe not to the extent of the women in this book, but we all have examples of friendships being tested by life’s stresses and struggles, and by the fact that we’re all human and will inevitably disappoint one another.

The women in this book though, went beyond all that. They’d said horrible things to one another, carried huge resentments, cast blame for serious events, and kept major secrets about their own lives. They were deeply flawed. I have to say, I had a hard time finding any of them to be sympathetic characters. They all had their moments but none of them were particularly likeable, and they made poor choices again and again. That’s not to say they weren’t well written or developed… they were. I just had a hard time imagining wanting to be friends with any of them!

As I mentioned above, the story alternates between different time frames, and it also skips around to different points of view so we get a window into the thoughts of each character. It begins with one of the women, Natalie, waking up the morning after this fateful night, disoriented and with no idea what had happened the night before. She and Lauren soon realize that Ashley is missing.

As the story unfolds, we learn of all the different events and conversations that have led to this moment, then follow along as the situation is investigated. This serves well to build anticipation and make the reader wonder where the clues are leading. The message I sent a friend when I was mid-book sums it up: “I kind of want to strangle the characters, but I’m dying to find out what happened!”

We eventually do learn what happens, of course, but just as important is why and how it all ended that way. By the end, each character is second guessing their decisions, wondering “what if” they’d made different choices, and determining how to live with the consequences of this trip. (I’m purposely being pretty vague here, as it would be easy to give away spoilers.)

I do want to mention one trigger warning… the book deals with spousal/domestic abuse in part of the storyline, so please be aware of that fact.

All in all, this was a good suspense novel. The authors did a great job of setting up the scenario and balancing timeframes to unfurl the story at a nice pace, with just enough information to keep you guessing. They also painted the setting well with descriptions of the resort and the surrounding areas. I’m adding their previous book The Good Widow to my TBR list as well.


(I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts are my own.)

A great beach read Girls' Night Out takes a Mexico vacation to a darker place. We follow three friends hoping to repair their friendship on a Cancun vacation that takes a sinister turn,

This book was extremely reminiscent of The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager and having just read that and loving it, I found some fault in Girls' Night Out. The characters weren't as likable, the alternating timelines didn't work as well, and the twists were easier to predict.

Overall, I think I could have enjoyed this novel a lot more if I hadn't just come out of a Sager novel with a similar plotline and format. I would recommend this book to fans of Gillian Flynn who maybe are looking for a lighter summer read.

Three life long friends take a trip to Mexico to try to repair their strained relationships. As the old saying goes, three’s a crowd, and this group has a lot of baggage. The leader is Ashley, who is the star of the three, and who runs a successful beauty company. The other two friends, Lauren and Natalie, each vie to be Ashley’s best friend. Both ladies have issues of their own, but especially Natalie, who has been relegated to the role as Ashley’s number two in the company. Lauren, on the other hand, is still grieving the death of her husband. One morning, they wake up to find Ashley missing. Through alternating chapters from the trip before Ashley went missing, to afterwards, the truth about what happened is revealed.

The baggage that comes with any long term relationship is portrayed very realistically in this book. Friendships are very complicated and sometimes things happen that cause damage that can be repaired, and sometimes they need to end. These issues were portrayed realistically and I related to all three characters in different ways. I enjoyed the alternating chapters, and wanted to keep reading to find out what happened to Ashley. I also liked the ending, it had a real sense of poetic justice. The reason for the 3 stars is because I did think it was a little too long, but it never dragged. I also found at times some developments were slightly unrealistic, mainly some of the decisions the characters made (such as going places with people they just met).

*thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my advanced reader of this book in exchange for an honest review*

I seem to be on a roll with books at the moment so I was a little apprehensive that my standards incredibly higher than usual but Girls Night Out was another absolutely amazing read that I practically inhaled in two sittings.

When Ashley, Natalie and Lauren embark on a girls trip to Tulum, beyond the beaches and margaritas there is a real reason they are there beyond having fun - to repair their friendship that has been under strain. Ashley and Natalie own a successful hair tool comparing, BloMe, and with Revlon swooping in to offer to buy the company, one wants to sell while the other doesn’t. It has caused some friction between their relationship and they hope by the end of the trip, they can reconsider each other’s feelings and it can all be resolved. Lauren, who often feels like the third wheel in their friendship, hasn’t spoken to Ashley and Natalie for over a year but wants to also get back on track after tragically losing her husband a year prior. But when a girls night out goes terribly wrong, Ashley goes missing. With Natalie not being able to recall the night - they are determined to find their friend.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book. It was a proper girly, beach read and I secretly wished I was in Tulum sipping on some cocktails with this read to accompany me. I don’t want to give tooooo much of the plot away but it’s definitely engrossing and I managed to fly through it pretty quickly. Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke are fantastic writers. The plot flowed at a nice pace and although you were keen to find out what happened to Natalie, it was nice to read a mystery book without having tons of characters to suspect or be pulled in all different directions. It was just so enjoyable and well written.

Thank you to the publisher and @netgally for giving me the opportunity to read this. If your headed on a beach holiday this summer, this would be the perfect by the sea or pool read. I’ll definitely be recommending it to my friends.

A HUGE thank you to #netgalley for allowing me the chance to read this suspenseful dramatic, thriller!! I never thought I'd describe a book like that but, that's exactly how it happened. I also have to mention I'm participating in the #24in48 so this is my first log!
A trio of old girl friends decide to take a trip to Mexico to reconnect their friendship and something goes tragically wrong. The book is written from the different girls perspectives at different times during the trip. I like it that way, you see what they're each thinking and it clears up questions as well. What I like is that it points the finger at each of them, they each have a reason for what happens but, what really happened? You literally find out in the last page or two of the book. My mind was swirling trying to see what exact happened.
I definitely recommend this book, it did go a little slow for me, some things could have been deleted from the story and it would have made it more fast paced. Overall, a great read!! Thanks #lakeunionpublishing for the ARC!!

2 1/2 Stars
This book was slow and the tedious fighting between the three friends grew annoying very quickly! I’m sincerely glad I’m not friends with any of these women and I’m happy to say that none of my friends are like them! They were each spoiled and selfish in their own ways. Frankly, it’s hard to believe that their friendship had survived 20 years! Each of the women have a secret and there is much ado about a huge fight the year before that has left them estranged. The secrets and the “Big” fight were quite a let down and not even an idyllic trip to paradise, where everything comes to a dramatic head, can save their fledgling friendship.

This is the story of Natalie, Ashley, and Lauren - three women who have been friends for 20 years, but have experienced a lot of heartbreak & hurt in the recent past. Their friendships are different & fractured, but they decide to travel to Mexico to have a girls' trip. Ashley is the planner of this trip, hoping that she'll be able to smooth over her friendships with the other women. Natalie & Lauren both go into this trip, hoping for healing & clarity in decisions they have to make.

The story starts out with Natalie realizing that Ashley is gone, but she doesn't remember anything that happened to them the night before. The perspective flips between the three women, alternating between the time leading up to Ashley's disappearance & the days after she is discovered to be missing. There were lots of little details that were revealed throughout these chapters, which really gave you the feeling of everything is not as it seems! I did enjoy this aspect of it.

I did struggle a little bit with the first part of this novel. It did pick up, but I felt like I was forcing myself to read it. I usually enjoy the alternating perspective & time frame, but I felt like there was a lot that was repeated or dragged on unnecessarily.

I did enjoy the ending, especially the last chapter. I can see how people may have been underwhelmed by it, but I thought the last few chapters were really unique. I definitely was left asking myself "What actually happened here?", but was satisfied.

Overall, it was enjoyable, and I think that if you enjoy mysteries, you'll enjoy this one!

This book was t for me.i anticipated some thrills here and there but this was just plain boring. Whines characters that I didn’t care about and then the huge mystery fell flat. I did like the Mexico travel setting and learning a bit about Chichen Itza but that’s as far as my enjoyment went.

Authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke have teamed up to write Girls' Night Out, their second novel of psychological suspense. I was drawn to it at first because of its Mexican setting, but the twisty plot hooked me in pretty early on, and I had trouble putting it down until I reached the end.

Natalie, Ashley, and Lauren have been best friends since their college days, but things have become strained between them in recent years. Natalie and Ashley run a successful cosmetic business together, but Natalie is ready to accept the lucrative offer made by a rival firm to buy the company while Ashely is determined not to let the business go. Lauren and Ashley have been estranged for some time due to the terrible argument they had shortly after Lauren's husband died unexpectedly from a heart attack. Ashley wants desperately to reconnect with Lauren and Natalie, and so she invites them to accompany her to a beautiful resort located in Tulum, Mexico. Hopefully, time spent together in the sun and sand of Tulum will help mend their fraying relationships.

It soon becomes apparent that clearing the air won't be nearly as simple as Ashley had hoped. Both Natalie and Lauren seem to be holding serious grudges against her, grudges Ashley claims not to understand. The reader knows almost immediately that all three women are keeping big secrets from one another, but the women themselves don't realize this right away, and the authors do a great job ramping up the suspense in tiny increments by only revealing bits and pieces of what's really going on.

Soon, what was supposed to be a relaxing, healing getaway turns tense and sinister. Ashley meets a mysterious man who seems able to fix all her problems with very little effort at all; Natalie and Lauren resent his intrusion into their vacation and beg Ashley to get rid of him, but Ashley seems to be completely under his spell. And then, Natalie wakes up on their last morning in Tulum to find that Ashley has disappeared, and things get a whole lot messier than any of them were expecting.

With no trace of Ashley to be found, Natalie and Lauren join forces to find their missing friend. The only problem is, neither woman is sure she can completely trust the other. Is it possible one of them gave into their anger and harmed Ashley somehow, or does Ashley's new gentleman friend have something to do with her disappearance? Lauren and Natalie have a ton of questions and very few answers, but they're determined not to leave Tulum until they learn the truth about what happened to Ashley. Of course, if they aren't careful, the truth could end up putting them in a great deal of danger.

It's important for potential readers to know that this novel doesn’t follow a linear timeline, and that it jumps around a lot, filling in details of the investigation into Ashley's disappearance as well as showing the events that led up to it. It's easy to keep track of the order of things though, due to the time stamp that starts off each and every chapter. Still, I know some readers are turned off by this particular writing style, so I thought it worth pointing out.

The dynamics between the friends are pretty complicated, but the authors do a great job of showing readers how they came to be that way. Each woman is distinctly drawn with a personality that sets her apart from the others. It's easy to see that these three really do care deeply for one another, but it's also pretty obvious that jealousy and resentment have gotten in the way. This is not a particularly warm, fuzzy look at female friendship, but everything about the ways the women relate to one another feels totally real.

A lot of thrillers are set in places like London or New York City, and I've honestly grown a little tired of those, so the fact that this one was set in Mexico was a refreshing change. The authors are able to paint a very detailed word picture of Tulum, and there were times I felt like I was actually there. It's not all that common for the setting of a book to almost feel like a character in the story, but Tulum came alive for me in exactly that way.

My one quibble with the book has to do with its ending. Obviously, I'm not going to tell you what happened to Ashley, but I will say that it didn't ring completely true. Parts of the lead-up felt a little too convenient, as though the authors knew what they wanted to happen and tried too hard to force events to fit into that preconceived idea. There aren't any glaring inconsistencies in the plot or the actions of the characters that I can point to, but I can say that something about the neatness of the conclusion came off a little forced.

All in all, Girls' Night Out is a wonderful summer thriller that has gotten me interested in picking up a copy of the first book Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke co-wrote, and has put their names firmly on my list of authors to watch. I'm eager for them to come out with another book either together or separately.

Buy it at: Amazon

This is the story of three women whose friendships have become strained and decide the way to salvage them is to take a week's trip to Tulum, Mexico. On the last night, one of the women disappears. Each woman has her own individual motivations for the week away and this adds to the mystery and what is basically a really good story. The story follows two timelines, after the disappearance and the trip leading up to the disappearance. Point of view flips between the three women. This is where I started to struggle with the book. It felt very repetitive because conversations were repeated and the same issues were gone over again and again. If they weren't actually repeated pretty much verbatim, it felt like it. And isn't that what matters? Does the reader feel like rolling their eyes thinking "yes, yes, we know already. let's move along now"? I felt that way at times. But hidden amidst all this was a really good story.