GIRLS NIGHT OUT by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke will keep you up late as you binge read through this thriller. While I’m the first to say that I love and prefer their stories with magical elements like The Status of All Things, I enjoyed this thriller even more than The Good Widow. Once I picked it up last night, I couldn’t put it down and woke up early to finish it. I didn’t know what I wanted to have happen through the book which was a cool reading experience. I think the dynamic between the three female characters is great with equal parts tension and hope. The narration is structured in a great way so that you see the novel from all three friends’ perspectives and you feel yourself taking sides with all three of these flawed women equally. The ending is fitting and the climax good. A enjoyable and quick read that will have you calling your best friend just to check in after you finish!

I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

See link to goodreads review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2455693595?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Girls' Night Out by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke is written by a pair of friends and it's about a pair of friends. The pair of friends in the book have been friends since college. Fast forward 20 years after meeting and the friends, Ashley and Natalie, have created a very successful business that is being pursued by a much larger company for purchase. Ashley and Natalie do not agree on whether they should sell the company so Ashley decides a getaway is necessary in order to help them come to a decision. Ashley also invites along another friend from college, Lauren, who had a falling out with Ashley a year prior. They all have high hopes for the bonding that will happen on their girls' trip to Mexico but that trip takes an unexpected turn. Will their friendship survive this trip? Read and enjoy!

Read my 3-star review of Girls' Night Out by Liz Fenton

This book was okay I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would have.

Thank you to @lisaandliz and @netgalley for the free e-reader copy in exchange for a review!
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This novel follows Ashley, Natalie and Lauren on a girl's trip to Mexico in attempt to reconcile some issues between them. Of course, things go awry and the reconciliation doesnt go quite as well as expected.

Disclaimer: this is not really my genre; suspense/thriller: those of you who gravitate towards these books will likely enjoy it more than me. I found this book ok. I enjoyed the gorgeous setting, the complicated friendships and it did keep me turning the pages. I didn't love the use of Mayan culture in attempt to liberate white women. That aspect felt awkward for me. This is probably a personal preference for me, but I didn't love the juicy gossipy bits as well. I will say that the suspense leading to the reveal was well constructed with small chapters cutting back in forth in time. The final reveal was a bit predictable.Overall, I give this one ⭐⭐⭐. Recommend if you like the genre.

Girls' Night Out, written by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, cuts through the games women play... you know the games that start in Junior high that some ladies never outgrow? We all want to smirk here as we see ourselves far above such juvenile behaviors (myself included). Behind the facades are three women who have been close for over 20 years. Women who take off to Mexico to reconnect... Three dynamic ladies with enough insecurities, anger and jealousy to create tidal waves of tension between them. The story starts with the startling disappearance of one of the women, Ashley. At first, Lauren and Natalie spend their time looking for her as Natalie struggles with memory loss from drinking the night before. The mystery of what actually happened to Ashley kept me reading late at night until I finished the story. Did she run off with the mysterious Marco? Did someone murder her? If she was murdered, was it Natalie or Lauren? Don't worry I won't drop any spoilers.

Since the book is all about the secrets these women keep from each other and the tumultuous evolution of their relationships, the book is written in present and past tense...with shared perspectives from the three friends. Going back and forth was refreshing as it built the story slowly, while the fact that Ashley is driving me nuts. Part of me wanted the authors to just skip to the end and put me out of my misery. Another part of me enjoyed getting to see the dynamics between the ladies..unpleasant as it was it is actually a real portrayal of some women. Are all friendships like this? No, thank goodness or I would not have any friends. But there are times when tension builds and when it does not get resolved in a healthy way...it builds with a pressure so toxic that the threads between two people can be destroyed. Haven't we all had relationships that started off so wonderfully, but ended because they became toxic? In some ways, perhaps we are fortunate not to have had big alcohol released blowups where the toxicity destroys us.

As themes such as forgiveness, anger, sex addiction, domestic abuse, friendship, insecurities, honesty, and secrets are woven into the story of Lauren, Ashley, and Natalie... it becomes harder to stay detached from the story. It would be easy to hate these characters or think they are immature and selfish. With their stories, these ladies personify the destructive ways we can treat each other. It is much harder to explore the themes of honesty and recognize these qualities within ourselves. How we treat others and the boundaries/respect we set up for how are to be treated are very important. I have recognized previous friends within these characters and glimpses of myself too, at different times of my life. The complexities of the friendships between women are explored here... as are the ways we (and our friends) can change into someone we don't like anymore. Overall a good emotional read, not necessarily an easy one!

I just finished reading Girls Night Out by authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, and all I can say is “Wow!” This book had me from page 1 and didn’t let go the whole way through. What a story! I really wanted to be able to figure out who to trust and who to believe, who was friend and who was foe, but never could. The ending really came as a shock. If you like suspense, then this is the book to read. I loved it. I have heard so much about these authors, but this is the first that I’ve read any of their work. It definitely won’t be the last. I’d like to thank NetGalley and authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke for giving me the privilege to read an early copy and express my honest views.

Ashley, Natalie & Lauren have been friends forever. Over the years rifts and wounds have pushed them apart. Ashley decides that the girls need a trip to paradise or Tulum, Mexico to repair their relationships.

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 friendship. What happened to Ashley and did her friends have anything to do with her disappearance?

Girls' Night out was a quick-read and had a lot of promise, but ultimately just fell short for me. The premise was great-- three longtime friends come together for a beach vacation in attempt to mend their strained relationship. Each of the women have secrets and hurt feelings due to various reasons, but the vacation seems to be a great way to try and get things back on track. That is, however, until one of the friends, Ashley, ends up missing. The book alternates from after Ashley goes missing to a few days before, and the lead up is really good. The character development was good and relateable....until it wasn't.

I couldn't wait to find out what happened to Ashley, so I kept reading, but the further the book dragged on, the less I liked it and eventually started just hoping it would end.. Then, when I finally got to it, he conclusion just didn't work for me. I ended up not liking any of the characters and found them ALL to be unlikable. Bummer, because this book had such good potential. Don't get me wrong, I loved a solid 70% of Girls' Night Out, but the other 30% really left much to be desired.

3 out of 5 stars.

Publication date for Girls' Night Out by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke is July 24th, 2018.

HOLY ENDING! Wow, I'm still walking around shaking my head. First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publisher for an ARC of "Girls Night Out" in exchange for an honest review.

Three friends travel to Mexico to try to reconcile their drifting volatile relationship. Each brings baggage, secrets they keep very private that is part of what is tearing them apart.

Lauren has been the outcast for the past year. After the loss of her husband, and a huge blowout with Ashley, this trip is supposed to bring them back together.

Natalie is Ashley's bestie, and partner in a well known multi-million dollar company called BloMe. A high stakes company wants to buy them out, and Natalie is all for it to try to save her family.

Ashley doesn't want to sell the company, she thinks it's all she has. Her marriage is falling apart, her friendships are crumbling...so it's her idea this trip is just what they all need.

While in Mexico, Ashley disappears after their Girls Night Out gone bad. No one can remember what happened, or if Ashley left on her own, or was kidnapped by a local she had been hanging around on the island. As the pieces start to fit together, what is the outcome going to be?

I enjoyed this book. I felt certain parts may have dragged on a bit too much to my liking, but it was worth reading through them to get to the end. The characters are well developed, each has their own strong personality that clashes throughout the book. The ending is so unexpected and shocking, it will make you forget any of the boring parts even existed.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good beach-read thriller!

Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke did a great job again. This is one hell of a good story.

It pulled me in and would not let go. I was hooked and had nowhere to go. This is one of those books that will have you guessing what happened but until that very last page you won’t get it. It absolutely floored me. Left me in tears and shock.

Three friends are in Mexico to get back to where they use to be. They have been best friends for over 20 years but had a falling out and were trying to get back to where they wanted to be.

When one of them goes missing, the other two try to find her and figure out what happened. Neither can remember exactly what happened the night before and start questioning each other’s motives. They met a man, Marco, while there and Ashley, who is missing was last seen with him and Natalie.

If you lost your best friend what would you do to find her/him. Would you go to any length to ensure they were safe? What if you thought maybe you had done something that could be responsible for them being gone? Would you tell or hold it in? What if you could benefit from your friend not coming back. All of these are good questions and you will find the answers in this story. It will keep you on the edge all the way to the explosive ending that will totally blow you away.

These authors are so good. They wrote a book that keeps you turning pages, wondering, hating for it to end. It goes back and forth between each woman’s story and before and after Ashley goes missing. It’s very easy to follow and touches on subjects that need to be talked about. Abuse, friendship and strangers in a foreign country. Who can you trust. If not your best friend then certainly who.

I have to thank #NetGalley and #Lake Union Authors for the honor of reading this book. It’s so good. A big 5 stars, nothing less would do, for this book.

I wanted to love this book but it just never took me there. There are many moving parts to the backstory as well as the events as they unfold. Three best friends, two of which are business partners go on a girls trip to Mexico to try to repair their friendships. The story gets told by each of the three women in a past and present narrative. The story line tries to lead you down multiple paths of the “who done it” but I felt pretty early on I knew how Ash went “missing” and ended up being right. The girls all seemed kinda whiny to me and I couldn’t connect to any of them. The same issues just kept coming up over and over again during the whole length of the book so it was kind of hard to push myself to finish it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this advanced eCopy in exchange for my honest review

Up until the very end you don’t find out what happened to one of the friends. There was a huge amount of angst. The ending was a surprise to me. It was such a great book. I received an advance review copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Gripping psychological thriller. Great story and will be reading these authors again. It was a page-turner and I was not disappointed.

Wow! What an introduction to these two authors! This book definitely makes you rethink going out 'with the girls'.
Three friends decide to go on a getaway to a lush locale. There are some unresolved issues between them as well as various secrets that each is hiding within their personal lives. Chapters focus on each person's point of view as well as varying timelines.
It's difficult to say much more without risking spoilers. This is destined to be a hit and, doggone it, someone please option to be a movie - please!

Ok, who DOESN'T love a girls trip away?? For friends Ashley, Natalie and Lauren, a trip to Tulum, Mexico is just what they think they need. But when Ashley disappears during their night out, Natalie and Lauren have to piece together the details of the previous night, and figure out what happened to Ashley. Time is running out, and the secrets they hoped no one would ever find out are threatening to be uncovered. 

This book was so fun!! Although I don't think I'll be going away on a girls trip any time soon! ha. But for real, it was fun to get to know these 3 friends, and follow along their journey of what happened to Ashley. If you're looking for a quick, fun read, that is full of thrilling twists and turns, this is the one for you!

<i>Girl’s night out</i> was based on a terrific concept and had a lot of potential but, for me, never really took the plunge. It had all the elements of a great beach read/thriller – three longtime friends take a “girls only” trip to a resort on the coast of Mexico in hopes of repairing rifts in their relationships. One of the women goes missing which ups the intrigue and keeps the pages turning.

The story begins as Natalie, one of the three friends, wakes up early one morning on the beach still wearing her dress from the previous evening but now it’s wet and covered with sand. The remainder of the story is told through flashbacks and the alternating viewpoints of the three main characters. Each chapter is clearly labeled with the character and a time reference. These headings really helped this reader who has been known to get really confused and frustrated by these literary devices which are appearing in a lot of current releases – so thank you!

While there are some potentially interesting subplots, as well as characters, it seemed as if none were ever fully developed. The focus stayed on the narrative and a rehashing of the same emotions rather than what actually happened. Perhaps due to this lack of depth, the characters were just not all that likeable and their squabbles came off as somewhat juvenile.

The point of the conflict between Natalie and Ashley was very clear as it involved their business partnership but it got repetitive. Once revealed, the reason for the major falling out between Ashley and Lauren was a bit of a let down after all the build up. Perhaps if I could have actually witnessed what happened, rather than just being told about it, I might have felt the emotions.
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For the most part I enjoyed this book but, for me, it stayed in the characters’ heads too much where I would have preferred more detail and action.



FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Lauren, Ashley and Natalie need to heal their friendships. Why not head to Mexico? These three women are a hot mess on so many levels. Broken marriages, broken hearts, and a business that is killing Natalie little by little. This was an amazing ride and full of drama and suspense. Very enjoyable and a must read. Unputdownable!

This book tells the story of three friends who go on a trip to Mexico to try and mend their broken friendships. It involves a lot of death, mystery, broken relationships, and family dynamics. I thought there was going to be a big dramatic twist for the ending, but I was actually kind of disappointed with how it all ends. The characters were interesting and the plot line kept my interest, but the ending was definitely a let down. I would read more from this writing duo because I do enjoy their writing overall.

Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. Three friends, Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren travel to Mexico in an attempt to repair their friendship. Natalie and Ashley work together and Lauren is the odd woman out. The book opens with Natalie waking up on the beach in a wet dress and no memory of the night before. Lauren is in her room, but Ashley is gone.

This book is chick-lit with a mystery and alot of suspense. The three friends are terrible to each other, and it was hard for me to like any of them. I will admit that eventually their petty drama got a little boring. You don't truly know why Lauren is mad at Ashley until about halfway through the book, and I wanted to slap Lauren. Natalie has her own set of issues with Ashley, and let's just say, this trip sounds about as much fun as a root canal by day two.

The story is told from all three characters' perspectives, although we get more of Natalie and Ashley than Lauren. The timeline also jumps around-sometimes you are reading what happened days before Ashley went missing and sometimes it is what is happening in the present. This took a little getting used to, but it really adds to the mystery and suspense of the plot.

I was at the 30% mark when I was hooked on Girls' Night Out. It is a very quick read of drama, mystery, and suspense-the perfect summer beach read! There were several times when I thought I had the mystery solved, and then the next chapter would prove me wrong. I love when I can't totally guess the ending! The last page gave me chills and left me feeling very unsettled.