Member Reviews
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, just as I have loved Harding's other titles. It was a wickedly twisted tale filled with vile, unlikeable characters. I felt like a voyeur watching a train-wreck as I read about all of their bad decisions. I will definitely recommend this one. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
While I was intrigued by this book, and couldn’t put it down, it became seriously unrealistic and silly by the middle of the book. The characters are despicable, whiny and greedy. While I loathed all of them, I was so absorbed in the story-telling and drama that it somehow made up for the ridiculous storyline. By no means is this book memorable or thought-provoking, and if you don’t mind feeling a little dirty by the end of it, it certainly is entertaining.
The Arrangement (and its rave reviews) have been popping up all over social media. I hadn't heard much about Robyn Harding before this, but something about the cover struck me and after reading the synopsis, I just knew I had to get my hands on a copy. So of course, I was ecstatic when I received an advanced reader copy.
Natalie , a young art student who left behind her small town roots for the big city lights of art school in New York City, suddenly finds herself without a job and struggling to make ends meet. And her money problems have resulted in ongoing issues with her roommates. While studying with a friend, she is introduced to an idea that will solve all of her problems: find a sugar daddy. At first Nat dismisses the idea completely, but she soon finds herself with no other option. Enter Gabe, a handsome finance attorney, thirty years her senior, with a family he has no intents of leaving. They soon enter into an "arrangement" meant to be mutually beneficial, but kept strictly to business. Nat soon finds herself living the high life, but when she starts to develop feelings, thing turn sour very quickly.
Firstly, I must say I absolutely love Harding's writing style and will definitely be checking out more of her work! Her story is beautifully crafted, and packed with page-turning suspense. The fact of knowing right from the get go that something awful is going to transpire is what truly hooked me. And I thoroughly enjoyed how the novel slowly reveals everything leading up to that tragic moment. This writing tactic worked magically in grabbing my attention right from the start. She also does an amazing job a developing her characters. Although I could have easily finished this book in one sitting , I wanted to make it last a little longer and savour it.
The Arrangement is the perfect summer thriller; emotionally charged and filled with passion, deception, obsession and eventually murder, this one will definitely leave you wanting more. This novel also helps to shed light on the all-too-real world of sugar dating.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. A special thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Gallery/Scout Press for the opportunity to review.
Thank you Netgalley, Simon & Schuster and Robyn Harding.
This is the story of a struggling NYC student , Natalie, who is behind in rent and paying bills. Natalie, in one her classes meets Ava who appears rich. Natalie befriends Ava and is introduced to the sugar baby/sugar daddy world.
Natalie to make ends meet opens a profile and becomes a sugar baby, she tells herself just until her money problem are solved.
She meets Gabe on a date and her world changes. Natalie falls in love with her sugar daddy.
All is well until Gabe ends the arrangement and Natalie becomes crazy, obsessed with Gabe.
Fast paced, well written story. Full of twist and turns.
Highly recommend 4 ⭐️
Enjoyed this novel and the way the relationship played out. I loved the twist at the end and happy how it all worked out.. Tense, suspenseful writing, well crafted characters. Overall a great read that I sped through, needing to know exactly how it ended up.
I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Net Galley and Simon and Schuster Canada.
An interesting story and a good mystery featuring the "sugar daddy" world.
It was only going to be once. Maybe twice. She just needed a little bit of cash to pay off her roommates. And then she would quit.
Natalie is an art student At NYU, struggling financially and living paycheque to paycheque with no end to the struggle in sight. But how does her friend/fellow student manage it? How does she always have such nice clothing? And be able to eat in nice restaurants? When Ava takes her to her posh apartment one day, Natalie finds out the secret that Ava has. And why Ava always has money and nice things. Ava is a sugar baby. But Natalie couldn’t do that. She isn’t a prostitute. But Ava outlines the expectations and how Natalie could control the situations and what is required in a “date”. She could get hundreds of dollars for joining someone for a drink. And sex doesn’t need to be included, unless she wants to. After giving it some thought, and circumstances that forced the issue, Natalie decides to go through with it. But no sex. And only a couple of times until she’s paid her roommates back.
It seems like a simple arrangement. She can control everything. Do what she wants. See who she wants. Except she can’t. She didn’t count on emotions. She didn’t count on the hold someone could have on her. She didn’t count on not being the one in control. She didn’t count on Gabe. And before too long, Natalie is a mess, an obsessive train wreck and her life is spinning out of control.
This is another smash hit by Robyn Harding. She is one author that doesn’t have a predictable style. When you read an author with multiple books, often there is a similar style and similar outcome and things are predictable. Not so with Robyn Harding. Her novels are fresh and original. Her last few have been in the psychological thriller genre and both “the party” and “her pretty face” were both excellent reads. This one is as well.
We are given a glimpse into the very real life of sugar babies and sugar daddies. How they work, who are their clients, what are the expectations and how they can fail. While I don’t think I am naive by any means, I was astounded at the amount of money exchanging hands sometimes without a lot of return for their money. And while I know everything isn’t the same for everyone, it does intrigue me how people can keep emotions out of it.
While Natalie may seem to be an unlikable character to many, I actually found myself liking her and having a soft spot for her. A lot of what she does is questionable but the way she is portrayed in the book, for me, I just wanted to hug her and protect her.
This book was so hard to put down. While I could feel disaster happening, this book was so engrossing. I wanted to forget everything else and devour the book all at once. I will eagerly await Ms Harding’s next release.
Thank you to the publisher and net galley for allowing me the privilege of reading this book by sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Arrangement by Robyn Harding is a slow burn thriller. The first half of the novel is a salacious exploration of the sugar baby lifestyle and life as a struggling student in expansive New York City. Although there is nothing particularly mysterious or thrilling about this part of the novel, it is still just as captivating. As Nat’s relationship with Gabe grows increasingly obsessive, and her stalker ex-boyfriend becomes more and more omnipresent readers are left clinging to the pages, waiting for the inevitable crescendo.
I particularly enjoyed the contrast between Nat and her ex-boyfriend Cole’s behaviour. As the novel progresses, Nat begins to exhibit the very behaviour that she feared in Cole: overstepping boundaries, invading Gabe’s privacy and family home, and uttering threats. The beginning of the novel introduces Cole as the scary stalker villain, but it is really a Nat how embodies this role in the second part of The Arrangement. The only part I disliked is the conclusion. I found the court room scenes dragged a little and were ultimately unnecessary. However the unexpected twist at the very end made up for the lengthy conclusion.
Overall, I enjoyed the novel. Robyn Harding has successfully made a name for herself along with Liane Moriarty, Ruth Ware, and Lisa Jewell in the contemporary female thriller writer’s scene with The Arrangement.
Wow, what a ride this book was. Thank you @netgalley and @simonandschuster for this ARC.
Nat is a broke college student who’s struggling to pay her bills and her roommates are about to kick her out. As a last resort, she decides to find a sugar daddy to help her out financially.
Gabe is an older, attractive and rich lawyer who takes Nat on as his sugar baby. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement as Gabe also has a family who are his priority.
As Nat begins to fall in love with Gabe, assuming they have a future together, he dumps her. Obviously, she doesn’t take the news very well but there is no way Gabe is going to let her destroy his life.
This book has it all....sex, murder and obsession. It was so entertaining that I read half the first night I picked it up.
This was my first @rhardingwriter book and now I want more!!! 4.5 ⭐️
Loved this book! I had seen a news report at some point based on the workings of sugar babies. I didn't get to watch it all, but was curious how the girls had lived.
This book gave lots of mixed emotions, loving the main character, to cringing!
In this novel the main character Nat really only hooks up with one sugar daddy. She had gone in another date not realizing what the other sugar daddy's profile was about. I imagine that the writer only gave her one sugar daddy because perhaps it's a path that takes time? But would've been neat to see some other details of how it worked.
However, this book was written so well I could not out it down! And a great twist at the end. Definitely a great summer read! Going to share with my Facebook Book Club!
Amazing work, read in one sitting. Well researched characters and the suspense of the back and forth was truly amazing. 5/5
*I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review of this book*
I was very intrigued to read this book after reading Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding.
Natalie is a typical small town girl, who wants to get away from the small town life, and moves to New York City in search of that, and herself. She is an art school student, living with two roommates who don't like her very much due to her frequent nightly male visitors. Natalie meets a fellow art student, who doesn't conform to any of the typical art school criteria - rich, nice clothes, nice apartment. Natalie is curious how she can live such a lavish lifestyle and her friend lets her in on a little secret - she has a sugar daddy. Natalie isn't into the idea at first, but is in desperate need of money so she ends up meeting with an older gentleman named Gabe. Natalie loses touch of the fact that she is just Gabes' sugar baby and ends up falling in love with him, which she thinks Gabe reciprocates. Eventally, Gabe attempts to break things off but Natalie is not happy with the idea and becomes needy, clinging, demanding, and ushering threats.
I absolutely would recommend that EVERYONE read this book! The plot line was really unique and a refreshing difference from any novels i've read lately. Robyn is an amazing writer, and you will not be disappointed in this book - it kept me guessing the entire time!
I was so excited to receive an ARC of this book, and it was so worth it! This was a fantastic, entertaining, thrilling story. I couldn’t get enough!
This is the story of Nat, who is living in NYC, far away from all friends and family, while she goes to college. Her money is sparse, and her roommates aren’t the most friendly girls. Through a college friend, Nat gets the idea to become a star baby. Just long enough to pay some bills and get some extra cash flow. But when she meets Gabe, she realizes that maybe there is more to it than just getting paid for her companionship. She falls in love, and he loves her back.
Soon Gabe is dead, and Nat is being accused of his Murder. Where did it go wrong?
Truly a fantastic thriller, I am so excited for this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery/Scout Press for the ARC of this book!
This was such a refreshing read after a slew of mediocre (and even some downright dull) reads as of late. THE ARRANGEMENT kept me glued to the pages, continuously saying “just one more chapter” at night even as my eyelids struggled to stay open. When a struggling NYC student joins the Sugar Bowl to become a “sugar baby” for a rich “sugar daddy” her life changes in more ways than she can imagine. And so does his! Throughout the whole book I was constantly dying to know what was going to happen next. The character development was fantastic, the way I felt about certain characters kept changing as the story went on. Every character had parts that make them completely likeable but none of them were without their flaws either. This was my first Robyn Harding read but most definitely won’t be my last. This was such an easy and enjoyable read - I highly recommend everyone grab this to be one of their late summer reads once it is released!
The Arrangement is a fast-paced, fun, quick read. A topical plot (sugar baby/sugar daddy) mixed with everything booze, sex & scandal.
What could possibly go wrong when a wealthy high profile lawyer makes an “arrangement” with a struggling art student? Trust me, you want to find out.
Honestly, about 3/4 of the way through I paused and (literally) screamed “I know what’s going to happen”. Unfortunately, I was wrong (I liked my own ending better, seriously) and Harding went with the more obvious ending.
Although the ending isn’t a complete shocker (you probably figured it out well before Harding revealed the “twist”), The Arrangement is still worth a read. Will be recommending this one to friends and book lovers alike.
This book is about a small town art student, Natalie, who runs out of money and needs to find a way to get money fast, so she becomes a sugar baby and gets herself a rich sugar daddy, Gabe Turnmill, who's in his fifties but very charming and attractive. Natalie falls in love with him, and when he ends their arrangement, she becomes obsessive and crazy and from there, everything begins to spiral. There is a bit of a predictable twist at the end, but it was a very enjoyable read.
A special thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Gallery/Scout Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Natalie is a struggling art student in New York City. She is having trouble making rent and keeping up with her other bills. Her roommates are less than impressed with her drinking, overnight (male) guests, and her failure to pay her share.
While at school, she becomes friends with one of her classmates who appears to have it all—Ava is impeccably dressed and has her own apartment in Chelsea. Natalie discovers that Ava used an online site to find herself a sugar daddy (a wealthy, older man that pays for her time with sexual favours being optional). Natalie is intrigued after she learns how much money can be earned for a date, some girls even get monthly allowances and trips.
She meets Gabe, a dashing and successful lawyer who is more than thirty years her senior. He seems like the perfect candidate and their chemistry is undeniable. Soon enough, they are a couple. Natalie falls hard for Gabe and believes he feels the same way about her. But Gabe hasn't been completely honest, he is still married and has no intention of leaving his wife.
Things end abruptly and Natalie can't cope. Her drinking spirals out of control and she starts stalking Gabe. She even goes as far as to befriend his daughter—but Gabe's not having it. What was supposed to be an arrangement between two consenting people has turned into an obsessive nightmare that ends in murder.
After reviewing Her Pretty Face, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Harding's latest work and she delivers in spades! The plot is layered and emotionally charged with characters that are believable and real. Harding has a gift not only of being engaging, but to deliver a powerful page-turner that is taut with suspense.
The writing is smart and complex, while not being trite or contrived. I was fully vested in the story, especially with such an interesting and fresh premise—I wanted to learn more about the sugar baby/sugar daddy dynamic.
This book is sexy, smart, and seductive!
An absolutely addictive and perfect summer thriller. Robyn Hardings newest book “The Arrangement” is destined to be a smashing success and begs for a cinematic version. Started and finished this deliciously dark thriller in a single day.
Thanks to Netgalley.com and Simon & Schushter Canada for an advanced readers e-book copy in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve read and enjoyed Harding’s other novels for their daring topics that push you to consider common ethical questions and The Arrangement definitely lives up to expectations. It’s an entertaining, at times uncomfortable, novel about a young woman struggling to make ends meet who finds an older, married man willing to support her. I didn’t necessarily agree with the protagonists life choices but this novel is a compulsive read; it’s impossible not to get sucked in as Natalie’s life spirals out of control.
Robyn Harding does it again with an awesome domestic thriller! I loved the premise of this book, so different than the usual wife & husband/odd relationship plot. THIS book is about a young college student, and a wealthy, married man. The story starts off telling the reader that a murder has happened, but the murder of who?
The protagonist, Nat, was such an unusual college student - dealing with school, no money, judgemental friends... but as she becomes a “sugar baby” she becomes SO unlike able and so irritating, but I liked that about her! I liked that I wasn’t necessarily rooting for the main character the entire time.
All in all, this was a great domestic thriller. Harding is one of my favourite authors. Highly recommend!