So happy to have received an advanced copy of this much talked about release! After reading the blurb, I didn’t think it would be the kind of book I could really get into. But I couldn’t put it down! Talk about a gripping page turning thriller!

Natalie is a struggling college student who will do anything to get money. Her friend suggests going online to find herself a sugar daddy…a man who will pay to take her on dates, give a monthly allowance, etc. Natalie takes a chance and ends up falling for one of the daddies she meets.

As their relationship evolves, Natalie falls deeper for Gabe and plans a future with him. Until one day, Gabe breaks it off and sends Natalie into a downward spiral. And then a body is found near Gabe’s upscale apartment.

This thriller will keep you on your toes! Packed full of suspense and drama, you won’t want to put this one down. It’s no wonder this is one of the hottest releases of the year.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press books for the chance to review this one early in exchange for an honest review.

This book all of the things I love: romance, suspense, family drama., a bit of history.... I really enjoyed it and read it super quick!!!

Thank you for the advanced review copy- I canceled my library hold- I was planning on reading it regardless.

I especially loved that the author thanked some bookstagrammers in her acknowledgments. I follow most of them and know that these people definitely will sell this book for her! I will as well!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Gallery/Scout Press, and Robyn Harding for the opportunity to read her latest book - loved it! I really liked The Party and somehow missed Her Pretty Face - definitely a must-read author!

Natalie had a tough childhood - her dad left her and her mom when she was young, her high school boyfriend became obsessive, and her mom remarried and had a new family where she didn't quite feel at home. So a chance to go to art school in NYC was too good to pass up. And Nat loved her new life - except it was expensive. When she meets fellow student, Ava, who has a beautiful penthouse apartment and all that money can buy, she learns about the sugar daddy/sugar baby lifestyle. While she can't imagine being with an older man, when her money is gone, she signs up with Ava's help. She meets Gabe, the perfect rich, older man who eventually enters into an arrangement with Nat - he will pay her a monthly fee to be available to him. But Nat breaks the rules when she falls in love. Since the prologue tells us that Natalie is in jail for murder, we know things go horribly wrong.

This was a quick read - just a good summer escape book into another world!

What happens in the “sordid, shadowy all-too-real world of sugar dating” when there is a one-sided breakup of The Arrangement? Murder!

Waitress Nat is studying art in New York City by day and looking for a sugar daddy by night. She finds Gabe, a rich but, unknown to her, married man. Gabe supports her in a style she wants to become accustomed to. When she starts catching feelings for him, Gabe breaks it off. Nat can’t let Gabe go so she starts stalking him and his family.

I loved The Arrangement. It has several twists you won’t see coming. Picture driving down a highway at 50 mph when your car suddenly shifts into reverse. That type of twist. I also enjoyed the glimpse into the secretive world of sugar daddies. The author signed up at an actual sugar bowl site to talk to some real sugar babies as part of her research for the book! Hopefully, they took the book’s advice and got paid up front.

I also enjoyed the subtle transformation of many of the main characters as the plot moved forward. It was very realistic and made the characters feel genuine.

The mystery at the heart of the book was a real challenge. Even an experienced armchair detective like me basically thought everybody-dunnit at various times. If you like thrillers and to peek into a hidden world, you can’t go wrong picking up this book. So good it’s worth 5 stars!

Thanks to Scout Press Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Twenty-one-year-old Natalie gratefully escaped her small-town life in Washington state, including an obsessive ex-boyfriend who broke into her house when she told him she was leaving for art school in New York City. But now the glamorous life she dreamed of is anything but: even with a partial scholarship, she's struggling to pay her tuition and rent. So when her friend tells her of a possible solution--go online and find an older sugar daddy: a wealthy man who pays her for dates--Natalie is intrigued. She figures it is a temporary solution until she gets back on her feet. But then she meets Gabe Turnmill, a handsome lawyer, more than thirty years older her senior. Soon she's madly in love with Gabe, who gives her a monthly allowance and helps her find her own apartment. But Gabe has his own family and life, and when he ends things with Natalie, she's devastated, unable to let things go. She begins stalking Gabe and his family. Gabe is a powerful man, however, and he's not going to let his sugar baby ruin his life.

Wow, this book was utterly captivating! I totally loved HER PRETTY FACE, and I felt the same about this one! This novel starts out with Natalie calling her long-estranged father, who abandoned her family when she was ten. "I killed someone," she says. From there, we flash back four months, learning more about Natalie's life as an art student and how she winds up as a sugar baby. It's utterly fascinating--learning about this life and how Natalie becomes tied up in it. She's convinced she will only go on a couple of dates, but her life becomes a series of unfortunate incidents. Then she falls for Gabe.

"But this was not a real relationship. Gabe was paying her. Now, Nat was afraid of falling for a man she could never really have."

The characters in this book are spot-on. Talk about creepy, obsessive, and utter trainwrecks. These two are so messed up. And I loved them! I could not put this book down! I picked it up on Sunday afternoon and had to finish it Sunday night before I went to bed. I simply could not look away from Natalie and Gabe and their absolutely bizarre relationship.

"Gabe liked situations he could control, people he could manage."

This book is a crazy mix of thriller, mystery, and romantic suspense. It's really interesting to think that these sugar baby/daddy relationships actually exist (hopefully without some of the other insanity that occurs in this book). Harding does such a wonderful job with her main characters and their utterly twisted minds. The point of view switches between the two, and we hear from some of the supporting cast, too. It helps up the drama and suspense, for sure. New York City is a great backdrop for all that goes down. I sort of had an inkling how it would all play out near the end, but I definitely couldn't put the book down.

Overall, totally loved this one. Definitely one of my favorite thrillers this year--just a really fun, captivating book with a different storyline and awesome, crazy characters. 4.5 stars.

Welcome to the world of genteel pros..., nope not that. More like an escort service with benefits or bartering your body. Whatever, it's all sugar baby: sugar daddies, sugar babies, Splenda daddies (not real sugar, get it) or salty daddies, who prefer spice. Anyway you cut it, young attr active women are looking for "sponsors" to help them make ends meet. So do the means justify the ends? Well, poor Natalie is having trouble with her rent payments so she looks for an after hours job, so to speak. Her employer is a wealthy lawyer/dealer who need a little sumpim' sumpim that he isn't getting for the Mrs. Oh, did I mention Sugar Pops is married? Apparently he failed to mention this to Natalie and all sorts of complications ensue., including a dead body. The Arrangement gets all disarranged and discombobulated and predictable and seem-predictable events are the substance of this tawdry tale. A few mild surprises but The Arrangement is pretty paint by the numbers. You need to have a really long vacation to add this to beach reading.

The description on this one sounded too good to pass up. After looking at it a few times, I had to hit the request button.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery/Scout Press, and Robyn Harding for this ARC, in exchange for my honest review!

This was a fun read that brought back some of those teenage memories and bad decisions....back when I knew everything 🤣. Nat was a character that I couldn’t help but like, even though I knew she was a train wreck...a very slow one that I couldn’t look away from. Her behavior and choices were absolutely crazy at times, but I couldn’t stop reading!

The author didn’t waste any time. It begins with Nat calling her estranged father, asking for help after she tells him she killed someone. Then it jumps back four months earlier and the juicy parts begin!

We get all the background info on how Nat ends up in NYC at art school...her abandonment by her father, her mother’s remarriage and new family, her stepfather’s non-support of her art school dream, etc.

She becomes art student, struggling to make ends meet by working while attending school. Living in a grubby apartment with two condescending roommates, she can barely afford food and rent. Then Ava, a fellow student and “sugar baby”, has a solution. With the fear of eviction and returning home right around the corner, Nat decides to give the questionable lifestyle a try. Just a few dates, to get caught up on bills. Going out with older men completely grosses her out. Yea, right! She meets Gabe and forgets the biggest rule...it’s an arrangement, you don’t fall in love. Nat is young and naive...Gabe is a self-indulgent, narcissist who takes advantage of her innocence, until she’s no longer needed.

A great weekend read. This was my first book by Robyn Harding. It has everything...sex, obsession, betrayal, deceit and murder. I loved it!

<b>My Rating: </b> 4 ⭐️’s
<b>Published:</b> July 30th 2019 by Gallery/Scout Press
<b>Pages:</b> 352

<b>Recommend:</b> Yes

Nat, an art student in Manhattan is struggling to pay her bills, and is feeling the pressure as she falls further behind paying her roommates her share. During a study session with a classmate at her beautiful Chelsea apartment, her friend tells her about becoming a Sugar Baby. Desperation wins out and Nat signs up as a “pay per meet” where she will only meet men for dinner or drinks with “no strings attached”. What could go wrong?

Nat feels an instant connection with her first date, Gabe. He’s older, successful and seems to really enjoy Nat’s company. And then the roller coaster leaves the station… Gabe tells Nat that he is divorced, which is, of course, a lie. When his wife tells him that is daughter is struggling with self-harm, Gabe knows he needs to give his daughter all the attention and guidance he can but Nat just can’t let that happen.

When Gabe turns up dead and his volatile relationship with Nat is exposed, it seems obvious that she was the one to kill him. She has no alibi and her ever escalation alcohol abuse doesn’t leave h er with much credibility.
There were a few minor drawbacks. I did not find a single character in this novel to be likeable, which may well have been the point.

The novel really gained momentum after the break-up and murder. This would make a great beach read, a little murder, a little “dating”, a little intrigue.

3.5 Rounded to 4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A highly enjoyable novel. Enjoyed it very much. Excellent narrative and wonderful depiction of the characters. Highly recommended!

This thriller is about an interesting social phenomena: the 'sugar' arrangement, where much older, wealthy men support beautiful young women in exchange for companionship and/or sex--the sugar daddy-sugar baby arrangement. They find each other through sugar dating sites online. In their profiles, the men describe what they are looking for and when contacted, what they are willing to pay for such services. What could possibly go wrong? Everything, as this novel illustrates!

Natalie is an art student in NYC, struggling to pay the rent and eat, when she first learns about the sugar arrangement through a fellow classmate who seems to be well off. Nat finds the idea both appalling yet tempting. When her financial situation worsens, she decides to give it a try and soon meets a wealthy lawyer named Gabe Turnmill who claims he is divorced with a daughter in high school.

As their relationship develops, he does eventually make Nat an offer for an arrangement. Does a man like that believe a girl can give her body but not her heart? Or is he so cold and arrogant that he doesn't really care? Soon the rather narcissistic Gabe finds himself in a messy situation that calls for drastic measures. Who will win and who will lose?

Author Robyn Harding says she became interested in this topic and did some online research, interviewing a few sugar babies about the benefits and pitfalls of these sorts of arrangements. It definitely can hurt everyone involved, ruin relationships, reputations and lives. I found the topic to be very interesting and emotional, a new wrinkle on highly-paid escort services with women treated as objects.

I received an arc of this new thriller from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Arrangement, by Robyn Harding

Short Take: A stick of dynamite with a long fuse that never goes off.

(*Note: I received an advance copy of this book for review.*)

Good morning, my lovely nerdlings! I don’t know about all of you, but sometimes, I get an idea, and it just cascades into a whole lot of other ideas. Case in point: The Spousal Unit and I decided that it’s about time we get some new living room furniture. Simple enough, right? Then the decision was made that the loveseat from the old set would be perfect for under the younger kid’s loft bed, which means the too-big futon that’s currently under there should go in the office which needs painted and while we’re moving stuff, let’s put this dresser in this other room, and reorganize this closet to move some of the stuff in it to the office since we’re redoing it anyway and now…. Everything in the house is a mess. So it’s a perfect time to kick back with a book, right?

And speaking of messes, meet Natalie. She’s an art student living in New York City, and she is dead broke (I feel like that’s a redundant statement). Her roommates are looking for any excuse to kick her out of the only place she can almost afford, and her brilliant plan of sneaking a few bucks out of the cash register at work goes about as well as you’d imagine.

So with no job and homelessness only a few days away. Natalie is willing to try just about anything, and her friend Ava has the perfect solution: Become a sugar baby. Just go out for drinks or to a show with a wealthy older man, and make some quick money.

Natalie decides to give it a try, and in very short order, she meets Gabe - powerful corporate attorney, thirty years older than her, a married father who has no interest in disrupting his home life, but is more than happy to pay for a little something on the side.

It would seem as though Natalie’s problems are solved. All she has to do is play along, take his money, and not intrude on his Real Life. But…. Natalie is a mess, always. She falls in love with him, and becomes increasingly demanding until he ends it.

Now, my duckies, do I have to tell you that things Go Very Wrong? Because of course they do. Natalie’s messiness turns into a real spiral of alcohol, obsession, and Very Bad Decisions. Gabe tries to maintain his distance, but Natalie legit has no bottom - she can always go lower and let me just say, it was shocking to me to see exactly how low she would go. It’s this build-up to the inevitable explosion that is the most fun, intense part of the book.

From there, it’s not very surprising that someone ends up dead. It’s also not surprising that someone else is accused of the murder, or that the suspect may or may not have actually done the deed.

And that’s where the whole thing falls apart - once the dead person is dead, and the story moves from an intensely toxic, passionate, red-hot relationship to the cold sterility of the legal system, all of the emotion and energy get sucked clean out of the story. The length of the chapters even changes - during the buildup, they are short quick punches that I felt in my solar plexus, but afterward, a leisurely stroll through a mostly empty Walmart. You’ll find what you were looking for, but it won’t feel like anything remarkable.

The final chapter, the longest one, is the worst. It’s of course the one where All Secrets Are Revealed, but it’s also a multi-page info-dump, bereft of feeling. Sure it has lots of answers, but so does a calculus textbook. It doesn’t feel surprising or shocking, or even all that interesting. Maybe it was the switch to a completely dispassionate character’s point of view, but it just fizzled.

Another major issue was with Natalie as a character. It’s not that she’s unlikeable (she is, but that can be fun), it’s that she’s exhausting. She’s that friend who makes the wrong choice every single time but is always the victim in her own story. Even while I was marvelling at the sheer brazenness of some of her actions, I wanted to shake her and tell her to clean up, grow up, put on her big girl panties, and get on with her life.

Finally, there’s a heavy-handed subtext that the whole sugar baby thing is yet another way for women to be victimized, that it’s inherently harmful and will only and always end badly for the women who choose it. I think that the issues around sugar babies (and other sex workers) are far more complicated, that there’s a whole spectrum between “get that money girl!!!” and “Don't have sex, because you will get pregnant and die!”, and I would have liked to see a more nuanced look at the lifestyle.

The Nerd’s Rating: THREE HAPPY NEURONS (and something sweet, because SUGAR.)

I thought this was fantastic. It was very well written and kept me engaged as a reader. The sugar baby/daddy relationship was very interesting. I figured out the twist about 3/4 the way through. I really enjoyed it and thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

After having a difficult childhood and horrible experience with a high school boyfriend, Nathalie is more than ready to take advantage of a partial scholarship to attend an art school in NYC. The story initially mentions her money worries, drinking too much, and issues with her roommates. When a friend tells her about being a Sugar Baby, she’s initially against the idea and thinking about how old or creepy the men might be.

As nervous as she is, when Natalie meets Gabe, she has an interesting evening, even though she drinks too much. She assumes she’s lost her chance with Gabe and meets another man. It was almost funny when the man tells her what he expects and she doesn’t have a clue what the acronyms mean. She realizes this path just isn’t for her until her roommates threaten to evict her if she doesn’t pay her part of the bills. She contacts Gabe and they hit it off although he tells her upfront that it’s an arrangement.

When Gabe unexpectedly ends the arrangement, Nathalie spins out of control and begins stalking Gabe and his family. This is where the story became more interesting to me as I didn’t really like Gabe or Nathalie. Someone is murdered and there is some conflicting evidence, leading me to wonder what happened. There was an unexpected event during the plea deal which contributed to a different path than expected. The ending was a little odd but provided additional information on all of the characters and actions.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for allowing me the opportunity to read this new work.

There are a lot of books about young women living in New York struggling to make ends meet, so it can be difficult to put a new spin on it. Natalie meets a fellow student that has it all - she's beautiful, has an amazing NYC apartment, and a closet full of clothes. Natalie needs money, badly, so she asks her friend how she does it... well, she's a sugar baby "dating" sugar daddies that pay her for dates.

Natalie isn't so sure that's something she wants to do. However, when she loses her job and her roommates threaten to kick her out, she decides to try it. After she gets sloppy drunk on her first "date" with Gabe, she finds that he was actually a perfect gentleman helping her get home safely and then sending her hangover food the next day. She's embarrassed and figures that's the end of that. However, after a few days, she longs to see Gabe again and reaches out to him. Surprisingly, he wants to see her again too. And that how The Arrangement begins...

This book seems like it may just be a cliche with Natalie developing a psychotic relationship with Gabe, but there are a lot of twists in this book that keep it interesting and keep you hooked. I enjoyed the 2 perspectives of both Natalie and Gabe, and was definitely surprised at the end. A crazy psychological thriller that continues to make me cringe at the prospect of dating.

Intriguing and suspenseful. Sit back and wait for the train wreck that is inevitable with this story. I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more books by this author.

I have read this author is the past but this was by far my favorite of hers! It’s soo good and so many twists and turns and I never guessed what was gonna happen! Highly recommend this!!!!

Oh my goodness! Sugar daddy and sugar baby?! Let me say I just love that cover and was so intrigued by the premise of the story.

I have heard amazing things about this author and can finally say that I have experienced her talent myself! Wow.. I devoured this book in over a few days!

What a fast paced and addicting thriller that blew my mind! It's pretty hard to please this thriller lover right here but Harding you have done it girl!!

Ok.. can I just say that I loved Nat's crazy ass!! Talk about unpredictable characters to the max!

The plot was dark, intense, and creepy to the max. This is like jumping in a cool pool after being in the hot weather!

Incredible and highly recommend putting this on your summer thriller TBR!!!

4.5 stars!!!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Gallery/Scout Press for the advanced arc in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: 7/30/19
Published to GR/IG: 7/28/19

Welcome to the Sugar Bowl, bishes!

I'm just going to come out and say it...this is such a compulsively readable story. I could hardly put it down. There is just something about that sugar daddy/sugar baby relationship which utterly fascinates.

Unfortunately, the writing is less than stellar, the characters are lacking in just about every way possible, there is zero chemistry between sugar daddy (Gabe) and sugar baby (Natalie), and if I'm being entirely honest, which I always am in my book reviews, the story line is predictable. I knew about halfway through the book who our murderer and victim were going to be; unfortunately, I was proven correct.

Robyn Harding has a great concept here, and she developed a fun, fast-paced novel. Like so many other books I've read recently, this book begins by giving us a glimpse into the future, then takes us back in time so we can witness all the juicy, gory details leading to our climax. If you're expecting tawdry, however, you've got the wrong book. While sex is implied, I can't recall any overtly graphic scenes.

Trigger warning: Physical violence against women

**Thanks to the publisher for my digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: July 30, 2019
Goodreads review published: July 28, 2019

5 out of 5 stars

I want to thank Netgalley and Gallery/Scout Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Nat is in a terrible position. She is a broke art student struggling to pay her bills as well as trying to work things out with her two roommates who are not fond of her. One day after class she goes for a drink with the beautiful Ava who seems to be living a great life in NYC while Nat lives in a crowded apartment in Brooklyn Ava lets Nat in on a secret, she is a sugar baby. At first Nat equates sugar baby with prostitution but Ava says you only have to do what you want. You go on this site, meet up and usually get 500 dollars for a drink or coffee date. It's that simple. Nat still is not interested until she loses her job and is informed by her roommates that she owes them money. Desperate she decides to give it a go.

When Nat meets Gabe, a divorced Dad of an 18 year old daughter she thinks she has really lucked out. Gabe is a good 30 years older than her 21 but he is handsome, seems nice and didn't expect much from her. In fact when she drinks too much at the meet up he is kind enough to have his driver escort therm back to her place where he drops her off and leaves her money in her coat. He didn't even try anything.

Gabe has a secret though. He is married and his wife lives in the country. He only spends weekends and feels that his wife and daughter do not appreciate him. Nat seems like she will be the perfect sugar baby. She is different than the other girls he has had arrangements with.

I had so much fun reading this novel. It is a quick but entertaining read.This twisted tale of an arrangement gone wrong will captivate you and leave wanting to read more by Robyn Harding.

Are you a broke and hungry art school student? Can't make rent? Can't pay bills? Well, have I got an arrangement for you. Robyn Harding's "The Arrangement" enthralls as she creates a world, based on reality, where a young girl gets her needs met via wining and dining an older man. For Natalie, the world of sugar daddies and sugar babies promises thrills; however, the subsequent chills rock whatever stability she craves.

Pros:

1. Fast-paced. Once you start reading, putting the story down is nearly impossible.

2. Relatable. Listen. Many of us have been so broke that we begin thinking we are willing to do anything. Natalie could be any of us.

3. Believable. The story is well-researched, and Natalie's twists and turns could happen to anyone.

4. The story gives you a pit in your stomach and refuses to let go.

5. The ending. Even though, you may figure how the book ends halfway in, the ending still satisfies.

6. Characterization works. I do not recall any melding of faces and personalities. People gel appropriately.

Cons:

1. As mentioned, the story is fast-paced. Unfortunately, there are moments where its quick speed may lead to some implausibility. Quick love, for instance. However, the speed will not pull you from the story's overall arc.

2. The book cover. I sense a desire to portray the griminess permeating the story; but, I feel a better cover would have convey the sense.

In conclusion, Harding's "The Arrangement" promises to thrill and chill you with it's fast-paced thrust into a world many can imagine, but few take part.