I went into this book wanting to love it. I had the base of a thriller that I enjoy. A murder mystery that you know couldn't be as obvious as it being the jilted lover. However, I felt the start of the book was a bit slow. Natalie seemed very immature for her age. Maybe that could be the small town aspect of her upbringing. It did pick up as Natalie became a sugar baby. At first it was all fun and money. Till she goes and catches feelings right away, apparently she forgot what she was there for. When the sugar daddy, Gabe, realized he wanted more from his own life and cut Natalie loose well then we see how unstable of a girl she is. I didn't hate this book but I didn't love it either. Natalie was just too vindictive for me.



Thank You NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC in return for my honest review.

I picked this book because I have seen the sugar baby topic on TV. I'm not sure how much of a thriller this actually was, as my expectations were not met. The first half of the book was fairly slow, and I'm not sure if I didn't enjoy it much as that is not my age group or my lifestyle. The second half of the book started to get more interesting, but just wasn't enough to satisfy the thrill I was looking for. It was interesting, well written. Just think it was lacking some ooomph.

UGH. I wanted to stop reading this book so many times but I continue in the hopes that it would get better. When I knew that was impossible, I only finished it because I said I would review it. So here it is...I found Natalie to be quite unbearable. First with her trying to decide if she should become a sugar baby, "I'll be a whore, I'll be a prostitute" blah blah. If you don't like what being paid to date a man makes you find a different way to pay your bills. Then once she was in the arrangement with Gabe, she jumped so quickly to love. You are being paid to be with this man! He showed so many signs that she was nothing more than an arrangement. Overall I think she was delusional ,and to put it plainly, turned out to be quite a psycho. Also, the entire book was just her complaining. If it wasn't about this it was about that. I couldn't stand it. I found the plot interesting in theory but poorly done. The writing style was good but I found it very repetitive that in most sentences where there were descriptions, there were always 3 descriptive words in a row. Look for it, you'll see it. This book was extremely slow and hard to stay invested in. Lastly the ending. Flat, boring and easy to figure out. Overall I'm just glad its over.
I want to thank netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book "The Arrangement" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. The story was interesting and kept me wanting to find out what was going to happen next. But, I feel that the writing was trying too hard - the words that were used like they were coming from a thesaurus. I didn't feel that someone would actually use those words. So now to the ending - it felt very rushed - like the author had to hurry up and finish this book. I would have preferred a bit more detail towards the end. Also, some of the characters just dropped off the face of the earth. I wonder what happened to them. I know that Nat was the main character and the book was about her but some of the others needed to be more in the story-line. Rounded up from 2.5 stars

The transformation of Natalie is unlike anything I have read in quite some time. Despite its somewhat slow start, you will become hooked and won't be able to put this down until you find out what happened.

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I had read another book by this author, The Party, and enjoyed it a good amount. This next book by her was described as "a Pretty Woman tale that turns toxic and deadly" and that tag line really grabbed my interest. This book turned out to be really good - I both liked and hated how dark and twisted it was. Natalie was a deeply disturbed young woman but the other POV, her sugar-daddy Gabe, wasn't much better. The plot twist at the end of the book was a tad predictable but was still done really well and everything came to a satisfying ending. I love how the book started with Nat saying she had killed someone to really ramp up the tension right from the beginning and draw in the reader. The book overall was a quick and pretty easy read - the chapters flew by. Everyone was just so deeply damaged in this book, it made it a little depressing with how sad I felt for each of the characters involved. Overall I liked the book though and I definitely recommend it.

The Arrangement is my first book by Robyn Harding. It brings us into the world of "Sugar baby/daddy" relationships. Oh goodness. I was so on the fence about this book. The more I read, the less I liked the characters, everyone has their issues but holy moly. I think that's what keeps this one interesting. There is a some what interesting twist at the end that isn't hard to guess, but still pretty decent.
*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Arrangement is about a Pretty Woman with a Fatal Attraction. Like the Julia Roberts/Richard Gere "hooker with a heart" classic, The Arrangement features an older, wealthy businessman willing to have a "pay to play" relationship with a much younger, attractive female. Starving artist Natalie is lured into the "sugar daddy/sugar baby" arrangement by a friend whose lavish lifestyle is financed by a series of "benefactors." When Natalie meets Gabe through a "sugar" website she is repulsed by the idea of having sex with a man older than her father, but Gabe woos her with expensive dinners, Broadway shows, and an an upscale apartment. Natalie falls in love with Gabe, and is naive enough to think they have a future that does not involve the exchange of cash at the end of their "dates." But Gabe has been in several "sugar" relationships, and as much as he is charmed by Natalie's youthful adoration he has no intention of giving up his marriage and daughter (details of his life Gabe has carefully hidden from Natalie) for her. When Gabe tries to end things with Natalie she morphs into Alex from Fatal Attraction-complete with hysterical texts and phone calls begging Gabe to take her back, and threatening to expose their relationship unless he does. All that's missing is the pet rabbit boiling on the stove. Athough not as gritty as Miss Harding's novel The Party, The Arrangement devels into the seedy world of human sex trafficking without pretending it's anything other than what it is-prostitution and the explotation of vunerable girls in dire financial straits. The plot moves along quickly, and you can feel Natalie's desperation-both for money and Gabe-oozing off the pages. The Arrangment is a riveting tale of poor choices, denial, and a reckless quest for revenge. If you're looking for a happy ending, rent Pretty Woman. If you want a gripping story of a woman who will do anything to get back (or get back at) the man she loves, The Arrangement is for you.

Sugar baby/sugar daddy relationships seem to be very en vogue right now, and as someone fascinated by the dynamics therein, I've read my fair share of fictional and nonfiction accounts. Still, most of what I've read seems rather tame or else told in an uninteresting way, so while the subject intrigued me, I didn't expect much of The Arrangement. In a rare turn of events, The Arrangement was actually far better than I anticipated. Natalie's experience of the world of 'arrangements' was relayed well, without being at all judgmental, and seemed extremely accurate. I suspect the author has dabbled with the world herself, or else she's some sort of psychological savant, capable of conjuring up the most spot-on imagining of what it would feel like to put yourself out there as being a pseudo-sex worker. She feels very real, and her decisions seem, if not reasonable, realistic, given her circumstances. Broke and struggling emotionally in a city, without much in the way of support, the allure of having a wealthy individual pay your bills is evident. As I would imagine is the case with most women, she comes to it reluctantly, first really only intending to dip in a toe, suss it out. It all progresses naturally, so that by the time the book evolves into a truly twisted tale of obsession, fear, and danger on all sides, and ultimately culminating in murder, we're already hooked.
The pacing is great, and I can honestly say it's one of the few books in recent times that has been 'unputdownable' for me. All of this praise isn't to say that it's a perfect book-- it's not literary fiction, there aren't beautiful turns of phrase or poetic ways of looking at the world-- but it's a fun ride, from start to finish.

Free ARC from NETGALLEY

Evil from two sides, one who thinks life is free and one who thinks life can be bought. This is a gripping story that should dispel the myth of "sugar" AND THAT EVERYTHING IS ALRIGHT AS LONG AS WE CONSENT TO IT.

4 Stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The synopsis of this book grabbed my attention immediately! A book about Sugar Daddies and Sugar Babies? OKAY! I just knew it would be a rollercoaster of a read! It did not disappoint - it was better than I had anticipated!

Natalie is a poor, naive college girl who is struggling to pay her bills. When she discovers a website that connects rich older men (Sugar Daddies) with young women looking to be spoiled and pampered with financial benefits (Sugar Babies), she’s hesitant at first, but desperation to make some money gets the best of her.

Meet Gabe - a Sugar Daddy (who also happens to be the biggest scum of the earth, in my opinion) who’s looking for a hot, young thing to spoil (nevermind that he’s married with a daughter - PIG). Anyway, shortly after Natalie and Gabe begin their shenanigans, things start to go south. Let me put it like this: if there were a glossary at the end of this book and you looked up the word “psycho”, the definition would read “Natalie”.

The Arrangement is a fun, dark, twisted, messed up read that I found difficult to put down. It’s full of lies, secrets, obsession and revenge with characters that are so vile, yet so entertaining at the same time. How could you not want to read it?

Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books and Robyn Harding for the advanced copy in exchange for my review.

4 ½ stars
Nat is a young college going artist trying to survive in New York city. Almost on the verge of being kicked out of her apartment her friend Ava tells her about a Sugar Daddy website where Nat meets Gabe. Though Gabe is thirty years older than her Nat falls in love with him . Gabe is still married and he has no plans to leave his family for her and when things get too much for him he breaks off the arrangement but Natalie is not ready to accept the end of their arrangement so easily…

The Arrangement by Robyn Harding has great characters and is an excellent psychological thriller with lots of secrets drama, lies, and murder which makes it a highly engrossing read

I would like to thank Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

If you enjoy a story-line where you love to hate the lead character...this is the perfect read for you!

Natalie recently moved across country from the west coast to the bright lights of Broadway. That’s right, New York City!
She’s pursuing her dream of becoming an artist and has just been accepted to an Art College in the heart of the city. But it comes at great sacrifice - it means living dollar to dollar.
And now, after losing her job and being evicted by her uncaring roommates, Natalie is desperate to make enough money to stay in New York.

Just how desperate is she? Enough to become a sugar baby? To find herself a sugar daddy to look after all her expenses? What could possibly go wrong with a well thought-out plan like that? What if it becomes far more complicated than Natalie ever imagined? Leaving one person dead!

Oh my gosh! I was absolutely enthralled with this book! Natalie was such a fabulous character! I loved her and was rooting for her. But Wait! Now I loath her and hope she gets what she deserves. Hold on... the tides are about to turn again! You go girl!!
My head was spinning. Be prepared! This book is going to take you on a true roller-coaster ride!

I only wish the ending would have been on par with the rest of the book. It seemed to come apart at 93%. WHY!!?? The ending was too hurried! As though there was a big rush to wrap things up in the final 7% with a bow on top! NO! I want more!!
Until this point it was a five star read. One star knocked off for the wrap up!

A fun, crazy buddy read with Susanne!

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Threshold Pocket Books. and Robyn Harding for an ARC to read and review.

I was given an ARC for my honest opinion.
This was the first book I’ve read from Robyn Harding. I was interested to see how the writer would spin the the relationship of a woman being with a man for the "money. It happens so much in today's society. We are given the perspectives from both the male and female in the relationship. Robyn did a good job on how you could possibly be "drawn" into this type of relationship but I did find it somewhat predictable by the end.

Natalie goes to New York. Has trouble paying the bills. Finds out about SUGAR DADDIES. Falls in love.
Services no longer needed, she becomes angry....vengeful.
Daddy regrets arrangement. Makes plan to erase evidence of said arrangement.
Daddy ends up dead and Nat is in trouble.
there you go, that is a rough outline of this story. However, the writing is pretty good. Flows easily most of the time. There are a few areas where maybe too much explaining goes on and others where there is not enough..
I really did enjoy this book. Very entertaining.

This was the first book I’ve read from Robyn Harding. The whole concept of sugar daddy / sugar baby relationships in this book was truly fascinating to read. Robyn’s writing style intrigues you from page one and you can’t put it down. However, half way through, the book did feel a bit predictable to me. I liked how we were able to see the perspectives of Natalie (sugar baby) and Gabe (sugar daddy), but I was craving more of the first person alternative narrations in this novel. I was also curious to learn more of Celeste (Gabe’s wife) perspective more in the book instead. If you like domestic thrillers, then you should check this one out.

Disclaimer: I received a free advanced digital copy of this book from Gallery / Scout Press in exchange for my honest opinion. This has no effect on my opinion, review, or rating.

The Arrangement pulls us into the world of sugar daddies and sugar babies, and no matter how you color it, it still boils down to being paid for dates/sex. Pretty sure that's still considered prostitution. Nevertheless, Robyn Harding has created an intriguing story with Natalie and Gabe. The blurb mentions Pretty Woman, but I was reminded more of a Fatal Attraction situation. Minus the boiling bunny, but you get the gist. Also, the more I read, the more I realized that there really aren't many likable characters in this one. I felt sorry for Nat in the beginning. She's young, impressionable, and broke, and she doesn't think she has anyone to turn to. It's easy to see how Gabe takes advantage of her, but as things progress, she's not exactly innocent either. There is a decent twist toward the end, it isn't hard to figure out, but it's still pretty good. All things considered, I wouldn't consider The Arrangement a thriller, at least not until the last handful of chapters, but it is an interesting and entertaining story nonetheless.

This is a fun, fast-paced read filled with emotions and suspense. It provides a look into a world (the Sugar Bowl) that many people may not be aware of, and if they are, they may not be familiar with the ends and outs. Sugar Babies and Sugar Daddies. Gabe, the Sugar Daddy, starts out as a halfway likeable character, but he quickly becomes the character that you love to hate. Unfortunately, Natalie is not too far behind. Gabe seeks companions to provide him with sexual pleasure while Natalie is looking for a way to make ends meet. Things progress as normal for a while, but then all hell breaks loose. It is then that we find that not all is as it seems, and that there are many layers to these characters.
I loved this book from the very first page. It drew me in and kept me turning the pages. My only dilemma was that I was torn between wanting to know what happened next and not wanting the book to end. Thank you to NetGalley, publishers Gallery/Scout Press and the author for an advance copy and the opportunity to review this book.

I absolutely love an amazing in-depth story that is emotionally packed full of thrill that makes this book a page turner. Harding brilliantly nailed the sugar daddy, sugar baby relationship between Natalie, a struggling NYC art student, and Gabe a wealthy and powerful man who unbeknownst to Natalie is married and refuses to shake his so-called "perfect family". Harding built a world that is believable in this story and keeps you intrigued page by page, Natalie is young, naïve and in a desperate situation to survive who thought she had found a way to make it. I love how Harding skillfully creates the web with issues of obsession, one sided love, deception and murder with Natalie in the midst of all this,

I highly recommend this book for its highly believable circumstances, its 'unputdownability', and the complex characters that are caught in a twisted path.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books and the author for the advanced Ebook copy.

I really really liked this darker read! Ever since I’ve seen rave reviews about it all over IG I knew I had to read it.

So when I came home to find that @gallerybooks had sent me a copy I was ecstatic! I DEVOURED it. Like I planned to only get 50 pages read one night at 2:30 A.M. and 150 pages later I finally went to sleep.

This tale is dark and definitely deals with moral and ethical standards. The characters were people I felt you could encounter on your walk down the street.

You will be thinking ‘this will not end well’ then furiously turn pages to find out what happens next.

Even as Nat (the main character) does A LOT of stupid things you still root for her! Gabe is totally infuriating and charming at the same time and can I be Celeste when I grow up?

Seriously, now that is a capable woman.

The chapters weren’t too long, but they weren’t super short either. They didn’t always end in a cliffhanger so you feel comfortable stopping. And Harding named the chapters which I haven’t seen since my elementary school days.

I really should stop talking now because I will spoil the ending.

Short review: this book is twisted, probably morally messed up and such a good read!