A really interesting premise with strong characterisation and plot line.
There are some really quirky passages and one liners in it that had me chuckling and whilst I found I didn't like any of the main women, I could at least empathize with them.
Started really positively, ended in a very satisfying conclusion, the middle didn't work for me but I can see it going down really well as a whole.

I've been really into thrillers lately and nothing is worse than being really excited for a good twist and being let down. That was definitely not the case with The Girls Weekend. I loved it!

When June decides to reunite with her college friends after 10 years, emotions are running high and I felt that radiate from the pages. June's discomfort with Sadie's glamorous successful life suddenly takes a difficult turn when the old friends wake up with no memory of the previous night, to find Sadie missing.

As each of the characters have a potential reason for harming Sadie, their collective amnesia makes this story a true mystery for the reader. I found myself guessing the twist multiple times throughout the book, and I was wrong each time.

I did have some slight issues with the story, such as some unrealistic parts (living in a crime scene?) and unlikeable characters (Kimi) but overall I did really enjoy reading this book and would highly recommend it to any thriller/mystery lovers.

The premise of The Girls Weekend pulled me in immediately. The protagonist, June, is summoned to her college frenemy's secluded estate in Washington's San Juan Islands, for a weekend-long baby shower for another of their clique's members. The Fearless Five, made up of June, Sadie (the frenemy and hostess), Em, Kimiko, and Amy (the pregnant one, and Sadie's troubled cousin), have fallen out of touch in the years since they ruled their college together. June and Sadie have always been competitive—both are writers, and both were grappling for the affections of the same man. Sadie married that man, and her estate, nestled between forest and the waters of Deception Pass, was paid for by the massively-successful middle grade fantasy series she wrote shortly after college. June, meanwhile, teaches at a community college, has written one out-of-print novel, and has just been dumped by her boyfriend over the phone. Resentment abounds, not just between June and Sadie, but also between Sadie and each other member of the Five. Everyone has a reason to be frustrated with Sadie. Everyone has a secret. So when the women wake up on their second morning at Sadie's estate missing their memories of the night before, a compelling, tangled plot spills out. A fast-paced thriller, fueled by realistically-complex female friendships.

I received a copy of The Girls Weekend by Jody Gehrman from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

4 stars! The premise of this book is in the title. Classified as a mystery/thriller-without spoilers- this book was very well written. The characters weren't very likable at first but they somewhat grow on you, but I suppose that was the point. I would absolutely recommend this fast-paced thriller!

I was so excited to start The Girls Weekend. The plot sounded really great and I’ve been super into suspense books lately. However, I felt extremely disappointed with this book. I still really liked the overall plot but there was multiple times that the writing was tone deaf.
The first thing that hit me really wrong was the main character, June, and her careless comparison of hate stalking someone’s Instagram to a person who self harms. June was also incredibly immature and spent so much of her time complaining about her life and how Sadie seemed to have it all, just based on her social media. Not an uncommon way of thinking in today’s culture but also not a compelling story line in a book with full grown adult characters.
I didn’t mind the pace of the plot. It was a little slow, the action didn’t start until 30% into the book, but I didn’t feel like it was being dragged out. I do wish there was more background on the characters, I was especially interested in knowing more about Kimi but we knew very little about her or Amy or Em.
The second tone deaf issue I noticed was when the only person of color in the book brings up how cops make her uncomfortable and another character says “Really? You’re going there?”. It was convenient that the author has a POC token character, because that’s all she seemed to be, but also, very poor choice on the author’s part to include a white character disregarding a real and legitimate concern for POC in the real world. Shortly after that, there was a brief degradation of #MeToo, which was completely unnecessary and did nothing for the plot or characters.
I also hated how mental illness was consistently downplayed and was used as a reason that someone might be a murderer. One of the worst lines in this book was, “Amy went through a cutter phase in college.” Again, so tone deaf. Self harm isn’t a phase. It’s serious and not something to dismiss as a phase. And of course, mental health issues always equal being a murderer in all the character’s eyes. That was a consistent theme throughout the book and I found it to be a disgusting, outdated, tone deaf stereotype.
The plot twist was decent but I wasn’t shocked and it didn’t spur any emotion out of me.
Overall, the potential of the plot was ruined for me by all the tone deaf stereotypes and careless disregard for serious issues in the real world.

Gehrman’s new novel is an interesting mystery, thriller female perspective book with some flaws mostly winning formula that keeps the reader interested in the final half.

The Girl’s Weekend characters are all very interesting and they are basically what hinges the story together. The five friends have a checker history with each other as far as their personal relationships within them. Sadie, it seems to be the string puller with the others falling in line except for June who is in her own personal baggage, lack of a writing career and successful relationship. After around 15 years, Sadie decides that it is time to get the old team back together and they grudgingly ascend on to Sadie’s mansion and grounds bringing along stored up bitterness.

The characters are well drawn and are very likable. Em and June, we spend the most time with and even though there is some personality stereotyping found within the characters, for the most part they stand on their own. As the story is in the first person narrative, June is very balanced and likeable which is not an easy feat. The author knows this character and all and it would have been easy to have her being annoying and whining but this is refrained from making this character a winning shining example how first person narrative is to be handled (something Stephanie Meyer could have learned with her Twilight series).

The plot is very effective and readable though there is an underlying blame culture that permeates through the pages concerning the character of Sadie that often works well but there are a few story threads you have to wonder if this should be a thing, for the example the lending of money by Sadie to another character and Sadie wanting it repaid. Not sure if this is an efficient enough reason within the plot, maybe something a bit more sinister would have suited the plot better. The plot keeps the reader invested although it does take more than a third of the novel to get to this. We do have a lot of jealousy to wade through and this leaves a slightly sour taste considering that Sadie worked hard for what she accomplished and it was not inherited or given to her by marriage. It would seem that Sadie should be admired for these aspects and identified for this. Sadie’s personality leaves something to be desired and does give the rest of the group ample ammunition for their untoward feelings for her though.

Overall, this is a good little mystery thriller that keeps the reader invested. I enjoyed the different characters interaction and plot though I did slightly work out the whodunit aspect a little early but the reasoning still left me surprised. The love interest side of it kind of works but could do without as we have a woman’s story that needs a man or relationship to keep her successful which work ok but could have been left out considering the speedy conclusion we get at the end. I think people will enjoy the overall flow, mystery and characters and for the most part besides a few niggling aspects, I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to most people.

The story had a very slow start to it. I had trouble connecting to the characters and buying in to their stories. After Sadie went missing, the story definitely starting picking up and I started enjoying it more. The end was a nice twist!

Fine, but reminiscent of In A Dark Dark Wood, and not in a good way. Also the conclusion was excessively tidy, almost annoyingly so.

I picked up my ARC of “The Girls Weekend” by Jody Gehrman on a snowy day, knowing I wouldn’t be going outside. It was good thinking because I ended up reading it in a day.

Gehrman’s writing was fast paced and well done. I found myself highlighting portions of text that felt personal. In fact, I felt a deep kinship with the book’s protagonist June. Being in my thirties, I’ve often felt similar to June...adrift, unsure, far from the success that others seem to have found. It’s a process. As far as protagonists go, June is a breath of fresh air. She feels real and reliable, regardless of not remembering the pivotal night in the story.

As far as mysteries go, this one was good, but it was the friendships that made it so compelling. I found myself curious as to what had really happened and the payoff was believable.

I’ll be suggesting this title and looking forward to future titles from Gehrman. Crooked Lane Books is quickly becoming a go to publisher for me. This was my third title from their publishing house and like the others, it kept me thoroughly entertained.

I am a sucker for a story of a group of friends who go on a getaway and things take a turn when one turns up dead, so this was one I had to request. Even more so if there's a good reason some don't want to go. I won't give spoilers but I can say, I wasn't disappointed.

There was a lot going on between these five "friends" some easy to guess and some not. Considering there was an estrangement of ten years between Jane (our main character) and Sadie, I found some of their angst hollow and juvenile (all things Ethan were eye-roll-worthy). But what landed, hit the target well. I suspected the killer but I was along for the ride with the red herrings and misdirects as many were completely plausible. This ended in a more positive place than I expected it would so that was a nice surprise.

It's quite the page-turner & now I need to think abt what to read the remainder of the weekend. Elements of Ware's In A Dark Dark Wood & Foley's The Hunting Party (which I really enjoyed). I'd definitely read another by Gehrman. Recommended.

Many thanks to the publishers for the free advanced copy.

I won't spoil the ending for anyone. I try not to guess the twist as I enjoy being surprised. A quick read and the story flowed well.

The Girls Weekend - Jody Gehrman
When Sadie arranges a girl weekend at her house to bring the old uni friends back together I bet she didn’t expect it would lead to her disappearance. When her guests wake up after the first night to find her missing they are even more alarmed to discover that they don’t remember what happened the night before. It was a nice easy read that kept me guess until the end.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

I absolutely loved this book! I read a lot of thrillers and mysteries so I am especially particular. Thank you #NetGalley

Wow! This was an intense, well written, and absolutely unputdownable read! I loved the characters, originality, and the fact you could not know who was guilty, until the author let you know, because of the way the story was written. I found it to be original, fun, chilling, and a bit heart breaking, but absolutely realistic! A must read if you love thrillers that make you question everyone and trust absolutely no one!
Will make sure I buzz it up on all the different platforms!

Reunions are meant to reflect on the past and reminisce of the good times, but many times the past can hold secrets and murder. I'm a fan of suspense fiction that keeps me wondering what will happen next. NetGalley you are amazing. Also, I must thank the publisher for allowing me to read this book.

🚨Review Comin’ In HOTTT❗️🚨
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Thanks to @netgalley and @crookedlanebooks for this #ARC of Jody Gehrman’s, The Girls Weekend, coming out May 26, 2020, in exchange for an honest review; ‘tis but a pleasure to get books simply for agreeing to read.
WIN-WIN👊🏼
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Anywhosies, The Girls Weekend. It is what you think it is. All the usual players are involved:
🍾envy
🍾jealously
🍾insecurity
🍾competition
🍾cattiness
🍾murder
🍾just good ole fashioned female friendship
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This 📖 is ALRIGHT.
Not great, not amazing, but alright.
It’s mindless, and the premise is appealing to all the girls’ girls out there—those presently planning their girls’ trips with friends and frenemies alike(present company included)🙌🏽
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There’s nothing perplexing about it. It’s fairly predictable—but then again we don’t really want every read to leave our brains 🧠 hurting from the strenuous workout that was our book of the moment —you can only read War and Peace so many leisurely Friday afternoons, amiright⁉️
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Wholly, this book was not as fulfilling in the thrillerY way I wanted from a book centered around a weekend away with murder 🔪 on the docket
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There was no real build up of the present day main characters, namely the supposed villain who is murdered- in order to give “valid” reasons for the murder....I mean come on, I’m no monster, I have to BELIEVE in your reason for the murder to feel good about it duh 🙄
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The book ended with an anticlimactic conclusion that left me a little disappointed in the actual murder story- but that’s just me, I prefer real grit to my murder ya know❓🤷🏽‍♀️
In total 2 1/2 💫
#thriller #bookstagram #booknerd #books #bookreview #bookish #booksforlife #bookstabuddies📚

IG Handle: Janicedoesbooks

A very quick, twisty read! I didn't love the characters too much, and felt it was a little under developed, it was almost too simple at times. But, that said, I got through it quick as I did want to find out what happened and was entertained!

Thank you for the ARC!

An enjoyable fast-paced thriller with twists and turns. The characters weren't perfect, but they were well crafted. Not necessarily likeable, and yet completely relatable. In my opinion the storyline was predictable, and yet just challenging enough to leave me second-guessing myself until the conclusion. It was not a terrifying thriller, but my heart was racing with the mystery and my emotions were riled by details of the back story, conflicts in the present, and interactions among the various characters. It was a quick and engaging read.

Having it all isn’t what it appears to be. A group of old school friends get together at one woman’s estate - a large mansion with beach houses - for a weekend of reminiscing, drinking and partying. What could possibly go wrong? Quite a lot, actually. it doesn’t help that the narrator is quite jealous of the owner’s success. The homeowner goes missing, and none of the women can remember what happened the day after. Were they drugged, and why? While I didn’t relate with any of the women, including the narrator, it was an engaging read, fleshed out with well developed characters. I didn’t figure it completely out until 3/4 way through the story. This would make a good beach read. I read it in two sittings, and it held my attention. This is a mystery thriller with some gruesome moments, If you want a fast and thrilling read, you will enjoy this book. Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.