I had a hard time enjoying this one. Ruth and Gemma were the “adults” but they were horrible. Gemma took advantage of Ruth’s wealth, even though she clearly didn’t want to be/stay friends with her. And Ruth was just an awful human. Then their kids POV chapters, were just too YA and juvenile for me. The twist at the end was slightly shocking, but not really because the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Not my favorite, but an easy read.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! Ruth has a daughter, Marley. Gemma has a daughter Bee. When the four of them are united at a kindergarten function, they all become friends for life....
But life can be strange! Those you think you can trust and are always there for you may have other motives, not just for their friends interest!
When you think you have it figured out, you dont, more than once!! Excellent read
This book keep my intrigued, hard to put down! I will be looking for more books from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

TW: suicide attempt, cyber bullying, child abuse

This is the story of two single mom’s and their daughters who share a long & complicated history. Ruth & Marley seem like the perfect mother-daughter duo due to their immense wealth, picture perfect life, and seem to truly have it all. Gemma & Bee are seen as outcasts due to a few scandals and are envious, yet weary of Ruth and her generosity. Ruth gifts them with luxurious vacations, new cars, pays their bills, and never seems to want anything in return... except nothing is ever as it seems!

I thought I had the book totally figured out - a narcissist who wants to ruin everyone else’s lives to make herself feel better.... but who is the true mastermind behind all of the misery?

This was such a fast, easy read and I did not see the twist coming at the end!

I wish to thank NetGalley and the Simon & Schuster Publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a gripping story about relationships between friends and between their teenage daughters. Gemma and Ruth are single moms with young kindergarten daughters when they meet. As the years go by their friendships strengthen. Ruth is very wealthy and showers Gemma with lots of expensive gifts and trips. As the story unfolds the friendships unravel several times due to Ruth’s need to dominate, her obsessions and betrayals at the very roots of their friendship. Even the daughters grow apart and then reconnect several times. This is a very up to date book with lots of cyber technology and crimes woven through it.

I found the book a little slow at the beginning but once it grabs you it becomes a “cannot put down” story. Ruth’s parenting style amazed me. How can she do those things to a girl she loves? How can she try to manipulate everyone she encounters? Read it to find out.

Twisty and twisted tale! Star women’s friendship was weird, but believable. The daughters had distinctive and believable personalities. I enjoyed the very last twist so much! I was not prepared for it, so it took me by great surprise.

Spoiler free review!. I enjoyed the way the author created suspense and the way the author really brings out the characters. If you like thrillers, I would definitely recommend this book!

Wow! Absolutely loved this twisty-turny psychological thriller! Excellent!
Excellent psychological thriller.
I couldn’t put this book down, there were so many twists that I didn’t see coming!

What I loved most about this book is how well it explores a toxic friendship between two grown women. I loved how the author used money as a way for one character to make her friend beholden to her and found it SO realistic because I've seen it happen with family and friends, where they're forced to accept a big gift out of necessity, and then that ends up hanging over their heads for a long time. I also loved the daughters in the story and the roles that they played. The only thing I wasn't a big fan of was the writing, because it felt a bit too clinical, like I was reading a book report. I think it did work well with the story, but it wasn't really a style that I enjoyed. Overall, I loved this book and would definitely recommend if you're in the mood for a twisted domestic suspense.

Did I Say You Could Go is a twisty thriller about family, friendships and the consequences of secrets. Though I did guess a few twists and turns, it was quite an entertaining book and fast paced at that. Recommended!

Great read! This is the first book by Ms Gideon that I’ve read but won’t be the last. The suspense was slowly but steadily amped up while wondering which one of the normal seeming women were really, really cra-cra 😁

I enjoy this book. Good mystery. I like the story. Would recommend this book. I would read more by the this author.

This thriller focuses on the lives and connections of two single mothers who have a pretty unhealthy relationship. The story shares a lot of twists in the lives of these moms, Ruth and Gamma, and their changing friendship after a school scandal one is involved in really shakes things up! Learning about the creepy and manipulative tactics these friends resort to...they are connected, but should they be? Is their friendship causing more harm than good, or do they really need each other in the end?
The book kept me interested and surprised throughout, and I enjoyed truing to figure out what would happen! I would recommend this to others who enjoy suspense novels. I would also caution that suicide and eating disorders are included in the book, so you may want to avoid if those are triggers for you.

Such a great book by Melanie Gideon. We all have memories that stick with us. The characters in this book are well developed. When Ruth reunites with Gemma, they become best friends again, although their daughters are a bit distanced from each other. Can they're friendship survive all that life throws at them? Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A tale of mothers and daughters and fitting in and finding your place. Ruth and Gemma found each other at a kindergarten round up hosted by Ruth. Both moms were single and they bonded; mothers and daughters, BFFs. Until they weren’t. Rich, flawed characters, most quite unlikeable, explore the beauty and ugliness of friendship. A page turner that grabs the reader from the start, with an ending you won’t see coming!

This was quite the tale that had me on the edge of my seat and ignoring my own best friends phone calls.
Will definitely keep you up!

This book was so good... I am still feeling from Ruth.. Some people have not mounds. But good in marley

Thanks to the Publisher and Net Gallery for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is sort of a mash up betwteen Big little lies, Mean girls and Gone girl. The plot centers around two single moms, and their teenage daughters who were once best friends but now have grown apart. The social commentary touches on toxic friendships- their schemes to maintain or get social status, the damage social media does to teenagers, and the lies they tell each other and themselves. There is no fury like a woman scorned.
Recommend for book club reading.

Did I Say You Could Go by Melanie Gideon #tenthbookof2021 #arc Thank you to #NetGalley and #SimonandSchuster for the advance reader copy. (Pub date 8/3/21) **Content warning: emotional/verbal/physical abuse, suicide attempt.
Okay, let me just say how glad I am that social media didn’t exist when I was in school. It was hard enough back then to be a teenager, and I can’t imagine dealing with the extra layer of always being available to others and the constant pressure kids (and adults) are under now to maintain an image. Also, I genuinely detested characters in this book, which made for an interesting read. I read this in a few hours and now I need a palate cleanser of puppies and babies. Overall, an interesting story that shows the societal pressure people are under and the lengths they’ll go to in order to maintain images and relationships. #didisayoucouldgo

What a book!

Loved the way the characters were written even though they were so unlikeable
I think I read this books under 5 hours or so. I wanted to find out what as going on and I was glued to it until the end.

Thank you to the publisher and netgally.

n interesting tale of friendship, betrayal, abuse, and obsession.

**This has some trigger warnings in it for those fighting eating disorders, as well as teen suicide.**

“When Ruth, a wealthy divorcee, offers to host the Hillside Academy kindergarten meet-and-greet, she hopes this will be a fresh start for her and her introverted daughter, Marley. Finally, they’ll be accepted into a tribe. Marley will make friends and Ruth will be welcomed by the mothers. Instead, the parents are turned off by Ruth’s ostentatious wealth and before kindergarten even begins, Ruth and Marley are outcasts.

The last guest to arrive at the meet-and-greet is Gemma, a widow and a single mother to her daughter, Bee. Ruth sets her sights on the mother-daughter duo, and soon the two families are inseparable. Ruth takes Gemma and Bee on Aspen vacations, offers VIP passes to Cirque de Soleil, and pays for dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants. For Gemma, who lives paycheck to paycheck, Ruth’s largesse is seductive, but as the years go by, she can’t shake the feeling that she’s accruing an increasingly unpayable debt. When Ruth’s affair with a married Hillside dad is exposed, and she’s publicly shunned, Gemma uses it to sever ties with Ruth.

Six years later, when Gemma finds herself embroiled in a scandal of her own—Ruth comes to her defense. Their renewed friendship rehabilitates their reputations, but once again, Gemma starts to feel trapped as Ruth grows more and more obsessed with their relationship.

A relentless page-turner, Did I Say You Could Go is the story of friendships steeped in lies and duplicity. It’s about two families, when pushed to extremes, cross the line with devastating results.”

To be honest, at first, I thought this was going to be a DNF for me, but then I hit a point where I just had to finish to see if I was right about the big twist, which I guessed fairly early on.

It’s an interesting book, but it takes a while to get into, and I’m not sure what genre this even falls in. Part suspense, part general fiction, part YA- it’s an odd sense that I feel like I can’t pin down what to call this, but it’s a wild, tangled tale that is sure to make people question their friendships, their relationships, and their family members.

This was a three star read.

**I’m very thankful to Simon & Schuster, as well as NetGalley, for the free eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.**