Disclaimer: this book contains themes of eating disorders and suicide

Let me start with saying that I DEVOURED this book. I couldn't stop myself and was so intrigued by these characters.

Ruth is a master manipulator who also has a bit of a savior complex. She uses her wealth to make others feel like they owe her something. She's obsessed with her daughter's, Marley, image. Marley is shy, quiet, and bigger in size than her mother wants. Their relationship is volatile. Ruth is controlling of Marley and Marley feels like she owes her mother. Marley is an insecure outsider and doesn't fit in with the popular crowd in school. She has no friends; only her mother.

On the other hand, there's Gemma and Bee. Gemma's husband died when Bee was very young. They have loving mother-daughter relationship and Gemma is Bee's biggest fan. Queen Bee is the opposite of Marley. She's popular, has a lot of friends, and even finds a boyfriend.

Gemma and Ruth met when their daughters were in kindergarten. Gemma and Bee were outsiders and didn't have the lavish means that Ruth did. They became the best of friends. After scandal strikes and Ruth is found out to have had an affair with a married man, she becomes the pariah of the community. Everyone cuts her off, even Gemma.

Fast forward to the girls being in high school, scandal strikes again. This time, the scandal is surrounding Gemma. Ruth comes to the rescue and fixes everything. But as Ruth re-enters Gemma's life, Gemma is reminded of how much she owes to Ruth.

The author does a wonderful job telling the story through the four different perspectives. This isn't easily done and the characters have their own voices. The twist in the ending left me shocked. I'm still not over it.

I loved how interesting this book was and I really loved it, I would definitely give it a 4/5 stars.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a free E-ARC in exchange for a honest review. This was a fast paced and entertaining read that I’d recommend for a weekend read or to take on vacation. The chapters are short and each chapter is told from 4 different perspectives: The moms and their daughters. The toxic relationship between Ruth and Gemma was well developed. I found this book a bit predictable and I wasn’t overly shocked by the ‘twists’ in this book. However, I still enjoyed this book and would recommend if you’re looking for a quick read.
🌟🌟🌟/5

This book gave me whiplash! But like, in a good way. I read a ton of psychological thrillers, so I’m very rarely surprised. Of course there were a few things I still saw coming, but a couple twists totally shocked me! I loved that this book had such a unique premise. A lot of suspense books have similar story lines, so this was a refreshing read. Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!

Melanie Gideon is a superb writer and storyteller and this novel will keep you engrossed in the story of two single mothers and their daughters who became fast fasts when they meet at a kindergarten party held at Ruth’s home after Gemma enrolls her daughter. At first, the women view each other as outsiders, Ruth a rich socialite, often scorned for her excesses by the other mothers and Gemma, often scored for being poor and a free spirit. The two women, and their daughters Bee and Marley spend a decade in a relationship sometimes resembling true friendship but often toxic and cruel. Classified as a domestic noir, there is an uneasiness running through the story, the narrative often tense and foreboding as we watch lives affected by class, poverty, sexism, jealously, abuse and possessiveness change and become hardened and resentful. Add school peer pressure and social media into this mix and we know we are heading into unforeseen territory for these four female narrators. Extreme cruelty that makes you gasp, loving gestures that warm your soul and a story that stays in your head.

Oh my. What the heck just happened? Hold on and prepare yourself for a tumultuous ride. This novel is a mixture of Big Little Lies meets Mommy Dearest. Start this one early, for you’ll be reading late into the night.

Such a wild ride. Kept me guessing till the end.
Enjoyable. Check it out on release day. I think people will enjoy this. Gonna tell my fellow book reader about this one. Thank you for letting me read it early

Wow! This book is set to be a hit. Twists and turns galore with complex, fascinating characters. I can’t recommend this book enough. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

This was one of the twistiest thrillers I have ever read and I'm here for it.

Did I Say You Could Go was a book I truly couldn't put down, which means it truly deserves a 5-star rating in my books. It's a psychological/domestic suspense novel about Ruth and Gemma, two mothers and frenemies who find themselves in a vicious cycle of obsession and betrayal set amidst wealth and scandals. I went into this book knowing little about its plot, and I would recommend other readers to do the same for the maximum wow effect.

This book deserves attention not only for its absolutely crazy and thrilling plot, but also the exploration of class, status, popularity, motherhood, friendship and how "owing" someone can turn dangerous.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Characters that you love to hate, twists you don’t see coming, and a wtf ending are all my favorite things when it comes to a psychological thriller and this one fit the bill. With friends like these who needs enemies type of book, this one had me hooked from the start.

A story told through four different perspectives: two single mothers Gemma and Ruth and their daughters Bee and Marley.

If you’re looking for a book that will suck you in and yearning to flip through every page to find out how it all ends, this book is it. Get cozy and lost in a world of toxic friendships, mother/daughter relationship drama, lies, deception, and manipulation. Buckle up and get ready for a bumpy ride. :)

Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A great thriller with many twists and turns. One of those “couldn’t put it down” books. Looking forward to what this author comes up with in the future!

Did I Say You Could Go by Melanie Gideon (On Sale August 3, 2021) kept me reading into the night. Ruth and Gemma meet as their daughters begin Kindergarten. Both women are the only single mothers there. They form an all-encompassing friendship. A scandal pulls them apart to Ruth's dismay but another will bring them back together. Someone will do what it takes to keep the friendship alive at all costs.

This book is filled with twists, manipulations, and great storytelling. I highly recommend it.

Thank you Netgally and Simon and Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

You know how they say keep your friends close but your enemies closer. Well this is one of those types of stories, Ruth and Gamma have that kind of relationship. They are frenemies, they have a very twisted relationship. Now this story has more twists than tornado alley in tornado season!
Ruth and Gamma had a falling out when but when Gamma is involved in an academic scandal at her testing center. Now this scandal brings the two frienemies together but his relationship suffocates Gemma and she is looking for an out! Beginning to think that she has found the perfect out to leave the friendship with Ruth  when Ruth starts an affair with a married man. However this is not the case Ruth is not willing to let Gemma end the friendship that easily!
I loved this book, it kept my interest and at points kept me turning the pages as fast as i could read! I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves twisted thrillers! Thank you Netgally and Simon and Schuster for the ARC and the opportunity to read this one!

I....didn’t love this book. Actually, I didn’t like it all that much either when it comes down to it.

I was intoxicated and intrigued by the synopsis, thinking this book sounded right up my alley, with all the right ingredients needed to make an alluring, unputdownable read. and while it was all of that, with said ingredients, I was unfortunately neither allured, intoxicated, or intrigued. The writing was good, which is why I gave it one more star than I originally intended to, but writing aside, I didn’t enjoy my reading experience.

While this was an excellent book, one that I think many readers will enjoy even though I didn’t, on the study of toxic relationships in different forms, and the way in which abuse can mold and shape a person, there was just something that didn’t appeal or cling to me. I expected to
be gripped, on the edge of my seat, but instead I was mostly bored, and grew sick of the characters rather quickly. While I felt bad for the teenage characters in the story, and sympathized with them, I didn’t love or like any of the characters in this story, toxic traits and all.

But as stated earlier, I do feel that the author is a strong writer, and definitely has the ability to craft an intriguing, compelling story. That wasn’t that story, but I would still pick up another book from the author in the future.

This just wasn’t for me.

Ruth and Gemma become fast friends when their daughters are in kindergarten together, even though they're almost complete opposites. Each is a single mother in a community where that isn't very common, though, so that binds them together. Ruth invites Gemma and her daughter, Bee into her life, and she treats them to lavish vacations, fancy dinners out, and VIP passes to shows. Over the years, Gemma feels more and more uncomfortable with their situation,and when Ruth has an affair with a married father, Gemma cuts ties with her. However, when Gemma becomes involved in a scandal of her own a few years later, Ruth comes to her defense. While their daughters' relationship cools over the years, the mothers' relationship deepens, until Gemma starts feeling suffocated by Ruth. This was a page-turner with several great twists. Each of the main characters was interesting, and the author did a good job of keeping the reader in suspense. Even up to the last page I wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen. Thank-you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC of this terrific book.

Two mothers, two daughters, one terrible agenda. Ruth and Gemma and their daughters have bonded since kindergarten. One desperate to fit in , the other desparate period. Ruth through her money controls Gemma in ways she doesn’t see coming. Marley and Bee ,the daughters barely control their lives at school, and grow miles apart from one another . One becomes very popular and the other can only watch from afar. A world of cliques and mommy blogs explode with a disastrous results. Here is a read for anyone looking for a good time. It was a fascinating study in need and manipulation

TW: abuse, suicide, eating disorder

A quick, twisty, and thrilling read! Gideon overlays the competitiveness of adult female friendships with the complicated dynamics of high school female friendships in this book about a pair of mother-daughter duos. The unexpected twists certainly kept coming; each time I thought I'd figured out where the story was going, something new would be revealed.

Personally, I found the characters (particularly Ruth and Bee) to be a little over-the-top at times, bordering on caricatures of an obsessive suburban helicopter parent and a sassy popular teenager. I also wish Gemma had had more depth and been less naive, but I still find the story engaging regardless.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

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.

A great twister. This story is about a woman who goes to great lengths to keep a friend, even if she has to lie to her. Some is predictable but not everything so keep your eyes open.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for a DARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. I'd read some of Ms. Gideon's previous books, and I particularly loved Wife 22. This current book caused me to lose ALL my sleep on Saturday night. Two friends, both getting something they need from the other. But what happens if that friendship tilts over to obsession? This book was so well done, alternating the narrative between the two friends, Ruth and Gemma. They initially bond over their daughters and the fact that they are a couple of the only single moms at the elite school the girls attend. Gemma struggles financially, and Ruth is able to shower her friend with things that are out of her reach. Two families, full of lies, this is a page-turner and I highly recommend this book.