I read this book in one day. I gobbled it up and couldn't stop. Gemma and Ruth are adult best friends and Bee and Marley are the daughters that grew up together. A twisty diabolical plot to expose bad character drives the plot if the novel. A thriller not to miss. One of the more creative thrillers I've read!

I’m dizzy because of extreme amount of twists! Especially the final one hit me in the face so hard! I’m still numb, mentally black eyed but I’m also pleased and entertained a lot!

The mothers: polar opposite characters: one widower and one divorcee form an unhealthy relationship! Then they fell apart! Six years later an academic scandal brings them back together! But things get uglier! They find themselves into more lies, deceptions and unhealthily obsession patterns!

Ruth, wealthy, divorcee, raising her shy, introvert, quiet daughter Marley alone, wants to befriend new people by throwing a party for kindergartens but shoving her wealth into mothers’ face perceived as pretentiousness and arrogance by her fresh social circle. Being a social butterfly is backfired!

Only Gemma Howard who is widower, raising her popular, social, fiery, friendly daughter Bee by herself doesn’t push her away. Gemma’s life style is so different from her. First of all she works to make her ends meet, running a test center. She resents Ruth for paying everything for her because she is proud woman who doesn’t want to owe anyone for anything! She finds herself trapped in her way too much intense friendship with Ruth. She feels like suffocating and she desperately needs to find a way out!

Thankfully Ruth’s new forbidden relationship with married man gives her a chance to pull away! But 6 years later an academic scandal brought Ruth into her life again. Ruth is the only one stands for her at this most challenging pace of her life and now she has no intention to let her go! Unfortunately Gemma’s new crush on a X Ray technician may piss her lovely longtime friend off! Things get heated and madness comes out of nowhere!

It was riveting page turner even though story telling via multi POVs was a little confusing at some parts! I enjoyed unhealthy, obsessive women friendship stories and I got excited about the outcomes! Luckily this one ended with satisfying conclusion! I’m rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 keep your enemies close,for the love of batshit crazy heroines stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Simon &Schuster for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

I liked that the book jumped right in, touching on the origins of Ruth and Gemma's friendship without holding off on the plot. However, after that, the pacing just confused me. Did I Say You Could Go is told from multiple perspectives, and some of them seemed to escalate much quicker than others. As a result, I felt more confused than connected to the story. For a book that's billed as being suspenseful. I expected more, well, suspense, and ultimately couldn't stay focused. Unfortunately, this one was a miss for me.

This title is so intense, it had me excited to read the book! Family drama, friend drama, suspense and thrills. Great combos for a great book.

Just give me books like this and I will be happy! All the characters are interesting and believable. The plot is delicious. Wish I could sink my teeth into every book like I did with this. Just very entertaining and enjoyable!

Psychological thriller is the genre I probably read the most, though to be honest, it's hard sometimes to find a book I can get into. So many books today all seem ho-hum the same. It's rare to find a book with a new take on a plot or story, interesting characters, twists you don't see coming or an ending you truly weren't expecting. Did I Say You Can Go by Melanie Gideon succeeds where other books fail. Once I began reading, I was hooked and couldn't put the book down. Thank you to the author, Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Did I Say You Could Go is a story about a friendship filled with obsession, lies and deception, between two mothers whose daughters are also friends, told from all four different perspectives.

Gemma Howard is a widower, a popular mom who runs a test prep center. She's fiercely devoted to her daughter Bee. She's not rich, but they scrape by. Bee Howard is popular, outgoing and a bit of a rebel.

Ruth Thorne is elegant and classy. She doesn't work - she inherited a lot of money from her grandparents. She's divorced and has one daughter, Marley, who's very shy and quiet and would rather do homework than go out.

When Ruth throws a party for her daughter and the incoming group of kindergartners and parents at Hillside Academy, she alienates most of the parents there. She finally meets Gemma and holds on tight. Soon the four are like family, going on trips and out to dinner - all of which Ruth pays for.

When the girls are in third grade, Ruth has an affair with a married man. Instead of coming to her defense, Gemma uses this as an opportunity to start to pull away. She's always been uncomfortable that Ruth pays for everything.

Six years later, it's Gemma who is caught in the scandal. Ruth comes along once again to save her. Or does she have something else in mind?

I really enjoyed this book. The ending I did not see coming at all. I liked how the author incorporated issues affecting people today - social media, cyberbullying, depression. I will add that there is one scene that could be a Trigger Warning for some.

I also have to address that it's really quite ironic that I've seen other reviews rate this book lower because of the character of Ruth. So as not to spoil anything, I'll just say the author did exceedingly well what she set out to do.

I would probably rate this 4 - 4.5. I look forward to reading more from Melanie Gideon. I would recommend this book to fans of psychological thrillers, women's fiction, Liane Moriarty and Greer Hendricks.

Two single mother’s, one a widower and one a divorcée, latch on to each other and develop a somewhat unhealthy, on and off friendship. This is one of those “with friends like these....” type books that will leave you wanting to know what this train wreck is going to look like at the end. A little long-winded but interesting enough to hold my attention.

Obscenely rich but socially unaccepted Ruth decides to host a meeting of young mothers for her daughter’s kindergarten class. She has no idea how put off the mothers are with her ostentatious display of wealth and her intentions completely backfire. She and her daughter become pariahs in the small Bay Area community.
The only mother to seemingly accept her is Gemma and Ruth latches on to her like a spider to a fly.

Ruth uses her wealth as a tool to ingratiate herself to Gemma who enjoys the benefits but is slowly feeling strangled by the debt and strange friendship she feels she owes Ruth and eventually she shies away making a break.

Now years later, Ruth, still an obsessive, unhappy divorced mother is looking at Gemma, a young widowed mother caught up in an academic scandal as her way in to popularity, dependency and neediness. She comes to Gemma’s defense in a very public way after her private tutoring academy suffers through a scandal. Now Gemma owes her more. When Gemma meets a young X-Ray tech and strives for a new relationship, Ruth is wildly angry, or is she?

A story of relentless obsession, betrayal, and secrets that will tear apart these two women and their daughters and the community where they live.

4 stars, easily. You will not see all these twists coming!

Did not finish the book. The synopsis is pretty clear as far as the plot but I found every character so unlikeable, vapid, and mean-spirited. I couldn't get interested in any of them. However, thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another worthy entry into the sub-genre of the perils of social media! The four primary characters are each interesting in their own ways, and even though the reader is fairly certain who the villain will turn out to be, things twist up a bit at the end. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC for review.

An intense story of friendship, lies, and betrayal, Did I Say You Could Go is told from multiple mother/daughter perspectives. While the ending shouldn't have been surprising if you were following along, the trip to get there was a bit of a wild ride at times. This was probably 3.5 stars for me, rounded up.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Ruth and Gemma become friends after their children attend the same school.
When Ruth is caught up in a scandal, Gemma decides to end their friendship. Thus book was well written.

Did I Say You Could Go by Melanie Gideon is a story about how lies and obsession can destroy families and friendships. I couldn’t put this book down, there were so many twists that I didn’t see coming especially the ending. If you like psychological thrillers you need to read this book. Thanks Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Desperate to make friends in her new neighborhood, Ruth and her introvert daughter Marley decide to host the annual Hillside Academy kindergarten meet-and-greet. Ruth hopes they will finally be accepted and find their niche. Unfortunately, the parents are turned off by Ruth and her obnoxious wealth. Once again, Ruth and Marley are outcasts.

During the meet-and-greet Ruth meets single mom Gemma and her extrovert daughter, Bee. Ruth makes it her mission to become best friends with mom and daughter. Ruth lavishes Gemma/Bee to Aspen vacations, Michelin starred dinners and even a new car. Gemma can’t believe her luck at first as Bee and she have been living paycheck to paycheck. As the years go by, Gemma starts to feel indebted and doesn’t know how she will ever repay Ruth. When Ruth’s affair with a married man is exposed, Gemma uses this as her way to sever ties.

Six years later and now Gemma is the one under judgmental eyes and just like that, Ruth comes to her defense. Their friendship is renewed. Gemma quickly however feels the pull of guilt as Ruth becomes more controlling and obsessive of their friendship.

HOLY MOLY!!! This book was GOOD. I stayed up until WAY past my bedtime and even read during my work day (BAD ME, don’t tell) I just had to know what was going to happen. This book takes cuckoo bananas to another level! I loved Melanie Gideon’s vernacular in this novel. She writes with current lingo, phrasing and technology. It just added to the overall atmosphere of the novel and the drama. This book is haughty and soooo juicy. Backstabbing friends, cyber bulling, and abuse all wrapped up in one. Ruth takes stalking to a whole new level and I was here for all of the horror. I have never read anything by Melanie Gideon but, I will be back that is for sure. I don’t want to give any spoilers but the ending had me jaw dropped and clapping. It was brilliant!

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Brilliant 5 STARS!! This books is full of lies, deceit, suspence and more... a lot more. Its definitely one of those books once you start reading you need to finish it quickly. I loved it! Highly recommend

A suspenseful, gripping novel about families and friendships torn apart at the seams by obsession, secrets, and betrayal with relentless twists and turns that hurtle forward to a shocking confrontation. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. This was a great book to read.

Ruth is hoping for a fresh start after her divorce when she enrolls her daughter into an exclusive kindergarten for the wealthiest of the wealthy. Ruth certainly fits in with the other moms. she has plenty of money. But it would seem she has too much money and she and Marley are ostracized by the moms and their snotty kids. Ruth’s savior arrives in the unlikely form of another soon to be divorced mom and her daughter. Ruth latches on to Gemma and the two quickly become inseparable, as Ruth treats Gemma and her daughter to luxury vacations that Gemma could only ever have dreamed of. But Gemma starts to feel indebted to Ruth and has a sneaking suspicion that soon Ruth will come calling for payment, in a form that Gemma will not be able to refuse

A great psychological thriller about wealthy moms and their children. I highly enjoyed this book and all of the characters. Many will enjoy this book which reminiscent of Big Little Lies. I highly recommend this one.