The Wild Girls by Phoebe Morgan is a thriller set in Botswana. Four friends have been distant from each other and one, Felicity, decides it's time to let bygones be bygones. In that vein, she invites them all to a birthday celebration in her honor with all expenses paid. The friends arrive at the beautiful Botswana setting to discover Felicity absent and they're all on their own. Hijinks ensue from thereon out and everyone is fighting for survival while long-kept secrets are revealed. Plenty of drama and action keep this story moving right along. Read and enjoy!

I couldn't get into this one! The setting didn't add to the story as much as I had hoped. I love books about a group of friends, but I don't think that I was in the mood for a locked room thriller. This was a miss for me but big thriller lovers might like it better!

I really enjoy locked room mysteries so after reading the synopsis I was really interested especially with the setting, a safari lodge in Botswana. The setting was unique and added an air of mystery but the rest just fell flat.

The timeline was alternating between present day and the event that led to the falling out between the friends and was told in multiple POVs. But all the girls were just mean girls out for revenge disguised as friends trying to repair their relationships. I had a lot of questions about the girls and why they would go on a trip together when they hadn’t seen or spoken to each other in years. You would think they would start small and meet for lunch, not fly off to another country but to each their own. There was also a few loose ends that were just left out there that I wished were wrapped up.


Thank you @netgalley and publishers for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

After a disastrous drunken evening that separates four friends, the ring leader invites all of them to a party in exotic, luxurious Botswana. Who can resist? Be careful what you say yet to girls. This book is tense, moody, and delivers quite a few surprises. Secrets and lies are revealed and nothing will ever be the same.

This story had a great setting (Botswana) and exciting premise. The character development of the four "wild" girls was interesting and well-done. I loved the unreliable narrator aspect to all points of view used by the author. This was a fast and easy read and would be perfect to read by the pool!

The Wild Girls is a fast paced, tense thriller. Four estranged girlfriends attempt to reconnect on a birthday trip to Botswana. Upon arrival at the luxury safari lodge, three of the friends know something isn’t right. Now they aren’t worried about reconnecting as friends, they’re worried about making it out alive.

This story had a good pace and the storyline kept you moving. I like how it jumped from last to present to show how the friends had fallen apart. Definitely kept me guessing!

I truly enjoyed The Wild Girls by Phoebe Morgan. This dark, twisty book has strong characters and deeply explores friendships and secrets, all set against the atmospheric background of Botswana. This is a must-read.

I enjoyed this book but there were a few things that irked me.

Starting with the good:
1 loved the setting and thought it was very unique

2 I love a friend group growing apart and then coming back together with mysterious circumstances

3 I think most people will be able to relate on some level to at least one of the girls in the friend group - I really loved that they were all kind of at different places in life

Things I didn’t love:
1 Grace - one of the girls who narrates a good portion of the book - got on my nerves so much. And the way she alludes to certain things felt heavy handed to me

2 the pacing of the first part felt too slow to me. We take a long time for them to even arrive at the destination and even there it takes a while for anything significant to really happen

3 there were a couple of times I was sure things were going to be important later and they totally dropped off - obviously this can be good in this kind of book, but for some reason in this one they just didn’t work for me

Overall I would recommend to readers that are newer to the genre because it’s good and the plot lines were easy to follow. Definitely has a couple good twists!

** I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **

The description of this book felt so promising, a whodunnit in a Botswana safari lodge – what an unusual, fresh change from the stereotypical mansion murder mystery! But that's also my biggest gripe: the novel fails to take advantage of the new setting in any capacity, doesn't acknowledge the absurdity of traveling 15+ hours from the UK to Botswana for a girls weekend and ultimately it felt as if the events of the book were merely moved to Africa as a gimmick. I think of what someone like Jane Harper is doing with THE DRY or LOST MAN – her mystery novels are so rooted in their setting, with the landscape, flora and fauna giving shape and color to the plot – and wanted Botswana to be important to the actual plot of THE WILD GIRLS rather than a random, remote setting for murder. While I appreciated how the author described the lopsided friendship dynamics between four (former) longtime girl friends, I didn't find their backstory particularly compelling. Or leaving the night that divided them so opaque for so long. I also had trouble with the number of complete psychopaths in this novel – obviously murder is horrific, but I'd love the reason to be something other than this person is completely crazy.

While this book was not for me personally because I just could not vibe with the characters, I can see many who enjoy mystery/thrillers with a lot of plot twists!

Felicity, Alice, Grace and Hannah have been best friends since childhood. Now approaching their thirties, Felicity invites her friends on an all-expense paid vacation to celebrate her birthday. Completely out of touch with each other for the last two years due to a dramatic night out where truths were revealed and new secrets were kept hidden, this experience could either be what the girls need to reconnect, or it will be an experience that destroys them all.
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Written in parts with flashbacks and two timelines, the story is told in pieces, making it a very suspenseful yet fluid read. I really enjoyed Phoebe Morgan's writing style, and her characters were well-developed. The first part was a little slow for me, and seemed to go in circles, but the pace quickly picks up during parts two and three. The ending was a spectacular twist and I absolutely loved the final couple of sentences. I would definitely read another book from this author!
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Thank you to the author, William Morrow and Custom House, and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. #TheWildGirls #NetGalley

The Wild Girls by Phoebe Morgan begins with the girls, Grace, Hannah, and Alice, receiving a celebration invitation to Felicity's birthday in Botswana. Each girl is hesitant to attend in their own right but all of them decide to go. As each girl arrives to the airport and then to the safari lodge, weird things begin to occur and nothing like the girls had expected. And where is Felicity?! Would a sickness really keep her away from this amazing birthday?

I really wanted to like this book. I really expected a group of girls, aging but still knowing how to have fun (kind of similar to myself) and I just didn't get that from this at all. I didn't get the "Wild" reference. These were girls that were friends but I am not sure I would describe them as wild. The suspense didn't get me. There is more story here. I can feel it! But it didn't come out in this book for me. The chapters were clearly marked by whichever woman was narrating that particular chapter. Each woman had a voice in this story. The story jumped from past to present but each chapter was labeled with the date if it was from the past. Special thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow and Custom House, William Morrow Paperbacks and Phoebe Morgan for the Advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 3 stars for me.
#TheWildGirls #NetGalley

Grace hardly leaves her flat. It’s been that way for a couple of years now. She hasn’t even seen her closest friends since that last night they all hung out together, when it all went so badly. But now, as she watches her flatmate enjoy her life, have a relationship, think about a future, Grace wants more for herself than the small life she’s made for herself. And that’s when the invitation appears.

Hannah is a new mom. She had waited for so long, tried so many times while her body betrayed her, but finally she was able to bring her pregnancy to full term, and she and Chris have a beautiful baby boy. She is so grateful. But she’s also exhausted. Chris doesn’t help out all that much, and his mother is constantly berating her for her mistakes. Being a mother isn’t quite the beautiful experience Hannah had always imagined. And that’s when the invitation appears.

Alice is a teacher, which she enjoys. But she’s always on edge around her boyfriend Tom. They’ve just bought a flat together, which took all of her savings, but it’s what you do when you’re building a future together. Alice worries about money, but more than that she worries about Tom’s behavior. He’s callous towards her, occasionally even saying something cruel. She worries about their future, or even if they have one. And that’s when the invitation appears.

Felicity was always the leader of the four of them. After that night two years ago, she lost touch with the other three, especially since she moved to New York City and they all stayed in London. But her birthday is coming up, her thirtieth birthday, and she decides it’s time for them all to come together again. So she sent out the invitations.

The invitation was for a long weekend in Botswana, all expenses paid. Felicity took care of their flight, of their lodging, of everything. Each of the women had reasons to stay away. But they also had reasons to get back together, to see if the friendship could be saved, since they all so badly need a friend.

Grace, Hannah, and Alice fly out together form London, and once their flight lands, once the driver takes them to the lodge where they’ll be staying, they find themselves at the lodge. Felicity doesn’t greet them—she’s not feeling well—but there is a buffet laid out for them, and their individual lodges await them. The lodges have soft bedding and claw-footed tubs, and each one has their own pool. The lodges are secluded, surrounded by African wilderness with all its beauty and danger.

The women enjoy their first evening together, and the next morning they awake to a text message saying they’d be going on a safari at 7:30. They are all excited and meet outside. But nothing happens. Felicity doesn’t show up. There is no car. The women start to wonder what is going on. They try to reach Felicity and can’t get ahold of her. When they go to her lodge, it looks like there was never anyone there. There are no clothes no personal effects, no makeup.

Grace, Hannah, and Alice all start to question everything they had known about the trip. Their phones won’t work, so they can’t call for help. And if they could, they don’t even know the address of the lodge. They have no vehicles, no way to go for help. They could walk, but there are many different animals that could kill them, and they don’t even know which direction to go to find the nearest town.

So what exactly is happening to them? Was Felicity ever there at all, or did she set them up from afar? Or worse, could it have been one of them who turned on the other two and set up this nightmare weekend? As their paranoia swirls within them, the air around them turns on them, a sudden rain shower pelting them as they try to find a way to help themselves. Will any of them make it out of Botswana alive, or will this trip destroy them all?

Phoebe Morgan’s The Wild Girls is a locked-room mystery with a wicked twist. The story of these friends and all their secrets, the choices they made that tore them apart and the hope that brings them back together, is a thrill ride that reaches to their greatest moments and takes readers to their lowest points. The layers of deception between these friends go deep, and as they are peeled back one by one, these women are pushed to their limits in order to survive.

I loved reading The Wild Girls. The backdrop of Botswana was fascinating, and using the secluded lodge like a locked-room is nothing but fun. Trying to guess at what happened between these women kept me turning the pages to get to the answers. I do wish that these women showed more agency in their relationships with the men in their lives, but they all showed strength and courage on the trip to Botswana. I do recommend this one, but with some caveats. It’s imperfect, but it’s still a lot of fun to read and could start some good and interesting conversations about relationships.

Egalleys for The Wild Girls were provided by William Morrow Paperbacks through NetGalley, with many thanks.

The Wild Girls by Phoebe Morgan opens with the police swarming a resort in Botswana where two bodies have been found. So, in the following chapters as invitations for a thirtieth birthday party begin to arrive, the reader already knows that that birthday party isn’t going to be like any other.

Grace, Felicity, Alice, and Hannah have been friends for many years, except an event two years ago put their friendship on hold, although the women had considered the relationship terminated until Felicity sends out invitations for her Botswana birthday party, all expenses paid.

Initially, Hannah has no intention of going. She has a new baby she adores, but her husband never seems to help; he’s always working; and finally, she decides she needs a break. Alice and her boyfriend have had their ups and downs, mostly downs, because he’s controlling and abusive. The invitation arrives at the right time for Alice to go to Botswana and rethink her life. Grace is at a crossroads. Her friends have all achieved success but she just seems to be stuck in place. The arrival of the invitation seems to her to be an opportunity to move on, rethink her life, make a new beginning.

The Wild Girls (a title that seems to have been put in place because all books need a title and not actually because this book is about wild girls) is told through alternating POVs of all four women. Two of the POVs are in first person, which, unfortunately should be a dead (heh) giveaway.

The only character I felt any attachment to was Grace, despite the fact that she oftentimes seems to have the backbone of a dishcloth, but as the novel unfolds and the reader learns of her family background that begins to make sense. She also comes across as the most self-aware and observant. Hannah, despite the other characters saying nice things about her and making her out to be a caring mother hen, never seems to me to be that nice. She and Alice are the best friends in the group and seem to be the groups mean girls.

While the locale of Botswana should have been exciting, it seems more an afterthought since the resort is the focus and the resort, frankly, could be anywhere.

Despite the fact that I was certain I knew who the murderer was, Morgan did a good job of creating tension and even tossed out a wrench near the end, which was delightfully surprising. For stories like these, they really do thrive on the amount of tension the author can instill, mainly because the reader probably has already predicted who the killer is, and I think this one was very good at creating enough suspense that the reader happily turns pages.

A very satisfying read!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one started off intriguing, but had me saying what the heck when they said what was happening. I have never read anything like this, and I hope I never do again. This was disturbing, twisted and messed up on so many levels. A rapist obsessed with the girl he raped? Gross

This book had twists; I definitely didn't realize how it was going to end. I thought I figured it out, but then there were two twists. That's always a good thing! The middle section was a bit slow. While it was important and gave necessary backstory, I wish it was a little less detailed. All the scenes in Botswana were wonderful. I really felt like I could see it and feel the heat.

This was a fast paced book about three women in the UK that travel to Botswana for another friends birthday party. There’s lots of mysterious things going on once they reach the lodge. None of which is good.

This reminded me of Lucy Foley’s the guest list. I kept thinking of that book while reading this one. That’s not a bad thing since I really liked the Guest List. Lots of back in forth in time with each character have different chapters. It was fast moving and I figured out the end about half way through. If you like Lucy Foley you will probably like this. A solid 3.5⭐️ for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the punisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

3.5 stars rounded up! Who wouldn’t want an all expense paid vacation to Africa? That is the premise to reunite 4 friends after a rift in their friendship with the hope of mending bridges. What follows is each woman’s journey of healing, and the remote location is a perfect excuse to do just that. It is the classic what would you do for those you care most about….with a twist. Thanks to NetGalley for the early read.

Four BFFs known as “The Wild Girls” have been estranged for two years. The Teacher, The Mom and The Introvert come back together when they receive an invitation to celebrate The Birthday Girl. Perfect timing since they are all in desperate need of a getaway; an all expense paid trip to Botswana plus the hopefulness of reconnecting and healing old wounds…what could go wrong?

Beautiful cover and jacket cover drew me in. Characters are all dealing with heavy life issues that can be relatable, understood. Completely different personalities, very critical of each other that at times I wondered how they could really be friends. I had hoped that the author would bring more of beautiful Botswana into the story, lost opportunity in my opinion. I did enjoy the narrative thru each of the friends eyes. Their background and falling apart is intermeshed with the current situation and then brought together. Many little inconsistencies through the story but it was enjoyable nonetheless. A good vacation read that will keep your nose in the book.

Thank you to Ms. Morgan, William Morrow and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone!

The Wild girls by Phoebe Morgan is told by the POV's of Grace, Hannah, Alice and Felicity. The four were friends who had not spoken for two years after "something happened" two years ago. What happened is kept a secret from the reader for a while. The former friends are reunited at a luxury resort in Botswana, Africa and while they are hopeful for a chance to put the past behind them - it turns out to be something much more sinister.