Great book that really draws you in. I could not put this one down at all. Loved the main characters and how they worked together to bring the story to life.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Prior to reading I thought it was going to be a fun summer beach read, but it was a drama with some mystery (which I loved). Both the plot and the characters sucked me in. My only complaint was that I felt the ending was a little too rushed, but other than that I enjoyed it.

really enjoyed this and was sucked in immediately to the different characters/the mystery. I sort of saw the end coming but it was still good. I wish there was more info about how they escaped at the end? I think that was the only part I was missing. I love this cover and think it’s adorable but I don’t think it suits the story. I also wish there was more backstory to how the boys met Lucy.

This one was just Meh. Not sure what i was expecting. It just didn’t pull me in. Hopefully the next book I read by Ward will make me a fan

I am fascinated by all of Amanda Eyre Ward's books.
She is a fantastic storyteller.
I would love to interview her.
THANK YOU for sharing this book with me.

Loved this one. Super interesting characters, mystery, and writing style. Would recommend. Appreciate the opportunity to read!

This book was unexpected - I'm not sure why exactly, but the story just wasn't what I was expecting going in. But, I really enjoyed it. I do have to say it was a bit anxiety inducing for this Mom of a Teenage Boy! I liked the writing style and while all of the characters were flawed in their own way, they were well developed and relatable. There were parts that seemed a bit far fetched, but as a whole, the story was believable. I had trouble putting it down and read it almost in one sitting. I'll be looking for more by this author!

I‘ve read two of Amanda Eyre Ward’s books and I don’t love either of them.. They pass the time just fine. There are characters you want to succeed and others that are down right unlikeable. The title and front cover made this seem like a fun summer read, but it was more a small town drama involving an unexplained death and the families that might be involved

Austin’s Zilker Park neighborhood, is an excellent place to raise a family. Three friends are living the dream here and have no worries at all. Whitney, Annette and Liza are friends with boys that are friends. The ladies have no worries until the summer their sons become lifeguards and start hanging out a new swimming hole. The moms have been enjoying happy hour and nothing is the same afterwards. Secret texts, rumors and police reports start the breakdown of their friendship. The story is told in each woman’s perspective. Can they get to the bottom of this? Can they remain friends? Can the boys stay friends? The story was good and the characters were ok. Nothing really jumped out at me, with this one. It was a quick read. This was a three star read for me. I want to thank Netgalley & Amanda Eyre Ward, for my copy of The Lifeguards. It was my pleasure to read and review. I hope you enjoy it as well..

This book had such complex family relationships, it was so interesting and made me not want to put it down. I thought it was a solid read and will definitely be reading more by this author.

The friendship between Whitney Annette and Liza was very solid at the beginning of the book. Based on events that happened it showed how far each woman would go to protect their family. I enjoyed reading about the friendships between the children and how complicated it was.

Overall, this was a great read with bits of everything. We had family relationships, friendships, mystery, etc. I recommend this to people looking for a deep, mysterious book with lots of character driven writing.

This book was not what I had expected and pretty much went in blind. The cover made me think that this was a romance. But, this was about 3 women and their sons. They live in a close community where there happen to be a murder to a spot the boys go to.  I felt that this wasn't as suspenseful as others say and the twist was just meh. The ending seemed rushed as well.


My rating is a 2.5⭐️


Thank you NetGalley and Random House Ballantine Books for this ebook for an honest review.

In this novel, Liza, Whitney, and Annette have been best friends since they were pregnant with their now 15 year old kids, who are also best friends. Then one summer day, their boys come home and tell them they found a dead body of a young woman. The book alternates between the perspectives of the three women abs their three sons, all of whom have their own secrets and problems, along with the perspective of the detective investigating the death of the woman. Plus messages from a neighborhood message board are interspersed throughout as well.

As you can see from that description, there is a lot going on in this book, maybe too much. It’s a story about how far these women will go to protect their sons, a mystery, an exploration of messed up families and of power dynamics in friendships, a bit of suburban satire, and more. Kind of like a Liane Moriarty book with just a touch of Lisa Jewell, though not as good as either of those authors’ best. There were just too many characters and issues so that various threads felt a little surface/unresolved. The mystery part was good and kept me guessing, but the end of the book was very abrupt and confusing, and too pat.

Although totally different from Ward’s last book, The Jetsetters, like that book it has a cover and title that suggest a light beachy read that doesn’t really represent what is inside. I liked this one more than The Jetsetters, but not as much as some of Ward’s earlier, more serious/emotional books. An enjoyable enough read, just not a must read.

3.5 stars

THE LIFEGUARDS was the first book I've read by Amanda Eyre Ward and it was an interesting one! I wasn't sure what to expect - I didn't anticipate it being kind of like a mystery but I liked it! I loved the motherhood, friendship, loyalty themes in the book. I would recommend this one!

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Ballantine, for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had me turned pages without even realizing. It was so good!

Hmm. I had a mixed thoughts about this one! I would classify it as a lighter drama/mystery and it had all elements I love in one of these books, the the execution just kept me wishing for a little more, Depth? Answers?

I am not quite sure but this was just didn't totally work for me. I enjoyed Ward's writing style and will have to try another one of their books in the future.

Thank you to Ballantine Books for my gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Central Texas readers will recognize lots of places name-checked in Austin author Amanda Eyre Ward’s “The Lifeguards” (Ballantine, $28), from Zilker Park to Home Slice Pizza. But aside from the familiar surroundings, Ward also maps a story of three mothers who stretch their own boundaries while wondering exactly what their 15-year-old sons are capable of. What starts with the discovery of a dead body on the greenbelt accelerates through multiple points of view and lots of questions about life’s tradeoffs. (Ward also is a freelance contributor to the Statesman.)

The story is basically summed up in one sentence and that is how far would you go to save your children ? that's all you need to know when coming into reading this book.

This will be a no spoilers review, but if you want a more in-depth review with spoilers then please go to my blog :

I want to start off with what I hated about this book since its the shortest portion of the review. I hated that there were some things left unanswered. I would have liked to know more about certain things, like why did they mention something a few times and then its like it was never said and it didn't happen. I suppose its because then it would have added another plot line when we already had multiple ones but still, don’t mention something like its important if you aren’t going to address it… as well as the ending. There are some things that I would like to know , the aftermath but we don’t get that. This didn’t bother as much but it would have been nice to know..

Okay so now to what I actually liked about the book.

One thing that makes me like a book is that I'm able to connect with the characters even when they are nothing like me. In this case we have a set of 3 moms that live a pretty luxurious life ( well except one but she acts like does), they are over protective and would do anything for their kids but at the same times they are unable to take the time to listen to them. I don’t want to say they are obsessed with their sons because that can be considered bad, but well they are kind of obsessed with them. it seemed that the reason why they are so attached to their sons is because they are unhappy with their life and instead look at them as the only thing that brings them job from all the pretending that they do to seem perfect. The children on the other hand are pretty self aware of who their moms are but even they feel trapped under the life that their moms want to provide them with. The actual accident didn’t seem as important as the individual growth that the characters had, the accident was more of an event that occurred that made them think more about what they really wanted.

Overall the story was a bit slow paced but I think that the author did a great job at keeping the reader interested enough to keep reading. I also listened to the audiobook and I enjoyed the multi POV that the book has. It was a bit confusing with the audiobook at first, when I was starting to get to know the characters but that got better later on. It was easy to tell who was who from the way that they were written, so there really wasn't any blend of characters where I could have gotten them confused.

Thank you Net Galley and Random House Ballantine for an ARC

I went into this book totally blind. These three moms raised their sons together celebrating every milestone. The boys are now 15 and spending the summer as lifeguards. The moms have a little more free time to indulge in margaritas at happy hour but one night the boys rush home after discovering a dead body.
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Of course, secrets are unveiled no one is who they seem and this is no innocent summer.

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

This wasn't an OMG Amazing read for me, but I've given it out successfully to avid fiction readers. Second Round Purchase at best

A summer party gone wrong.Three mothers determined to lesson the severity of an event that resulted in a young woman’s death. A posh neighborhood transitioning to gentrification. Young men who must face the reality of a moments rash decision. All are elements of this wonderful examination into how money can separate. Three young men are lifeguards in a area where life rolls smoothly. Until it doesn’t . It is the one element of this story that kept me reading. The fact that the truth refuses to be quiet. It was a refreshing twist.