I really enjoyed this! I liked the way the story was told: through the moms' (and detective's) perspectives in the present, through the lifeguards' perspectives in the past, and through board postings and media clips. Also, as a mother, the underlying question (how far would you go to protect your child?) really hit home for me. I tore through this in two sittings, just couldn't put it down.

This book just fell flat for me. The characters were boring, the relationships fake and the storyline was very predictable. The book had the ability to be so much better, but I waited for more the entire time I was reading. Told in the perspective of 3 moms, which was actually done very well. The different perspectives had easy transitions and it was not confusing. Honestly, it was the reason the book was not rated lower.

Whitney, Annette and Liza are best friends, who have raised their children together (also best friends) for 15 years. One night, their boys return from their favorite swimming hole with news that will break the world that the mother’s have created for their kids. Are their relationships strong enough to survive the chaos and trauma? Who is to be trusted and what secrets will be unveiled?

Thank you to Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

This was a page turner very interesting. I like books where different chapters are from different character's point of view. What lengths would you go to, to protect your family?

The Lifeguards was such an engaging read! A boujee neighborhood in Austin and million dollar homes-life is seemingly perfect for the three best friends. They have been together through it all and their three sons are close as can be, all 15 and starting their jobs as lifeguards for the summer. All is well until one night their sons share disturbing news that shakes the friendship and their lives. How much will it take for the secrets and lies to bubble to the surface? And how far would they go to protect their children?? I really enjoyed this book and loved how twisty the story became. We follow our host of characters (and there were quite a lot of characters - 7+ POVs to keep up with) at two timeline, slowly uncovering what really happened that night and just how connected all of the characters stories are. I definitely enjoyed this book more than the Jetsetters! Would recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The book left me wanting more. It was neither great nor bad for me. It did have quite a few POV’s which I’m typically not a fan of. I didn’t mind it so much in this one, though. The chapters were set up kind of wonky which did throw for me a loop though. Also, I feel like this book had too much fluff. There were too many details that weren’t relevant. I wish the author would have given me details that pertained to the actual story instead. Overall, it was a quick and okay read!

The Lifeguards: 3 ⭐️

I enjoyed this mama drama about three families and their close knit boys. We follow each matriarch as we learn about their inner lives and how they present themselves to the world. Even though each family (tries to) present an air of comfort and stability, a sudden murder in town (Austin) seems to upend each of the women’s lives. Interspersed between chapters are (presumably) Facebook mommy group posts with everything from questions about the murder suspects, posts about specific families to ridiculous makeup party pyramid scheme posts. Those parts were funny but also took me out of the story as I didn’t find the posts particularly realistic(no one shit talks the way these women do publicly about other families). So anyway, we also have a few chapters from other POVs including the son’s of the women. I actually was a bit confused for a while keeping everyone straight but managed to finally get everyone associated with the right mom/son. Overall I was entertained and enjoyed reading this even with some issues above plus a bit of a vague ending that didn’t necessarily tie up open questions. I think those that liked Eliza Starts a Rumor or even Hunting Wives would probably enjoy this one. This is also pitched as a book about how far you’d go to protect your sons as well so boy mamas may also really like that aspect. For me that theme is one that would make for a great book club discussion.
3.5 stars.

This was a good read. With multiple relationships you do need to pay attention. There are some loose ends at the end. Things not fully explained. That is my only issue with the book. Living in TX and not knowing much about this big state, I enjoyed learning a little more about Austin.

Three lifelong friends become lifeguards at the local pool. On the way home one night they find a body and rush to their parents asking what to do. This is the story of what happens after. I loved the plot for the book but the execution lacked something. This is a slow burn book and I prefer more action. The ending completely surprised me which I loved. I also loved the layout. It’s told from different timelines and by different people. I love different POV because you can find out things the other characters won’t know. I enjoyed this book but would have liked more action.

The book was very okay in my opinion. The book is about 3 lifeguard friends, but it’s really focused on their mothers who are best friends. I did not feel too much connection to the characters, as you got more details on their wealth than on them as individuals or their relationships to the other characters. There was also not much flow to the book. It felt like you flip flopped from character to character and past to present in a non-sensical manner. I did enjoy the last 20% of the book as the mystery started to unravel and make sense in my mind, although in my opinion the mystery was revealed in an unexciting way. The real “suspenseful” part of the story was whether these rich wives would choose their friendship to each other or their relationships to their children.

This book had me hooked right to the end!
I’m a huge Amanda Eyre Ward fan and The Lifeguards -Wards 8th novel- did nothing to dissuade that love.
Set in Austin’s eclectic Barton Springs, The Lifeguards follows three moms and their sons over the first week of a summer that will redefine relationships after a girl is murdered in what amounts to their own back yard.
Ward’s characters are relatable and sympathetic. We’ve all both harbored hopes and dreams for our children and been that 15 year old who’s just beginning to glimpse what he or she wants -and doesn’t want- their life to look like. The story is sharp and full of suspense.
I received my copy of The Lifeguards as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley, but this perfect summer read is available to you anywhere you purchase books on April 5, 2022.

Great suspense and characters. A coming of age for all, even (especially) the middle aged mama bears. Mom group chats and the multilayered stories of the boys and their moms—secrets kept and those revealed—makes this a real page turner.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review! I really liked The Jetsetters by Ward so when I saw The Lifegueards I knew I wanted to read it! I like how Ward writes about families and as a boy mom this one was relatable!

The Lifeguards was an interesting take on privilege and wealth. Three friends have known one another since their children were babies. They've been inseparable until the moment that their boys might be implicated in a crime. Then the gloves come off and it's every woman for herself so to speak.

The main three characters in this book are Whitney, Annette and Liza. Whitney and Annette both have wealth. Liza doesn't. As a matter of fact, a lot of what she has is dependent on her friendship with Whitney. For years these women have maintained friendships without money being an issue. However, when these events surface that put their boys in the crosshairs of legal issues, the fact that Whitney and Annette have easy access to high power attorneys while Liza doesn't becomes very apparent. It is then that cracks start to show in their "perfect" friendships.

All three women have personal battles that they haven't shared with each other regardless of how close they are. As the difficulties with their boys surface, the stresses at home do also.

I thought this book had some originality in the storyline. It also had some good twists that kept things interesting and added to the enjoyment of the book. However, for me, the characters were difficult to connect with. I probably related the most with Liza, but even she did things that frustrated me. All in all, the book wrapped up with a satisfying conclusion and I thought it was well done.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This was a decent domestic thriller, but the multiple POVs AND timelines had you wondering where you were in the plot. It was just a little too much. Also, the very end, the resolution, was effectively just skipped over. I actually flipped back and forth wondering if I'd missed a few pages. Three women, three sons (one set of twins - a girl, Roma) What happened to Whitney? What happened to Roma? We went from knowing these three women had their own secrets and complicated lives, even a sociopath for a daughter, and then...nothing? And their three sons are still friends? Even though one of the women might have offed the other? What? I closed the book feeling very unfulfilled and more confused than anything.

Wow! Book hangover in process. I didn’t want to say goodbye to these characters. This is my first Amanda Eyre Ward book, but it definitely won’t be my last.

When a girl ends up dead on the greenbelt, the three young lifeguards that were there that day seem to know more than they are saying. This is a multiple POV story that follows three mothers and their sons, The Lifeguards, after this tragic happening.

Something about this book just really sucked me in. The mother-son relationships were so well done. As a mom of three boys, I related to all of them in some way. I sympathized with their urge to protect the boys and keep them safe, and sometimes at all costs.

I do have one burning question about the ending tho! I’ll have to hit up my friends @kc1morepage and @mamacappsreads to discuss.

Pick this up if you like a little suspense and a lot of character building. Now excuse me while I go hit the Ward backlist!

I liked this book - the setting in Austin, Texas was interesting and even though I have never been there, I knew the exact upper middle class neighborhood and personalities that were described. The neighborhood texts were horrible, but funny!
I liked the interaction between the three mothers and found each character's motivation to be spot on, however, I kept getting mixed up when reading the alternating points of view - each mother did not have enough of a distinct voice of her own. They were from different backgrounds, but they all sounded the same when reading the chapters from each of their perspectives.
The children's characters were well developed and believable, especially Charlie, Robert and poor Lucy - everyone had a back story. Since this novel was mostly from the mother's point of view, I did not expect their husbands to be main characters, just supporting roles.
I liked the characters of of Salvadore and Liza, but I thought their pairing was predictable and a little too much of a stretch to be more than an eye roll for me.
There were a lot of details to keep track of and the pace kept me reading, which is good. In fact, I could see this as a tv series in the future.

I had so much fun reading this book! Three Austin families find themselves in the midst of a murder investigation at the start of one summer. It seems that each family has something to hide. There were many POV's, but I did not have trouble keeping up. The ending was a little vague about the fate of one character, but it leaves that fate to your imagination.

Thank you Random House, Ballentine Books, and NetGalley for the gifted copy. This book is published April 5, 2022.

This book is a mixture of a family drama, women's friendship tale, and mystery.. it's a quick read that I liked well enough but didn't love--partly because none of the women are all that likable. I found the sons to be more interesting and would have enjoyed more of the story being told from their perspective. I'm not sorry I read it but won't rush to highly recommend either.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read and loved Amanda Eyre-Ward’s novel, The Jetsetters, so I was very excited to read The Lifeguards which was a little heavier, but just as fantastic as her previous novel. This one is a slow mystery, unfolding throughout the chapters. This is told from multiple POVs which I like when done right. I was curious what REALLY happened and who was telling the truth, which mother was lying to protect her son? Who was at fault?

So many questions kept me reading until the very end!

Synopsis:

Austin’s Zilker Park neighborhood is a wonderland of greenbelt trails, live music, and moms who drink a few too many margaritas. Whitney, Annette, and Liza have grown thick as thieves as they have raised their children together for fifteen years, believing that they can shelter them their children from an increasingly dangerous world. Their friendship is unbreakable—as safe as the neighborhood where they’ve raised their sweet little boys.

Or so they think.

One night, the three women have been enjoying happy hour when their boys, lifeguards for the summer, come back on bicycles from a late-night dip in their favorite swimming hole. The boys share a secret—news that will shatter the perfect world their mothers have so painstakingly created.

Combining three mothers’ points of view in a powerful narrative tale with commentary from entertaining neighborhood listservs, secret text messages, and police reports, The Lifeguards is both a story about the secrets we tell to protect the ones we love and a riveting novel of suspense filled with half-truths and betrayals, fierce love and complicated friendships, and the loss of innocence on one hot summer night.

Coming out On April 5.

This is an interesting story, but I had a hard time getting past the fact that most of the characters were fairly unlikeable. The main plot is the discovery of a body by three teen boys--the lifeguards of the title--but the lives of these teens and their families (especially their moms) constitute most of the story. Like all families, their lives are messy and challenging, in a wide variety of ways. The characters are interesting, but the constant focus on the superficial aspects of their lives (wealth and prestige) made me weary. It is a fast-paced book that many people will enjoy. The format, with shifting time lines and snippets of texts and message boards, adds interest. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC!