The Opportunist by Elyse Friedman is a psychological thriller full of family drama.

Set mostly on the BC coast this book is so full of twists and turns, some of which are deeply disturbing.

I personally could not out this one down...I needed to see how it ended.

I really have no idea how I feel about this book. Like, it’s fine? I didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. I don’t know what it was but I never was able to fully connect with the writing. It was engaging enough, but not anything I’d really gravitate toward. I also think there was WAY too much going on. However, I loved the ending and I think that’s what probably saved this from being a two star book for me.

I loved this novel! Gripping and clever (and in parts, grim) like a Canadian-tinged succession. Delighted to include this title in the November edition of Novel Encounters, my regular column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction, for the Books section of Zoomer magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

Read this one in two sittings, which is bonkers for me!

When Martin reaches out to his step sister Alana to ask for her help in getting their elder father’s gold digger fiancé to leave before they get hitched, Alana agrees to help even though she has been estranged from her father for several years and isn’t in the big inheritance plans.

Alana flies to Alfred Island, a private island owned by the patriarch Edward to be with her siblings as preparations for the nuptials begin. Kelly is 48 years younger than Edward and began work as his nurse before falling in love with him.

While Alana, Martin, and brother Teddy have secret meetings about how to handle Kelly, Kelly herself isn’t quite as naive as they think. She is described as wily and that was a very apt word for her.

I did find myself wondering if certain details dropped could lead to certain outcomes and found myself correct on a few occasions. That, however, did not spoil my enjoyment of this book which I couldn’t put down. I also questioned the author’s motivations with an ex of Alana’s but can’t say more than that for I do not want to be the one to spoil any of this great story.

If you have enjoyed the tv show Succession, then I think this book will appeal to you. Thank you to @harpercollinsca and @netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. The Opportunist comes out November 29, 2022.

What a great read. You will never ever see the end coming and it took me by total surprise. Dysfunctional families are everywhere, but when you add money, two brothers and an elderly father to the mix, sparks will start to fly!

It doesn't matter to the son's why their elderly dad has taken up with a young woman! What matters to them is the money (Is she a gold digger and how do we get rid of her?)

Add in the two sisters, one who has passed away and the younger one (who was never her dad's girl) and you get a picture of a family that is at odds with each other all the time.

You need to read this book to find out what happens and I'm sure you will be blind-sided just as I was. What a great read!

I was given a ARC copy of this book for my hones opinion! Read it, you'll love it too!

Family drama at its finest! You’ll be captivated by this gripping drama which will have you wanting “just one more chapter”

Part thriller, part family drama The Opportunist is both funny and shocking. I stayed up all night reading it. 3.5 out of 5 ⭐️

No matter how many of these thrillers that I read, I will never get tired of the twists and turns they take.

This bad boy had a huge twist that even had me gasp out loud.

Alana Shropshire stays away from her family however when her dad, Ed, starts dating his nurse, Kelly, this causes her brothers to go on a witch-hunt to end the relationship. Ed is 76 and Kelly is 28. Kelly is labelled a gold digger by Teddy and Martin.

Teddy and Martin put in overtime to end the relationship once their dad and Kelly announce that they’re getting married. They reach out to Alana and they’re offering her something that she needs, money.

Alana is a single mother to a daughter who has health issues. Everything is costly and she can’t pass up the money. Even if it’s not earned wholeheartedly. She goes to her father’s island and deals with everything head on.

If you’re looking for a thriller that will have you confused (in a good way) during every chapter and that’s set in Canada, then you will definitely enjoy this booK

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to readers who love a good psychological thriller. As we know, based on the synopsis, this book is riddled with endless family drama! The main character is estranged from her family after some shady occurrences in the past, which are slowly disclosed as we make our way through the story. Her brothers reach out to her after their ailing, super rich dad proposes to someone younger than them. They plan to sabotage the relationship -- but as their plans play out, the reader is taken through a series of reveals that give nothing but whiplash. I don't usually read books from this genre, but the synopsis had me intrigued. I read the entire book in one setting because it was so good. The characters are interesting and at no point were their true intentions clear, until the very final reveals. I don't know if I was rooting for anyone but I definitely needed to know more about each person, so the pages felt like they were turning themselves lol. I gave this book 5 stars!

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins for providing me with an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book has some seriously disturbing topics such as child pornography and abuse.
I was constantly left wondering what was going on and the final twist really was quite well done by the author.

I really wanted to love this book but it ended up being just ok

In an attempt to confuse the reader to make sure we don't figure it out too easily, the author has thrown in lots of misdir4ects, but some of it just did not feel realistic and just made me impatient.

I am all for suspense, but not at the price of a smart ending.

The writing was okay, but I did feel the slowed pace was annoying.

Not a huge fan of this one unfortunately.

Ed and Kelly were a loving couple preparing to get married. The only catch is Ed is more than twice Kelly’s age and also his nurse. Ed is a wealthy and elderly man who has fallen in love with his nurse and his family is not please about it. Martin, Teddy and Kelly all believe Kelly is just your typical gold digger and coming after Ed’s money once he dies. The family has all come together in preparation of the upcoming wedding but what transpires is far from a happy ending.

This was a quick and easy read that I finished in just over a day. There are many stories that have this similar premise but there was some unique twists and aspects that I really enjoyed. I think the author put her own spin on an old premise. It was also fun that the story takes place in my home country of Canada and I recognized some of the locations mentioned.

The story of a family bound together by the power of money. This is the story of Ed Shropshire, a very rich septuagenarian, his two greedy and spoilt sons and somewhat estranged and uncaring poor step-daughter. When Ed falls in love with his beautiful young nurse and after a whirlwind romance decides to get married to her, the not-so-young children decide to take matters into their own hands and save the family money from the "opportunist".
All the characters, without any exception, are extremely unlikeable and selfish. The plot despite becoming very predictable halfway through the story with some aspects of the narrative a bit too far-fetched still makes for a compelling read. It is definitely a page-turner.
Thank you to the publisher for a galley in return for an honest review.