When Charlotte’s husband suggests she gets to know the wife of his new boss, she isn’t particularly keen. Charlotte is successful, rich, happily married with two children and has an active social life with the Scandinavian expat community in Wimbledon. But… looks can be deceiving. Charlotte is not happy, and when she meets Bianka she is intoxicated by her.

Meanwhile, Bianka is keeping secrets about her past and she certainly doesn’t like it when things don’t go her way. Charlotte and her friends find this out the hard way when their girl’s trip to Ibiza takes a sinister turn!

Is there a sub-genre for Frustrating Thrillers? There should be, and this book would be right at the top of the list!

Girl Friends is one of those books that has you screaming at the page, events just begin to spiral out of control and there’s nothing you can do about it except read on and hope that things work out.

This was a really surprising read for me, it was the equivalent of a Scandi Crime Popcorn Thriller - really readable and a lot of fun. Unlike the more typical Nordic Noir books, this in contrast is more Scandi Sinister Sun. Perfect for fans of domestic thrillers or thrillers based around toxic relationships!

I really struggled with this book there are multiple POVs, but they're all written from different aspects, which was really confusing. Multiple POVs is just not my thing therefore I just think the book wasn't for me.

If your guilty pleasure is reading novels about wealthy people whose carefully constructed lives fall apart, then you will love Girl Friends. The story unfolds from the point of view of three characters: Charlotte, Bianka and Bianka’s stepson, Storm.

Charlotte has become an online sensation as the ‘Keto Queen’. She’s a self-confessed control freak whose image is carefully curated and whose domestic life is rigidly organised. But behind the facade, everything’s not so perfect. Her marriage to bank executive Andreas has become stale and passionless so she lives for her boozy get togethers with her friends Anette and Linda, fellow Scandinavian ex-pats. When Andreas asks her to cosy up to Bianka, the wife of his boss Emil, she agrees but, boy, does she not realise what she’s getting herself into.

If Charlotte is an expert at controlling herself then Bianka is an expert at controlling others. And, it transpires, she has a history of it. (As the book progresses, we get little suggestions that experiences earlier in Bianka’s life might have contributed to her need to control.) Bianka fawns over Charlotte wanting to learn every detail of Charlotte’s life but without giving away too much about her own. What she does divulge is, one suspects, often complete fiction carefully designed to create a bond between them. Bianka dresses to stand out, seems assured in any social situation and proves up for anything. It’s that adventurous spirit that proves irresistible to Charlotte.

Charlotte’s decision to invite Bianka to the annual ‘girls only’ trip to the family villa in Ibiza doesn’t go down well with Anette and Linda but by this time Charlotte is too dazzled and besotted by Bianka to care. Egged on by Bianka, long afternoons dozing on the terrace, morning yoga sessions and trips to fancy restaurants are soon replaced by wild, hedonistic parties where all forms of intoxication are available. From that point on it’s like watching an impending train crash. But who is the driver, who is the passenger and will anyone else be injured in the process?

In case you think I’ve forgotten Storm, I haven’t and, in fact, his was a storyline I really enjoyed. He is much the most empathetic character in the book, although that wouldn’t be difficult. Why is it, he wonders, that his father and, in particular, his stepmother Bianka are so reluctant to mention Storm’s mother Mia, or the circumstances of her death, supposedly the result of a freak accident in the mountains. As he digs into the past, memories that he’d previously suppressed start to emerge and what they reveal is shocking.

With its mix of intrigue and glamour, Girl Friends is like an exotic cocktail but one that will leave you with an almighty hangover in the morning and perhaps yearning for the carb hit of a piece of garlic foccacia. I confess I wasn’t a fan of the epilogue-type ending which seemed a little farfetched. But that apart, Girl Friends is the perfect beach read or book to get you through a long, otherwise tedious journey.

Girlfriends pulled me in from the first page. It is told from three perspectives: Charlotte’s, Bianka’s and her stepson sixteen-year-old Storm.
Bianka meets Charlotte when her husband is transferred from Oslo to London to work. Settling in Wimbledon, among a community of Norwegian ex-pats, Bianka and her husband are invited to a barbeque at Charlotte’s home. There is something about Charlotte that is both familiar and compelling to Bianka and the two become friends. Charlotte, a qualified doctor, is the founder of Viking Keto, an alternative way of eating that has a healthy international on line following and spawned cook books and accessories, making her very wealthy. Both women are in unhappy marriages. Charlotte and her husband Andreas have drifted apart, probably from the amount of time she devotes to her company, and Bianka realises she married Emil for all the wrong reasons.
When Charlotte organises her annual girls’ week in her luxury villa in Ibiza with friends Anette and Linda, she invites Bianka along. A weekend of fun and relaxation is promised. It intensifies the relationship between the two women, causing Bianka to take risks, pulling Charlotte into unfamiliar and dangerous situations, leading in tragedy.
I had difficulty warming to either Charlotte or Bianka. I disliked them both, perhaps Bianka the most. Charlotte lives and breathes Viking Keto, taking it to obsessive levels, both with her work and her appearance. Bianka is devious and unpleasant and at times her behaviour is outrageous as she takes control of Charlotte, who has fallen completely under her spell.
Bianka has been 16 year old Storm's stepmother since he was four after his mother committed suicide. Unclear at first why his narrative is important, his childhood experiences are woven into the story, bringing past secrets to the surface. Although the story began slowly, it soon developed into a gripping read which was difficult to put down.
A compelling twisty tale of friendships, manipulation and self-preservation. My thanks to Head of Zeus, the author and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was super gripping and had me hooked from the start!
Some of it was pretty dark, which I loved. I stayed up way too late to find out what happened - it's a definite must-read.

Things I liked about this one:
✅ intense, unhinged relationships
✅ a tiny bit of spice 🌶️
✅ very scene setting driven
✅ multiple POV
✅ lots of glitz and glamour

This one is a rich people behaving badly read, which I LOVE! But it is a slow burn, it smoulders along until the last 15%. I'll be honest, the ending felt rushed and I need more back story, particularly from Bianka and some of the plot points. I also think there is a plot point about Bianka's stepson/husband that feels a bit unfinished.

That said, for those of you that love a scene setting, slower, story than this is perfect for you. It does that really well, and you feel you really know the characters and the world they are living in. I never wanted to either main character, but I think that's deliberate as the story develops 🤷🏼‍♀️

I'd recommend this to slow burn thriller lovers!

RATING
⭐️⭐️⭐️

A real rollercoaster of a thriller. The two main characters, Bianka and Christine, have layer upon layer to them that is slowly revealed throughout this tense novel. It allowed you to suspend your disbelief in just the right way and had no major plotholes - you could almost say this book got away with murder…

The very last chapter let it down somewhat however. I can’t believe Max’s father would be so willing to accept Xara with all of the circumstances still in play. But hey - some people have all the luck!

To begin with I thought this was a slow start but really appreciated the background to the characters. But lots of questions are raised at the start, why does Bianka have an issue with her stepson? Who does Charlotte remind Bianka and Emil of?

Th book opens with a death and then jumps back in time to before the main characters actually meet, so gives plenty of build up and really gets your mind working as you try to figure out who killed who.

I loved all the twists and turns, really kept me guessing. I think this would make a perfect TV show or film and I'm going to seek out more of Alex Dahl's books and not read any before this one.

4 stars!

I had already read most of Alex Dahl's books and really enjoyed them, so I jumped at the chance of reading her latest one.
'Girl Friends' follows the point of view of 3 characters: Charlotte, Bianka, and Bianka's step-son Storm. In the first half of the novel we are exploring Charlotte and Bianka's friendship as they grow closer, first in Wimbledon Village, and then on a girls holiday in Ibiza. Meanwhile, Storm is back in Norway trying to uncover dark secrets relating to his past and his suspicious step-mother.

I found the first half rather slow as there is a lot of depth to the characters and immersion into the plot, but I was really pulled in through the second half after a murder that the girls have to hide. Dahl deals brilliantly with twisty thrillers that have you gripped till the end.

Read via Netgalley, and thank you to Head of Zeus for providing an advanced copy in exchange for a review.

This book was a mixed bag. A bit too melodramatic for me, combined with some really inconsistent characters. We meet Bianka first, moving to London with her husband, relieved her stepson is heading off to boarding school. She seems nice enough (despite some antipathy towards the stepson). We're then introduced to Charlotte whose husband works for Bianka's husband but we learn they're well off and she has a reputation as an influencer (Keto Queen). I couldn't quite tell who was more enamoured with who. Charlotte's enchanted by the very different and exotic Bianka but Bianka can't get enough of Charlotte... who apparently reminds her of someone else.

Fast forward to the ladies weekend away. We know from the prologue that things go badly, ending in a death, but it still takes a long time to get there. I'm fairly sure I was grimacing as I read much of this part of the book, and through some of what comes after. It's not poorly written, rather the way it plays out felt a little juvenile or soap-opera-like. Bianka in particular is a master manipulator and it was almost painful to watch Charlotte being so gullible.

We've learned (by now) a bit about their backstories so there's some context for their actions (and reactions) but it's a bit like watching the proverbial train wreck. Things go from bad to worse for Charlotte in particular and suddenly Bianka is all contrite again, after so flagrantly and purposefully pre-empting everything.

In the background we learn a little more about Bianka's husband's first wife and the fact Bianka was also quite enamoured by her also... before her untimely death.

Kudos to Dahl however as just when we think we know how this is ending, she mixes things up yet again - and in a way that seems very infeasible... but it plays out nonetheless. And 'some' of them anyway, live happily ever after.

An uncomfortable read for me.

Charlotte has a very successful life; a good career, great friends and a settled home life. Each year, she has a girls' week with her two closest friends as they head to Ibiza to open up her holiday home for the season. With the arrival of a new senior colleague at her husband's firm, she is introduced to both him and his wife, Bianka, who quickly worms her way into Charlotte's friendship group and the annual girls' trip. However, there is more to Bianka than meets the eye . . .

I settled into this one quickly but soon felt very much out of my comfort zone. I originally chose to read and review this one due to the author's name but I really didn't expect it to be so hedonistic and I had issues with the resulting crime. I got through it but it's not one I enjoyed at all. I'm sure plenty of other readers will love it, but it's not for me. 3*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Main characters Charlotte and Bianka help provide a real roller coaster of a novel with their loose adventures in Ibiza. First time I have read an Alex Dahl book and so gripping was it I completed it in a day. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

I found this book quite hard to get into as I felt that both of the main characters were very dislikable. Charlotte Vinge is an influencer with the perfect life and a mass following of her Keto lifestyle However all is not as it seems and when she meets the charismatic Bianka she starts to question everything and finds herself acting completely out of character. A girls trip to Ibiza results in murder and Charlotte does not know how much she is involved.

All in all there was a lot of pent up suspense especially in the run up to Charlotte and Bianka’s relationship but I simply could not warm to either of them. I was far more interested in Bianka’s stepson Storm and dad Emil’s story.

It is twisty but very slow.

I really enjoyed this book. Charlotte is a Norwegian ex pat living in London, unhappy in her marriage. When Bianka joins their group, Charlotte feels energised and excited by this new friendship. Bianka is invited to join Charlotte and 2 other friends on their annual trip to Charlotte's house in Ibiza. Here, their friendship develops in to a torrid affair, things get out of hand, and someone ends up dead. This is a really fast paced story with some great characters and twists you won't see coming!
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

@currentlyreading__
Book 24 of 2024

Thank you to @NetGalley, @headofzeus and @alexdahlauthor for the e-arc of the fabulous ‘Girl Friends’ ahead of publication in a few days (11th April). I was sent a copy of this in November and I am in equal measure annoyed that I didn’t start it earlier and overjoyed that I left it for my holiday. I am also really happy that I’ve found a new author as this book blew me away. Evoking the hedonism of Ibiza and the scents of the foliage of the island has been quite similar to my experience of reading this book poolside with the smell of jasmine wafting in the air. No hedonism for me although I lived vicariously through the crazy women in ‘Girl Friends’.

Scandinavian Charlotte Vinge is the wife of a wealthy banker living in affluent Wimbledon. She has a buzzing social life, a lifestyle blog as the original Keto Queen, a new programme about the wonders of a ketogenic lifestyle being streamed on StreamStar and two adoring children. Secretly, she also has a raging eating disorder and her marriage is far from the idyllic one she professes it to be.

Once a year, Charlotte and her fellow Scandi tribe of women descend on her Ibizan property for journaling, yoga and general indulgence. This year she invites the enigmatic fellow Scandinavian Bianka, the wife of her husband’s new CEO. Bianka is everything Charlotte admires - brave, bold and brimming with confidence. From the first time Charlotte lays eyes on Bianka, her platinum curls coiffed and proudly wearing a vermillion silk pantsuit, she knows that Bianka will provide some fun in Ibiza. Charlotte, and we the readers, are completely unprepared for just how much Bianka’s presence will shake up their Ibizan retreat.

I know I read a lot and hence recommend a lot but THIS IS EPIC! I am, at this early stage in the year, going to say that this will most probably be my favourite read of the year. I have loved every page. The plot is superb, the writing is so evocative of the setting and characterisation will live with me for some time. A definite five stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


#bookstagram #bibliophile #bookworm #book #booknerd #bookstagrammer #kindle #netgalley #alexdahl #alexdahlbooks #girlfriends #ibiza #headofzeus

Charlotte and her two female friends go to Ibiza every year, to get away from the every day stresses of work, family and running a home. When the effervescent Bianka, the wife of the head of the bank, is introduced to Charlotte at a party arranged by her nice but dull husband, there is a spark between them, which leads to Bianka being invited to the annual trip, with devastating and tragic results. All of this ties in with the story of Storm, the top young sportsman, who is trying to find out about his past.
I loved this book. As Charlotte got more and more out of her comfort zone, and completely out of her depth, the more engrossing the book became. A highly recommended read.

This was a decent enough story, played out by decent enough characters, but it did get a bit messy along the way.
We start with low-carb Queen Charlotte Vinge and lady-who-lunches Bianka Langeland who meet at a party, their husbands having just started working together. They appear to hit it off straight away and Bianka's fast and loose personality starts to have an effect on Charlotte's usually more staid one. Fast forward a wee bit and Charlotte invites Bianka to her usual "girls only" weekend in Ibiza, much to the chagrin of the two friends she usually goes with... And so begins a bit of an implausible, but fun, and much darker tale when things start to get out of hand...
But... as they say, what happens in Ibiza, stays in Ibiza... or can it ?
As I said, this was a decent enough story that mostly held my attention, although I did find myself rolling my eyes quite a bit throughout. I enjoyed the way that the chance meeting became a friendship became toxic and then developed into a rather raunchy relationship. And then all went completely south. But it all did take a wee while to really get going and then, after the middle part action, it all went a bit low again after the fact. Culminating in an ending that blew my mind for all the wrong reasons and left me somewhat lacking in satisfaction.
All that said, I am not about to write the author off for what was for me just the one miss, especially as I have read and enjoyed 5 of her other books. I'll still be looking out for what she serves up for next time. My thanks got to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Thank you net galley for this opportunity and providing me with an arc of girl friends. If I’m honest I have rated this book 3.5 stars however that should not dissuade you because it truly was a good read just was not for me. I found the first half of the book, which is world building, quite boring. I guess that’s because for me if I want a lot of world building I’d go into perhaps a fantasy not this. I just felt like the world was super fleshed out but then the characters weren’t as fleshed out? But I’ve seen people really enjoy this so perhaps it’s a me thing!

I found the characters funny at times and also engaging to read I just wish we had a little more from them!

Regardless I am excited to read the authors other works as I have heard nothing but fantastic reviews, I would also like to add girl friends would be a fantastic read by the pool in the summer! So may have to give it another go in the summer

Sorry this one just didn't do it for me, slow moving, disjointed and just a bit far fetched in places (don't even get me started on the ending).

Mt thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

3.5 ⭐️

This is one of those rare thrillers where I genuinely expected the story to go in a completely different direction to what actually happened, and I enjoyed the ending. The storyline was intriguing; it wasn’t what I was expecting it to be but I really liked it!

I did think that the book was too long and got a bit boring in the middle; the scenes in Ibiza especially dragged on and I lost interest there for a little while. However, this was still a very decent thriller ☺️