Edge of your seat crime novel with interesting characters. Story drifts in and out of flashbacks without getting lost and demonstrating good character development. The story itself is a bit implausible (but what do I know of criminal activity). Narrator is quite good with natural speech and geographical accents.

I wonder how life would be like if I have a CIA agent for a mother. Would she continue being a normal mother who cooks, cleans, takes care of children or would she be like the mother these poor girls have? Because these hard girls mother would show up once in a while to check if they are breathing and leave without a goodbye. They grew up knowing that their mother was not so interested in parenting. They relied on each other more than anyone else.

Years later after one of the twins started a family, the other knocked on her door to say she found their mother. Leaving her family behind, she joined her sister to find some answers. This could mean losing her daughter in a custody battle but she had to know why her mother left her behind. When they found her though, she did not know if she made the right decision.

If you liked Narcos but want a version where women in charge, you might like this book too.

Jane Pool lives the perfect suburban life: nice house, nice car, nice husband, nice kid, but she’s not happy. Everything changes when her twin sister, who she hasn’t heard from in 10 years, sends a cryptic message to her email.

The Pool sisters then go on a hunt to find their long-lost mother, all the while Jane abandons her own daughter (talk about generational trauma, right?). Jane’s husband threatens to divorce her and take full custody of their daughter and her mother-in-law forbids her of talking to her daughter. Turns out Jane’s sister is hiding a lot from her, some of it might be helpful with the divorce, but some of it might be related to her mother’s disappearance.

I thought the story was very good, I like how there are some big revelations in each chapter that are treated like a normal thing. That is, there’s no build up to the revelation and suddenly the information is there, and you are like “wow I can’t believe this” I have to re-read this part.

I received the audiobook version of this book and Amanda Troope does an amazing job at conveying the voices of different characters. I like how she has a slight accent when reading the mother and aunts in the book.

One thing that I AM OBSESSED WITH IN THESE MYSTERY THRILLER IS: WHY IS THE HUSBAND ALWAYS ALWAYS AN ASSHOLE? Can we get a thriller where the husband is not a self-centered bastard?

Thank you NetGalley and Mulholland Books/Hachette Audio for the ARC and the opportunity to share what I think!

I read several chapters of this story but I just couldn't get immersed in the story. I wanted a cutting nior story and instead I found a rather flat story with one dimensional characters.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

Lila and Jane are twin sisters who have a very challenging childhood, mostly because of emotional neglect from their parents. And then their mother disappeared completely out of their lives.. The sisters drift away from each other as they reach adulthood until one day Lila contacts Jane out of the blue via a bygone secret code they used as children. Lila says she knows where their mother is and wants Jane to join her in finding her even though it means disrupting her carefully planned and dull life. Jane agrees and then the cat and mouse action begins and doesn't stop. This was an interesting story, however it did not keep me on the seat of my chair like I thought it would. I would give this a 3 star rating.

The narrator was good! No real complaints there. A tad monotone at times, but I don’t really mind… kind of calming actually.
The story was one of those that I found personally difficult to follow along with via audio at times, however. I may give this a try in print which may change my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to an early copy of this book. Hard Girls by J. Robert Lennon will be released on February 20th, 2024.

This book was fine. It honestly didn't stand out to me and it took a bit for me to really get into the story, but I did enjoy the characters. Hard Girls follows Jane & Lila, twins who experienced their mother disappearing on them, as they try to track her down later on in their adult lives and uncover a large number of secrets, dangerous secrets, that were kept from them.

I personally enjoyed how different the twins were. They both seemed to be on one extreme personality-wise but they balance each other out nicely. The narrator was also really good in this book.

My initial impression of Hard Girls by J. Robert Lennon is certainly a memorable one. The mystery woman on the cover of the book is beautiful. Her sizzling eye contact with the viewer is unapologetically confrontational, she’s a femme fatale. Mesmerized by her intrigue, I found myself staring at her for some time, contemplating who she is and what secrets she may be keeping. Understandably, I was eager to start the book! I also really like the design. The oversaturation and contrasting color choices are aesthetically pleasing and gives a vintage appearance.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book, which is narrated by Amanda Troope. I thought she did a wonderful job voicing the characters, making them distinct and easy to recognize. She’s energetic and easy to listen to. I could turn on the book and get lost in the story for long periods of time.

Set in Nestor, NY alternating between a few different past and present perspectives, Jane Pool, the main character, is trying to bury her traumatic past to push forward in her properly deadened, mechanical existence as a working mother, wife, and thoroughly heckled daughter-in-law. Jane has convinced herself she’s happy, satisfied, and living the life she always wanted with her husband (Chance) and daughter (Chloe). Despite her endeavors, she cannot kick a niggling feeling she needs to tie up loose ends from her past sooner rather than later and seek answers she is entitled to but hesitant to find. She finally decides to acquiesce and initiate contact with her disaffected twin sister (Lila) who delivers shocking and not entirely welcome news that their mother is still alive.
In this propulsive, cat and mouse thriller, Jane feels inexorably drawn towards her twin sister and the alure of excitement and the unpredictable. Her nihilistic decision to confront their past and hunt down their mother to obtain long awaited answers will have the sisters globetrotting, fully submerged in their mother’s world of espionage and subterfuge, which will inevitably jeopardize Jane’s future in a carefully constructed, conventional life with her family. These girls have certainly lived hard lives already and their fateful reconnection will spark disastrous consequences, lighting those closest to them aflame.

I thought the story was very good, though at times the plot got bogged down in mundane details. Similarly, I felt like there was a bit too much time spent on the backgrounds of people and descriptions of places they encountered on the chase. I also wanted the writing to convey a higher sense of urgency to better mirror what I perceive the girls are feeling---they are losing control but are in too deep to turn back. Overall, this was a solid story and a fun read, so I do recommend it to thriller enthusiasts! Since I am an identical twin, I felt a deeper connection to the girls and a greater understanding of some of their more shocking choices: I will always choose my twin over anyone or anything else.

Thank you NetGalley and Mulholland Books/Hachette Audio for the ARC and the opportunity to share what I think! All opinions are my own. I have posted this on my Goodreads account and my FB Group, The Book Banquet. I will be posting my review to retailers on publication day.

Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy. Sadly, this one really didn't work for me.

I loved the cover and synopsis and so looked forward to reading this one. I was immediately sucked in and around 20% this just became convoluted and muddied for me. It felt like we were trying to do TOO MUCH, and the "thriller" aspect of a thriller was lost. This was more of a slow burn of suspense that never really even felt that suspenseful?

Sadly this won't be a favorite of mine, but I appear to be in the minority!

I received this audiobook as an ARC. This story about a family drama is told in dual timelines. This story digs into the bond between sisters and generational family trauma. This story is a slow starter but once you progress it is endearing and catches your attention.

This story was particularly slow paced. So much so that I kept looking at the percentage in. At 20% we were still in the setup. There truly is nothing bad here, but it just didn’t work for me. The narration was very good though.

Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced audio book.

I really wanted to like this book, since the premise sounded particularly interesting: estranged twins who find out that their long departed mother might actually be alive and might be the head of a drug cartel?! Overall, the book was fine. It took some twists that I didn't see coming that kept me moving forward, but Jane's character lacked something to make her feel more compelling for me. Perhaps I'm just not the ideal reader for this story.