May, Lauren and Kelsey met and became friends when attending an arts camp as they were about to enter their teens. Their friendship grew through their school years though it gradually faded for May when they entered adulthood. She received a surprise invitation from Kelsey for the best trip ever of a weekend reunion in the Hamptons for the 3 of them. May was excited, yet cautious as she hadn’t communicated with Kelsey for 10 years.
The girls were having a great time in the Hampton’s until they saw, David, a man from their past. A silly prank of placing a note on the windshield of his car changed everything. He was found murdered and their weekend turned into a weekend of lies and exposed secrets.
This novel tells a story about friends that have secrets and issues. It is a test of friendship.

Thank you Netgalley

This was a quick read for me, the more books I read from the author I find myself quickly adding her latest to my tbr!
The mystery begins when three childhood friends Kelsey, May, and Lauren or as they like to be called Cancelled Crew
decide to take a trip to the Hamptons. Each one of them has been part of a scandal that got them "cancelled" in popular culture. (Only one of them involved a murder!) This getaway is supposed to be a light and fun time filled with drinks and catching up. The first day while waiting for a parking space a driver for steals their parking spot, angry leads to a drunken prank that goes horribly awry, how can a simple note on a windshield , lead to a missing man, police at their door and their past being looked into? I enjoyed this book, I couldn’t put it down and when the pieces all came together I was surprised!

The premise of this one sounded intriguing, but it fell flat for me. Characters were not that likable and a bit stereotypical. There were a lot of social issues and mentioning of the covid lockdown, which really didn't seem to add to the story. The mystery was ok, but I definitely wouldn't say it was a thriller or even suspenseful. I even guessed the twists before they occurred. 2.5 stars rounded down.

Kelsey, May, and Lauren are on a girl's trip to the Hamptons, but when someone steals their parking space, a silly act of revenge, leaving a note on the windshield of that car, tests their friendship and makes them the center of a police investigation. Through this process, we learn more about the women and how they have all endured "cancellation" for various reasons.

I love Alafair Burke, but this was not my favorite by her. It was a little slow in developing, and the characters were generally unlikeable, making it hard to even care about their troubles. That being said, I did love the idea of the story and will continue to read Burke's novels.

I'm torn between 3 and 4 stars for The Note. While the story had intriguing dynamics and secrets between the three friends, the pacing dragged for me at the beginning. I struggled to connect with the characters and found the focus on the protagonist's inner thoughts a bit excessive. That said, the plot itself kept my interest, even though I guessed the killer early on. A decent read with some engaging moments, though not one of my favorites in the genre.

Another NetGalley read knocked off my shelf! This one was a wild ride! I love all of Alafair Burke’s books that I’ve read and this one was no different. It kept me on the edge of my seat and turning the pages because I had to find out what was happening.

If you enjoy thrillers that make your brain work and edge of your seat thrillers then this book is for you!

My overall rating for this book is 4 ⭐️!

Ahhhhh, this book! Did I put aside responsibilities to finish? Yep. Unapologetically. There is something about the way he tells stories that just captivates me. I want to say spellbinding mystery but also don't want to sound like I"m overselling. It had me by the throat! I was frustrated when I should have been and angry at people for the same reason, but I. Kept. Reading!

4.7, rounded.

Alafair Burke’s newest title is the perfect summer thriller to read during a cold winter. Three friends May, Kelsey and Lauren are reunited for a weekend getaway in the Hamptons. Even though they have wethered tragic events, heartbreak and loss together, they still have secrets they are keeping from each other. When a prank on a girls night out goes wrong, they wind up in the middle of a police investigation.

The author’s knowledge of the law adds to the authenticity of the plot. Lots of twists keep the pages turning. Great pacing with a fantastic setting. This author is a must read for me!

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopfy, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for the advanced reader’s copy.

A great thriller with twists and turns throughout the entire book! It kept me guessing and was a page turner.

May, Lauren, and Kelsey have been friends since May was 12. Each of them have had a public shaming for something in their past (affair, murder suspect, subway event). Now, they are going to the Hamptons for a weekend getaway. When another couple "steals" their parking spot, they decide to leave a snarky note on the windshield. Later, this note causes the trio to face various secrets and expose a killer.
Lots of twists, and I was kept on my toes with all the red herrings!

Another 10/10 Alafair Burke novel! I loved the setting of this -- the Hamptons is perfect for the themes. I love how she also incorporates her law knowledge into the scenes as it makes the book much more authentic.

I’m a big fan of Alafair Burke, but this one fell a little flat for me. I didn’t think the characters were very distinctive. I enjoyed the twists and turns, but something felt a little off.

The Note is an extremely slow burn with a shocking fast paced ending. The final 10% of the book moved at a breakneck speed and had me still questioning it all at the end. I enjoyed the addition of the internet sleuths that have become so prevalent in recent years. It does exactly what happens on the internet - throws info at you to confuse you and make you suspicious of everything.
The twists and turns will surprise you and the ups and downs of the friendships will ultimately endear you to the characters.

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Alafair Burke continues to bring us the psychological thriller with a twist in THE NOTE.

Friends since they were 12, The Canceled Crew; May, Lauren and Kelsey decide on a reunion of sorts in East Hampton. The three haven’t seen each other all at the same time in many years with, love, loss, jobs and even a murder that separate them. The women share common knowledge of a drowning at a summer camp when they were kids. The tragedy and subsequent investigation shaped who they have become. Since that time, each of the women have faced their own personal scandals. May, with an incident on the subway that cost her her job. Lauren, involved with an older, married man is exposed. And Kelsey, whose husband’s unsolved murder just prior to their divorce led to a highly publicised scandal.

As the three women gather for their reunion, a prank note left on a car goes horribly wrong when the recipient is found murdered. As the police investigate, the women are left to clear their names. But again, each of the women is holding something back. When one of the women is arrested for the murder, they all must put the pieces together to find out why David was killed and who is really responsible. Does childhood loyalty extend to murder?

This was an action packed story that was full of twists and turns and kept me turning pages, a ‘just one more chapter’ novel that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout with many a red herring thrown into the mix. The kind of story expected from Alafair Burke. The tension kept rising with each turn of the page. I can’t wait to see where she takes me next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

Loved this book so much! It was the perfect read and writing style. Flew through it!! Recommend as your next read

I really enjoyed the toxic friendship and mistrust between the three main characters. The murder mystery aspect was well executed, with a couple of twists that surprised me, and I even had an aha moment when I figured something out. There was also quite a bit of social commentary dealing with class, race, and the power dynamics between them, as well as cancel culture, that gave the story an extra layer. All of that made up for the fact that the characters were all unlikeable and made stupid decisions that actually had me asking out loud what are you doing?!

This story started off slow but then really picked up. Three friends from meet for a weekend in the Hamptons. May, the ex DA turned law school professor who is infamous for her subway video; Lauren, a musician having a long time affair with a married man whose wife has outed their relationship and Keksey, the rich girl with a murdered husband and the shadow of his death following her all over social media. What starts as a prank, turns deadly and now the friends are back in the spotlight of another murder and on the radar of the police.

I really enjoyed most of this book. The details set a lot up so that you could really visualize what was going on. I feel like there was a lot of unnecessary mentioning of social issues. I also felt the story to be fairly predictable.

This is a fun thriller-crime novel with an interesting cast of characters, tons of drama, and a degree of nostalgia. I enjoyed reading it, and it made me laugh in parts. If you need a genre-cleaner or a quick light read, I'd recommend it to you!

A note: there is incest themes though not on paper.

Thanks to NetGalley and AAKnopf for this copy of "The Note."

What a thrilling, riveting story of three long-time friends and the damage that one anonymous note can heap on their lives.

Author Burke creates memorable characters: the three friends have all been the focus of social media scandals and this affects the choices and decisions they make.

I'm hoping there will be a sequel featuring May, so I'll keep my fingers crossed!