Three friends get into real trouble when a prank goes horribly wrong. May, Kelsey and Lauren have been friends for a long time, but they hardly ever actually see each other. Planning a getaway to a posh resort town is their chance to rediscover their friendships again and to just relax. That was the plan until one of them leaves a note on a windshield and the driver ends up dead. There are so many twists in this fast-paced page turner that it was head-spinning. I suspected one person after another and was wrong every time because the red herrings are so well executed. The characters are realistic and dynamic. My favorite was May Hanover, the lawyer who stops at nothing to investigate the truth, even if one of her best friends is implicated. The interactions and banter between the characters was very entertaining and the tie-in to the death of Kelsey’s husband was brilliantly woven into the mystery. This book had me turning pages far into the night and unable to put it down. With a relevant storyline and lots of drama, this novel is one that goes to the top of my list for must read books this year.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

This one was just ok. I did enjoy the story but didn’t connect with any of the characters. Good pace but just ok!

Three longtime friends who have a complicated relationship get together for a long weekend in the Hamptons. Everything changes when what was supposed to be a harmless prank goes wrong.

The Note is a suspenseful, standalone thriller that deals mostly with the actions of the three main characters, May, Lauren, and Kelsey, in the present. However, the unique plot does involve events from years before which have influenced the women's friendships. This is one of those thrillers in which I really didn't connect with any of the main characters, but it still held my interest. I think this is a testament to Burke's writing skills that I could care about the story but didn't really like the characters. This wasn't my favorite by the author, but was still a four-star read for me.

I received an advance copy of this ebook from NetGalley and Alfred A. Knopf for review consideration, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

This was my first book to read by Alafair Burke. Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read an advanced copy. Three best friends escape to the Hamptons for a long weekend getaway. But when a prank goes wrong, they're forced to confront long-buried secrets and some uncomfortable truths. I enjoyed the fast-paced, short chapters. The intriguing and original storyline. The morally gray, questionable characters that kept things interesting. I had a good idea of what the twist was in the story early on, but that did not take away from reading to see if I was right. The friends-on-vacation-with-secrets trope done with a fresh twist. The prank involving the mysterious note had me hooked, and I couldn’t wait to see how it all unraveled. This one was definitely a page turner and a quick read.

Thank you to Knopf, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

It has been a while since I’ve read a thriller so I was so excited to dive into this one. Except it wasn’t really much of a thriller, it felt more like a juvenile, slow paced, prank that ended in murder.

There was just too much going on in this book, the multiple POV changing every chapter, mixed with stories from the past also thrown in, it was a jumbled mess. The “twist” at the end was also pretty easy to predict, and everything in this entire story felt extremely farfetched, and unrealistic. Almost as if the author was trying to fit as many “omg moments” as possible, but it just left the story falling flat.

If you’re looking for a thriller to pick up, I think there are better ones out there.

This book just wasn't for me. I struggled to get into it from the start and felt like it dragged a lot.

I love a good twisty turning suspense, and I have heard lots of great things about Alafair Burke, so was very excited to receive an e-arc for this one. While I liked the premise of childhood friends (May, Lauren, & Kelsey) getting back together for a girls' weekend where things go awry, for me it was a bit of a miss. There is a lot of character development set around the trio, which is fine as they all have their own flaws which play into the story; however, I felt like I was missing more of a grab or pull to keep me fully invested in the story. While out an about in the Hamptons, they have a chance encounter with strangers and decide to play a "prank." Then things take a turn. Would definitely consider reading more of Alafair's work because the writing great, I just wasn't fully engrossed in this one. Thank you so much to Alafair Burke, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this e-arc.

Entertaining but I found it hard to connect with any of the characters. Their motivations felt unbelievable to me and the ending was predictable.

Thank you to Alafair Burke, Knopf, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.25 ⭐️ for me - this was my first Alafair Burke novel, and while I did not LOVE this book, it was a pleasant read and I will definitely be reading some of her other books as I’ve only heard good things.

This story follows three long-time best friends who have fallen in and out of touch over the years and examines their relationship and the secrets between them. The covid-19 pandemic and many of the relevant cultural events that took place during that time were mentioned throughout this book (Asian American hate crimes, me too, etc) which always draws me into a story as it makes it feel more “real.”

I did not feel a strong attachment to most of the main characters. However, I did really like Lauren’s character and thought her portrayal was really well done as an independent woman that doesn’t feel the need to follow societal norms wrt relationships and yet is still successful and content with her life. I also liked Detective Carter, and wished we got a bit more face time with him!

In all, this was a fun read even if it was somewhat predictable with some things that were foreshadowed/mentioned along the way.

Thanks to NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and Alafair Burke for the eARC of this book. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review after reading.

Thank you to Knopf and PRH Audio for the eARC and the ALC to review.

I loved the premise of this one and really enjoyed listening via audio, but unfortunately it did not work for me. I could not connect with these characters and did not buy into their friendship, making it all just a bit too much of a stretch for me once the prank went sideways. I have loved all of Burke’s prior books, so this will not deter me from reading future works. I think this will be entertaining for a lot of folks so do not let my review keep you from checking it out, it is a quick read and the beach/Hamptons setting is definitely perfect here.

A bit slow. Couldn’t really get into this. Didn’t care much for the characterss. They all have secrets and it is sometimes hard to keep of track of each one’s.

Thank you to Alafair Burke, Knopf, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am going to be honest, I wasn't the biggest fan of this one. I really didn't like any of the characters. I feel like there were too many issues and not enough plot. I also found it slow at times.

What was supposed to be a girls weekend turned into a nightmare. It started out kinda slow but picked up towards the middles and I was hooked! I didn’t expect the three friends to have the kind of weekend they had. I was shocked! Highly recommend!

The story focuses on three friends who meet up for a girls' weekend in the Hampton’s. They’ve known each other since they were twelve meeting at a summer camp. Leaving a prank note on a car that stole their parking spot when they are out for the night draws them into a murder investigation. May is currently a law professor and used to be a prosecutor in NYC. But she is not sure how much she trusts her friends, Lauren and Kelsey and what they are telling her.

I know the author from her writing the “Under Suspicion” series with Mary Higgins Clark. This is the first book I’ve read from her alone. I enjoyed the plot and the pacing. But I wasn’t actually fond of any of the women. There was time spent on their backstories, privilege, social issues but I wanted to know how they supported each other as friends. And while it is a mystery, and there is a question if one of them is involved in murder it didn’t rise to a thriller as they weren’t personally at risk. It was a typical mystery and I will read the author again. This just didn’t have that something extra that would have me rate it higher.

The threads finally began to sew together halfway through the book. Burke provides little samples of why Lauren, Kesley, and May are tarnished but readers have to wait impatiently for the full backstory.
May came across as very neurotic and high strung. She also was very handy at throwing out false accusations.
Lauren has a chip in her shoulder and is rather jaded.
Kesley is a rich girl whose father’s money has bailed her out of trouble time and time again.
A seemingly innocent girls weekend ends up horribly wrong but it also cracks open the secrets of past decades.
It’s an intriguing story..

📖 The Note 📖⁣
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⁣Genre- Mystery Thriller. ⁣
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⁣Length- 307 pages. ⁣
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⁣Pub Date- January 7, 2025. ⁣
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⁣My thoughts- I really don’t have much to say about this book unfortunately. Three friends, who were super hard to keep straight, go on a girls trip that goes horrendously wrong when one pulls a prank. All three women are super unlikeable and I didn’t find the murder mystery that intriguing. ⁣
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⁣I think this book was just too slow moving for me. Meh. ⁣
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⁣Three stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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⁣Read this one if you’ve liked other books by Alafair Burke, but avoid if you’re not a fan of slow moving thrillers. ⁣
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⁣Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of The Note in return for my honest review!

This one was just okay. I normally love this author but this one just seemed like a slow burn and predictable. I still finished because I wanted to know what happened but I wasn’t super invested in the characters.

THE NOTE is the newest book by Alafair Burke. May, Lauren, and Kelsey, are three long-time friends that reconnect for a carefree getaway in the Hamptons. Then a secret note left as a harmless prank turns into tragedy, lies, and drama putting them in the center of a criminal investigation. Complicating matters, each woman has a history of being embroiled in viral scandals, making them desperate to avoid further scrutiny. Despite their efforts to stay out of the spotlight, they’re inevitably drawn deeper into the mystery. Although somewhat predictable, it was still entertaining and suspenseful, with some unexpected twists and turns.

I am grateful to Netgalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for entrusting me with an advanced reader’s copy of THE NOTE in exchange for an honest review. And, of course, my thanks to Alafair Burke for once again delivering a captivating read!

I was so excited when I got this arc as this was one of my most anticipated reads for 2025. But tbh I was disappointed . There was not one likeable character in the book - except maybe a judge that’s on about 3 pages and the detective wasn’t too bad. The book also starts off really slow and the ending was pretty predictable but it did pick up which got me to round this up up 3

This book took some time to really get moving. The secrets and twists were fairly predictable as I kept reading.