Honestly, I would read a toothbrush description if it was written by #alafairburke because these books get me every time. #thenote is basically like a crime scene in itself. You see things all around you but it takes time and working through all the points to figure out what matters and what you're missing even though it's right in front of your eyes. I REALLY enjoyed reading the saga of May, Lauren, and Kelsey and the troubles that follow them. And even all wrapped up and closed out the end, I'm still left wondering... will I be seeing those character again?

#netgalley #arc

This was the first I have read by Alafair Burke. I loved reading about the friendship of the three main women. I definitely did not expect the outcome of this novel or how everything was tied together. Would recommend for fans of summer camp fiction, dysfunctional friendships and suspense.

In short: Toxic female friendship + a prank gone horribly wrong + a side of cancel culture

Three friends, all of whom were involved in very public scandals, spend a weekend at a fancy house in the Hamptons. They drunkenly leave a note on the car that stole their parking space, which sets off a series of events that causes all three women to question their friendship and wonder who they can trust.

Loved the idea of a dumb prank that goes very wrong, but still don't understand why any of these ladies still talk to each other - they are all various levels of terrible and annoying. I almost gave up halfway through because I hated all of them so much, but I'm glad I stuck it out to the end because there were some fun twists.

Was this the best book I've ever read? No. Would I still recommend this as an easy beach/vacation read? Yes.

A total page turner from one of today's masters of suspense. Trust no one in this thrilling ride. So much tension your eyes will be glued to the page!

Fast page turner! Gripping Thriller! Couldn't put it down, would highly recommend! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC copy!

So, this was my first Alafair Burke book, and it was a well-plotted mystery that had strong female characters that I enjoyed following their storylines. I won't go over the plot like other reviewers have already done, but the story kept my interest, even though I didn't really "like" the three main protagonists personality-wise.

A good vacation read.

I really really wanted to like this book but it ended up falling a little flat for me. Some of it was unrealistic to me and I didn't really like any of the main characters.

I've long been a fan of Alafair Burke and The Note is definitely one of my most anticipated thrillers of 2025. Set in the Hamptons (as a New Yorker who grew up on Long Island, I'm sold on that alone...) three childhood friends reunite for a weekend but what happens next is definitely not an idyllic summer weekend!

The Note had a lot of twists and turns and took a little bit of a windy path to get to the climax, but I absolutely enjoyed the ride and am already looking forward to Burke's next thriller!

A great summer read!! I did not expect the twist at the end despite its gross factor! I found May to be my favorite character, besides Gomez. 😉 I feel that there was something deeper with Lauren and Kelsey and I wish the author had explored that more. Overall, good book.

I am normally a HUGE fan of Alafair Burke! Strong female characters, twists and turns, and fast paced action are usually the trademarks of a Burke book but this just fell flat for me! I really disliked the main character and while I have loved books with a dislikable main character, I think I was supposed to actually like May and I couldn’t. In general, the action was slow yet predictably far fetched. I wasn’t surprised by any of the twists yet they felt highly unlikely. I don’t know whether my expectation for Burke tainted my view for this book but regardless, it just wasn’t a win for me. I will still gobble up Burke’s next book because I am still a huge fan!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance electronic copy. All opinions are my own.

My first Alafair Burke's book the "The Note," certainly captured my attention. The plot was filled with unexpected twists that kept me engaged. . My perception of the three main female characters evolved as the story progressed. Set against the backdrop of a vacation in the Hamptons, the narrative begins with the mysterious disappearance of a man. Beneath the surface, however, lie long-held secrets that date back years. Overall, it was a fast-paced and compelling read that I would rate a solid four stars.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for the ARC to read and review wiith my honest opinions.

Another thrilling read from the author! And perfect summertime setting.
Liked the friendship component and rotating narrators to keep the plot moving and this reader engaged.

With thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for this e-ARC.

I expected to like this book more than I did. I love books about complicated female friendships, but this took toxic to a whole new level. May was the most irritating, self-pitying, egotistical character I've read recently. Lauren seemed like the best of the lot, but I really didn't get to "see" her much. I've read other Alafair Burke books and loved them, so I'll look forward to the next one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Alafair Burke is an automatic read for me, so I was very excited to receive a copy of The Note. The Note is a masterful whodunit with female friendship as a centerpiece. The "Cancelled Crew" May, Lauren and Kelsey are each dealing with personal scandals, and a history of shared trauma. The three friends meet up for a vacation in the Hamptons after May has a very public social media scandal that causes her to lose her job as an attorney. The girls have a mini altercation with some strangers that leads to a revenge prank that takes a very bad turn. The backstories of all three women were compelling and there were numerous twists and surprises. Another solid book from Alafair Burke. Thanks to the publisher and #netgalley for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Note- Alafair Burke
Pub Date: 01/07/25
Rating: 3/5

Thoughts:
Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Three long term friends, May, Lauren, and Kelsey decide to meet up for a vacation in the Hamptons to reconnect after life has thrown each of them their own curveballs. As the three are enjoying themselves, Kelsey decides to write a note and place it on the windshield of a couple who very rudely stole their parking spot as a prank to get them back. This note brings them into an investigation that turns their weekend into a nightmare, bringing forward an event that happened in the past involving a young girl drowning in a lake at the same summer camp all three friends were present at.

I will say, this took me a while to finish. I felt that the characters were....a little too much. i didn't feel like a single one of them was likeable, and had a hard time connecting to them. The suspense and build up was done well with the reveal being the person I didn't suspect especially for the reason provided. Overall, well written story that I enjoyed, but nothing over the top for me.

Burke delivers another excellent psychological thriller in which 3 friends reunite in the Hamptons only to have chaos ensue after a night spent out drinking. Burke created a fast-moving narrative with multiple narrators and lots of unexpected twists. For fans of Lisa Unger and Heather Gudenkauf.

DNF this at 40%. I just cannot get through one more page of this book. Thanks to Netgally for an ARC of this one, but I cannot get through it. The characters are annoying, it’s so Covid-heavy, the themes could be so good if they weren’t over the top in your face, and the story was flushed out better. The story line changes from present to past and switches between characters so I found myself confused and having to reread paragraphs over and over again. This could have used a heavy handed editor to fix a lot of these simple issues.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the eARC.

Alafair Burke is the queen of unreliable narrators. Who on earth was even trustworthy in this novel? So many lies, so much deception... Yikes. I will say this reminded me a bit of the Netflix Series Beef with Ali Wong. It was not my favorite read of the year of of Burke's but hey, still enjoyable.

May Hanover, a former district attorney turned law professor, takes a vacation in the Hamptons with two long-time friends Lauren and Kelsey in The Note by Alafair Burke coming out January 14, 2025. A prank by Kelsey involving a note put on the car of the couple who rudely stole the parking place in Sag Harbor that the women were waiting for turns into a police investigation.

Each woman has a complicated past. May recently had an episode of extreme anxiety that a stranger caught on video causing her great embarrassment and a threat to derail her career. Lauren, involved in an lengthy and on-going affair with a wealthy married man who happened to be her boss, finds her job at risk when the wife reveals the affair to Lauren’s current employer. Kelsey, a suspect in her husband’s murder five years ago, still lives under the shadow of doubt.

When the driver of the pranked car goes missing, the trail eventually leads back to the three friends. Now they scramble to try to figure out what went so terribly wrong that the police were at their ocean-side rental. Do they confess that Kelsey put the note on the car? She really does not need to be on the wrong side of the law again.

Alafair Burke’s use of unreliable narrators and twisty plots keeps the reader engaged to the very end, with a surprising conclusion. Burke, a Stanford Law School grad and a former deputy district attorney in Portland, Oregon, is a law professor at Hofstra Law School where she teaches criminal law and procedure.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting July 26, 2024.

I would like to thank Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

Holy plot twist, Batman. That took a wild turn.

I still don’t quite understand *why* this group of ladies was friends. They seem to all dislike each other to some degree, but trauma bonds I suppose. Other than that, this was riveting. The slow unfolding of the secrets was addicting. The note thing seemed so unbearably silly until it got explained for what it truly was. May was my favorite character by far and seemed to show the most character development. .