Oooh I love a good twisty thriller. This author has delivered another solid novel which will keep your interest.

They were best friends forever... does that stand the test of time?

This novel finds our MC May, who is reuniting with her two best friends forever. They haven't seen each other in a long time, but these kinds of friendships can weather all obsticles, right?

Except that May is slowly starting to realize that maybe time can erode friendship. How well does she know the women that she grew up with?

This book was SO good. I found myself devouring the story. I kept thinking I knew what was going on, and then something would be revealed that totally threw my theories right out the window.

I found myself really rooting for May despite the fact that she kept making choices that made me wince. Nonetheless, she was an excellent main character and I really enjoyed her.

This book? Is a great beach read.

I'm an Alafair Burke completist, again, after reading The Note, her latest standalone thriller. Escaping to The Hamptons in summer is exactly what this Midwesterner needed. The Note is the story of three women who were friends at camp. Now adults, they've all faced some form of public comment, vitriol, and scandal. In The Hamptons to reconnect, they leave a note on the windshield of a man who stole their parking spot. Then he ends up missing. The Note has so many fun twists and turns. The plot is compelling, but I loved these dynami,c flawed character even more. Burke nails social media, COVID repercussions, and friendship

I really liked this story - The writing was terrific and a many new twists along the way as the friends realize they cannot trust each other or even the memories of the events that lead up to the Note!

Who would imagine that a silly little vacation prank could have such consequences? Three longtime besties gather for a weekend in the Hamptons, one thing leads to another, and it all goes south. History and past grievances are aired and this becomes part legal thriller, part whodunit. An overall enjoyable read.

Unlikeable characters, deceit and lies! Give me a good murder mystery with a psycho twist any day!

Alafair Burke sets the stage with a quickly moving narrative and a whole lot of surprising twists and turns. Toxic friendships and tested loyalties play out beautifully in this tense multi-POV tale!

Many thanks to Knopf for this gifted DRC!

This really wasn’t the book for me. I found all the characters unlikeable and I wasn’t really rooting for any of them. It wasn’t bad just not the book for me

Thank you to the publisher and author for the ARC. I had so much fun reading this - a suspenseful escape that touches on the complexities of female friendships, racial dynamics and virality, all set against a Hamptons backdrop (and murder!).

I had fun with this book! It was a solid thriller filled with intricate plot twists, morally complex characters, and layered mysteries. Just when I thought I had figured everything out, another twist emerged. Though some sections moved a bit slowly, the story ultimately became a gripping page-turner, culminating in a satisfying and well-executed ending.

I wanted to really enjoy this one because it sounded so interesting, but I did not like any of the characters at all. It felt very Pretty Little Liars throughout the book and the “twists” were predictable. I struggled with the first 50% or so, then it picked up a bit, but ultimately was just an okay read for me, not a thriller that stands out very much one way or another.

Thank you to Alafair Burke, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, & Anchor, & NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

This was my first book by Alafair Burke, and I was pleasantly surprised. With so many thrillers out there it's pretty hit or miss on the writing style of the author. I'll definitely be checking out some other books by them!

The story is about three friends with a toxic relationship. They haven't seen each other in years but have been talking more and decide to spend a weekend together. When out at one night, they leave a note on a couple's car as a harmless prank that eventually puts them in the center of a criminal investigation. As expected, throughout the next few days more and more secrets are revealed about their pasts.

The book references the impact of the pandemic and cancel culture. There's some instances where you have to suspend your disbelief but that's largely expected for books in this genre. It's tough to have a book where none of the characters are really "good" people, but even with their flaws they were (mostly) likeable enough.

Three women, friends since youth, meet in the Hamptons for a girls weekend. While having cocktails they talk about the note they would leave on a vehicle that stole their parking place - with words implying that the man is a cheater. When the male driver disappears, the question arises - what it a simple prank or are the women involved in his disappearance. All the women have reasons to not want to be thrust back in the public eye but it's unavoidable as the investigation progresses. There are breadcrumbs that pointed to the killer but it didn't detract from enjoying the book.

Review for “ The note by Alafair Burke”

1. Plot Uniqueness : 3/5
2. Pacing and Coherence : 3/5
3. Emotional and intellectual Engagement : 2/5
4. Twists and turns : 2/5
5. Protagonist Character Development : 3/5
6. Antagonist and support character development : 3/5
7. Setting and atmosphere : 3/5
8. Chapter Organization : 4/5
9. Conclusion and tied loose ends : 3/5
10. Overall rating of book : 3.5/5

3.5 stars

Lauren Berry, May Hanover, and Kelsey Ellis first met about two decades ago, at a summer arts camp called Wildwood. At the time, May and Kelsey were adolescent campers, and Lauren was the 23-year-old music director. The trio were at Wildwood every summer for years, with May and Kelsey eventually becoming counselors. The threesome became close friends and kept in touch, but haven't been together in the same place for a decade. That's about to change this weekend, with a planned get-together at a luxurious Airbnb in the Hamptons.

In many ways, Lauren, May, and Kelsey have enviable lives, but each of them has encountered 'cancel culture'.

Lauren: Lauren is a world class musician and the first African American Music Director of the Houston Symphony. While working at Wildwood arts camp, Lauren was romantically involved with Thomas Welliver, the married Texas oilman who co-owned Wildwood with his wife. When Lauren and Thomas's affair became public knowledge, an ugly culture war erupted with Lauren at the center.

May: May is the child of a Chinese mother and White father (who played no role in her life). May graduated from Harvard University and Columbia Law School, after which she became a prosecutor and then a law professor. May's troubles stem from an incident on a subway platform, when someone called her a racial slur, and May wrongly attributed the insult to a Black man. The incident went viral, with people calling May "AsianDAKaren".

Kelsey: Kelsey grew up in a very wealthy family and has a good job in her father's commercial real estate company. Kelsey married a restaurant chef called Luke Freedman, but it didn't work out and the couple filed for divorce. In the midst of the proceedings, Luke was gunned down and robbed, and the homicide went unsolved. Internet trolls flooded the internet with messages saying Kelsey hired someone to kill her husband. Kelsey knows the harassment will continue until Luke's murderer is caught.

For the Hamptons weekend, Lauren, May, and Kelsey plan to relax and enjoy swimming, food, music, drinks, and conversation. On their first vacation day together, the gals start to party hardy, then drive to Sag Harbor for dinner at the historic American Hotel. Sag Harbor is crowded, but Kelsey - who's driving - spots a pickup truck preparing to leave a parking space. The women wait a few minutes, and as the truck leaves, the spot is snatched by a small white sedan. A handsome man and beautiful woman exit the sedan and stroll off, two happy little lovebirds.

Later, over dinner with LOTS more liquor, Lauren, May, and Kelsey grouse about the stolen parking space and joke about revenge. The result is that the following note is left on the white sedan's windshield: 'He's cheating. He always does.' The fallout is unexpected and unfortunate. The next day, the handsome man in the white sedan, whose name turns out to be David Smith, is a missing person.

Much to their chagrin, Lauren, May, and Kelsey get drawn into the police investigation. This happens, in part, because May's law enforcement instincts lead her to stick her nose into the David Smith case, which brings the women to the attention of the authorities. As a result, secrets emerge - revelations that threaten the women's longtime friendship as well as their well being. One plot point involves frozen embryos, which I found interesting and enlightening.

Additional characters add interest to the story, including: Kelsey's well-meaning but interfering father, who tries to control every aspect of her life; Kelsey's stepbrother Noah, whom May dated many years ago; May's current fiancé Josh, who may be too humdrum for her; and oilman Thomas Wellifer - who's still in Lauren's life.

I enjoyed the book, though the motive for the wrongdoing stretches credulity a little bit (for me). Still, I'd recommend the novel to fans of suspense novels.

Thanks to Netgalley, Alastair Burke, and Knopf for a copy of the book.

The Note by Alafair Burke was a book that was hard to put down, full of surprises. Very will written, your imagination will be able to picture in your mind as is if you were the main character. Great use of descriptive words.

I dnf’d half way through because I just couldn’t connect with the characters….. it was an okay book but predictable and slow paced for me. With that being said, I still want to read other books by this author and still think many will enjoy this one!!

The Note, written by Alafair Burke, is an interesting fictional mystery, written about friends May, Kelsey, and Lauren. Each woman has gone through some sort of public embarrassment, that has in a way helped their friendship reconnect and grow. When the three gather for a weekend vacation, it seems they are set up for more drama!
This books take the reader for a wild ride, with lots of space for guessing along the way. I loved how it seemed the readers figured things out along with the characters, and I appreciated how the characters came together in different ways throughout the book.
I definitely recommend this book! Thank you to NetGalley and to the author and publisher of this book for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read one other book by this author so I was intrigued to see an ARC for another book of theirs. It was a great read and went by quick. I am looking forward to reading more by this author!

When I read thrillers, I'm looking for something that keeps me reading. This book started with a great set-up, and as soon as the characters got together, alluding to something icky in their past, and then started getting messy, I was ready for a great thriller. But then, it just kind of fizzled for me. I wanted more from the story and more from the characters. It's a pretty standard thriller, but there is nothing here that leads me to recommend it to readers, which makes me sad because I do like this author.

3.5 rounded down

A friends trip goes awry, and it all starts with a stolen parking space and a note. It was interesting seeing the dynamics of the friends, and there were some fun twists throughout the story. This was a good and quick read!