Incredible thriller split into 5 different parts. Three female friends get together in the Hamptons for a vacation and a prank involving a note quickly gets out of hand. So many lies and secrets going back to the beginning of their friendship. Amazing twist! I enjoyed that the criminal procedure elements actually made sense and weren't far fetched. I did not realize the author is a former prosecutor and current professor of criminal law which made the book flow even better.

Thank you so much to Alfred A. Knopf and NetGalley for my ARC!

Initially it didn't really grab me; it was quite slow, a bit convoluted in terms of their friendship, and the characters weren't terribly engaging.

I stuck with it, reading intermittingly between other more compelling (for me) reads.

Then it got interesting, and the murder mystery made me want to finish it. While it was somewhat easy to figure out the murderer, I did enjoy how it was solved.

The characters did eventually grow on me as well.

This was a great read! I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Three girls friends from childhood meet in the Hampton for a holiday together. When they meet a couple and pull a drunken prank- things go horribly wrong. And then May finds herself being investigated by the police. What have they done?
Grab this book for an exciting read!

First half of the book 👎🏼 second half of book … better. Never had the page turning element to me. As a reader , I found myself skimming more than soaking in the characters and story line. Still a huge fan of Burke , just want a good fit personally.

Kelsey, May and Lauren, long time friends, take a trip to the Hamptons. Each has suffered a personal public scandal. It is a story about friendship, secrets, and a prank…the note. Soon the three are part of a murder investigation which tests the bonds of trust and friendship. This was a page turn with twists and turns. It is a must read.

First off, thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Alafair Burke rarely disappoints and her latest book, The Note, is no different. What starts off as a drunken prank quickly becomes a missing persons case, and those who seem least involved have the largest secrets to hide.

I absolutely hated Josh and his sniveling attitude ( and May wasn’t much better, but she at least had some redeeming qualities)… but overall, I enjoyed the character development and the relationship that the main characters shared.

This was a very fast and enjoyable read!

I always love a good Alafair Burke book...but I wasn't sure how I felt about his one. The main character is fighting to regain her identity after being involved in a "viral" internet video, one of her friends is a suspected murderer, and the other has been in a long term interracial relationship that has "me too" overtones.

In short, there is a LOT going on. When three friends who met at camp years ago reconnect to spend time together, a series of circumstances and a "note" starts a whole chain of events that keep you guessing.

I was a little lost at times because there were so many themes to follow, most surrounding the new interests. True crime, the Karen culture and the Me Too movement. What I got out of it is that people can be judgmental and quick to condemn when a lot of people are really just out here trying to figure out who they are and making bad choices....but also have to own the consequences.

It was fun figuring out who was real and who was not and watch Mai try to pick up a part of her life and the way her brain works, that she thought she'd left behind.

The ending leaves a possibility of seeing some characters again, and overall, I find I wouldn't mind that.

So many unnecessary info dumps that significantly slowed the story's pace to a crawl. The characters did not act and react according to who they were portrayed to be. A frustrating book.

The Note by Alafair Burke centers on a girl's vacation and a prank that goes horribly wrong.

I received an uncorrected proof through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

While the premise was intriguing, the novel's execution left much to be desired. There was an excessive amount of backstory and unrealistic actions. Though I understand this is fiction, my suspension of disbelief has its limits. It was difficult to accept that a mid-30s Ivy League-educated lawyer would engage in such foolish behavior. I won't spoil the specifics, but her actions were quite startling.

The friends, aptly nicknamed "The Cancel Crew," all seemed toxic. The diversity among the women was a refreshing change from the typical all-white casts in this genre, but the character development fell short. They all came across as aloof, selfish, entitled, and petty. The author mentioned in her acknowledgments that she hopes we all have a May, Lauren, and Kelsey in our lives, but I am grateful I don't.

The twists were minimal, and the red herrings were obvious. I might have enjoyed the story more if the background stories were handled differently or kept to a minimum. Some side stories seemed unnecessary and only served to lengthen the narrative.

There was also an unnecessary focus on the pandemic and a character struggling with post-pandemic life. Since the story is set in 2023, it felt out of place, as life had mostly returned to normal by then.

I don't think I'll seek out another Alafair Burke novel anytime soon.

Thank you again to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel.

2/5 stars

For a full breakdown of my rating scale, please see my bio in my GoodReads account

I love Alafair Burke, and this just may be her best book yet! This mystery surrounds a group of three friends known as the Cancelled Crew - Kelsey, May, and Lauren. All three have been friends since childhood, and each one of them has been at the center of a scandal that got them "cancelled" in popular culture. (Only one of them involved a murder!) So one day all three of them decide to take a trip to the Hamptons. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, a lot - specifically, another murder, which requires May to come out of retirement (she's a former prosecutor) to figure out how to help a friend accused of murder for the second time. This is the part where I mention that I was a teensy bit annoyed at how the story took a completely unrealistic turn, by having a fellow witness to the crime representing the accused - side note, I am a former prosecutor (as is the author!) and these things sometimes irk me. But Burke did such a great job with the setup of the final twist that I was able to forgive this brief foray into fantasy.

This book was a page-turner in every sense of the word, as I couldn't wait to find out whodunit, and I wasn't disappointed. I love the way Burke writes and the three women at the center of this book were well-drawn and fascinating. I'd love to see a sequel, or even a series.

Five shiners from me, and I'll be on the edge of my seat waiting for whatever Alafair Burke writes next!

Thank you NetGalley and Alfred A Knopf Publishing for this ARC.. let me stop by saying my favorite setting includes a bunch of girls going away for the weekend when secrets get revealed and someone gets murdered! This book delivers all the suspense and excitement! I love how secrets become revealed and leads up to a great conclusion that I didn’t see happening!! The plot is based on when a silly prank becomes sinister and it was believable and so much fun to read! I highly recommend this book and will continue to read more from this author!!!

She shouldn't have written the note. It seemed like such a small thing when she did it. That wasn't the case. Suspenseful thriller not to be missed by one heck of an author. Thank. you to Alfred A Knopf Publishing and NetGalley for the complimentary digital ARC. This review is my own opinion.

THE NOTE by Alafair Burke
⭐️ rating: 7.5/10

read if you like:
📍 the Hamptons
😱 missing people
👯‍♂️ girl group drama
🤫 past deaths coming back to haunt people

summary:
This book is about a group of three friends, May, Lauren and Kelsey, who reunite for a girls weekend in the Hamptons. While each of them have dealt with traumatic experiences over the last few years, they’re excited to reunite for fun and drinking. After someone beats them out for a parking space, one of the girls drunkenly leaves a note on the spot stealer’s car. The next day, they find not only is he missing, but he has a tie to their past. Are they connected to his death? Is one of the girls lying?

I’ll start by saying these are my favorite type of books - a group of girls coming together for a weekend together when something happens, and their weekend turns into a thriller. This one also has a diversity element, a nice change from your standard group of white girls. The characters all tie back to a trope - the rich girl, the poor girl and the mysterious girl, but the book still feels fresh and different. I would have loved to get to know them better independently, since each of them has an interesting backstory, but the story moves too quickly to share a lot of detailed background. I love the plot of this (naturally) — my only complaint is that the POV is a little hard to follow. While it’s all written in third person, we get in the heads of different characters at different times, which can be a little confusing. The ending is satisfying though and wraps everything up well!

Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage & Anchor and Net Galley for this advanced copy! Check out THE NOTE when it releases on January 14, 2025!

Unfortunately this book was too pandemic heavy for me, 4 years later. 40% into the book and still nothing happening other than a childish note put on someone’s vehicle over parking. The premise was good, the plot was promising but it just did not deliver for me. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this in advance.

Alafair Burke, you are the only one who will ever speak my language.

It’s no secret, Burke, is, and will always be my favorite author on the planet. I don’t get anything from promoting these books. I feel like it is my duty to make sure the world knows and loves this twisted soul as much as I do.

Burke, makes my skin crawl, vibrates my body and makes my spine tingle… in all the best ways .

Imagine your best orgasm…That’s what these books will give you, just better.

The Note

Synopsis :

It was meant to be a harmless prank.

Growing up, May Hanover was a good girl, always. Well-behaved, top of her class, a compulsive rule-follower. Raised by a first-generation Chinese single mother with high expectations, May didn’t have room to slip up, let alone fail. Her friends didn’t call her the Little Sheriff for nothing.

But even good girls have secrets. And regrets. When it comes to her friendship with Lauren and Kelsey, she's had her fair share of both. Their bond—forged when May was just twelve years old—has withstood a tragic accident, individual scandals, heartbreak and loss. Now the three friends have reunited for the first time in years for a few days of sun and fun in the Hamptons. But a chance encounter with a pair of strangers leads to a drunken prank that goes horribly awry.

When she finds herself at the center of an urgent police investigation, May begins to wonder whether Lauren and Kelsey are keeping secrets from her, testing the limits of her loyalty to lifelong friends.

What had they gone and done?

This book is what I would call a light, easy to read mystery. It held my interest and I finished it quickly. I like the characters, three women from very different lives and backgrounds whose friendships ebb and flow over the years for various reasons. One of them is accused of murder and the there two are there to help her in her time of need, meanwhile uncovering some unsolved crimes of the past.

I had a hard time with this one. I found the story engaging and interesting.....but I had a hard time with the pandemic in it. I didn't realize when requesting this, it would be so heavily mentioned. I tend to steer clear of books mentioning 2020 and any type of pandemic as an ICU nurse that wants nothing but to forget thoes years.
It wasn't a bad book, it was a strictly me preference.

A somewhat pedestrian mystery/drama set in the Hamptons. The author brings some wit to the telling. The characters seemed too cliched for my liking. This was a DNF for me and I skipped to the last chapter to find out the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knoph, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Note by Alafair Burke due to be published January 14, 2025.
May, Lauren, and Kelsey share a history dating back to when May was only twelve years old. They have reunited for the first time in years for fun in the Hamptons. A chance encounter with a couple of strangers leads to a harmless prank that goes terribly wrong. Will lifelong friends keep each other’s secrets or divulge them if it fits their needs?
The Note was everything I expected a thriller to have – secrets, lies, and more. It kept me hooked as the secrets of the three girls and Kelsey’s brother, Nate, were all revealed. I loved how it all came together in the end. I am a big fan of Alafair Burke and will continue to be after this book!
#NetGalley #AlafairBurke #KnophPantheonVintageAndAnchor #TheNote

Lauren, Kelsey and May plan a get together weekend at the Hamptons after years of not keeping in touch, but a long time ago tragedy tore them apart and now it’s about to tear them apart once more after a man is found murdered. Witness report that May was overheard in town saying she had seen the murdered man having an argument with a woman the day he was murdered. May never felt part of Lauren and Kelsey’s little group and is willing to spill secrets to keep herself safe from harm