Huge thank you to @knopf and @netgalley for advanced audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.
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It’s crazy to me that the pandemic was almost five years ago already! Of course, it makes sense that so many books are set in a post pandemic world. This was an interesting take on how post pandemic affects us each individually. In this case May, become somewhat of a homebody, and a bit panicked when it comes to health safety, which leads to an incident that gets her canceled. Lauren and Kelsey also have found themselves “canceled” for different reasons but these three old friends take the group text out of the phone and to the Hamptons!
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A drunken night goes awry after a note from them is left on a car windshield and soon these three friends find themselves in the middle of a police investigation. This one had many twists and turns!
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Look for this one in January !

This was a fun read, I liked the characters and their dynamic. Just enough background is woven in to make the plot more full and interesting. And the twists were fun! A popcorn thriller for sure, and nothing super deep, but a nice entertaining read!

This was ok. A lot of the premise was silly and it took forever to get through the first half. Once I hit the second half, I got a little more interested even though I figured out who the culprit was.

This was an okay read. It was entirely too predictable and the parts that weren't surprised only because they beggared belief. I did appreciate the rotating perspectives of the three friends here - they added some depth and complexity to the story - despite the fact that I didn't find any of them very sympathetic. On the whole, not my favorite thriller read this year.


A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

What was meant to be a harmless - admittedly mean-spirited - joke played on a couple of rude strangers becomes something much more in this juicy thriller that highlights the complex friendships of three very different women. Unfortunately, it was difficult for me to really relate to most of the characters, but THE NOTE is still a smart, slow burn thriller that I enjoyed.

Truly, the look at female friendships and how they change over time was the best part of THE NOTE for me. I also enjoyed the courtroom drama, the Desperate Housewives-ish vibes and how Alafair Burke explores concepts from the pandemic to white privilege and cancel culture.

Sidenote: I love doing the NYT’s Spelling Bee every day, right before I play Wordle, and I didn’t know it was possible to get beyond the “genius” level to Queen Bee.

Thank you to publisher Knopf and NetGalley for an early digital ARC of THE NOTE in exchange for my honest feedback.

This was my first Alafair Burke book I’ve read. I honestly was underwhelmed. The writing style made it hard for me to follow all the characters. I wish it was organized into the multiple POVs or from one character.

For the first third of it I was unsure of where it was going to go. It was a slow burn type of book. The ending felt very rushed and didn’t do the story justice.

The friendships were very dynamic which I think is the shining point of the book. It was a real reflection on how dynamic friendships can be through all points of life and every persons walk in life can have its own struggles. With that said, all the characters were unlikeable.

The premise of the mystery was intriguing but the ending fell flat.

I really enjoyed this thriller. It started a bit slow for me but once I really got into this tale of 3 friends with their own secrets and scandals I found myself devouring it. A great suspenseful novel with just enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes.

Thank you for this ARC for my honest review. Three childhood girlfriends with somehow of a toxic friendship thru the years get together for a weekend in the Hamptons. What was suppose to be a carefree weekend turns out anything but. With a few unrealistic plot twists this comes to a predictable end.

This book was really hard to get into with the long chapters. The characters weren’t really likable either. I have loved Alafair’s work in the past, but this one was too hard for me to become invested in.

This was a really well done book! I thought it was suspenseful with lots of thrill and edge of the seat reading. There were some parts that felt a little long but overall was a fun thriller to read!

The Note by Alafair Burke follows three long time friends as they get together for a girls weekend on the Hamptons. While there one of them leaves a note on the car window of a stranger as a prank. Only to find out later that stranger was now missing.

I liked the premise for this book, but it wasn’t a big hit for me. I was able to guess one of the twists pretty early on. I also struggled to like some of the main characters which made it harder for me to enjoy the book as a whole.

Thank you Knopf for the review copy of The Note. I sat with this review for a few days, unsure of how to approach a review. On the one hand, I really enjoyed getting into the story, of exploring the complex relationships in this story and thinking about the idea that one action releases a domino effect that reveals deeper older secrets... that's a great premise for many strong mysteries. One the other hand, the story for me was filled with fairly unlikable characters who never really redeemed themselves and a somewhat uneven plot progression that lead to a predictable, for me, resolution (one that was identifiable early on). The story held a lot of promise and Alafair Burke has a knack for offering stories about complex people and messy relationships that are engrossing, but overall The Note did not captivate me as I hoped it would.

Where do I begin?

Do you know what they call Sonic Kid's Meals.......Wacky Packs, that is exactly what this book was.
Wacky!

Unlike a Wacky Pack though this lasted FOREVER, at one point I looked up and thought, "Will this book ever end?"
Okay let me set you up: 3 girls who were friends at summer camp, all became "canceled" for one reason or another (all of which were just Alafairs opportunity to let you know she is a left wing a ding mask wearing liberal) and decide to reunite one weekend.
Well Miss Goody Goody Two Shoes gets drunk and the two freinds (Kelsey and Lauren-both as likeable as nails on a chalkboard) decide to play a prank by leaving a note on a guy's car who was giving some serious road rage vibes.
--Can you already see this?

How about if I Pause to insert a random quote that automatically had me signing up Burke for a Trump Won PTSD support group, "It had been May's first time riding the subway since the shutdown. All she did was ask a few people to put their masks on...."

Um Im sorry Alafair, but stop inserting the pandemic into books unless it is relavent to the plot. There were SO many references to the pandemic, shutdown and all the terrible time that was. THEN to throw the who mask virtue signaling into the mix......check please!

One last example...and OF COURSE " The vile command had come out of the maskless mouth of a white man....." *eye roll*

Okay move on. Even if you were a mask wearer....this book was truly boring.

The note ends up on a guys car who winds up dead a few days later. Well...Kelsey (the nail on chalkboard friend)is connected to another death (her ex husband)...oh yeah and one of the girls they went to camp with too....Hmmmmm......the coincidences arn't coincidinting. Well....skip a couple of hundred pages of May letting us know how righteous she is and you realize how teen age acting these 30 something women behave. The story is so simplistic, but the last 50 pages become so complicated in the unfolding. And when you get to the "twist"....you will wish you hadn't. It is just so bizarre....

I am sad to say this book was a swing and a miss. I have generally liked AB, but her last two have seriously missed the mark.
BTW the more I think about it this really is like a Wacky Pack....every body knows sonic food is terrible....you just go there for the slushies, ice and milkshakes....this book is that...Terrible.

Thank you Net galley for allowing me to review this advanced copy read of The Note. I was not influenced or paid in exchange for my honest original review.

personal thoughts: an okay “thriller.” nothing memorable, lots of characters I didn’t connect with. a few twists but I definitely read much better thrillers this year. even though it wasn’t for me, a big thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC.

our library system will add this book to our collection, as we have many readers who are fans of Alafair Burke.

Oh goodness was this book a miss for me. Unfortunately I did not connect with any of the characters and did not feel invested in the storyline to the point of wanting to see what happened next. The plot from the beginning to end felt so far fetched and at times it felt like the author was throwing things at a wall and hoping something would stick. Normally I enjoy Alafair Burke books but sadly this was not one I enjoyed.

The Note definitely starts off as a slow burn and does take some time to get to the main plot of the book but I didn’t have any trouble staying engaged with the story. I enjoyed reading this book even if I didn’t particularly like any of the characters. Three old friends, each with their own controversial pasts have reunited for a girls weekend when a drunken prank turns into trouble. Old secrets are revealed. Some more shocking than others that will test their friendships. After the book’s slow start and the truths are revealed the book’s pace really ramps up. The ending did feel a little rushed but overall I really enjoyed the book. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

The book had a slow start, and I struggled with the character development, particularly when it came to keeping track of two of the three main characters. The entire story was very intertwined with the present and past which at times felt a bit confusing. Just when the story began to gain momentum, I figured out the twists, which dampened my overall enjoyment. Ultimately, this book was just okay for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader's copy.

The Note initially had me really intrigued, I inhaled the first part of the book and was so curious about what had happened in the girls’ past. However, about halfway through the book I felt like it lost steam and I got bored. It almost lost me fully during court proceedings - it was so dense and hard to understand as a non-lawyer that I almost DNF’ed. I pushed through because I know Alafair Burke has a great reputation as a thriller author but ultimately this book left me really underwhelmed.

Thank you Knopf and NetGalley for the gifted ARC of this book.

This is about a silly prank of three-life long friends. They spend a weekend together in the Hamptons. Each with a past of secrets and scandals. May, Lauren and Kelsey, all have had heartbreak, loss, issues and tragedy. Over the years, their relationship changed from close to toxic.

The three friends go out to dinner, a couple steals their parking spot. A note is left which is supposed to be a harmless prank. So it begins, there is a lot of attention on social issues and non trusting issues with the friends.

The book starts off slow as the plot builds. Kelsey is the party girl, Lauren is a musical prodigy and May is older and leads a spirit-free life. What should be a fun girl's getaway turns into a drunken prank, resulting in a missing person case. As things happen, new truths are revealed.

Riveting Mystery, Unlikable Characters and an Addictive Thriller! 3.5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy! This book will be released 1/7/25.

Thanks Netgalley for an ARC of this novel. This is the story of three friends who vacation in the Hamptons and play what they think is a harmless prank on someone who stole their parking spot. This of course snowballs into a murder mystery that involves three deaths & becomes a whodunnit.

I enjoyed the book for the most part but the first third was very slow paced. The end picked up quite a bit!