This one was just very meh in the end. There were some twists that I enjoyed, but the ending was just far fetched, rushed, and ultimately poorly executed. I thought the character development was a bit lackluster (and can I take just a moment to mention how much I despised the character of Josh...and not in a love to hate way - his character was dreadful in a way that did not advance the plot). I never felt the connections among the characters, and I never overly grew to enjoy any of them.....I did not really care what was going to happen to any of them by the end.

I love Alafair Burke's writing style. This book had a super original plot that kept my interest throughout the story. A few moments I didn't see coming and a few I guessed. Overall a well done book.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I did guess the twist early on but that didn’t ruin the book for me. The ending felt a bit rushed. I would’ve liked May and Josh’s relationship ending to have more details. I also didn’t love how the ending line is just a single line about the twins. I liked that we got background on each of the girls. Background on Nate would’ve been good to have as well. I wouldn’t mind a sequel with May as a lawyer again.

Editing comments there were at least two chapters that started with a quote from one if the characters but was missing a quotation mark.

I was immediately drawn in by the premise of this book--three longtime friends reconnecting on vacation, each with a questionable past. I'm a big fan of vacation/girls trip thrillers, and I couldn't wait to see what secrets these characters were hiding.

The author lost me somewhat partway through, though. A stupid lie to the cops over something totally innocuous is always a quick way to lost my belief in the story (although the lie was somewhat explained later on). From there, the characters just kept doing things I didn't think a rational person would ever do.

There are some interesting reveals throughout the story, but I wasn't in the right headspace to suspend belief enough to play along. The way things came together didn't ring true to me.

A Hampton vacation goes wrong with three old friends. A note left as a prank drags the girls into a police investigation. What actual happened? Is one of her friends behind it?

Lauren and Kelsey were forgettable in comparison to May. The story seemed to drag a bit for my liking. The twists were unexpected.

Thank you to Alafair Burke, Knopf, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In this contemporary mystery/thriller, May, Kelsey, and Lauren, friends with a long history who have each also been the focus of a viral scandal, meet up in the Hamptons for a girls trip. A drunken prank is the possible reason a person goes missing, which leads these three friends on a journey that makes them question their futures and recall tragic memories from their shared past. This book was a little bit of a slow, comically angry burn for me, because immediately we are made aware of May's viral scandal, but it takes FOREVER for it to be revealed, which drove me crazy, lol!! I wanted to speed through the book to finally be made aware of what it was! The slow burn is due to learning the background and nuances of the friendships between the three women, but once that's established the plot exponentially speeds up to reveal hidden secrets (a LOT of them) and then twists and turns to the truly shocking ending of the book; my jaw dropped to the floor! I'd be surprised if anyone would be able to figure out "whodunnit." Once past the slow beginning, the book really picks up steam and is an enjoyable ride as you try to suss out who is behind the dark deeds revealed.

This book contains both moments of genius storytelling and tedious, cringey decisions made by the main characters. Personally, while reading this book, there were times when I didn't want to put it down and times when I was rolling my eyes. I found this book wildly inconsistent, and I guessed the outcome too early, which slowed my reading momentum. Still, it was entertaining and worth a read if it sounds good to you. I'm only one person and a lot of people are writing 5 star reviews for this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for early access.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage & Anchor for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. “The Note” by Alastair Burke is scheduled for publication on January 7, 2025.
I will say it up front, I was not impressed with this book. It felt like Burke was trying to write two different stories or merge several plot ideas into one. For me, it didn’t work. Let me explain.
The story focuses on three women – May, Lauren and Kelsey – who have been friends since they met more than a decade ago at a youth arts camp in New Hampshire. They’ve planned a reunion weekend in the Hamptons on Long Island, and at first it seems their relationships pick up right where they left off.
Then a prank goes horribly wrong. A car driven by a young man and woman swipes a prized parking space from the three women. Kelsey – without telling the others – leaves a note (written by Lauren) on the car’s windshield. That sets off a chain of events embroiling the three women in a murder investigation when the man who was driving the car disappears.
One problem I had with the book was how long it took – nearly one-third of the way through – to get to the point of the note being left on the car’s windshield. Until then, the narrative reads like a chick flick with seemingly pointless banter between the three friends.
The next third, as the investigation begins to unfold, picks up some steam and gained more of my interest – despite the plot being a bit of a stretch.
But the last third of the book is much too convoluted. Almost everyone – from an over-protective father to his estranged stepson to the women themselves – becomes a suspect when the man who disappeared is found dead. The bouncing back and forth between present events and backstory that attempts to explain why characters are behaving and interacting as they are made my head spin. And it becomes clear that these three friends who profess to be as close as sisters have been lying to each other for years.
The ending was incredibly hokey, totally tilting the believability scale to the negative side. I won’t give anything away, but it seemed like Burke just needed a neat and clean way to end the story, regardless of its lack of plausibility.
So, from slow moving beginning to rapid fire mid-section, to unrealistic ending, “The Note” just didn’t do much for me. Two stars. There’s just not enough here to make the story Note-worthy.
And check out all of my reviews at my Raised on Reading (www.raisedonreading.com) book blog.

"He's cheating. He always does."

Out on a week long trip, three adult friends come together for vacation and get irritated by a couple that takes their parking space. As they drink and have dinner, they bemoan how rude the couple was and laugh as one of them writes a note - "He's cheating, He always does." They laugh, they think they toss the note.

Little do they know, the man in the couple will go missing. What is going on?

I really liked that we got multiple POV. It was good to know what was happening and what Lauren thought along with May. I did figure out some of the twists but after a bit of a slow start, I did feel the tension of the story and want to know what would happen next. It was interesting, I liked it!

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

Lauren, Mae and Kelsey first meet at music camp. They have been in and out of each other's lives and recently all three have reconnected on a trip to the Hamptons. A note is left on a car as a prank, but the owner turns up dead. Secrets, accusations and lies. I enjoyed this book, but sometimes confused which characters were which.

I am a big fan of Alifair Burke, but The Note missed the mark for me. The book has an interesting premise. May, Lauren, and Kelsey first met at music camp, and are now reuniting several years later for a girls trip in The Hamptons. They refer to themselves as “The Cancelled Crew,” as each of the women was involved in an incident that caused them to be “cancelled” by the culture.

During a drinking binge, a note is placed on the windshield of someone who had cut them off and taken a prime parking space. It’s all fun and games until that person vanishes and a police investigation begins.

While entertaining, the first half of the book is quite slow and reads like chick lit, as opposed to a mystery. The pace speeds up considerably once the criminal investigation begins. Although there are plenty of twists and turns as the investigation proceeds, the resolution felt too pat and off the wall to me.

Despite these criticisms, I still recommend the book since it is a quick and entertaining read. 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

Thanks to Knopf/Penguin Random House and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary advanced copy of this book.

I have always enjoyed novels by Alafair Burke and I believe this is book #4 for me but I had a hard time with this one, from the get-go. It was a VERY SLOW BURN about 3 childhood friends who had secrets from years ago and they decide to get together for a weekend at the Hamptons. A prank note is left on a car and then it turns into a crime. I didn't care for any of the characters, not a single one to my liking. It was very heavy about the Covid pandemic and I really and sick and tired of hearing about it, reading about it, etc but that's just me. I do look forward to her next book as I have loved all of her others.

public scandals gone wrong, horribly toxic friendships, and a mysterious thriller overall. very well done! excellent plot!!!!

This book was intriguing. I kept trying to figure out how everything was going to fit together to bring the past into the present. I definitely need to read more by this author

I was given an advanced reader copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The characters were very relatable and I loved the story arc. Definitely recommend !

I had a little bit of trouble getting into the first half of the book, but then it finally kicked into high gear! Thankfully it brought the twists and turns that I long for in a thriller! I will definitely recommend this book to my friends! Another hit for Alafair Burke fans to add to their TBR lists!
Thank you to NetGalley, Alafair Burke, and Knopf Publishing for affording me the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Note by Alafair Burke
Publishing Date: 1/7

Premise: Three friends reunite in the Hamptons and leave a note as a prank on the driver’s car. 24 hours later, the driver is missing and the women find themselves connected to the crime. Is someone keeping a secret?

I have read other Alafair Burke thrillers and have enjoyed them, but I did not like this book. I did not find any of the characters likable (and some of the decision making was infuriating). The premise sounded interesting, but it took almost ⅔ of the way through for some action to occur. So much of the novel was the backstory of the three women and their history. That made the first half drag. Finally, in previous Burke books, I haven’t always figured out the twist or ending. I had this one pegged about halfway through, so by the end, nothing was a surprise. All in all, I felt this one was a letdown.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Three friends who went through their own public scandals take a break at the Hamptons. A harmless prank turns into a murder investigation.

I should have DNF’s this one halfway through but I kept at it expecting it to pick up. The plot was so intriguing but when I found out what the “harmless prank” was, it just seemed silly. I didn’t like any of the characters and this was other reason I was not invested. Try this one out, but it was not my favorite.

“Forever altered by the specific mechanism of public scrutiny and judgement. Lauren, because of the affair. Kelsey, because of her husband’s murder. And May, because of a confrontation on a subway platform.”

The Note comes out 1/7.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What would you do if you left a note on someone's car that was meant as a harmless prank and it resulted in murder? That is the premise of this book. 3 friends are in the Hamptons for a girls trip when a car steals their parking spot. They leave a note on the car and it results in a a police investigation.

The 3 main characters met at a summer camp and came from different backgrounds. As adults, each of the women had recently endured a traumatic event. That with the prank and a girls' weekend in the Hamptons should be a great set up for a story. However, I just could not get into this one. I had a hard time keeping the characters straight. Their descriptions and backgrounds were provided in a disjointed fashion where a chapter for each would have been much more cohesive for the character building. Also, nothing really happened in the story. The pacing was too slow. I just lost interest in this one and struggled to finish.

3 stars.

I have always enjoyed novels by Alafair Burke, but this one just did not do it for me. The premise was an interesting one: Three childhood friends get together for a vacation in the Hamptons and then a prank note turns their plans for relaxing into a nightmare. However, the storyline was very heavy on the pandemic, way too heavy for me ,and so much so that it really lessened my reading enjoyment. I still look forward to Burke’s next novels.