The Note tells the story of three friends pulling a drunk prank and then everything spiraling after that. It was a mostly enjoyable read but I found the characters very unlikable.

I thought the beginning of the book was slow, but man did it pick up quickly! It kept me guessing until the end. Thanks for the ARC!

I was a big fan of Burke's The Wife, so I was super excited to read her new one The Note. The book centers on three friends who have all been internet famous for all the wrong reasons. On their girls trip, a man ends up dead and chaos ensues from there. This was a solid 3 star read for me. It was a quick read and I found the premise interesting. I had a feeling of who the killer was, but I didn't see all of it coming, so I was happy with the ending.

Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor & NetGalley for the ARC!

I have to say I just love Alafair Burke and this is another winner for me. The pace of the story is perfect with learning who the characters are and how the plot just unfolds. There is just enough there that you want to keep reading to find out the last twist.

Three friends are getting together for a girls weekend, when one of them leaves a note of the car of the person that rudely took their parking spot. From there the turmoil just starts to unravel and the lies get deeper when the man of that car goes missing and finally found dead not far from where the girls are staying. Who is this man, how are the girls connected to him and each one has a secret they want to keep from telling the world.

Even though I did guess the ending, it still had me wanting to turn the pages and the final plot twist was a jaw dropper!

Just a must read when it is published in Jan 2025.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

May was an attorney and now works as a law professor after a viral video of her being a Karen on a train platform caused her to leave her profession. She goes to the Hamptons for a weekend with some old friends, who have also been publicly shamed, and that she hasn't seen in awhile. When someone steals their parking space as they are trying to pull into it, May writes a note on a bar napkin telling the person off, but she thinks it gets thrown away. The next thing they know, the guy who stole their spot goes missing and the note was actually put on the car's windshield, involving them in the investigation.

This book was quite slow for the first almost half. There was a lot about May's feelings and her issues with the pandemic and I had a lot of trouble getting into it. I also thought that once it did get going, it didn't really unfold into anything as interesting as I had hoped. I couldn't really figure out why these people were still friends and that threw me off as well. I have read most of this author's books. In my opinion, this wasn't her best but I will definitely read her next based on past history.

This is a fast read for a day or two at the beach, when you have nothing else to do. So many things about this tale did not click, so be prepared for a slow-moving river of 'makes no sense, seen it all before, and don't really like any of these people'.

Three longtime friends get together for a weekend in the Hamptons. They have supposedly been friends since they met at camp when two of them were twelve. However, the third member of the group is 9 years older than the other two, so when they became buddies, two were 12 and one was 21?! Weird. As each of the three are described, it becomes clear that none of them are very likeable ; May, a lawyer who couldn't keep her job at a top law firm because she is too wimpy; Kelsey, whose Daddy bought her everything she ever wanted, including a job, a husband and then a divorce, Lauren, a musician whose hopes to score movies hasn't quite panned out while she has a long term affair with a rarely mentioned conductor. It makes no sense that they became close friends in the first place, but why they are still in contact with each never becomes clear. They don't seem to mesh, at all.

The first half of the book is a very slow burn, making it very hard to stay interested in and easy to put down and walk away. We are fed bits and pieces of background for the three which were probably meant to entice, but only made the story feel more dragged out. There are murders; one from many years ago, one from a few years ago, and one that takes place during their weekend getaway. We hear about all of them in the past tense, so we never get emotionally involved in any of them. We are led down many different paths that lead nowhere until finally, about 75% of the way through, we are given clues to the killers' identity in what should have been a no brainer to one of the girls all along.

The ending was just ok; it didn't align at all with the personality or motives of the killer and didn't make sense except as a way to bring the book to an end.

This is a light, fluffy, 'doesn't take much concertation' whodunit that was ok if you like that sort of thing. I thought I was going to read a murder mystery, and it fell short for me.

Twisty thriller. Three women who've reconnected go on vacation together in the Hamptons. When a man is murdered shortly after one of them plays a prank on him for stealing a parking space, her friends become suspicious and relationships crumble.

This book had all the elements I love—three friends on vacation, toxic friendships, buried secrets, and pranks that spiral out of control, all set in the Hamptons. The drama is nonstop, and it kept me thoroughly engaged throughout. I couldn’t stop turning the pages to see how everything would unravel.

While I saw a few twists coming, the tension and character dynamics made it a compelling read. If you're into suspense with a healthy dose of messy friendships and drama, this book is definitely worth picking up.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

The Note is my first Alafair Burke book, and I will likely check out more from this author in the future even though this book was not my favorite.

The premise is interesting enough - a note left on a car as a joke turns out to have serious consequences. However, the build up to the main events of this novel is quite slow and frustrating. That said, once things get moving - which for me was about 60% through - the story does take some interesting and unexpected turns leading to a fairly satisfying conclusion for most of the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. The Note will be released on January 7, 2025.

I loved this book. It was exactly what you want from a thriller. It led me to think the suspect was three different people before I finally landed on the right one. Twists and turns that I didn’t expect! Fantastic!

The Note centers around three women who may, or may not, be best friends. The tale told here involves the discovery of multiple lies and betrayals. It's a humdinger of a novel, a phrase I never expected to say about the author Alafair Burke's novels. That's because, a few years ago, I read one of her novels and didn't like it. But when the ARC of The Note was offered, I accepted it and am so glad that I did.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I had tried another book by this author in the past, and I remember not really connecting with it. I decided to give The Note a chance, as I really liked the synopsis. Sadly, this was another miss for me. I think it is just something about the author's writing style and me that don't mesh. I appreciate the chance for being able to read it, though.

This book had me cringing the entire 20% I read. I had to abandon this one...
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

The Note by Alafair Burke tells the story of May, Lauren and Kelsey, three friends from summer camp who get together at the Hampton’s for a getaway.

This is my first book by this author and I couldn’t put it down! A thriller for sure! And quite believable!

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This one was just ok for me. I guessed the 'who' very early and then it was just very anticlimactic from there. I usually really enjoy this author's books and she's had some great twists, but I saw this one coming. On top of that the characters were all pretty unlikeable which isn't necessarily bad, but it definitely didn't help when the story was also a bit lackluster.

I received a free copy of, The Note, by Alafair Burke, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. May. Kelsey, and Lauren have been friends since childhood, they have been through a lot together. They decide to meet up in the Hamptons, a silly prank goes awry, and they are being investigated by the police. This book was slow to start, but got a little better at the end.

This was a light-hearted read, although the ending felt rushed. 3/5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for letting me read an ARC of this book.

I finished this mostly because I needed to review it. I was a bit surprised at the ending, but other than that, I didn’t understand why these women dealt with each other. They were all seriously unlikeable people.

So many people I know love this author, so I recommend it to them. It just wasn’t the best fit for me.


Thanks NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

Wow! 5 stars for this one. When a vacation in the Hamptons goes wrong for 3 friends, they all want to keep a low profile because they each have skeletons in their closet. This one kept me hooked and kept me guessing from the first page to the last one. I loved that the characters were flawed but likeable!

This was the very first book that I have read by this author. The author knows how to draw you into the story with so many twists and turns that will have you up all night reading to find out what happens next. It shows the bonds of friendship and what lengths your friends will go to for you, even when they aren't sure whether or not they should. So many secrets, hidden feelings, wrong accusations and an ending that you won't see coming. For those who love edge-of-your-seat suspsense this book is for you. I really wanted to give this book five stars or more because of how well written it was. The only reason why I didn't is because of one word that was used sparingly throughout the story, as my children say "But it's an everyday word." Not for me, that is my personal view, and it won't stop me from reading more of this authors books in the future. Thank you Netgalley for approving me to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are in my own words.