Oh, man... this one had so much potential but it fell completely flat for me. I particularly disliked the transition from slow burn to a story told at 150 miles an hour. We go from a carefully-told story to being slammed into the ending with zero warning. The extremely brief epilogue left me with several unanswered questions and frankly feeling like I'd endured whiplash. Also, this story's name sake of this novel "the note" played such little role in the story development and I kept waiting for that aspect to become a stronger point in the story. On a different note, the political commentary and soapboxing almost made me DNF. I understand trying to tell a story that feels relevant within the current cultural climate, but I really disliked how preachy it felt. And, honestly, if they had edited all of that out, the story would not have been harmed at all. Okay, last point... because I know I've kind of ripped this one apart, but I found the whole spelling game app situation really distracting. Again, it felt like a very intentionally designed plot tool (yay for the intentionality, at least) but it lacked creativity and ultimately just became distracting and irritating. Overall, I found the ending to be really depressing, upsetting, and horribly rushed. I am thankful for the opportunity to read and review this ARC, but unfortunately this thriller was just not for me.

Please note: this review is now posted on my GoodReads account
Thank you for letting me read!

Uniquely executed. I found it interesting how many events that that were mentioned earlier in the story, are later revisited with new information. Meaning, I didn’t think to question those events or that those would be part of the mystery.

That made for a twisty thriller and I was here for it. The multiple narrators are always fun when it comes to murder mysteries, but I’m not sure the segues were as smooth as they could be. The time jumps were also at times confusing. I do feel like the lead up to May’s story could have been revealed a lot earlier, all the teasers were a bit much. Overall, strong and entertaining book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of The Note, by Alafair Burke, from Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

Boy am I an idiot, or what?

Many, many years ago, I read something about Alafair Burke having her first mystery published, and I got all sniffy and was, like, “I’m not going to read anything by somebody who’s just trading off her father’s good name.” (I’ll do a little spoiler here and say, cutting off your nose to spite your face, much, Kristi?)

Because I was, at the time, the kind of James Lee Burke fan who was one step away from getting in the car and driving to where he lived to force him to drink with me (coffee, beer, I didn’t care what) and explain how he ever came to write In the Electric Mist with the Confederate Dead. I mean, y’all, I actually planned an entire Louisiana vacation around locations mentioned in the Dave Robicheaux series. I’ve settled down since then. But it was an intense relationship for a long time, albeit one-sided.

I think I sort of dimly realized that Ms Burke had a few more mysteries come out, but didn’t actively pay attention. Then, recently, I got the chance to read The Note, a standalone mystery by her. I thought huh, good for her, she’s trying a different approach, so maybe I’ll give this one a try.

Not realizing exactly how many books, both in series and as standalones, she’s had published since 2003. Not realizing exactly how accomplished she is in terms of both academia and the legal profession. Not realizing there’s a very good reason why her books are WILDLY popular and eagerly awaited.

Well. At least now I have all the rest of her oeuvre in front of me to enjoy, right? Smart, sometimes witty, socially relevant, plausible storyline/s—I’m expecting that all of her books will have all of that going for them, based on my enjoyment of The Note. Yay!

DESCRIPTION
A vacation in the Hamptons goes terribly wrong for three friends with a complicated history.

“I absolutely loved The Note. Trust no one in this irresistible page-turner.” —Ashley Elston, #1 New York Times best-selling author of First Lie Wins

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?

The Note is a page-turner of the highest order from one of our greatest contemporary suspense writers.

It was such a thrilling read that I couldn’t put it down! It follows May Hanover, a seemingly perfect "good girl" who reunites with her childhood friends, Lauren and Kelsey, for a weekend in the Hamptons. What starts as a carefree escape quickly spirals into a tense situation when a prank goes horribly wrong, and May finds herself caught up in a police investigation that forces her to question everything she thought she knew about her friends.

What really grabbed me was how fast-paced and suspenseful the story was. The tension between the three friends—each with their own buried secrets—kept me turning pages, and I found myself constantly second-guessing who I could trust. The friendship dynamic felt so real, and I loved how the author built on their history together, which really made the stakes feel high. Even though the characters fit into familiar archetypes—the rich girl, the mysterious one, and the more grounded one—the story still felt fresh and unpredictable.

One thing I would have liked more of was getting to know the characters better on an individual level. Each of them has such an interesting backstory, but the plot moves so quickly that there's not a lot of time to dive deep into their personal histories. Still, the author does a great job of teasing out small details and foreshadowing, so by the time everything is revealed, it all feels earned.

I really enjoyed the writing style—it kept me engaged without slowing down, and I never felt like the story dragged. If you love mysteries or thrillers with a focus on friendship, secrets, and twists, 'The Note' is definitely a book you should check out. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and I highly recommend it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Alafair Burke’s The Note is a gripping psychological thriller that deftly explores themes of friendship, loyalty, and the dangerous consequences of hidden secrets. Through its intricately woven plot and emotionally charged character dynamics, the novel keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish.

At the heart of the story is May Hanover, a woman who seems like the quintessential “good girl”—well-behaved, responsible, and steadfast in her commitment to doing the right thing. Raised by a strict single mother, May’s life has been a careful balance of discipline and ambition. But beneath this seemingly perfect surface lies a much darker, more complex side. Burke effectively uses May’s perspective to reveal the tension between personal morality and the weight of past mistakes, particularly within the framework of her close-knit yet fractured friendship with Lauren and Kelsey.

The plot unfolds after a seemingly harmless prank among these three childhood friends goes disastrously wrong during a weekend trip to the Hamptons. What begins as a lighthearted moment turns into a nightmare when the prank catches the attention of the police and spirals into a full-blown investigation. As May finds herself at the center of a police inquiry, she begins to question everything she thought she knew about her friends—and about herself. This central mystery forms the backbone of the narrative, but it is Burke’s deft exploration of the emotional and psychological toll of betrayal that truly drives the story forward.

The tension in The Note is palpable, with each new revelation about the prank’s fallout intensifying the reader’s sense of unease. Burke masterfully builds suspense, drawing out small, seemingly insignificant details that slowly unravel into bigger, more disturbing truths. The structure of the novel, alternating between present-day events and flashbacks to May’s childhood, creates an ever-tightening sense of claustrophobia as the stakes rise and May’s past collides with her present.

Character development is one of the novel’s standout elements. May’s transformation throughout the book is compelling and heartbreaking, as she grapples with the limits of her loyalty and the moral compromises she must make. Lauren and Kelsey, too, are not mere side characters but integral to the story’s thematic richness. Their complex relationships with May, marked by years of shared history and unspoken tensions, add layers of intrigue and emotional depth to the narrative. As May begins to uncover the truth about their involvement in the prank, she must also reckon with the emotional fallout of realizing that the friends she thought she knew may have been hiding far more than she could have imagined.

What makes The Note especially appealing to fans of the thriller genre is its keen psychological insight and its ability to blur the lines between right and wrong. The book taps into the universal fear of being betrayed by those closest to us and the haunting realization that some secrets, once exposed, can never be undone. The steady escalation of tension, combined with the unpredictable twists and turns of the plot, ensures that readers will be hooked until the very last page.

Ultimately, The Note is a well-crafted thriller that explores not only the intrigue of a central mystery but also the emotional complexities of friendships tested by time, secrets, and regret. Fans of authors like Gillian Flynn and Lisa Jewell will find much to appreciate in Burke’s darkly atmospheric tale, which offers both a pulse-pounding plot and a deep dive into the human psyche.

The premise is three girl friends who met at camp and then tragedy follow them. All are successful but carry baggage, self inflicted or imposed upon by others. The three reunion and trade guy strikes again.

While this was an okay read, none of the characters engaged me and therefore are not memorable. The “who done it” was pretty easy to figure out. My take is there there are many better books out there. 2 1/2 stats rounded to 3.

Thank you , NetGalley for an advanced copy.

The Note had so much promise. When I started I was fully drawn in to the story of three friends on vacation and enjoyed learning about their history and what’s been going on for each of them.

Unfortunately about halfway through the book, this really took a turn for me and I ended up so annoyed by the entire ending. May and her fiancé Josh both kept acting in ways that didn’t make sense to me. There were things that were so weird they seemed like it must just be a setup for something that would come later - and then it never did. There are legal aspects that pushed suspension of disbelief beyond where I can suspend. And the ending was clear early enough that there was very little suspense left other than why I was still reading. This was a disappointment for me. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook to review.

Huge thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the gifted ARC.

I'll start with the good: the cover is beautiful and the writing was also very well done! It was easy to fly through!

The negatives really come down to the plot or lack thereof for me. I wanted to love this book and was so excited for it, but ultimately ended up struggling to get through it. The characters made me crazy and the plot was unbelievable to the point of being maddening.

I think the overall concept was a good idea, but maybe not enough for a full-length novel.

Really wish I had more positive things to say! Read other reviews before taking my word for it!

The Note by Alafair Burke follows three best friends on a weekend getaway.
It's a very fast paced thriller with a lot of twists and turns. I really enjoyed the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very interesting premise. Three friends on vacation, drinking and having fun. They decide to play a prank on a random stranger that stole a parking spot they were waiting on. The fallout is a lot more than they would have ever expected and throws them into the middle of a police investigation.

Here's my thing. They have been friends since they were children, yet May's loyalty flip flops all over the place really quickly. She is ready to believe the worse regarding her friends as fast as the wind blows. People who have been friends that long normally tend to have each others back and will support each other to the end.

There were a few times that Lauren and Kelsey almost blend into each other. Simply put, you may have to read back over chapters to figure out who is who on occasion. It would have been nice to have a little more insight into some things about them in order to figure out why they did what they did with the relationships in their personal lives.

All in all, its a very fast read. Rather than give away any spoilers since the book is not out yet, I will just say this. I did figure out some aspect of who the guilty party was, but not to the extent it ended up being.

**Disclaimer - I obtained an advance readers copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This book kept me up until 1am on a work night. It has been forever since a book kept me up this late. I kept trying to put it down, and then I'd come back for more and then I figured I'd just finish it off.

We start with May, who is fresh off a trip from the Hamptons with her old friends, Kelsey and Lauren. She's home, ready to spend quiet time with her fiancé, Josh, and her dog, Gomez. But a knock at the door startles them, and two police officers are at the door, asking about where she was during her time in the Hamptons.

Kelsey, Lauren, and May have been friends since their college days, when they all attended and worked at a music camp, Wildwoods. As the years have passed, the women have kept in touch off and on. But besides childhood camp, they have something else in common: all have been involved in some form of public scandal and been canceled. May had a panic attack and made a wrongful accusation on the subway. Lauren's affair with a married man is revealed to the press. And Kelsey is suspected of being involved in her husband's murder. A missing man in the Hamptons threatens to bring their names back into the shameful spotlight of public scrutiny.

This story does have a bit of a dual timeline, but only for a short period of time. We see the present day, and then the six days prior, which then leads back to the present day. We do also see some snippets of the past, but it's very brief and is told more so as a memory and not another timeline.

This story is artfully woven together. There is tension but it varies: tension between the women, tension with the past, family dysfunction, and other traumas. First, I appreciated the author brought attention to the many ways that someone can be affected by what happened to them but also managed to not make it the entire story. A great example of this is May's subway incident. May realizes that during the pandemic, her personality has changed a lot, and as such, made her panic in the subway and react in a way that she normally wouldn't. But she's still humiliated by it and part of her story is dealing with her re-emergence into the social world, but also different aspects of her professional life.

Because of this tension showing up in various ways, the twist at the end of the story came out unexpectedly. I think I was so absorbed in the characters and their flaws that it was like a very sneaky, surprise twist. I thought it was great.

If you enjoy childhood friendships, secrets old and new, and twists you don't see coming, you'll want to check this one out.

The note. Can we ever go past our past. Sometimes time makes our past mistakes seem like they weren’t so bad. Then other mistakes we can’t get over and they live in our minds

The plot sounded right up my alley but unfortunately it ended up being too predictable. By the end of the book the friend group was SO toxic I truly didn’t care who survived.

I have to say I did not care for this one very much. It seemed to drag and was hard to get into. A bit predictable at times. Overall, it was just ok. I have never read anything from this author before, and now I'm a little hesitant to

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I've read a handful of Alafair Burke's books before, and this one was pretty good, I enjoyed it for the most part. Three friends from an arts summer camp reunite for a girls' weekend in the Hamptons. Lauren is older than May and Kelsey as she was the camp's music director when they were campers and then counselors.

While I didn't find May or Kelsey likable all the time, the three friend group had interesting dynamics. They call themselves the Canceled Crew. May is a former prosecutor turned law professor who unintentionally became the subject of a viral video on the subway during the pandemic. Lauren was the subject of rumors about an inappropriate relationship with an older married man. Kelsey's husband Luke was found murdered, and while she had a solid alibi, her dad's connections to the mobile made her look suspicious to true crime junkies.


So the weekend gets off to a good start until they lose a parking spot at a restaurant to a wealthy looking white man and his gloating female companion. They joke about leaving a note on their windshield, suggesting the man is cheating. Some of the events of the weekend are glossed over, and then we find out the man in the missing posters around town is the same man that stole their parking spot. Then May finds out the note Lauren wrote as a joke, was left by Kelsey on the car.

A lot of bombshells include a connection to the missing man, David. The beginning took some time to set up the story, but the pace improved. I wish the ending was a less anti climatic. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. Release 1/7/25

The Note
Alafair Burke
Pub Date: Jan.7, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
A vacation in the Hamptons goes terribly wrong for three friends with a complicated history.
I was excited to get this ARC because I know many people are fans of this author.
This is my first read by Alafair Burke, and I hate to say that I wasn’t that impressed with this book. I’m sure there are other books of hers that I would like more, but this one just didn’t work for me. It was a short read, and it took me nearly a week to read this (not a good sign). I did not like one character (which usually isn’t a dealbreaker for me), but unlikable characters and a slow moving storyline just made it worse.
I cannot recommend this one but I will try another book by this author.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Unfortunately, I DNF at 49%. I tried to push through but couldn't bring myself to continue reading.

Boring plot with very blah characters that had zero connection for having supposed to have been best friends. The story didn't keep my interest enough to even find out what happens.

Thank you @aaknopf for the gifted copy of this eARC.

All is fun in love and war until a prank goes horribly wrong. This one is set on a weekend getaway with girls who have a long history together however they’ve not seen each other in many years. This opens the door for questions about who they really are and just who have they become since they last saw each other. When they are out in the Hamptons one of the women decides to leave a note on a car and this is where things go sideways. 👀 Next thing we know, these friends are being questioned by the police about the events that took place after the note was left. Dun dun duuunnnnnn.

This is my second Alfair book and this one fell a little short for me. The idea of a drunken silly prank gone wrong was a fun one however I think I struggled a bit with the characters overall. They did lack depth which made it harder for me to keep track of who was who. As the book progressed it became easier however, in the end I just didn’t understand why these women were friends. They weren’t overly friendly towards each other and just were not nice humans. If you enjoy unlikable characters, want a fast beach read and are a prankster this book is for you!

Unfortunately, for me, this was a DNF. I GAVE UP AT 10 percent. I felt no connection to the characters and felt that the author was trying a bit too hard to be all inclusive. I wasn’t interested enough in the backstory to continue on yo find out why May and Lauren had issues they were dealing with. Based on the other good reviews, I feel like I’m in the minority, so I’m sure many others will enjoy the story.

The Note
By: Alafair Burke

4 Stars

A trip to the Hamptons with her two oldest friends sounds like a great getaway to May. Her, Kelsey, and Lauren are soon drug into trouble that they never saw coming. All over a small note, just a prank. Really. Fighting for each other, they find that not everyone can be trusted. Secrets and danger abound in this story of 3 best friends and a weekend that will change their lives forever.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were relatable yet dynamically interesting. They each brought their own "feel" to the book. Overall, it had danger and secrets galore. It was a thriller that kept me engaged, and I always wanted more. It was a good mix of mystery, thriller, and psychological. By the end, after the many twists and turns, I was shocked. I never saw that ending coming.


*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review