3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
I did enjoy the characters, but the plot itself got a bit stale for me. I felt it was a bit repetitive. However, it was an easy mystery/suspense and I didn’t predict the ending, that is definitely a positive.

I was excited when I saw The Note on Netgalley. I've become a big fan of Alafair Burke, one of my favorites actually - so much so I usually just buy when something is published, regardless of the plot. While it didn't thrill me the way The Wife and The Ex did - The Note was a ride! It was a fun and suspenseful read and while I didn't love ALL the characters, I did enjoy the unique premise of the book and kept me wanting more. Thank you to the author, Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read The Note in advance for my opinion.

The Note by Alafair Burke was one I had been eagerly anticipating. This author has a solid reputation for writing great thrillers, and I’d previously enjoyed another of her books. Unfortunately, this one was just average for me. I found it hard to connect with any of the characters, and I couldn’t really relate to or invest in their situations. The premise was intriguing, and the ending was unexpected, but I feel the execution could have been better. At times, the story felt disjointed and uneven, lacking the smooth flow I was hoping for. It made for an okay beach read, and I did finish it in one sitting, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it to a friend looking for a standout book. The author has a good track record, and I’d definitely give her another book a try, but this one just didn’t work for me.

This was another pizza thriller for me. (As in, I love thrillers so I’m happy reading one even if it’s not actually that good.) But it kept me interested throughout, and I didn’t fully predict the ending (it was going to go one of two ways for me).

While not really a main focus of the book, it does bring up different race issues along with issues with trusting cops, which I liked. Reading so much true crime and nonfiction about the criminal justice system makes me so wary of anyone trusting the police at all, so much so that it’s hard reading fiction or watching TV shows where they do that, lol.

I liked the FMC May, but I thought her relationship with her friends was kind of weird- especially with Kelsey and how they were on and off again through the book. I also did not care for May’s fiance. But none of that kept me from enjoying the book. I also thought it was kind of weird that the title object of the book doesn’t really have THAT much to do with the actual story.

Overall, a decently fun thriller, but not that much to write home about. It looks like this author has a lot of books out, so I would probably try her again in the future.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. I loved the strong female characters and they were well-written. I did think it took a little too long to get to the "good stuff." The story did wrap up really well. I really liked the relationship between May and Carter - I would definitely read some follow-up stories where they were both involved!

Although I must admit that I initially struggled to connect with the main characters, the plot was constantly surprising me with twists and turns, keeping me on the edge of my seat. The story moved so swiftly that I barely had time to catch my breath.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions expressed are
my own.

Themes: toxic female friendships, cancel culture

For a thriller, I thought the character depth here was really well done without being a super slow burn (which often happens in thrillers with character depth). While it was a bit slow to start, the pacing of the majority of the story made it engaging. This was my first book by this author, and it made me interested in checking out her others.

A decent thriller with plenty of twists. Fairly obvious turn at the end, but overall decent storytelling.

One thing I do not like are pranks. I realize that many people find them to be hilarious, but I’m not that person. And, unfortunately, our three main characters find themselves dealing with that very thing. May, Kelsey and Lauren have been friends for many years. As with most friendships, life got to lifin’ and friends come and go and drift apart. They weren’t any different to most people.

But the things these young ladies endured in their separate lives was enough to somehow force them to reunite. They decide to get together and catch up on old times and while they’re headed to the restaurant, a very rude and inconsiderate driver cuts them off and steals the parking spot they were about to enter. In today’s society, some people are just mean spirited and couldn’t care less who they hurt. Even though they were a bit miffed about the whole ordeal, they carried on with their plans and went to lunch and had a good time. As they were about to leave, Kelsey advised the ladies she’d catch up with them because she had something she had to do. May and Lauren didn’t give two thoughts about it and left.

The next thing they knew there’s news spreading about a man who went missing and when they saw the picture of the guy, immediately they recognized him as the guy that cut them off. Why was he missing and what on earth happened to him? As luck would have it, or the lack thereof, the police get information that May, Lauren and Kelsey may have been the last people to know of his whereabouts. Hmm? Why would they know anything about his whereabouts? He was a jerk, true, but they had nothing to do with his disappearance, right?

It’s at this time they discover there was a note. And Kelsey wrote it, but why? What did this note say and why was it important to the disappearance of this young man who stole their parking space? Well, Nerds, this is where you’ll have to finish the story to find out.

I must say there was a whole lot of who-shot-John going on within this story. The more I got to know the characters, the more my suspicions went up. If you can’t trust your friends, then who can you trust? Hmm? The plot thickens!

This was a pretty decent story. There was a lot of carrot dangling and I felt the story dragged on a bit, but once I began to truly understand the players and the game they were playing, I enjoyed the chase. Yes, this story had lots of roller coaster moments in a good way.

A sensational read three friends with secrets and lies find themselves dealing with murder their friendship is tested as the story continues making each of them question who they are and who is telling the truth

I am sorry but it is a no for me, the beginning of the story it was very entertaining and it was full of suspense but it did not like the middle of the story, it’s definitely I just got a little bit boring and it was dragging.

3 friends in their 30s/40s are reuniting in the Hamptons for a girls’ weekend. They met at camp decades earlier and have since each had their own public scandals. This getaway is supposed to be a light and fun time, but that takes a nosedive when man goes missing and secrets start to surface.

This was an easy page turner, but I struggled to connect with the characters. They felt surface level, whiny, and younger than their actual ages. Everything felt a bit childish. I found it to be predictable, but overall still an enjoyable read full of drama, secrets, and mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This review will be shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date Jan 07 2025

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ARC. Overall it was an ok book for me. It picked up in the end but at times was very slow for me.

The Note is about three friends who were so close when they were younger, but have drifted apart and their last minute decision to meet up in the Hampton’s for a girls week. They three friends are clouded in secrets and scandals, and when a drunken note is left on a car as a harmless prank, they quickly find out it was not as harmless as they thought. May is the good girl of the bunch, she is a lawyer, a college professor, and rule follower. Lauren is the older friend who is a music prodigy but continues to be the other woman in an affair with a billionaire married man. Kelsey is the rich girl, working in daddy’s company, and recently lost her husband to murder, which she may or may not have had something to do with. There you have the three definitely unlikeable main characters of the book.
Unfortunately, this book just dragged on and on, it should not have taken me as long to read as it did, but I really wanted to finish it in the hopes it would get better, and it just never did. The ending was predictable. I may have guessed it about halfway through the police investigation.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Knopf publishers for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
2.5 ⭐️

May, Lauren, and Kelsey have been friends since they were teens at summer camp. After having grown apart, they decide to have a girl's getaway in the Hamptons. What starts as a fun-filled week ends in a murder mystery after one of the women puts a note on a car. Secrets are revealed, but how well do these women really know each other?
This was okay, but pretty predictable. I did not feel connected to any character and felt they lacked emotion. An easy ready and I'm sure fans of Burke will like it.

Not a bad read! The writing was easy to get into and plot was interesting enough to get me to finish it in less than 2 days. I was able to guess the ending pretty quick but if you’re new to the mystery genre, I highly recommend this book 😊

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for this ARc in exchange for my opinion.
This was the first book I read by this author and under the promise of there being twists I was excited to give it a try. What started out as a silly prank by three friends on a girls trip turns into a murder investigation. The characters of May, Kelsey, and Lauren were all perfectly imperfect and very believable. Their friendship was not without its faults which made it that much more enjoyable to read. My biggest issue with the book was I saw the twist very early on but overall I really enjoyed this book.

The beginning of this book was set up so well. A group of friends find themselves wrapped up in a murder investigation, starting from a note they left on the victim’s car. Around halfway the story started to fizzle out a bit and it was hard to keep track of the characters and their thoughts on the investigation.

Three long time friends meet at the Hamptons for a girls trip. They have had a lot of drama in each of their lives but they are trying to bypass that and continue being friends. I was very excited to read another Alafair Burke book. This book was okay, a little repetitive in parts. It did keep me guessing until the very end, but the characters weren't likeable and they all behaved badly and lied to each other.

This book didn’t blow me away, but I had fun. I thought all of the characters were completely insufferable, but I was sucked into their drama from the beginning and I just had to know what was going to happen. The ending dragged a bit, and was resolved in a format that I don’t especially enjoy (purposely being vague to avoid spoilers), but it still ended up being interesting.

All in all I’m glad I read it. I went into it expecting it to not be fantastic as I’ve seen some less than stellar reviews (and was prepared to DNF early on if needed), but I was pleasantly surprised. I was entertained, the pages kept turning, and the writing was good enough to not distract me from the story. It’s not a book that will stick with me, but was good for a few hours of enjoyment.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for the digital ARC of this book.