Alafair Burke creates another thriller that is no stop ride. The relationships that grow and change between the three women who have been friends for most of their lives grows and changes as the book progresses, because none of them are completely honest with each other. Unlikeable characters, a web of lies and a prank gone wrong is a refreshing take on a thriller that I very much enjoyed.

Three women who have been friends for more than 15 years find their relationship strained on a girls trip.. After a strange encounter, a man disappears. What happened to him and what is the connection to the women? This might be enjoyable for readers who figuring out whodunnit..

Best friends, secrets, murder? The holy trinity of a good mystery. Keeps you guessing until the end. I’ll definitely be recommending this one!

I've read the books Alafair Burke has written with the late great Mary Higgins Clark - this is the first one I’ve read that she has written alone and I’ll be catching up on all her other books. Great mystery and plot/character development and kept me guessing until the end! Thanks for the advanced copy!

May takes a trip to the Hamptons with her friends Lauren and Kelsey after they recently reconnected and spent a year confiding in eachother over their mutual public humiliation scandals. While on their girls trip a man who cut them off and stole a parking spot they had been waiting for goes missing and the facts in the case quickly start pointing to Kelsey as the prime suspect in his murder when his body is discovered days later. Past and present secrets begin to come to light threatening the close bond between these 3 friends.

May is a lawyer by trade and recently hung her prosecuter hat up and became a law professor after a video of her taken on a subway goes viral. When Kelsey needs an attorney, May graciously dusts off her old suit and heels and is there for her friend despite all her suspicions of Kelsey’s involvement in the case. A true crime podcast junkie at heart; May dives in to Kelsey’s case and is able to put the pieces together as to who wanted two important men in Kelsey’s life dead. A wonderful epilogue wraps up the book nicely and ends the storyline with interesting new beginnings for each of the friends.

I loved this book. 5 star read. The storyline was engaging, the characters well developed, and no stones were left unturned by the ending of the story. I will recommend this one to friends!

Meet the “The Canceled Crew:” three adult women, all burdened with a moment of past infamy, who reunite years after meeting at summer camp, for a boozy weekend in the Hamptons. May, a lawyer; Lauren, a symphony conductor; and Kelsey; a real estate heir with a murdered husband. On one of their nights out, a subtle act of sort-of road rage (a smirking couple stealing their parking spot) leads them to put an anonymous note on the car. And then the driver goes missing.

The story gets complicated and the timeline jumps around to fill in the blanks of what happened in the past to shape the lives of the main characters. The three women also had an “incident” at summer camp over fifteen years ago when a camper drowned. There’s a weird connection to what’s happening in the present day in the Hamptons. The POVs range from the trio (mostly May) and the detective looking into the missing person case. By midway, there are multiple plot lines that need some explanation: the drowning at the camp years ago; the unsolved murder of Kelsey’s estranged husband; the disappearance of the guy who had the note on his car. I had no idea if these would converge together or just open up other storylines. I was definitely concerned about the missing guy, but I felt the dead husband was a red herring. The author does pull all the plot lines together at the end, but it did feel a bit forced. I have come to love Alafair Burke since her collaborations with Mary Higgins Clark. This did really feel like a MHG novel, so I was willing to overlook the mishmash of storylines because I really wanted to know who did it. 3.5 stars.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Just some briefly mentioned blue ones.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The book is remarkably free of any flowers, plants, or landscaping.

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

The Note by Alafair Burke was a suspenseful read. . Three friends decide to have a girls weekend in the Hamptons after being apart for many years. Each girl has a secret which she has never revealed to her friends. A drunken prank causes a rift among their friendship and causes secrets to be exposed. A meaningless prank turns deadly.. Read The Note to find out if the scandal is revealed and if May can trust the loyalty of her lifetong friends.

2.5🌟
It was just a silly prank (is there such a thing?)
Three life-long friends are getting together for a weekend rendezvous in the Hamptons. Each sporting a boatload of baggage (in this case it's secrets and scandals.) But they all hope to put that behind them and just enjoy their vacation.

But everything takes an ominous turn on their first night when, after a few too many cocktails, a thoughtless prank turns into a police investigation.

This book didn't work out for me, here ae a few issues I experienced.
I had great difficulty keeping the characters separate. May's character stood out, but the two friends Kelsey and Lauren were indistinguishable and I consistently mixed them up.
There was also too much attention on social issues and not enough on the storyline itself. By 7% I seriously considered DNF. (and I never do that) But I forged ahead hoping at some point it would click with me. Sadly...it didn’t.
I was really looking forward to this read as I loved the premise and heard such rave reviews about this author.

I’m just one reader. Be sure to read the many reviews from others who had a much more positive experience with this book.

Thank you to Knoph, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor via NetGalley

This is a page-turning suspense novel. I wanted to figure out how everyone was connected. I didn't love the female characters; they were kind of annoying. However...if you take it at surface level, it's pretty good.

The Note by Alafair Burke is a fast-paced, intriguing thriller that kept me guessing until the end. The story centers on Lily, a journalist who discovers a cryptic note that links to a cold case she’s never been able to shake. As she digs deeper, secrets unravel, and danger looms, pulling her into a web of lies and deception.

Burke’s storytelling is sharp and suspenseful, with twists that kept me turning the pages. I was drawn into Lily’s determination and felt the tension build with each new discovery. This is one of those thrillers that stays with you, leaving you questioning every character.

If you’re looking for a gripping mystery with complex characters and a twisty plot, The Note is a must-read.

The newest murder mystery / thriller by Alafair Burke is all about toxic friendships, consequences, backstabbing, secrets & lies.

Things escalate at a fair pace, however I felt the character development could have been stronger. They seemed to be all over the place, like they couldn’t make up their minds on who or what they wanted to be.

There is a nice twist towards the end that peaked my interest, however I feel like it’s been done one too many times.

Was this one of my favorite novels by Alafair? No, however I would still recommend to fans of a light murder mystery read.

Favorite Line: “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.”

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

Unfortunately I found myself struggling to read this. I found it boring and the plot just failed to hold my interest. The characters were also unlikeable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The plot was promising and the premise was good, but i found it a little predictable. The toxic female friendship trope layered on top of a healthy dose of pandemic was a lot for me. And the Note itself doesn't make sense once the "truth" comes out. Still, an enjoyable read.

Quick and easy read with twists that make you want to keep reading. The final twist was predictable but still a good read. This is my third book by this author and I will continue to read more. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

The Note started a bit slow for me but once it got to about the middle and really picked up I couldn't put it down. I was on the fence with a 3 or 4 star rating ended up with 3.5 because there was stuff about the ending I didn't love. All in all a good twisty book that I would for sure recommend. I want to thank NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this early access book. I enjoyed this one a lot. I wasn’t sure if I really liked it to start and was pretty nervous based on the reviews I read but, I’m so glad that I decided to stick with it because I loved it.

I thought I had the twist figured out but, wasn’t even close to what it was :). MIND BLOWN.

Super thankful that this was another killer thriller! ;)

I can’t wait for more people to read it once it releases to the public :)

The Note by Alafair Burke delivers an enthralling psychological suspense thriller that explores the complexities of friendship, guilt, and the often devastating consequences of a single reckless decision. This gripping novel centers around May Hanover, a rule-abiding, high-achieving young woman who has always lived under the strict expectations of her single mother. As a result, May has spent her life playing by the rules—until a fateful, seemingly harmless prank sets off a chain of events that spirals dangerously out of control.

I adore Alafair Burke’s writing so had some high expectations for this book. It’s an ok book, just fell a bit short for me. 3 friends, all 3 with some secrets and with pretty bad publicity. They gather at a vacation home and a murder happens in the town. Things start slowly unraveling. Premise was good, but delivery was a bit meh..

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This is my first book from this author. I will be reading some of her other books. This book was a very slow start for me. It was too pandemic heavy for me. But overall it had a lot of twists and turns.

I feel bad for good authors who write not so good books. This authors previous books were so good and this was...well...not. That said we all make mistakes and will continue to read her books.