A new book by Alafair Burke is always a special treat. Whether she is writing solo or co-authoring I know it's going to be a great book and The Note was an amazing page turner.

Three friends, May, Kelsey, and Lauren reunite for a weekend in the Hamptons, each carrying the baggage of some type of scandal from their past. A night on the town with heavy drinking involved leads to the poor decision of leaving a note on the car of someone who took "their" parking spot. From there things escalate way out of their control. When someone goes missing and a body is found the three women start turning on each other. Knowing someone's future is at stake they must put aside their finger pointing and blaming and work together to figure out the answers.

This book was well written and flowed seamlessly. There were plenty of lies, secrets, and deception worthy of a good suspense novel. The twist at the end was the perfect ending. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf publishing for the advanced copy

DNF at 44% -- I kept reading, waiting to see what would happen next, and the story was falling short for me. I put the book down one day and did not care to pick it up to see how it ends. I may give it another chance in the future.

Many thanks for the advance electronic copy from Netgalley and the publisher.

Other reviewers have given fairly detailed plot synopses, and I will not try to duplicate their efforts. Suffice it to say the author has mixed the pandemic with today's cancel culture, a prank gone horribly wrong, and the history of how three women became close friends some years earlier. All three have become notorious, infamous, scandalous, and canceled. And there are murders to go along with everything else.

I have never been the kind of reader that guesses whodunit before the author reveals the killer. This book is no exception. I will leave it at that because to reveal more would constitute spoilers. The story does contain plenty of red herrings and twists, and moves at a fast pace.

Alafair Burke is one of the best suspense plotters out there and I love her writing style. It fades into the background so I feel like I'm watching the story take place instead of reading it. (I totally guessed the ending, too, which was fun.)

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 A girls’ weekend away in the Hamptons, what could go wrong? Alafair Burke perfectly narrates the feelings so many of us had had coming out of the hibernation of the pandemic, reemerging into the social scene and reconnecting with our friends. The premise of a psychological thriller juxtaposed with flailing friendships results in an intensely gripping novel that builds at just the right pace with so many glorious layers added that just keeps you guessing until the very end.

Review is on Goodreads and will be on instagram closer to publication date and on Amazon when published!

I DNF'd this book at around 35%. This book is about three old friends that take a weekend trip to the Hamptons. They seem to have nothing in common anymore except that they have all been "cancelled" in the recent past. They go out drinking and put a note of someone's car. That person later turns up missing. I didn't like any of the three main characters and they seemed really childish. I have read other books by this author and have really liked them. Not sure why I did not connect with the one.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy of this book for review.

You’ll be forgiven for thinking this is yet another book where old school chums get together on a vacation and secrets and lies are spilled. I mean…it is one of those books, but it’s better than most.

Some of the secrets are really, really big. And one is the biggest of all.

I liked our women and appreciated the way the author put racism in the story without making it all about that.

I did find that our MC was remarkably naïve for her age/experience and felt really, really sorry for her boyfriend.

This is an enjoyable, entertaining, and very quick read!

• ARC via Publisher

I love these characters, the way their histories and present interweave to create fully real, complicated dynamics.

Another great book by Alafair Burke. I wasn't in love with May's fiancé. I had an idea as to who was guilty before they started speculating. Glad to know I was right. All in all this book kept my attention and I enjoyed it

Honestly, I would read a toothbrush description if it was written by #alafairburke because these books get me every time. #thenote is basically like a crime scene in itself. You see things all around you but it takes time and working through all the points to figure out what matters and what you're missing even though it's right in front of your eyes. I REALLY enjoyed reading the saga of May, Lauren, and Kelsey and the troubles that follow them. And even all wrapped up and closed out the end, I'm still left wondering... will I be seeing those character again?

#netgalley #arc

This was the first I have read by Alafair Burke. I loved reading about the friendship of the three main women. I definitely did not expect the outcome of this novel or how everything was tied together. Would recommend for fans of summer camp fiction, dysfunctional friendships and suspense.

In short: Toxic female friendship + a prank gone horribly wrong + a side of cancel culture

Three friends, all of whom were involved in very public scandals, spend a weekend at a fancy house in the Hamptons. They drunkenly leave a note on the car that stole their parking space, which sets off a series of events that causes all three women to question their friendship and wonder who they can trust.

Loved the idea of a dumb prank that goes very wrong, but still don't understand why any of these ladies still talk to each other - they are all various levels of terrible and annoying. I almost gave up halfway through because I hated all of them so much, but I'm glad I stuck it out to the end because there were some fun twists.

Was this the best book I've ever read? No. Would I still recommend this as an easy beach/vacation read? Yes.

A total page turner from one of today's masters of suspense. Trust no one in this thrilling ride. So much tension your eyes will be glued to the page!

Fast page turner! Gripping Thriller! Couldn't put it down, would highly recommend! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC copy!

So, this was my first Alafair Burke book, and it was a well-plotted mystery that had strong female characters that I enjoyed following their storylines. I won't go over the plot like other reviewers have already done, but the story kept my interest, even though I didn't really "like" the three main protagonists personality-wise.

A good vacation read.

I really really wanted to like this book but it ended up falling a little flat for me. Some of it was unrealistic to me and I didn't really like any of the main characters.

I've long been a fan of Alafair Burke and The Note is definitely one of my most anticipated thrillers of 2025. Set in the Hamptons (as a New Yorker who grew up on Long Island, I'm sold on that alone...) three childhood friends reunite for a weekend but what happens next is definitely not an idyllic summer weekend!

The Note had a lot of twists and turns and took a little bit of a windy path to get to the climax, but I absolutely enjoyed the ride and am already looking forward to Burke's next thriller!

A great summer read!! I did not expect the twist at the end despite its gross factor! I found May to be my favorite character, besides Gomez. 😉 I feel that there was something deeper with Lauren and Kelsey and I wish the author had explored that more. Overall, good book.

I am normally a HUGE fan of Alafair Burke! Strong female characters, twists and turns, and fast paced action are usually the trademarks of a Burke book but this just fell flat for me! I really disliked the main character and while I have loved books with a dislikable main character, I think I was supposed to actually like May and I couldn’t. In general, the action was slow yet predictably far fetched. I wasn’t surprised by any of the twists yet they felt highly unlikely. I don’t know whether my expectation for Burke tainted my view for this book but regardless, it just wasn’t a win for me. I will still gobble up Burke’s next book because I am still a huge fan!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance electronic copy. All opinions are my own.

My first Alafair Burke's book the "The Note," certainly captured my attention. The plot was filled with unexpected twists that kept me engaged. . My perception of the three main female characters evolved as the story progressed. Set against the backdrop of a vacation in the Hamptons, the narrative begins with the mysterious disappearance of a man. Beneath the surface, however, lie long-held secrets that date back years. Overall, it was a fast-paced and compelling read that I would rate a solid four stars.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for the ARC to read and review wiith my honest opinions.