Thank you, NetGalley, for this uncorrected ebook ARC of 'El Dorado Drive" by Megan Abbott - expected release date of 06/24/2025.

ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a slow-moving book. Halfway thru, I was still waiting for it to go somewhere. Then it did, but not in mind blowing way. Even when the 'whodunit and why' was revealed, it wasn't all that exciting. I liked all the references to Detroit and it's suburbs though!

Harper’s in debt. Her sister, Pam, is going through a nasty divorce and struggling to raise two teenagers. Their other sister, Debra, is dealing with financial strain from her husband’s cancer diagnosis. However, when introduced to the Wheel, it promises to turn things around for the sisters, with women giving to women. Yet, it has a more sinister underbelly. How far will people really go to get what they feel they deserve?

Set around the time of the 2008 recession in Michigan, the first act instantly had me enraptured. It encapsulated so well what it was like to live in the Midwest during that time range and was deeply reminiscent of my own youth. Everything seemed so real and relatable.

As the women joined the Wheel and the story evolved, I still found myself completely engrossed. It was like you knew things are too good to be true, and quietly waited to see how things unraveled. It still stunned me with the amount of realism and personal depth put into it. However, some of the side characters seemed a bit one-dimensional.

The last third of the book is what made it go from five stars down to four for me. It just felt cheap and obvious with how they approached it, and while the final plot twist did surprise me, and the ending felt realistic, it kind of fell flat for me. It was like Megan Abbot wasn’t completely sure how to dial up the intrigue, and it was as if Harper, our narrator, was going through the same cycle of thoughts over and over, just pertaining to different people and situations.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good domestic noir with a side of crime, especially midwesterners, for who I feel this especially strikes a cord.

Set in Michigan in 2008, Abbott explores the dynamic of three sisters from the perspective of Harper (her sisters are Pam and Debra). Harper has always felt different from her sisters, notably because she’s lesbian and never married. When she arrives on the doorstep of her divorced sister Pam, she finds out that Pam is involved in a pyramid scheme called The Wheel. Attracted by the money and urged by her sister, Harper becomes involved in the pyramid scheme as well.

The murder takes a while to occur, which is fine, but that meant it didn’t explore the “whodunit” part for very long. I didn’t understand how people in such a financially depressed area could gather up $5,000 to participate in The Wheel, but I guess it was more of an upper crust poor?

I’m not sure Abbott’s writing is for me. I’ve only read one of her novels in the past, and that one was lukewarm. And I found this one lukewarm as well. I think the author keeps her characters at a distance, which frustrates me as reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

It publishes June 24, 2025.

Great read by Megan Abbott about middle aged sisters all with their own financial troubles, who find themselves trying to dig their way out with a pyramid scheme. This book is dripping with commentary about money, and has a realistic portrayal of both sister and mother/daughter relationships. There is an ex-husband who is causing money troubles and plenty of secrets to keep the reader on their toes. I don’t typically read thrillers but I really liked The Turnout and wanted to give another one of her books a try. It’s a win! Only small critique is that the first 50% of the story was building up to the catalyst event, I was ready for something to happen a little sooner.

I always love Megan Abbott's books; this one is no different. She deftly explores relationships between sisters, always making her characters very believable and relatable.

There is nothing I look forward to more than a new book by Megan Abbott. El Dorado Drive went with me on a recent vacation and it was the perfect companion. Complex family relationships coupled with myriad financial struggles and a mysterious all-female "club" turned into a thrilling ride that kept me guessing until the very end.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced copy of this novel about a a family dealing with economic hard times, the organization that promises to help, and the fact that easy money in America always comes with a heavy cost.

America has branded itself as the land of opportunity, but like every to good to be real spiel one has to look to the asterisk at the end to get the truth. If one starts with the right skin color, legacy schools, contacts and family connections, the world can be your oyster. For others it can be just a struggle to survive. To thrive is just a dream. One that is at the heart of another American dream, the sudden windfall. The lottery ticket, the bag of cash that just appears, making problems go away, with no tax, no having to pay it back. A gift of financial freedom. If anything living in America has taught us, there is no free ride, no matter what people say. There is always a cost, and a that cost can be deadly. El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott is a novel about modern American life, a story of family, the economy, loss of status, impossible dreams, magical thinking and good old fashion American murder.

The Bishop sisters grew up with certain expectations. The money they alway had would never go away, as did the status their wealth brought them in the Detroit area. However the real world of bad economic policy, lack of proper oversight, greed and bad governance has stripped much of this away. Harper the youngest is having a particularly hard time in this modern world, but she is not alone. Harper's sister Pam has an ex-husband with a very good lawyer problem, and their eldest sister Debra has health, children and other issues draining her finances. Debra has a plan though. The Wheel. The Wheel is a group of woman, coming together, putting their money together and helping others get out of the hole they find themselves in. The Wheel promises, much but it is soon apparent this is just a pyramid scheme. The sisters are sure though, that they can game the scheme, make money and get out. However money has an attraction, and it is harder and harder to escape the gravity that The Wheel has. Even when things start getting dark, and people start getting hurt.

A different novel for Megan Abbott, still filled with great characters and a tense story, but one that looks more at the modern thinking of many people claiming economic uncertainty . This kind of thinking can get a nation in trouble, as is clear right now, and can get people in trouble. Abbott is very good about this, clearly showing that these are good people caught in a trap they can't get out of. The money is important, but so is the status they once had, and want to keep up. Again the characters are well written, not stereotypical, with clear motivations and reasons for doing what they are doing. Even when things escalate. Abbott captures much of what has ruined the middle class, and uses problems, most real some imagined to really make the story seem grounded and real. Not a woman facing a serial killer, but a real thriller about trying to get by when everything is turning to garbage around you.

Megan Abbott has really changed the kinds of stories she was writing in her last few books. The changes are for the better. Abbott is looking at the world the way it is, not as shown on television or shows that make money on phoney fears or even worse phoney dreams. Fans will appreciate this kind of story, it really speaks of today. A today that is far more real and scary than one can imagine.

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

Easy to read and moves right along; however, this book just wasn't for me. Three sisters, two of them down on their luck financially, get caught up in a pyramid scheme. It seems like an interesting premise, but any meaningful character development just wasn't there. It takes far too long to build up to anything happening, which doesn't occur until well over the half-way point. The incessant brand-name dropping to give a sense of the era, I suppose, got under my skin. Not my favorite of this author.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

4 ⭐️ Fast paced thriller. Quick read, didn’t want to put it down!

The three Bishop sisters, Debra, Pam, and Harper, grew up wealthy but due to different circumstances, each found themselves needing money. The Wheel women’s club money pyramid scheme seems to be the answer. Then a murder under mysterious circumstances casts suspicion on everyone.

I enjoyed the family dynamics between the sisters and the fast paced who dunnit story. Greed, money, sisterhood, family, and a sound plot make this one a must read!

Thank you NetGalley and GP Putnam sons for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

2.5/5 STARS!!!!

El Dorado Drive is my first Megan Abbott book and most likely my last.

Three sisters Debra, Harper, and Pam all are living in the suburbs of Detroit, and are burdended with deep financial issues: husband losing it all in the auto industry free fall, medical bills, college tuition, etc, end up needing serious cash asap. One of then meets another woman who ropes them into a pyramid scheme of some sort called The Wheel.

The Wheel doesn't sell any drinks, potions, cosmetics, etc. Instead each participant throws in a pile of cash, and somehow it goes full circle and they increase their cash by recruiting more women. Most of these women are also down on their luck. Honestly, it doesn't make much sense.

There's a LOT of discussion about being broke. So much in fact, that this book could have been 100 pages shorter. While you can easily read this in a day, it's mostly because nothing happens until midway, and yes there's a twist, but by then, I hardly cared about any of these characters. This book is really about how far we will go to protect our family, and how much we want to hide from others regarding our social standings. Regardless, I could barely read it.

Sorry, was hoping Abbott would be a new go to author for me, but this just wasn't it.

No one writes about the darkness, jealousy, hunger and malice lurking just beneath the surface of female relationships than Megan Abbott. EL DORADO DRIVE, set just after the heydey of the Detroit auto boom with alllllll the societal edges fraying, another banger. Super suspenseful, totally atmospheric, and wholly immersive, her books give me the ick…in the best possible way. Bonus for being all about MLMs which are an obsession for me personally!

As always, Megan Abbott is a master at her craft. The characters are multi-dimensional and intriguing, the plot is compelling, and her prose is beautifully and meticulously crafted.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know what it is about Megan Abbott books...there's always this sense of impending doom for the characters from the very first page. I also don't know how she accomplishes such a flat tone of story telling that keeps you engaged in what's going on. El Dorado Drive is Abbott's latest book and this one I feel like could've been inspired by the events from the true crime documentary "Murder on Middle Beach" where pyramid schemes are hidden under the guise of women's empowerment.

For me Eldorado Drive was a return to the storytelling I enjoy from Megan Abbott. Her last two endeavors (The Turnout and Beware the Woman) for me were just not great, so I was pleased that this one had all the elements I've come to like about her storytelling. The tension that is kept through the story is pitch perfect until the very end where honestly, I should've seen it coming.

I highly recommend this one especially if you're already a fan of Megan Abbott.

I enjoyed this book. I thought I had it figured out twice and was wrong each time. I was not expecting the final twist.

genuinely perfect. the insightful but anxiety inducing writing, the exploration of money and family, the characters... i think this book will literally haunt me. megan abbott is truly operating on her own playing field. 5⭐️

Phenomenal. Stacked with exquisitely drawn characters and a propulsive plot, this novel will grip you until the last page. The exploration of the fragile finances of so many women is not only very timely, but it's rendered with tender--but clear eyed--empathy.

Abbott is one of the few authors I trust implicitly, and every new entry to her oeuvre just cements that fact. Don't even bother downloading the sample--just buy the whole thing already.

(Also apparently it's rude to ghost your friends on a cruise because your book is too damn good to stop reading. THAT is how good it is.)

The ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

Megan Abbott does it again! She is one of my auto-read authors, and though I ALWAYS have a hard time getting into her books, now that I know the payoff is always worth it I power through the first few chapters until I'm full immersed in her world. This book grew tenser and tenser until there was a murder and I sped through to the (very satisfying!) ending. I was not surprised to see that this book was optioned by A24 to become a movie, because I could see the scenes playing out before my eyes as I read. No one can write about female angst like Abbott does so consistently across different milieus.

No one writes about teen girl angst as masterfully as Megan Abbott, and her portrayal of 16-year-old Vivian in El Dorado Drive proves it. There are women here too, pushy and fragile, young and middle-aged, and searching for something. TBH, the first half of the book was slow-going for me and a bit repetitious, but then, suddenly, after a life-changing event for one of the characters, the story takes off at breakneck speed as we are swept into a murder mystery. Very glad I stayed with it.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Three sisters grew up rich but when the auto industry went bad so did their dollars.
An idea formed— the wheel— a way to make money. This was exciting as their money grew, a wild ride, until it leads to a murder!