I thought this book was slightly above mediocre. I didn’t like any of the characters, and I didn’t feel invested in the story. It held my interest enough to keep me reading, but I didn’t think there was anything special about it.

I had such high hopes for this book! A suburban thriller based on an MLM? Sign me up! Unfortunately, it was just ok. The writing, especially the dialogue, did not have the same feeling of intrigue and suspense I have come to expect from this author. The story progressed rather slowly with too much disjointed jumping around that took me out of the story. It was fine, but I was expecting great.

It was a little slow but got better towards the end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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

This was a good thriller that packed a lot of different topics into one. From sexuality to sisterhood to substance abuse, this was a deep read that had a nice twist at the end. It was a bit of a slow burn for me but the ending came together nicely.

One of Megan Abbott's best books! She's so adept at handling a large cast of characters, bringing them all to life, and showing how guilt, jealousy, and love can be a great place for crime and violence! This reminds me a lot of the Apple TV show Bad Sisters in the best ways! Abbott goes beyond the typical crime and thriller genre by imbuing her characters with a deep psychological understanding, bringing them to life, and making us care about them tenderly!

Wow. No one does it quite like Megan Abbott. She is my favorite thriller writer today. This is an ambitious, multilayered slow burn that culminated in an explosion! A tale on what we covet and how it can become so insidious that we aren’t able to understand how we got so so lost on the way. I loved the commentary here on women, aging, ageism, and sexism. Some of the one liners are so so powerful!

I am a big fan of Megan Abbot, and really enjoyed this book. I especially enjoyed the relationships between the sisters, and the evocative writing around their current, down on their luck, circumstances. Things felt ominous and bleak, but I also found the characters fairly likeable. I didn't realize until almost the very end that this story shares many similarities to a documentary I watched a few years ago about a pyramid scheme/"gifting" club, and I have to imagine it was inspired by some of the details. I will definitely be revisiting the documentary after reading this.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin Putnam Group for the ARC of this book. I love Megan Abbott and everything she writes feels curated specifically for me. I loved this book. MLM, sisterhood, and the monsters desperation can make out of us all. I think she really hit it out of the park here . I was surprised by the end and the uneasy sense of dread throughout was intoxicating. Excited for everyone to get the chance to read it .’

Thanks to #netgalley for the early copy of El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott. This is the story of three formerly wealthy sisters who are all now struggling to stay afloat financially for different reasons. They join a mult-level marketing scheme and tragedy strikes as a result. Think, the Netflix show Good Girls, but much, much darker. I loved the premise of this novel, but from the very beginning it felt disjointed. I couldn’t grasp the pace of the book and the first couple of chapters especially felt like watching something through a dark hazy window. It did get better but I was never fully pulled into the story. The mlm also was a bit unbelievable. Just an okay novel for this reader.

This book had a held-breath feeling. A creeping dread. Something bad is coming for these characters, and I couldn't stop reading until I found out what it was. Excellent characterizations, a compelling plot, and a satisfying ending. Abbott's writing is insightful and cutting. I loved this book.

On El Dorado Drive, nothing is as perfect as it seems. Home to sisters Pam and Harper (with older sister Debra nearby), the cracks in reality are starting to show. Once a well-off family, the sisters have become used to borrowing money and to shady dealings, sometimes even with Pam’s sketchy ex Doug. Ever since they started with the wheel nothing is as it should be.

This novel really captures this struggle for power, money and , by extension, happiness. I love Megan Abott’s melodic, evocative phrasing. So much so that more than half of my book is highlighted to reread, block upon block of yellow words to enjoy over and over again. Abbott elegantly (and cleverly) weaves together a taut, exciting thriller full of interesting, well defined characters. Four and a half stars for this exciting family drama/thriller.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

started slow and calm but turened out really dramatic. mlm thriller is a very unique way to do it. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

Such a good book! I love the multi-level marketing world (just the learning about it, not falling into them) and how they are so culty. I really liked the way the themes of adulting, frenemies, sisterhood and marketing were discussed in this book. Overall it was good!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Just the moody offering I was hoping for - another captivating novel by Megan Abbott. This didn't disappoint - and I'm hoping my book club chooses to read it after it's released, as there's plenty to be discussed and such great characterization that I really look forward to sharing!

I have read every single novel by Megan Abbott and have loved them all! This new release did not disappoint! Harper, Pam and Debra are sisters who grew up with privilege in Grosse Point, Michigan. But as adults, they all have separate struggles financially. Harper is in debt to her sister Pam’s ex Doug, Pam is left penniless after her divorce, and Debra is spending all her money on her sick husband’s treatments. That is when the sisters are introduced to “the wheel”. It’s a sort of club that woman join, for a hefty fee, and the money goes to one lucky member. At every party, hosted at different homes, a new recipient is chosen. The more members you “sponsor” the greater your chances of collecting become. The club is meant as a supportive experience that helps women lift each other up..but as time goes on and competition becomes fierce, it starts to become a dangerous game. This was quite a ride with all the elements of a perfect thriller…Murder, lies and greed… I loved this and gave it 5 solid stars!

Abbott disappointed me with Beware the Woman but is back to fine form in El Dorado Drive. This book has layers upon layers. It is about family dynamics, suburban classism, and the evil pitfalls of Multi Level Marketing. The build-up is slow, but it speeds up to a satisfying and surprising ending. The reveal and resolution are nothing I was expecting and yet I'm not certain how it could have turned out any other way. I'll be living with these characters for some time.

I am so thankful for the advanced copy. I didn’t love this one by Megan Abbott but didn’t hate it. I just couldn’t get into the story line and felt the pacing was too slow. I also didn’t love the main character. But the ending did pack a punch.

After Anbott’s last book, Beware the Woman (which I strongly disliked), I was hesitant to try another of her books. But I’m so glad I gave El Dorado a chance! It started off pretty slow and the action took awhile, but it got crazy! I loved all the family dynamics with the Bishop sisters. This was really a triumphant return for Megan Abbott for me.

Harper is desperate for money when her sisters invite her to join a secret women’s group to make money called The Wheel. The Wheel works like a pyramid scheme that is possibly illegal. The sisters each have their own secrets with each other and from each other. They easily get wrapped up in the Wheel until it becomes dangerous. The book starts out slow and then quickly gains momentum. Once I made it to the second half of the book, I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to know what happened and why. I believe this is my first book by this author and I will be interested to read some of her other books!

This was my first time reading Meg Abbott’s work, and I’m happy to say I really enjoyed her work. She did a great job setting up the story of the three sisters in the book. I thought the story flowed really well and was also well developed. I love books involving friend or sister drama so this was perfect for me. There was the perfect amount of suspense and the ending was unexpected. 4 stars out of 5! I would definitely recommend this book to other readers once this is published.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reading copy.