After reading the first few pages I didn’t think I would enjoy this book but yet again, I was wrong. At first the format of the chapter made it seem like it was going too hard to really get to know the characters but as I continued to read that feeling slipped away.

We follow the story of Hannah and her sisters and their dream to do big things. So accomplish this they decide to play The Wheel- where you can make up to 4 times your initial $5000 investment. Sound too good to be true? It is.

I really enjoyed this book! I read it in one day because I thought I had it figured out but I didn’t!

From the very first page, this book draws you into its world with engaging prose, well-developed characters, and a compelling narrative. The author's storytelling is confident and immersive, weaving together themes that resonate long after the final chapter.

Megan Abbott does not miss! She is the queen of the twisty thriller. It’s a slower build than some of her books but the payoff is worth it.

This was a fun, twisty psych thriller! I enjoyed it!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Penguin Book Putnam for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Get In, Loser, We’re Joining a Pyramid Scheme
Megan Abbott’s El Dorado Drive is a vodka-soaked, slow-burn collapse of the suburban dream.
________________________________________
I’m a big fan of Megan Abbott’s work – The End of Everything, Dare Me (and the Netflix series), The Turnout – all of which are original and propulsive. El Dorado Drive, as the title suggests, is a smart rumination on money, nostalgia for wealth, and the fading American Dream. Abbott’s ability to capture the complexities of sisterhood – both familial and political – is beautifully rendered. What Abbott excels at, like few other writers, is capturing the angst, beauty, and cruelty of teenage girls on the cusp of womanhood.

Set against the backdrop of the 2008 financial crisis, El Dorado Drive revolves around a women-led pyramid scheme involving the three Bishop sisters. As the government bails out GM and Chrysler, their husbands (or ex-husbands) are being laid off and taking buyouts, with their once-secure futures rapidly draining away. The downfall of the car industry hits hard, and Abbott, who is from the affluent suburb of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, captures the decline of the American auto industry with vivid detail.

The setting is sharp and rich – the Bishop family is entrenched in a world of luxury, where status symbols like Reed & Barton silver bowls, paprika-colored Mercedes, and platinum Lexus cars silently underscore the unraveling drama. The characters – especially the Bishop sisters – are strong and compelling. Their personal dilemmas are clear (so clear it gets repetitive), making the novel more of a slow burn than a page-turner.

The plot centers on a pyramid scheme in which new participants contribute $5,000 to existing members, hoping to eventually rise to the top and claim the big payout. The women involved are competent and sharp, a few even portrayed as more suited to running Ford than the PTA. But Abbott’s attempt to make their actions feel plausible doesn’t quite land. The scheme reads as an obvious scam from the beginning, and despite the women’s attempts to justify it with the fig leaf that their lawyer or accountant husbands approved it, the lack of skepticism around such blatant fraud feels contrived.

Let’s be real: the moment you hear the words “pyramid scheme,” everyone in the room should be Googling, “Is this illegal?” You can almost hear the audience yelling, “Get out of the house!” as the women lean in—fueled by denial, scented candles, and an unholy amount of vodka – 23 mentions in the book make it a character - into the con.

This book will appeal to fans of slow-burn psychological thrillers and character-driven drama, particularly those who enjoy books like Big Little Lies or Little Fires Everywhere, but with fewer yoga moms and more cars. If you appreciate stories about strong women navigating complex moral choices amid financial instability, this one is for you.

While I’m giving El Dorado Drive four stars, it’s not without its flaws. However, Megan Abbott’s ability to capture the unraveling of a specific world, her sharp character writing, and her darkly humorous take on our obsession with wealth and reinvention more than make up for these shortcomings. It’s an insightful, occasionally absurd read—even if you find yourself screaming at the characters to, well, Google things.

In EL DORADO DRIVE, written by Megan Abbott, the month of March comes in like a lion. I doubt it will go out like a lamb. The story starts with a Harper assisting her sister, Pam, to bury a cookie jar. Then, Harper attends a high school graduation party for her nephew (Pam’s son), Patrick. Harper wonders how her sister, Pam, can afford such a lavish party for Patrick. I wonder how the party connects with the buried cookie jar, and if they both have anything to do with Harper’s money concerns.

Character construction is great. I feel like I’m in a room with these characters; they are so real. The plot moves along slowly at first but picks up speed as the story progresses, especially when major incidents occur. There comes a point where I have to keep reading to the very last sentence. I am never disappointed experiencing a Megan Abbott novel and look forward to reading future books. Thank you, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy.

EL Dorado Drive is a haunting, emotionally charged exploration of sisterhood, secrecy, and survival, set against the backdrop of Michigan’s 2008 economic collapse. At the center of the story are the Bishop sisters—Harper, Pam, and Debra—once raised in the comfort of Detroit’s affluent suburbs. But as the auto industry crumbles, so does the family’s stability. Harper, the novel’s primary lens, returns home to find her sisters entangled in "The Wheel," a secretive pyramid scheme masquerading as an exclusive women's empowerment circle. Though initially skeptical, Harper is soon pulled into the scheme’s seductive promise of financial independence to help pay for her son's tuition since his trustfund was robbed by his own father.

One of the novel’s strengths is its slow but deliberate unraveling of the sisters’ relationship. Abbott does an excellent job of portraying the complicated emotional terrain between them—love and rivalry, support and resentment. Each woman is burdened by her own insecurities and past decisions/personal demons, and the secrets they keep from one another are as damaging as the lies they tell themselves. The novel doesn’t shy away from asking hard questions about loyalty, morality, and the desperation that financial and social pressures can cause.

That said, the pacing may test your patience. The murder that anchors the book’s suspense arrives late in the story, giving less time for a traditional “whodunit” arc. If your looking for a classic mystery, you may feel a bit shortchanged in that regard. This is a very slow building plot and mystery. Additionally, while the premise of “The Wheel” is intriguing, some aspects—like how participants in a recession-hit area could afford its steep $5,000 buy-in—strain credibility. There’s a lingering question of how realistic this elite financial desperation feels.

Abbott’s writing style may also divide readers. Her writing seemed a little emotionally restrained, which some may interpret as cool or distant- the subtle tension and layered characterization felt like I couldn't relate to the characters’ inner lives.

Despite these critiques, El Dorado Drive succeeds in its portrayal of women pushed to the edge, and the psychological cost of trying to reclaim lost privilege. It’s a thoughtful, slow-burn novel with a sharp emotional undercurrent. Abbott’s ability to depict the fine line between empowerment and exploitation is both timely and chilling.

Overall, I would recommend this novel to mature readers interested in character-driven stories with social commentary. It offers plenty of material for discussion—especially around gender, power, family, and class. I’d give it a solid C- not perfect, but provocative and deeply human.

Thank you for this uncorrected electronic copy,
Putnam-G.P. Putnam's Sons &Penguin Random House
in exchange for my honest review.

This is probably my least favorite Megan Abbott novel, and I've read nearly all of them. The writing felt mediocre, the characterization was grating, and the plot/twists were easy to see coming and not at all engaging. Highly disappointing.

I wanted to like this book but I found it boring and I found the characters horrible. I disliked the setting, I disliked the plot, and perhaps this is due to the times in which we are living but I do not want to spend a minute more with these people.

I was so excited to see Megan Abbott has a new book coming out. I’ve been a fan and have enjoyed many of her books. Unfortunately, this was not a favorite. I won’t say it was bad but it wasn’t great either. I felt like the story moved slower than necessary with not enough drama, action and twists to grab me. Wanting to know how it ended is what kept me turning the pages, I just didn’t want to give up on her book. The end was satisfying enough and I was rewarded with a little twist I wasn’t expecting. I wish the rest of the book was the same

I was lucky enough to win an ARC of EL DORADO DRIVE by Megan Abbott in a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and try to stay safe, sane and happy out there.

Thank you Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was not good, and I hate that I feel that way. The plot was not interesting, the characters were borin (all the sisters sucked). Too much emphasis on one person the whole time.. I like when books have last page twists but only if executed properly. I just think this book fell really flat. I don't think the author is a bad writer so I will give her other books a try.

In Megan Abbott’s El Dorado Drive, Harper Bishop is invited by her sisters to join an elite pyramid scheme, called The Wheel. What follows is an examination of the relationships between greed, suspicion, and trust among family and friends, when large sums of money are on the line. The story starts out slow, unfurling the action at a leisurely pace, but finishes out fast and strong.

Thanks to NetGalley and G. P. Putnam’s Sons for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my
Honest review.

MLM...we all know someone who has gotten sucked in at one point...jamberry? Lula LA Roe? Mary Kay or Avon? Welp we have all also wondered how someone could fall victim..this book is chock full of victims, questionable choices and morals.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I received an ARC of this book from Penguin Group Putnam via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback.

I find Ms. Abbott's books to be slow burns, which in general is not a style I prefer, but she does it well enough to keep my interest. One of my favorite parts of this book was that the synopsis doesn't reveal the "shocking thing;" I think in many books, this would have been included in the summary, and not at all knowing what is to come does actually make it shocking.

Ms. Abbott did a very good job setting the background of the sisters' childhood, as well as the economic situation of that area. The entire aspect of the pyramid scheme is very timely as well. However, the actual concept of The Wheel is a bit insane and I am not sure who would actually participate in it

I loved that we really had no idea who the villain was and that everyone was a suspect. I didn't expect who it was or the other twist toward the end.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher , and the author for access to this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story is set in 2008, just outside Detroit, and the tense atmosphere during this economic crisis in motor city was a great choice. Unfortunately I think this is the only choice I agree with as far as the plot goes. I had to DNF this around the 25% mark. It doesn’t feel like a true thriller, the story sort of starts and stops and meanders about. It’s not very thrilling. I also think this old trope of the queer characters being so “different” or ostracized is just so tired and irrelevant. I understand this book takes places about 17 years ago but come on.
Overall, not for me.

Intriguing premise with a slow build. I was interested in the idea of a system in which women contribute funds to a group and support each other, but also take advantage of one another's vulnerabilities. I thought something tragic or major would happen a bit earlier on, but the pacing gives the reader a chance to meet the characters and begin to care about each of the three sisters. I would recommend this book to fans of Wendy Corsi Straub and Lisa Scottoline.

El Dorado Drive is the first novel I've read by author Megan Abbott. The mystery part was okay, but my four star rating is for the way money is so prevalent in every relationship, it's almost its own character. It felt both raw and real.

I am a library associate and received an advance copy from #NetGalley.

3.5 stars.

This book was okay. I usually love Megan Abbott's books so I think I expected more. The premise was great but I feel like plot and character development were lacking. The book meandered around for a bit and then BOOM - it was over.

I'm excited for her next book!

I was so excited to see Megan Abbott has a new book coming out. I’ve been a fan and have enjoyed many of her books. Unfortunately, this was not a favorite. I won’t say it was bad but it wasn’t great either. I felt like the story moved slower than necessary with not enough drama, action and twists to grab me. Wanting to know how it ended is what kept me turning the pages, I just didn’t want to give up on her book. The end was satisfying enough and I was rewarded with a little twist I wasn’t expecting. I wish the rest of the book was the same.