This was such a cozy book set in my favorite city! I loved the dynamic between the women, the glimpses into their past and current selves. I think this would make a great book club book.

I am going to preface this by saying that I am heavily a mood reader, and I also give stars based on how the book made me feel more than an analytical and deep analysis of writing style and prowess.

This book was incredibly cute. I This was a very cute book, and the story was funny, filled with great confidence for the future, and just all-together cosy and wholesome.

It presents a lovely story of friendship, potential regret that is then spun into something beautiful, of women in their 60s who have lived a full life and how the main plotline changes their path slightly, and makes them realize some amazing things about themselves and their friends. I loved the dynamics between the characters, love the plot and intrigue, and even though parts of it were sad, it was wrapped up beautifully. I would definitely recommend this for an easy, quick, and fun read. Trying not to give too much away, I loved the interactions between Chickie and Maddy, it felt a lot like I was in the midst of lovely older ladies solving mysteries and becoming better versions of themselves, even after 60. Their relationship to Lena, who was going through a difficult time was very nicely woven together, and the way the characters grow through this story was nothing short of astounding. It really showed that you need to give yourself permission to actually live, and even later in life, that permission needs to come along for it all not to be steeped in regret. I loved both the women's learnings as they were dealing with being in Chicago again unplanned, and after so many years, especially for Chickie, and the way it is written just made me feel a bit transported in a Miss Marple-esque space, set in our century.

Overall lovely, I definitely would recommend the read.

This novel is part friendship road trip and part murder mystery/whodunnit... I enjoyed the story, it was an easy read, Chickie and Maddie were fun lead characters and their return to Chicago to try and find out what happened to their old friend Lena's husband was fun.

I liked this book! Even though it was a thriller and mystery, I liked the way it was still a feel good story at the end. I think it was a good writing style, and I like how the characters develop. Overall I really enjoyed it!

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

This is a little bit of a slower paced book but it was a very engaging story that had me hooked from page one! The friendship is strong in this trio and they were all great characters.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t quite the right fit for me. While I can see how other readers might enjoy it, I tend to gravitate toward more fast-paced, plot-driven stories, and this one had a slower, more character-focused approach.

That being said, the writing was engaging, and I appreciated the depth the author brought to the characters and themes. I think readers who enjoy a more introspective, atmospheric read will find a lot to love here—it just wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review!

#NottheTripWePlanned #NetGalley is an interesting story that kept me reading until the last page.
Chickie, Maddy, and Lena are three very different characters, but their friendship proves strong with the sudden death of Lena's husband.
Lena insists her husband was murdered, however, with no evidence to support her theory, she needs the help of Chickie and Maddy to find out what really happened.
The story is intense at times, but is written so well that I found myself invested in their lives and I couldn't put it down until I had the answers.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.