My review
3 friends vacationing in Mexico to rekindle their friendship = 1 disappears + 1 with memory loss + 1 walked away after a fight.
What really happened the night prior??
This is my second book by the authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. The build up of the story from the beginning kept me stuck to this story. The authors had created a bubble of suspense between Ashley and Lauren who had stopped talking a year ago. I really wanted to know why they did so. Then there were continuous arguments between Ashley and Natalie regarding selling their company.
The plot kept taking those narrow twisty lanes with cobblestones where I kept tripping up wondering what was the truth between these friends. The authors did a marvellous job to bring that aura of mystery with Natalie’s blackout, with wisps of memory returning back over the next few days.
The book kept going back and forth in time lines, so I had to be super vigilant of the chapter headings. Each of the girls had their own reasonings for the fights and disagreements, sorry to say but they made no sense to me. Either I am too mature or that immature!!
They could have just sat down on a weekend in a spa and hashed out their problems with each other instead of going to Mexico and dying. There was physical and mental abuse shown, and I wondered why they were defending the same men. The plot of sex addiction was also brought forth.
By the end of the book, I was so far lost, I wanted to knock the women like two coconuts clunking and tell them – get over it and look at the crap you are spouting!!
One can’t obtain clarity by drinking hallucinogenic agents and visiting exotic places. One needs to sit down and search for answers deep within oneself. No shortcut to life!!
I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Lake Union Publishing, and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
My rating : 3 stars
About the Author
Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke have been best friends for thirty years. They’ve survived high school, college, and the publishing of four novels together, including the bestselling novel The Good Widow. Liz lives in San Diego, California, with her husband and two children. Lisa, a former talk-show producer, now lives in Chicago, Illinois, with her husband, daughter, and two bonus children. They’re huge animal lovers–between them, they have seven rescue dogs.
Book blurb
For estranged friends Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren, it’s time to heal the old wounds between them. Where better to repair those severed ties than on a girls’ getaway to the beautiful paradise of Tulum, Mexico? But even after they’re reunited, no one is being completely honest about the past or the secrets they’re hiding.
When Ashley disappears on their girls’ night out, Natalie and Lauren have to try to piece together their hazy memories to figure out what could have happened to her, while also reconciling their feelings of guilt over their last moments together.
Was Ashley with the man she’d met only days before? Did she pack up and leave? Was she kidnapped? Or worse—could Natalie or Lauren have snapped under the weight of her own lies?
Product Details
Publication date : 24th July, 2018
Publisher : Lake Union Publishing
Reasons could be better
53 Responses
Thank you Shalini. It looks a bit weird but interesting, sort of my kind of story. Don’t know yet!
Great review ❤
Sounds interesting! Great review!❤
Thank you so much. You are very kind. This was a different book
This sounds like a Netflix movie I somehow convinced myself to watch, and hoped it would get better…and it didn’t. Haha. Great review! 💙
It got weird for me Jessica, or I got weirded by it. Take your pick😂😂
😂😂😂
Soo.. no Mexico trip for you, me and Nicole? 😉😄
Even if the story doesn’t quite work, I gotta say i love the cover.
We can go, we can drink but we cannot fight or go the Mayan ruins at 1am drinking on local hallucinergic drug and rushing into the forest overlooking a warm spring with an unknown dude… As long we can control Nicole from trying this, we are A-ok
Hmm…. I was gonna say we should be mores sensible than this… but yes… keep Nicole in check will be priority one. 🙃😀
I agree… I have this strange feeling she would be rushing for the Mayan ruins, and we would be trailing behind her with a small torch and no cell phone network, clutching to each other, mosquitoes and scorpions, scared out of our wits.
Hmmm…. sounds about right 🤦♀️🍸😂
On that cheers 🥂
Where’s your sense of adventure?? Also, in the Mayan ruins it would pro ably be a lot of iguanas and chachalacas. 😘
And Nicole running bare
I meant BARE feet what did you think? 🐻🐻
😂😂😂 Hey, I’m not going to say that doesn’t happen when Nicole drinks too much! You guys will have to get me to keep my clothes on so I’m not baring 🐻🐻 too much to the other poor tourists! 😂😂🍻🍻🍻
Hahaha… We have to keep that in check too…. That would be Nina’s responsibility… Running around with a pashmina shawl/scarf so that your delicates are safe 😉😉😂😂
Ha ha ha!!! OMG!! I’m sure she appreciates the nomination!! 😂😂😂
Well I can imagine her running after the bare YOU and me laughing my guts out…
Ha ha!!! I totally picture that!! And I would be thinking it’s a game and would only run faster!! 😂😂
Hahaha and bare arsed!!!
… My reply to this one keeps disappearing…. I give up.
I could see all your replies. Why can’t you?
Oh, I found them after I had sent it about 3 times. Ha ha ha!!! I didn’t know they were going so far down the section. I thought they would go under the one I was replying to! (hey, I just woke up and was getting ready for work, give me a break!! 😂😂)
Break given since I know where you work.. You should release the bear 🐻 on them
.. I’m pretty sure that’s grounds for dismissal! 😂😂😂🐻🐻
Bah!! Do it subtly… The bear can’t speak, would not incriminate you
…. Keep Nicole in check? IN MEXICO?? I’m pretty sure those words don’t all belong together…. I’m pretty sure you have something wrong in there… Maybe you meant “Tequila” “keep Nicole in Tequila will be priority one” yes. That sounds better.
There you go.. Tequila is fine baby the book had other drugs which was not so fine… Love ya
What? You don’t want to take a little “trip” on your trip??? Ha ha! Pretty sure I’m too old for that shit now!! But, back in my younger days…. 😂😂
I didn’t do any of those things ever…. 😳
Eh, kids will be kids!! It’s good to experiment with some things so you don’t look back on your death bed and regret anything! 😘
Hahaha death bed? Yikes I had hoped for death in a second. One moment to the next I am gone, no time to think and ponder 💭🤔😂😂
I like how you did that one… hmmm… tequila it is! Pity there’s no tequila shot emoji 😄
Hahaha 😂😂
I know!!! What a world we live in… 🌵 There. Cactus is PRETTY MUCH Tequila…. Close enough…
🤦♀️😄😂 It’ll have to do
I didn’t even make it through the reply to see the end before I was hitting reply to say “we CAN’T??” You guys are no fun!! 😭😭
Hahaha we would have fun telling you, Nicole noo, Nicole be careful Nicole don’t drink this hahaha
Nothing wrong with a little adventure!! 😂😂😂
Oh yes it would be an adventure with you running 🐻bare
Ha ha!! Even before I saw the end of this comment I was hitting the reply button to say “we CAN’T??”…. You guys are no fun at all!! 😭
Hey you are right… You were in spam.. Like me.
Thank you
HA! Great review and sorry you didn’t like it–but definitely spurred some visions in you, I see!
Hahaha yes… It was a different book at the end, at least for me
Oh shucks, I’ve read these authors before and liked their work. Your reviews are more entertaining than the books you’ve been suffering through!😉
I have also read their previous book and enjoyed it. It is probably me, I like a wee bit more of logic.
Husband physically abusive, wife leaves, husband dies of heart attack so blame the friend who helped her to leave = I didn’t understand this.. I would be grateful to the friend who helped me live to see another day
I would pick this one up based on the blurb, but your review tells me to probably skip it. It sounds like such a great premise though. Sorry you didn’t love it, but great review! ❤
Thank you so much… Others have liked it Jenn… I wanted a wee bit of logic in the prose
😉
I have this one coming up and I’m crossing my fingers I like it a bit better but great review Shalini. 🙂
I am sure you will love it…
Good review. They sound really messy but it still sounds thrilling? Must read.
Thank you. Hope you like it