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Close friendships can be challenging to maintain as adults, as each person tries to manage their own grown-up responsibilities. So when a friendship can last through decades of life changes, it’s a special thing. But for the women in The Note by Alafair Burke, decades of friendship comes into question when a girls’ weekend goes horribly wrong.
The story begins as three old friends gather in the Hamptons for a weekend away. The last few years haven’t been easy for the “Canceled Crew,” as they call themselves; each has endured her own scandal. And though their relationships have changed through the years, they’re all looking forward to reconnecting for a few days by the pool. But then a random encounter with a couple of rude strangers makes everything spiral out of control—and by the end of the weekend, the women’s friendships are tested as their secrets begin to be revealed.
Though their friendships have been tested through the years—and not always with the best results—this time feels different for May, a straight-laced former prosecutor turned law professor, who finds herself lying to the police to protect friends who, she soon discovers, have been lying to her. When a man is murdered—and it turns out that he wasn’t really a random stranger—May begins to question everything. But, then again, May hasn’t always been completely honest, either. With each secret that comes out, the story takes another unexpected twist—and what started out as a seemingly straightforward story turns into something far more complicated.
There are so many different elements at play in this novel: decades-old female friendships, romantic relationships, old mysteries, new mysteries, decades of secrets, family bonds, and a police investigation. Readers may think they know where the author will take the story, but they’ll be wrong. The characters here are all complex and interesting, their relationships complicated. And the more readers learn about the characters and their past, the more they’ll get caught up in the twists and turns of their story. It makes for a fast-paced read—one that offers up new surprises with every chapter.
While the setup may make it sound like a light whodunit about the complicated friendships of a group of women on a posh vacation in the Hamptons, there’s nothing light or easy-going about The Note. It’s a constantly twisting tale of friendship, secrets, and lies—the kind that’s guaranteed to keep you up reading past your bedtime.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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