REVIEW: THE GIRLS WEEKEND by Jody Gehrman

I was so excited for this story based on the premise – a reunion of old college friends filled with a disappearance, secrets, and mysteries. Unfortunately, it fell short for me with too much backstory and the lack of suspense. I had a hard time getting through the first three chapters and wasn’t able to connect with the characters, especially June. She spent too much time dwelling on everyone else’s success and criticized her own past so much it annoyed me. And the conversation between her and Ethan didn’t work for me because it seemed too forced and revealing. For the plot itself, there wasn’t anything new and fairly predictable. I really wanted to like this story.

Title: THE GIRLS WEEKEND
Author: Jody Gehrman
Rating: 2 | 5 stars

Available August 11, 2020 from Crooked Lane Books. Preorder Link

About the story:

For fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley, a riveting locked-room mystery about five college friends eager to reunite after years apart–only to be ripped apart again when their host’s disappearance unearths dark secrets and old grudges.

Their reunion just became a crime scene . . .

June Moody, a thirty-something English professor, just wants to get away from her recent breakup and reunite with girlfriends over summer break. Her old friend and longtime nemesis, Sadie MacTavish, a mega-successful author, invites June and her college friends to a baby shower at her sprawling estate in the San Juan Islands. June is less than thrilled to spend time with Sadie–and her husband, June’s former crush–but agrees to go.

The party gets off to a shaky start when old grudges resurface, but when they wake the next morning, they find something worse: Sadie is missing, the house is in shambles, and bloodstains mar the staircase. None of them has any memory of the night before; they wonder if they were drugged. Everyone’s a suspect. Since June had a secret rendezvous with Sadie’s husband, she has plenty of reason to suspect herself. Apparently, so do the cops.

A Celtic knot of suspense and surprise, this brooding, atmospheric novel will keep you guessing as each twist reveals a new possibility. It will remind you of friendships hidden in the depths of your own past, and make you wonder how well you really know the people you’ve loved the longest.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jody Gehrman, and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.