Erin Flanagan's debut novel, "Come with Me," largely lived up to my expectations. With its intriguing blend of a toxic friendship and a woman's journey to self-discovery, I found myself drawn in by the memorable prose from the beginning.

At the shockingly young age of just thirty-two, Gwen Maner is grief-stricken to find herself a widow after her husband’s sudden heart attack. A freshly minted single mom to eight-year-old Whitney, her already shaken world well and truly falls off its axis when she discovers her finances are anything but solid. Having spent the last decade being a stay-at-home mom, she’s now in the unenviable position of looking for a job with hardly any qualifications.

Where this domestic suspense novel really shines is in its characters. Intricately developed and richly layered, each character possessed captivating backstories that held my attention without release. Narrated mainly through two distinct points of view, their identities were sharply defined yet also revealed intriguing shades of complexity that contributed to their depth.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of Come With Me by Erin Flanagan in exchange for my honest review and opinion. WOW! This book will make you question your friends if you need them during a tough time in life! :) I thoroughly enjoyed this book and loved all the twists and turns. The plot in this is fantastic and will keep you guessing until the very end.

This tale plunges into the depths of naivety, where love, lust, or the sheer ease of going with the flow can blind you to manipulation. It delves into the idea that our early social and moral teachings shape us significantly, yet there comes a moment when the scales fall from our eyes, and we begin to question everything we've known. This awakening can be unsettling, stirring fears of losing everything and having to rebuild from scratch. The protagonist faces this daunting reality, pondering over the terrifying questions: Who will be there for me? How will I move forward? Whom can I trust?

As the story unfolds, it becomes evident that some life lessons are stubborn, embedding themselves more deeply with each encounter, escalating from personal challenges to matters of life and death. The narrative weaves through the responsibilities toward a young daughter, the burdens of caring for an elderly, hoarding mother beyond one's means, and the re-emergence of a co-intern—a "friend" from the past. This friend arrives just in time to offer rescue, presenting an opportunity that seems too good to be true, complete with a lucrative job offer and the guise of genuine friendship and concern. But beneath this benevolent facade, questions linger about her true intentions.

This book isn't just a story; it's an exploration of trust, betrayal, and the quest for authenticity in a world where motives are often cloaked. Are the helping hands extended towards our protagonist truly what they seem, or is there something more sinister at play? Dive into the pages to uncover the truth behind the facade.

A dark and twisted story about friendship and obsession. This book was everything you could want in a psychological thriller. It was my first by Erin Flanagan and I can't wait to read more!

Oh my gosh, I loved this thriller! I really enjoyed diving into this twisty story about an old friendship being picked back up. I wondered a lot about how the past affected the characters’ ability to reconnect, and who could really be trusted. I liked trying to figure things out along the way, and being surprised by what happened next! Great suspense book!

The book consists of alternating timelines and multiple points of views. I had difficulty with the character development of Gwen. The ending of the book felt a bit rushed. Overall it was an okay read.

Erin Flanagan is 3 for 3 on great thrillers! This is my third book by Flanagan, and probably my second favorite. A quick read, full of anxiety, toxic friendship, and some good plot twists. I could easily see this being a Netflix movie!

A tale of obsession and friendship that goes well beyond the extremes! The plot is designed deliciously devious.

Two women. An old friendship rekindled. A growing fear. Not everything is as it seems in a dark and twisty novel of suspense by the Edgar Award–winning author of Deer Season.

Not sure what I was expecting … definitely not this! I could not put this down! A supercharged, twisty thriller. Written cleverly with depth and dark humour, it’s a novel exploring toxic relationships. Super relatable characters and with short, sharp chapters it’s a total page turner.

Think single white female!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was an interesting read and I enjoyed it. It's all about a toxic female friendship and how wrong it could go. The characters were well drawn and the story was engaging. Looking forward to more from this author

This story is single white female meets toxic relationship, which defiantly kept me on my toes. I loved this story because it showcases that all relationships can be toxic. But just how toxic can it go before it become all-consuming and what will you do to escape it?

This story is about two women, a friendship rekindled. Not everything as it seems in this dark suspense story.
Gwen is a widowed single mom, returning to her hometown in Ohio with her daughter. She reaches out to an old acquaintance Nicola who helps her get a job and a place to live.

But as her and Nicola grow closer things are not as they seem, from her boyfriend to what really happened to the fall out of her last girlfriend. Nicola tries to control Gwen using all means possible including her daughter. As Gwen starts digging into Nicola past things start to turn dark and deadly.

Can Gwen escape the control of Nicola before she becomes one of her victims of control.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy of this book for my honest review.

3.5 ⭐️’s
Years ago, Gwen was in an internship with two other young women, Nicola and Missy, at Dack and Anders. Being newly engaged at the time, all Gwen could think about was marrying Todd while the other two became fast friends. Nicola was a go getter and something of a mean girl, but when Gwen’s husband died unexpectedly in his early thirties, Nicola was the person Gwen reached out to. Finding out that she was in financial difficulties, Gwen needed a job. Nicola immediately helped her get a job that she really wasn’t qualified for and a place to live as she slowly started taking over Gwen’s life. Nicola started insinuating herself between Gwen and her daughter and causing issues between Gwen and her mom. Ignoring the red flags at first, Gwen finally started to question Nicola’s motivation, and what she finds out raises more questions. What happened to Missy, Nicola’s BFF that went missing suddenly? Is Nicola really a friend or a foe? Gwen will learn soon enough when she slowly starts to take control over her own life, but will she be putting her own family in danger? This was a fast paced read that toggles back and forth, sharing Nicola’s back story as well as giving us glimpses into Gwen’s marriage. Even figuring out the big twist early on, I still enjoyed the journey. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I finished this one a while ago and i just simply forgot to give feedback on Netgalley, as I've been a little hiatus recently.

I found this title very interesting and fun! I can't remember how I felt about it in a deep way but I do remember loving it! Thank you for the ARC!

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

I really enjoyed this one! A "female-friendship thriller" indeed. Nicola is absolutely the type of character I love reading about. But what made this book a HIT (rather than a miss) was Gwen's response to Nicola's behavior. The characters were great and the story kept me flipping the pages late into the night. I can't wait to see what else Erin Flanagan has up her sleeve.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Gwen has lost her husband. She decides to leave Boulder and move to Ohio. Nicola is a strong controlling woman. The ending is good. Great characters and story line

Gwen Maner is a widowed single mom, returning to her Ohio hometown with her daughter. And thanks to former acquaintance Nicola Kimmel, this is the start of Gwen’s new and promising life.

Nicola’s secured Gwen a lucrative job, rented Gwen a house on her same street, and won the heart of Gwen’s daughter, but she almost seems too good to be true. She’s so selfless. So charismatic. And so take-charge. Gwen is sure Nicola is yearning only for someone to get close to. After all, according to Nicola, her marriage is falling apart, and her best friend just up and left one day.

But how well does Gwen really know Nicola? What does Nicola ultimately want? As their lives become more entwined, and Nicola’s grip tightens, Gwen begins to think that Nicola isn’t helping Gwen and her daughter but vying for control of every aspect of her life. And the consequences may be deadly.


At one point in our life we have all had a friend like Nicola. I thought that this thriller was perfectly executed. The plot was amazing, and it really made me think about the toxic friendships I have had.

When Gwenn showed up to be an intern at a media company she met Nicola and Missy and although Nicola was giving a tutorial on how women can make it in the business Gwen didn’t pay much attention because it she was mainly focused on her up coming marriage to Todd. She worked there for a few months but after her marriage she quit to focus on being a good wife to Todd and eventually their daughter Whitney but when Todd passed away from a heart attack at the age of 33 Gwynn found out her husband‘s business was failing big-time it she would have to go back to work. She decided to look up her old media company in which you saw that Nicholas still work there she threw caution to the win and gave her a call she was even more surprised when Nicola picked up and sounded super happy to hear from her. At the time Gwen and Whitney were living in Boulder Colorado and at the very least was hoping for a reference but before hanging up she was thinking of moving back to Dayton and working again with Nicola at the media company. All she had to do was send in her résumé while on the phone with Nicola she asked about Missy and that first Nicola acted like she didn’t remember who she was referring to but then in a casual offhanded way said oh yeah she left a few months ago under suspicious circumstances. Before Gwen knows what’s happening she is the vice president of some made up department has a resume that only has strands of the truth and is moving into a home on Nicholas Street. Throughout the book it goes back to Nicholas childhood and then back the current day and although Nikola claims to be an only child the reader knows this isn’t true she also claims her marriage is failing but not everything Nicholas says as we learn is the truth before moving to Dayton grinn was worried about her mom telling her what to do but once she moves there her mom is the least of her worries. At first Nicola seems like the friend Gwen desperately needs but in the end she turns out to be a friend no one in their right mind would want but with her having so much to hold over Gwen‘s head she doesn’t know what to do until it all becomes dangerous. This is a twisty super twisty awesome read and although throughout the book you think you know what is happening before you get to the end you will experience shock and all and lots of OMG moments this was a really good book and I read a lot of thrillers at least two a day and this one blew my mind. What an awesome awesome twisty thriller. I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

When Gwen's husband Todd dies quite suddenly, leaving her the single mother of 8-year-old Whitney, she is devastated to discover it is not only her husband she has lost, but her entire way of life. Because what Todd was careful to keep from his wife is that their finances are in a bad way.


Now Gwen must unwillingly move back to live in Ohio with her mother while she plans what to do next. (Re)enter her one-time friend - more of an acquaintance, really - Nicola, who is now known as Nikki, and is heading the company where she and Gwen initially met as interns.


Gwen is surprised at the warmth of Nikki's welcome, since they had not been particularly close before. But it seems that Nikki wants to remedy that now.


So, she helps Gwen find a job (something Nikki is well-positioned to do as the head of the company at which the aforementioned job is provided), gets her a place of her own close to where Nikki herself lives, and gradually grows close to Gwen's young daughter, Whitney.


But you know what they say: if it seems too good to be true, then it may well not be. Flanagan deftly manages the telling of this story, using a somewhat unique structure based on Nikki's Rules to Live By. This trope of toxic friends is not an unfamiliar one, but it is done very well here.


Flanagan's understanding of toxic friendships shines through, and her characters come to life on the page. I really enjoyed this, and for anyone who's ever been on the receiving end of this kind of possessive, controlling 'friendship', Nikki's behaviour will seem familiar. An absorbing thriller.

How to categorize this book from from Erin Flanagan? Psychological thriller? More suspense than thriller? This is the first one of her books that I've read. It's a solid entry in the domestic suspense category, but didn't blow me away. Thirtysomething Gwen Maner and is starting over with her young daughter back in her hometown of Dayton, Ohio, after the sudden death of her husband. She quickly reconnects with an old friend from college, Nicola - perhaps too quickly. Nicola's previous co-worker and BFF disappeared under mysterious circumstances and Nicola focuses her time and attention on Gwen as a replacement. Some of the characters' actions are questionable (no one ever calls the police for anything!) and Gwen's internal dialogue can be annoying at times.