Come With Me
Written by : Erin Flanagan
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Format: eARC * thank you to @Netgalley
Rating: 5 stars
Pub Date: August 22, 2023
Read if you Liked: The Quarry Girls, They’ll Never Catch Us

Synopsis: Two women. An old friendship rekindled. A growing fear. Not everything is as it seems
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.

Review: This book hooked me from the beginning, the middle kept me interested, and the end had me ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT! *LITERALLY* I could not fly through the last chapters fast enough! This is one of those books that makes my introvert tendencies seem smart 😆 and validates my trust issues. LOL. The reunion of friends between Nicola and Gwen at first seems promising and well, too good to be true. But little by little: Gwen starts to question everything while a nervous ball starts winding in the pit of her stomach. Once she finally listens to her gut instincts she realizes too late that the gaslighting and narcissist behavior from Nicola is the LEAST of her worries. Her child is not safe. No one is safe. This will be the thriller of Fall 2023 and everyone will be talking about this story! You wont want to miss it!

I was asked to review “Come With Me” by Erin Flanagan.

Gwen and Nicola met as interns their final year of college but never became close friends. Gwen, recently widowed and with a daughter, needs a job and contacts Nicola who immediately delivers. The two become fast friends, though there are clearly things about Nicola that are problematic. But Nicole has been so helpful that Gwen is afraid to say anything. Did I mention this book is a thriller?

I identified with Gwen and how easily Nicola could take advantage of her. I have had more than one toxic friendship, and it’s not so easy to walk away. The book moves at a lively pace and while the novel had plenty of plot, the author took the time to develop her characters well. Overall, I enjoyed this book.

Four stars.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy.

Come With Me by Erin Flanagan is a story about the relationship between mothers and daughters and how the dynamics shape our lives, for better or worse. The personalities we develop and the connections we form are based on childhood experience. In this book, the toxic friendship between Gwen and Nicola is rooted in past traumas. The characters stir our empathy or distain in equal measure as the tale unfolds and we understand their histories. The novel is entertaining, easy to read, and the pacing picks up after the first couple of chapters, when the backstory fades. A good read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for offering an ARC to read and review. This review will post to Bayside Book Reviews at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. Follow us! *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

In this slow-burn psychological thriller, two old friends reunite after one of them suffers a devastating loss. But something is a little off with this twisted friendship. The more their lives entangle, the harder it becomes to know who to trust. I loved the layers Flanagan brings to her characters and the engaging plot that never felt stagnant.

Recommended for fans of psychological suspense, readers who love the toxic female friendship trope, and book clubs who want a page-turning thriller that will leave them with plenty of topics to discuss.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an eARC of this book.

Gwen and Nicola met as interns their final year of college but lost touch once Gwen left the company to get married upon graduation. Ten years later Gwen’s husband dies and leaves her drowning in debt. With no work history, she’s desperate for a job and calls up Nicola, who is all too ready to help. Although they weren’t close during their internship, the posh and confident Nicola happens to be in search of a new best friend since her last one vanished (hmm, red flag?). Before long, the two are nearly inseparable, and Gwen begins to wonder if that’s a good thing. However, she’s let Nicola so far into her life and feels so indebted to her that she’s afraid to take a stand.

After a few chapters, I had a hard time putting this book down. Flanagan portrays Gwen as having enough concerns about Nicola that I couldn’t help but feel suspicious, yet I could also totally relate to Gwen’s doubts about her own perceptions. Was she misinterpreting a look or a comment? Being too sensitive? Flanagan does a great job of portraying Gwen as someone who is smart and determined but struggling with confidence as she recovers from a huge life change. I also enjoyed the short flashback chapters throughout the book. These gave us insight into the antagonist and helped build up the ending perfectly.

Like in her other novels, Flanagan puts the reader right into her characters’ heads with great internals and the right amount of backstory. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good character-driven psychological thriller.

Another great entry from Erin Flanagan. What happens when two women, who knew each other from a college internship, come together again later in life where one married and left the company and the other stayed. Toxic friendships are never new in psychological novels but this friendship seems different until it isn’t. I enjoyed it, reading it in two days and really was surprised at the ending.

When rekindling an old friendship seems like a good idea but it isn't. It. Really. Isn't. The toxicity sometimes found in female friendships is a trope that's done fairly often. Also, it's a trope I happen to adore. This was done up to the nines. The twists and turns were hairpin and executed well. For a tense and breathtaking ride. The prose is an annotated dream. My highlighter and I can't wait to get a physical copy! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for making this gem available for early reading.

I really did not know where this was going! Mean girls, bad moms, widows, failed startups, puppies, starting over, lying on your resume. It could have gone anywhere.

I did guess the “twist” but it was a fun ride. I wish we learned more about Missy though. I felt like they kept picking up and dropping her storyline but didn’t resolve or flesh it out it enough.

A recently widowed Gwen returns to her hometown with her daughter. She reconnects with Nicola, an old friend from her internship days. Nicola has it all - a successful career, a nice home, and a husband. Nicola secures Gwen a job at her company and rents her a house. The two are inseparable and spend their days together. However, Gwen starts wondering if things are too good to be true. Gwen doesn't really know Nicola or what she is after.

This was a quick and exciting read! Although the plot was very interesting, I docked a star as the ending was quite predictable. It is still a great read, but I didn't find many of the twists and turns shocking.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Come with Me
by Erin Flanagan
Two women. An old friendship rekindled. A growing fear. Not everything is as it seems in a dark and twisty novel of suspense
I did expect to enjoy this one. It sounded too interesting to pass. I was so pleased to be granted the opportunity to read it. It did not disappoint me at all. Niccola was so wrapped in controlling Gwen. She was even controlling her daughter. It was clear Nicolla was not a friend but in total control down to where she ate, lived, and the gas lighting.LOVE this book.

If I had to use only one word to describe this book, it would be gaslight. The main character, Gwen is a recent widow drowning in debt that she had no clue about. Going from a SAHM to a widow struggling to make ends meet for her and her 8 year old daughter, Gwen reaches out to Nicola, a colleague from an internship from their colleges days. And let’s just say it was perfect storm after perfect storm once Nicola was reintroduced to Gwen’s life.
Nicola is a very confident and effortless woman who takes Gwen under her wing when she makes the move back home from Colorado to Ohio hoping to restore her and her daughter’s life. Everything is going ~perfectly~ until they’re not… Gwen’s mom gets hurt, Gwen’s daughter seems to be growing way too close to Nicola and Nicola is over stepping so so so many boundaries. One thing after another Gwen finally starts putting the puzzle pieces together…

Multiple times while reading I wanted to literally scream at Gwen to stick up for herself, no means no, thanks but no thanks!!!
This book was a very quick read for me. I literally could not put it down.

Thanks, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this eARC! Publish date August 21 2023!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher Thomas & Mercer for my e-ARC.

Reunions are…complicated. Unpredictable. Fraught with uncertainty and tension. While some eagerly anticipate them, others dread them.

Gwen and Nicola(“Nikki) met as interns and struck up a friendship of sorts. But they seem mismatched. Gwen always felt frumpy, plain, and inadequate compared to Nikki’s confident, stylish, and charismatic persona.

Much has changed for Gwen in the intervening years and she finds herself, apprehensively, reaching out to Nikki not knowing what to expect. Little did she know she was in for some surprises.

I liked the premise and set-up of this book. Its alternating perspectives and time shifts really gave me an insight into the players. But the final pages had me confused about the true identity of one of them.

You want something weird to read , this is your book. Thought I had the end figured out, but threw me for a loop.
Thanks NetGalley for advance copy

A great book, it kept me guessing throughout and I was so suspicious to who was telling the truth and which characters you should watch out for. This was a lot darker than I expected, but in a good way because it made the characters and premise more complex and hooked me in more with the twists. I had no idea where it was going to go but I really enjoyed it and highly recommend this thriller.

Have you ever met someone who’s so nice it makes you suspicious? If you’re insecure and have low self esteem you’ll probably even feel guilty for your suspicions. This is what was going on with our main character, Gwen, and it made her seem very realistic to me! She had her doubts about her former co-worker and current savior but she didn’t trust herself enough to immediately follow her instincts.

This book slogged a bit in the middle, in my opinion, but then picked up in a big way. I liked the flashbacks that gave a glimpse into what shaped the antagonist.

This wasn’t cover to cover heart pounding action but when things got crazy, they REALLY got crazy. There were a few surprises I did not see coming. There were some disturbing scenes and themes but written in a way that I didn’t feel so icky that I had to quit reading.

I enjoyed Erin Flanagan’s book Blackout so I was excited to see this new book from her available for free download on NetGalley.

Wow! Great book! I really didn't know what to expect from this book, but I didn't expect what I got! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, some heavy mind games, and some great, I guess I'd call it believe in yourself moments? The storyline was very interesting and a bit crazy! It kept me glued to my Kindle! It was definitely a page turner! I highly recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Thank you Erin Flanagan, Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC of this book!

"Come With Me" was a fast paced dark and twisty Thriller. I was sucked into the storyline and finished the book in just a few hours!

Our MC Gwen is a widowed single mother who returns to her hometown with the help of an old friend and acquaintance Nicola. It seems like a sweet selfless gesture but nothing associated with Nicola is as it seems. You'll have to read this one to find out why because I don't want to spoil anything.

I would definitely recommend this book if you enjoy the Mystery Thriller genre!