Girls' Night Out starts with Natalie waking up soaking wet on the beach. She is able to find her friend Lauren, but Ashley is missing. From there, the story is told in jumping timelines-- pre Ashley disappearing and post.

Though the characters range from unlikable to likable, even within the same page, I needed to know what happened to Ashley. I was fully vested!

WOW! Just wow. This book is fantastic. I've read all of Liz and Lisa's novels and Girls' Night Out is by far their best. This novel consumed me. The dynamic between the three friends is so realistic and the character development is very well done. I related to Natalie and Ashley's relationship as it reminded me so much of one that I had in the past. The two friends easily could have been myself and a former friend. I especially enjoyed the writing style and how the chapters switched from character to character and from before and after. I love that Fenton and Steinke are diving into thrillers! They did well with The Good Widow and blew it out of the park with Girls' Night Out! I can't wait to read more from them. Thank you NetGalley for an advance reading copy of this wonderful novel.

Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke’s Girls Night Out is a page turner and will make you think twice about going on a girls trip to Mexico with any estranged friends.

In this gripping tale, Ashley, a you-tube famous, headstrong woman who seems to have it all, including the super successful business, BloMe, she owns with Natalie, the perfect family, and a huge house. But she’s got a secret. Her marriage is falling apart and her closest friendships aren’t far behind, Natalie has secrets of her own. After losing their life savings on a bad investment, her husband is pushing her to convince Ashley to sell the business , but unsure of what to do, Natalie needs a way out. And soon, before it all comes crashing down. And then there’s Lauren, a widow who’s trying to fill the void of losing her husband and never having children. She’s hiding something too… and it’s all about to come out in Tulum… until one of them goes missing.

This is a great summer read filled with page turning twists and dark secrets that might just be the end of their friendship.

Make sure to pick up a copy this summer on July 24, 2018! You won’t be disappointed!

#GirlsNightOut #NetGalley

Gretchen Snodgrass's review May 16, 2018 · edit
really liked it

I was attracted to the premise of this book: three women, friends for twenty-five years, go to Mexico to try to repair their rocky friendship. After a night of partying, one of them has disappeared.
The story is told in an interesting way. The chapters are divided among the three women and also flash back and forth in time from their arrival in Tulum to the days after Ashley's disappearance. I liked this because I got a more well-rounded viewpoint of the story from three of them, not just one. I think the time jumps were a good device to use too because it built suspense. The characters were definitely realistic. I cringed at times at the things they thought or said because I would remember having felt or said similar things in my life. The descriptions of the setting made me want to book a trip to Mexico. I thought the book was very good, with a satisfying ending.
I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All options are my own.

I felt the tension throughout this entire book. As the book opens, Natalie wakes up on a beach in Mexico unsure of how she got there and unable to remember anything from the night before. Then she discovers that her friend Ashley disappeared sometime the previous night. The book flows backwards and forwards and is told alternately from Natalie's, Ashley's, and their friend Lauren's points of view.

Fear and tension flow through the book as Natalie and Lauren desperately try to find Ashley, and Natalie desperately tries to regain her memory in the hopes that something she remembers will help. The longer Ashley is missing, the more desperate things seem. Pieces are gradually filled in as we learn more about the strained relationships between the three ladies - friends since college, but real life has gotten in the way.

The book kept me hooked, needing to know what happened almost as desperately as Natalie and Lauren, and it has kept me thinking about it even after I've finished it. (and I'm thinking I need to go back and reread some parts to see if there were things I missed) I think this book will definitely have you assessing and maybe re-evaluating your own relationships.

Another nail biter from the dynamic duo of Liz and Lisa. This book takes us to the tropical paradise of Tulum, Mexico. But not all is heavenly. Doused in margaritas and mojitos, three lifelong friends reveal troubled marriages and differing goals, putting them at odds during the trip that was supposed to bring them closer. When a sexy stranger wiles his way into their group, the tensions increase, and the disappearance of one of them turns the vacation into a nightmare. Read this one if you like staying up late and wondering - what happens next?

The trip to Mexico was for the group of friends Ashley, Lauren and Natalie to reconnect and make amends. 

From the outside Ashley has everything anyone could ask for. A perfect marriage, 2 loving kids, her own successful business and a beautiful home.

Natalie and Ashley are best friends and business partners. But Natalie is stuck feeling like an extra in the world of Ashley.

Lauren feels like she's the third wheel. She's not in the business with Natalie and Ashley. Lauren doesn't feel there's a true friendship between her and Natalie outside of Ashley.

This thriller is a chilling page-turner full of secrets and contempt that will keep the reader guessing over and over.

This is about three friends, Natalie, Ashley and Lauren. Ashley ends up going missing the night they are all partying together, and then from there, her friends are trying to figure out what happened that night and what exactly happened to Ashley.

Holy snap! What a roller coaster ride! So many twists and turns that kept me wanting more! Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke once again proved lthey are an amazing duo! Love the characters! Outstanding!

Natalie, Ashley and Lauren are in Tulum Mexico to mend their estranged friendship. Ashley has booked a beautiful resort in Tulum Mexico to help them do just that! On the last night, the unthinkable happens after arguing over past issues and drinking, one of them disappears. The remaining woman have to try and put their differences aside and find their friend. A beautiful story of friendship, secrets and resentment. Will their issues get resolved or just create more deceit?

I would like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read this. ARC. I would also like to thank my husband for cooking dinner, keeping all the door knocks away from me! I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for the next one. These ladies are awesome 💕💕💕

3 best friends, or are they?! ... Do you know who your friends are? What they are capable of? The lengths and limits they would go to?

Gripping, intense, thrilling and shocking! This book was amazing! Just when you think you have it all figured out, think you know all the answers, you learn more... piece by piece leaving you not sure of anything at all.

I enjoyed how this book was written from 3 points of view, one for each of the main characters in the book - Ashley, Lauren and Natalie. Read as the story unfolds, from the point of view of one woman at a time, as the story is told bit by bit and jumps back and forth in time - from the day after, to a few days after, to a few days before and even the same day in question. I love how it was written this way.

Even to the very last page this book had be reading late into the night, as I put all the pieces together to solve the final puzzle.

A great read if you love intense thrillers! This is a great book for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher Lake Union Publishing for an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Three long-term friends decide to go on a trip to Mexico in hopes that they can mend their differences and reconnect. Their vacation does not turn out like they planned. Instead of reconciliation, they discover that each of them is hiding a secret and one of them goes missing.
This story is told from the point of view of all 3 friends, Lauren, Ashley, and Natalie. The   story slowly reveals each of the women's secrets and insecurities as it unravels the mystery of what happened in Mexico.
Girls Night Out is a good mystery and an excellent story about friendship. Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union publishers for this advanced copy.  The opinions are my own.

Girls’ Night Out is a perfect summer thriller. I loved reading this story told from the perspectives of Natalie, Laurel, and Ashley as the mystery unfolds. I was very impressed with how the authors managed to convey the complexities of female friendships in a way we can all relate. None of the three ladies were perfect. All three had redeeming qualities and serious flaws. That was very realistic. Two of the three were ambitious career women who juggled that with family life and friendship. All were strong women who also had big weaknesses. Again, very relatable. The plot line I had the most problem with was the conflict between Laurel and Ashley. I had a hard time believing that one, but every other situation seemed plausible.
I couldn’t help but compare this book to The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll which I just read a couple months ago. To me, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke did a MUCH better job portraying the quagmire of women and their emotions and relationships, balancing strengths and weaknesses. The characters seemed real and I cared about them and was turning pages quickly to find out what had happened. I enjoyed this writing duo’s last thriller, The Good Widow, but in my humble opinion, they have surpassed it with Girls’ Night Out.

Thank you Lake Union, NetGalley and Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke for the opportunity to read this fun book early!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a free, electronic ARC of this novel.
In a desperate attempt to rekindle their dying friendship, Natalie, Lauren and Ashley take a vacation to Tulum, Mexico, a resort town known for its restorative properties. When Ashley goes missing after a girl’s night out, Lauren and Natalie must try and recover their foggy, alcohol-infused memories, as well as come to terms with their own secrets and feelings, and try to discover what happened to Ashley. Did she run away from her life, as she often talked about? Was she kidnapped by the handsome tour guide, Marco? Or, what’s worse, could Lauren or Natalie have been responsible?
Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, authors of “The Good Widow”, return with “Girls’ Night Out”. The novel, identified as psychological suspense, starts off very slow. In fact, I almost DNF’ed it before I reached the halfway point. Lauren, Natalie and Ashley are grown women who abandon their husbands and families to travel to a resort in Mexico to try and rekindle a friendship that should have been dissolved years ago. Ashley is a completely unlikable character, she is completely selfish, shallow and self-centred and without Lauren and Natalie, she has absolutely no appealing characteristics.
The story is told from all three of the characters’ perspectives, both before Ashley disappears and after. The alternating timelines help build up the plot, and are relatively easy to follow.
It wasn’t until more than halfway through this novel when I actually became engaged in it. The shallow drama between the three women was boring and pedantic, and it wasn’t until Ashley went missing that the story began to draw me in. After the halfway point, I found this novel difficult to put down. I wonder how the authors “co-wrote”. Did one author write the first half and the other the second? Or did they alternate chapters? The novel seemed to be written in two completely separate writing styles.
The ending was satisfying and, although not entirely unpredictable, it brought the novel to a just conclusion.
Initially, I would have given this novel a high three-star rating, but due to the fast-paced, entertaining ending, “Girls’ Night Out” gets a four-star. That being said, I am absolutely desperate for a really good, five-star, pulse-pounding, thought-provoking read. Let’s hope my next read brings me what I seek.

A beautiful, haunting story of friendship and what happens when that friendship is put to the test. A must-read for women of all ages!!!

Girls’ Night Out by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke is a gripping tale of friendship and the cracks that form over time. This book reminds me a bit of what makes Liane Moriarty successful—it’s a deep character study of women and their lives both separate to and in relation to one another, and with a dash of suspense. Readers will find themselves turning the pages, wanting to find out the hidden secrets of these three women that will answer the question, what happened to their friendship??

From the outside Ashley has everything a girl could want—a handsome husband, two lovely daughters, a successful business, a 7,000 square-foot home in California, stunning good looks, and a magnetic personality. But these things that Ashley has that make her enviable also make it hard for her to connect with even those she loves most. Since college Ashley has been best friends with Lauren and Natalie. Now that they are turning 40, the cracks have formed in their friendship. Desperate to save them, Ashley invites her friends on a girls’ trip to Tulum—to reconnect and hopefully say the things they’ve been unable to say for so long.

Natalie is Ashley’s best friend and business partner. It was Natalie’s idea to create the BlowBrush—a combination brush and blow dryer with a patented battery that makes the hair styling process easy for all women. But it was Ashley that used her charms to get the BlowBrush as successful as it is. Now with a huge offer from Revlon to purchase their company, Natalie is ready to get out. The only problem is convincing Ashley to do the same. This argument has caused a divide between the two women, but Natalie is not telling Ashley the real reason she wants to sell the company—the secret she has been keeping from the world. Natalie agrees to the girls’ trip thinking it may give her an opportunity to convince Ashley to sell, but will she be able to tell Ashley the truth?

Lauren is the third friend, the one who feels the most like the third wheel. She isn’t in business with Ashley and Natalie, and she isn’t sure she really has a friendship with Natalie outside of Ashley. Lauren is recently widowed and dealing with her own demons. And something happened between Lauren and Ashley a year ago that has caused them to stop speaking altogether. But Lauren wants to try to reconnect; she wants to try to forgive Ashley. But that may also mean forgiving herself, and facing some darkness she has held onto that she would rather avoid.

The trip is meant to reestablish their friendship—but the reality is, that the secrets they keep and the pain that each other has caused may be difficult to repair. The trip isn’t going at all as planned. And then one night Ashley goes missing, and the torment between the three women is suddenly forgotten… Where is Ashley???

Every woman knows what it is like to feel like the third wheel in a group of three. What’s interesting about the way Liz and Lisa wrote this book is that at times, all three of these women are convinced they are the one left out—the one that is not connecting as well. The authors write masterfully the way our own neuroses contribute to this disconnect. When we should be relaxing and letting people in, we get in our heads about feeling left out, and this increases the space between us.

As the book unfolds, you’ll be convinced you know who the problem is. You’ll see the story told from each woman’s perspective. What I love, though, is that the further in you get, the more you realize that each of them has contributed in equal parts to the situation they are in now. Sometimes its easy to see the other people as at fault, but there are things all of us do to alienate others. Getting over our own demons is needed to be able to not only forgive others, but ask them to forgive us as well. Forgiveness may be the most important theme of this novel, followed closely by secrets. We all have things we are too afraid for others to know. And sometimes revealing those things to the ones closest to us is the hardest thing of all.

Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, and to NetGalley for an opportunity to read this book in advance of publication in exchange for an honest review.

Not really my sort of book. None of the three protagonists were at all likeable or engaging and had terrible friendship values (!) and the plot was not believable, nor the suspense very suspenseful. Having recently spent some time in the area of Mexico in which the book was set, including snorkeling in the cenotes, I was disappointed that the magic of the setting didn't come through. Having said all that it may appeal to younger women as a light holiday read.

Wow. What a ride of a story. This is my first book by these authors. This is a story of three longtime friends who travel to Tulum, Mexico together to try to mend their friendship. I found that the second half of the book picked up speed and I read the last 40% in one day because I had to know what happened.

I received an ARC. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Such a great read! The ending wasn't what i was expecting..very good.
Been to Mexico many times with girlfriends.. so much can happen there.. :-)


Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an early release of this book

I enjoyed this book and wouldn't have known it was two authors as the writing felt coherent. I enjoyed learning about the relationships between the different characters. and how their relationships had changed over the years.. I enjoyed the ending as it kept me guessing. Overall, an easy enjoyable read.

Not really my cup of tea, but it did keep you guessing. The three friends, and their constant repetitive fighting got old fast, and was redundant. They were three grown women, yet their behavior was very high school.

Three (formerly) best friends go on a luxury vacation to Mexico to rest, relax, and repair their relationships. Only two come home. What happened to the third friend? That’s what we try to figure out as we read the story of how these women went from being supportive, life-long friends, to two of them becoming suspects of the third’s disappearance. Through flashbacks, we see how the friendships begin to fracture, with each of the women keeping their own secrets from the others. I think this book would make a fantastic movie or limited series, with the descriptions of the women, clothing, resort, and all of the fantastic sights. Unfortunately, all of those descriptions made me want to rush through the book to understand what happened, and I simply didn’t get to enjoy it as much. I wanted to skim through some of the repetitive arguments and simply cut to the chase. And the end, the small twist? It does pay off---I just wish it hadn’t been such a journey to get there.