Another fun and suspenseful read from Lisa and Liz. They are taking readers to Tulum Mexico this time for an exciting girls weekend. The three friends get together to make up and rejuvenate themselves and their friendship. The suspense is at a high volume when one friend goes missing. One friend can’t remember anything and they start to really wonder what has happened to their friend.
The authors have made good on their new genre.

Three girls alone in Mexico. Going out every night to the local bars, doing shots and drinking well into the night. What could go wrong? Plenty could go wrong and it does.

Ashley, Lauren and Natalie have been friends for years. They have shared milestones with each other and have always been there for one another. Except lately their relationships have been strained. Ashley and Natalie have created a very successful company and the stress of working close together is taking it's toll. Lauren has drifted away from the girls after the death of her husband Geoff which she blames on Ashley. So Ashley suggests a girls trip to Mexico to reconnect with her two BFF's.

After a drunken night of partying the girls wake up to Ashley missing. Did she leave on her own to escape her strained marriage or did she meet a more sinister fate? The thing is, there are several key suspects, including her closest friends.

I found this to be a really enjoyable, easy read. In fact I had to go to work today with a major book hangover after staying up until 3 am reading this. I just had to find out what happened to Ashley. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. The story really touched on friendships and how the dynamics can be tricky, especially with a group of three girls.

Don't forgot to read the acknowledgment page. I was impressed by the amount of research that the authors did for the book. They actually visited the area in Mexico and visited places that they wrote about. It also touched on their friendship and the process of writing this book.

Does what happens in Mexico stay in Mexico? Find out by reading Girls' Night Out! 4 fab stars from me!
Thank you so much to Liz Fenton, Lisa Steinke, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. I really was excited to be given the opportunity to read this book!

This is one of the most anticipated thrillers I've been waiting for. Great storyline for the fans of Riley Sager's "The Last Time I lied." I loved the pace of it, and the narration had a natural feeling of "fear" in it.

A girls’ trip to Mexico fails to save a fraying friendship between three women who harbor more resentment than affection for each other.

In a last-ditch effort to save their friendship, estranged girlfriends Ashley, Natalie and Lauren fly to Tulum, Mexico for a girls’ getaway. They hope that with margaritas in hand and beautiful beach vistas, they can mend what’s been broken once and for all. But even as the trip begins, we discover they are each there for different reasons, each hiding secrets and grievances which fuel the growing tension and animosity.

As tempers flare and past hurt resurfaces, it becomes clear what they once before had can never be recovered. Their last night together morphs into a blur of hostility and heavy drinking, and when they wake the next morning, one of them is missing.

Trouble is, Lauren and Natalie can’t piece together what happened that night to help find Ashley—wife and mother to two girls.

Through alternating chapters of then (beginning of the trip) and now (post disappearance), we discover what really happened, what each is really hiding, and what really happened to this spirited mother of two.

Fenton and Steinke (authors of THE GOOD WIDOW), deftly explore the intricacies of friendship—just how knotted and frayed those threads can get through the years. Thrumming with tension and laced with shifting suspicions, the story takes unexpected turns that keep you fully absorbed until the shocking end. No doubt about it, this trouble in paradise will keep you rapt.

I really enjoyed this book. It took me a little bit to get into but once I got into it, it was AMAZING! Super intriguing and always left me wondering what happens next

I started out thinking that this was going to be a lot of fun with a good thriller, but it was ultimately really disappointing. There were some storytelling components that were pretty undeveloped (like the friend named Annie who only existed to be a soothing voice on the phone) and the gullibility of everyone when it came to trusting the mysterious guy with no plausible story.

For estranged friends Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren, it’s time to heal the old wounds between them. Where better to repair those severed ties than on a girls’ getaway to the beautiful paradise of Tulum, Mexico? But even after they’re reunited, no one is being completely honest about the past or the secrets they’re hiding. When Ashley disappears on their girls’ night out, Natalie and Lauren have to try to piece together their hazy memories to figure out what could have happened to her, while also reconciling their feelings of guilt over their last moments together. This gripping story shares the story of friendship and the cracks that form over time... and sometimes those cracks are so deep there is no mending them. I enjoyed this book and thought the premise was great. I loved the alternating POV and how the story was told about the event. It really kept me turning the page & trying to piece everything together. I think the ending just sort of... ended. I wish it had wrapped everything up a bit more. Like what happened to Marco and Natalie after Ashley slipped? Why did Marco end up running away? What happened after that?!

Ashley, Lauren, and Natalie were once great friends. Now they aren't as close, but decide to take a vacation to Mexico. When they do, Ashley disappears.

From the description, I expected a psychological thriller, but it's more of a action/intrigue read. However, the pacing isn't as fast as is needs to be for that kind of thriller. As a result, Girls' Night Out, though not a long novel, feels like it takes too long to reach its destination.

Tldr: A suspense novel that's largely suspenseless

Loved it! These authors are new to me, but I will now be looking for more books by them in the future. Loved the connections between the characters. Highly recommend!

I read this story with much anticipation, hoping to see myself and my friends’ relationships within. I did not. The premise is a good one, very relatable, but much of the dialogue didn’t ring true for me. Too much exposition? Not sure. At times it was difficult for me to press on through the story, especially the first half. These are not real likable people, not horrible, just not people you would like or want as friends. They seem like your typical average white girls with privilege who complain about petty grievances unresolved that have mushroomed over the years. I would just expect more maturity and clarity between friends by this time.
Ironically, this was written by two women, two friends, two authors, so they had to fight thrust issues as well.
The story cartwheels to the ending, the mystery of the friend who has disappeared and what has happened. There is quiet desperation all around the characters involved. Still so many questions as they near the end of the visit to Mexico.
I have a sense that this should have been a quicker read than it was, like downing tequila shots, and I wish it has been for me. I just found the beginning so plodding, hard to push through and regroup satisfactorily.

I had heard a lot of good reviews and saw a lot of great press before I had read this book. I am so glad I picked it up! This was my first read by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. I will definitely be picking up anything they write in the future! This would be a great book for the beach. It is written in each of the main characters point of view. So each chapter changes from character to character and bounces from present time to the past and vice versa. I loved the story line and the way the story weaved throughout the book. I think women will especially like this book and the way the relationships are portrayed between these best friends/ business partners. The setting is beautifully portrayed. It definitely made me want to visit Mexico with my friends! I felt like Marco was bad news from the beginning but what a story he weaved! Overall, this book had everything I like in a book; suspense, friendship, and a little naughty romance. I would definitely recommend to others! Special thanks to NetGalley and
Lake Union Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my opinion. Oh, and the last Chapter......WOW!!
#GirlsNightOut #NetGalley

Girls’ Night Out was a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Natalie, Lauren, and Ashely have been friends since college, their relationship has had some issues and they have drifted apart.

The three women go on a trip to Mexico hoping to reconnect and make their friendship strong once more. The three women go out on the town and something happens...Ashely doesn’t return and Natalie wakes up with no memory of what occurred the night before. The police suspect foul play....does Natalie really not remember what happened to her friend, Ashley?

“There was something both eerie and beautiful about this place- as if it could save you and break you depending on what you wanted from it.”

I never really connected with any of the characters. I didn’t care what happened in Girls’ Night Out until about 60% where I finally gained interest and wanted to know what happened. I think if you had a good chunk of time to devote to getting through the first half you would enjoy the book more. It took me a week to read because I couldn’t find the desire to revisit but once I got through the first half I finished it up in a day.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an electronic advanced copy of Girls’ Night Out in exchange for my honest review.

I almost didn't finish this book. The first third of the book had me absolutely hating these three women. The were immature, self centered, annoying.....how could anyone be friends with them? But I plugged along and let the story unfold. I really liked the story. Still hated the women. They made friendship seem so hard. Real friendship shouldn't be so difficult. But it was all summed up in the achknowledgments at the very end.....be kind, be understanding, and above all, never hesitate to apologize to someone. So in the end, I did enjoy this book and many thanks to Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read it.

A girls’ getaway to a resort in paradise… it seems like the perfect setting for Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren to reconcile and heal the wounds of their past. But it won’t be as easy as they hoped. In a group of three, someone is always the odd man out. And when Ashley, the magnetic center of the friends’ orbit, disappears under mysterious circumstances, Natalie and Lauren are left to try to figure out what happened.
Natalie’s relationship with Ashley is complex. As business partners, they have to juggle their strong friendship with what’s best for their company. Natalie is the brains behind their bestselling beauty product, but Ashley is the drive behind their success. When a buyout offer from Revlon comes, Natalie sees it as the perfect way to relieve the stress she’s been under and help her family. But Ashley is determined not to sell.
Lauren has always been jealous of Ashley and Natalie’s closeness. She and Ashley had a falling-out after Lauren’s husband died suddenly. Natalie followed Ashley’s lead and kept Lauren at a distance. Ashley wants to put the past behind them, but Lauren is having trouble letting go.
This getaway to Tulum, Mexico was supposed to be the perfect way for the friends to reconnect. Instead, old tensions flare -- and when Ashley goes missing, Lauren and Natalie don’t know who to suspect. Could it be the mysterious man Ashley latched on it in Mexico? Did a fight between friends go to far? Or did Ashley just walk away and leave her problems behind?
This thrilling mystery seems like a sizzling beach read, but it tackles deep and heavy issues: how friendships weather time and conflict, who we hang on to when our world shifts, and setting boundaries and dealing with the fallout. With all these rich areas to explore, this would be a great book club pick.

I wanted to like this book more. I couldn’t believe how deceptive and nasty these alleged friends were to each other. If anything, I learned to air your greviances and make amends with your friends so you are able to move on.

Girls Night Out by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke was such a haunting, moving story about friendship, love, life, and what happens when you put those things to the test. At first getting into the story was a little difficult because you are questioning so many things and wondering what had happened to each of them before going on vacation. The storyline is a little choppy at times jumping from present to past to future between three different girls. But the further you read the more that is revealed and what you are left with is a moving story. A story that has you questioning what is truth and what is a lie. The book truly had me guessing up until the very end. Every twist and turn that is revealed in this book makes your thoughts go a completely different direction. I enjoyed the book but the ending was a little sad and the authors took the story in a way I didn’t see coming. A way that was a little disturbing to me. While it was a great book to read, and a quick read at that, I think one should know that it is not a “happily-ever after” type of ending. The only complaint I have with this book is that they left you wondering about Marco. (Well at least me) I feel they should have had one more chapter sharing his side and thoughts on everything and maybe telling how he moved on afterwards. Besides that little complaint it was a great read. It was also packed with history about the Mayans which was very interesting.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

“The saddest thing about betrayal is that is never comes from your enemies.”

Solid 4*

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read Girls Night Out!
I couldn’t put this one down. I loved the different POV’s and the way it all unfolded, the twists and turns, the secrets, the friendships, the suspense.

This book kept me guessing until the end. With so many twists and turns, exactly what happened that night was a mystery until the last page.

I received an advanced copy from Lake Union Publishing. Suspenseful and dramatic is how I would describe Fenton and Stenke’s latest book Girls Night Out. The story is about friendship, conflict and secrets and what happens when three long time besties decide to take a trip to Mexico to patch up the holes in their relationship with one another. What starts off as hopeful and promising, soon becomes hurtful and tragic.

This was a slower paced mystery that took its time to develop the highs and lows of friendship. The heart of the plot focused on insecurities, jealousies and how longtime friendships can sour over time. The reader is taken on a psychological journey of the demise and breakdown of one woman’s psyche as her two best friends turn against her. The authors use a 3rd person narrative told from the alternating perspectives of the three main characters Ashley, Natalie and Lauren.

For what the story lacked in depth, it made up in intrigue as the plot developed. I found myself highly curious as to what happened to Ashley and ultimately how it would end. Personally, I thought it could have been edited more as there was a little too much repetitive dialogue for my tastes. I was also hoping for a stronger connection with each of the characters. Some of the dialogue and situations felt inauthentic at times.

Overall an entertaining read and that kept my interest. Great book for the beach!

A special thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For estranged friends Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren, it’s time to heal the old wounds between them. Where better to repair those severed ties than on a girls’ getaway to the beautiful paradise of Tulum, Mexico? But even after they’re reunited, no one is being completely honest about the past or the secrets they’re hiding. When Ashley disappears on their girls’ night out, Natalie and Lauren have to try to piece together their hazy memories to figure out what could have happened to her, while also reconciling their feelings of guilt over their last moments together.

Was Ashley with the man she’d met only days before? Did she pack up and leave? Was she kidnapped? Or worse—could Natalie or Lauren have snapped under the weight of her own lies?

As the clock ticks, hour by hour, Natalie and Lauren’s search rushes headlong into growing suspicion and dread. Maybe their secrets run deeper and more dangerous than one of them is willing—or too afraid—to admit.

Liz and Lisa, what a ride! This book was fantastic! The writing is layered, dynamic, and oh so clever. The character depictions are detailed and fierce and I was completely captivated by the timelines and narratives.

What Fenton and Steinke do best is conversation. Did you not feel like you were on this trip too? Beyond the story are deeper themes of secrets, complicated relationships (at what point is a friendship obligatory?) and mystery. The brilliant aspect of this book is the juxtaposition of complex friendships against a frantic search for a loved one. Female relationships are complex, but three is never an ideal number and this ratchets the tension even further. I would highly recommend this book.