I was hooked from the first chapter. It had sex, obsession, envy , revenge. It was a great thriller. The title suited the storyline. It was engaging and had lots of suspense. It was a fast read for me simply because I didnt want to put it down. I actually disliked the main character but it didnt change the way I felt about the book.

Natalie is a student who is doing it tough. She has no money and rent is over-due, uni fees are looming and she has hit rock bottom. A friend introduces her to the world of Sugar Daddies and she thinks it could be the answer to all her financial worries.

She meets Gabe, 30 years older, good looking and with enough money to solve her problems. Natalie begins this business arrangement with good intentions of keeping it all strictly business but quickly finds herself falling for him but Gabe has secrets. He is still married to his wife and is not divorced as he had let Natalie believe.

He breaks things off with Natalie and she is devastated. She can't let him go and begins a trail of obsession and deception.

This plot sucks you in and before you know it you are up through the night reading that last chapter.

#netgalley #RobynHarding #TheArrangement

I would rate this book 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Unfortunately this thriller really just didn't end up working for me.

I really really didn't like our main character, Natalie. She is given safety advice about becoming a sugar baby about someone experienced in that world and proceeds to ignore basically all of it, which I found to be incredibly frustrating. She makes a death threat online to Cole. Why?! It serves basically no purpose except to be used against her if anything happens to him in future.

The relationship between Natalie and Gabe went from 0 to 100 really quick and felt incredibly underdeveloped without enough build up.

Basically every character decision made zero sense, the ending was incredibly predictable and on top of that the end has so much exposition to make it clear to the reader what had happened that it just felt very over the top.

Overall this one just didn't really work for me.

The Arrangement is the third novel by Canadian author, Robyn Harding. Twenty-one-year-old Visual Arts student, Natalie Murphy is in trouble: her roommates want her to pay what she owes or they’ll throw her out; the portion of her tuition fees not covered by her scholarship is due; and her bar job barely pays enough for rent, let alone food. How does her fellow student, Ava manage so well?

Ava is always well-dressed and groomed, and she seems to have money to spend. When Nat sees Ava’s Chelsea apartment, she’s intrigued. But then Ava reveals her secret: no way, Nat could never do that! Or could she?

When Nat meets Gabe Turnmill (via the Sugarbabies website), she’s surprised. He’s quite attractive (for his age), rich (of course!) and he’s really kind to her. She intends to meet for a drink, take her money and draw a line there, but by their third date, she wonders if there is more between them than this financial arrangement. When Gabe offers to make the arrangement more permanent, Nat agrees. No strings.

It seems to be working out so well: Nat understands that Gabe’s daughter and his work always come first, although she’s beginning to think he may have feelings for her, which she reciprocates. But from the prologue, the reader knows that something goes horribly wrong: someone has died and Nat has been arrested for murder.

With dual narratives from Natalie and Gabriel giving both perspectives, this is such an intriguing look into the world of Sugar Daddies and Sugar Babies! The. From the very start, few of the characters are really likeable, so what keeps the pages turning is more a fascination with how things will unravel, and how badly. Certainly, Natalie is a selfish self-centred young woman who manages to rationalise her actions to ease a guilty conscience. Does she deserve what happens to her?

Harding’s characters are believable, despite their lack of appeal, and the dialogue is natural; the plot is clever and the red herrings well-placed; if some of the details in the final resolution feel a tiny bit contrived, that can be forgiven for the excellent twist in the tail. Undeniably a page-turner.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Australia.

I really liked this page turning book. Natalie is an arts student who is sharing a very small apartment with 2 other girls, she has a part time job but is struggling to make her rent payments on time. One of her fellow students who is always well dressed and seems to be quite well off tells Nat that she has a 'sugar daddy' that pays her to be available whenever he wants and pays her well for that privilege. She says it's an arrangement, and she does not class herself as a hooker. Nat takes this on board and very quickly meets Gabe who is a wealthy lawyer and although much older than her she eventually comes to think of him as he boyfriend. He spoils her and treats her exceptionally well, but doesn't tell her that he is still married. He also has a teenage daughter who is fragile and he spends his weekends with. All is fine until Gabe's situation changes and he abruptly ends the arrangement. Nat is furious and truly believed that their arrangement would lead to a permanent situation. What follows is a story of obsession, lies, stalking and eventually murder. No spoilers here. Interesting that the author did research into this type of situation to find that sugar daddies & sugar babies actually exist!

This is the first of Robyn Harding's books that I have read and I found it fast-paced and intriguing - a great example of domestic noir - I will definitely read her other titles!!

Thank you to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for the complementary copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I love books that transport me into a completely different scene, and Harding’s foray into the world of sugar daddies and sugar babies was a real revelation for me. If you are like me, and haven’t heard of the term before: a sugar baby is a beautiful young woman, often a student, who will date a wealthy older man for a fee. It’s a bit like an escort service, only that the sugar daddy will often pay large sums of money and gifts to his sugar baby for her company. Sex is often involved, but not always. It’s needless to say that this arrangement attracts a fair share of creeps and predators, and that things can go wrong on many different levels. Google the term and you will find a spade of murders related to the whole sugar baby scene.

So when Natalie, a poor art student who has just lost her low paying job in hospitality and can no longer afford her rent in her flat share in New York, enters a sugar daddy / sugar baby arrangement with the confident and rich Gabe, I instantly feared for her. Natalie is a bit of an innocent, a girl from the country who has grown up without a father in her life, and who craves love and stability – probably not the type of girl who is suited to such an arrangement. “Pretty Woman” it is not – for Gabe to pay a princely sum for Natalie’s company, she is expected to perform certain “services” and live up to Gabe’s expectations. Most of all, she is as much a status symbol as a new car, or an expensive suit, and just as expendable when he tires of her. This is never going to end well, is it?

I will not reveal any more about the story, other than to say that it instantly had me intrigued. Harding writes well, and the story moves along at a good pace, setting the scene and building up a degree of danger as we realise what Natalie’s arrangement entails. This was the type of book that made me feel like a tourist on planet earth, because Natalie’s reality was so far removed from my own sheltered life that I often found myself gobsmacked by the things she is experiencing. I could relate to the poor student existence – hadn’t I myself lived on minute noodles in grungy shared apartments in my youth? - but the whole sugar daddy scene was totally new to me. From here, Harding spins a compelling tale that soon ends in someone’s death – the who and how you will have to find out for yourself.

Harding has obviously done her research and states in her author’s notes that she had interviewed several sugar babies prior to writing this novel to be able to give her story a solid background. This really shone through for me in believable characters that were easy to relate to. If I wanted to spark a lively debate, I would read this in a book group, as the mere term sugar baby / sugar daddy would have some of my peers’ blood boiling!

All in all, this was an intriguing, original and compelling mystery that had me glued to the pages. I would have been just as happy to leave the ending shrouded in a bit of mystery, but other readers not similarly inclined will be happy to hear that it all wrapped up nicely and all is explained in the final reveal. I now need to read the author’s other books, in particularly HER PRETTY FACE, which has been on my wish list for a long time!

If you are new to Robyn Harding's writing, it is always fast-paced and exciting and tends to favour a moral dilemma at its core. The Arrangement was no exception, and the seed is planted with one seemingly small decision (and some ever-so-slightly blurred moral edges); it then sends roots out in every direction as you cringe and witness the implications of this turning point start to tangle themselves around the lives of the characters.

This tale of the world of sugar daddies is anything but sweet. Nat is a struggling college student who enters an escort arrangement to attempt to relieve her financial burdens. It is when Nat develops real feelings for her "blesser" that the sugar bowl turns sour. This novel took me back to my years of annoying share-housing through university (ramen and cheap champagne anyone?), and worried me as a mother raising daughters in the digital age. The author interviewed real sugar babies in the research stages of writing, allowing the reader to glean authentic insight into the sugar daddy/baby relationship. There's a sprinkling of steamy scenes, and a dead body to add to the plot which will end badly for some, and for others, much much worse. 🍭🍬

Many thanks to the amazing publishers at Simon and Schuster Australia, and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. It is a privilege as always.

The cover, the title and the synopsis all appealed to me but sadly when I actually started reading, I quickly discovered this wasn’t a book for me.

The first 20% was setting up the story and to me it was overwritten. These pages could have been condensed into one or two chapters.

I didn’t connect with the characters or the storyline and after the 64% mark skimmed the rest of the book.

I’ve seen mixed reviews from 5 stars right down to the other end of the spectrum, which just shows as readers how different and diverse in our opinions we are.

A big thank you to NetGalley, the publisher Simon & Schuster (Australia). and the author Robyn Harding for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of this book.

I get why everyone is leaving fantastic reviews of this book, and it's because you don't see the ending coming. Unfortunately that's not from it being a great story though, more that there's a fair bit of "tell" instead of "show".

I was sucked in from the explosive first chapter. (Note to self to be more wary as more & more books have amazing first chapters as the publishers offer them as teasers for ebooks. They're the new blurb)

Art student Natalie calls her estranged father to bail her out from jail as she admits to murder. But who is dead? This is no Big Little Lies, and it lacks the pizzazz of The Party.

The characters are vile. Insipid Natalie is tempted into the Sugar Baby lifestyle by a friend from art school and is lured into a relationship with married corporate lawyer Gabe. A complete lack of morality ensues, but not in a juicy way where you're watching the train wreck of the characters lives and can't look away. No, It's in the tawdry dawdling way where you aren't emotionally invested in these horrible people at all and wish something would happen to them.

Then at the 70% mark, something does.
We get some plot and some grit and we finally figure out who is dead only.... we're told about it. It's all one big voiceover retelling like bad TV.

Great premise, ultimately disappointing. Lacks the mesh I was expecting from.the author.

Wow Robyn Harding - way to make me stay up way too late to finish a book! I started this in the afternoon and had to finish it so it was a late one for me...but absolutely worth it. The Arrangement has that pull that just makes you want to keep turning the page, needing to find out what is going to happen next. Oh how I loved this book and can't recommend it highly enough. When you have read just the first chapter you will understand why I could not put it down! Believe the hype in the book people - it certainly lives up to all expectations.

Natalie is an art student in New York City on a scholarship and working in a bar to try to make ends meet. But New York is a expensive city and she is struggling. Then a friend suggests that she becomes a sugar baby and herself a wealthy sugar daddy. At first she is sceptical but when her circumstances change she decides to give it a go - just for a while until she pays off her debts. And then she meets Gabe - an older, handsome and rich lawyer. Things go well and soon she finds herself falling in love with him and making an "arrangement" to be exclusive to him. Things are finally turning around for her and life is pretty good. Until quite suddenly Gabe ends their arrangement and dumps her. Nat is heartbroken and hits the drink and starts to stalk his family. What will each of them to for the other one? Hold onto your hat, you are in for a bumpy ride with this one - and I could not love it more. And how pretty is the Australian cover! Love it!

Thanks to Simon and Schuster Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

I love love LOVED this book!
First of all who hasn’t at one point or another thought life would be so much easier with a sugar daddy?

Natalie is a struggling art student, with massive school fees and not enough money for food and rent. When Natalie’s friend Ava suggests she get herself a sugar daddy; An older gentlemen who pays for the company of younger women, Natalie is horrified, there’s no way she would object herself to that. Ava assures her it’s easy money. Sugar Daddy’s pay a monthly allowance to their sugar babies, buy them expensive gifts, take them on holidays and sexual favours are completely optional. Feeling desperate Natalie decides to join only to get herself out of financial stress but there will definitely be no physical contact with any of the men, she’s certain of it. Along comes Gabe, he’s polite, charming and even pretty attractive for an older guy. What starts out as business soon turns to love for Natalie and when Gabe ends their relationship suddenly Natalie feels cheated. What is Gabe willing to do to end the relationship and what is Natalie willing to do to keep it?

The characters in this book had me up and down like a yo-yo I loved them, loathed them and wanted to grab them by the shoulders and shake them. To be honest after finishing the book I’m still not clear how I feel about them but i loved this aspect because it left me feeling like I desperately need to talk it over with someone ( so please read this book ASAP and come discuss it with me 🙏🏼)

Learning about the sugar daddy/sugar baby relationship was entertaining because we are learning about it through Natalie who is a complete skeptic at the start and her thoughts on it are quite comical and also the exact thoughts I would have too!

I really loved this book it was the perfect blend of drama, passion, murder and mystery! Highly recommend!

This book was wonderfully written and well paced. Following Natalie's life and narrative to then switching to other characters later in the book was a good way to build suspense and keep interest. I was fascinated by the sugar daddy/baby relationships and how desperation can lead to making decisions one would never normally agree to. The Arrangement revolves around themes of desperation, obsession and infatuation. A great thriller if you are looking for a quick read.

The Arrangement
By Robyn Harding

5 stars

Drama filled murder mystery.

Great plot and storyline that flows well, dragging the reader in, then hooking them until the final pages.

The characters are well developed and mostly believable. The lies and deception reflect life in modern America.

Natalie, an art student in New York City, is struggling to pay her bills when a friend makes a suggestion: Why not find a sugar daddy – a wealthy, older man who will pay her for dates, and a monthly allowance. All that’s required is to look pretty. Sexual favours are optional. Along comes Gabe, a handsome finance attorney. For while Natalie enjoys a wonderful life, until he abruptly ends things, Nat can’t let go. She begins drinking heavily and stalking Gabe and his family. When Gabe’s body is found dead, all fingers point towards Natalie.

This title has been reviewed by This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review.

#TheArrangement #NetGalley