I haven’t read any of Rijks previous titles but I’m so glad I have now! The Arrangement had it all – intriguing story line, strong characters, twists, turns and trauma.
When 21 year old Abi is murdered in Cape Town her family back in the UK are devastated – no life should be cut short so young, especially in such brutal circumstances. As her mother, Grace, tries to come to terms with the devastating loss she begins to unravel shocking truths about Abi’s lifestyle which lead to a series of tragic events, leaving Grace unsure about who can trust.
I’d recommend this title to anyone looking for a fast paced thriller with twists and turns. I was given a free copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book explores the concept of the truth and how some secrets are better left untold. I liked the premise of a grief stricken relative desperately searching for the truth about their dead loved one while all the time cringing in anticipation of what would be found. out.

Lots of twists to keep you reading but not so many as to be frustrating.

I struggled a bit with the setting but the characters were well developed and that balanced things for me.

# The Arrangement #Netgalley
Overwhelmed with grief, Grace tried to make some kind of sense to her daughters death she was murders while Supposedly meeting up with friends in Capr Town. Grace can not understand who would want to murder her daughter. Grace is desperate to find the answers Abi went away to university in England . She tracks down some grinds of Abi but Abi had a secret and someone is trying to stop grace from finding out grace is confused and wonders how Abi could affort such a extravagant lifestyle expensive cloths jewellery. Grace is determined to find out. It’s opens up some old wounds of Grace's. It’s the first book I have read of this author and honestly I can not say I liked the book at the same time I can’t say I disliked it. Either. It’s more a middle range book nothing that special but I have read much worse . It was a little to predictable what Abi was up too before she goes to Cape Town South Africa. As soon as I saw her wadrop with all the extravagant it was Farley obvious. In general it didn’t make a lasting impression on me. Although I will say I will definitely read a couple more books by this author. I may have readnnñ

The Arrangement is an action-packed, fast-moving and suspenseful read. A young girl, Abi, is found stabbed on a Cape Town beach where she’s holidaying from the UK. A local druggie is arrested and charged with her murder, but Abi’s mother, Grace, is convinced there’s more to the murder when a whole lot of things start making no sense. For a start, Abi told her mum she was travelling to South Africa to meet friends. But the friends knew nothing of the arrangement, and weren’t anywhere near Cape Town. Then Abi’s mum finds out her daughter belonged to a sleazy web site, and had been feeding her a string of lies. Grace is by no means perfect and old addictions come back to haunt her as she sets off to discover the truth about what happened to Abi. Gathering unlikely allies along the way, she gradually uncovers more of Abi’s secret life, supported by her two closest friends. Her quest is not without danger, however, as someone threatens her as she starts to unearth the truth, putting her in mortal danger. At the same time, the rest of Grace’s life also starts to fall apart as the drink takes hold. I raced through this book with its twists and turns, keen to see how it all panned out. A great mix of suspense, heartbreak, mystery and deceit!

I have read a couple of Miranda's books now and I really enjoyed them. I read the synopsis for 'The Arrangement' and it certainly sounded as though it was going to be another cracking read from Miranda Rijks. Well I was spot on because I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Arrangement' but more about that in a bit.

I can't ay that I really warmed to any of the characters but that's ok because it meant that I wouldn't be favouring one character over the other. Each of the characters seemed to be hiding something or they were evasive or they got on my nerves. One of the main characters called 'Grace' is the mother of the young lass called Abi. Abi is sadly killed whilst in South Africa although the circumstances surrounding her death are still a bit uncertain. Grace takes Abi's death badly and she carries out her own little investigation. Grace needs to know the truth but at the same time, she discovers that her daughter Abi is a different person to the Abi that her friends knew. Grace has had her own problems over the years including an addiction to alcohol. Abi's murder threatens to derail Grace's recovery. What does Grace discover about the circumstances of her daughter's death? Is there a twist in the tale? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are ust going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.

It didn't take me long at all to get into this story. In fact by the end of the first couple of pages I just knew that I would find it hard to be parted from the book for any length of time. That was exactly what happened too. The storyline of Abi's death certainly intrigued me and I had to keep reading to find out what happened. The pages turned quickly as I worked my way through the story. I wasn't able to read the book over the course of a single day because boring things like life got in the way but I did manage to read the book over the course of a couple of days.

'The Arrangement' is well written. I love the way in which the author has created a tight plot with more twists and turns than you would find on a 'Snakes & Ladders' board. The author certainly grabbed my attention from the start and drew me into the story. Once Miranda had my attention she didn't let me have it back until the moment I read the last word on the last page. I loved the fact that a little part of the story was set in the beautiful city of Durham, which is not too far away from me. I was gripped by the story from start to finish and on the edge of my seat for most of the story.

In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Arrangement' and I would recommend it to other readers. It's a slower pace sort of read but that works in the book's favour. I will certainly be reading more of Miranda's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Miranda Rijks is a go-to author for me and she never disappoints! Each of her novels are darker than the prose suggests and the characters are always interesting whether you support them or not. Grace is grieving the murder of her daughter Abi,, on vacation. With this news, Grace is determined to find out the truth and discovers her daughter has been living a different life unknown to her mother, until now. Grace is willing to go to any length and each new discovery eats at her and may destroy her.

This was my third book by Miranda Rijks and I'm sorry to say I'm disappointed. It started ok, with Grace completely shattered hearing about her daughter's dead, and wanting to find the truth. I even felt for her when she discovered Abi was not the innocent young woman she thought she was. I finished the book but the end was very disappointing. I really can't understand why, in the epilogue, people say what they are saying about Abi. I don't want to write a review with a big spoiler; my disappointment is my own an other people may think otherwise. Were it not for the ending, I would have given the book three stars. Yes, despite the flaws in the writing and characterization - I just hope next time the author will put more depth in the story and the characters.

Thanks to Netgalley for this digital review copy.

This is probably all you need to know about this book--I finished it last night in bed. When I sat down to write this review this afternoon, I literally could not remember what the book was about.

The Arrangement offered nothing new. There have been many stories in the past couple years about sugar babies and their daddies, all of which were better researched than this offering. The relationships felt superficial, the dialogue stiff, and I quickly became incredibly irritated with our protagonist, Grace.

I've never been a fan of characters who recklessly drink and do drugs to blot out their horrible lives. I find them irksome because the story ultimately devolves into their struggles and drunken jabbering. This book was no different.

I suspected a version of the twist ending very early on, but the conclusion ultimately felt rushed and over the top.

Overall, I probably wouldn't recommend this book to others. I do, however, suggest you read some positive reviews, as they're plentiful.

Available August 30th.

**My sincere appreciation to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for my review copy.

I was immediately drawn to this book by the ambigious title and the mysterious character pictured on the front cover. This is an author that was new to me, but it is definitely an author I would read again based on this book!

It tells the story of Grace, whose daughter Abi is brutally murdered in Cape Town, South Africa. Grace is on the hunt to find Abi’s killer after she begins to believe that the South African police haven’t investigated fully. Could it be linked to Abi’s involvement with sugar daddies? Or is the answer a little closer to home?

There was so much suspense and drama in this book, from the first page to the last and it really carried the book and kept me hooked. There were a number of twists and a conclusion that I didn’t see coming.

None of the characters were very likeable, but their actions often added to the drama with elements of betrayal, arson and alcoholism to name but a few!

This is a jampacked thriller with lots of killer twists that I have thoroughly enjoyed!

The murder of Abi, Grace’s daughter devastates her family. Soon Grace discovers that her daughter may not have been as truthful to her as she had once thought and finds that she had a secret life whilst away at uni - she was a sugar-baby. Could one of her sugar daddies murdered her?

Slow in some places however does not disappoint with many twists and turns and really did keep me guessing right to the very end!

An excellent thriller about a mother’s pain and regret does not disappoint. The depiction of the characters is spot on. Highly recommended!

This book had me reading well into the early hours. With colourful characters, any number of whom were potential suspects, the actual guilty party was somewhat of a surprise.. There were plenty of clues, along with enough red herrings to lead you in several different directions. Fast paced, a great plot and full of suspense until the closing paragraphs, I would highly recommend this novel. I would like to thank Netgalley and Inkubator Books for the opportunity of reading this ARC.

Thank you @NetGalley, @Miranda Rijks and @InkubatorBooks for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review! ⁣

Grace is living her worst nightmare, her daughter, Abi went for a trip to Cape Town and she is now dead. Grace is a divorced recovering alcoholic. She lives with her daughter Ella. He ex-husband Bob lives with his new family.

Grace can't cope with the loss and she is on the edge of a complete breakdown. She is battling with her need for alcohol and the needs of her surviving daughter. She starts investigating the death of Abi and she uncovers the double life she was living.

She cleans out Abi's room and she finds designer clothes and expensive things. How did Abi afford all this? When she opens Abi's laptop, she finds out that Abi was a sugar baby in a website. Grace is now convinced that her daughter died because of this.

The more closer she gets to the truth, more dangerous her life becomes. Will she get to to the truth or will she perish before that? Read to find out.

I found a the book a bit too long. If the story was more concised, it would have been much better. The chapters were alternating between Grace and Abi's blog which I loved. But the some of narration was too disorganised and unnecessary. The ending was mostly predictable for me except for a few parts. But it was overall a good thriler. Defenitely worth the time.

-Afreen (Inscribed Inklings)

Read it / Skip it- My verdict- READ

I was extremely disappointed in this book since her previous books I have read and really enjoyed.

Thank you for an ARC of The Arrangement in exchange for my honest review.

Fantastic book to read. I loved this book right from the off. It had a great plot. One that played out totally different to how I thought it would. It was fast paced very well written. My heart went out to Grace bring in such a predicament. Everything just seemed to go from bad to worse, is that even possible?

Grace is told that her daughter has met with tragedy while on holiday. Grace's life spirals out of control as she tries to come to terms with grief and despair and seeking the truth about her daughters demise.
This is a tale of friendships, dark relationships,, clandestine arrangements, and a mothers love

Trigger warning for alcohol abuse/alcoholism.

Likes: the premise (how well do you know your daughter - or anyone else - really?), sugar baby/daddy relationships (lots of young women are doing this in 2020), lots of characters with history.

Dislikes: Characters were pretty flat overall, and even though there were literally DECADES of history, their interactions still felt superficial. I also disliked some of the opinions towards Abi after her use of the sugar baby website comes out - again, lots of young women are doing these things and it just felt like a needless addition to the story to make comments about her.

I received this book for an honest review. This was a very good book. I was crying and feeling emotions with the main character in this book. Felt like I was there and wanted to help her. I could not put it down once I started reading it. This is a must read! I will definitely recommend this book!!

About a year or so ago, I read a book about a murder connected to the sugar lifestyle. The author (and I wish I could remember the name of the book) really did her research into the lifestyle, including spending a lot of time on the Sugar Life sub on Reddit just reading the posts of all the sugar babies and daddies, learning the scams, and learning the dangers. After reading the book, I went to that sub and lurked and learned…more than I ever wanted to know. It’s kind of a sad place, full of mostly unattractive men and naïve college girls pretending to like them in exchange for money. Oh, and yes…it’s sex work (which is fine), but they lie to themselves that it isn’t.

The author of The Arrangement…didn’t do all that research. I do think maybe she wanted some TikTok and YouTube videos about the lifestyle, though.

But, hey, most people probably are reading the book more for the drama, the sleaze, and the entertainment value. (But a quick note to those who are reading this and think being a sugar baby sounds great, platonic is a lie and, as I read on that sub once, no sugar no money. It’s about sex.)

In our not at all realistic story, we have a girl who finds magical sugar daddies who just want to throw money at young girls without having sex with them…and even so, a young life ends in tragedy. The girl’s mother, who has her own problems, goes (not really so deep but she thinks so) into the sugar baby lifestyle.

It should be exciting. You have murder, betrayal, mental health issues, police investigations, boredom. Wait…boredom?

Yeah, sorry. The writing style is kind of messy, our main character is one-dimensional, and our villain is all too obvious.

I did finish the book, but I was disappointed in the author’s style and in how the whole story played out.

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

I have read a few books from Miranda and enjoyed them all and this was no exception.

It was easy reading, I got into the story line from the very first page which is a must for me and it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.

Overall this is a brilliantly addictive page turner which I can highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkubator Books for giving me the opportunity to read this fantastic book.