Did I Say You Could Go by Melanie Gideon #tenthbookof2021 #arc Thank you to #NetGalley and #SimonandSchuster for the advance reader copy. (Pub date 8/3/21) **Content warning: emotional/verbal/physical abuse, suicide attempt.
Okay, let me just say how glad I am that social media didn’t exist when I was in school. It was hard enough back then to be a teenager, and I can’t imagine dealing with the extra layer of always being available to others and the constant pressure kids (and adults) are under now to maintain an image. Also, I genuinely detested characters in this book, which made for an interesting read. I read this in a few hours and now I need a palate cleanser of puppies and babies. Overall, an interesting story that shows the societal pressure people are under and the lengths they’ll go to in order to maintain images and relationships. #didisayoucouldgo

What a book!

Loved the way the characters were written even though they were so unlikeable
I think I read this books under 5 hours or so. I wanted to find out what as going on and I was glued to it until the end.

Thank you to the publisher and netgally.

n interesting tale of friendship, betrayal, abuse, and obsession.

**This has some trigger warnings in it for those fighting eating disorders, as well as teen suicide.**

“When Ruth, a wealthy divorcee, offers to host the Hillside Academy kindergarten meet-and-greet, she hopes this will be a fresh start for her and her introverted daughter, Marley. Finally, they’ll be accepted into a tribe. Marley will make friends and Ruth will be welcomed by the mothers. Instead, the parents are turned off by Ruth’s ostentatious wealth and before kindergarten even begins, Ruth and Marley are outcasts.

The last guest to arrive at the meet-and-greet is Gemma, a widow and a single mother to her daughter, Bee. Ruth sets her sights on the mother-daughter duo, and soon the two families are inseparable. Ruth takes Gemma and Bee on Aspen vacations, offers VIP passes to Cirque de Soleil, and pays for dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants. For Gemma, who lives paycheck to paycheck, Ruth’s largesse is seductive, but as the years go by, she can’t shake the feeling that she’s accruing an increasingly unpayable debt. When Ruth’s affair with a married Hillside dad is exposed, and she’s publicly shunned, Gemma uses it to sever ties with Ruth.

Six years later, when Gemma finds herself embroiled in a scandal of her own—Ruth comes to her defense. Their renewed friendship rehabilitates their reputations, but once again, Gemma starts to feel trapped as Ruth grows more and more obsessed with their relationship.

A relentless page-turner, Did I Say You Could Go is the story of friendships steeped in lies and duplicity. It’s about two families, when pushed to extremes, cross the line with devastating results.”

To be honest, at first, I thought this was going to be a DNF for me, but then I hit a point where I just had to finish to see if I was right about the big twist, which I guessed fairly early on.

It’s an interesting book, but it takes a while to get into, and I’m not sure what genre this even falls in. Part suspense, part general fiction, part YA- it’s an odd sense that I feel like I can’t pin down what to call this, but it’s a wild, tangled tale that is sure to make people question their friendships, their relationships, and their family members.

This was a three star read.

**I’m very thankful to Simon & Schuster, as well as NetGalley, for the free eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.**

Disclaimer: this book contains themes of eating disorders and suicide

Let me start with saying that I DEVOURED this book. I couldn't stop myself and was so intrigued by these characters.

Ruth is a master manipulator who also has a bit of a savior complex. She uses her wealth to make others feel like they owe her something. She's obsessed with her daughter's, Marley, image. Marley is shy, quiet, and bigger in size than her mother wants. Their relationship is volatile. Ruth is controlling of Marley and Marley feels like she owes her mother. Marley is an insecure outsider and doesn't fit in with the popular crowd in school. She has no friends; only her mother.

On the other hand, there's Gemma and Bee. Gemma's husband died when Bee was very young. They have loving mother-daughter relationship and Gemma is Bee's biggest fan. Queen Bee is the opposite of Marley. She's popular, has a lot of friends, and even finds a boyfriend.

Gemma and Ruth met when their daughters were in kindergarten. Gemma and Bee were outsiders and didn't have the lavish means that Ruth did. They became the best of friends. After scandal strikes and Ruth is found out to have had an affair with a married man, she becomes the pariah of the community. Everyone cuts her off, even Gemma.

Fast forward to the girls being in high school, scandal strikes again. This time, the scandal is surrounding Gemma. Ruth comes to the rescue and fixes everything. But as Ruth re-enters Gemma's life, Gemma is reminded of how much she owes to Ruth.

The author does a wonderful job telling the story through the four different perspectives. This isn't easily done and the characters have their own voices. The twist in the ending left me shocked. I'm still not over it.

I loved how interesting this book was and I really loved it, I would definitely give it a 4/5 stars.

Did I Say You Could Go by Melanie Gideon was so riveting that an entire two hours passed before I could put the book down. Against the familiar background of American suburbia, Gideon writes with tongue-in-cheek wit, threading in multidimensional characters with dialogue that literally leaps off the page. It is an exhilarating slow burner that creeps up on you when you least expect it, exploring what it means to be accepted or rejected by closed off communities by effectively plumbing the depths of relationships, jealousy, and much, much more.

Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a free E-ARC in exchange for a honest review. This was a fast paced and entertaining read that I’d recommend for a weekend read or to take on vacation. The chapters are short and each chapter is told from 4 different perspectives: The moms and their daughters. The toxic relationship between Ruth and Gemma was well developed. I found this book a bit predictable and I wasn’t overly shocked by the ‘twists’ in this book. However, I still enjoyed this book and would recommend if you’re looking for a quick read.
🌟🌟🌟/5

This book gave me whiplash! But like, in a good way. I read a ton of psychological thrillers, so I’m very rarely surprised. Of course there were a few things I still saw coming, but a couple twists totally shocked me! I loved that this book had such a unique premise. A lot of suspense books have similar story lines, so this was a refreshing read. Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!

Melanie Gideon is a superb writer and storyteller and this novel will keep you engrossed in the story of two single mothers and their daughters who became fast fasts when they meet at a kindergarten party held at Ruth’s home after Gemma enrolls her daughter. At first, the women view each other as outsiders, Ruth a rich socialite, often scorned for her excesses by the other mothers and Gemma, often scored for being poor and a free spirit. The two women, and their daughters Bee and Marley spend a decade in a relationship sometimes resembling true friendship but often toxic and cruel. Classified as a domestic noir, there is an uneasiness running through the story, the narrative often tense and foreboding as we watch lives affected by class, poverty, sexism, jealously, abuse and possessiveness change and become hardened and resentful. Add school peer pressure and social media into this mix and we know we are heading into unforeseen territory for these four female narrators. Extreme cruelty that makes you gasp, loving gestures that warm your soul and a story that stays in your head.

Oh my. What the heck just happened? Hold on and prepare yourself for a tumultuous ride. This novel is a mixture of Big Little Lies meets Mommy Dearest. Start this one early, for you’ll be reading late into the night.

Such a wild ride. Kept me guessing till the end.
Enjoyable. Check it out on release day. I think people will enjoy this. Gonna tell my fellow book reader about this one. Thank you for letting me read it early

Wow! This book is set to be a hit. Twists and turns galore with complex, fascinating characters. I can’t recommend this book enough. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

This was one of the twistiest thrillers I have ever read and I'm here for it.

Did I Say You Could Go was a book I truly couldn't put down, which means it truly deserves a 5-star rating in my books. It's a psychological/domestic suspense novel about Ruth and Gemma, two mothers and frenemies who find themselves in a vicious cycle of obsession and betrayal set amidst wealth and scandals. I went into this book knowing little about its plot, and I would recommend other readers to do the same for the maximum wow effect.

This book deserves attention not only for its absolutely crazy and thrilling plot, but also the exploration of class, status, popularity, motherhood, friendship and how "owing" someone can turn dangerous.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Characters that you love to hate, twists you don’t see coming, and a wtf ending are all my favorite things when it comes to a psychological thriller and this one fit the bill. With friends like these who needs enemies type of book, this one had me hooked from the start.

A story told through four different perspectives: two single mothers Gemma and Ruth and their daughters Bee and Marley.

If you’re looking for a book that will suck you in and yearning to flip through every page to find out how it all ends, this book is it. Get cozy and lost in a world of toxic friendships, mother/daughter relationship drama, lies, deception, and manipulation. Buckle up and get ready for a bumpy ride. :)

Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A great thriller with many twists and turns. One of those “couldn’t put it down” books. Looking forward to what this author comes up with in the future!

Did I Say You Could Go by Melanie Gideon (On Sale August 3, 2021) kept me reading into the night. Ruth and Gemma meet as their daughters begin Kindergarten. Both women are the only single mothers there. They form an all-encompassing friendship. A scandal pulls them apart to Ruth's dismay but another will bring them back together. Someone will do what it takes to keep the friendship alive at all costs.

This book is filled with twists, manipulations, and great storytelling. I highly recommend it.

Thank you Netgally and Simon and Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

You know how they say keep your friends close but your enemies closer. Well this is one of those types of stories, Ruth and Gamma have that kind of relationship. They are frenemies, they have a very twisted relationship. Now this story has more twists than tornado alley in tornado season!
Ruth and Gamma had a falling out when but when Gamma is involved in an academic scandal at her testing center. Now this scandal brings the two frienemies together but his relationship suffocates Gemma and she is looking for an out! Beginning to think that she has found the perfect out to leave the friendship with Ruth  when Ruth starts an affair with a married man. However this is not the case Ruth is not willing to let Gemma end the friendship that easily!
I loved this book, it kept my interest and at points kept me turning the pages as fast as i could read! I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves twisted thrillers! Thank you Netgally and Simon and Schuster for the ARC and the opportunity to read this one!

I....didn’t love this book. Actually, I didn’t like it all that much either when it comes down to it.

I was intoxicated and intrigued by the synopsis, thinking this book sounded right up my alley, with all the right ingredients needed to make an alluring, unputdownable read. and while it was all of that, with said ingredients, I was unfortunately neither allured, intoxicated, or intrigued. The writing was good, which is why I gave it one more star than I originally intended to, but writing aside, I didn’t enjoy my reading experience.

While this was an excellent book, one that I think many readers will enjoy even though I didn’t, on the study of toxic relationships in different forms, and the way in which abuse can mold and shape a person, there was just something that didn’t appeal or cling to me. I expected to
be gripped, on the edge of my seat, but instead I was mostly bored, and grew sick of the characters rather quickly. While I felt bad for the teenage characters in the story, and sympathized with them, I didn’t love or like any of the characters in this story, toxic traits and all.

But as stated earlier, I do feel that the author is a strong writer, and definitely has the ability to craft an intriguing, compelling story. That wasn’t that story, but I would still pick up another book from the author in the future.

This just wasn’t for me.

Ruth and Gemma become fast friends when their daughters are in kindergarten together, even though they're almost complete opposites. Each is a single mother in a community where that isn't very common, though, so that binds them together. Ruth invites Gemma and her daughter, Bee into her life, and she treats them to lavish vacations, fancy dinners out, and VIP passes to shows. Over the years, Gemma feels more and more uncomfortable with their situation,and when Ruth has an affair with a married father, Gemma cuts ties with her. However, when Gemma becomes involved in a scandal of her own a few years later, Ruth comes to her defense. While their daughters' relationship cools over the years, the mothers' relationship deepens, until Gemma starts feeling suffocated by Ruth. This was a page-turner with several great twists. Each of the main characters was interesting, and the author did a good job of keeping the reader in suspense. Even up to the last page I wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen. Thank-you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC of this terrific book.

Two mothers, two daughters, one terrible agenda. Ruth and Gemma and their daughters have bonded since kindergarten. One desperate to fit in , the other desparate period. Ruth through her money controls Gemma in ways she doesn’t see coming. Marley and Bee ,the daughters barely control their lives at school, and grow miles apart from one another . One becomes very popular and the other can only watch from afar. A world of cliques and mommy blogs explode with a disastrous results. Here is a read for anyone looking for a good time. It was a fascinating study in need and manipulation