TW: abuse, suicide, eating disorder

A quick, twisty, and thrilling read! Gideon overlays the competitiveness of adult female friendships with the complicated dynamics of high school female friendships in this book about a pair of mother-daughter duos. The unexpected twists certainly kept coming; each time I thought I'd figured out where the story was going, something new would be revealed.

Personally, I found the characters (particularly Ruth and Bee) to be a little over-the-top at times, bordering on caricatures of an obsessive suburban helicopter parent and a sassy popular teenager. I also wish Gemma had had more depth and been less naive, but I still find the story engaging regardless.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

A great twister. This story is about a woman who goes to great lengths to keep a friend, even if she has to lie to her. Some is predictable but not everything so keep your eyes open.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for a DARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. I'd read some of Ms. Gideon's previous books, and I particularly loved Wife 22. This current book caused me to lose ALL my sleep on Saturday night. Two friends, both getting something they need from the other. But what happens if that friendship tilts over to obsession? This book was so well done, alternating the narrative between the two friends, Ruth and Gemma. They initially bond over their daughters and the fact that they are a couple of the only single moms at the elite school the girls attend. Gemma struggles financially, and Ruth is able to shower her friend with things that are out of her reach. Two families, full of lies, this is a page-turner and I highly recommend this book.

Intense level of manipulation in this novel! What a great read. Melanie Gideon gives wonderful detail into each character allowing us to feel the true emotions of each age group. For example, such pop culture references of Twilight, Hello Kitty, and the need for a junk food and Netflix binge session was very relatable to that of a high schooler.

Gemma and Ruth have a loving relationship at times, but it is always for a cost. How do you value your best friend? Is it monetary value, true heart, or simply repaying a debt for an action or possession? Their relationship makes you question your own and the individuals in your life that are the same type of person and wonder what would make you break like they do at times.

Bee and Marley are a unique pair. You can imagine their childhood as one of friendship, sleepovers, and motherly love from both Gemma and Ruth, but with financial diversity in play it obviously comes at a cost. No one is perfect and no character is greater than the other, so as you watch their lives unfold in the pages of this novel you’ll see that money does not buy happiness and popularity will also be cause for ruin.

Simon is another questionable character. If it weren’t for my love of the other characters in this book, I would’ve given it 4 stars simply due to him. Yes, he’s a great father and he will do anything for his son, but the ease in which his character comes in and out of situation was not enough to keep up with Gemma and Ruth.

All in all, I loved this novel and can’t wait to read future books by this author. Great job with bouncing back and forth between characters in each chapter, it was easy to keep up with and made this book a very quick read.

This was a very good and unique thriller. I loved the setting and how it can accurately portray the gossip in towns..even among well intentioned people. The characters were well developed and the mother daughter relationships fascinating. This had quite a twist, and it will be well received by patrons who enjoy thrillers as well as those who may not be as into the typical thriller. Definitely look forward to more from this author. Thanks for the opportunity to preview this book!

TW Eating disorders, suicide, child abuse for this novel

A great, twisty women’s fiction/ suspense book that will keep you guessing, The book kept me engaged, though Ruth’s abuse of her daughter was so abhorrent at times. I have mixed feelings about that—I love characters who are flawed, but Ruth’s abuse toward Gemma regarding her relationship with food was triggering and disturbing, to the extent that it has to be mentioned. I valued the author’s portrayal of cyberbullying and the effects this can have on people. Also, the ending was great!

Did I Say You Could Go by Melanie Gideon is a dramatic thriller with a complex storyline that keeps you guessing from page one. The book opens with a dramatic scene of a woman, Ruth, following her old best friend, Gemma, around a store. This scene is interspersed with a scandal that has threatened the reputation and livelihood of a widowed single mother. You quickly are brought into the lives of an unhealthy co-dependent relationship between Gemma and Ruth and their daughters, Bee and Marley,

The book is told from four points of view, Gemma (a hands off mom who works hard), Ruth (a wealthy divorced mom who seems quite shallow and obsessive), Bee (the popular daughter of Gemma who has private struggles) and Marley (the introverted daughter of Ruth who is marginalized continuously). You are given glimpses of flashbacks of their childhood and history of their friendship via memories they share. All of the characters at times are painted as a sympathetic and you will wonder what is real and what has been manipulated.

The characters have flaws but are all seem to have redeeming characteristics.. You can not help but try to figure out who is the victim and who is at fault. Trust me though, you will be shocked when it is not at all what it seems. The superb handling of cyber bullying and respect for those with differing abilities is handled with grace by Gideon. This is a book you will want to finish in a single day, so carve out some time. For those readers who loved Wife 22, you will be equally thrilled with this gripping and fully engrossing psychological thriller.

I was provided a complimentary advance reader copy from Simon & Schuster in exchange for my honest review on Net Galley. The opinions shared in this review are my own.

Thank you, Netgalley, for this ARC. This review contains my own opinions and is unbiased.

When I requested this title from Netgalley I did not realize I had actually read and enjoyed one of the authors novels a few years ago. Both of the novels engage with social media and internet culture and contain bits of emails and instant messages in the text. Some readers might find this off-putting but I usually enjoy it. In this case it worked well for me.

The novel switched perspectives between four characters, two single moms and their daughters. I found all of the characters easy to differentiate, engaging in her own right, and interesting. Certainly these characters were not all always the most likeable, but I found them to be quite real.

I didn't really put this book down. It was an easy and engulfing read. It was a nice bit of escapism into someone else's incredibly screwed up life. It's a bit of a slow burn, but I definitely recommend it to fans of the thriller genre and definitely to fans of this author.

Quick, entertaining read. Plot had me guessing and changing my mind often as to how the story would resolve itself. I have to say I wasn’t thrilled with the ending, but still a captivating tale.

While I was reading Did I Say You Could Go, I had this constant nagging feeling of dread that I just could not shake. Ruth very clearly had issues, which were demarcated as the story went on. Ruth and Gemma's friendship was very obviously unhealthy; it was oddly codependent, especially from Ruth's side, and it just seemed wrong. Marley and Bee, on the other hand, had a very typical teenage girl friendship, but the usual cattiness was taken up a few notches early in the story. The ending had a bit of a twist that I saw coming ahead of time, but I still enjoyed reading!

This book was fun to read but the story was kind of slow. I enjoyed it enough but didn’t really Do much for me.

I received an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book more than iI did. It really felt like a time filler. None of the characters to draw you in or are especially interesting, all seem a bit flat. Just turning pages to get to the end of the story. Three stars

Ruth and Marley are alone in the word until they meet Gemma and Bee. Ruth's money and Gemma's warmth meld them into a family, a family that Ruth tries to hold unto with a death grip, but she slips up. Gemma and Bee slip away until Bee and Marley are starting high school, and Ruth finds her way back into Gemma's good graces. Now--she just needs to do everything possible to stay there--to show Gemma that she needs her.

This book starts like as a light read but ends on a dark note and will leave you wondering who the master manipulator really is while ardently hoping that both Bree and Marley are able to move forward with their lives leaving past traumas behind them.

An excellent tale of friendship and duplicity, in the beautiful setting of a school academy for the wealthy. This gorgeous environment hides bitter rivalry and frightening secrets.

This was an interesting idea but poorly executed. It was very predicable (of course it was the daughter!) and seemed poorly edited. I felt like it was supposed to be very over the top and at times bordering on satire but it never quite landed as there were some parts that didn’t fit the tone. I was honestly a little disappointed they didn’t link in the death of the husband to the story more. It seemed some obvious.

Best friends or worst enemies? When does love and friendship border on obsession? These are the question that readers are left to ponder as they navigate their way through this novel. This book focuses on two best friends and their daughters: Ruth, a wealthy and controlling divorcee and mother to Marley, who is shy and insecure and Gemma, a hard-working widower, owner of a college preparation company and mother to Bee, who is loud, popular and fun-loving. Ruth, Gemma and their daughters met at an event hosted for kindergarten parents and had been friends ever since. Then Ruth found herself in a controversial situation causing Gemma to pull back on the friendship. Years later, Gemma finds herself in a sticky cheating scandal professionally causing Ruth to come to her defense and rekindle the friendship. Ruth once again rushes in time and time again to rescue Gemma, both emotionally and financially but are her motives purely innocent?

The book is told from alternating character perspectives – Ruth, Gemma, Marley and Bee which keeps readers attention and helps understand the perspective of each character. The author does a good job of presenting the entire character. While I did not necessarily find any of the characters likeable and often felt their behaviors were silly and unrealistic, I was able to sympathize with them at times and understand the reasons for their behavior and/or actions. The author did an admirable job of presenting these toxic relationships and how their actions are shaped by past experiences playing out years later. It keeps the reader engaged throughout the book.

The book has many twists and turns, some predictable whereas others are not. Yet, just when you think you have figured it out, the most shocking reveal comes in the final chapter (which I will not spoil). The author leaves you with the theme that revenge is a dish best served cold and the reader gets some satisfaction despite the resulting deception.

While I don’t think they are intended to be major focal points of this novel, the author did a praiseworthy job on two other themes, which while not dominant stood out. Throughout the novel there is much discussion of social media and cyberbullying and the unfortunate unintended consequences on young impressionable children. I think there is a powerful hidden message in this book – the importance of parental supervision and awareness of children’s online presence and the power social media has over children. The author did a notable job of showcasing the effects of social media, cyberbullying and depression in impressionable teenagers. The author did a commendable job in describing Tom and explaining his autistic diagnosis in positive terms. It brought to light the importance of labels and other positive ways to look at a situation which is not widely discussed in the media. Rather than feel sorry for Tom, the author leaves you feeling inspired by this amazing young man and the strides he makes in daily life.

Overall, this book was enjoyable and keeps the reader engaged. The pace moves quickly, and it is an easy read to get through despite somewhat unlikeable characters. The author captures the readers attention and keeps the readers involved in the story as they seek to unravel the dynamics between the characters. The author does a great job of giving the reader small answers at different points of the book while building the bigger plot. This book was well-thought out and suspenseful. It makes for a great beach read or vacation escape. It brings home the old saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

The type of book I read in a day! A great thriller with several twists and turns to keep you wanting more. I enjoyed the different point of views, which provided insight into the inner thoughts and feelings of each character. As I kept reading, it became clear that each character was suffering in their own ways. I did struggle to understand Gemma's mentality as she continued to depend and befriend Ruth. Overall, it was a great read, and I would definitely recommend for anyone looking for a quick, psychological thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest thoughts!

It’s a tale of two frenemies, Ruth and Gemma, both were single moms with their daughters Marley and Bee who have been in the same class since kindergarten. Ruth is stinky rich and helps Gemma financially but Gemma had left Ruth in the lurch when she was involved in a scandal.

Fast forward a few years, Ruth welcomed back Gemma with open arms, did for her when tables were turned and Gemma was embroiled in a sticky situation.

The discussions in Momonymous were fun. This is a virtual group where the identity of moms was hidden, nothing is off limits for discussion and everyone can gossip without worrying about repercussions. These moms were utterly hilarious when they were hidden under their cloaks. Another thing I liked was their chosen account names were completely opposite to their persona so no one could blow their cover. Who doesn’t love to read about gossips especially when no holds barred environment?

My heart goes out for Marley, stuck in her helicopter mom’s clutches who leaves no breathing room and always dictates her every move. Ruth is alone in the world, always worries about Marley leaving her, spends every waking minute on Marley. It’s incomprehensible how a mother sees imperfections in the daughter and saps her self-esteem.

My blood boiled while reading how Ruth treated Marley. Poor girl had suffered a lot and that might have had a psychological impact on her. I don’t understand how a teenage daughter gaining a few pounds was the end of the world for Ruth. I wanted to shake Ruth to make her understand that inner beauty is far more important than the outer beauty.

Ruth’s friendship is toxic and employs devious schemes to keep everyone near to her. I’ve thought I figured out the twist when it was in its inception stage but Gideon’s reveal blindsided me and it’s very satisfying when the revenge is indeed a dish that best served cold.

Overall, enjoy this book teemed with teenage angst, tantrums and their first world problems, and moms who love tittle tattle. I would recommend this book for fans of Big Little Lies.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wow a true page turner.Ruth Gemma two adults best friends& then the=friendship goes bad.An absolute wild ride of a read.So. Tense so twisted kept me reading late into the night.A book I will be recommending an author to follow.#netgalley #simon&schuster