Did I Say You Could Go by Melanie Gideon was fantastic and I loved it from the opening pages.

Ruth is a rich single mom who immediately sinks her claws into another single mother, Gemma. Their friendship spans years and at times, Gemma pulls away from Ruth’s overbearing and bossy personality. Yet Ruth has always been there for Gemma and has helped her through countless tough times. So Gemma is reluctant to cast off Ruth’s friendship. Their daughters used to be best friends but as they’ve grown older, Marley and Bee have grown apart due to Bee’s popularity. Marley is subject to her mother’s (Ruth) moods and we sense something simmering below the surface.

This book held me captive from start to finish. I couldn’t wait to see who the real villain was here as Ruth tries to control everyone around her. Would Gemma discover Ruth wasn’t a good friend at all? Or is Gemma the one to blame for everything that happens inside the story?

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.

I appreciated the little details and clever dialogue, at times this book made me laugh but its also a serious look at toxic people and friendships. Really well done, I was left wanting more from Melanie Gideon. Cant wait to read her next book!

This comes out on August 3.

This book was loads of fun- a quick, psychological drama about 2 frenemies, Ruth and Gemma. This is domestic suspense at it's best- even when nothing was happening, there was a thrum of drama throughout the narrative that kept me reading late into the night. The book primarily alternates between the POVs of Ruth and Gemma, with occasional chapters dedicated to their respective daughters, Marley and Bee.

A lot of the book is just bad behavior between the women, and neither is all that likable, though both are deep enough that the reader can empathize with them at times. I really felt for the daughters, who were navigating high school drama along with their own parental drama. There were some minor twists throughout the book and a bigger one at the end- I had a inkling of that twist but it played out a little differently than what I expected, and I felt that it was satisfying.

All in all, this is a really fun read that I had trouble putting down- I'd recommend it to those who like domestic suspense. I am going to find out what else this author has written. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Did I Say You Could Go by Melanie Gideon is a great read and a riveting story. A true examination of a friendship gone bad, you can't help but feel sorry for both of the lead characters, Ruth and Gemma. This is a well executed book and kept me turning the pages. I didn't see the end coming. Great story and great commentary on how we perceive our daughters.

Are you looking for a quick, engrossing read? One that can be read in one sitting? Look no further friends, Did I Say You Could Go is the domestic drama you are craving.

Gemma and Ruth are single mom frenemies along with their daughter's Bee and Marley. After meeting at the kindergarten social, together they weather through the school drama, girl mom drama, and their own drama, with many ups and downs. Together the four bring the love-hate relationship between friends and mother-daughter to a whole new level of crazy. There are many points throughout the story where you will not find anyone that likable, and still, I could not stop reading.

Enjoy the escape from your every day routine, and ride the crazy train for a day, you won't be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Simon and Schuster, for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a great psychological thriller! I read this in 2 days. I had to know what happened!

Gemma and Ruth are single moms and form a friendship when their daughters start school together. Ruth is a little much for Gemma so she eases back from their friendship. Many years later, they rekindle their friendship and chaos ensues.

This is one of those books you won’t want to put down. I loved the multiple POVs. My only complaint is that it seemed a little longer than it needed to be.

Overall, this is a great book! Would definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Excellent psychological thriller. Ruth and Gemma are best friends and single moms who meet when their daughters are in kindergarten. As their friendship progresses Ruth becomes more and more needy and controlling. Extremely fast paced and impossible to put down, read this book in one day. Highly recommend.

I read this book in one day. I gobbled it up and couldn't stop. Gemma and Ruth are adult best friends and Bee and Marley are the daughters that grew up together. A twisty diabolical plot to expose bad character drives the plot if the novel. A thriller not to miss. One of the more creative thrillers I've read!

I’m dizzy because of extreme amount of twists! Especially the final one hit me in the face so hard! I’m still numb, mentally black eyed but I’m also pleased and entertained a lot!

The mothers: polar opposite characters: one widower and one divorcee form an unhealthy relationship! Then they fell apart! Six years later an academic scandal brings them back together! But things get uglier! They find themselves into more lies, deceptions and unhealthily obsession patterns!

Ruth, wealthy, divorcee, raising her shy, introvert, quiet daughter Marley alone, wants to befriend new people by throwing a party for kindergartens but shoving her wealth into mothers’ face perceived as pretentiousness and arrogance by her fresh social circle. Being a social butterfly is backfired!

Only Gemma Howard who is widower, raising her popular, social, fiery, friendly daughter Bee by herself doesn’t push her away. Gemma’s life style is so different from her. First of all she works to make her ends meet, running a test center. She resents Ruth for paying everything for her because she is proud woman who doesn’t want to owe anyone for anything! She finds herself trapped in her way too much intense friendship with Ruth. She feels like suffocating and she desperately needs to find a way out!

Thankfully Ruth’s new forbidden relationship with married man gives her a chance to pull away! But 6 years later an academic scandal brought Ruth into her life again. Ruth is the only one stands for her at this most challenging pace of her life and now she has no intention to let her go! Unfortunately Gemma’s new crush on a X Ray technician may piss her lovely longtime friend off! Things get heated and madness comes out of nowhere!

It was riveting page turner even though story telling via multi POVs was a little confusing at some parts! I enjoyed unhealthy, obsessive women friendship stories and I got excited about the outcomes! Luckily this one ended with satisfying conclusion! I’m rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 keep your enemies close,for the love of batshit crazy heroines stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Simon &Schuster for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

I liked that the book jumped right in, touching on the origins of Ruth and Gemma's friendship without holding off on the plot. However, after that, the pacing just confused me. Did I Say You Could Go is told from multiple perspectives, and some of them seemed to escalate much quicker than others. As a result, I felt more confused than connected to the story. For a book that's billed as being suspenseful. I expected more, well, suspense, and ultimately couldn't stay focused. Unfortunately, this one was a miss for me.

This title is so intense, it had me excited to read the book! Family drama, friend drama, suspense and thrills. Great combos for a great book.

Just give me books like this and I will be happy! All the characters are interesting and believable. The plot is delicious. Wish I could sink my teeth into every book like I did with this. Just very entertaining and enjoyable!

Psychological thriller is the genre I probably read the most, though to be honest, it's hard sometimes to find a book I can get into. So many books today all seem ho-hum the same. It's rare to find a book with a new take on a plot or story, interesting characters, twists you don't see coming or an ending you truly weren't expecting. Did I Say You Can Go by Melanie Gideon succeeds where other books fail. Once I began reading, I was hooked and couldn't put the book down. Thank you to the author, Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Did I Say You Could Go is a story about a friendship filled with obsession, lies and deception, between two mothers whose daughters are also friends, told from all four different perspectives.

Gemma Howard is a widower, a popular mom who runs a test prep center. She's fiercely devoted to her daughter Bee. She's not rich, but they scrape by. Bee Howard is popular, outgoing and a bit of a rebel.

Ruth Thorne is elegant and classy. She doesn't work - she inherited a lot of money from her grandparents. She's divorced and has one daughter, Marley, who's very shy and quiet and would rather do homework than go out.

When Ruth throws a party for her daughter and the incoming group of kindergartners and parents at Hillside Academy, she alienates most of the parents there. She finally meets Gemma and holds on tight. Soon the four are like family, going on trips and out to dinner - all of which Ruth pays for.

When the girls are in third grade, Ruth has an affair with a married man. Instead of coming to her defense, Gemma uses this as an opportunity to start to pull away. She's always been uncomfortable that Ruth pays for everything.

Six years later, it's Gemma who is caught in the scandal. Ruth comes along once again to save her. Or does she have something else in mind?

I really enjoyed this book. The ending I did not see coming at all. I liked how the author incorporated issues affecting people today - social media, cyberbullying, depression. I will add that there is one scene that could be a Trigger Warning for some.

I also have to address that it's really quite ironic that I've seen other reviews rate this book lower because of the character of Ruth. So as not to spoil anything, I'll just say the author did exceedingly well what she set out to do.

I would probably rate this 4 - 4.5. I look forward to reading more from Melanie Gideon. I would recommend this book to fans of psychological thrillers, women's fiction, Liane Moriarty and Greer Hendricks.

Two single mother’s, one a widower and one a divorcée, latch on to each other and develop a somewhat unhealthy, on and off friendship. This is one of those “with friends like these....” type books that will leave you wanting to know what this train wreck is going to look like at the end. A little long-winded but interesting enough to hold my attention.

Obscenely rich but socially unaccepted Ruth decides to host a meeting of young mothers for her daughter’s kindergarten class. She has no idea how put off the mothers are with her ostentatious display of wealth and her intentions completely backfire. She and her daughter become pariahs in the small Bay Area community.
The only mother to seemingly accept her is Gemma and Ruth latches on to her like a spider to a fly.

Ruth uses her wealth as a tool to ingratiate herself to Gemma who enjoys the benefits but is slowly feeling strangled by the debt and strange friendship she feels she owes Ruth and eventually she shies away making a break.

Now years later, Ruth, still an obsessive, unhappy divorced mother is looking at Gemma, a young widowed mother caught up in an academic scandal as her way in to popularity, dependency and neediness. She comes to Gemma’s defense in a very public way after her private tutoring academy suffers through a scandal. Now Gemma owes her more. When Gemma meets a young X-Ray tech and strives for a new relationship, Ruth is wildly angry, or is she?

A story of relentless obsession, betrayal, and secrets that will tear apart these two women and their daughters and the community where they live.

4 stars, easily. You will not see all these twists coming!

(4.5 stars rounded up)

Having met at a kindergarten meet and greet nine years ago, Gemma and Ruth are best friends who have both been raising their daughters as single mothers - one a widow and the other a wealthy divorcée. Gemma and her daughter, Bee, live frugally, paycheck to paycheck. Ruth and her daughter, Marley, live in a mansion with all the latest styles. Over the years, Ruth and Marley whisk Gemma and Bee away on luxurious vacations and treat them to a lavish lifestyle whenever given the opportunity, but it comes with a price.
As Bee and Marley age, their mothers’ friendship becomes more complicated. Ruth helps Gemma’s family financially often, and Gemma begins feeling like she is building debt to Ruth that she won’t be able to repay. She slowly starts to detach herself from Ruth’s hold, and a scandal Ruth is involved in with a local dad makes separation that much easier. Inevitably though, Gemma and Bee are pulled back into the friendship that suffocates them, and Ruth’s attachment to the people she loves becomes bigger as the world around them seems to get smaller.

I found this book to be so interesting and consistently could not put it down during my reading sessions! I absolutely loved the multiple POVs (Ruth, Marley, Gemma, Bee), and flew through the short chapters. The writing showed the contemporary complexities of social media and addressed issues that teens and adults deal with today regarding cyber (and face-to-face) bullying, depression, and social isolation. It incorporated important resources that exist today, such as text therapy (talking to a psychologist/counselor through text). I was thoroughly confident that I knew what was happening until the end of the book, and the twist really threw me for a loop!

There was an instance of a supporting character having an autism diagnosis, which could be analyzed positively or negatively depending on a reader’s knowledge of/closeness to the topic. I really appreciated how Gideon used words like “neurodiverse” and “autistic,” as person-first vs. identity-first language is something that is consciously contemplated in the field of autism. I also liked how she had this character talk about what autism meant to him, and some of the characteristics of his diagnosis (i.e. sensory challenges). At the same time, some readers may think the use of autism as part of this character’s profile could play into seeing his family as “victims” or making the reader “feel bad” for his family in part because of the diagnosis. Again, it depends on how you as a reader see this situation, but I thought Melanie did a good job with a subject that needs more conversation!

All in all, I enjoyed this book a lot and would recommend it to anyone who loves psychological thrillers. It was mind-bending and twisty, very contemporary, and it was structured in a way that made it a very quick read!

*An electronic ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher (via NetGalley) for an honest review.*

Did not finish the book. The synopsis is pretty clear as far as the plot but I found every character so unlikeable, vapid, and mean-spirited. I couldn't get interested in any of them. However, thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another worthy entry into the sub-genre of the perils of social media! The four primary characters are each interesting in their own ways, and even though the reader is fairly certain who the villain will turn out to be, things twist up a bit at the end. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC for review.

An intense story of friendship, lies, and betrayal, Did I Say You Could Go is told from multiple mother/daughter perspectives. While the ending shouldn't have been surprising if you were following along, the trip to get there was a bit of a wild ride at times. This was probably 3.5 stars for me, rounded up.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Ruth and Gemma become friends after their children attend the same school.
When Ruth is caught up in a scandal, Gemma decides to end their friendship. Thus book was well written.

Did I Say You Could Go by Melanie Gideon is a story about how lies and obsession can destroy families and friendships. I couldn’t put this book down, there were so many twists that I didn’t see coming especially the ending. If you like psychological thrillers you need to read this book. Thanks Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.