This book certainly was not the lighthearted summer rom-com I expected based on the cover! That’s on me for not reading the summary. Instead of a romance, The Lifeguards is a chick-lit, neighborhood drama mystery surrounding a dead body and what these boys may or may not have to do with it. It felt a lot like May Cobb’s books, both the affluent Texas setting and the light summery murder mystery.

I really enjoy these books where everyone has a secret, and where it turns out that the main mystery is not the most interesting thing to find out about the characters. I’m also a big fan of the mommy drama/affluent neighboorhood setting, complete with catty moms on a message board.

It’s always fun to read about somewhere I’ve been–I’ve swam in Barton Springs and walked along what I believe was the Greenbelt!

While the premise overall was great, the ending felt a little rushed and left me with some unanswered questions. I wasn’t sure why we needed Salvatore’s perspective, and felt like I didn’t know all there was to know about the dead girl.

I enjoyed the author’s writing overall, and am certainly interested in checking out her other books.

This family drama was such a fast paced and suspenseful read for me. I could not stop turning the pages to find out what secrets were going to be revealed next and how the story would unfold. I would recommend this one if you are looking for a book where you truly don't know what will be around the next corner!

This was a little slower and more disjointed than I was hoping for, but in the end I was glad I stuck it out because I overall enjoyed the book. Great mystery/family drama with summer vibes, would definitely recommend for summer reading.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading, but I was hooked and basically read the book nonstop. The writing and plotting draw the reader in, and the suspense keeps them reading.
The characters were all interesting and so well done. I honestly didn’t know who the culprit was until the twisty end of the book.
Being a mother myself, I understand the instinct to protect your children at any cost. The women in the book are friends, but they all have secrets and if came down to protecting their friends or their children, the kids win every time. This is a great read with a surprising ending.
I’m giving this a strong 4 stars.

QOTD:

Synopsis:
Austin's Zilker Park neighborhood is a wonderland of greenbelt trails, live music, and moms who drink a few too many margaritas. Whitney, Annette, and Liza have grown thick as thieves as they have raised their children together for fifteen years, believing that they can shelter them their children from an increasingly dangerous world. Their friendship is unbreakable--as safe as the neighborhood where they've raised their sweet little boys.

Or so they think.

One night, the three women have been enjoying happy hour when their boys, lifeguards for the summer, come back on bicycles from a late-night dip in their favorite swimming hole. The boys share a secret--news that will shatter the perfect world their mothers have so painstakingly created.

Combining three mothers' points of view in a powerful narrative tale with commentary from entertaining neighborhood listservs, secret text messages, and police reports, The Lifeguards is both a story about the secrets we tell to protect the ones we love and a riveting novel of suspense filled with half-truths and betrayals, fierce love and complicated friendships, and the loss of innocence on one hot summer night.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Lifeguards takes us to the Austin area of Barton Springs, where one night changes the lives of three families whose mothers have been bound together since their first pregnancies.

Touching upon family dynamics, challenging choices - how far will a parent go to protect their own?

This was a fast read for me, more timely with the hot summer. Highly recommend watching over YouTube the author chat on Peloton Moms Book Club for additional insight, too!

Thank you to Random House Publishing - Ballantine and to Netgalley for ARC.

Three best friends- Whitney, Liza and Annette have been there for each other through all the ups and down in life the past fifteen years. They became fast friends while raising their three sons together in an affluent neighborhood in Austin. Their three sons are local lifeguards and seemingly perfect until one evening shatters it all. The ladies are enjoying a few drinks together when the boys rush home and share devastating news with them. They all go into mama bear mode to do anything to protect their boys. Told from the perspectives of all three women, neighborhood group message boards and police detectives, this story is fast paced and full of suspense.
I enjoyed this book. It kept me turning pages to find out more about how the story unraveled. It was a good summer suspense book for me.

If you need a fun who-dunnit for poolside lounging or days on the beach, look no further, this is a light read that delves into the lives of three mothers and their teens who work as lifeguards.

One night while the moms are enjoying happy hour, the boys come back on bicycles from a late night dip at their favorite swimming spot and discover a body on the green belt trail. The story combines all three mothers’ POV as well as a unique mix of commentary from police reports and neighborhood message boards to unfold this tale of complicated friendships, love and betrayal.

I always like when books have a variety of sources to tell the narrative. I feel like it’s a little unique, and overall I enjoyed the story and the mystery. It was a great example of how appearances are not always true indications of how things are and made you ponder how far you may go to protect your loved ones.

The Lifegaurds is a good read. It is easy and engaging. The multiple points of view are well done but the ending is a bit rushed.

The whole book screamed 'rich people problems' in the worst way. I struggled through The Lifeguards, mostly struggling with connecting or sympathizing with any of the main characters, a cast of women who proclaim to be best friends though the only thing they have in common is their children. The crux of it, I suppose, is that these women would do anything for their children despite the ramifications, the loss of relationships, and friendships.

I think this book has a very specific audience and I do not think it is me. This had Big Little Lies vibes and I was not a fan of that one. I also am not a fan of when a book is told through different POV's. I found it hard to keep up with what was going on. I do think this would be a good summer read. But nothing really stuck out to me and I don't think I would read this one again. I thought it was just okay.

This book was ok for me. I enjoyed the interesting dynamics between the moms. I am only giving it 2 stars because the ending felt rushed and there were a lot of plot lines that were left hanging.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I was anxious to read this one since I enjoyed The Jetsetters by the same author. It kept me engaged throughout and I felt that the characters were relatable. I would definitely read more by this author in the future!

📚BOOK REVIEW📚

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖: The Lifeguards
🖊: Amanda Eyre Ward

I have to be honest. When I received the ARC for this book I was a little hesitant since I didn’t love love The Jetsetters. So I put it off…

But I wish I would have read this as soon as I got it! It’s so good! A bit of a mystery, a bit of a social commentary of what is a “good neighborhood”, and an exploration of what would you do to protect your children.

I think this is going to be one of my favorites of the summer. I couldn’t put it down!

Amanda Eyre Ward’s The Lifeguards is set in Austin, Texas, and revolves around 3 mothers who live in an upscale neighbourhood: Whitney, a highly successful real estate agent, trophy wife Annette, who is married to an oil fund heir and the odd woman out in this trio, Liza, a single parent and food writer, who hustles for extra cash by doing menial work such as walking dogs. The sons of these three women, Charlie (Liza), Xavier (Whitney) and Bobcat (Annette) are friends, constantly in each other’s company. It’s the end of the school year, and the three boys are lifeguards, or they are going to be full-time summer lifeguards starting the very next morning, so the novel opens with a sense of accomplishment and goals met. The 3 mothers can breathe a sigh of relief, right?


The action starts almost immediately when the boys return in a state of agitation and the news that they found a dead woman “on the greenbelt.” It’s obvious right away that the boys are more involved than they admit. The plot then splinters into chapters told by the mothers, their sons, a detective and a chat group. As the investigation explores the facts behind the death of the woman, the families hire lawyers. These people have extremely privileged backgrounds with Liza hanging on to that status through osmosis for dear life.

The book felt a little disjointed at times, and I found it impossible to connect (care) about any of the characters. The main moral question here: how far will parents go for their children is an interesting one, but the story boils down to the mysterious death. Was this a crime? If so, who did it? All the other stuff (the privilege, the botox) seemed like icing.
review copy.

In Austin, Texas on the first day of summer in 2019, a young woman’s body is found dead in a swimming hole off of the famous greenbelt trail. Best friends Robert, Xavier, and Charlie, (who also happen to be summer lifeguards at a nearby pool), witness the woman fall into the water and bike home to tell their mothers, who are also best friends. Terrified of the consequences for their children, each mother sets out to protect her son in any way that she can. But what happened on the trail? How did the girl die? These are obvious questions one might expect to be answered, but surprisingly, they are not. Just as quickly as the mystery seems to be solved the book abruptly ends, leaving more questions than answers about the crime and the involvement of the its many characters. In addition, the character development was forced and superficial, while the cover - which aggrandizes the inconsequential fact that the boys are lifeguards - is completely misleading.

The summary of The Lifeguards was riveting, so I couldn't wait to get into it. Unfortunately, the novel left me with more questions then answers. The multiple POVs hopped around too much and at times, the writing was sloppy. I feel like if the loose ends were tied up, it would have been a 4-star reads. After all, there were some very shocking twists and reveals I never saw coming. Unfortunately, there was just too much left to the unknown for me.

I'll definitely check out future books by Amanda Eyre Ward, though, because she's obviously a very talented writer! This one just wasn't my cup of tea.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

DNF'd at about 40%, I was hooked at the beginning, but my interest faded, as the mystery aspect seemed to drag. I've also learned that I do not enjoy character-driven books as much as plot-driven, so I have to pass on finishing this one.
I also went in blind, thinking this was a romance, and not a mystery.

This was such a good book. I didn't see a lot of the twists and turns. The character development was very good. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

A group of moms in an Austin, Texas suburb lives are turned upside down one summer night when their lifeguard sons come home with an incredibly terrifying situation. This follows the POV’s of each mom as they and their families navigate the aftermath of the situation.

I was very excited about this book, but sadly was left needing more. It feels incomplete, as there could be so many more aspects of the book explained.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this one better than her previous books. Well written and easy to follow with good storylines. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!