Some reviewers and readers may think THE OPPORTUNIST devolves into melodrama, but I found it to be delightfully compelling.

Full of twists and turns, this novel takes a somewhat common trope (uh oh, dad's about to marry a gold digger) and makes it both smart and funny (in a dark way).

The author keeps you guessing and turning the pages.

I thought it was a clever choice to tell the story primarily through Alana's perspective.

Thoroughly entertaining and recommended for fans of women's fiction, family dramas, and dark comedies.

What a ride. So much intrigue, so little time. Alana separated from her family, on her own, a daughter toraise is not amused by her fathers partner but is willing to leave him alone if the same can be done for her. Her brothers are not so chill. A may- December wedding puts her brothers into overdrive and Alana finds herself present for a series of revelations and intrigue from the sly Kelly. It seems the brothers may not be the only ones stopping at nothing to secure their future.

In Elyse Friedman's twisty novel, The Opportunist, Alana is a single mom raising her young daughter who has a type of muscular dystrophy. She is estranged from her family- her wealthy industrialist father Ed and brothers Martin and Teddy, who work for the family business. She was very close to her sister Lillian who died years ago.

She receives a call from her brothers asking her to come home to stop their father's wedding to his 28 year-old nurse Kelly. The brothers are convinced that Kelly is a golddigger who will end up with all their father's billions and they will be cut out.

Alana could care less about who her father marries, but her brothers offer her a lot of money to help them expose Kelly, and Alana, who works at a domestic violence shelter, could use that money to make her daughter's life easier.

Reluctantly she agrees, and off she goes to the wedding. She meets Kelly and sees that Kelly appears to be very devoted to Ed. An attempt by the brothers to pay off Kelly backfires, and although Alana believes that Kelly loves her father, Alana needs the money for her daughter and continues to help her brothers.

There are so many twists and turns in the plot, and trying to figure out who is playing whom will keep the reader turning the pages. I liked reading about Alana's life with her daughter and the ostentatious displays of the obscenely wealthy family's lifestyle (especially the scenes set on the super yacht) are crazy. It is no wonder that Elyse Friedman is a screenwriter, her novel would make an intriguing movie.

There is a big reveal late in the book that I didn't particularly like, but the final twist did take me by surprise which I do like when reading a psychological suspense novel. Exactly who is the opportunist in this story? If you are a fan of HBO's Succession or books by B.A. Paris or Lisa Unger, Elyse Friedman's The Opportunist is for you.

Thanks to Harlequin Books fro putting me on their Fall 2022 Mystery & Thriller Blog Tours.

Mother Of A Snowman's Son! 😳😯🤯😳🤯

Well holy snickerdoodles! This was an absolute blast of a thriller. I couldn't get enough of what Friedman dishes out and that ending had me absolutely shook, startled and totally caught off guard. You can't help but love and root for Alana and her inventive ways of wanting to take down her Father. As the secrets, deception & lies unravel, you're left speechless and with that punch of an ending is enough to leave you spinning like a car doing donuts on an ice rink! This was like the most decadent brownie trifle you can imagine that absolutely satisfies your thriller sweet tooth. Be ready for anything and everything and how devious the characters Friedman creates leave you wanting more! Prepare for insane fireworks with one hard crash of an ending.

Thank you to NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC.
Release Date: Out Now!

𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 4.5 / 5 Christmas Trees 🎄

This book had a lot of similarities to some other books I've read this year about family drama after a new person marries into a rich family (The Younger Wife, The Family Game, and The Widowmaker).

Think rich guy, squabbling jealous kids, and a young new wife. The Opportunist was a bit more of a dark comedy than the others, which made for a nice change.

It didn't blow me away, but if you like books with those themes, definitely give it a try.

Alana Shropshire is a single mom. Her main concern is providing for her daughter with no help from the child’s father. Although she comes from a wealthy family, she wants nothing to do with any of them, so she’s on her own. Until she receives a call from one of her brothers.

Their father is about to marry a much younger woman, Kelly. Her brothers are sure Kelly only wants his fortune and are determined to stop her from getting it - no matter what it takes. Alana isn’t really interested in any of this but her brothers convince her to help. They arrange for her to visit the family on the island and convince Kelly to go away. This turns out to not be as easy as they thought it would be.

What an addicting and intriguing book! Talk about a dysfunctional family, the Shropshire’s certainly fit that description. Each character is crafted to perfection. Most of the characters were pretty creepy, except for Alana. I was cheering for her. She is a strong character that I cared about.

The author had me hooked from page one. I became totally absorbed trying to figure out the family dynamics. Chapter after chapter is filled with a different twist with a jaw-dropping ending. I love jaw-dropping endings. Needless to say, I couldn’t put this one down. I'm giving this one extra stars since the story never failed to shock me.

I never read anything by this author before, but she’s on my radar now. I’ll be looking for more books by her.





FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Opportunist by Elyse Friedman is a fast, interesting psychological thriller. Family dynamics are always intriguing and especially in this book. Alana is a character who stood out. Her actions were hard to predict and she was sympathetic. I didn’t guess the ending and was shocked to see where the story took us.

This is a first by this author for me. While it started out good it turned into a just ok later. Not that it's not well written because it is. It's just kind of out there in my opinion. Kind of an over kill story. I did like the ending very much. I thought it was one of those about time endings. I can't say why or I'll give away the whole thing.

This is the story of a man who is engaged to a woman who is young enough to be his granddaughter. I think he was a creepy old man and even in his younger years it seems he was after the younger women. This story describes Kelly as looking very young. Almost like an adolescent. She's a nurse who works for the Shropshire family. Ed, the old man and dad to to Teddy, Martin and stepdad to Alana, needs a nurse to help him since he had a stroke and has prostrate cancer. Yeah he has a lot to offer a young twenty eight year old woman. He's seventy-two for goodness sakes. Could she be a gold-digger.. Ya think.. Or could they truly be in love. I guess it could happen.

This story is told mainly from Alana's perspective. We find out a lot about her and her daughter. She has a child who has MS and that is very sad. Alana is basically poor. She works in a Woman's Shelter part time. But it seems she does pretty good. When she gets a call from her brother Martin to come home and help them get rid of Kelly the nurse Alana has very mixed feelings. She hates their dad and doesn't care much at all about her two step brothers. She half sister died years before so it's basically just Alana and her daughter.

While I personally found this story to be a bit over done it was still well written. It was good but could have been so much better. I just had a hard time with the deaths. While I loved finding out that I was right about who was doing what it was still a bit overdone in the murdering. That is strictly my opinion though. You will find out about Kat, who was Alana and Lillian's mother. Lillian was Alana's older sister. Also find out how Kelly came to be the nurse to Ed. Seems everyone that works for this family love Kelly very much. She's a bubbly type person and very friendly. Not in a bad way just a friendly talk to people way.

There is a bit of talk about child porn in this book and it's sickening. The fact that it happens it utterly horrific. But it does happen and something needs to be done. There is a lot going on in this story and you will get to know these characters completely. I did't like any of the characters. They just weren't likable to me. Maybe Alana's daughter who you get a little info about and Lillian who you get a hint of throughout. But for the most part these characters were just not ones to like. Or trust.

Thank you #NetGalley, #ElyseFriedman, #HarlequinTradePublishingMIRA for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

3 stars and yes read it. You might find it more believable than I did. You never know.

Links coming for blogs, Instagram and Amazon. I am part of a blog tour for this book and can not post there until tomorrow.

Ed is 72. Kelly is 28. The pair are soon to marry. In this domestic drama by Elyse Friedman there are some unhappy people. They are Ed’s two sons and also his daughter. Ed’s sons Teddy and Martin seem to have a good relationship with their father and each other. Daughter Alana is distanced from all of them. In fact, this book is primarily written from her perspective.

Martin and Teddy have one major thing in common with their father - they are very comfortable financially. On the other hand, Alana has always struggled to make ends meet. Her brothers have a plan to stop the upcoming wedding, especially before their father’s will can be changed to remove themlm from any inheritance, which would ultimately be in the millions for each of them. Reluctantly, Alana agrees to help her brothers to sabotage the wedding.

None of the three adult children believe for one second that Kelly loves their father. In fact, they consider her to be a gold-digger. What is more, there are lies, deceit and betrayals going on currently. Alana was the most likable of the siblings, and her character was that of “every woman”. Someone easy to relate to, as her circumstances were difficult, all while struggling to do the right thing. Conversely, it became clearer and clearer that Martin and Teddy would go to any extreme to line themselves up to receive their father’s tens of millions upon his death.

With more than one twist and a jaw dropping surprise in this well-written book, this was one book very worthy of the one-sitting read.

Many thanks to MIRA and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/Aj91KbXWJvo

This book is a wild ride! Very wealthy brothers call on their estranged sister to help enact a plot against their elderly father's new fiancee. It's hard to keep track of who is betraying who as the plot unfolds and whether the fiancee a gold digger or a good person. The story has a fantastic ending that I did not see coming and it really bumped up my rating. I recommend going into this one without too many hint about the plot because I think the twists and turns are what keep you furiously reading until the end. Thanks to Elyse Friedman, Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Alana has been approached by her brother return home and do something about her father. Alana has not even been in touch with her family in decades. But, her father has decided to marry his very young nurse. Alana’s brothers are having a complete hissy fit. Their inheritance is in jeopardy and they are not going to stand for it.

I usually do not get surprised by much…but this book had a twist that I did not see coming. Yep…it got me! I loved how this author manipulated the reader. And this family…they are something else. Greed is a powerful thing!

I am not going to talk about the characters because I might slip and give something away. Just know this is one messed up group of people and you think you know…but you don’t know. I am definitely going to have to read more by this author!

Need a twisted thriller with a surprise ending…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

The publisher calls The Opportunist by Elyse Friedman A deliciously sly tale about greed and I would add to that a twisty, I’m put down a bowl dark story that takes off from the get-go. The family in this story is not very likable except for Alana, who is the one telling the story. She has been estranged from her 76 year old father and her two brothers for many years and has no interest in getting pulled back into the Family fold. since turning her back on her wealthy and powerful family she has been busy raising her daughter with special needs and though she struggles financially, her life is full with her daughter and her work. out of the blue, her brothers reach out to her and inform her that their father is going to marry his nurse, Kelly, who is 40 years his junior. they tell her they are afraid this woman is going to take advantage of their father but Alana knows the only thing they care about is losing their inheritance to this woman. they implore her to come home, see for herself, and help them with a plan to get rid of Kelly that’s saving their father from heartache and ruin. Alana reluctantly makes the trip and upon meeting Kelly finds her to be very kind and loving towards her father. But her brothers persist and she is pulled into a plan that she is not totally comfortable with. they soon discover that Kelly is a very worthy opponent and is not going to go without a fight.

This book was such a great surprise to me! It pulled me in right away and I instantly liked Alana and the life she had made for herself apart from her wealthy family. on the contrary, I didn’t care for her brothers and they’re entitled attitude at all. it was interesting following Alana as she went back home and encountered her siblings and her father in the place she grew up with all of its memories. Friedman’s writing is succinct and move the plot along quickly. she painted a very vivid picture of this family and revealed their flaws and secrets all along the way. there are also interesting supporting characters that help raise the storyline. Reading this book was like peeking into the lives of the rich and famous and not really liking what you see. I simply could not put this book down and I found myself reading faster and faster. it’s also a bit like coming upon a car accident and not being able to pull your eyes away. there was a great twist at the end that I did not see coming which left me liking this book even more. I do not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone who loves domestic suspense with some darkness thrown in. This is definitely an author I’m going to keep my eye on. if you’re looking for a compelling, suspenseful read for yourself or for a gift this holiday season you have definitely found it with The Opportunist.

I’d like to thank the publisher and £NetGalley for my digital copy and exchange for a fair and honest review. £the opportunist

4.5 STARS - The Opportunist is a hard-to-put-down thriller filled with twists and a gaggle of potential culprits from a dysfunctional family who aren't overly likeable but are oh-so-intriguing. Their lives are filled with wealth, privilege, and secrets which some members will do anything to keep hidden.

Set in a secluded, private island off the coast of Vancouver, the story focuses on Alana, the estranged daughter of the wealthy Shropshire family who has purposely spent decades away from her family. When her brothers enlist her help to put the kibosh on their father's impending wedding to his decades younger former personal nurse, Alana is pulled back into the family and all its emotional baggage and secrets.

This is a story filled with suspicion, secrets, and lies which pile up as the body count climbs and readers are faced with trying to figure out the identity of the murderer. The author pulls the reader into her story and deftly reveals the secrets and deceptions of her characters which kept me second-guessing and ultimately surprised me with the final twist. Well done, Ms. Friedman. Well done!

This is a delightfully dark and twisty story about estrangement, rivalry, power, and greed that was hard to put down, clever, and entertaining. Before beginning this book, I didn't realize Elyse Friedman was Canadian, and a Torontonian t'boot! This was a pleasant surprise to this Canuck who is eager to read more from this new-to-me author.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to MIRA for the advanced digital copy they provided me in exchange for my honest review.

Hold on to your hats...I'm giving a mystery/thriller 5 stars! Plus, I think this is going to hold the spot as my #1 mystery/thriller for 2022!

First of all, I rarely read in this genre anymore because most current releases are formulaic to a fault, rely on the now annoyingly overused trope of the unreliable female narrator, or have a "twist" that is meant to shock but is usually just eye-rollingly cringey. But when I read the summary on the blog tour request form I was intrigued and decided to give it a shot. Now I am so thankful I did! The Opportunist shocked and delighted me from the very first page. (excerpt included on my blog)

We meet Alana, a single estranged from her family of origin, right when she's been asked to come home to run damage control; her father, Ed, it seems, is engaged to a woman named Kelly who is roughly half his age, much to the consternation of Alana's brother's Teddy and Martin.
Within a few chapters we don't know who to trust or which end is up, but what we do know is that everyone has a secret all leading up to a breathtaking twist in the 11th hour that I never saw coming.
Brilliant, sharp, and beautifully written, as all of Elyse Friedman's books are.

4.75

wheewww I fly through this one!! I didn't have many expectations going into it and read it 99% based on the cover and I cannot believe I almost missed this one!! This is such a good book to go into blind. It takes you for some twists and turns and gives you sprinkles of hints along the way. I had no idea where this one was going to take me but once I got there...it was DARK. I kept thinking it was going to go somewhere but then we would get a play by play of what we thought the twist was going to be which made it even more thrilling when the twists actually do come.

The author's writing was very digestible while being descriptive and well thought out. We got some surprising POVs that I wasn't expecting and I think it was the perfect way to incorporate that part of the story into the book.

I am so still impressed by this book and it was everything I wanted and more!

What's it about (in a nutshell):
The Opportunist by Elyse Friedman is a mind-blowing thrill ride about money, greed, and power- what some people will do to get it and others will do to keep it.
My Reading Experience:
I was pulled into this story immediately, and it didn’t let go until after the last page turned. It’s the kind of thriller I enjoy the most, which means if you like crazy stories full of surprises, twists, and turns that turn back around on themselves (think of any Alice Feeney story), then you will love this one. I did figure it out by the first 25%, which still amazes me sitting here typing this up. I was so close that I wasn’t just in the ballpark – I was in the correct row of seats, but that did not lessen my enjoyment or reflect that it was predictable because I promise you that it’s not. The only thing it reflects is how many crazy thrillers I read.
But that being said, I must keep this a relatively brief review for fear of spoilers. You’ll just have to trust me that this is a story best gone into knowing as little as possible.
Characters:
Alana Shropshire is the main character. She has left a world of wealth and privilege to devote herself to helping others at a women’s shelter in Canada. She has a daughter, Lily, who was born with a severe medical condition that requires around-the-clock care and for which there is no cure. Alana is a serious person, partly because she doesn’t have time or money for fun or frivolous things and partly because that’s whom she grew into being.
All the characters are at some level of despicable and are developed enough for the reader to appreciate how horrid they are. Still, Alana is the least so, which makes her the perfect person to focus on. Kelly McNutt, the nurse, turned fiancé of Edward Shropshire, the man himself, and Alana’s two brothers, Teddy and Martin, round out the main cast of despicableness. But which is the worst, and which will come out on top?
Narration & Pacing:
The pace is breakneck, sped along by a tightly focused plot. It’s third-person narration but focused on only one character, Alana, which makes it read like it was done in first person. This is the perfect style for a thriller, as far as I’m concerned. The story goes back in time at various points to provide the necessary backstory for understanding the current situation, but this never impedes the focus or flow.
Setting:
The primary setting is the Shropshire family estate on Alfred Island in Canada. The setting framed the story perfectly since it is about wealth and greed and what people will do to get it. It’s a large estate with numerous guest cabins. The head of the family, Edward, owns the whole island and will never give it up, even to restore it to its rightful inhabitants.
Read if you like:
• Shocking twists and turns
• A focused, fast-paced psychological thriller
• A crazy story that you won’t be able to put down
• Alice-Feeney-type thrillers

This wasn't my favorite, but I am a picky reader. I think other readers will enjoy it, and this is an obvious addition to the collection.

This book just wasn’t for me. I felt like the pacing was a little too slow and I never found myself eager to pick the book back up. It wasn’t the writing that I didn’t care for but the development of the story.

This book was so good that I read it in less than 24 hours. I could not put it down. It was suspenseful without being scary and the perfect read for me. I kept thinking I had the story figured out and kept being surprised!