I was really looking forward to this book, especially with the expectation that it would center around the lives of “Three women, judged and vilified by strangers.” Unfortunately, I found it difficult to get into the storyline. The characters came across as overly whiny, and their development felt shallow and struggled to connect with any of them on a meaningful level. The plot also veered off course from what seemed like a simple prank gone wrong, making it hard to stay engaged with the core storyline.
That said, if you're someone who enjoys books with multiple side plots and a variety of character arcs, this might be a better fit for you. It just didn’t land for me the way I hoped it would.

*Thank you to Alafair Burke, Knopf and Netgalley for the digital copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

This story has so much potential. Great build up, but when we get to the big reveal, everything was so rushed. The ending needed more room to breathe.

Speaking of ending - it was super jarring that it just ended. Have denouements gone out of style? I get that there is an epilogue, but even that was super short and didn't provide closure to our characters.

A suspenseful thriller that delivers on premise but doesn’t fully live up to its potential. I did not like any of the characters so I never fully engaged with them. Still an interesting read.
Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

From the beginning the characters in the book, threw me off a bit. 3 friends were getting together for a long weekend. However the friends seemed to have a falling out and are now going away together after not really even speaking for a while just seemed off. All 3 seemed a little too sketchy at times and I was connecting with any of them. Even the boyfriend wasn’t really a believable character. The whole book just didn’t jive with me.

Alafair writes amazing and edge of your seat thrillers I really do enjoy. This one lived up to the hype and I could not put it down.

3 friends go to the Hamptons for a much needed adult reunion. When they get drunk and go out, they are cut off by someone. As a result Kelsey places a note on his vehicle calling him out. Weekend ends and this random person whose car had a note, has gone missing. Mmmmm

I don’t know how to feel about this book. I finished it, that much I know. Did I enjoy it? Ehhh, not really. The women were incredibly catty and didn’t have really any redeeming qualities making me cheer for any of them. None were likable and you really cheered for the cops to stick it to them at one point.

Then the ending 😖. What in the actual 💩 was that? It was crazy, outlandish and a stretch that wasn’t needed. It was a little gross. With all that said, it sounds like I wasn’t a giant fan, I wasn’t but it was fast paced enough I had to know how the train wreck ended. Weird….

Alafair Burke masterfully crafts a suspenseful narrative that explores themes of loyalty, guilt, and the impact of social media on personal relationships. The character development is nuanced, particularly in the portrayal of May's internal struggles and her evolving perceptions of her friends. The pacing is deliberate, allowing tension to build gradually, and the plot twists are both surprising and thought-provoking. While the novel's focus on female friendship adds depth, the pacing is slow in the initial chapters.

I struggled with rating this book. I liked it but I also did not. I am not sure what it is to exactly put my finger on. It did not suck me in where I was all for it and needing to read it like I have been with a lot of books. I was curious as to what the story was and what was going to happen so it was never a possible DNF so I enjoyed it enough to keep going without feeling like I was forcing it. I just must not have connected with any of the characters and did not feel it was as smooth of a read as it could have been. Overall though I did enjoy it and did not see the twist coming at the end.

When three childhood friends get together for a girls weekend after not having seen each other in several years, everything seems like it will be a fun weekend. May Hanover finally lets go of her nervousness from not having been in touch with her friends in so long, but then what seems to be just a small prank, a silly way to blow off steam, turns into something much more. One of the women has left a note on someone’s car and then he turns up dead. Secrets start coming out, friendships are tested, trust betrayed as the friends are each protecting themselves and one another while attempting to stay out of the spotlight.

This was a book that did leave me guessing and wondering what happened. It did not engage me as much as I had hoped and I was a left wanting a bit. Still, a decent read and enjoyable.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Knopf, and Alafair Burke for an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

May, Kelsey, and Lauren forged an unlikely friendship in their youth and have maintained the friendship into adulthood. The three couldn't be more different; May, raised in a single parent household, is a gentle soul with a kind heart. Kelsey comes from privilege and is the life of the party. Her father is always waiting in the wings to rescue her if needed. Finally, Lauren is a prodigy, entangled in an illicit affair with a married billionaire.

May’s kindness makes her easy to root for, while Kelsey’s recklessness keeps things unpredictable. And Lauren? She’s the wildcard, living life on her own terms, no matter the cost.

May, Kelsey, and Lauren reunite for a vacation in the Hamptons. What starts as a carefree getaway rapidly spirals into a tense mystery when a drunken prank involving a cryptic note leads to a missing person case.
Burke masterfully builds suspense, layering secrets within secrets as the characters navigate their past scandals and present dilemmas. May, a law professor, finds herself torn between her professional instincts and her personal loyalties, while Kelsey and Lauren struggle with their own hidden truths.

The dynamic between the three women marked by old wounds and unspoken resentments adds emotional depth to the mystery.
The Note masterfully blends psychological intrigue with a deep exploration of friendship and morality, keeping the reader highly engaged through all of the twists and unexpected surprises.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, & Anchor for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Quick read but nothing that will stick with me! I do enjoy this authors writing but this one just wasn’t for me.

3 best friends on vacation leave a note for a rude driver who steals their parking spot. Slowly, they find out that a little prank meant to blow off steam may have led to something much more sinister.

Where do I sign up to join May, Lauren, and Kelsey‘s friend group? Their connection was so fun and authentic. Over a decade of friendship that encompassed highs and lows,, distance and closeness, and honesty and deception. I truly and deeply enjoy the story.

The writing and interactions/dialogue between the friends was fantastic. The diversity of the friend group from race, to age, profession, family, backgrounds, and personalities was so refreshing to see.

But the best part is the ride that this story takes you on! The structure of the story and the way things unfolded was so satisfying. None of the characters are flawless so it really was a question of who was truly to blame for the steaming pile of 💩 they found themselves in. It was all plausible because they were all complicated characters.

Only one thing I will note is that I figured out all of the twists pretty early on. I feel like the clues she dropped were the size of boulders but maybe that’s just me. I was really hoping for a jaw dropping moment and that didn’t happen, but still so freaking enjoyable

Despite figuring out each twist and accurately predicting the ending, I found it to be an engaging and enjoyable read.

Contemporary fiction, a novel about friends, dumb decisions and murder.

The three women have been friends since they were children: May, Lauren, and Kelsey. It’s been awhile, but they’ve arranged a get together in the Hamptons to catch up. All have some things they harbor as resentments for stuff that happened in the past. Secrets told, embarrassment, and acting out. As they reconnect, they are out and about in the town when they make a very bad choice involving placing a note on a car.

What happens after this was kind of crazy to be honest. It didn’t track for so long until I figured out what was going on. It was quite a convoluted plot and predicable once the narrative revealed some important details that were dangled forever. I was OK with most of it until the end which was a real reach but the reasons were only obvious at the last minute. I didn’t care for any of the characters so honestly didn’t care what the outcome of this was going to be. Overall, it was rather a disappointment after getting through all the layers of secrets and lies.

I was able to listen to the audiobook while also following along in the ebook ARC provided by the publisher. The narrator, Catherine Ho, did an OK job of voicing the characters given the lines she had to work with. Since most of the main characters were women, she did an admirable job of making sure each had an individual sound.

A Hamptons getaway + old secrets + a prank that spirals into a full-blown police investigation? Yep, I devoured this in one sitting and was absolutely hooked.

May, Kelsey, and Lauren were once thick as thieves. Fast forward a few years (and a few public scandals later), and their girls' trip to “reconnect” turns into something way more sinister than rosé by the pool. Think: missing person, messy friendships, media fallout, and lies so layered you’ll be second-guessing everyone. Including yourself.

🎭 May is the classic "good girl" turned viral controversy.
🎻 Lauren is the once-glamorous music prodigy with secrets tucked behind her designer shades.
💄 And Kelsey? A chaotic party girl with major rich-girl energy and an unsolved mystery tied to her husband’s shooting.

Honestly, I didn’t love any of them—but that’s what made this so juicy. These women are complicated, messy, and not afraid to lie their way out of trouble. And trust me, they will.

The plot? Taut. Twisty. Deliciously unpredictable.
The pacing? Fast like a beach read, but with the depth and commentary of something heavier—touching on cancel culture, race, privilege, and the raw cost of a single mistake.
Plus, that viral note? Let’s just say I’ll never leave passive-aggressive car messages again 😳

✨ If you love books with:
✔️ morally gray female leads
✔️ tangled friendships + old camp trauma
✔️ social media fallout
✔️ a jaw-dropping final twist

…then The Note needs to be on your TBR now. It’s part thriller, part friendship autopsy, and part legal-leaning mystery—and it totally earns its popcorn-worthy vibes 🍿🔥

I really wasn't invested in the characters or the story. The ending was wrapped up too quickly and I didn't know how it ended.

Well-behaved May goes on a luxury vacation to the East Hamptons with two friends that she recently became close to again. They spend time drinking, which leads to a prank that embroils them in a murder investigation. I liked May as a character, and I enjoyed the way the author fleshed her out. Her struggles with post-Pandemic life hit home for me. However, I didn't like any other characters in this book. The premise of the book was intriguing to me but I felt like it truly fell flat. I thought this was going to be a nail-biting vacation thriller but it ended up being more of a combination friend drama/courtroom drama.

Who hasn't wanted to leave a nasty note on an a-hole's car windshield? Most people aren't that committed and realize it won't do any good. A few will be committed, damn what happens next. And what if, after said note is left, the jerk ends up dead a few hours later? Well, three childhood friends are about to find out. Getting together after years apart and being thrust into a murder investigation, these friends soon realize they each have their secrets. Who are these women?

This was my first time reading Alafair Burke but it won't be my last. Plenty of twists and turns that ended in places I didn't expect.

My thanks to Knopf for gifting me an advanced copy of The Note via NetGalley.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

Reminiscent of ‘I know what you did last summer’ and ‘just dial a number’-
A bunch of random and impulsive decisions can bring down the closest of friends and lead to a murder? I love Alafairs style of writing and the relationships with these women make this book and the whodunit so much fun!