The Note is a fast-paced thriller about three girlfriends who plan a weekend away after being estranged for years. When their parking spot gets stolen, an innocent prank involves them in a missing person’s case and turns their world upside down. Each of the girls had thought they put their individual scandals behind them, but are now afraid of what will resurface. I enjoyed this as a quick, weekend read! Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC!

Three friends go on holiday in the Hamptons. They are cut off by another car taking their intended parking spot, so two of them decide to leave a note for the couple in the car. A stupid drunken prank but with ramifications they did not expect.

Alafair Burke’s "The Note" is an expertly crafted psychological thriller that pulls you in from the very first page. The story is filled with suspense, sharp twists, and complex characters, making it impossible to put down. Burke masterfully weaves a plot full of secrets, lies, and shocking revelations that keep you guessing until the very end.

The pacing is perfect, and the tension builds steadily, making each chapter more intense than the last. Burke’s writing is gripping and intelligent, with a well-executed narrative that leaves no loose ends.

The Note is a must-read for fans of clever, twisty thrillers, and it firmly secures Alafair Burke’s place as a master of the genre. A five-star, unputdownable read!

Toxic friendships, deep dark secrets, and a seemingly harmless prank - what could go wrong when you bring that altogether on a long girls' weekend? The answer is a lot - a lot could go wrong, and it does. Friendships are tested and secrets are revealed and lives are changed. A very topical look at cancel culture, the harm it does, and the lasting impact.

You’re out with friends and someone steals your parking spot…you could cuss them out or leave a nasty note. Except the recipient turns up dead.

The story was fun but a slow start. It really ramped up the final 1/3 making the ending so satisfying.

My thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an advance copy of this thriller about three media shamed characters who find themselves in the wrong place, at the wrong time, doing the wrong thing.

There are times in all our lives that we have acted in ways that, well don't reflect on who we are as people. Though many might say that our actions, no matter how embarrassing reflect what we feel deep inside, where we keep secrets. Humans are humans and well act like humans. Hopefully the most ugly day of our life happens in front of loved ones or family, who while shocked will laugh it off. Worst a moment of being human is broadcast without comment or commentary around the Internet becoming a meme that is repeated for all time. These moments taint everything that comes after. It's hard to say one is innocent when a Google search can point to something otherwise. Especially once the police become involved. The Note a novel by the newest queen of suspense Alafair Burke is a story of social media, friends, lies, and how maybe taking a few deep breaths and letting things go, can spare a person a whole lot of problems.

May grew up being the person who did everything right, well except for one time. Two if you include a social media breakdown on a subway that has made life difficult for her. As Covid restrictions are lifted May and her two best friends Lauren and Kelsey decide to go to the Hamptons for a girls trip, to relax and try to get back to normal. Lauren and Kelsey are also dealing with things and things start out great. Until a petty act gets May all riled up again. May leaves a note on a car, nasty in nature and tries to put things again behind her. Until the police show up. The owner of the car has vanished and the note is now evidence, evidence that might lead to dark things. May starts to doubt everything, including her friendship with Lauren and Kelsey. As more secrets come to life, May fears she might be canceled for good.

Unlike other books by Alafair Burke this book has a bit of a slow start, but once it starts moving it does not hold back. The characters also start off as a bit unlikable also, but again this part of the plotting for the book. As the story starts to grow, and the plot becomes apparant what was once unlikable becomes understandable, and really fit with the story. There is a lot going on. The book deals with post-Covid trauma, social media, the resort towns that have their own rules and own social hierarchys, and entitlement. There are plenty of red herrings, and a bit of an untrustworthy narrator, and a lot of twists, as Burke is known for. The writing is good, and again once the plot starts moving the book is very hard to put down.

Another well-crafted story from a writer that is really climbing up the ranks of thrillers. Fans will enjoy this, and this would be a good place for new readers to hop on. They will find a lot of good reading ahead.

Well - didn’t see that ending coming! This is my first Alafair Burke thriller and I’m hooked! Will definitely checkout other titles.
I wasn’t in love with every character - May was relatable, I found Lauren to be lackluster, and Kelsey was insufferable - HOWEVER, together they made for a diverse group of friends, each with their own traumas that led them to where they ended up - in the Hamptons, leaving a note on a car, a note that unfolded an even greater mystery.
Definitely recommend this to anyone that loves a good murder mystery!
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-arc!

Three friends get together for a girls weekend at the beach. What could go wrong? The first thing to go wrong is that all three protagonists are unlikable. The story would have been so much better had we cared about the girls. As it was, I found this book easy to put down and walk away from, but “The Note” gets three stars because I did care enough to finish it, albeit I. A week instead of a single afternoon. I really enjoyed previous novels from Ms. Burke, so I was quite disappointed with this one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. The Note by Alafair Burke. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this advanced reader copy. I discovered this author a few years ago and quickly read several of her novels. This newest one didn’t disappoint. May, Lauren and Kelsey go to the Hamptons for a long overdue girls trip. They’ve all had a rough go of things since Covid. A video of May on a subway platform went viral & now she rarely ventures away from her fiancé. The other two have gone through some struggles too, so they are thrilled to be together. Then there’s an incident over a parking space in Sag Harbor, and suddenly the three women find themselves smack in the middle of a police investigation. A man is missing! What other secrets are they keeping? I raced through this easy read. Thumbs up! January release! bookstagram #whatiread #alafairburke #bookgram #reading #bookworm #thehamptons #books #goodreads #netgalley #libbyapp #thumbsup

After 3 old friends reunite for a vacation in the Hamptons two murder investigation start unfolding. Did one of the girls do it or do they have to work together to figure out who was behind the death around Kelsey?
This was a good easy read that kept me guessing!

The Note tells the story of three friends pulling a drunk prank and then everything spiraling after that. It was a mostly enjoyable read but I found the characters very unlikable.

I thought the beginning of the book was slow, but man did it pick up quickly! It kept me guessing until the end. Thanks for the ARC!

I was a big fan of Burke's The Wife, so I was super excited to read her new one The Note. The book centers on three friends who have all been internet famous for all the wrong reasons. On their girls trip, a man ends up dead and chaos ensues from there. This was a solid 3 star read for me. It was a quick read and I found the premise interesting. I had a feeling of who the killer was, but I didn't see all of it coming, so I was happy with the ending.

Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor & NetGalley for the ARC!

I have to say I just love Alafair Burke and this is another winner for me. The pace of the story is perfect with learning who the characters are and how the plot just unfolds. There is just enough there that you want to keep reading to find out the last twist.

Three friends are getting together for a girls weekend, when one of them leaves a note of the car of the person that rudely took their parking spot. From there the turmoil just starts to unravel and the lies get deeper when the man of that car goes missing and finally found dead not far from where the girls are staying. Who is this man, how are the girls connected to him and each one has a secret they want to keep from telling the world.

Even though I did guess the ending, it still had me wanting to turn the pages and the final plot twist was a jaw dropper!

Just a must read when it is published in Jan 2025.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

May was an attorney and now works as a law professor after a viral video of her being a Karen on a train platform caused her to leave her profession. She goes to the Hamptons for a weekend with some old friends, who have also been publicly shamed, and that she hasn't seen in awhile. When someone steals their parking space as they are trying to pull into it, May writes a note on a bar napkin telling the person off, but she thinks it gets thrown away. The next thing they know, the guy who stole their spot goes missing and the note was actually put on the car's windshield, involving them in the investigation.

This book was quite slow for the first almost half. There was a lot about May's feelings and her issues with the pandemic and I had a lot of trouble getting into it. I also thought that once it did get going, it didn't really unfold into anything as interesting as I had hoped. I couldn't really figure out why these people were still friends and that threw me off as well. I have read most of this author's books. In my opinion, this wasn't her best but I will definitely read her next based on past history.

This is a fast read for a day or two at the beach, when you have nothing else to do. So many things about this tale did not click, so be prepared for a slow-moving river of 'makes no sense, seen it all before, and don't really like any of these people'.

Three longtime friends get together for a weekend in the Hamptons. They have supposedly been friends since they met at camp when two of them were twelve. However, the third member of the group is 9 years older than the other two, so when they became buddies, two were 12 and one was 21?! Weird. As each of the three are described, it becomes clear that none of them are very likeable ; May, a lawyer who couldn't keep her job at a top law firm because she is too wimpy; Kelsey, whose Daddy bought her everything she ever wanted, including a job, a husband and then a divorce, Lauren, a musician whose hopes to score movies hasn't quite panned out while she has a long term affair with a rarely mentioned conductor. It makes no sense that they became close friends in the first place, but why they are still in contact with each never becomes clear. They don't seem to mesh, at all.

The first half of the book is a very slow burn, making it very hard to stay interested in and easy to put down and walk away. We are fed bits and pieces of background for the three which were probably meant to entice, but only made the story feel more dragged out. There are murders; one from many years ago, one from a few years ago, and one that takes place during their weekend getaway. We hear about all of them in the past tense, so we never get emotionally involved in any of them. We are led down many different paths that lead nowhere until finally, about 75% of the way through, we are given clues to the killers' identity in what should have been a no brainer to one of the girls all along.

The ending was just ok; it didn't align at all with the personality or motives of the killer and didn't make sense except as a way to bring the book to an end.

This is a light, fluffy, 'doesn't take much concertation' whodunit that was ok if you like that sort of thing. I thought I was going to read a murder mystery, and it fell short for me.

Twisty thriller. Three women who've reconnected go on vacation together in the Hamptons. When a man is murdered shortly after one of them plays a prank on him for stealing a parking space, her friends become suspicious and relationships crumble.

This book had all the elements I love—three friends on vacation, toxic friendships, buried secrets, and pranks that spiral out of control, all set in the Hamptons. The drama is nonstop, and it kept me thoroughly engaged throughout. I couldn’t stop turning the pages to see how everything would unravel.

While I saw a few twists coming, the tension and character dynamics made it a compelling read. If you're into suspense with a healthy dose of messy friendships and drama, this book is definitely worth picking up.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

The Note is my first Alafair Burke book, and I will likely check out more from this author in the future even though this book was not my favorite.

The premise is interesting enough - a note left on a car as a joke turns out to have serious consequences. However, the build up to the main events of this novel is quite slow and frustrating. That said, once things get moving - which for me was about 60% through - the story does take some interesting and unexpected turns leading to a fairly satisfying conclusion for most of the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. The Note will be released on January 7, 2025.

I loved this book. It was exactly what you want from a thriller. It led me to think the suspect was three different people before I finally landed on the right one. Twists and turns that I didn’t expect! Fantastic!