Rating: 😐/2
Review: DNF. This should have been a hit for me with the cult vibes and family drama but it was just too slow and I didn’t care for any of the characters.
Format: 👩🏻‍💻
Source: #netgalley
Published on Goodreads 5/16/2025

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this advanced reader copy of El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott.

If you’ve read anything by Megan Abbott, you know her books create a sense of unease that can definitely cross over into the uncomfortable category. I’m not a completist, but this is certainly the author’s tamest work and I think that could appeal to readers who may appreciate less of a shock factor.

The novel completely gripped me with a set of sisters, all down on their luck in various ways who fall for a get rich quick scheme, the answer to all their problems, that looks awfully similar to a pyramid. I thought this premise was unique and interesting while being relatable. As the story progressed, the plot wasn’t able to maintain the intensity that initially brought me in. However, I was entertained and surprised when I thought I had it all figured out.

El Dorado is available June 24, 2025.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This one fell short for me there were a lot of characters it got confusing .
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

El Dorado Drive is a fast-paced, twisty mystery with several surprises and distractions. The story gallops along in a somewhat gappy unreliable manner but is compelling and difficult to put down - waiting to see what is revealed next. Was a fun read in some ways but a distorted read in others. That may speak to the instability of the characters to set the tone.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Just wow! Another great Megan Abbott novel! Filled with mystery, suspense and fantastic female energy. This had me hooked from the beginning. Great premise filled with a longing for that ‘little something’ that is missing in our lives.
Thank you NetGalley, Megan Abbott and GP Putnam for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The three Bishop sisters grew up in privilege in the moneyed suburbs of Detroit. But as the auto industry declined, so did their fortunes. Harper, the youngest, is barely making ends meet when her beloved, charismatic sister Pam—currently in the middle of a contentious battle with her ex-husband—and her eldest sister, Debra, approach her about joining an exciting new club.

The Wheel offers women like themselves—middle-aged and of declining means—a way to make their own money, independent of husbands or families. Quickly, however, the Wheel’s success and their own addiction to it, leads to greater and greater risks—and a crime so shocking it threatens to bring everything down with it.

Megan Abbott is a true treasure. This novel has it all, and it's a must read! Highly recommended. #ElDoradoDrive #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthor Series

Great read. Doesn’t stand out too much from Megan Abbott’s other work, but it’s still intriguing. Abbott does an excellent job painting a scene and creating complex characters who aren’t one dimensional.

I was initially drawn to this book because of the Wheel. The MLM storyline definitely caught my attention and it's something I hadn't seen in a book yet. Unfortunately, this book fell short for me. I really, really disliked the clipped, and sometimes disjointed way the book was told in short scenes which made it really easy to just close the book when it was not keeping my attention. Thankfully the book did get exciting but not until much further than I'd normally keep reading. It had a very nice extra twist at the end but just not enough to make me rate this any higher.

Thank you to netgalley for the free eARC in exchange for my review.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is a mystery and a family drama. I enjoyed the family dynamics between the sisters and the fast paced who dunnit story. Greed, money, sisterhood, family, and a sound plot make this one a must read.

This book was a fun read. It really hit the 00's nostalgia with the recession and schemes. Also enjoyable was that the story was really about family- not romantic love. I wish the ending had been a little less predictable but overall I would recommend a read.

Megan Abbott’s new novel El Dorado Drive is a seething, sinuous exploration of the intersections between women, money, and power. Harper, Debra, and Pam are sisters who grew up wealthy in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, but as adults, they are all struggling with money for their own specific reasons and barely staying afloat. But then they learn about The Wheel, a group of women empowering women, that has the potential to grant them financial freedom…if it doesn’t kill them first.

Megan Abbott is one of my favorite writers – no one writes neo-noir as confidently and stunningly as she does – and so I hold her to an incredibly high standard. El Dorado Drive has many of Abbott’s trademarks – evocative writing with so much simmering beneath the surface, a twisting mystery that reveals itself in surprising ways, an immersive quality that makes you feel like you’re experiencing the book rather than just reading words on a page – but still, it felt like something was missing. The characters are well-developed; Abbott uses the sisters to examine loyalty and rivalry, love and resentment, morality, sisterhood (both genuine and manufactured), and the desperation brought about by financial struggles in thoughtful and startling ways. But she didn’t make me feel an emotional connection to them, and they also didn’t feel emotionally connected to each other. I wanted a much more emotionally nuanced portrayal of their dynamic, especially since that dynamic really is the core of the whole novel. The prose just felt a bit cold and distant, which is not how I normally feel about Abbott’s writing.

Bottom line, though – El Dorado Drive is the type of story you don’t get often in contemporary fiction: one that puts the economic downturn front and center, where money and its lack are central to the plot. These women aren’t characters you typically see, either; they are keeping up appearances but just barely, and Abbott gives us an intimate look at their real circumstances behind the shiny veneer of big houses, expensive cars, and club memberships. It isn’t all as effortless as it looks, and I appreciated how Abbott pulled back the curtain on that aspect of modern life. Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the early reading opportunity. 3.5 stars rounded up.

First of all, I love Megan Abbott’s books, and I will continue to read everything she writes. I personally think she is a great writer, and I really enjoy the style and prose. This book, like others, is atmospheric, moody, ominous- all good things. I really feel the setting. However, I just didn’t love the plot of this one as much as many of her other novels. I don’t like spoilers, but I feel like I can sum it up pretty quickly: the 3 Bishop sisters were once wealthy but the family lost it all; they’ve been struggling ever since. There’s a lot of family drama. They join what is essentially a pyramid scheme for women to make money. Some are better at it than others. Someone gets murdered. Who did it and why? I love a slow burn, but I found parts of the book to be boring and not needed. There are some good twists at the end, so it is worth finishing, but overall, even though I found the struggles of the main characters to be relatable, I just didn’t care that much throughout much of the book. I think this is worth a read and will recommend, just not my favorite of her work!

Thanks so much to Putnam Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book!

If you like Megan Abbott, you'll definitely like this. She drops you right into a universe that's incredibly rich with detail (and also deeply sad and deeply relatable), and a good, even pace continues through the remainder. Recommended.

The Bishop sisters—Debra, Pam, and Harper—once lived lives of privilege, but time and misfortune have brought financial strain to each of them. Desperate for a way out, they’re drawn into The Wheel, an exclusive women’s group promising fast money through a secretive gifting circle. But when one member turns up dead, what began as a lifeline quickly spirals into a web of secrets, suspicion, and betrayal.

Megan Abbott delivers another taut, propulsive thriller with The Dorado Drive, pulling readers into the glittering surface and shadowy depths of suburban desperation. The story unfolds in unexpected and interesting ways, each chapter layered with tension and new revelations. Abbott’s signature strength—complex female characters—shines especially in the portrayal of the Bishop sisters. Their bond is frayed but inescapable, marked by old resentments, unspoken truths, and a fierce, if uneasy, loyalty. Watching their relationship evolve under pressure is as riveting as the later mystery itself.

What sets The Dorado Drive apart is how it intertwines psychological suspense with social commentary. The allure and danger of schemes like The Wheel feel chillingly real, and Abbott uses this setup not only to build suspense but to explore power, ambition, and the cost of reinvention. With twists that keep readers guessing and a final act that pays off the slow-building dread, this is a thriller that satisfies all the way to the end.

Perfect for fans of layered domestic suspense, The Dorado Drive is a smart, stylish, and deeply compelling novel. Megan Abbott continues to prove she’s one of the genre’s finest voices.

Although the first half of EL DORADO DRIVE is very slow, the plot picks up up about halfway through and the last part has some great twists. I'm glad I stuck with it! I was intrigued by the Harper character throughout, so I think that helped through the slower parts, but intitially I was confused about when the inciting incident would happen. Overall, probably not Megan Abbott's best book, but worth a read.

Release: June 23, 2025
Author: Megan Abbott
Publisher: penguin group Putnam

Rating: 3.5 ★ 

Harper Bishop is struggling to stay afloat when her sisters, Pam and Debra, introduce her to something called The Wheel—a secretive club that promises financial independence for women who’ve lost their footing. Once part of a wealthy family in Detroit’s suburbs, the Bishop sisters are now feeling the pressure of shrinking fortunes and rising desperation. What starts as a hopeful opportunity quickly turns into a dangerous obsession. As the women get pulled deeper into The Wheel, the stakes grow higher—until a shocking crime threatens to destroy everything they’ve built. El Dorado Drive is a tense story about money, sisterhood, and the dark choices people make when they feel they have nothing left to lose.

I went into El Dorado Drive intrigued by the premise: sisters entangled in a secretive, women-led pyramid scheme that spirals into murder. It sounded fresh and full of potential. The story centers on Harper, who moves in with her sister Pam during a rough patch. Pam seems to be thriving—despite her divorce—and it’s all thanks to “The Wheel,” a kind of community club that’s more Ponzi scheme than support group. The promise of financial relief pulls Harper in, but things quickly unravel as desperation sets in, secrets pile up, and someone ends up dead.

I liked the dark, suburban atmosphere and the exploration of how far people—especially women—will go when backed into a corner financially or emotionally. The first half of the book felt more like a slow-burn family drama than a thriller, which threw me off. Some character decisions were baffling, and a few conflicts felt unnecessarily high-stakes for what they were. Still, the tension built well enough that I was hooked once the murder happened.

The last third of the book was definitely the most gripping part. The mystery picked up, and the red herrings kept me guessing. I didn’t see the ending coming, but I’m not sure it fully landed for me either—it felt like a twist that hadn’t been fully earned. That said, I enjoyed the ride once it got going.

Overall, this was a mixed bag. Great concept, decent execution, and some memorable character dynamics, but it didn’t quite deliver the punch I was hoping for. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either—it lands somewhere in the middle.


Favorite Quote:
"the suburbs were full of things you couldn't see, only feel. A low hum of secrets and lies."

I have been a reader of Megan Abbott's work for about a decade now. I have LOVED some and really really liked the others, so I found myself almost nervous to read this in case it ended her winning streak. Fortunately that did not happen! This was GOOD, claustrophobic, and the perfect kind of slow boil.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance ecopy of this title. Harper and Pam are two sisters who grew up for want of nothing. Pam eventually married into a lifestyle very similar, while Harper floundered a bit. Harper moves in with Pam when Pam's impending divorce causes her life to implode. Both sisters are facing financial hardships. Pam and Harper get drawn into a women's club called, "The Wheel" that promises financial security. What ensues are criminal acts, and some twisty surprises.

Not a fan of the pyramid scheme and the length if the book. Found it difficult to get into and the characters could be more relatable. Was unable to finish.

Interesting premise but could not get into this book nor did I care for the characters. Almost DNFed a few times but read through to find out the mystery