This book was SO good! The book starts off as a really slow burn, but it sets the rest of the story up perfectly. There was so much drama and tension. I had no idea what to expect as I was reading, and the author really delivered on the twists, and the ending was so rewarding!
I cannot recommend this thriller enough!



Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This fast-paced novel follows three sisters entangled in financial hardship, a bitter divorce, a shady money scheme—and ultimately, a murder. Narrated by Harper, the youngest of the trio, the story unfolds with escalating tension and layers of deceit, keeping readers hooked from start to finish.

Perfect for fans of twisty, character-driven thrillers, this is an addictive, page-turning read that blends family drama with dark secrets in all the best ways.

Any story focusing on sisters relationships is always going to be on my reading list. This one did not disappoint. We drama from years past, to the current problem at hand, El Dorado Drive kept me entertained throughout!!!

While I'm willing to believe that this accurately captures a certain slice of society, it's not a slice I find myself interested in. The concept of society wife as a profession just has no intersection with my own life, and then when you throw in the fact that none of them can actually afford to live this way it makes me even less sympathetic. Get a job like the rest of us! Instead, they come up with a ridiculous pyramid "investment club" scheme, which is blatantly unsupportable, especially as a secret, cult-like operation. Needless to say, murder happens. The exploration of different possible resolution threads was generally well done, which each possibility feeling plausible. The ultimate solution works, it's just that the cast of characters as a whole are extremely unlikeable. I think that's intentional, but it just makes it harder to truly enjoy as a read.

How far will one go to be more comfortable in life? That’s what Harper asked herself when she was brought into an all women empowerment club. She was promised to make money to live a more comfortable life and do so by uplifting other women who want the same. Her sisters promised her this. But after joining The Club, is there really a way to get out? And at what cost?

The cult-like following of the pyramid scheme was fun but I felt as if the outcomes of the book were a little far fetched for what they were trying for. It didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat wanting more, so it was definitely more of a slow burn thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley, G.P. Putnam’s Sons and Penguin Random House for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book in return for my honest feedback.

El Dorado Drive should've been a book I loved. 3 sisters enter into a pyramid scheme and it all falls down from there. But the writing...wasn't great. So many chapters felt extremely repetitive. We get it the sisters are broke, deep in debt, and desperate. There are only so many ways I can read the same plot points over and over. Halfway through the book, I couldn't believe we were ONLY halfway through the book?! I wanted to DNF this book but I needed to see how it ended. The ending somewhat threw me off and it left me annoyed. It seemed extremely far fetched and out of character for those involved. This one didn't work for me sadly.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thnaks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC.

Megan Abbott is such a fun author. She writes thrillers that never feel in your face but you feel the tension right below the surface until it appears. Boom. El Dorado Drive really got me it was a culty like pyramid scheme and I ate it right up.

El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott was just fantastic!
She never fails to hook me and always keeps me coming back for more.
This was once again another amazing psychological thriller.
The characters are well-developed.
Abbott skillfully creates a tense and atmospheric setting.
Overall, this is an intriguing read. It's very entertaining, gripping and comes with an unexpected twist.

Many thanks to NetGalley, and Penguin Random House | Putnam Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Megan Abbott. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Harper is forced to move back in with her sister, Pam, because of financial issues. Once there, she's surprised to see that Pam seems to be doing so well financially after a nasty divorce and her husband cleaning out their bank accounts and even the kids' money. Pam shares her secret - a women's group called the Wheel, whose function is to lift each other up. But when Harper and their other sister join, the sisters unleash a darkness within the group.

This is a slow burn thriller that leads up to quite the ending! I liked the timeframe - in the 70s and 80s in Detroit after the crash of the car industry there. It had a gritty, desperate feeling throughout when opportunities were few and people suddenly had to do without. And just what would some people do to get money? It was the perfect setup for groups such as Mary Kay, Amway, and the Wheel to come in and promise the world. I liked the interaction between the sisters and Pam's daughter Vivian's storyline as well.

The three Bishop sisters – Debra, Pam, and Harper – know what it’s like to fall on hard times. They grew up privileged in an upscale Detroit suburb, only to see their family’s circumstances crash when the auto industry did. Now adults, the hard times are knocking again. Debra and her husband are buried under a mountain of medical bills, Pam is locked in a contentious and expensive divorce battle, and Harper’s finances are so bad that she moved in with Pam and her kids.

When Pam comes to Harper with an unusual way of making money, Harper is skeptical but she’s also desperate. So she agrees to join The Wheel, which is basically a pyramid scheme where you have to bring in new members to make your way up the levels to make money. But with The Wheel’s success comes greed, and some members will stop at nothing – even murder – to keep it going.

Megan Abbott has this talent for writing tense, simmering suspense that keeps me glued to the pages, and El Dorado Drive is a prime example! This isn’t an in-your-face thriller with over the top twists, it’s a slow burn that digs deep into the bonds of sisterhood, betrayal, greed, and power. The prose is compelling and atmospheric, perfectly evoking the 2008 Grosse Pointe setting. Abbott knows Michigan inside and out, and as a Metro Detroiter, I absolutely loved how all of the little details set the scene. Every little thing, from road names, restaurants, and even the high school mascot, is 100% on point.

Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing me an advance copy of this book.

I’ve read one other book by Abbott and listened to two others. I prefer reading her books and this one may have been my favorite. It has a large cast of characters but they are distinct. The resolution, although convoluted, was satisfying.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This is a story of sisters that I felt like was just OK. It was a thriller that I wish had more twists.

Abbott is an auto read author and el dorado drive returns to similar territory as the turnout, exploring the bonds between sisters. Set against the 2009 recession during the auto industry collapse in Michigan, everyone is struggling and the setting and tone are bleak. The bishop sisters are no exception-once a successful and comfortable family’, Deb, Harper, and Pam find themselves down on their luck and desperate. That is until the opportunity to join a female-led society offering them wealth and growth (ie pyramid scheme) called the wheel presents itself to them, at first it seems bright and promising for the sisters, and they feel hope. However, the wheel soon begins to show a dark side. As usual, death and chaos ensure in the back half. As with most of Abbott’s books, the tension simmers low and slow and then picks up steam and explodes. Abbott has a knack for evoking setting and drawing you into her characters and and plot effortlessly. I’m not sure if she covers any new ground with this one, but I will continue to follow where she leads!

Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Megan Abbott returns to a familiar theme she explored in her book The Turnout: The enigmatic interpersonal dynamic known as sisters. You hate each other, you love each other, you want to chop off each other’s hair, you braid it and put ribbons in it instead. You steal each other’s clothes and lend each other clothes and give each other clothing as gifts. It’s a bond no one else understands.

There’s another kind of sisterhood to speak of in this book too: that of sorority, of exclusive membership, of belonging to a group of other women just like you who seemingly have the same needs, wants, and desires. Who share the same goals and motivations in life.

They say the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb, but how was that blood cut?

El Dorado Drive is the type of thriller that simmers as you read, with a low-riding tension that jars occasionally like you’ve hit a pothole in the road. It swings us back in time to Michigan in 2009, just after the auto manufacturing companies here in the US got bailed out by our government during the worldwide economic “recession”. All of our main characters are down on their luck because of money woes: houses foreclosed on, trust funds drained, laid off from jobs, healthcare bills piling up, debts accruing interest, 401Ks being liquidated, and marriage after marriage ending in divorce. These characters are desperate, and desperate people do desperate things. This leads to an increasingly manic atmosphere that pops and leaves behind a mystery that then takes you through some fantastic twists and turns trying to figure out whodunit. 4⭐️



I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: LGBTQ Fiction/Suspense Thriller/Women’s Fiction

Abbott is one of the best as social thrillers, digging into the small problems of everyday life which can spiral into much worse. The Bishop sisters are living in a decaying suburb of Detroit, and their money problems lead them into a group which is part self-help, part ponzi scheme. Unsurprisingly there is death and disaster which follow. Abbott is amazing at place and the unspoken mores of a social structure. She paints the rules of women of certain age in a specific corner of America and then rips out the seams.

The Bishop sisters grew up in wealth just outside Detroit, but as the auto industry crumbled, so did their privileged lifestyle. Harper, struggling to make ends meet, is pulled into a mysterious club called the Wheel by her two older sisters, Pam and Debra. The Wheel promises financial independence for women like them, but it quickly becomes something much darker—addictive, dangerous, and ultimately criminal. As the stakes rise, one shocking act threatens to unravel everything they've built. This was an interesting and fun read—my first by Megan Abbott—and I really enjoyed the slow-burn tension and twists throughout. The story dives deep into sisterhood, desperation, and power in such a sharp and compelling way. I’ll definitely be picking up more from her!

Happy Publication Day!

This story was dark and twisted!

Harper is down on her luck and moves in with her sister, Pam. She is surprised to find that Pam is doing so well financially after surviving an ugly divorce. But Pam has a secret. She is a member of the ‘Wheel’, a group of women helping women. New members add cash to a pool and then one lucky member wins the pot of money. When Pam invites Harper to join, they accidentally set off a series of dark events that could cost the sisters everything.

This was a slow burn. I was gripped by the way these desperate women were willing to participate in something so risky and insane. There was definitely a shocking feeling that something like this could actually take place in real life. I thought this novel idea was unique, original and well executed.

Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A thriller about a mysterious pyramid scheme group of women (MLM reminiscent?) Yes, please! Toss in a trio of sisters who all have secrets and financial troubles, and it makes for a fun read.

There are times (as is common in this genre) where the characters actions were so ridiculous and nonsensical, it was annoying. I don't want to give spoilers but one of the secrets Harper keeps just didn't make sense to me at all - like what's the big deal!?

The ending was a surprise and I didn't see it coming. It was a fun read, page-turning, but not all that memorable. There were some interesting themes about human nature, family bonds, money and greed that elevated it a bit.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, GP Putnam's Sons, for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a slow burn until about the halfway mark, then things happened fast and furious!
The Bishop girls grew up with money, belonged to the country club, lived in a nice neighborhood of Detroit. Then their father lost his job in the auto industry. Now adults, Harper gives riding lessons at the hunt club, Debra and her husband are struggling to pay his medical bills, and Pam thought she had returned to the glory days only to have her husband lose it all, including her and their kids to divorce. After losing her apartment, Harper moves in with Pam, surprised to see Pam suddenly doing so well -a new car, caviar parties- despite struggling only a few months ago to pay her son's tuition after her ex drained the kids' college savings accounts. Pam tells Harper about the Wheel, a club of women supporting each other, in a way that sounds a lot like a pyramid scheme (but no, it's a triangle, not a pyramid! And it moves -see, it's a wheel!). Heavily in debt, Harper puts her doubts aside and invests into becoming a member, but she soon realizes that desperate women might not be the best people to trust. With money comes envy, greed, and danger. Abbott does a superb job of taking the reader into the minds of these women, especially Harper, exploring her moral conflict and rationalizations. I enjoyed the twisty plot, which held plenty of surprises, and devoured this book in a little over a day.

Thank you NetGalley for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows 3 sisters who find themselves in a money pyramid scheme- everything seems perfect until one of them winds up unalived.

I did enjoy this book but needed more from it. This was more of a slow burn thriller and I was left just needing something else.