Pinky Swear by Danielle Girard centers on Lexi, whose surrogate and childhood friend Mara disappears just days before her due date. When Mara shows up after sixteen years fleeing an abusive husband, their rekindled friendship leads to Mara offering to carry Lexi's child. The premise immediately drew me in, and I finished it in two days because I genuinely wanted to know why/how/etc. the person carrying the child of their best friend would just up and vanish. But...the execution proved frustrating in several ways. The character relationships felt unclear; Lexi's husband exists in some undefined separated-but-not-really state that made their relationship hard to parse and their interactions hard to follow. The backstory involving their three-person friend group (including Cate, who died young) unfolds across different timelines and POVs in ways that became confusing. I was more than halfway through before I realized the traumatic event I thought had happened to one character actually happened to another. The ending ultimately broke my suspension of disbelief entirely. Without giving anything away, the resolution relies on the protagonist's self-taught expertise in a highly specialized field, transforming what could have been a compelling thriller into something that felt implausible. While I'm willing to overlook plenty of dramatic license in summer thrillers, this particular narrative choice pushed beyond what I could accept. The bones of an engaging story were present, but the muddled plotting and strained finale undermined the whole thing.

So good! This was a sweet story of friendship with just the right amount of mystery . Lexi finds Mara missing and decides to search for her .Mara is carrying Lexi's baby and hopes to find her in time before she delivers. Did Mara run off on her own, or did somebody come looking for her? Lexi has to delve into Mara's past to find out where Mara is and will she will find her in time?? There are so many questions that you need answered. You will fly thru the pages! Such a good book. I enjoyed reading !

I loved this one as it features high school friends, Lexi and Mara as Mara is carrying Lexi's baby for her. But the past mistakes will soon catch up to them as there are break-ins, stolen journals, secrets, and lies. It's both hopeful and tragic so get the tissues ready!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Pros: Pinky Swear was suspenseful, heartfelt, and compelling. Girard is an excellent, decisive writer.

Cons: The pacing wasn't quite right and I just wanted a bit more – more story, more character development, and more drawn-out suspense. I think this book would have benefitted from an extra 50-100 pages of fleshing out characters and conflicts. I feel I didn't always understand the characters and their motivations, and maybe would've liked to spend a bit more time in their heads.

This was a really good book, centered on Lexi and Mara, childhood friends who lost touch and are reunited in adulthood. Lexi is thrilled when Mara shows up out of the blue after years of being disconnected- Mara fits easily into her life and even agrees to be a surrogate for the child Lexi is desperate to have. Everything is going well until Mara disappears just days before the due date. Lexi feels that Mara would never purposely do anything like that to her, but she also isn't sure what exactly Mara has been up to the last few years. You also get flashback chapters from when the girls were in high school along with another close friend named Cate, which also presents a mystery.

Lexi was easy to root for, even though she did put herself in potentially risky positions; this goes to show you what a mother will do for a child even if it's a child she hasn't met yet! I could really empathize with her thoughts on whether Mara is really who she thought she was or not- I felt like she acted the way someone really would if put in that situation. I also thought that her relationship with her family felt very real and realistically complicated. The book was very fast-paced, with lots of things happening in the course of just a few days. The ending was super intense and definitely unexpected- if I had any nit it did feel like I could have used a few more breadcrumbs to help me confirm who the villain was, though once it did all come out, it made sense to me.

Overall, this was a fast-paced and enjoyable read with relatable characters and a lot of suspense. I'd recommend to those who like mysteries and psychological thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When Lexi’s friend and surrogate disappears just days before her due date, Lexi is beside herself and goes on a mission to find Mara. Lexi knows something must be wrong because Mara would never leave willingly, would she?

The whole premise of this book grabbed me from the beginning. Teenage friendships, a missing surrogate and now an investigation to find the truth of Mara’s disappearance! This one definitely kept me turning the pages!

This books was so good and so so eerie! Literally gave me chills thinking about what happened to the Lexi and it was really intriguing seeing how the dynamic developed between her and Mara. The whole high school acquaintances reacquainted was a unique spin that really added layers to the story. Makes you really wonder how well you know people and made me take into consideration how my relationships form with others!

Read this if you enjoy: domestic thrillers and past/present timelines - This was such an original concept and was a quick read with a lot of suspense, I felt like a lot was going on and the pacing was off (slow start and very fast finish)

There was a lot going on here and given the intensity of it, I feel it was wrapped a bit too quickly. That being said, it was a quick read with decent suspense.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

Mara is the surrogate for Lexi’s baby. They were inseparable until college, then time and distance made them lose touch. Many years later, Mara shows up at Lexi’s door needing help. Once she heals, she agrees to carry Lexi’s baby. Everything seems fine until Mara vanishes without a trace. Mara’s due date is only a few days away and Lexi searches for answers and to find her and her baby.
The POV’s shift between what is happening now, and what occurred between Lexi, Mara, and their third friend, Cate. Lots of secrets come to the surface all while the clock is ticking.
No spoilers, but I could not imagine what had happened to make Mara disappear. The whole time I was reading this book, I was fearing the worst.

Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the arc ◡̈
This book felt like a two part criminal minds episode. We jump right into the story of high school besties, Lexi & Mara, reunited in adulthood. Lexi is unable to have a child so Mara volunteers to be her surrogate. We know absolutely nothing about Mara both as the reader and from Lexi’s POV. But we do know she came from Philly and claims she fled an abusive situation with her husband Lance. Mara goes missing fairly quickly into the book. Lexi takes a cross country adventure from Denver to Philly in hopes of finding Mara since the baby is due in a few days. I will say I was enjoying this so much until the last 15%. I read it so quickly and it was easily bingeable but at some point I was getting fed up with Lexi and her rose colored glasses view of the world. Also the POVs we had of their third bestie in high school also threw me off. But Pinky Swear is definitely worth the read when it comes out in February! 4/5⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Without spoilers, I can say this one kept me highly motivated to find out what was going to happen. Some difficult topics, but a wild ride.

This story was an interesting one! I truly loved how the author wrote - very descriptive, flowy, and easy to follow.

The main character and some of the events that happen throughout the story were not positives of this book to me. The main character could be a bit unbearable, and some of the events that occurred just made me roll my eyes.

But the story was entertaining enough to finish the book.

I think that people interested in friendship and motherhood stories and thrillers will appreciate this novel. As long as you don’t go into it thinking too realistically.

Pinky Swear by Danielle Girard had me hooked from the first chapter. The premise is instantly gripping—a surrogate vanishing just days before giving birth—and Girard delivers on that tension all the way through.

Lexi’s desperation and determination leap off the page as she searches for Mara, her childhood best friend turned surrogate, and the truth about their past. I loved how the novel balanced an emotional story of motherhood and friendship with a high-stakes, pulse-pounding mystery.

The pacing was strong, and I flew through the chapters, always wanting to know what came next. Some of the character choices felt frustrating at times, but in a way that added to the realism and intensity of the story.

This is a thriller full of secrets, emotional weight, and relentless suspense. Fans of domestic thrillers and twisty mysteries will not want to miss it.

This book was a heartwrenching story and while it was overall good, I felt some parts were a little TOO unbelievable for the situation. The characters were very well written though!

I am willing to suspend a lot of belief when it comes to my thriller summer 2k25 however, I can't suspend it all!!!

Unfortunately, the plot of this, the characters, the relationships were either too out there, or too unbelievable to make sense of. I did want to find out what happened, so I did read until the end however it was all kinda...whatever; too silly and not in a fun way.

Thank you to the publishers for the arc.

Ugh so heart wrenching. But boy let me tell you. I was invested. From the very first chapter. I had to stay up and see what happened to Goose.

I would like to say thank you for the amazing amazing amazing book!!!!!!!
I enjoyed this work so much the storyline was intense. The characters were intense. I was at the edge of my feet because that’s all great and I’m so glad that’s the main character got her happy ending even though she lost all her friends she got what she really wanted and it was such and awesome read I can’t say good things about it but it’s a 10 star lol not a 5 star so good !!!

Pinky Swear is a twisty, emotionally charged thriller about friendship, trust, and the weight of long-buried secrets. Lexi and Mara were inseparable in middle and high school, bound together by shared history and a devastating tragedy. Sixteen years later, Mara arrives on Lexi’s doorstep, escaping an abusive marriage, and Lexi takes her in without hesitation.

Lexi’s own life is complicated. Her marriage is under strain from failed attempts to have a baby, so when Mara offers to be her surrogate, it feels like a chance to heal old wounds and start a new chapter. But just four days before the baby’s due date, Mara vanishes. What follows is an intense cross-country search that forces Lexi to question not only Mara’s intentions, but also her own memories of their friendship and the truth about that long-ago night.

The novel moves between present-day urgency and the shadowed past, gradually revealing the truth beneath the surface of the girls’ bond. The pacing builds steadily. By the end, the title Pinky Swear feels both haunting and ironic! And a reminder that promises made in youth can bind in unexpected and dangerous ways. #danillegirard #pinkyswear #atriabooks