Girls' Night Out

Girls' Night Out
Author: Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

Three women take a vacation to Mexico in an attempt to mend their relationship. The problems between Ashley, Natalie and Lauren are complicated. Lauren blames Ashley for the death of her husband. Natalie wants Ashley to agree to sell the corporation they built together. And Ashley wants to keep control of her life, her business...and her secrets. But she also wants her two best friends back. The trip takes a strange tangent when Ashley becomes obsessed with a local man. Marco talks about native rituals, ceremonies and magic.....a way to bring peace back to life. And Ashley just loses focus. When she disappears, things careen out of control for Natalie and Lauren. Natalie can't remember what happened that last night, and Lauren regrets things she said and did. What happened to Ashley? And will their lives ever be the same?

Wow....this book was suspenseful, disturbing and awesome. It kept me guessing until the very end. Just as I thought I knew what happened....the story would take a twist and leave me wondering again. What a bunch of F'd up people. But aren't we all just a little F'd up? Not to this extreme I hope....but we all have secrets, regrets, friendships we screwed up, mistakes made, lessons learned. These three women want to re-forge their friendship, but sometimes it's difficult to rebuild burnt bridges or get past insurmountable personality differences. None of them are totally honest with any of the others. And that sort of fake, yet emotionally binding, friendship has a cost. It's a toxic mix.  Each one is selfish in their own way, wanting the friendships to last for their own gratification not for any bond or caring for any of the others. I disliked, yet sympathized, with each of them. Ashley is clueless about her controlling and manipulative behavior. Natalie is weak-willed and lets others take control, then resents it. Lauren blames others for the crap in her life, rather than admitting the fault is her own. They are all whiny, immature, manipulative bitches......yet very very human. Just like all of us. Ultimately, they all pay a price for their mistakes.

This book sucked me right in. I couldn't stop reading. I stayed up way too late because I had to know what happened! Definitely a binge reading event! Loved it! The characters frustrated the piss out of me....but I couldn't stop wondering what the hell was going to happen to them. Perfect. Love-hate relationship with the story. It definitely kept me reading! Like a soap opera keeps you watching, even though you want to look away.

This is the first book I have read by these authors. I'm definitely reading more! Great book!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**