Detail is the enemy. Scrutiny is the enemy. Everyone is the enemy.
The Girls Weekend
by Jody Gehrman
Genre: Mystery
About: June hasn't seen Sadie in ten years, and there's a reason for that. Sadie lives the life of dreams: rich, successful, perfect husband, perfect daughter. She has everything June doesn't have. But when she's forced into a reunion with Sadie and their three other friends from college, old jealousies return, and not everyone will survive the weekend.
The Good
It's a fast paced, easy to get your teeth into kind of mystery. After a night of heavy drinking, the girls wake up to find one in their number is missing. There's blood on the wall, gaps in their memories and everyone has a secret. The way June goes about finding answers keeps you interested because you know someone is lying, and yet nearly everyone she interacts with has a close connection to her which makes you want to trust them.
The Bad
Are the endings to mysteries ever as good as the set-up? Without giving spoilers, the ending didn't feel satisfying. There wasn't an emotional punch to it, the girls weekend didn't feel necessary enough in order for the mystery to have taken place, and there's no incentive to re-read. Scenes and conversations held no hidden meaning that only make sense once you get to the end - and a really good mystery should make you want to turn the pages back and discover the 'clues' you missed before.
The Somewhat Iffy
Mental illness isn't covered brilliantly, the characters struggling with it are painted none too flatteringly. Also we don't get enough of the friendship dynamic before it all falls apart. The girls weekend never feels fun, and Sadie is so extremely unlikable that it seems impossible any of the girls would ever have been friends with her.
Overall
I did enjoy reading - I breezed through it because the hook was so good and the not knowing who to trust keeps your eyes flying through the text. If only Sadie's character had shown some redeemable qualities or vulnerability, that would have given an extra layer of emotion to the dynamic between June and her. The twist also needed a bit more fleshing out as the story ultimately felt very removed from June, which it certainly shouldn't have.
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