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THE SWAP by ROBYN HARDING

June 27, 2020

 

About the Book:

 

Low Morrison is not your average teen. You could blame her hippie parents or her looming height or her dreary, isolated hometown on an island in the Pacific Northwest. But whatever the reason, Low just doesn’t fit in—and neither does Freya, an ethereal beauty and once-famous social media influencer who now owns the local pottery studio.

After signing up for a class, Low quickly falls under Freya’s spell. And Freya, buoyed by Low’s adoration, is compelled to share her darkest secrets and deepest desires. Finally, both feel a sense of belonging…that is, until Jamie walks through the studio door. Desperate for a baby, she and her husband have moved to the island hoping that the healthy environment will result in a pregnancy. Freya and Jamie become fast friends, as do their husbands, leaving Low alone once again.

Then one night, after a boozy dinner party, Freya suggests swapping partners. It should have been a harmless fling between consenting adults, one night of debauchery that they would put behind them, but instead, it upends their lives. And provides Low the perfect opportunity to unleash her growing resentment.

Robyn Harding brings her acclaimed storytelling, lauded as “fast-paced, thrilling, gut-wrenching” by Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six, to this dark and suspenseful thriller for fans of Megan Miranda and Lisa Jewell.

My Review:

You can always count on Robyn Harding to deliver a darkly satisfying thriller with fantastic characters! I loved ‘The Arrangement’ and her newest book is just as enticing and taboo. Here. the author tackles the subject of partner-swapping (among other topics) and crafted an unputdownable thriller! If you find yourself with a relatively short attention span these days, I can guarantee you that Robyn Harding’s thrillers will satisfy your reading cravings.

Told from multiple perspectives, we first meet the shy and introverted Low, a moody teenager who is desperate to escape her small Pacific Northwest town and her very unusual family dynamic. She meets the beautiful Freya, a vivacious and captivating artist who offers pottery classes to Low. Soon, their relationship takes an unhealthy turn. Freya is not all that she seems to be, but both Low and Jamie, the owner of a small gift shop in town, become practically obsessed with her. With Freya, Low finally feels like she has found acceptance and understanding.

“At home, I was an afterthought. At school, I was a pariah. At Freya’s studio, I was everything. Freya was a best friend, a parent, and a crush all wrapped up in one worldly, glamorous package. Later, people would say I was obsessed with her, but I wasn’t. With Freya, I was home.”

Jamie and her husband Brian soon become very friendly with both Freya and her handsome athlete husband Max, a former hockey player. Max and Freya had moved to the isolated island town to escape public scrutiny after a tragic incident and subsequent litigation. How will the lives of Jamie, Brian, Freya, Max and Low all intersect? The author builds the tension at a rapid pace and never lets up.

Everyone has secrets and Freya preys on them. Some of the reviews give away too much about the plot, so just go into this one blind. I had not read any reviews or even the summary before I started reading and I LOVED the shocking twists and turns in the story!

‘The Swap’ is a very fast-paced thriller with a touch of very dark elements and unforgettable characters. The ending was a total surprise and fit the story perfectly. Happy reading!

(ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
 

Categories : 4 Stars, Reviews, Suspense, Thriller Tagged : Robyn Harding, The Swap

THE ARRANGEMENT by ROBYN HARDING

October 6, 2019

The Arrangement
Published July 30, 2019 by Gallery/Scout Press

 

About the Book:

 

Natalie, a young art student in New York City, is struggling to pay her bills when a friend makes a suggestion: Why not go online and find a sugar daddy—a wealthy, older man who will pay her for dates, and even give her a monthly allowance? Lots of girls do it, Nat learns. All that’s required is to look pretty and hang on his every word. Sexual favours are optional.

Though more than thirty years her senior, Gabe, a handsome corporate finance attorney, seems like the perfect candidate, and within a month, they are madly in love. At least, Nat is…Gabe already has a family, whom he has no intention of leaving.

So when he abruptly ends things, Nat can’t let go. She begins drinking heavily and stalking him: watching him at work, spying on his wife, even befriending his daughter, who is not much younger than she is. But Gabe’s not about to let his sugar baby destroy his perfect life. What was supposed to be a mutually beneficial arrangement devolves into a nightmare of deception, obsession, and, when a body is found near Gabe’s posh Upper East Side apartment, murder.

 

My Review:

4 – 4.5 Stars!!

LOVED this juicy thriller!! I’m very intrigued by the “Sugar” lifestyle so I was drawn in by this story from the very beginning. Natalie has just told her father that she killed someone. We will not know who the victim is until later in the book. The phone call is a very difficult one, as Nat has been estranged from her father for many years.

Nat had been a struggling New York City art student, overworked but barely making ends meet and constantly arguing with her roommates. She is desperate for a solution but loves the city and does not want to leave school.

Nat’s friend Ava lives in a beautiful apartment, always had money for luxuries like coffee and wears lovely clothes. Ava clues her in: she has sugar daddies, men who pay her for companionship and even a relationship. At first Nat is absolutely horrified but Ava helps her navigate this brand new world of sugar relationships.

“She made it sound so mature, so reciprocal, almost liberating. Ava and her suitors were up front with their needs, their wants, their parameters. It sounded positively evolved.”

Ava explains that the sex is completely optional and only if the feelings are mutual. Ava seems so financially secure that Nat is ready to jump in. After positing her profile online, Nat receives many messages. Some of the men are positively repulsive, but one man stands out: Gabe Turnmill.

Gabe is handsome, brilliant, cultured and older than her father. Nat immediately feels safe with Gabe and soon becomes absolutely entranced by the wealthy older man. The theater, opera, fine restaurants…Nat loves her new lifestyle and begins to fall for Gabe.

“As clichéd as it sounded, she had never felt this way. Not even in the early days with Cole. Not with Miguel. Those boys couldn’t make her feel secure, cherished, adored. That took a man. But this was not a storybook romance; she knew that. It was a financial arrangement between two consenting adults who had laid out the parameters of their relationship up front. “

Gabe, too, begins to develop feelings for Nat that he knows he shouldn’t have. He loves her honesty and fresh-faced beauty and the way she looks up to him. But could he divorce his wife and leave his family behind for her? Their chemistry was honest and well-written and I could feel them both falling in love with each other!

“No strings. No commitment, obligation, or drama. And above all, no emotional attachment. This was about enjoying their time together, as limited as it may be, with no thought for the future. Because there wouldn’t be one. Her brain knew it, but her heart begged to differ.”

The story begins to get very complicated as Gabe becomes afraid that someone will find out about his “arrangement”. The plot takes a VERY dark turn. Reading Gabe’s perspective added to the depth of this book and I loved the tension and twists in this story. Would Gabe really leave his family for Natalie? Would Nat be able to sustain her lifestyle without Gabe’s financial assistance?

“He felt a surge of anger, fear, and lust. Natalie’s eyes met his, reflecting his ambiguity. I hate you. I want you. I’m going to ruin you.”

It is clear that the author really did her research on this lifestyle and I was even educated on the terminology! While some of the plot was a little far-fetched, overall I loved this intriguing domestic thriller and felt very connected to the characters. I could not put it down! Sex, envy, obsession, love and suspense, this wicked, fast-paced thriller has it all.

“Sometimes, we do things we don’t feel good about to survive. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.”

(ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

 

Categories : 4 Stars, Contemporary, Domestic Thriller, Mystery, Reviews, Suspense Tagged : Robyn Harding, The Arrangement

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