Member Reviews
I haven’t read a book this good in a long time. I picked it up when I couldn’t sleep one night and didn’t stop reading until I’d finished it at 4.30am! It was a total page turner! The storyline had you guessing what was going on, but never quite being able to see the full picture until all was revealed at the end - really great story.
Margaret, Sam and someone who is maybe Diana are in their thirties and have not known each other for long but agree to go off together for a few days. So much goes wrong that it cannot be purely coincidence. The hired car keys disappear so do wallets and other possessions. Then they get stuck in Catskill which just happens to be where people from their past live. The question for readers is, can it all be coincidence. What the three do have in common is dysfunctional relationships with men and as if by accident links to them turn up in this place where they are stranded. The characters are well created and credible. The story has many twists and turns which keeps the reader wanting more. This book is an intriguing storyline and a very good read. I recommend it.
A road trip of coincidences, lost keys, unexpected reunions and of course, murder.
From the outset this story really grips you, from the suspicious behaviours to the incomplete truths and the many potential motives and the style of writing from multiple viewpoints only adds to the suspense.
Three friends, all healing from break-ups, and a weekend of drinking and relaxing in hot tubs in up state New York: sounds like the perfect escape, right? But when car trouble strands them in a small town miles from their destination, things begin to get weird for Sam, Margaret and Diana. And before too long, one of them is missing…
The Perfect Escape was just that: a gripping and entertaining book which made ideal holiday reading (in normal years I would have enjoyed it from a sun lounger on the beach, but this year read in my garden instead). The multiple twists just avoided feeling too contrived and the characters hit the sweet spot between feeling realistically rounded without being too unlikeable.
CN for baby loss.
Slow Creeping Chills…
In this intense, equally slow burn suspense. Complex, tumultuous personal relationships, three friends and the suggestion of a girls weekend. A perfect opportunity to relax, recharge, escape. Yes, perfect. Or is it? From the off, the atmosphere is edgy, tense and charged. Then things begin to go wrong. A compelling read, populated with a well drawn and interesting cast and never quite as predictable as you may at first think.
Sam, Margaret and Diana leave New York for a long needed break. The three friends all have complicated personal lives need to escape the city for a few days. When they stop at a service station they unbelievably lose the keys to their rental car. It’s the start of a catalogue of disasters which leaves one of them missing and each mistrusting each other.
It’s an easy read which kept me interested and pretty well engaged till the end. Worth a go!
This was my first time reading a thriller by Leah Konen.
I hadn't realised it was American when I'd requested it, and do tend to stick to English Physiological Thrillers, but I persevered and I'm glad I did.
The storyline was fairly easy to get in to, it wasn't gripping as such, but I did find it easy to come back to each time, and liked where the storyline lead to. I enjoyed the characters personalities, and the overall sypnosis.
The final twist- I didn't see coming and it wasn't really a great twist, it didn't make me go "oh my god", but I'm glad with the choice which Margaret left the ending.
Would probably read another book by this author in future.
A thriller - my go to genre for a quick entertaining read. Except many thrillers can be somewhat formulaic - the ending obvious. But not this one! An attention grabber from the start - so many unpredictable twists and turns. You don't see them coming ! Definitely unputdownable. A fantastic read
A fast paced mystery that had my heart in my mouth as I raced to end!
The Perfect Escape takes us on a road trip with three friends: Sam, Margaret and Diana. They’ve all suffered relationship trouble and think a well deserved break from the city will do them good. An unforeseen car breakdown leads them to a bar in a small town- the same small town where Sam’s estranged husband Harry lives. Just a coincidence? Or the catalyst that leads to trauma and tragedy?
I’d not read Leah Konen’s previous book but I thoroughly enjoyed this one! A great combination of subtle scene setting, a teasing trail of breadcrumbs leading us the next big reveal and heart stopping tension and drama.
I enjoyed the way Konen employed multiple points of view for each chapter, as I found it allowed for more character depth, with relationships being viewed from all parties.
Like any other great mystery I found myself second guessing most characters to try and discover the truth of the story, but I still didn’t quite predict it!
The scene was also set perfectly, with a rural woodland setting walking a fine line between friendly, country town and eerie, unwelcoming backwater.
A fantastic read, confirming Leah Konon as a thriller writer to watch! 4.5⭐️
Thanks to Leah Konen, Penguin and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
The plot appears to be quite a common theme for thrillers, group of friends go away for a weekend and something goes wrong etc. However, this was very different to your regular thriller.
Twists and turns, some predictable and others not so but all in all a pretty good read. For some reason I found it hard to warm to the characters and at points got frustrated at their actions as I know myself and my friends wouldn’t be so secretive to each other.
I’d probably give a 3.5 out if 5
#netgalley
#ThePerfectEscape
This book is full of unexpected twists and turns and it really keeps you guessing until the end. I can’t say I particularly took to any of the three women who are trying to get away for a relaxing weekend but I still found myself drawn into this total whodunnit, def one to read if you are looking for a good thriller/mystery. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early read of this proof.
This pure delight for me, as I was totally in the market for a good mystery focusing on a group of friends. Naturally, their fun girls׳ night turned into something a lot more sinister… loved the premise and the execution of this story!
The Perfect Escape tells the story of three women, getting out of the city for a girls’ weekend in the country. What should be a fun relaxing weekend turns into anything but thanks to the twisted pasts of the main characters.
Firstly, there is Sam, whose husband has just left her for someone else, she is feeling hurt and betrayed but desperate to get him back. Then there is Margaret, who is divorcing her alcoholic husband, grieving a lost child and getting further and further into debt finding ways to cope. And finally, Diana, she is escaping an abusive partner, almost living in hiding scared he will find her so she doesn’t have any social media and won’t allow any photos to be taken.
The plot itself I found very slow and heavy going. Each chapter is from the perspective of a character so although we do get to know their thoughts which lets us delve a little deeper, this sometimes goes too far, recounting things that are irrelevant to the storyline and just drags the chapter out a bit too far. There are also no light hearted funny moments to give you any respite. On a positive note, though, there are plenty of twists right up until the end.
This book explores relationships, between both friends and husbands and makes you wonder how much do we really know about one another?
This was such a good book just when you think you have figured out it changes again so unpredictable and I was kept on my toes the whole way through. A great thriller
Fantastic story with lots of twists and turns keeping you absolutely hooked from start to finish! Highly recommended!
Wow, this book just kept taking unexpected turns all the way through. I kept thinking I had it and then another twist came along. Really enjoyed this book, highly recommend!
#NetgalleyReviews
Wow!
This was such a well written, well plotted thriller! Fast paced and edgy, I was immediately hooked. Well thought out characters who were woven well throughout the story and so many twists and turns all the way up to the last page.
Brilliant.
Thanks to the publishers, Konen, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.
I truly loved this. Intriguing and fast-paced, it will keep you guessing until the very end!
The story is about 3 friends who take a weekend trip but get derailed along the way; over the course of the weekend we realise that each of them has secrets and things they're keeping from each other and we're left wondering how those secrets tie in with a quickly unravelling crime?
This is the first book I've read by Leah Konen and it's without a doubt the best psychological thriller I've read for a while. Three friends, Sam, Diana and Margaret head out of New York for a girls weekend and become stranded in the Catskills where Sam meets her estranged ex husband Harry. and shortly afterwards Diana disappears. This is a really well written thriller told primarily from the viewpoint of Sam and Margaret full of twists and turns with a film noirish feel to it. The characters are all well drawn as is the sense of place. The author cleverly builds up the tension and I did not know who to trust. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
4.5 stars.
A can’t-put-down book!… I read late into to the night because I just had to know what the ending was going to be. Phenomenal... I could not put it down... took my breath away and I gasped out loud. OMG… My goosebumps had goosebumps ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️