Thanks to Netgalley and Faber and Faber limited for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amber gave birth to a baby that would quickly die during the prom. Joe was her date and the baby daddy. She was suspected of murder, blacklisted and eventually left Baltimore for New Orleans. Years later, the death of her stepfather brings her back to Baltimore where she opens an art gallery and runs into Joe who is married. And Amber and Joe keep seeing each other.

Laura Lippman is hit or miss for me. I have read just about all of her books and some are great are okay at best. I put this in the okay category. It was so extremely slow and all of the characters were unlikeable. I really just kind of wanted it to be over. There were some surprises at the end but I can’t really say I cared by then.

This book promised a lot that unfortunately for me it was unable to deliver on. I expected it to be thrilling given the key plot point of a girl giving birth to - and potentially killing - a baby on her prom night. However, the book doesn't really focus on this key point - instead it follows Amber and Joe 20 years later as they disappointingly fall back into what feels like a very mundane and uninteresting affair. Neither of them are likeable at all so it was hard to care about their discretions. Even Joe's wife, who is key for the supposedly shocking twist at the end, had nothing of real interest about her, so by the time the twist happened I was not bothered. It was well written and an interesting portrayal of how rich Americans coped with the COVID lockdowns, but all in all this didn't really give me much.

My first Laura Lippman book and if they're all like this, what have I missed? This was a great read and tied up quite neatly at the end with an interesting twist. After a bit of a reading slump, this got me back on track!

This is a real slow burner of a read and I found it quite difficult to get into it. A really good concept but it feel a bit flat for me unfortunately, especially in the middle section.

This book was too much of a slowburn for me to appreciate. I didn't fell anything for the characters and the htilling parts were not thrilling enough. I love the concept of this book but unfortunately were my expectations not met.

Thank you NetGalley and Buster Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

After a great start, this fell completely flat for me through the whole middle, I lost interest in how the characters spent their days. However, I enjoyed the twist at the end. Mixed feelings on this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this eARC. It’s been embarrassingly long since I received it but I finally got around to reading it.

I’m sorry to say that this was not good. There was absolutely nothing thrilling about this and I wouldn’t even say there was really a mystery. The big mystery that the synopsis talks about is not actively investigated in the book. No one is trying to find out what actually happened, including Amber who was accused of the crime. It’s more just these characters trying to rationalise their bad behaviour, talking about COVID and politics. The characters were all extremely unlikeable and forgettable and there really wasn’t a plot. I don’t recommend this but if you’re still intrigued it was released 10th August 2023.

This is my first book by this author & I really enjoyed it. It was twisty & kept me on the edge of my seat through out the whole book! Definately recommend!

Beautifully written but slight.

Amber loves Joe but disaster strikes at prom and their lives are changed forever. Joe meets Meredith at college and they become the perfect couple. And then Amber returns to their home town.

What should be a toe curling thriller ends up as a bit of a disappointment from a tremendous author.

Amazingly twisted and totally genius plot. Written with the most physcological characters that you could ever imagine.

Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me. Although I enjoyed the unsettling and dark atmosphere, the plot was just so slow and repetitive. I also didn’t like any of the characters which made it hard to care about how the story would unfold and end.

I was drawn in by the synopsis for this book … all about a relationship being renewed twenty years later and the ramifications.So a very promising start but the not a lot seemed to be happening and then I got confused by the “Americanisms” …. I’m from the UK … and then I got a bit bored. Maybe too slow for me! The ending was good but not a very realistic read for me.

Gosh this felt quite a dark read. It’s a slow burn thriller but it felt quite repetitive at times. Would recommend if you age fan of slow burn thrillers.

I really enjoyed this book. It was gripping, creepy and immersive. The characters were fantastic and the storyline was brilliant. Would definitely recommend.

This was a slow burner , and also has covid in this story so if you dont like either of these maybe this book isnt for you. I went into this one with high expectations. Unfortunately it fell flat for me.

This book was a real slow burner for me and it took me a while to really get into it. I wasn’t initially keen on the characters but I did grow to appreciate them as the story progressed. I’m glad I persevered with the book as I ended up really enjoying this dark and twisty tale. I really enjoyed the fact that the reality of Covid was brought into the story as it was and still is such a huge integral element of daily life for many. I would definitely recommend this book and I have given it 4 stars. Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

I found this book quire boring until the last few pages when it redeemed itself -the ending had such a twist-what a twist!

The premise of this story (a girl, who potentially didn’t know she was pregnant, gives birth on her prom night) had so much promise, but I just… didn’t really like this book. None of the characters were likeable or felt fleshed out. There were so many moments that felt like “I don’t understand why you are doing this?” And reading it felt a bit of a slog. I dunno - it just wasn’t for me & im sad about that.

In "Prom Mom," Lauran Lippman's storytelling efforts fall short of expectations. While the novel isn't entirely without merit, it fails to live up to its potential, ultimately making it a two-star read.

Prom Mom, the latest novel from prolific US writer Laura Lippman, was inspired by a podcast episode of “You’re Wrong About” called Prom Mom.

The book is centred on main character Amber Glass, a woman who as a teenager gave birth at her prom to a baby nobody knew she was pregnant with, and who she is alleged to have killed.

Amber returns to her hometown of Baltimore many years after the event to open a gallery and reconnects with Joe, her boyfriend at the time (“Cad Dad”), a popular guy who went on to live his life relatively untouched by the scandal. Joe is now a successful commercial real estate developer married to Meredith, a plastic surgeon and he’s never really had to confront his privilege or his past.

What follows is a slow-burn character study of Amber, Meredith and Joe, a cat-and-mouse game of sorts, set over the course of 2019-2021, with the pandemic not just as a backdrop but also as a plot device.

Whether this works for you is entirely subjective I think - some may find the day-to-day mundanities of lockdown tedious and not a time they’re ready to revisit. I thought it worked pretty well - these were complex times for people, emotionally, physically and financially; some benefitted enormously from it, others suffered a decline in fortune and Lippman’s stylish writing captures that astutely (Lippman herself went through a divorce during the pandemic).

I liked that the book references the political landscape, it adds context and colour. Joe and Meredith are well-drawn, realistic characters; Amber I found a little more unknowable - there’s a hint that she’s neurodivergent perhaps, though this isn’t explored.

I really enjoyed the book without totally loving it. Great writing and character work - perhaps just a little too much action packed into the last 20 pages. I admire Lippman’s self-described “f*ck-it feminist spirit” that is part of everything she does - it’s definitely present here.

Don’t expect a fast-paced thriller, but if well-written, slow-burn thrillers are your thing, give this one a go. 3.5-4/5⭐️

*Many thanks to @gillhessltd @faberbooks for the #gifted copy. As always this is an honest review.*