Julie's Review: Did I Say You Could Go

Author: Melanie Gideon
Series: None
Publication Date:  August 3, 2021
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 363
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley
Genre:  Psychological Thriller
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Clingy friend who just doesn't know how to let go
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab

Summary: When Ruth, a wealthy divorcé​e, offers to host the Hillside Academy kindergarten meet-and-greet, she hopes this will be a fresh start for her and her introverted daughter, Marley. Finally, they’ll be accepted into a tribe. Marley will make friends and Ruth will be welcomed by the mothers. Instead, the parents are turned off by Ruth’s ostentatious wealth and before kindergarten even begins, Ruth and Marley are outcasts. The last guest to arrive at the meet-and-greet is Gemma, a widow and a single mother to her daughter, Bee. Ruth sets her sights on the mother-daughter duo, and soon the two families are inseparable. Ruth takes Gemma and Bee on Aspen vacations, offers VIP passes to Cirque du Soleil, and pays for dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants. For Gemma, who lives paycheck to paycheck, Ruth’s largesse is seductive, but as the years go by, she can’t shake the feeling that she’s accruing an increasingly unpayable debt. When Ruth’s affair with a married Hillside dad is exposed, and she’s publicly shunned, Gemma uses it to sever ties with Ruth. Six years later, when Gemma finds herself embroiled in a scandal of her own—Ruth comes to her defense. Their renewed friendship rehabilitates their reputations, but once again, Gemma starts to feel trapped as Ruth grows more and more obsessed with their relationship. A relentless page-turner, Did I Say You Could Go is the story of friendships steeped in lies and duplicity. It’s about two families who, when pushed to extremes, cross the line with devastating results. ~amazon.com

Review:  I truly enjoy thrillers that mess with your mind; almost gaslighting but not quite there and that's exactly what Did I Say You Could Go is. Ruth seems like the friend you'd want to have: always supportive, helpful and caring. Gemma and Ruth are inseparable from the day they are introduced until Ruth is involved in a scandal but then Gemma is in her own scandal which Ruth rides in to her rescue. Something is off with Ruth though and even though Gemma is seriously grateful for what Ruth has helped her through, she starts to question their friendship. Not to mention that their daughters were close but are now on opposite sides of the social spectrum which makes things that complex.

Ruth will do anything to keep Gemma close to her. She just can't let go. Gemma doesn't know how to break free so it's this vicious cycle until it breaks. Not only do you have Ruth and Gemma's rollercoaster of a friendship but you have their daughters, Marley and Bee who are caught in the crossfire as well. They are having their own issues transitioning into high school and navigating where they fit in. It affects them individually and their friendship. Ruth/Gemma and Marley/Bee are the definition of toxic friendships. 

I really enjoyed this novel until the end. I almost feel like it was a bait and switch. I feel like I missed something while reading the book. Even still thinking about it now, I feel like I missed some clues but then again I'm still not sure it all makes sense. 

Google+