Book ~ "Unravelled" (2007) Robyn Harding

From Goodreads ~ Beth wasn’t sure that joining a knitting circle was going to fill the void created when she left her sweet but commitment-phobic boyfriend, Colin, and moved in with her frumpy and judgmental roommate but it was worth a try. 

Armed with a bottle of Merlot and a positive attitude, she attended the first meeting of the stitch ’n bitch club. In attendance were Sophie, a young mom grappling with a toddler and a passion-deficit marriage; Nicola, an eerily sweet and demure bride-to-be; and Martin, a charming magazine editor who just had to be gay - or was he?

Beth is in her early/mid thirties and had been living with Colin for four years. She assumed they'd be married and have their first child by the time she was 35. When she discovered Colin liked the way things were, she moved out.

Angie, her friend, starts a stitch 'n bitch club and invites Beth. Also in the group are Sophie, Nicola and Martin. Beth is a freelance writer who occasionally works for Martin, who they assume is gay. In the meantime, Beth starts dating Jim, an engineer she had interviewed. Because he is older, he seems to be everything Colin isn't and Beth starts to see a future with him.

I was looking for something light and this seemed to fit the bill. Plus I'm a knitter. It started off fairly light but then things started getting went off in a few unbelievable directions. This story is written in first person perspective in Beth's voice. I didn't find anyone all that likeable. Beth and her friends were supposed to be in their thirties but acted like they were in their teens or early twenties, so immature. I figured there was a twist coming up. And there were a couple ... I saw one coming and the other one was farfetched. As a head's up, there is swearing and adult activity.

Book ~ "The Arrangement" (2019) Robyn Harding

From Goodreads ~ 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.

Nat is an arts university student in NYC barely making it financially. She was recently fired from her part-time job and her roommates keep threatening to kick her out because she can't pay her share of the bills. When a fellow student tells her about a website where she can look for a sugar daddy, in desperation Nat signs up. Right away she connects with Gabe, a 55-year-old divorced attorney and he sets up her up financially and they fall in love. Though Gabe does care for her, what she doesn't know is that is Gabe actually has a wife and daughter and plans on keeping his secret life secret. Then the time comes for Gabe to make a choice ... Nat or his family. He chooses his family and Nat doesn't take it well at all.

I liked this story (such an intriguing premise) and the writing style. I kind of knew things weren't going to end happily ever after for Nat so it was interesting to see what happened. The ending had a bit of a surprising twist and I was buying it. This story is written in third person perspective. As a head's up, there is swearing, adult activity and violence.

Book ~ "The Swap" (2020) Robyn Harding

From Goodreads ~ 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, a once-famous social media influencer who now owns the pottery studio in town.

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 when one of the women becomes pregnant, Low finds the perfect opportunity to unleash her growing resentment.

Low is a high school senior who will be graduating in a couple months. She is an awkward loner, lives with her polyamorous parents (and their partners) and her siblings on a farm and has no friends. When she sees a sign for pottery lessons, she signs up and becomes friends with Freya, the teacher. Freya and Max, her retired hockey player husband, recently moved to the isolated island after a controversy involving Max. Low is happy to finally have someone who seems to care about her. 

When Freya meets shop owner, Jamie, they become friends and Low is left out which pisses her off. Freya and Max started hanging out with Jamie and Brian, her husband, and one night they are partying and doing mushrooms. Some time during the night, they swap partners and one of the women becomes pregnant, possibly from that encounter. Low knows who the father of the baby is as she'd been watching the couples and uses this knowledge to her advantage.

I thought this story had an interesting premise and it turned out to be a crazy mess. Teenager Low and adult Jamie were lonely and desperate for company and Freya seemed to be the only one wanting to hang out with them ... but not together or at the same time. Freya was mean and rude to both but they still kept coming back for more. Freya didn't treat Max very well either but he felt like he deserved it. None of the characters were likeable. The ending was unbelievable and over the top and I wasn't buying it.

This story is written in third person perspective in Low, Max, Jamie and Brian's voices. As a head's up, there is swearing, adult activity and violence.

Book ~ "The Party" (2017) Robyn Harding

From Goodreads ~ Sweet sixteen. It's a coming of age, a milestone, a rite of passage. Of course Jeff and Kim Sanders will throw a party for their daughter, Hannah. She's a good kid with good grades and nice friends. And it isn't going to be a big indulgent affair. Just four girls coming over for pizza and cake, movies and a sleepover. What could possibly go wrong? 

But things do go wrong, horrifically wrong. After a tragic accident, Jeff and Kim's flawless life in a wealthy San Francisco suburb begins to unravel. The injured girl's mother, Lisa, files a lawsuit that turns friends into enemies, reveals dark secrets in the Sanders' marriage, and exposes the truth about their perfect daughter, Hannah. Lisa's determination to make the Sanders pay stems from a fierce love for her only child and Lisa's own dark and damaged past.

Hannah is turning sixteen and she's having a party with four of her friends ... two are good friends and two (Lauren and Ronni) head up the in-crowd that Hannah wants to be part of. Hannah's strict mother lays out the rules for the party ... no booze, no drugs, no boys and no porn. Hannah wants to appear cool so steals some vodka from her parents and the others sneak in booze and drugs. Plus her dad gives her a celebratory bottle of bubbly. In the middle of the night, Hannah wakes her parents up because there has been a horrific accident with Ronni that is life changing.

The police investigate and clear Jeff and Kim, Hannah's well-to-do parents, of any responsibility, which is all they seem to care about. Lisa, Ronni's mother, feels differently and sues them for $3 million because it happened in their house under their watch. What follows is the breakdown of friendships ... between Hannah and Ronni and Kim and Lisa ... and things get really ugly.

When I finished this book, I wasn't sure if I liked it or not as it was negativity from start to finish. It's not a happy story with sooooo much going on (many side stories could have been excluded) and there was really no one to cheer for. Kim was never a likeable character, even before the accident, and got worse to be point of being unrealistic as time went on. Jeff was pretty bland and it seemed like all he had in his life was exercise. He made a mistake last year (it was an odd thing he did) and Kim hadn't let him forget it. Lisa started out as a chill bohemian mom and her transformation after the accident felt unbelievable. Yes, she was upset and wanted to do what was right for her daughter but Ronni's goal at the party was to get wasted (which she obviously achieved) and should have had some blame. The "cool" teenagers were extreme and I can't believe that Lauren had that much power in the high school to affect students' popularity and status. I wasn't buying the ending after all that had happened.

This story is written in third person perspective in Kim, Jeff and Hannah's voices. As a head's up, there is swearing, adult activity and violence.

Book ~ "Chronicles of a Midlife Crisis" (2008) Robyn Harding

From Goodreads ~ Lucy had no clue that her husband of sixteen years was about to bolt. Now she's dealing with shock, loneliness and girlfriends who alternately pity her and provoke her. She also - unbelievably - is apparently competing with her own teenage daughter for a new man's attention.

Trent pictured freedom, self-discovery ... and maybe some sex with actual passion. So far, he's mostly watching hockey in a hotel room and wondering what's next. Being middle-aged and married isn't easy. The jury's still out on being middle-aged and single.

Trent and Lucy are in their 40s, have been married for 16 years and have a 15 year old daughter named Samantha. Trent comes home from work one day and says he needs to find himself and is leaving. Lucy is stunned (he's never given her any indication of how he was feeling) and figures he'll be back home shortly.

Trent has had his eye on Annika, a colleague, for about a year and now that he's "single", they get together right away. She starts planning their future and all he wanted was a fling but she's hard to get rid of (she was way to extreme to be believable). In the meantime, Lucy, who works as a props procurer on a TV show, has suddenly attracted the attention of Wynn, a 27 year old who plays a 17 year old character, who's never given her the time of day before (really?!). Against her better judgement, she goes along with it hoping for a revenge fling but Wynn wants more (a young fella with morals?!). In the meantime, Samantha starts rebelling.

I've read a couple books by this author and liked them but I didn't care for this one. I found it too unrealistic and the characters unlikable (especially Samantha who is a super stereotypical spoiled teenager). Trent learned he should have been careful what he wished for ... he got the life he wanted but realized it wasn't all it was cracked up to be so was ready to go home and was shocked that Lucy wouldn't forget/forgive him for "banging" Annika. Lucy learned there are consequences for her actions when she lets things move forward with Wynn (double standard?!).

It's written in first person perspective in Lucy and Trent's voices (the chapters are labeled). It was written in 2008 and is dated as there are references to Richard Dean Anderson and Richard Hatch being relevant at the time. The ending comes quickly and abruptly and I wasn't buying it. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "The Drowning Woman" (2023) Robyn Harding

From Goodreads ~ Lee Gulliver never thought she’d find herself living on the streets - no one ever does - but when her restaurant fails and she falls deeper into debt, she leaves her old life behind with nothing but her clothes and her Toyota Corolla. 

In Seattle, she parks in a secluded spot by the beach to lay low and plan her next move - until early one morning, she sees a sobbing woman throw herself into the ocean. Lee hauls the woman back to the surface but instead of appreciation, she is met with fury. The drowning woman, Hazel, tells her that she wanted to die, that she’s trapped in a toxic, abusive marriage, that she’s a prisoner in her own home. Lee has thwarted her one chance to escape her life.

Out of options, Hazel retreats to her gilded cage and Lee thinks she’s seen the last of her until her unexpected return the next morning. Bonded by disparate but difficult circumstances, the women soon strike up a close and unlikely friendship. And then one day, Hazel makes a shocking request: she wants Lee to help her disappear. It’ll be easy, Hazel assures her but Lee soon learns that nothing is as it seems, and that Hazel may not be the friend Lee thought she was.

Lee had borrowed money from a gangster to open a restaurant in New York City. When the pandemic hit, she lost everything but the gangster still wanted his money so her only option was to run. She ends up in Seattle, working for cash as a waitress and living in her car. She parks at night by the beach in a rich area to sleep. Lee wakes up one morning to find a woman heading into the water committing suicide. She saves the woman and finds out Hazel wanted to kill herself because she is stuck in an abusive marriage.

The two become friends and Hazel asks Lee how to disappear ... she wants to escape to Panama where her husband won't find her. In return, Hazel will get Lee some fake ID so she can move on with her life. In the meantime, Lee meets and falls for Jesse, a customer who comes into the restaurant where she works, and starts to imagine having a real life again.

I enjoyed this story. I liked the writing style and found it to be a quick read. It's written in first person perspective in Lee and Hazel's voices (the sections are labelled). It was interesting to read the same things that had happened but from their different points of view. There are lots of twists and turns and they worked for me. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "The Haters" (2024) Robyn Harding

From Goodreads ~ Camryn Lane is living her dream. After years of struggle and rejection, her first novel has finally been published. Her editor is happy, her teenage daughter is proud and her boyfriend and friends are all excited for her. She’s on top of the world - until she receives a disturbing message from an unknown sender.

Rattled by the accusations she finds there, Camryn swallows the sick feeling in her stomach and resolves to put the missive out of her mind. But when she checks her ratings on a popular book site, she finds a scathing one-star review. The reviewer is so articulate and convincing that soon, Camryn’s book is flooded with bad reviews. Could the reviewer be the same person who sent the ugly email? And why do they want to ruin her?

As the online harassment creeps into Camryn’s personal life, she vows to find out who’s behind it. Is it really a disgruntled reader? Or could it be someone she knows? The troll’s actions are escalating, and when the abuse turns deadly, it will take everything Camryn has to unmask the enemy so intent on destroying her - and finally learn why she's being targeted.

Camryn is a guidance counsellor at a private school. She is in her late 30s, divorced with a daughter who is graduating from high school, and has a younger boyfriend who she has nothing in common with. She recently fulfilled her dream of writing and publishing her first novel. 

When she receives a nasty email about how it's disgusting she used the stories of her students as material for her, she initially brushes it off. But when she starts getting hundreds one star reviews on a review site, she starts to get concerned, especially when the harassment gets personal. There are lots who might want to sabotage her writing career and she needs to figure out who it is before she loses everything including her friends, her job and her possible publishing opportunities.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I liked it.  I liked the writing style and it moved at a quick pace. It is written in first person perspective in Camryn's voice. Interspersed in the story are chapters from Camryn's book. The ending came quickly and for the most part I was buying it. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "The Perfect Family" (2021) Robyn Harding

From Goodreads ~ Thomas and Viv Adler are the envy of their neighbors: attractive, successful, with well-mannered children and a beautifully restored home.

Until one morning, when they wake up to find their porch has been pelted with eggs. It’s a prank, Thomas insists; the work of a few out-of-control kids. But when a smoke bomb is tossed on their front lawn and their car’s tires are punctured, the family begins to worry. Surveillance cameras show nothing but grainy images of shadowy figures in hoodies. And the police dismiss the attacks, insisting they’re just the work of bored teenagers. 

Unable to identify the perpetrators, the Adlers are helpless as the assaults escalate into violence, and worse. And each new violation brings with it a growing fear. Because everyone in the Adler family is keeping a secret - not just from the outside world but from each other. And secrets can be very dangerous.

Thomas is a real estate agent and Viv is a stager/designer.  They seem to have the perfect life and appearances are important to them.  When their son, Eli, returns home from his first year of university, he says he's not going back but doesn't say why.  Thomas and Viv figure they will be able to pressure him into going back but Eli knows that's not going to work.  Tarryn is their teenage daughter ... she's moody and friendless and spends most of her time in her bedroom in the basement.

The family begins being harassed ... it starts with eggs being tossed at the house and quickly escalates to tires being slashed and smoke bombs and more.  Thomas and Viv contact the police, who dismiss it as childish pranks.  But the family knows this isn't the case and all four have secrets that would be the cause of these attacks but they can't reveal them to each other.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it.  I liked the writing style and it moved at a quick pace.  It is written in first person perspective alternating between Thomas, Viv, Eli and Tarryn (the chapters are labeled so you know whose voice it is).  I was buying the "whodunnit" but thought there were still some incidents not explained so those loops weren't closed enough for me.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

I look forward to reading other books by this author.