I liked this! I think it did well balancing sharp social commentary without losing the sense of fun and leaving room for thought-provoking moments. It read like a mini-series so I hope that Amazon Studios will be able to make it one 🙏. 

 

Energy: Caustic. Zealous. Imaginative.

 

🐕 Howls: There are some over-the-top villain moments at the end but it didn’t derail me, just got an eyeroll. 

 

🐩 Tail Wags: The blend of social commentary, satire, and twisty mysteries. The examination of cult-like parenting cliques and “performing” motherhood. How we get to know and (possibly) care about the missing character before the incident. How the dual timelines allow us to uncover what’s changed at the retreat over the course of a year and guess at why. The delightfully unhinged plot (and characters). The commentary around addictive behaviours – whether it’s substances or judgy parenting. 

 

Scene: 🇺🇸 Set in and around the Mendocino Hills, California, USA. 

Perspectives (2): Twins who were living the party life. One changed after marrying and deciding to have kids. They unintentionally went viral after posting a clip of their kids online. The other twin is childfree by choice and cringing at their sibling, while struggling with missing the way things were. 

Timeline: Current (2020s-ish). June. October.

🔥 Fuel: What happened to the missing sister? Will her twin uncover anything at the retreat or is it a lost cause? What is going on behind closed doors at the retreat? 

📖 Cred: Satirical realism

 

Slate-grey minivan. Tiny American flags. Tie-dye. Fireworks. Capture the flag. Corn maze. Mini-Mom Squad. Scarecrow husband. Adele.

 

Content Heads-Up: Addiction (Alcoholics Anonymous; recovery and relapse cycles, cravings). Alcohol abuse. Blackmail (brief). Blood. Burn injury/attack. Cannabis use (smoking). Depression. Drug use (on and off page; prescription). Financial insecurity (in childhood). Homophobia (character comments). Loss of sibling. Mentally ill parent (depression). Murder. Physical attacks (descriptive on page). Police dismissal (prejudice; victim blaming/bias). Postpartum anxiety. 

 

Rep: American. Filipina American. Cis. Hetero. Ambiguous skin tones. Childhood stutter. Childfree-by-choice. 

 

📚 Format: Advance Reader’s Copy from Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley