What do you think?
Rate this book
Ty Hutchinson's Psychological Thrillers
The Friend Group
Rules of the Friend Group
Dress accordingly
Dine at elegant eateries
Haute couture shopping is expected
Outside friends are frowned upon
Group discussions are exclusive
No unapproved pregnancies
I wanted to be a mother for as long as I could remember, so when I lost my first child, I was devastated, and the thought of it happening with another pregnancy kept me in a dark place. I’m better now, and Jake and I are ready to try again. But as it happened, life threw us a curveball. Jake received a promotion at his company, a fantastic opportunity for both of us, except it required we relocate to Thailand.
I was utterly lost as a newly minted ex-pat in a foreign country. Even a simple task like buying groceries had become an ordeal. That is until I met Vivian. She introduced me to Jackie and Kimmy. Those three women took me under their wings and helped me successfully navigate my new life. They’d become my besties.
I soon learned I’d been accepted into the premier friend group. We were the envy of the ex-pat community and treated like royalty. I experienced privilege beyond my wildest dreams. And it would only get better as I’d discovered I was pregnant.
For once, I felt everything in my life was going the right way until I learned I’d taken a seat on a revolving chair. There were others before me, but they left the group, never to be heard from again. Vivian smiled and told me not to worry about that.
Of course, I’d heard the chatter outside the Break a rule, and you’ll be reminded with a courteous smile. Break two, and you’ll disappear.
Dress accordingly
Dine at elegant eateries
Haute couture shopping is expected
Outside friends are frowned upon
Group discussions are exclusive
No unapproved pregnancies
I wanted to be a mother for as long as I could remember, so when I lost my first child, I was devastated, and the thought of it happening with another pregnancy kept me in a dark place. I’m better now, and Jake and I are ready to try again. But as it happened, life threw us a curveball. Jake received a promotion at his company, a fantastic opportunity for both of us, except it required we relocate to Thailand.
I was utterly lost as a newly minted ex-pat in a foreign country. Even a simple task like buying groceries had become an ordeal. That is until I met Vivian. She introduced me to Jackie and Kimmy. Those three women took me under their wings and helped me successfully navigate my new life. They’d become my besties.
I soon learned I’d been accepted into the premier friend group. We were the envy of the ex-pat community and treated like royalty. I experienced privilege beyond my wildest dreams. And it would only get better as I’d discovered I was pregnant.
For once, I felt everything in my life was going the right way until I learned I’d taken a seat on a revolving chair. There were others before me, but they left the group, never to be heard from again. Vivian smiled and told me not to worry about that.
Of course, I’d heard the chatter outside the Break a rule, and you’ll be reminded with a courteous smile. Break two, and you’ll disappear.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 15, 2023
834 people are currently reading
2627 people want to read
About the author
Ty Hutchinson
73 books661 followersTy Hutchinson is a USA Today bestselling author who writes dark, high-concept thrillers that punch hard and don't let up.
A full-time nomad since 2013, he blends real-world detail with twisted imagination to deliver binge-worthy stories—where the rules are bent, the stakes are high, and the exits are never marked.
Living everywhere and nowhere, he's drawn to strange things and peculiar people—almost always leading to one question: what if?
A full-time nomad since 2013, he blends real-world detail with twisted imagination to deliver binge-worthy stories—where the rules are bent, the stakes are high, and the exits are never marked.
Living everywhere and nowhere, he's drawn to strange things and peculiar people—almost always leading to one question: what if?
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
March 13, 2024
Interesting idea. Predictable twist. Terrible writing and atrocious dialogue. It's like it was written by someone who speaks English as a third language and has no idea how people talk, and who has absolutely no passion at all. Like it was a first draft. But, it was quick, I guess. I wish there would have been way more emphasis on what the plot was supposed to be - the cult-like friend group, but no.
July 5, 2023
Okay- I’ll admit I got click-baited into this one by an Amazon ad on FB. As far as plot, it had me interest peaked, and the action moved quickly; but a part of that was how little development the characters received. Emily, the self-admitted unreliable narrator, says she’s always had an overactive imagination that she knows is progressed to mental illness level; but we know very little about what this entailed before she loses her first child and goes into a massive spiral. Her husband Jake is basically a suspiciously perfect tinder profile come to life, and while they thankfully dodge the husband-thinks-his-pregnant-wife-is-just-too-crazy cliché, Jake gets no character development whatsoever until the very end. I give the author some props for the twist they pull off - because I had my suspicions, but the full details of the twist were not totally what I suspected- a lot of elements are left not unexplained so much as with vague explanations that don’t completely make sense and leave a LOT to be desired for other complex characters’ reasoning and motivations (SPOILER: the queen bee is really the good guy, but we get 0 explanation for why she acts in certain ways and her objectives seem like they could have been achieved without her behaving like such a sociopathic control freak who expects everyone in her friends group to get group permission before getting pregnant; and it also turns out her two BFFs who were playing along, had 0 clue about what the ultimate motivation was for doing so, which raises more questions). Good idea for a thriller but ultimately a lot of laziness in execution. Still enjoyed reading though…
September 17, 2023
Not a bad book...taken in a direction that I never saw coming..was interesting.
January 11, 2024
I wasn't a fan of the writing style. I also guessed the ending. 👎
May 25, 2024
This is a really difficult book to rate. On the one hand, the story has potential and it's delivered in a way that makes you turn those pages so it's a quick read, perfect for a summer day out in the park.
On the other hand, there are multiple big issues with it.
1. It is extremely simple, in all senses. There is very little description/prose so we have no idea how anyone looks like or what the environment is like where they live.
2. The characters and bland, blank, we don't know anything about their personalities other than those snippets that drive the plot. They all sound the same and repeat the same improbable lines. They are all equally unlikeable.
3. The way the book is written is more similar to a diary. Very little emotion expressed - other than the main character endlessly telling herself off for one thing, then for the opposite of that, which gets very tiring - it's just a collection of events and short dialogue which only serve to make an already obvious point.
4. How many times can you describe the same boring encounter and then repeat it as a story 2 or 3 times to different people where we learn nothing new? Can you not just say "then I told him about my conversation with x and he reacted as I expected"?
This is just the writing style. And then there are the things that actually happened in the story, mild spoilers from here:
5. You can't write a book with only 4-5 characters and expect me not to figure out early on what's going to happen. Nothing worse than the heroine being not 1 but about 50 steps behind you. So much for mystery.
6. If you establish someone as a gaslighter early on, you can't just forget about those scenes later and say "oh but they are actually nice and just trying to help"
7. The audacity of thinking any official handing you, a civilian a gun and allowing you to hang around while they do a raid is realistic...
And the rest are just personal preferences... we have too many books of women with mental health issues as narrators that make you question what's real and what isn't, so this one is nothing new. The unreasonable decisions made by the main character. The often times ridiculous way supporting characters reacted to certain things. I could go on... but this review is already my longest ever.
Would I recommend the book? If you are bored and have absolutely nothing around you, it'll give you a few hours of entertainment but don't expect anything else.
On the other hand, there are multiple big issues with it.
1. It is extremely simple, in all senses. There is very little description/prose so we have no idea how anyone looks like or what the environment is like where they live.
2. The characters and bland, blank, we don't know anything about their personalities other than those snippets that drive the plot. They all sound the same and repeat the same improbable lines. They are all equally unlikeable.
3. The way the book is written is more similar to a diary. Very little emotion expressed - other than the main character endlessly telling herself off for one thing, then for the opposite of that, which gets very tiring - it's just a collection of events and short dialogue which only serve to make an already obvious point.
4. How many times can you describe the same boring encounter and then repeat it as a story 2 or 3 times to different people where we learn nothing new? Can you not just say "then I told him about my conversation with x and he reacted as I expected"?
This is just the writing style. And then there are the things that actually happened in the story, mild spoilers from here:
5. You can't write a book with only 4-5 characters and expect me not to figure out early on what's going to happen. Nothing worse than the heroine being not 1 but about 50 steps behind you. So much for mystery.
6. If you establish someone as a gaslighter early on, you can't just forget about those scenes later and say "oh but they are actually nice and just trying to help"
7. The audacity of thinking any official handing you, a civilian a gun and allowing you to hang around while they do a raid is realistic...
And the rest are just personal preferences... we have too many books of women with mental health issues as narrators that make you question what's real and what isn't, so this one is nothing new. The unreasonable decisions made by the main character. The often times ridiculous way supporting characters reacted to certain things. I could go on... but this review is already my longest ever.
Would I recommend the book? If you are bored and have absolutely nothing around you, it'll give you a few hours of entertainment but don't expect anything else.
January 6, 2024
WOW! I read this in a few days. The pace of the final third has me gripped and unable to stop reading, hence I’m just getting dressed at 1pm! Objectively there wasn’t a huge amount of depth to many of the characters, particularly the villain and the story is centred on the main character and doesn’t delve into the motives of the villain or explore their backstory at all. The description of the Bangkok scene is very superficial. However I massively enjoyed this book and even when it became clear how the story was unfolding, I was still hungry to get to the end. A very enjoyable read.
February 3, 2024
I came into this expecting something along the lines of Mean Girls. So many things left unanswered. Why say the main character is schizophrenic and then never mention it again? Why did the group have so-called rules, but never laid out? Why did they gaslight the main character so much? The book had no flow. It felt like it started out as one story and then the author changed their mind halfway through and made it into something else.
Also, this is a book about child loss and trafficking. Highly triggering.
Also, this is a book about child loss and trafficking. Highly triggering.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2023
I really enjoyed this bo0k !
And without spoilers or getting into details, let me describe the book and how it "flows"...
So the story begins with something traumatic (losing a child)...
But it is not clear, if the main character is only a little nuts because of grief, or is it because she's just a little psycho ?
So in other words: This story starts out as a domestic suspense.
While trying to figure this loss of their child out, the married couple gets a chance to move to Thailand, due to the husband's work promotion. And of course, it's a great chance to make the grief a little easier...
The wife befriends 3 women from the seemingly "upper crust" and finds out, that her 3 new friends are actually a very exclusive "club" where they were looking for a 4th member.
And there are specific, unwritten rules, to belong to this club.
One of these rules is, to get permission from the leader of this club to get pregnant - which our main character will not follow...and meanwhile our main character also has a few hallucinations due to her still existing grief of the baby she lost previously...
Once our main character becomes pregnant and keeps this secret away from her new friends and since she didn't seek permission from the ladies to get preggo, we are slowly sliding from domestic suspense and psycho issues into a full blown thriller that includes Human Trafficking.
The ending of this story is deliciously drawn out, because it is getting so thrilling - you won't be able to stop reading - not even for a short bathroom break or a new cup of coffee - because you can not miss a word !
The end might even shock you so much, it will throw you off your rocker:
Everything is turned upside down and inside out...
This book was really excellent, when it comes to excitement - it has the perfect/slow burn set up for the story. But the story itsself gave me true story/true crime vibes, because in the way the happenings were described, this truly could happen.
Just excellent go get yourself a copy !
August 21, 2023
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. When her husband receives a promotion, Emily moves with him as an expat to Thailand and makes friends with the wives of her husband's coworkers. She soon reaps the benefits of this group, as her proximity to these women allows her access to the finest parties, restaurants, and other amenities the country has to offer. She is thriving in her new environment until she learns that the group has special rules that she must abide by; the last few women who broke the rules turned up missing. The overall storyline and choice of locale were unique and held my attention.
July 25, 2025
Not what I thought, and that’s okay.
I have read a few Ty Hutchinson books. That being said, this one was different. Did it have twists? Yes. Was it a good read? Yes. However, what made it the most twisted was my own imagination. The main character has a mental disorder, and that led my mind down so many paths, trying to figure out where I thought the writer was taking me. I was wrong at every turn. This time, my thoughts were more twisted than the book actually was. I did enjoy the journey though. Ty never disappoints.
I have read a few Ty Hutchinson books. That being said, this one was different. Did it have twists? Yes. Was it a good read? Yes. However, what made it the most twisted was my own imagination. The main character has a mental disorder, and that led my mind down so many paths, trying to figure out where I thought the writer was taking me. I was wrong at every turn. This time, my thoughts were more twisted than the book actually was. I did enjoy the journey though. Ty never disappoints.
January 4, 2025
Good story!
This was a very good story. Couldnt put it down. The name of the baby at the end? Not a fan. Anyway i highly recommend this one. People are not always who you think they are.
This was a very good story. Couldnt put it down. The name of the baby at the end? Not a fan. Anyway i highly recommend this one. People are not always who you think they are.
September 12, 2024
A page thrner
This book had me from the first page. I couldn't put it down. I am sure you will find it as captivating as I did.
This book had me from the first page. I couldn't put it down. I am sure you will find it as captivating as I did.
September 22, 2024
this was an interesting quick little read
September 30, 2024
This author is quickly becoming a must read for me. His way of twists and turns keeps me second guessing myself the entire time. All friend groups has rules right? What if you break them? Do you die? I guess you will have to find out by reading about this friend group.
September 10, 2024
Easy read, interesting story but was predictable.
November 11, 2024
My thoughts: This was a really intense and intriguing thriller read; set in Thailand, Hutchinson explores themes such as human trafficking and the sale of children for those who can’t have their own. Met with the harrowing back story of Emilys first child’s death, it makes for both an emotional and gripping psychological thriller.
The really smart part about this novel was the role of the untrustworthy narrator - we know that Emily struggles with her mental health and psychosis - so how much can we trust her version of events - it leaves the reader constantly guessing until the end.
The dynamics of the friend group reminded me very much of middle school cliches and each character had a role, specifically Vivian who plays the seemingly cunning antagonist.
While the twists and turns were not necessarily the most shocking, I was surprised at how it unraveled and the explosive ending was definitely satisfying.
The really smart part about this novel was the role of the untrustworthy narrator - we know that Emily struggles with her mental health and psychosis - so how much can we trust her version of events - it leaves the reader constantly guessing until the end.
The dynamics of the friend group reminded me very much of middle school cliches and each character had a role, specifically Vivian who plays the seemingly cunning antagonist.
While the twists and turns were not necessarily the most shocking, I was surprised at how it unraveled and the explosive ending was definitely satisfying.
October 22, 2024
2.75⭐️
I enjoyed reading this book and I got through it quickly, but I saw that 'twist' coming from a mile away.
If I had to describe this book, I'd say it felt naive in a way. The main character is equally trusting and prone to conspiracy theories, but she also had some mental health issues that didn't help the manner but also somehow seem to not be much of a problem in the end...
I think I expected more from this.
It also seems a bit racist that most of the non-white people end up being the bad ones. Couldn't an american doctor have been the ring leader?
Honestly, I was hoping for one of the other girls to be involved - one of the friends that stayed 'trustworthy' the entire time... would have been more of a twist. It was too easy to trust Sasi, which gave it away pretty quickly, that she was going to be the bad guy.
Also, I expected Emily's mental health to be an issue in the end. Like maybe she imagined a lot of it. Maybe she wasn't pregnant to begin with, or maybe it could have turned out that she's thinking everything up while in a mental hospital and one of her doctors is thai (Sasi, basically), like she is incoorporating reality into her hallucinations? Again, it was absolutely not twisty enough.
Then her friend from America was somehow never heard of again - whatever happened to her? Wasn't she gonna come visit?
The therapy notes were interesting and I would have liked more of that, and there should have been more hallucinations towards the end, since her breaks are clearly triggered by stress and you cannot tell me that girlypop was managing her stress better towards the end!
There could have been an entire chapter of like a fake ending that Emily hallucinates while in labor (that is stressful!) and it would have helped tie her psych problems into the plot more.
Also, office-dude Jake basically executing Sasi? Be fucking for real! The oddest 'happy end' I've ever seen.
Also, Vivian is just basically the best person in the world, saves the day, everyone loves her... she's rich and influential and sacrificed so much to save the child of her friend, even though her child is still not found. Seems unrealistic, honestly. Again, saw that coming, since she was made out to be kind of a villain, so she had to be good in the end...
What urked me from the start was that Emily just randomly made friends with these women. Like, you just got there, they don't know you yet and you don't know them yet. Nothing good would come from that in real life - at least no real friendship starts like that... again, very trusting and naive of her. That's the type of story you'd think up in high school when wanting to be part of the popular clique.
Anyways, I did enjoy reading this book, I just kinda expected more and it seemed a little flat. Some parts of the story were just forgotten (like the friend in america and the fact that stress triggers mental health breaks - not small ones).
Again, the naive thing bothered me. Girlypop goes 'I have to keep this a secret and can't tell anyone about anything ever!' And two sentences later she's spilling all her personal tea to a rando she met five seconds ago.
For a moment there, when she had just met Vivian and was sus of her, I thought Vivian might be the woman who lost her child in the beginning, the car thing, and then maybe moved to thailand to get away from the memories, only to run into Emily, who she briefly remembers from that day - that would have been a twist, I tell ya!
I enjoyed reading this book and I got through it quickly, but I saw that 'twist' coming from a mile away.
If I had to describe this book, I'd say it felt naive in a way. The main character is equally trusting and prone to conspiracy theories, but she also had some mental health issues that didn't help the manner but also somehow seem to not be much of a problem in the end...
I think I expected more from this.
It also seems a bit racist that most of the non-white people end up being the bad ones. Couldn't an american doctor have been the ring leader?
Honestly, I was hoping for one of the other girls to be involved - one of the friends that stayed 'trustworthy' the entire time... would have been more of a twist. It was too easy to trust Sasi, which gave it away pretty quickly, that she was going to be the bad guy.
Also, I expected Emily's mental health to be an issue in the end. Like maybe she imagined a lot of it. Maybe she wasn't pregnant to begin with, or maybe it could have turned out that she's thinking everything up while in a mental hospital and one of her doctors is thai (Sasi, basically), like she is incoorporating reality into her hallucinations? Again, it was absolutely not twisty enough.
Then her friend from America was somehow never heard of again - whatever happened to her? Wasn't she gonna come visit?
The therapy notes were interesting and I would have liked more of that, and there should have been more hallucinations towards the end, since her breaks are clearly triggered by stress and you cannot tell me that girlypop was managing her stress better towards the end!
There could have been an entire chapter of like a fake ending that Emily hallucinates while in labor (that is stressful!) and it would have helped tie her psych problems into the plot more.
Also, office-dude Jake basically executing Sasi? Be fucking for real! The oddest 'happy end' I've ever seen.
Also, Vivian is just basically the best person in the world, saves the day, everyone loves her... she's rich and influential and sacrificed so much to save the child of her friend, even though her child is still not found. Seems unrealistic, honestly. Again, saw that coming, since she was made out to be kind of a villain, so she had to be good in the end...
What urked me from the start was that Emily just randomly made friends with these women. Like, you just got there, they don't know you yet and you don't know them yet. Nothing good would come from that in real life - at least no real friendship starts like that... again, very trusting and naive of her. That's the type of story you'd think up in high school when wanting to be part of the popular clique.
Anyways, I did enjoy reading this book, I just kinda expected more and it seemed a little flat. Some parts of the story were just forgotten (like the friend in america and the fact that stress triggers mental health breaks - not small ones).
Again, the naive thing bothered me. Girlypop goes 'I have to keep this a secret and can't tell anyone about anything ever!' And two sentences later she's spilling all her personal tea to a rando she met five seconds ago.
For a moment there, when she had just met Vivian and was sus of her, I thought Vivian might be the woman who lost her child in the beginning, the car thing, and then maybe moved to thailand to get away from the memories, only to run into Emily, who she briefly remembers from that day - that would have been a twist, I tell ya!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2024
This review contains spoilers
This book is about a woman who has lost her child to SIDS and makes a huge life change a few years later by moving to Thailand w her husband for work. She becomes friends w a tight knit group of expat wives. The main group leader gets pretty stern about pregnancy so when our main character gets pregnant she decides to keep it a secret. From there we see a lot of over thinking pop up that either could be mental instability or deep worries derived from her previous loss. Her imagination takes us down some rabbit warrens. There are a couple of chapters that are from different POVs such as from a doctor as well as her husband's at the end. The doctor notes were what had me questioning so much of Emily's thoughts on things.
*Spoilers ahead*
I really wanted to like this book. I thought it would have this huge twist ending, especially with regards to her hallucinations. The story has a few doctor's notes interspersed which made me look towards the main character's instability; I assumed it was all in her head when it was noted she was schizophrenic. I was honestly a little dismayed that the ending was so normal. Heck, maybe that IS the twist; she isn't crazy, she just misinterpreted the lead gal, Vivian's motives. I think I was just searching for some bigger psychological reveal other than 'over active imagination'. There is a twist though in that she trusted the wrong person.
All in all, I wish some of the supporting characters were more flushed out. I also found myself skimming a few paragraphs here and there that i felt were just restating her thoughts too often. At times character convos felt stilted as well. I did find the descriptions of Thai culture to be most interesting and as a child of an expat, I really enjoyed that aspect of the book.
This book is about a woman who has lost her child to SIDS and makes a huge life change a few years later by moving to Thailand w her husband for work. She becomes friends w a tight knit group of expat wives. The main group leader gets pretty stern about pregnancy so when our main character gets pregnant she decides to keep it a secret. From there we see a lot of over thinking pop up that either could be mental instability or deep worries derived from her previous loss. Her imagination takes us down some rabbit warrens. There are a couple of chapters that are from different POVs such as from a doctor as well as her husband's at the end. The doctor notes were what had me questioning so much of Emily's thoughts on things.
*Spoilers ahead*
I really wanted to like this book. I thought it would have this huge twist ending, especially with regards to her hallucinations. The story has a few doctor's notes interspersed which made me look towards the main character's instability; I assumed it was all in her head when it was noted she was schizophrenic. I was honestly a little dismayed that the ending was so normal. Heck, maybe that IS the twist; she isn't crazy, she just misinterpreted the lead gal, Vivian's motives. I think I was just searching for some bigger psychological reveal other than 'over active imagination'. There is a twist though in that she trusted the wrong person.
All in all, I wish some of the supporting characters were more flushed out. I also found myself skimming a few paragraphs here and there that i felt were just restating her thoughts too often. At times character convos felt stilted as well. I did find the descriptions of Thai culture to be most interesting and as a child of an expat, I really enjoyed that aspect of the book.
November 21, 2023
I saw the description of this book as an ad on Facebook and it piqued my interest. I had to find out what the deal was with this friend group that controls every aspect of your life, like a cult. So I raced through this book, only to find out that I wouldn't be getting an answer to this question. Let me emphasize this for the others who want to know: you don't find out why that group doesn't allow you to shop at certain stores or socialize with people outside the group or discuss innocuous things (like a mimosa get-together) with people outside the group.
OK, now that that's out of the way, time for the spoilers/plot holes:
Done with this idiot of an author.
OK, now that that's out of the way, time for the spoilers/plot holes:
Done with this idiot of an author.
May 25, 2025
The story is about Emily and Jake. They are a married couple who tragically lost their first baby due to SIDS. Emily suffers psychologically from the grief of losing her son. Emily and Jake’s marriage is put to an ultimate test during this horrific time in their life. After much counseling, Emily seems to have recovered. Then Jake is offered a promotion with his company, but they have to move to Thailand. At this point they see this as an opportunity for a fresh start. Once they get settled in the expat community, Emily is befriended by three fellow expat women. These women show her all the places to shop and dine at. They seem almost like socialites and envied by others. Emily begins to hear rumors about rules that make her question her spot in the friend group, especially once she becomes pregnant again.
The book … I feel like in the beginning is a little repetitive. And maybe that is because of Emily’s insecurities, she is rehashing things over and over? However, the book was halfway over before it picked up and it totally changed direction. I thought it was going to be more of a psychological thriller and then it switched to be a crime thriller. Then it seemed like the second half was rushed. I feel like it could have been a better novel if the author had focused on making it either a crime thriller or a psychological thriller, but not combining both.
Anyway, it wasn’t a bad novel. It just didn’t blow me away. I give it: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The book … I feel like in the beginning is a little repetitive. And maybe that is because of Emily’s insecurities, she is rehashing things over and over? However, the book was halfway over before it picked up and it totally changed direction. I thought it was going to be more of a psychological thriller and then it switched to be a crime thriller. Then it seemed like the second half was rushed. I feel like it could have been a better novel if the author had focused on making it either a crime thriller or a psychological thriller, but not combining both.
Anyway, it wasn’t a bad novel. It just didn’t blow me away. I give it: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
December 21, 2024
This book started out with an interesting premise; a couple moving to Thailand after the death of their baby. Emily ends up making friends with a group led by Viviane, who has very odd rules for their group (ex: only certain people are allowed to a part of the group, you need the group's permission to get pregnant), etc. What also piqued my interest was the chapters written from the perspective of Emily's therapist who was helping her process her grief. In these chapters, it is eluded that Emily is schizophrenic due to her hallucinations. The issue is that this is actually interesting and yet they gloss over it and don't go into any real detail.
Emily does end pregnant and chooses to use an OB/GYN who befriended her. Long story short, babies are being trafficked, Vivian is trying to protect everyone which is why she had the pregnancy rule. What would have been interesting is making that experience one of Emily's hallucinations. While trying to rescue the baby, the husband somehow ends up going with Vivanne's hired group of men who rescue these babies. They end up in a slum in Thailand and the husband shoots the OB/GYN. It just gets so unrealistic and so disjointed. What could be very meaningful and interesting parts of the plot get ignored and there is no completion to them.
Would not recommend.
Emily does end pregnant and chooses to use an OB/GYN who befriended her. Long story short, babies are being trafficked, Vivian is trying to protect everyone which is why she had the pregnancy rule. What would have been interesting is making that experience one of Emily's hallucinations. While trying to rescue the baby, the husband somehow ends up going with Vivanne's hired group of men who rescue these babies. They end up in a slum in Thailand and the husband shoots the OB/GYN. It just gets so unrealistic and so disjointed. What could be very meaningful and interesting parts of the plot get ignored and there is no completion to them.
Would not recommend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2024
Possible spoilers related to the plot but nothing that will ruin the book:
I’ve never finished a book so fast in my life!
I wasn’t sure about Emily at first, and didn’t know whether or not I liked her, but as the boom progressed, I realized any quirks she had were related to her mental condition from losing her child. It was mentioned that she had “episodes” prior to even meeting her husband, and I wish that was expanded upon a little bit more. Otherwise, I thought this book was very well written. It was definitely a slow burn leading up to discovering who was behind the trafficking, but in a way that kept me interested.
One other thing I really liked about this book were the short chapters. Long chapters make me lose interest or give me an excuse to not read because I have to do this or that. The short chapters of this book made it easy to “read one more chapter” almost every time I sat down with the book. Because of that, in addition to the boom reeling me in, it took me 4 days.
Who can reach out to Reese Witherspoon to see if she’ll make this into a movie???
I’ve never finished a book so fast in my life!
I wasn’t sure about Emily at first, and didn’t know whether or not I liked her, but as the boom progressed, I realized any quirks she had were related to her mental condition from losing her child. It was mentioned that she had “episodes” prior to even meeting her husband, and I wish that was expanded upon a little bit more. Otherwise, I thought this book was very well written. It was definitely a slow burn leading up to discovering who was behind the trafficking, but in a way that kept me interested.
One other thing I really liked about this book were the short chapters. Long chapters make me lose interest or give me an excuse to not read because I have to do this or that. The short chapters of this book made it easy to “read one more chapter” almost every time I sat down with the book. Because of that, in addition to the boom reeling me in, it took me 4 days.
Who can reach out to Reese Witherspoon to see if she’ll make this into a movie???
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2024
This was a unique book for me. I don't usually read psychological thrillers because I'm not into a lot of psycho analyzing type stuff, but this one had an interesting premise so I gave it a chance. It is interesting and had some twists and a satisfactory ending that made it good for me. Oh, there was a bit more self-analyzing from the main character Emily than I prefer, but the storyline was good and the pace was fairly good. Emily and husband Jake are nice people and when sad things happen in their lives (I don't want to give any spoilers) they decide a change would be good, so Jake accepts a job transfer to Thailand. Emily falls in with three women who are popular and willingly accept her into their small circle. As the story progresses, things get strange, then scary and dangerous. Things will happen in the story that have you thinking one way and then another. It's interesting and suspenseful and has some twists. There is only one f-word in the whole book. Makes you wonder why that one was even needed, but it's basically a clean book, for which I was thankful.
August 18, 2025
This one had a lot of potential, but fell sooo short. Probably closer to 2 stars but honestly giving it 1 to counteract the confusing higher star ratings.
The writing and dialogue often felt like a poor translation to English from another language and a lot of things were just so weird and dumb. Most of the characters are so flat, especially the other two in the friend group, I know practically nothing about them. The MC Emily kept seeming to hint at a troubled or disturbed past (beyond Noah’s death) but we never got a dive into that – it would have so much more interesting. She was also just kind of an idiot and it was annoying. A lot of her issues could have been solved if she just opened her mouth and asked questions.
There wasn’t too much mystery – when you only introduce a handful of characters, you can either guess the “culprit“ pretty easily or you know it’ll be one of those conclusions that is totally out of left field.
Still, I read it in about a day so I guess that’s saying something?
The writing and dialogue often felt like a poor translation to English from another language and a lot of things were just so weird and dumb. Most of the characters are so flat, especially the other two in the friend group, I know practically nothing about them. The MC Emily kept seeming to hint at a troubled or disturbed past (beyond Noah’s death) but we never got a dive into that – it would have so much more interesting. She was also just kind of an idiot and it was annoying. A lot of her issues could have been solved if she just opened her mouth and asked questions.
There wasn’t too much mystery – when you only introduce a handful of characters, you can either guess the “culprit“ pretty easily or you know it’ll be one of those conclusions that is totally out of left field.
Still, I read it in about a day so I guess that’s saying something?
September 9, 2024
2⭐️
The Friend Group follows expats Emily and Jake as they relocate to Thailand from America for Jake’s work. This moves comes some years after the couple suffer a hide tragedy, one that Emily has worked hard to overcome; this does however create some concerns surrounding Emily’s mental health which play into the plot well. Once in Thailand, Emily is welcomed into a group of friends comprises of other female expats, however all is not as it seems, as the group has some very strange and strict, rules.
Unfortunately not for me. I felt the plot was so and very little happened before the last third. Then, so much happened but it was too little too late unfortunately. There could have been some amazing character development and scenes surrounding one key character, however their behaviour just changed overnight, which was completely unrealistic.
The Friend Group follows expats Emily and Jake as they relocate to Thailand from America for Jake’s work. This moves comes some years after the couple suffer a hide tragedy, one that Emily has worked hard to overcome; this does however create some concerns surrounding Emily’s mental health which play into the plot well. Once in Thailand, Emily is welcomed into a group of friends comprises of other female expats, however all is not as it seems, as the group has some very strange and strict, rules.
Unfortunately not for me. I felt the plot was so and very little happened before the last third. Then, so much happened but it was too little too late unfortunately. There could have been some amazing character development and scenes surrounding one key character, however their behaviour just changed overnight, which was completely unrealistic.
October 23, 2024
Kept me working to figure real from imagined
Emily and Jake are starting over after losing their infant son to sids. Thailand is far enough for a change, but maybe too far and different to keep Emily from experiencing her disturbing episodes. She meets Vivian, who has a stranglehold on her little group of BFFs. A new pregnancy brings fresh hope to Emily, but with it fresh fears of losing this child too. She meets Sasi, a Thai ob gyn who seems to be the perfect friend to protect her from the controlling Vivian. Can Emily and Jake keep their baby from becoming a victim of the lucrative baby trafficking that is rampant in Thailand? Whom should they fear? Whom should they trust? Their choices will determine if they have a life or heartache or one of joy
Emily and Jake are starting over after losing their infant son to sids. Thailand is far enough for a change, but maybe too far and different to keep Emily from experiencing her disturbing episodes. She meets Vivian, who has a stranglehold on her little group of BFFs. A new pregnancy brings fresh hope to Emily, but with it fresh fears of losing this child too. She meets Sasi, a Thai ob gyn who seems to be the perfect friend to protect her from the controlling Vivian. Can Emily and Jake keep their baby from becoming a victim of the lucrative baby trafficking that is rampant in Thailand? Whom should they fear? Whom should they trust? Their choices will determine if they have a life or heartache or one of joy
November 1, 2024
The first chapter was most interesting and the most horrifying of the book. After that the story felt drawn out and repetitive.
The characters lacked personality. The main characters are Emily and Jake. I have never encountered a married couple who are so overly nice to each other all the time that it becomes sickening, annoying and so unrealistic. Some drama could have added to the book.
The book dragged until the last 20% and I already felt like I knew the outcome and I wasn't wrong.
Emily's sanity was questioned all throughout the book with psychiatric reports here and there which was building suspense that went nowhere.
I don't know if theres any truth in the book regarding what it's like in Thailand but if so it's an eye opener and a great way to spread awareness.
The characters lacked personality. The main characters are Emily and Jake. I have never encountered a married couple who are so overly nice to each other all the time that it becomes sickening, annoying and so unrealistic. Some drama could have added to the book.
The book dragged until the last 20% and I already felt like I knew the outcome and I wasn't wrong.
Emily's sanity was questioned all throughout the book with psychiatric reports here and there which was building suspense that went nowhere.
I don't know if theres any truth in the book regarding what it's like in Thailand but if so it's an eye opener and a great way to spread awareness.
July 8, 2023
Ty Hutchinson writes some of my favorite detective and spy novels, so I was immediately drawn to read this one in the psych-thriller gene. No disappointment here!
Perfect blend of creep factor and twisties to keep me eagerly flipping the pages, but also a great job revealing the sometimes heartbreaking humanity - and inhumanity - in his cast of characters.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and recommend it to anyone who loves mysteries that focus on the psychology of "us."
👀 From the book description (if this doesn't pique your curiosity ... I don't know ... 😉):
☕️Rules of the Friend Group
Dress accordingly.
Dine at elegant eateries.
Haute couture shopping is expected.
Outside friends are frowned upon.
Group discussions are exclusive.
No unapproved pregnancies.☕️
October 30, 2023
Okay, I hardly know where to start. I purchased this book via an ad on Facebook, so I shouldn’t be surprised. People giving this 4 and 5 star ratings are either related to the author or are new to reading.
There was no character development, whatsoever, at all. The main character sounded like she was 15 years old. The husband seemed like a figment of her imagination, in fact the whole book seemed like a figment of her imagination to the point where that’s what I thought the twist was going to be. The actual “twist” can be spotted a mile away. I was convinced the ending was going to be the main character in a mental institution.
There was no character development, whatsoever, at all. The main character sounded like she was 15 years old. The husband seemed like a figment of her imagination, in fact the whole book seemed like a figment of her imagination to the point where that’s what I thought the twist was going to be. The actual “twist” can be spotted a mile away. I was convinced the ending was going to be the main character in a mental institution.
November 1, 2024
I really enjoyed the writing style from the very start, I thought the plot was going to be predictable and it was going to end that Emily had spiralled with her schizophrenia and the whole moving to Thailand had not happened but I was surprised with the ending
The last 60 pages had me completely gripped and I felt like something new and exciting was always happening to keep me reading until the end. I did no expect the twist all the way up to that point and when it unveiled I felt a shiver through my entire body
Overall a very good book, something I have never picked up before but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and it is now something I will read more.
The last 60 pages had me completely gripped and I felt like something new and exciting was always happening to keep me reading until the end. I did no expect the twist all the way up to that point and when it unveiled I felt a shiver through my entire body
Overall a very good book, something I have never picked up before but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and it is now something I will read more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews