Snap Decision

by Holly Spofford, Kristen Hamilton (Editor)

Lifelong friends Paige Buckley and Fina Manzetti are getting a fresh start in New York City. During her first week at a new job, Paige meets Max Dovic, a wealthy businessman. It’s an encounter that catapults Paige into a world she has never experienced.

As Paige falls into lust with Max, she ignores the red how Max talks to people as if he owns them, his endless supply of cash, strange early morning deliveries to his yacht. Convinced Max is not what he seems, Fina and their friends Lindsey and Martha implore Paige to look deeper. During an outing on Max’s yacht, Paige discovers notebooks full of names, photos, and strange notes in a small, seldom-used cabin, a discovery that makes Paige agree with her friends.

After Fina disappears one night near Max’s yacht, Paige is torn between confronting Max and playing an evasive game to learn the dark truth. And when things become too dangerous, Paige realizes she’s a tiny fish in a massive pond. As Paige sinks deeper into this risky game, she must decide how to expose Max and escape with her life.

295 pages, Paperback

Published October 17, 2023

About the author

Holly Spofford was born and raised outside Philadelphia in Flourtown, Pennsylvania. She is one of three children, and has wonderful memories of spending lots of time playing out in the woods, swimming and riding bikes with her two brothers. One memory that she holds dearly in her heart is the first day she learned to read complete sentences. It was in Mrs. Stauffer’s first-grade class at Whitemarsh Elementary School. She remembers distinctly that it was a story about squirrels and trees. She loved to read aloud and show off her new skill to her younger brother and to her parents. It was at this age when she fell in love with the written word. 
She was a competitive athlete all throughout high school and college until she was side-lined with a terrible knee injury in 1989. As a teenager, she worked at a local summer camp where she taught young children how to play tennis. Teaching and coaching came naturally to her. Therefore, her choice of becoming a teacher was natural. After she graduated from Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, she enrolled at Cabrini College to become certified as a teacher in Pennsylvania.  She taught and coached for seventeen years, mostly in local independent schools.  She is an avid golfer as is her husband John. They are regular participants in Couples Golf on Wednesdays during the summer.
Her debut novel, A Letter for Hoot, was inspired in large part by the mystery unit that was part of her teaching curriculum. In 2014, she made the difficult decision to leave the world of teaching to realize her childhood dream of writing a book.  Although her novel is a murder mystery, it can be enjoyed by readers of many ages.

Reviews

[Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks Reedsy for the ARC of Snap Decision!

Snap Decision by Holly Spofford follows Paige through a relationship as she starts asking the question, "How well can you really know someone?"



This thrilling tale begins when Paige Buckley meets Max Dovic in an incident involving a burrito in an elevator. Dovic, a wealthy shipping mogul, takes an interest in Paige, and the two begin to see each other. After a few dates, Paige is swooning. Max invites Paige and her best friend and roommate, Fina, to join him on his deluxe yacht. Fina develops a gut feeling about Max, and no matter how she tries to deny it, so does Paige. What is he hiding on his huge boat, and why is he so secretive?



Snap Decision is a sexy and suspenseful book with many twists that will keep the reader guessing what’s around the corner. Paige is a lovable woman who makes it easy to empathize with her. Her relationship with Max makes the reader wish, for her sake, that Max is transparent, despite all clues to the contrary. Another beautiful element of Spofford’s novel is the friendship between Paige and Fina, and their other friends, Lindsey and Martha, who help them discover the truth. How much would you sacrifice for your friends?



Spofford created a complicated web of lies to unravel in Snap Decision. As the characters start to track down the truth and the reader begins to guess the secret, it becomes apparent that things are more complicated than they seem. While reading, I had multiple theories about what the truth could be, but I never guessed the reality of what Max was hiding. This book was unputdownable beyond a certain point. Snap Decision was paced perfectly to keep the reader hooked while we watched things between the characters become more intense.



After finishing Snap Decision, I found myself wanting to hear more about Paige and Max and what the consequences of their actions were. I was invested in the story of Paige and her friends, and I wanted to follow the story beyond where the book ended. I had chills reading the epilogue; Spofford leaves the reader to write the ending to her book in a very fitting way for the story.



Spofford’s novel was deliciously suspenseful, perfectly paced, and the plot was written to shock. I would highly recommend Snap Decision to fans of emotional thrillers who love a good plot twist, complex characters, and a whirlwind ending.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot of this exciting novel is filled with twists and turns that build to a suspenseful and excitingly unexpected ending. The story involves Paige Buckley and Fina Manzetti, who have just taken on new jobs in New York City. During her first week there, Paige meets Max, a wealthy businessman. All is going well, despite numerous warning signals about his personality, until Paige shares with Fina notebooks that she found on Max’s yacht. The notebooks indicate Max is a very different person than the man Paige thought she was getting to know. After discussing her suspicions with Fina, suddenly Fina disappears one night near Max’s yacht. When Paige begins investigating her friend’s disappearance, she suddenly realizes there is a very big game going on here, and she is nothing but a small pawn in it. Where will this lead, and will she escape with her life?

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Two surprise endings! A riveting book that I couldn’t put down. Fast paced and believable- I enjoyed this suspense filled book. Being a CPA, I also enjoyed the main characters role as an auditor.

[Diana Diaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the book, it was fast paced and it kept me on edge while reading.

[Kayla_Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Holly Spofford and Kristen Hamilton for sending me this copy of Snap Decision.

Lifelong friends Paige and Fina are getting a fresh start in New York City. Paige, a job in one of the twin towers. Fina, a journalist.

Paige quickly draws the attention of Max, a wealthy businessman, by falling into him and his burrito on an elevator. She offers to get his coat dry cleaned. One thing leads to another and they are quickly caught up in a steamy romance. She sees the red flags but chooses to ignore them.

Soon after interviewing Max, Fina suspects he is not who Paige thinks he is. With the help of their two friends Lindsey and Martha, the two start to look deeper into Max.

On a mission to get evidence, Fina goes missing. Paige is torn between confronting Max and playing an evasive game to learn the truth.

I didn’t care for the ending but it did have lots of moments that had me laughing. Such as the falling on a burrito moment.

[Jill Demcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

a little slow at the beginning, but i was sucked in at the end. notttt what i expected but in a good way

[Book Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly Spofford's Snap Decision is a compelling narrative set against the backdrop of New York City, unfolding from January to September 2001. It follows the lives of Serafina "Fina" Manzetti and Paige Buckley, two friends from Philadelphia navigating their careers in the Big Apple. The story gains momentum when Paige encounters an alluring man named Max on her first day of work, leading to a whirlwind romance.

Spofford's tale is a testament to the mystery genre, adeptly maintaining suspense and engaging readers with its intricate plot. Central to the story is Max, a character whose outward charm and success mask a much darker reality. Fina, working at a magazine, is assigned a story on Max, which leads to her growing skepticism about him. This doubt is echoed by Paige's friends, Martha and Lindsey, who also harbor reservations about Max's character. The author masterfully weaves a narrative that emphasizes the danger of superficial judgments.

Initially portrayed as a wealthy, law-abiding individual deeply in love with Paige, Max is gradually revealed to have a sinister side. This revelation about Max's true nature and activities comes as a shock, as does the depth of his deception regarding his feelings for Paige. Snap Decision excels in delivering a series of unforeseen twists, keeping the reader engaged and invested. The eventual disclosure of Max's occupation and intentions towards Paige are particularly startling, as is the unexpected conclusion of Paige's story. This finale, while surprising, might strike some readers as harsh, given the emotional journey of Paige's character throughout the book.

Spofford's narrative is a vivid reminder of the complexities lying beneath the surface of human relationships and the peril of ignoring warning signs. Her portrayal of the characters' emotional landscapes is nuanced, making Snap Decision a thought-provoking and memorable read.

[Kellylynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a pretty good suspense/mystery. For me, the story was just well put together. There were portions that could have used more information or commentary and others that just went into detail that just wasn't needed. Plus there were certain phrases that were used multiple times that threw off the pacing of the story.

This is Paige's story, she moves to New York with her best friend and falls in love. And come to find out this man is not necessarily who she thinks he is. But of course he is into something bigger than they could imagine, throwing them as well as their new friends in peril. I was a bit frustrated with the ending, I get the whole where did she go but there were other pieces that should have been wrapped up.

I actually won this one in one of the giveaways.

[Alicia Peacock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a good thriller. I was engaged throughout. I did think there were some big plot holes, the mystery was obvious (but I loved it being unique) and I was not a fan of the ending. Even though I wasn't a fan of the ending I totally appreciated how different it was and how circled back to the title.

[gj indieBRAG · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are proud to announce that SNAP DECISION by Holly Spofford has been honored with the B.R.A.G. Medallion (Book Readers Appreciation Group). It now joins the very select award-winning, reader-recommended books at indieBRAG.