Did I Say You Could Go, Melanie Gideon
Did I Say You Could Go, Melanie Gideon
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Did I Say You Could Go

Author: Melanie Gideon

Narrator: Caitlin Davies, Vivienne Leheny, Patti Murin, Vyvy Nguyen

Unabridged: 9 hr 42 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/03/2021


Synopsis

A suspenseful, gripping novel about families and friendships torn apart at the seams by obsession, secrets, and betrayal with relentless twists and turns that hurtle forward to a shocking confrontation.

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.

About Melanie Gideon

Melanie Gideon is the bestselling author of the novels, Valley of the Moon and Wife 22, as well as the memoir The Slippery Year: A Meditation on Happily Ever After. Her books have been translated into thirty-one languages. Wife 22 is currently in development. She has written for The New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Times (London), the Daily Mail (London), and other publications. She was born and raised in Rhode Island and now lives in the Bay Area. 


Reviews

Goodreads review by Nilufer

I’m dizzy because of extreme amount of twists! Especially the final one hit me in the face so hard! I’m still numb, mentally black eyed but I’m also pleased and entertained a lot! The mothers: polar opposite characters: one widower and one divorcee form an unhealthy relationship! Then they fell apar......more

This is a compulsively readable psychological thriller with some really twisted characters. I'd like to say that I didn't figure it all out ahead of time, but I did. Yet I still kept reading to find out if I was right. Gemma is the single mother of her daughter Bee, and Ruth is the single mother of h......more

I really enjoyed this well-written and haunting story of mothers and daughters, adult “best friends,” and dysfunctional and sometimes abusive relationships. The characters were so uniquely screwed up and well-drawn, and the plot was heartbreaking and uncomfortable to read while still managing to be......more

Goodreads review by Jasmine

UPDATE: I think “tribe” has been edited out of the text. I’m not certain, but another early reviewer informed me that they didn’t see it while reading. Thanks everyone for understanding. I lost count of how many times the author used the word “tribe” to describe the characters’ friend group. As someo......more