Robyn Harding

A Pretty Woman tale turns toxic and deadly in this provocative thriller of sex, obsession, and murder from Robyn Harding, the “master of domestic suspense” (Kathleen Barber) and the USA TODAY bestselling author of The Swap and Her Pretty Face. 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 favors 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. 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. Emotionally powerful and packed with page-turning suspense, The Arrangement delves into the sordid, all-too-real world of shadowy relationships between wealthy, powerful men and the young women who are caught in their web.

The Arrangement

***The latest must-read thriller from the master of domestic suspense*** Natalie has moved to New York City to get away from a family she no longer feels a part of and an ex-boyfriend whose love for her has grown into obsession. Struggling to study, work and pay her bills, she finds that life in the city isn’t all that she’d hoped. And when she discovers that her ex may have followed her to New York, it feels like everything is falling apart. When she meets Gabe, all of her problems seem to fall away. Although more than thirty years her senior, he’s handsome and rich and can keep her safe. She can’t help but fall madly in love. But Gabe already has a family, whom he must put before anything else, and his relationship with Natalie soon devolves into a nightmare. Because she isn’t content with being number two in Gabe’s life – and she has no intention of giving him up . . . Emotionally powerful and packed with page-turning suspense, The Arrangement delves into a world of deception, obsession and the lines people are willing to cross to hold on to what they love. Praise for Robyn Harding: ‘Painfully compulsive, this riveting drama piles layer upon layer of tension’ Sunday Mirror ‘If you enjoyed Big Little Lies, you’ll love this explosive family drama’ Take a Break ‘A compulsive page turner’ Bella 'A compulsive page-turner that mines the push-pull between basic impulses and doing the ‘right thing,’ The Party is a domestic drama that spins off the rails with hellish consequences' Erica Ferencik, author of The River at Night 'A tense and riveting story about one night gone horribly wrong, and the fallout within a family and a group of friends. Secrets, desires, choice and consequence, The Party reveals that what lies inside a family—and each person—is not always as it seems. I was hooked from the opening scene and could not look away until I reached the very last page' Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls 'Cleverly constructed and brilliantly paced, The Party is a raw telling of a family coming apart at the seams. Robyn Harding weaves a riveting tale that is impossible to put down' Bill Clegg, New York Times bestselling author of Did You Ever Have a Family

Amanda Autumn Berrey

“Sometimes, we do things we don’t feel good about to survive. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.”

Denaiir

The Arrangement was the most surprising book I've read in 2019! I really picked it up quite reluctantly because I thought it would be another psychological thriller, which I don't care for, but the premise sounded too intriguing to pass. Well it was the right decision, because this book was not very thriller-y but it was completely engrossing, the evolution of the arrangement between the 2 main characters was captivating, the family dynamics surrounding them were entrancing. The characters and plot engaged me from chapter 1, all the way until the end. 

Even though nobody was really that likable, they weren't too annoying to read about contrary to what often happens in books, especially psychological thrillers. I enjoyed the way the plot unraveled and even though I guessed the ending it was ok because it didn't have that thriller-y vibe so I didn't feel like I had to be surprised. 

A very enjoyable experience! 4.5 stars

Wow. The events of this book were so unpredictable and suspenseful. It is truly a rollercoaster of chaos that is captivating and intense. I developed a complicated view on the main character Natalie, sometimes i’d relate to her, then hate her for her decisions and then feel sorry for her. The ending I somewhat predicted but was still satisfied. Definitely recommend it’s a page tuner that kept me on edge the whole time reading it.

George McCartney

Melsriana

Lauren Tabor

amazing

honestly the best book I’ve read in a long time. Very satisfied with the full storyline and even the ending. Celeste is an icon.

Milo Jean

So I’ll start by saying neither of the characters are particularly likable in this book. Usually that’s a shortcut to me hating a book, but I actually felt like it worked okay in this one. I didn’t feel like I needed to like the characters to read this story. I liked the way things wrapped up in the end, and overall it was enjoyable but not something that I will feel the need to read more than once, hence the three stars.

Rachel Munro

I thought I knew how this book was ending and what to expect but the reality is that I did not. It brought me back in for those last chapters and finished well.

ashley hopkins

I loved the relationship at the begining, but then it got a bit crazzzzy.

sydney 

Olivera Mitić

Da nije bilo onog epiloga, dala bih poklonjenu trojku.

Rebeca 

4 stars

THIS WAS SOOOO GOOD. HAD ME ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT THE WHOLE TIME. The only thing I didn't like was that the main character, Nataly was super annoying and her parts were kind of repetitive because she knew what she was doing was "wrong" and she would say it over and over but still continue to do it. Also, a lot of people's reviews were saying it was predictable but either I just didn't catch on or didn't care because I did not see the ending coming. Was really good and would recommend to help get out of a reading slump!

Emily C Peterson

Ana Couto

Jessica 

As always, a copy of this book was provided by the publisher or author in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.


Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Review can be found here at Booked J. 

The first thing you should know about The Arrangement is that from the moment you open it, you develop an arrangement with it: you're not moving for a while, unless you absolutely have to. It is very, very gripping and demands your attention from the very start. The second thing you should know about it, is that that it is highly enthralling and bleak. It is one of the most addictive reads I've come across this year and was everything I hoped it be. 

Relationships can go wrong, no matter the setting and context. In the case of the haziness that is The Arrangement, it is that of a relationship between sugar daddies and sugar babies. As far as premises go, this one is fairly simple at its core. Unraveling it is another story entirely. Full of the dramatics and critical nature you'd expect based on synopsis alone, you never know quite what to expect from this suspense. The entirety of it is almost never ending in its thrills and readers will find themselves wanting to, somehow, turn the pages faster and faster. 

The best words to describe this one are: indulgent, chilling, wild and intense. Because of these descriptions, The Arrangement is the perfect read for autumn. Robyn Harding is definitely one of those writers who's prose leads us down a path of compulsion--before we know it, we are engulfed in her atmospheric words and are nearing their conclusion. 

As far as the who and the what goes in this novel, you'll find yourself drawn into this web and the lifestyles which surround it. From the very beginning, I was hooked and wanted nothing more than to unravel the big mystery and understand what the heck was going on. All around me, I felt to be entangled with the central story arches and wondered: who did what? I found myself lost to the twisty domestic thriller and held an array of feelings towards Natalie and Gabe--everything about their world and relationship was all consuming in an odd way. 

(Odd may not be the best word. But between the set emotions and questions I had, and I'm sure you will, too, you'll come to understand why I can only call it such.) 

The Arrangement is a breathless, read-in-one-sitting, lose yourself, read and I cannot recommend it enough. If the synopsis reads as something you'd even be slightly interested in, you'll definitely be intrigued by what lay inside. Robyn Harding creates a well written thriller; leaving us all on the edges of our seat in wonder, confusion, fear and more. You will be seduced.

The Arrangement

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