#ATBR2019 Review: The Arrangement by Robyn Harding @scoutpressbooks @rhardingwriter @gallerybooks @jessmapreviews
The Arrangement
by Robyn Harding
Thanks so much to Gallery Books/Scout Press and Robyn Harding for these copies. Jessica and I are huge fans of this author. Much gratitude for our mentions in the acknowledgments. 💖
Publisher: Scout Press/Gallery Books
Publish Date: July 30, 2019
Hardcover
352 Pages
Standalone
Genres: Thriller, Suspense
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 favours 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. She begins drinking heavily and stalking him: watching him at work, spying on his wife, even befriending his daughter, who is not much younger than she is. 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.
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. She begins drinking heavily and stalking him: watching him at work, spying on his wife, even befriending his daughter, who is not much younger than she is. 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.
My Review:
Well now, THAT escalated quickly! Welcome to the Sugar bowl - careful or you could end up with Splenda or salt. In any situation, keep your guard high and your hopes low. And make sure you're up on all the acronyms!
As someone who lives in NYC, I am all too familiar with how easy it is to be in debt and have situations out of your control come up when it comes to living situations and what not. If you look around, there's a myriad of *questionable* couples all around that make you wonder what their situation is. Countless successful men with money who have lives where they compartmentalize their home life with their wife and child(ren) and their other life with their work and their mistress/girlfriend/side piece.
Regardless of the usual clichés of this life, I am fascinated, like the author, of sugar arrangements and how they work. I'm impressed that Harding actually joined a site and did such in depth research in reaching out for interviews to get all the sides of what seems to be a symbiotic/mutually beneficial relationship between two consenting adults. There certainly needs to be a certain mind set to be able to realistically be in these types of situations and you must make sure to follow certain rules to make sure your safety is in tact at all times. It's a duplicitous world and I'm utterly fascinated.
Absolutely loved every single page of this book. I started this earlier today and in between chores, work and anything else that came up, I took every moment I had to continue reading this. The ending, while not completely a surprise, is smart, thorough and cunning. This is my third book by this author and my second five star review by her. Harding, you did it again.
★★★★★
Jessica's Review:
I've been in love with Robyn Harding since THE PARTY and she quickly became an auto-buy author for me. Do you want a binge read that you just don't want to put down? Well, THE ARRANGEMENT needs to be on your TBR.
We are brought into the world of sugar daddies and sugar babies. Nat is an art student struggling to make her rent and other bills every month. After losing her job, Nat is desperate to find a new source of income. A classmate of hers introduces her to a sugar baby website and opens her eyes to a whole new world.
She meets Gabe, how becomes her first sugar daddy. They make an arrangement to have their relationship become more official. A new apartment, monthly allowance, gifts, and traveling. Nat falls in love with Gabe and things get complicated when he abruptly ends things. Secrets, sex, money, and even murder. This book will keep you on your toes!
I loved seeing that Harding put in so much research into this book. She even joined one of the websites for her to better understand this world. I highly recommend picking up anything by Harding and now the wait begins for her next book!
5 stars
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