Melanie Gideon’s novel Did I Say You Could Go is the tale of two women and their respective daughters. Two women and two girls who couldn’t be more different, but somehow form a friendship. But are they truly friends or are they “frenemies?”
Ruth Thorne is a wealthy divorcee. Her daughter, Marley, is shy and awkward. Gemma Howard is a struggling widow raising her daughter Bee who is popular and introverted.
The ladies and their daughters become acquainted when Ruth throws a meet and greet for the families of kindergartners who are entering the prestigious Hillside Academy. Held at Ruth’s fancy home, the parents aren’t impressed with the indulgent catering and valet parking. They find it, and Ruth, to be showy and pretentious.
For some reason, Gemma isn’t put off by this display of riches, and she and Ruth strike up a friendship, as do their daughters. Ruth showers Gemma and Bee with expensive gifts and vacations. And though Gemma is appreciative of Ruth’s generosity, she feels overwhelmed by the largesse. It’s just too much. So years later, when Ruth has an affair with a married man and scandalizes the community, Gemma sees this as a way to escape Ruth’s clutches.
After years of estrangement, Gemma is dealing with her own scandal. Her business, Study Right, a study prep and tutoring center is in deep doo-doo when it is exposed an employee has been taking tests for the students the center serves.
In some odd fashion, this scandal causes Ruth and Gemma to rekindle their friendship, which leads to twists and turns that affects both them and their daughters.
At first, things seem to be going swimmingly. Ruth and Gemma and their daughters are happy to be back together. They have a lot of fun and hope to stay true blue. But things get complicated when Bee and Marley have a falling out at a school talent show. Ruth and Gemma try not to let it affect their friendship, figuring Bee and Marley’s tiff is just adolescent angst and immaturity.
However, once Gemma gets involved with a handsome X-ray technician, and Bee has an on-line romance with a hottie named Cam, things become extremely complicated. Ruth becomes incredibly manipulative as she entangles Gemma and Marley in a crazy web of manipulation. Ruth is also tormenting her daughter in a horrifying way. Will Gemma, Bee, and Marley ever escape Ruth’s clutches? Are they truly victims or is something more dastardly brewing under the surface?
Did I Say You Could Go is told by the four viewpoints of the four main characters, which gives the reader insight into their individual psyches. The books is also filled with gossip, on-line mommy groups, backstabbing, mistreatment, and cyberbullying. And when it reaches its conclusion, I actually gasped out loud.
Did I Say You Could Go grabbed me from the first page and didn’t let go. If you’re looking for a thrilling psychological drama, you can’t go wrong with Did I Say You Could Go.
thebookselfblog 