The Arrangement

A special thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Gallery/Scout Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Natalie is a struggling art student in New York City. She is having trouble making rent and keeping up with her other bills. Her roommates are less than impressed with her drinking, overnight (male) guests, and her failure to pay her share.

While at school, she becomes friends with one of her classmates who appears to have it all—Ava is impeccably dressed and has her own apartment in Chelsea. Natalie discovers that Ava used an online site to find herself a sugar daddy (a wealthy, older man that pays for her time with sexual favours being optional). Natalie is intrigued after she learns how much money can be show more earned for a date, some girls even get monthly allowances and trips.

She meets Gabe, a dashing and successful lawyer who is more than thirty years her senior. He seems like the perfect candidate and their chemistry is undeniable. Soon enough, they are a couple. Natalie falls hard for Gabe and believes he feels the same way about her. But Gabe hasn't been completely honest, he is still married and has no intention of leaving his wife.

Things end abruptly and Natalie can't cope. Her drinking spirals out of control and she starts stalking Gabe. She even goes as far as to befriend his daughter—but Gabe's not having it. What was supposed to be an arrangement between two consenting people has turned into an obsessive nightmare that ends in murder.

After reviewing Her Pretty Face, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Harding's latest work and she delivers in spades! The plot is layered and emotionally charged with characters that are believable and real. Harding has a gift of not only being engaging, but to deliver a powerful page-turner that is taut with suspense.

The writing is smart and complex, while not being trite or contrived. I was fully vested in the story, especially with such an interesting and fresh premise—I wanted to learn more about the sugar baby/sugar daddy dynamic.

This book is sexy, smart, and seductive! show less

The Arrangement is a delightfully dramatic read. In the world of Sugar Babies and Sugar Daddies, Natalie and Gabe step forward as perhaps two of the worst. Between Natalie’s binge drinking and daddy issues and Gabe’s Narcissism, the two seem to be made for each other in a world of misery. And they seem to have fun while it lasts until someone ends up dead, and poor lovesick Natalie finds herself at the center of the murder investigation. This story flows well and successfully pulls off the closure we need even though it is a relatively short book. Book ends with a nice little twist. Book is a lot of fun and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys a naughty indulgence every now and then. Novel supplied by Netgalley

It was only going to be once. Maybe twice. She just needed a little bit of cash to pay off her roommates. And then she would quit.
Natalie is an art student At NYU, struggling financially and living paycheque to paycheque with no end to the struggle in sight. But how does her friend/fellow student manage it. Shealways have such nice clothing? And be able to eat in nice restaurants? When Ava takes her to her posh apartment one day, Natalie finds out the secret that Ava has. And why Ava always has money and nice things. Ava is a sugar baby. But Natalie couldn’t do that. She isn’t a prostitute. But Ava outlines the expectations and how Natalie could control the situations and what is required in a “date”. She could get hundreds of show more dollars for joining someone for a drink. And sex doesn’t need to be included, unless she wants to. After giving it some thought, and circumstances that forced the issue, Natalie decides to go through with it. But no sex. And only a couple of times until she’s paid her roommates back.
It seems like a simple arrangement. She can control everything. Do what she wants. See who she wants. Except she can’t. She didn’t count on emotions. She didn’t count on the hold someone could have on her. She didn’t count on not being the one in control. She didn’t count on Gabe. And before too long, Natalie is a mess, an obsessive train wreck and her life is spinning out of control.
This is another smash hit by Robyn Harding. She is one author that doesn’t have a predictable style. When you read an author with multiple books, often there is a similar style and similar outcome and things are predictable. Not so with Robyn Harding. Her novels are fresh and original. Her last few have been in the psychological thriller genre and both “the party” and “her pretty face” were both excellent reads. This one is as well.
We are given a glimpse into the very real life of sugar babies and sugar daddies. How they work, who are their clients, what are the expectations and how they can fail. While I don’t think I am naive by any means, I was astounded at the amount of money exchanging hands sometimes without a lot of return for their money. And while I know everything isn’t the same for everyone, it does intrigue me how people can keep emotions out of it.
While Natalie may seem to be an unlikable character to many, I actually found myself liking her and having a soft spot for her. A lot of what she does is questionable but the way she is portrayed in the book, for me, I just wanted to hug her and protect her.
This book was so hard to put down. While I could feel disaster happening, this book was so engrossing. I wanted to forget everything else and devour the book all at once. I will eagerly await Ms Harding’s next release.
Thank you to the publisher and net galley for allowing me the privilege of reading this book by sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review. show less

Nat Murphy is a struggling art student. A friend offers her a solution to her money troubles, get a sugar daddy. Things don't work out as planned and go horribly wrong.

I really enjoyed the first part of the book. I enjoyed following Nat and seeing how things progressed for her. The premise of the story I found very different and wanted to see how things worked out.

The last quarter of the book I didn't enjoy. I felt it was very flawed and also very rushed. The big twist was predictable and by this point I had stopped caring. Nat as a character I liked and felt for but as the story progressed I changed my mind and found her quite annoying.

I really wanted to love this book and was excited to read it. I felt really disappointed at the end show more but feel it still deserves three stars as I enjoyed the bulk of the story. show less

Nat Murphy is a 21 year old poor art student living in NYC. She has a failed relationship with an old boyfriend, she is late paying rent, and she leaves the apartment she shares with her roommates messy. She is at her wit's end, when her friend and classmates tells her about being a "sugar baby". Nat is initially horrified, and later intrigued when she realizes she could pay her bills, have nicer clothes, and be exposed to finer things. She agrees to do it, telling herself she will only do it until she has earned enough to get out of debt.
Her first date is with Gabe, a 50 year old successful attorney with an 18 year old daughter. Nat is a messy drunk that night, but Gabe likes her. After a few more dates, and lots more alcohol, they show more become involved. Nat thinks Gabe is divorced, but he is not. When Nat finds out the truth, she is furious, and Gabe is found murdered.
But, did Nat do it? She can't remember.
The Arrangement is an interesting thriller, but it made my skin crawl to realize that there are these arangements out there. I found the conclusion of the trial somewhat unexpected, as well as the reveal. The story kept my interest, but honestly young women--pull yourself together, don't drink to excess, and don't sign up to be a sugar baby! show less

Before I read this story, I had no idea what a “sugar baby” was. Now I know, thanks to this mostly forgettable story by the author of THE PARTY. Everyone is entitled to a flopper sometimes, and this one is Harding’s.

Struggling college student Natalie joins the over-the-top world of sugar daddies and babies when she is literally on her last dollar and has nowhere to turn. She is lacking self-confidence, but once she is dressed in designer duds and has a gorgeous older man on her arm, she becomes a sensual viper, living it up and loving every minute of it – even the intimacy. Then Daddy has a change of heart and decides to give all his attention to his beleaguered wife and hippie daughter, so Natalie loses her mind. The rest of show more the book is about Natalie boozing it up, complete with crying jags, stalking, and unhealthy behavior. Then there is a murder; Natalie is blamed and faces jail time.

At this point the book becomes interesting due to the plot twist and further development of Gabe’s wife. Natalie is a one-dimensional whiny girl who is in over her head, and it was hard to become invested in her future. Gabe was a typical narcissist rich guy, and I could see him dumping Natalie a mile away.

Harding’s writing style is great as usual, but there wasn’t the usual suspense that she is known for in this book. Even the ending with the twist seemed to sputter out and die with no lasting effects. I’m sure there will be lots of people who think I’m nuts for not loving it – but we are all entitled to our own opinion. show less

I found myself engrossed in this sexy, provocative, and entertaining novel. With short chapters that are engaging and suspenseful, I was racing through the pages to see what was going to happen next. The main character, Nat, is a little naive (who wasn't in their early 20s) and somewhat cliched, but it didn't take away from the story for me. I found the storyline to be realistic in a fatal attraction kind of way. While I thought the plot was scandalous, gritty, and unique.