BOOK REVIEW: The Arrangement by Robyn Harding @rhardingwriter @GalleryBooks #thearrangement #sugarbaby #bookreview

Whoa! What a dark and twisted tale Robyn Harding wove in The Arrangement! I found this book to be a read-in-a-day book for me, because I couldn’t put it down! This should be on your summer thriller list for sure. It is such a unique concept and executed flawlessly. Incredible!!!

About the Book

Natalie is a struggling art student in New York City who finds herself in a tough spot. Her roommates are looking for any excuse to evict her, and not paying her rent on time is one of them. She was sleeping with the bartender at work, but he is upset when she tells him she isn’t looking for more. And she isn’t that close to her parents—her mother has moved on and her father left.

So in a desperate and low moment, she approaches her friend from college Ava. How does Ava do it? They are both from poor backgrounds and struggling students, but while Natalie is in goodwill clothes and can’t afford basic proteins for her meals, Ava is living in a penthouse apartment with fabulous clothes and an expensive haircut. Ava let’s her in on the secret—she’s a sugar baby.

Natalie is appalled at first. Is that basically an escort? But soon she learns that there are all sorts of dynamics for sugar babies. Some men just want a pretty girl to have dinner with, or a regular date to the opera. Natalie is willing to try anything to survive. So Natalie finds herself a sugar daddy—a man who will pay her a monthly allowance to be available for dates with him a few nights per week.

Gabe is a gentleman. He takes care of Natalie. Though he is thirty years older than her, they connect on so many levels. And it isn’t long until they fall in love. Well, Natalie does. Gabe is still married, unbeknownst to Natalie, and he has no plans to leave his family for her. So when things get to be too much with Natalie and he is needed more at home, Gabe breaks off the arrangement. He’s done this before, no problem. But Natalie is different. Natalie is in love. And Natalie won’t accept the ending of their arrangement so easily…

A web of secrets, deception, torment, and lies is wound so tightly, and Natalie is at the center of it all. And then a dead body is found near Gabe’s apartment, and Natalie may be to blame…

Reflection

What a book! What a story! I was completely invested in this one. For the first half everything is built up so well, and then suddenly everything starts to derail. I don’t want to say too much though so let’s get into safer topics!

Natalie is a fascinating character, and it is hard not to sympathize with her but also sometimes want to shake her. She is truly alone, naïve, and vulnerable, all of which make her a prime candidate for someone like Gabe to both care for and dismiss. Natalie isn’t the typical sugar baby. She is a feelings girl and she doesn’t accept the transactional nature of the situation as easily as the other girls. For Natalie, developing feelings is how she rationalizes what she is doing. It needs to feel like more than a paycheck. But that is also why she is set to be destroyed by the way it ends.

There are lots of other interesting characters. Gabe, for instance, is truly fascinating. I loved that we got some chapters from his perspective. Her roommates Mara and Toni are also truly befuddling. They are very uptight and judgmental, but of course, we see that from Natalie’s perspective. At times I had to check myself to remember that I don’t know if I would do well having a roommate like Natalie, who doesn’t pay her bills on time and has random guys in the apartment.

I could go on about the characters, but I don’t want to spoil it! Suffice it to say that this book is filled with people and stories that will intrigue the mind!

Thank you to Gallery Books for my copy. Opinions are my own.