Book Review: The Arrangement | Kiersten Modglin

Kiersten Modglin has been all the rage lately in the psychological thriller circles on social media and largely that has centered around her most recent book, The Arrangement. I wasn’t sure what to expect—this seems to be one of those buzzy books that the more I heard about it, the more I wondered if it was overhyped or the next Gone Girl.

The Arrangement | About the Book

Ainsley Greenburg is a fixer.
It’s what she prides herself on.

So, when she realizes her marriage is at its breaking point, she makes a decision to repair it, no matter the cost. Approaching her husband to propose the arrangement is supposed to be the hard part, but Peter agrees to the salacious plan almost immediately.

The rules are simple:
They will each date someone new once a week.
They will never discuss what happens on the dates.

Soon, though, the rules are broken, turning terrible mistakes into unspeakable consequences.

When the only person they can count on to keep their darkest secret is each other, new questions and deceits surface. Can they truly trust the person they share a life with, or will the vicious lies that have mounted over the years destroy everything they’ve built?

Once, Peter and Ainsley vowed to stand together forever, but as they push boundaries of deception, suspicion, and temptation, each begins to wonder if ’til death do us part may come sooner than they’d intended.

The Arrangement | Review

I’d say this is worth a read if for no other reason than the ending will definitely blindside you with the twists, which after a slower first half truly pop in quick succession through the last 15% and you will certainly not see them coming!

That sounds like a rave review and in some ways it is, but ultimately I found that the twists themselves didn’t fully make sense with the story we were told. I loved the idea for them but in the execution I felt we needed a few more hints so that we could later look back and have that delicious aftershock of a good twist where we realize we should have seen it coming all along.

This is one of those books that I’ll admit I have no idea how to review because there’s a lot I’d like to say but I want to be extra cautious to avoid spoilers. I’ve seen a lot of reviews say this drew them straight in, but for me it took a bit longer. It had a slow build in the first half that did set up some of the wild turn of events in the second half.

The basic premise is that a woman who is running out of ways to save her marriage decides in a last ditch effort to suggest that they each see other people. The rules are simple, they each get to go on a date one night per week, no questions asked. If you think this sounds like an absolutely terrible way to save your marriage, well you’d be thinking exactly what I was! That said I do love a messy plot so I was intrigued by the concept.

The book is told in alternating chapters between the wife Ainsley and the husband Peter’s perspectives. I thought this was effective particularly though the first half because I got to see how this arrangement was unfolding from each side. The effort to pretend this is something they both want, the worry on each side about what the other is doing, and the concern that someone may find a better partner than their spouse.

Around the halfway point things really escalate and take an unexpected turn when one of the dates becomes a bit more than a one-night fling. From that point onwards the book veers off into an unexpected direction and the story becomes something completely different than what I thought it would be. And in the last 15% things really take a turn, and the reveals start coming fast and furious. While I sort of loved the twists, I agreed with some reviewers who found frustration in the fact that many of these twists really aren’t set up at all by anything we read in the first 2/3 of the book.

That small but fair criticism aside, this is definitely worth a read if you’re in the mood for something that will absolutely blindside you with the twists!

The Arrangement | Other Books to Check Out

So… there is a sequel! If this one left you with your jaw on the floor, you are definitely going to want to try the sequel to The Arrangement which is called The Amendment (my review of the sequel is linked!). This is a wild ride and the sequel definitely brought some new twists.

You might also like Temper by Layne Fargo, which is completely tantalizing, twisted, and centers around an extreme director and the actress he pushes to the limits. I also think readers who loved The Arrangement would be captivated by the twisted thriller, The Woman in the Park by Teresa Sorkin and Tullen Holmqvist. That one definitely had my head spinning! Another no-brainer recommendation for anyone who loves a twisted relationship and the secrets that lie behind closed doors is My Lovely Wife written by the incomperable unlikable character author, Samantha Downing.

Kiersten Modglin | About the Author

Kiersten Modglin is an Amazon Top 10 bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Her books have sold over a million copies and been translated into multiple languages. Kiersten is a member of International Thriller Writers, Novelists, Inc., and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She is a KDP Select All-Star and a recipient of ThrillerFix’s Best Psychological Thriller Award, Suspense Magazine‘s Best Book of 2021 Award, a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Suspense, and a 2022 Silver Falchion for Best Overall Book of 2021. Kiersten grew up in rural western Kentucky and later relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where she now lives with her family. Kiersten’s readers across the world lovingly refer to her as “KMod.” A binge-watching expert, psychology fanatic, and indoor enthusiast, Kiersten enjoys rainy days spent with her favorite people and evenings with her nose in a book.