Psychological Thriller Review: The Perfect Escape | Leah Konen

How often have you wanted to escape for a few days with your girlfriends for a weekend of fun? In The Perfect Escape, what starts as a weekend getaway for three friends quickly turns into a nightmare. Leah Konen’s thriller about a girls’ weekend gone wrong is so fun!

About the Book | The Perfect Escape

A girls’ weekend to die for.

New friends Sam, Margaret and Diana are thrilled to be getting out of the city for a girls’ weekend—they’ve bonded over their messy divorces, and every mile on the odometer feels like another step towards putting their exes in the past. But when car trouble halfway into their trip strands them in the most unlikely of mountain towns, they come face-to-face with the hurts and betrayals they were so desperate to leave behind.

When Diana doesn’t return home after a night out, Sam and Margaret’s search for her reveals just how little they know about their friend. As eerie coincidences and secrets begin to pile up, and an ex-boyfriend arrives in the tiny town, the women realize that their detour may not have been a mistake…and that someone wants to guarantee that they never make it out.

Review | The Perfect Escape

This is easily a read-in-a-day type of thriller. The pace moves quickly, the characters are strong but mysterious, and there are lots of twists and reveals along the way to give you just another piece of the puzzle. We read this for our book club and it worked so well for the midway chat because there were some many questions raised but not yet answered to discuss.

Sam, Margaret, and Diana bonded over margaritas and the recent dissolution of their marriages. Each of these women has gone through a difficult period of breaking up and they have become each other’s support, champion, and shoulder to cry on.

Narrated largely by Sam at first, there was so much to unpack with Sam’s marriage and a lot that you learn about Sam and her story as the book progresses. I really enjoyed Sam and I felt for her. Her heartache is so palpable, and Leah Konen writes her perspective well.

The three leave for a girls weekend and it’s clear that though Sam and Margaret have known each other longer and work together, Diana is the glue that holds the threesome together. Diana balances them out. Margaret plays it safe and is more guarded, while Sam is a bit more driven by feelings. Diana is a strong force and she simultaneously pushes them forward and is the easiest to go to when you’re in a bad spot.

When they stop for gas on their way to their vacation rental, they have car trouble and the three quickly realize they are stranded. Thinking fast, Diana finds an AirBnB nearby they can stay in until their car is fixed. But Sam soon realizes they aren’t just in any random town, they are in the town where her ex-husband and the woman she left him for live.

A wild night in the bar leads Sam to have a face-to-face encounter with her ex, Margaret to meet a handsome stranger while dealing with texts from her alcoholic ex, and Diana missing. The women assume Diana must have already left, but the next morning it is clear Diana never came home.

In a race to find their friend, Sam and Margaret both find themselves unraveling in different ways. Where is Diana? And why do their exes keep popping back up? Who else knew they were there and is taking advantage of it?

I don’t want to say much more—so many twists and turns along the way that had me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed learning about the three women and their friendship and secrets. Theirs is an interesting dynamic because they bonded so quickly over their shared grief and anger over their marriages ending.

A perfect weekend or vacation read, since you won’t want to put it down!