Margo is unapologetically determined and unlikeable. But this book has a genius way of making you root for her, even as she trespasses, stalks and manipulates her way toward a dream house that quickly turns into a nightmare.

Early pacing can drag as setups unfold slowly, but once Margo’s behavior escalates, the novel becomes impossible to put down. Towards the end, the twists stack up, surprising, darkly comedic and disturbing in equal measure.

Best Offer Wins is a propulsive and sharply observed debut. If you enjoy thrillers with a biting social edge and morally messy protagonists, this book is for you. Margo is a character who will make you feel every uncomfortable emotion and you’ll keep turning pages anyway. Highly recommended for readers who don’t mind rooting for someone going too far, too fast.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

Black comedy with the main character obsessed with buying her perfect dream home. Not important that the characters in this were not very nice, it adds to the story. A good read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for this arc in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Sharp, twisty, and utterly addictive, Best Offer Wins is a compulsive domestic suspense read that had me hooked from the very first page.

After eighteen months and eleven failed bidding wars, 37-year-old publicist Margo Miyake is desperate for a fresh start. Cramped in a tiny apartment with her husband, Ian, and feeling her marriage, baby plans, and life goals slipping away, she sets her sights on the perfect house in the perfect Washington, D.C. neighbourhood – a month before it even hits the market. Determined to secure it before the competition swoops in with cash offers, Margo decides that a little stalking is harmless… and a touch of trespassing is just necessary.

As her tactics escalate from questionable to downright unhinged, Margo’s laser focus on her dream home starts to blur the lines between ambition and obsession. And just when she thinks she’s charmed the owners into handing over the keys, an unexpected snag threatens to destroy everything she’s worked for – unless she’s willing to go even further.

Told entirely through Margo’s sharp, self-justifying first-person voice, this debut pulls you so deep inside her head that you almost start rooting for her… almost. With impeccable pacing, a tense build-up, and a wickedly satisfying ending, this is a must-read for fans of Gone Girl and You.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

After a year and a half of house hunting and so many failed bides, Margo has lost patience in finding her forever home. Wanting to keep on track to have a baby soon, she knows she must do anything she can to get the house that has just come up. A little stalking, perhaps trespassing?
She will do anything it takes.
This one was wild and completely unhinged in places and while was classified as a mystery/thriller, it definitely gave me a great laugh as well. As of the characters were unlikeable, for me, but I didn't mind that at all and it was just so darned entertaining.

This book requires huge amounts of every of emotion you have.

You will be screeching in joy and groaning in despair. You’ll just need to hang on to this unhinged rollercoaster until it ends.

This is going to be huge on booktok and if that’s your thing, pencil yourself some time to read it in one go.

This was such a ride! I loved it and will read anything else Marisa writes. An unhinged main character with one goal (obsession) which she'll make sure to achieve.

So reading this book was an absolute pleasure. I was literally squealingy and bobbing up and down towards the end with excitement. I am a big fan of unhinged main characters and I absolutely adore Margo. Did her actions make me uncomfortable? Yes. Did I want her to be my friend? Also yes.

This book follows Margo on her hunt to settle down in her dream house with her husband and finally get pregnant. Sounds pretty simple right? Not in the post Covid housing market where the competition is fierce and to get what you want to you need to be prepared to do anything.

Easily one of my favourite reads this year.

3.5 rounded up

Margo and her husband Ian have been stuck in a cramped one bedroom apartment while they try to secure the house of their dreams. They’ve lost out several times in a very competitive market and when Margo gets a tip about the perfect house in the perfect area, she just has to have it. How far will Margo go in order to secure the property? That would be telling, but I’m sure you’ve probably guessed already.

Well, I don’t know whether to laugh, cry, cringe, gasp, dread or despair and I probably go through the whole lot in the course of the book. Margot is FAR from likeable, in fact she’s probably unhinged if truth be told. She will stop at nothing to get what she wants and trust me when I say the sky seems to be the limit for her antics which worsen with every passing day/week. Will she go too far?? There’s determination and then there’s Margo. As for her husband Ian, he doesn’t exactly cover himself with glory.

It takes me a while to get into this but as the novel progresses it becomes more engrossing, probably in line with the desperation of Margot‘s antics. I can’t say that I find it especially funny but I can say it’s entertaining and it’s well written. It’s over the top that’s for sure and as ‘thrillers’ go it’s certainly different and I don’t think I’ll forget Margo in a hurry.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House UK, Transworld for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.

What an amazing page turner, had a lot of fun reading this one. What lengths some people will go to for the perfect house/ school.
The ending left me wanting more.
Well written , Cant wait for the next installment.
Thanks to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me then opportunity to read this book

This was like something I have never read before it was crazy and fun, a very entertaining read. It really did keep me engaged, I just didn’t know what was going to happen next.
I loved the main character, striving for the perfect life, and as usual things don’t go as planned

Incredibly unhinged which is probably why I enjoyed it so much!

Thanks to netgalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A deliciously black comedy against a backdrop of the intensity of buying houses in an ever competitive market. Margo and her husband are desperate for a home of their own, but they are outbid at every step. When Margo hears a rumour of the perfect house about to come on the market, she knows she has to play her cards carefully with no holds barred.

I'm not sure if this book is insane or genius, but either way I'm obsessed. Margo has suffered disappointment after disappointment in the search for the perfect family home with her husband. So when an unmissable opportunity arises, she pulls out all the stops ... And maybe goes a little too far?

Adored this book, devoured it in a day, and am now eagerly awaiting whatever Marisa Kashino grants us next!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

I’m really conflicted on this book. On one hand, it’s brilliantly written and I was compelled to keep reading to find out how the story ended. On the other hand I didn’t like any of the characters! Every single one was a horrible person and I couldn’t find myself rooting for any of them. Except for Fritter. So it’s tricky for me to recommend it without a warning that you’ll be frustrated a lot of the way through.

This was such a good read! Fun, with enough crazy to keep me engaged. Really liked the main character Margo and understood how her obsession for the perfect life , including the perfect house could make her do things she wouldn't have thought possible.
Very entertaining

My first read for 2026 and it’s started off strong. If you’re like me, you’ll spend most of the reading time knowing something unnerving is going to happen. You have an idea what, but nothing will prepare you… and all for the sake of a dream home. Margo is obsessed with the idea of one particular house (and it is gorgeous) – having this home will make everything much improved, including her professional and personal lives. But let’s just say things get a little unhinged, and unpredictable. And frightening. Margot’s voice will live long in your head, I guarantee it.

If you are in the mood for a cool thriller with a house-market setting, look no further! The characters are going to keep you literally at the edge of your seat! This the one property ladder that’s scary to get on!

This book is crazy! Mental crazy, so extra and over the top and ridiculously far fetched… in the best possible way and I loved it! I devoured this in a couple of days and as much as I kept thinking this is so far fetched, I was more than on board for the ride! The story is wild and literally you have no idea where the main character is taking you, what she’s up to or what she’s going to do next! Brilliant juicy popcorn read full of twists and turns and shocks and drama! Unusual set up and subplot too, which was new and refreshing and I enjoyed the fresh angle of it and had great fun reading it

The book reflects the sometimes frantic nature of the housing market, and the desperation experienced in what can feel like a high stakes and pressurised environment. Margo obsesses over the perfect house equating it to the perfect life, making everything else fall into place that she’s so desperate for. She’s unhinged and absolutely unlikeable as a main character, yet I found this didn’t put me off at all, I even really felt for her at some points. Filled with facepalm moments that had me cringing at Margo’s brazen antics, Best Offer Wins had me more hooked than I expected as I started it.

3.5 ⭐️

With thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

In a contemporary environment where TV shows like "Location, location, location" have brainwashed people into believing that finding the right house is as important as finding the right partner, and will more or less guarantee your happiness in life, Margo is one of those who have brought into that "dream lifestyle" hook, line and sinker.

Unfortunately, in real life, things are rarely that simple! As Margo is about to find out... Laced with dark humour, this is an intelligent cautionary tale about where chasing your dreams without your seatbelt on can take you, this gets 3.5 stars.