Do you have a pack of Ride-or-Die friends? The ones you can depend on, whether your problem is an extra bottle of wine or a body to dispose of?

In The Housewarming by Kristin Offiler, four friends reunite, but the occasion isn’t exactly a happy one. Five years ago, the fifth of their number, Zoe, went missing. The tragedy and uncertainty of that event color the lives of the remaining women. They’ve lost touch with one another, and the cloud of uncertainty and unresolved blame lingers.

Now, Callie has bought a house on the very island where their friendship began and where Zoe disappeared five years ago. She invites the others to the housewarming, where she plans, among other things, to memorialize their missing friend. An ambitious podcaster finds out and hopes to gain viewers by blaming Zoe’s friends for her disappearance. She’s writing a book, and she’s looking for evidence. And it turns out, each of the women has a secret from five years ago—secrets that might lead to a resolution to the mystery.

As I read The Housewarming, I knew the Three of Cups would be the perfect card to explain the book’s essence. They had been those ride or die friends to each other until tragedy struck. The five women met in summer camp, and even after those days ended, they remained friends, meeting annually on Block Island to reconnect. After Zoe’s disappearance, they blamed themselves and they blamed each other.

Things were said and done in the depths of grief until none of them saw a way to mend those relationships.

The POV follows each woman, centering on their current lives as they prepare for the event and on their memories of the last days with Zoe. The clues are all there.

It’s a slow burn, but each chapter builds toward the conclusion. In all, a satisfying read—entertaining and suspenseful. I thought the ending could have been more thoroughly explored,  but the resolution is clear and surprising. But, like I said, all the clues are there.

Cups are all about emotion, and the Three is about the joy of community—the joy of friendship. Though the Three of Cups can indicate non-gender-specific friendship and celebration, I find it an intensely female card—of course, because the card features three women, but also because—well, if you’ve ever been part of a joyous group of females, you get it. Maybe another card illustrates the camaraderie of male friendship, but the Three of Cups is for and about ladies. It’s emotion, joy, kindness, and merriment. It’s laughing until you snort wine out your nose, singing off key in the middle of the street, dancing in the moonlight—and it’s about the ties that bind friends. Loyalty. Love.

Ride or Die.