Best Offer Wins

The housing market can be crazy competitive and anxiety-inducing. Best Offer Wins asks what lengths would you go to to get your dream home?

The Gist: 30-something Margot Miyake finds her dream home in a perfect neighbourhood but takes things waaaay too far, spiraling into obsession and nefarious ways to get the house and life she's always wanted.

This was outlandish, unhinged and entertaining(ish). Main character Margot has not one redeeming bone in her body, and I was in it to see her crash and burn. She's not a likeable character and she's not supposed to be, but readers may enjoy seeing the dark and horrible things she'll do to ensure she gets her perfect house. That said, her entire personality is obsession, and I would have liked more depth to her character. The wee dog Fritter was my favourite character. 'Nuff said. 

Personally, I wouldn't call this a suspense read, more of a 'watching just how far an unhinged character can sink' kind of read. The unhinged feeling eeks into uncomfortable as Margot sinks deeper and deeper into obsession and manipulation, forcing readers to suspend disbelief (and go along with a story focusing on privileged people whining about not getting their $1 million+ dream home). 

This book gets rave reviews from many other readers, but this was just an okay read for me.

My Rating: 3 stars

Author: Marisa Kashino

Genre: Suspense, Debut

Type and Source: hardcover from public library

Publisher: Celadon Books

First Published: Nov 25, 2025

Read: July 16-29, 2026

Book Description from GoodReads: An insanely competitive housing market. A desperate buyer on the edge. In Marisa Kashino’s darkly humorous debut novel, Best Offer Wins, the white picket fence becomes the ultimate symbol of success—and obsession. How far would you go for the house of your dreams?

Eighteen months and 11 lost bidding wars into house-hunting in the overheated Washington, DC suburbs, 37-year-old publicist Margo Miyake gets a tip about the perfect house, in the perfect neighborhood, slated to come up for sale in one month. Desperate to escape the cramped apartment she shares with her husband Ian — and in turn, get their marriage, plan to have a baby, and whole life back on track — Margo becomes obsessed with buying the house before it’s publicly listed and the masses descend (with unbeatable, all-cash offers in hand).

A little stalking? Harmless. A bit of trespassing? Necessary. As Margo infiltrates the homeowners’ lives, her tactics grow increasingly unhinged—but just when she thinks she’s won them over, she hits a snag in her plan. Undeterred, Margo will prove again and again that there’s no boundary she won’t cross to seize the dream life she’s been chasing. The most unsettling part? You’ll root for her, even as you gasp in disbelief.

Dark, biting, and laugh-out-loud funny, Best Offer Wins is a propulsive debut and a razor-sharp exploration of class, ambition, and the modern housing crisis.