The story dragged along a little to much for my liking

I appreciate the chance to read it but if someone would have told me to just skip to the last few chapters and read it I would never had asked for the book. It lacked something and I honestly couldn't even put my finger on it

Really slow burning book and for me, didn't enjoy the podcast part at all. The book didnt do it for me at all

this is an intriguing thriller that rouses lots of questions. Sarah Wray creates a gripping atmosphere as the mystery is revealed bit by bit. I will definitely look for more books from this author. 5 stars from me!

Bookouture and NetGalley provided me with an Advanced Reader's Copy of Her Best Friend. The choice to review this book was my own.

Sylvie Armstrong left home as a teenager and has not looked back for twenty years. When her mom dies, Sylvie has no choice but to return, to clear out the house that was once her home. As the memories of her best friend, Victoria Preston, and her tragic death come flooding back, will Sylvie remember all that she has tried so hard to forget?

Simply put, Her Best Friend is transparent, repetitive, and has unlikeable characters to boot. It was like the author threw a bunch of plot points at the wall and kept everything that stuck. I would have liked the book much more if it had been a story about a woman coming to terms with her past. Without spoilers, all I can say is that I did not believe Sylvie's memory could have been that affected. The events, as they unfold in the present, seem to be placed instead of naturally existing. For these reasons, I would not recommend Her Best Friend to other readers.

Great read! Looking forward to reading more by this author! I highly recommend this book and author to all!

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

*thank you to Netgalley, Sarah Wray and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


2.5 stars.

This was just OK. I thought the first half of this was good, about 3 stars. But by the second half I had lost interest in the story and the characters. There wasn't enough happening and I thought that there was too much storytelling of Sam's character. It ended up getting a bit boring but still not bad so I gave it 2 stars. Making the final result 2.5. I think if there were more surprises happening through them I would have liked this more. It wasn't poorly written so for that reason I would pass this book along to others to have their own say on it. I would also read another book by this author.

Victoria and Sylvie were best friends, most of their life so when she turns up in the lake having been up there on the early hours the night of a family party – it effects not only Sylvie but the community in which the girls live and mostly their families. Sylvie hasnt been back for a long long time, having severed ties with her mother so is shocked to discover she has left her house to her.


Overwhelmed with grief as she returns to the family home, she is shocked not only with the home but with the fact a gold heart locket has turned up, and this is the locket that belonged to Victoria and someone out their knows what actually happened to her.


Whilst Sylvie is struggling to deal with all this and look after her baby who just doesnt seem to settle, we meet Sam a freelance journalist who since loosing his actual job he has decided to put his time and effort into making documentaries after the surge in popularity of true crime (making a murderer im looking at you!)


With that, he starts of with visiting the Lake and meeting with Victorias family and essentially following “links” like a detective would. With people offering up the vaguest advice and suggestions, he is starting to hit a dead end. Meanwhile things are building up for Sylvie.


Her best friend was a gripping page turner with an unexpected outcome, whilst in parts I found bits preditiable and I felt sometimes characters were introduced just because however as I started to discover them I felt they all served a purpose. Sylvie was an interesting character to get to know. I really struggled to work her out and I enjoyed learning about her. I also found that we learnt about Victoria (not the baby) as it all unfolded.


The narrative is told over different time frames, the past and present and it leads up to “that day” I stayed up well into the night to finish this because I couldnt wait another day to finish reading it. I know that it is a sure fire hit if I stay up past bedtime to finish a book because lets be honest, I love sleep.


Her Best Friend is a gripping thriller which leads the reader all over and finishes with a bang. I would totally recommend this to everyone, I was not expecting it to be anywhere near as good as it was.

Mainly in the third person point of view with chapters that cover a podcast series by journalist Karen Price who is conducting her own investigation into Victoria's death it gives a fairly unique spin, this is a very slow burner that I struggled to finish.

I really wanted to like this book, but for a psychological thriller, it had an extremely dull beginning.

The first, second and third chapter were so dull that I ultimately ended up giving up on the book.

I wish it had been faster paced.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC ecopy for my Kindle.
This book is a mystery/suspense thriller novel. Even though it's about teenage friends and then later young adults, anyone who enjoys this genre will like this book. It's not only about best friends, but secrets that are kept to protect one's family.
This is the first book that I have read by this author, and I intend to read more.

For me this book dragged out. The narrator Sylvie seemed to be dull and depressed, and I found the novel dragged.

Couldn't connect to the characters and I worked it out to quickly.

Sorry cannot recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

This was an enjoyable book! Lots of twists and turns. Great storyline and loved all the plot twists. Sylvie was a great character, I really felt for her with all her fears and struggles. Coming back home after 20 years was hard enough but to have to still face the death of her childhood best friend, and wonder if the crime will ever be solved and then she is thrown into the mystery and wondering if she is next. I liked this book right from page one all the way to the surprising and exciting ending. It was a quick read, I could not wait to get to the ending.

Definitely will be checking out more from this author.

I took this book just after finishing Sarah's previous book, and did not know what to expect. What I did not expect to find was a thrilling read, that kept me glued to my reader, and the reveal of how and where Victoria really died, was really an eye-opener! I did not expect it, and it was well done! Well written and recommended.

This was an ok thriller. It's about Sylvie's return to the village she left 20 years ago. Victoria, her best friend had been murdered and her dad had recently died. Victoria's murderer had never been caught. Sylvie and her baby are back to clear out her mother's house. I found the book dark and depressing . The village was run down and the villagers menacing. Sylvie herself was very unhappy.

I found this book quite slow paced and the build up long and slow that it actually took me a while to read it. That being said, I'm sure this is a story that a lot of other people will really enjoy. For me, there just wasn't enough twists or suspense to grip me.

Teenagers, Sylvie and Victoria are best friends until tragedy strikes and Victoria is murdered. No one is ever charged with the crime. Twenty years later Sylvie is back in her hometown to sort out her mother’s affairs after her death - it isn’t a happy homecoming. A very slow burner with characters it’s hard to find a connection with. Sylvie is wishy washy now as she was twenty years ago when she was 15, always a follower, never the leader. There are descriptions of mundane activities, one or two surprises, enough to keep on reading. A great sounding book which didn’t quite hit the spot for me this time.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I just could not get into this book. Very confusing going from the past to present and boring.

I tried a few times to start reading this book, but unfortunately couldn't get into the book.

Overwhelmed by grief after losing her mother, Sylvie Armstrong tries to block out the memories in her childhood home – but then someone leaves a gift on her doorstep: a gold necklace with a heart-shaped locket. The locket belonged to Sylvie’s best friend, Victoria Preston – and she was wearing it the night she died. Now it’s back in Sylvie’s life... and it soon becomes clear that somebody knows what really happened to Victoria. Sylvie has to know the truth. But is she in terrible danger?
The best thing about this book is the twist at the end. At the final reveal I was still in two minds over what might have happened. There are quite a few characters in this book, some work well, some not so much, but all provide subtle clues about the truth. The only one I failed to connect with was the film maker, Sam. His role was to attempt to find the truth, but I found him a bit lacking in empathy somehow. This was a great psychological read and kept me guessing until the end.