Four friends, a terrible secret, and one week to stay alive...

"Grace doesn't have a family. That was taken away one dreadful day when she was just six, and her twin brother Peter was killed. Instead she has her best friends and flatmates – Jasper, Franklin and Aaron – and nothing can tear them apart.

Living in London, and trying desperately to make a living, the four friends are rapidly running out of money and hope. So, when they find a discarded suitcase in a skip, they can't believe their eyes when its contents seem to answer all their prayers."

A great idea for a thriller/mystery drama, and the story was enjoyable if a bit far-fetched in places, but with enough of an undertone of crime and suspense to keep it ticking over right until the end.

*thank you to Netgalley, Aria and Carys Jones for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


4 stars.


This story had a terrifyingly realistic feel to it. We have probably all dreamed of somehow finding money laying around. An impossible huge amount of it to make all our money worries go away. So, what if that day actually happened? What would you do. But more importantly, what if the decision you made was the wrong one?

While I really enjoyed the tension and suspense that this story gave me, I did find that the ending was a disappointment. I had been expecting a big bang wow ending, but it was flat. Though saying that, I am still giving this 4 stars as it was an interesting storyline and kept me thinking, 'what would I do?' and a whole lot of 'I'm so glad it's not me.'

This story grabbed from right from the beginning. So if you don't mind that the ending wasn't some huge explosion of events or surprises but are happy to just have the rest of the story be really good, then this is definitely a book I would recommend.

I really liked this author and this book did not disappoint, it was an appropriately paced, page turner that will have me hooked throughout the story.

Grace, Jasper, Franklin and Aaron are best friends, living together in London, and trying to make ends meet. When they find a discarded suitcase with a surprise inside, will the decision they make have repercussions far beyond their wildest expectations?

Best Friends is the story of a group of broken individuals who enable each other. When a quick fix to their problems proves to be too attractive for the group to ignore, the result is not all that surprising. With each person having a back story to explore, as well as personal issues in the present, the result is a book that is character driven without much of a plot to back it up. The story is familiar, as it is about 20-something friends without much drive or ambition beyond their creative endeavors. For these reasons, I would not recommend Best Friends to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of Best Friends via NetGalley and the publisher, Aria. The decision to review this book was my own.

This was a gripping and tense psychological thriller with an emotional plotline. I loved the writing style and was kept on the edge of my seat. Another brilliant book from the author.

Grace and her flatmates Jasper Aaron and Franklin are having trouble getting their rent. but when they find a bag they think their troubles are over. but the owner wants it back. what are they going to do?
I loved the idea of the plot and I thought that it was executed really well. I liked the main characters and they worked together really well.
They are put to the test which challenges their friendship bond as well as their own character.

An interesting plot and some nicely rounded characters. An easy read that I enjoyed, but I found some of the descriptions, although beautifully worded, almost too romantic for the plot and distracting from the tension so that I wasn’t on the edge of my seat like I wanted to be. However, if you haven’t read it, do so because it is worth it.

Sometimes we have friends that are more like our family than our real families.
Each of the four friends have their own personalities, their own pasts, and their own secrets. These secrets can soon become important in survival...... Well written, and really worth the time and effort.

Cary’s Jones new novel is an interesting read and although it runs at a good pace there are some plot points that give believability a near miss.

The characters are not very likable except for Toby who is hardly even featured but as a victim and that he is well loved by his flatmates. The other three characters are not very likable and there are some plot points that really doesn’t quite add up. We have the gay character who is quick witted and able to throw out popular culture references, the broody quiet rough straight guy with a heart of gold and a wannabe dancer who is as insecure as she is supposedly talented.

The dark history of Grace is not really that shocking and dark and when the whole story comes to the fore, it is neither shocking or gripping. It is tragic and sad but doesn’t hit the right notes I think the author intended. The overall plot is an interesting one and could have been very dark but we get a light frothy drama that doesn’t quite hit the right rhythm.

The ending is a bit twee and comes across as a romantic comedy ending that is all a bit to convenient or contrive. All in all, it is a fun read and I did enjoy it but would have been better if the author delved deeper and darker into the source material to give it the punch it deservedly needs. A fun read just not an in-depth read.

best friends by carys Jones.
Grace and her flatmates Jasper Aaron and Franklin are having trouble getting their rent. but when they find a bag they think their troubles are over. but the owner wants it back. what are they going to do?
a fantastic read. couldn't put it down. loved the story and the characters 5*.

Review: Upon reading the blurb this plot idea had me hooked. What would these friends do to survive? Would they survive? However, as I read the book it did not flow for me. It was written in a way I liked to read but the actual ideas didn't fit in areas. I am not going to say what as it will give away spoilers and it is a good read when you over look these. I would read another by this author though.

From the minute I picked it up I knew I would enjoy this book, I just did not want to put it down! I even tweeted about the struggle between knowing I needed to go to bed but wanting to carry on reading and Carys Jones, the author replied saying she was glad I was enjoying it but to get to bed!

The book features four main characters, all flatmates in London. I really liked all of the individual characters and the book seemed to focus on Grace as the central character. I found myself wanting to read on to find out what secrets she was keeping from her friends about her past and found this really interesting. The relationship was clearly strong between the four flatmates and that was really lovely.

The second half of the book took a bit of a turn for me unfortunately. The money, the accident, a pretty forgiving sort of thug – I just wasn’t overly sure about this part of the story line. I had to keep reading on to find out more about Grace and her past but felt the story line about the money not quite as tense and gripping as expected. I felt some parts of the story were not quite wrapped up and some were rather too conveniently.

I would say the book is more of a cross between women’s fiction (chick-lit) and thriller, not quite the hardcore thriller I was expecting. However, I did really enjoy the book on the whole and am glad I read it. The characters were definitely a credit to the author, as was Grace’s story.

This book has great bones and I love the idea of the story. The book is about four down on their luck friends who share a 2 bedroom apartment. Rent is coming due and they don't have the money and they need to blow off some steam. On the way home they find a suitcase full of money which will solve all their problems. That is until the rightful owner finds them and wants his money back in a week...or else...

I feel like there are several stories going on at once. The main focus is on the female character, Grace. She has a terrible past that she is dealing with. I wish the author focused more or less time on it. I also wished we learned a bit more about the other characters. Otherwise it was a good read.

Four young friends sharing a flat in London and struggling to meet their living costs. The rent is due but even pooling funds they find they are going to struggle. Grace is a ballet dancer who is auditioning for that one role which will give her the break she needs, get some money, get to perform and hopefully spring-board her to greater heights.

Her friends and flatmates are in similar positions of just needing that change in fortune which will make all their struggles and sacrifice worthwhile. However, Grace has had the biggest struggle and as we read through Best Friends the horrors of childhood traumas are slowly revealed and we realise that Grace is a girl who really needs a stroke of good fortune.

But could the luck of the friends be about to take a significant turn for the better? On a drunken night out (blowing the precious little money they have) the four stumble upon a case full of money. It has been left in a skip and with no-one around to claim it the four friends take the case (and its contents) home. They have scrimped and scraped for so long that it does not take too long before all four head into London on an indulgent shopping spree.

Of course their good fortune is all too good to be true. A menacing figure appears at their door demanding “his” money back and the consequences of not meeting his demands are too terrifying to contemplate.

Best Friends was an enjoyable read. I loved the character of Grace, her troubled background was nicely dripped into the narrative. Despite not loving all her flatmates (there’s always one!) I really wanted them all to pull through and get all the money they needed. Obviously I could not possibly reveal how they fare, you will need to read it for yourself to find out!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2302667598

At first this book took off for me. Loved the relationship between the friends and trying to figure out Grace’s dark past. But things just became a little too off...a Thug that gave extensions without repercussions. A friend who woke from coma after weeks. Never did find out why Grace and Aaron broke up initially. The last half of the book just seemed to drag.

Would read this author again since I did like the way she wrote.

Description
Four friends, a terrible secret, and one week to stay alive...
Grace doesn't have a family. That was taken away one dreadful day when she was just six, and her twin brother Peter was killed. Instead she has her best friends and flatmates - Jasper, Franklin and Aaron - and nothing can tear them apart. 
Living in London, and trying desperately to make a living, the four friends are rapidly running out of money and hope. So, when they find a discarded suitcase in a skip, they can't believe their eyes when its contents seem to answer all their prayers. 
But then a there is a knock on their door, and a very disgruntled thug with revenge on his mind, gives them one week to return his belongings, or they will pay with their lives. Soon the fractures in their friendships begin to show, and when one of them ends up fighting for his life, the stakes are raised even higher. 
Will any of them get to the end of the week alive, or will the best of friends become the deadliest of enemies…

My thoughts…
As this group of friends discover, life gets difficult when you face a moral dilemma and moral dilemmas make great stories. I enjoyed this book, thought the plot interesting, but the pace was a little slow.

This is both fast-paced and a very tense read .. with a deadline to meet (in the book!) I found myself racing through it to find out what was going to happen next!

Grace shares a flat with three male friends who she regards as her family .. in fact, they all feel that together, they are family. Each of them are trying to get onto the first rung of the ladder in their chosen careers and as a consequence are permanently hard up and struggle to come up with the rent each month, but somehow they always seem to cope. Then comes the month when none of them have any cash and they really have reached the bottom of the barrel, with no scrapings left.

Thus begins a story which held my attention throughout. I lived the highs and lows along with them all, desperate to know the back stories of each and every one. But this book isn’t overloaded with useless details – it sticks to the script, and what an exciting read it is. I held my breath, worried about the deadline and felt all the emotions which the characters displayed. And I loved every single word! This is not a far-fetched tale but a good, true-to-life and well-written novel with down to earth characters which will keep readers glued to the pages and it’s one I’m very happy to recommend enthusiastically.

My thanks to publishers Aria for pre-approving my request on NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

I read the synopsis of this book and it immediately made me think of the wonderful 1990’s film ‘Shallow Grave’ where a group of flat mates find a suitcase of cash and shows the human nature of greed and the lengths people will go to when money is at stake. Sadly, ‘Best Friends’ was not quite of the caliber of Shallow Grave.
Best Friends is billed as a thriller but it did not thrill me at all. I did not see any drama or suspense in it at all. It was really quite dull.
The characters were quite stereotypical and played to type.
I felt the book had so much potential and failed to deliver.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Believable characters that are easy to empathise. A realistic, plot and a vibrant easy to imagine setting all make Best Friends worth reading. The pacing is perfect, and the internal and external conflict balance is good.
Four young adults share a small flat and face a constant battle of paying the rent without sacrificing their dreams. They are drawn together because of they are all artists, an actor, dancer, musician and writer. They all have something missing in their family lives, ranging from being different to their siblings to suffering years of unthinkable abuse as a child. They are family, but this bond is tested when something they thought would be their salvation turns sour.
The friendship is tested to breaking point, but each of them faces up to their fears and, finds something worthwhile from the traumatic two weeks they experience. For me, the plot isn't as exciting as the blurb suggested, but the character development and the conflict within the group make it worth reading.
I received a copy of this book from Aria via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

As soon as I read the blurb for this book and saw the tag line on the cover ‘Four friends, a terrible secret, and one week to stay alive‘. I knew that I wanted to read the book and I read it pretty much as soon as it landed on my Kindle!

I loved the idea of the plot and I thought that it was executed really well. I liked the main characters and they worked together really well.

The pace was good and I did enjoy the writing style, it was an easy read and it didn’t contain vast amounts of guts and gore as some of the other books in this genre do and it was a refreshing change! Four stars from me – really enjoyed it!