WOW! Great Thriller!
Vicky's mom dies when she is a teen and her and her dad go to live with her Nan. Her dad starts drinking heavily, and eventually he begins to abuse her. She has low self esteem, is a little heavy, and not very out going. On Vicky's first day of school she meets Anna. Anna is everything Vicky is not. Rich, spoiled, manipulative, beautiful, and controlling. The two become Best Friends.
As years go by, the friendship becomes intense, described as even toxic. Anna's cruel need to be the center of attention, and Vicky's meek ways lead to many a situation that Anna thrives on and Vicky hates.
Fast forward to the present, and Anna is married with two children, Vicky the doting aunt. When a tragic accident happens, Vicky is left to help David and the kids pick up the pieces. Thus where the story starts to really unfold. Secrets are revealed, lies uncovered, and things spiral out of control.
The story is written with glimpses of the past intertwined with the present to develop the plot and intensify the relationship of Vicky and Anna.
This is a must read for any lover of a good psychological thriller. I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley & Atria for an advanced copy of this thriller in exchange for an honest review - so here’s my thoughts:

Pros:
✅ Easy entertaining read
✅ Love the premise of childhood besties with dark underlying secrets between them
✅ Writing was clear and well done.
✅ The story flowed and kept me wanting more
✅❌ Not really ANY likable characters (which I kinda like so it’s a pro & con both

Cons:
❌ A bit predictable
❌ Ending was lackluster and not surprising

Overall I give this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Three solid stars for effort / and I did enjoy it- it just will not be too memorable for me as it will blend into the background as just another thriller really .

Best Friends Forever is a book about 2 girls that have best friends since childhood. In a weird turn of events one friends dies and the other steps in to help with her friends children.

Lots of twists and turns. This is a wild read you won't want to miss.

Thanks Aria and NetGalley for this ARC.

Loved this book and highly recommend! You won’t be able to put this one down. Best Friends Forever should be at the top of your TBR.

Anna and Vicky have been friends since school. Dysfunctional for sure, one is the ring leader, the other a follower. Vicky is dealing with an abusive situation which leaves her with little or no self respect. Anna, to put it nicely, is a manipulative rich bitch, who will hold things over Vicky’s head, and does what she wants with no worry to anyone else’s feelings. She can get Vicky to do anything. Vicky also knows Anna’s secrets, and covets Anna’s life! When Anna dies in a crash, did Vicky have enough? Did recent events finally open her eyes? She moves in with Anna’s grieving husband and children, in essence she starts living Anna’s coveted life. But, things are far from perfect.

While I liked the premise of the book and the story flowed easily, the ending was disappointing. The author was very good at making your opinion of Vicky teeter from one extreme to another. Very few likable characters in this book. This would be a good beach read for sure...entertaining, fast paced, easy to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Aria Publishing for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

I did not finish this book. I didn't like any of the characters and just never really connected with the story line.
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for review.

I really enjoyed this and would recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy, summer vacation read. It was very enjoyable and kept my interest, and although predictable it was really good!

A book chocked full of conflicting emotions is the best way to describe this one!

It's a bit of a slow burner but once you get into it an enjoyable read BUT the ending left me disappointed and with too many unanswered questions for my liking! Did David find out the truth?

Even though the story itself was full of intrigue and suspense I did finish the book with a lack of fulfillment and disappointment so just the 3* from me.

Thank you to netgalley and Aria for the ARC.

Best Friends Forever by Dawn Goodwin is a compelling thriller that kept me guessing up until the final page This is the first novel that I have read from this author, but it will certainly not be the last.

Vicky Dean and Anna Maxwell begin a friendship during their school days that sustains them both until Anna's untimely demise. But this is a toxic relationship from the very start, built on a foundation of secrets, lies, and even blackmail. Vicky has always envied Anna her seemingly effortless perfection, but have decades of jealousy and resentment finally pushed her to her limit? Is Vicky somehow involved in Anna's car accident? And, in the wake of her best friend's death, does Vicky have ulterior motives in providing comfort to Anna's grieving husband and children?

This is a twisty, intriguing, and almost diabolical tale that is hugely addictive. I am excited to read more from this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Aria for this ARC

This book is about a strong friendship that is toxic, involving a big fight. Who hasn't been there? It was paced quite well, and kept my attention the entire time. It was a quick, light read.

Vicky and Anna have been friends since they were children, though they were opposites in every way. While Vicky had nothing, Anna seemed to have it all. Anna grows up to eventually marry David and have two children and Vicky is left behind, as usual. All of that changes when Anna tragically dies in an accident. Vicky moves in to help with the children and suddenly has the life she’s always dreamed of, Anna’s life. But soon David begins to wonder is there was more to Anna’s accident. Was it an accident, or was Vicky somehow involved? Don’t miss out on this page turner!

Best Friends Forever has given me a shit tonne of conflicting emotions. I will get into that in just a sec.
Anna and Vicky have been best friends since high school, completely inseparable and codependent on one another. Anna is smart, devious, manipulative and craves power. Vicky is meek, insecure, and easy for Anna to control because she couldn’t bare to lose the only person who’s ever loved her. There couldn’t be anything more toxic.
My heart aches for Vicky. All she wants is love, her self worth is so ground level that even when people do her terrible wrongs she will still apologise and blame herself. There are so many traumas in her life that you just want to wrap her up and teach her how to love herself again.
Anna is rather despicable. She adores Vicky, she’s the only person she’s ever truly shown herself to - the whole ugly truth. But she’s a massive bitch and effectively shits all over Vicky, the lows outweigh the highs for me personally and I wish Vicky had sacked her off years ago. But no Anna is dead, and Vicky wants a taste of the perfect life she left behind.
Anna’s husband David annoys me when reading from his perspective. How can one be so blind? So cruel? Grief is a complex emotion yes, but to ignore everything so eagerly and then do what he did... I didn’t like it.
Finally, the ending was massively disappointing in my opinion. I have no answers other than how Anna died which honestly isn’t even that interesting. So many things left open, who was sending those letters? What does Rachel do? Does David ever find out he’s a bigger dick than he thought he was?

My overall thoughts are that the plot itself was very intriguing, and it did keep me gripped right until the end. But I came away dissatisfied with an an unfulfilling ending and mostly just felt annoyed with the characters. 3/5 for holding my interest, but it’s a stretch.

Solid suspenser about a lifelong and very toxic friendship and the ensuing fallout. Well paced and held my interest all the way though. The writer's easy style made it quick to read yet not be confused about all the characters introduced.

I thought I knew where this book was heading when I started it but it totally surprised me (in a good way!), and I really enjoyed it. Recommended read.

Best friends forever by Dawn Goodwin was a story full of secrets and lies.
Vicky and Anna had been friends since school. They had a toxic relationship full of jealousy and and manipulation.
When Anna is killed in a car accident Vicky sees this as a chance to move in with Anna's husband and children and take over their lives.
The main characters in this book were extremely unlikeable and I had no sympathy for any of them.
Thanks to Aria and NetGalley for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Anna and Vicky have been best friends forever. However, one in now dead and does the other know more about her death than she’s letting on. This psychological thriller leads you through the life’s of these two. And things are not as they seem. A cracking book by Dawn Goodwin.

Big fan of Dawn Goodwin since reading her two previous books - ‘’The Accident’, and ‘The Pupil’. This new novel is an excellent psychological thriller building tension and uneasiness from the first few pages. Two women , Anna and Vicky, have been best friends since childhood and, like all of us, share some secrets we wouldn’t want others to know. While ours might be more innocent, their secrets are binding them and threatening their future lives. One bold and beautiful and the other introverted and awkward , the reader knows we are barreling towards a climax but, honestly, I had no idea where we would end up and was thrilled with the intricate web of deceit the author wove in this unsettling and gripping novel.

This is a tale of friendship. It is also a tale of secret, lies and control. The book opens with the death of Anna and the impact this has on her husband (and children) and her best friend since childhood Vicky. As the book unfolds we find out more about the relationships between Vicky and Anna and how this may or may not relate to Anna's death. A well written book with the right amount of mystery to keep your interest. Not quite a 5 star-er but a recommended read. .

Anna was the perfect wife. Perfect mother. Perfect woman. And now she's dead. Leaving behind her husband, David, and two young children their lives will never be the same. But Vicky will make sure life goes on...

These two women have been best friends forever, a lifetime of secrets lies between them and now Vicky is ready to step up into Anna's perfect shoes. But not everything is as it seems and as David begins to question Vicky's motives for walking into his life things might just get a little murderous.


Thank you to net galley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book it was a great experience first time reading anything from this author

What a brilliant book. This book has a fantastic story line, excellent characters and is just wonderful. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and I enjoyed it immensely.