A great page turner with twists at every turn! I liked how the story was told from three different perspectives. That really made me want to keep reading to see what would happen next.

Heart wrenching, heart stopping, and reflective read. The things you thought you knew about your children and adults you consider friends come into question. A suspenseful read.

I’ve been a fan of Lucinda Berry for awhile now and I’m making my way through her other books. “The Best Of Friends” is probably her finest book to date. Three families, a horrific event and everyone has a secret. I finished this book in a few hours. Yes it is THAT good! I couldn’t put it down. The twists and turns this story takes will keep you reading through the night. Just when you think you know....you have NO idea.
Thank you Ms Berry for this wonderful book.
I could go on and on but I have to go start another Lucinda Berry book!

Gripping, suspenseful, and heart wrenching are words to describe this tale of friendship and family bonds stretched to their limits. It brought me to the edge of my seat and to tears all at the same time. It’s definitely a rollercoaster ride until the last page. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone that wants to take an emotional journey with many intriguing twist and turns along the way. Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for giving me an ARC of this captivating and emotional story.

This was a quick, engaging read centered around three childhood best friends and tragedy that befalls their sons. We get glimpses into each of their lives behind the scenes to find not so perfect households as well. It's a "who done it" tied in with a friend, family drama that was definitely engrossing. I had trouble at times delineating the three main female characters, however. I don't know if it's because they switched so quickly, their home lives were so similar, but I often had to stop and remind myself - Ok -this one is so and so's mom and the other one is this one. That was distracting for me and I don't feel like I was able to get as immersed as I could have. I am used to reading multiple POV books so that wasn't the issue here. It was enjoyable, and the ending was surprising and heart wrenching. I look forward to trying more books from Lucinda Berry and am thankful for the ARC.

I found this book to be interesting. I can't say I enjoyed any of the characters. All three women were confusing at first but then quite unbearable. The author did a good job of showing true grieving mothers. I found the twists didn't have much of a build up and could have had more.
Overall it was entertaining.

The Best of Friends was for me not the best of books, but it wasn't the worst either. The cover didn't really grab my attention or tell me why I would want to read it. But within the first few pages Berry had my attention. From a story standpoint it was engaging and I was interested in finding out the truth along with Kendra. As a mom of young kids one of whom I worry about more than the others it was a little hard for me to read, to be forced to contemplate a potential future where I could lose my son so horribly, but I could understand the drive to understand it all. However from a writing perspective I just didn't like it as much as I wanted to. I didn't feel like the voices of the mothers were distinct enough and it was sometimes hard to remember who I was reading. I also got a little tripped up in just how many secrets and how entangled it was. In the end I did want to finish the book and was satisfied with how it turned out. Thank you to netgalley for this free copy in exchange my my honest opinions.

I DNF’d this book, because I just couldn’t connect with the characters or the storyline. It’s a great concept but it just wasn’t my cup of tea so to speak. However I was enjoying the mystery of what occurred that night.

I know many people who will enjoy this book and I will definitely check out other books by Lucinda Berry.

Thank you netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and Lucinda for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Finally a book I stayed up at night reading because i didnt want to quit. So many twists, very well written. I loved this, one of my favorite books and the best book I have read all year.

A gripping and fast-paced domestic thriller that I finished in one day across two sittings. This book does a great job in building and developing the suspense; I found myself unable to put it down because I was dying to uncover what happened that fateful night (not that satisfying but I don't think that's the point of this book).

The engaging storyline makes up for the poor and unpolished writing (not sure if this was because I read an ARC). Firstly, there is a lot of confusion as to who is married to who and who are whose kids in the beginning because there are zero mentions (be it directly stating it or subtly hinting at it). Also, I never got a clear idea of how old all the kids are even by the end of the book (especially since in my part of the world, we don't go by 'grades' or 'freshmen/sophomore' etc in our schools).

Next, it was hard to tell which paragraphs were flashbacks and which were present. This is not just due to the font on my Kindle being the same throughout (were there supposed to be italics?), but also due to the author's poor use of tenses and subpar writing.

The three women's POVs sounded more or less the same. The only distinction is they are all weak in their own ways.

I did cry at one scene though, that was beautifully written and why I rounded it up to 4 stars. Hopefully the published book will be much more polished and refined.

BOOK REVIEW: The Best of Friends by Lucinda Berry
5 smoking guns out of 5
*
The Best of Friends is gripping, heart wrenching, touching and unforgiving in it’s demands that we examine our darkest fears as parents, partners and individuals – from it’s opening lines! The Best of Friends is the latest thriller by Dr Lucinda Berry, clinical psychologist by profession, who draws from her extensive clinical expertise as a trauma specialist. The result is a story that compels readers to embark on a critical examination that leaves you to a similar dilemma: “She pushed so hard for answers. Is she satisfied with what she got?” (Berry, pg 278).
*
Best friends, Lindsey, Kendra and Dani are proud mother’s where each of their oldest children, sons, are also the best of friends. In a seemingly idyllic setting of Southern California the three families are catapulted in every parent’s nightmare. One child is fatally wounded, another left in a coma and the third is left suffering from severe trauma and unable to speak of the horrors trapped in his mind.
*
Told in alternating points of view of the mother’s, The Best of Friends tackles a myriad of complex issues that affect our society. Gun violence, school bullying and issues related to connection, sexuality, hopelessness and heartbreak. The mother’s and young men’s stories emphasise the intersectionality of gender-based violence, role expectations, mental health and the faces we present when societies expectations are unrelenting and unforgiving.
*
As a bereaved parent, I was touched by the authenticity of the mother’s grief, loss and parental guilt that often follows as our hearts are shattered despite needing to continue our journey in the darkness.
Lucinda Berry expertly taps into these raw and tender pieces allowing the reader to vacillate through the stages of grief through realistic and relatable character development. As a social worker I am deeply appreciative of how she interlaid professionally informed story lines (ADD/Adderall) while also inviting readers to challenge the truths we hold dear yet are often fearful to examine.
*
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the electronic ARC in trade for an honest review.

The Best of Friends by Lucinda Berry begins with Lindsey, Kendra and Dani living their childhood dreams: neighbors in a sunny California suburbs with their husbands and children three of whom, like their mothers, are the best of friends. One shocking act of violence among their teenaged sons shatters their dreams. With all of the boys unable or unwilling to talk, Lindsey, Kendra and Dani have to investigate what happened and why by themselves, thus laying bear tensions in their friendship and marriages, unearthing secrets and forcing them to rethink how well they really know the most important people in their lives. I've read a couple other novels of Berry's and The Best of Friends shares their shocking twists and breakneck pace --I basically read it in one night. The Best of Friends differs from the other works I've read because of an increased focus on relationships and all kinds of love; there were moments in the book that genuinely brought tears to my eyes. If you want a heady thriller with some heart, I recommend The Best of Friends.

I enjoyed this book, but could not keep the families straight- who was married to whom, whose kids were whose, and how old the kids were. Maybe it's because the characters were only introduced after the tragedy, so I had no backstory. I didn't start to keep the characters straight until at least 50% of the book. But the story kept me interested. What happened in the epilogue seemed a little too 'convenient' and didn't ring true.

I was really into this but the ending left me a little unsatisfied. I could definitely feel the grief of the mothers, and it even almost brought me to tears at points, but in the end I think this was a little too unrealistic for me, once everything was revealed, especially the very last page.

Lindsey, Dani and Kendra have been best friends since they were children. Now, they all have boys the same age. Except after a sleepover gone bad, one boy is dead, one boy is brain dead in a coma, and the only boy who knows what happened that night has become mute and is in the midst of an emotional breakdown. As the story unfolds, lots of secrets are revealed as the parents and police try to figure out what happened that night. There was almost too much going on and I felt the ending was unfinished. However, I found it to be an riveting read. I read an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley, which comes out in August. This was my first Berry book and I didn’t realize that she has written so many others. I will definitely be checking out some of her other books.

I was familiar with Lucinda Berry from her previous book, The Perfect CHild, which I REALLY enjoyed. Twisty and twisted, it was a fun, suspenseful, tragic ride. Unfortunately, I can't say the same of The Best of Friends.

In this story, three adult best friends must grapple with a terrible "accident" that leaves one of their children dead, another severely brain injured, and a third traumatized. As each deals with their own trauma around this, secrets begin to emerge, threatening to test the bonds of childhood friendship.

The story is told from the alternating point of view of each of the women. It took me about half of the book to keep the women, their kids, and husbands straight which was distracting from the overall story. While you got three separate narratives, there didn't seem to be specific "voices" for each of the women or much development of their characters. The ending was somewhat interesting but overall I found myself struggling to maintain investment in the story due to the writing style. The plot is a great idea but I needed stronger writing to pull it off.

I absolutely loved this book - a page turner from
The start. While the ending left one plot point unresolved I didn’t really mind - it was a minor point that was slightly out there to begin with. The writing was sharp, the plot had just the right amount of twists, and I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to read future titles by the author.

3.5 Stars - First, a thank you to @netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC!

A little bit of a heavy read, especially for a parent. The book centres around 3 women who have been friends since childhood. Their 3 sons have been friends since birth. One night a shooting happens and 1 son is left dead, 1 son is left in a coma, and 1 son is left non-verbal. The incident opens up a huge investigation with the police and a messy situation with the 3 women and their families. Nothing is as it seems on the surface and secrets are revealed.

I found the story to be the kind that kept me wanting more as I turned the pages, but by the end, I realized it fell flat and I expected more.... I kind of predicted it BUT there was 1 small surprise at the end that I did not expect which is why I gave the extra .5 stars. I could not keep up with which son belonged to which family - I had to write down the parents names and which son belonged to them as I was reading so I could reference from it. I know this is my issue, but I found it took away from the enjoyment of reading the book.

This is the first book I read from this author and I loved it. The story hooked me from the begging and it’s twists and turns kept me at teu edge of the sit until they end. I couldn’t stop reading it and I’m sure it will be a best seller and one of the best thrillers of the year..

oh my god this book was great. It made me cry cry cry, but such a good cry. This story involved my feelings so much. I wanted to hate it, because of the tragedy but it was SO good!