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!

Three married couples, all friends and each with a high school senior boy, with all three of the boys being the very best of friends. Until one night when the three are together and a handgun goes off. One is killed instantly, the other suffers a horrible wound leaving him on life support, and the third boy, although physically fine, is emotionally scarred to the point that he’s not talking. Even though I picked this book initially because of the suspense aspect (how did this happen….and why??), I quickly became engaged with the characters and the complexity of emotions each of the women go through. Told from each mother’s perspective, it’s easy to see that no one comes out of a situation like this without being traumatized, without questioning their parenting skills, and without questioning friendships. This is the first book I’ve read by Lucinda Berry, but I’ll read more for sure.

Note: A special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read in exchange for an honest review.

Three families that shared everything now share a tragedy. So many secrets and lies are revealed when investigating how one teenage boy died. This fast paced thriller was captivating from the start. The ending was incredible. This will be a great book to read while laying at the beach this summer.

Well written and keeps you glued to the outcome. Having finished though, it seemed in to the to be too Peyton Place soap opera-ish. Didn't feel there was a lot of redeeming value. So not really my type of book.

I have loved many of Lucinda Berry’s books but I don’t feel that this book was up to her usual fantastic standard.
There were three families in this story, that I don’t feel were easy to distinguish between and I found myself flicking backwards and forwards to try and get the story straight.
I also felt there was no real story with no real revelations with a little twist at the end which could have been a much larger part of the story.

Three best friends have their worlds turned upside down when tragedy hits. Will they all bond together or will it split them apart? Kendra, Lindsey, and Dani have known each other since middle school and are the best of friends. Their worlds get turned upside down one night when their is a shooting that leaves on of their sons dead, one in a coma, and one unable to speak. All three must deal with their own heartaches and tragedy, while trying to help their friends through the same process.
I enjoyed this book. Lucinda did a great job of showing us the grieving process for all three families involved. It bonded some families together and tore some families apart. Each family had their own drama they were dealing with while going through the grieving process. I will say there were some parts of the story that had some holes. Like Andrew who is doctor, but seems to have no medical knowledge while he's son is fighting for his life. Overall, the book was very good and could not put it down!

What an emotional ride! The story line leaves you want to know the circumstances of the tragedy which opens the book. However, the emotion of the parents (and families) forces you to get entangled in their lives. Yes, I agree this book begs to be read in one sitting, however emotional I could not read it all at one time. Being the mother of a son not far from the ages of the boys involved, I could not mentally handle all of the feelings, truths, and revelations which developed at the book moved forward.

The emotional impacted this book had on me is exactly why it is called a psychological thriller. I love this genre, but I truly have never been connected or affected by a novel. I will highly recommend this book for the sheer thrill of the ride.

Thank you for allowing me to preview this book.

Lucinda Berry has a unique ability to create one story and fill it with so many real life nuances which flesh out her novels. The Best of Friends is written from the perspectives of 3 women whose sons are friends and involved in tragedy. She takes us deep into their private lives and relationships to build this narrative of real ness and truth. It took me awhile to connect each person to their family because Of the jump in perspectives. Once I did, the story flowed to its unexpected and tragic ending. I will recommend this book online and to my book club.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

When I initially requested to review this book I though I was getting another mystery/thriller book but this one is pretty light on the mystery and HEAVY on the emotional trauma. Honestly, if you’ve ever had a family member become seriously ill and have to be on life support this book may not be for you; you will be traumatized all over again.

The book instantly grabs you but from there the intensity fizzles out. The chapters are mercifully short and I found myself not wanting to put it down but only because I had hoped it would get better. The ending was decent but it still felt “too perfect” for the direction the book was taking and when I finished reading it I was left feeling just “meh” about the book.

Another thing that turned me off about this book though was that it lacked likeable characters. We meet them in the midst of grief and so that’s the excuse for their bad behavior but towards the end everyone is just sort of forgiven and that’s that. It felt like the author gave up at the end and didn’t know how to wrap everything up.

2 stars.

The Best of Friends tackles the effects of grief and trauma on the bonds of friendship. Lindsey, Kendra, and Dani have been best friends since they were little. Now their oldest sons are best friends, spending their time together on the soccer field and at each other's houses. Until one terrible night, shots erupt and now one is dead, one is a coma, and one is so traumatized he doesn't speak and suffers from night terrors. The tragedy uncovers secrets in each family and tests both friendship and loyalty. Full of loss, trauma, and acceptance, for a page turner that leaves your heart on your sleeve and you reading way into the night. Lucinda Berry is definitely an author to check out! My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

This one packed a great heart pounding punch right from the get go. This was such a well written heart-wrenching story. I enjoyed the characters and the structure of the story. It was a great domestic women’s fiction novel!

This book was an intriguing thriller. Great for the summer months. From the opening shot to the close, it was a gripping ride

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an absorbing read about family and friendship, how open you can be with those close to you - and how many secrets you can still carry around with you. The author made her three female characters strong and relatable, each in their own way, and as the story unfolds, interesting things happen. The dynamics of the relationship between the three women is slowly revealed, as well as the anguish of dealing with loss, grief and unanswered questions.

So why didn't I give this five stars? For one thing, the story is told from three different POVs - and it's very difficult to keep them apart and remember who is married to whom, which children belong to which family etc. Very confusing. The second is that there are a great number of story threads that are mentioned, and never followed up on - not necessarily a biggie, except that some are serious issues, e.g. an eating disorder, substance abuse issues.

This was a good book. Each of the chapters are from the viewpoint of one of three women, mothers, who had been friends for decades. Dani, Kendra and Lyndsay live in the same area, got together on a regular basis, each had children, in particular all had a son that were all about the same age that were very close as well. Then one night something happens and one of the sons dies, the other is in a coma and the last is catatonic – unable to verbalize anything about the night. The book, for the most part, takes place immediately after the event, there is a little bit of flashback to past events. Tension builds in each chapter as a little piece of each woman is revealed. The author did a very good job of building suspense and maintaining it until the final reveal. I found the book enjoyable and would recommend to anyone. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you for the ecopy of this book. I will be posting a full review on Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram! Many thanks.