The Best of Friends: Lucinda Berry

Release Date: Aug. 18th, 2020

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

4.5 stars

Cinematic, intense, and sharp; an emotionally devastating novel.

What a brilliantly heavy book. Wow. The Best of Friends will be a page turner till the very end!
Since childhood, Kelsey, Lindsey, and Dani have been inseparable. As they grew older, they remained closely in touch, moving near to one another with their husbands; even having children around the same time. Their sons: Sawyer, Jacob and Caleb also became best friends. Life was pretty normal and good for everyone. Until it wasn’t. One night, one boy is killed, one boy injured, and one boy is riddled silent with anxiety and PTSD. As they each work with the detective to get to the bottom of the one horrible night, things start to spin out of control. Secrets in each family come out as it becomes impossible to hide under the pressure of the situation.
Lucinda Berry does a great job of giving the reader just enough fuel to keep going but not enough to fully spoil the twist and turns at the end of the novel. Overall, she was a clear and fluid writer who was able to weave the stories of each mother seamlessly. I loved her writing and she did a fantastic job of keeping me on the edge of my seat till the last page! I would have liked to see a little more of how the end played out, but I did love the cyclical nature of it.

Along with posting on Net Galley, I will be posting my review to Goodreads, Amazon (when it becomes available), my Instagram (which has over a two thousand book review followers) and my blog. Please find the link to my blog post below. I am very grateful for the opportunity to review such a raw and all-encompassing thriller. All opinions and thoughts are my own. Thank you very much.

Link to Blog Post: https://ifyoucanreadthisdotblog.wordpress.com/2020/04/28/the-best-of-friends-lucinda-berry/
Link to Instagram Post: https://www.instagram.com/ifyoucan_read_this/
Link to Goodreads Post: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/112342382-chanel-johnson

Respectfully
Chanel Johnson

I did, in fact, read this in one sitting (as the description suggested might happen).

The Best of Friends is a phenomenal book. The tension among friends and between spouses; the mystery behind the cataclysmic "incident"; and well-developed, rich characters make this a book to remember. I always enjoy stories told through multiple points of view, but this novel took it to the next level: each main character had her own voice, distinct personality,and unique flaws/insecurities.

One constructive offering, and one question that I will not include in reviews posted to Goodreads, my blog, or retailers:
--I think the opening could be stronger. Mistaking fireworks for gun shots missed the mark for me. With so many psychological thrillers out there, some readers (including myself) will only make it through the first few pages before moving on to a new title. The rest of the book is so stellar that the opening should grip readers in similar form.
--What happened to the girls on their prom night? The thing they didn't talk about, even then? Did I miss it, or was it intentionally left open-ended?

I look forward to reading more from Lucinda Berry!

Really enjoyed this book. 3 friends. Lindsay, Dani and Kendra. 3 friends. Jacob, Sawyer and Caleb.

Kendra and Paul hear gunshots one night while watching TV. The lives of Kendra and her friends change forever when 1 of their sons is dead, one is brain dead and one is traumatized.

The chapters in the book go from friend to friend. What happened that night? We also get to see inside each of these women's marriages and families. I found all of the characters to be believable and real. It's a page turner, I kept wanting to read one more chapter.

Recommended.

Satisfying, suspenseful and complicated. People are not always as they seen and a reminder that we tend to keep our deepest secrets from the people who know is best. Would make a great movie in the right hands!!!

Best friends Lindsey, Kendra, and Dani endure every parent’s nightmare when a tragic accident befalls their teenage boys, leaving one dead, another in a coma, and a third too traumatized to speak.Huge thanks to the publishers for my copy ❤️

I found it difficult to get into this book. Mainly because of the volume or characters it was difficult to follow. I am glad I persevered and enjoyed the story and the ending. It is though provoking as a parent and look forward to reading more by this author

This book wasted no time. I was hooked from the first line and it never slowed down. 3 life long friends and a gun, what can go wrong??? One kid is dead, one is in a coma and the other won't talk. What happened? This story is about three families attempts to find out. Lindsey, Dani and Kendra each have their own issues going on and I found myself rooting for each of them as their story unfolded. There's so much love and heartbreak. Lucinda Berry is an amazing author. You won't be able to put down this gripping page-turner.

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

I'm sure this is a great book, but I did not finish it. While the subject matter is heartbreaking, I couldn't get into the characters at all. I got about 30% in, so maybe it gets better after that.

Dani, Lindsey and Kendra have been best friends since childhood. Much to their delight, their teen aged boys are also close friends. But when one of the boys ends up dead and another in a coma, the women's lives fall apart and the secrets they have been keeping from each other, and even themselves, start to surface. Berry does a good job of creating suspicion and suspense while giving us believable characters and situations. I just wish that she had fleshed out the characters of the siblings a bit more and given us a deeper story. But all in all, quite satisfying.

Five out of Five, heartbreaking, emotionally ravaging, soul destroying, cry your eyes out, and rip your heart out of your chest, stars!

This book will break your heart, and never quite put it quite back together. You will be left reeling and emotionally spent after you finishing reading it, much in the same way that the characters are feeling throughout the pages within.

This is a book about family, friends, that familial bond that forms between friends, and the way in which friendships are tested when tragedy strikes, no matter how deeply the bond may run.

This is also a book about grief, loss, motherhood, and the lengths in which a mother will go to in order to find the truth, no matter how ugly or devastating it may be, behind the loss of her child.

Lindsey, Kendra, and Dani are the best of friends. They grew up together, and remained close throughout their lives, to the point of adulthood and motherhood. So close in fact, that their kids also grew up together, as they did, and befriended each other, just as they did when they were children. But one eerie night, an unthinkable tragedy rips through their suburban neighborhood, shattering their bonds of friendship as they know it, and changing the courses of their lives forever.

A gun blasts from the house of one of the women, and all three of their sons, whom are close friends, are a part of that gunshot and the events surrounding it. One of them is dead, one of them is in a coma, and one of them is too traumatized to speak about the tragic events that befell him and his friends.

So what happened that night, and why? As the investigation into the events of that night goes on, it becomes clear that something far more sinister than they may have even first imagined had happened that night. Did one of them try to kill the others or is the truth far darker and more complicated than that? Friendships are put to the tests as the women, especially Kendra, who’s son is dead, becomes increasingly frustrated on her quest for the truth and answers as to why her son ended up dead of a gunshot wound.

Each of the three women are broken and flawed in their own ways, and it is easy to resonate and sympathize with each of their arguments and points of view as you feel their grief and frustrations alongside them.

Settle in for a gut wrenching, emotionally devastating ride as you flip the pages of this book, especially when you arrive at the shocking ending.

This is a haunting, thought provoking, intriguing, and extremely well written book that will keep you on the edge of your seat wanting to discover the truth about what happened that tragic night in that quiet, suburban neighborhood.

This is one of those stories that will haunt you and stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page.

Absolutely fantastic read! I was blown away by Lucinda Berry’s breathtaking writing, and while this was the first book I have read by her, it certainly won’t be the last. Definitely add this book to your to-be-read list if you haven’t already!

Highly recommend!

Excellent thriller and family drama. I did not see where this was going. Kept me extremely entertained during a very difficult pandemic time. I really enjoyed it and will definitely be reading more by this author. I really liked to see how a specific set of random events can change relationships forever. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book

Having read most of Lucinda Berrys books I knew I would enjoy this one from the first page where we are thrown unexpectedly into a complex and heart wrenching story of mothers and sons. All her novels are complex and dark with the most extreme of characters with the darkest of souls and I never figured out the ending until it happened. Highly recommended novel that stayed with me long after the last page.

Three best friends living the ‘dream.’ They live in the same neighborhood & they all have sons who are seniors in high school & just happen to be best friends too. Within the first chapter there is a terrible accident that finds one of the boys dead, one in a coma & one who is refusing to speak about the incident. The book follows Dani, Lindsey & Kendra as they try to navigate their families and friendships during a terrible situation. We find that their lives aren’t perfect & their families are more twisted together than we once thought. The book is fast paced (even from chapter one) & and each chapter switches from each woman’s point of view. I’d recommend it! Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley for review.
I was hooked from the beginning! 3 women are best friends, and their sons are best friends as well. One night, an incident shatters them all, leaving one boy dead, one in a coma, and one unable to speak about what happened. While they eventually learn what happened, they also learn a lot about themselves along the way.

This one is hard to rate! I could not put it down and couldn’t stop thinking about it when I had to stop reading. It was emotionally draining, not for the faint of heart, and triggers abound. But at the same time it was real and raw and terrifying. I had a hard time keeping track of which character was which between the switching perspectives, which is the biggest drawback to the book, in my opinion. And there were very few glimmers of happy, which is usually something necessary for me. But it was still a compelling novel and one I won’t forget anytime soon. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Absolutely gut-wrenching. I was sucked in from the very first chapter and could barely put it down until I finished. This book rotates through the POV of 3 mothers who are best friends, and their 3 sons are also best friends. The story begins with a tragic night that doesn't become completely unraveled until the end of the book. In the beginning the different characters were a little difficult to follow because they all read similarly, and there were a lot of names and relationships to follow but I figured it out in time. This story is honestly tough, but in a good way. It's emotional and raw, and one of those books that really makes you FEEL something while reading it.

I want to thank @netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙱𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝙵𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍s, a mystery/thriller that follows three best friends living through a parent’s worst nightmare.

After a normal Saturday night ends with one boy dead, one in a coma, and another filled with so much terror he refuses to speak, three families struggle to put the pieces together that lead to “the incident”. Throughout this gut-wrenching journey, we learn that even the happiest of families have their secrets and some will do whatever it takes to keep them.

The first chapter of this book had me hooked and seemed to hold some real promise but unfortunately, it fell flat. For the most part, I was able to figure out the big secret before it was revealed, with the ending just filling in the blanks. The worst part of this story for me were the cliche/flat characters who were difficult to connect with. The male characters were awful all around and I struggled to find true emotion in the women. We didn’t get the POV of the children involved and I think that would have helped the overall delivery.

Lyndsey, Dani and Kendra have been friends since childhood, how lucky they are that they each had sons who are also best friends. But by the end of one fateful night one mother’s son will be dead, one will be in a coma and one will be so traumatised by what he saw he no longer speaks.

The Best of Friends is a split narrative between Lyndsey, Dani and Kendra as they try to discover what exactly happened on that tragic night and deal with its aftermath; not only how it’s affected their own families and relationships but their friendship with each other as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. There weren’t any massive reveals that I didn’t see coming but instead the author cleverly weaved little clues into the plot along the way. The great thing about this story was the exploration of how each character was coping with the situation. I quite often found myself thinking what I would do in this situation. The Best of Friends is a quick and captivating read with strong Jodi Picoult vibes. I Will definitely be checking out other books by this author.

Brilliantly written!! Definitely looking forward to seeing more from this author. I love the story. Quick read for me.

The Best of Friends
Lucinda Berry
8-18-20
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a tragic and emotionally gripping story.  This story pulled at my heart strings and l found myself in tears throughout this book. Three families - facing a parents worst nightmare. A Saturday night that ends in tragedy with a gun. The character development was wonderful and I could see how these families have grown close through the years- they are the ones you rely on for parenting advice and an ear to listen but how well do you really know your closest friends? This riveting story is filled with secrets, and as time passes these best of friends will be turning on one another... who is to blame? There were times I had to step back, as I was filled with raw emotion at times and at times it was heart wrenching. I mourned the losses these families were facing while hoping they could find a way to persevere and be there for one another.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Lucinda Berry for sending me an electronic Advanced Readers’ Copy for an exchange of an honest review.

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