This was my first Lucinda Berry read, and it was a captivating one. What happens when best friends who also raise their kids to be best friends go through an unspeakable and tragic event that changes the rest of their lives forever? Read this book to find out. I don't want to spoil anything, but this book had me hooked from the beginning as I saw the plot unfold and the characters lives and emotions were falling apart. I definitely recommend!! Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy of this book for an honest review.

This was my first read from Lucinda Berry. I was initially drawn to the book plot, as well as the gorgeous cover. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this as much as I hoped. While the narrative arc was strong, the characters and execution fell flat for me. I wished for more vivid scenes to pull me in and make this heartwrenching story feel like a reality. There was a bit too much telling for this suburbian world to feel believable.

While it wasn't my taste, I have no doubt this book will do very well for the right audience, as it is a fast-paced and suspenseful read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy for review.

This was my first book by Lucinda Berry and now I want to read more!
I felt bad liking this story so much because of its content, if you know what I mean. But I really liked it because it was so well written and so deep. The characters had such depth and I could feel their emotions.
As a parent of a son, this was heartbreaking to read and pulled on all my heartstrings, but it was also unputtdownable. It touched on so many different subjects, behaviors and emotions from the viewpoints of teenagers, parents and long time best of friends.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for me honest review.

Do you ever wonder if you really know your kids? I mean really know them... Your answer is going to be no because we all know that they still lie and hid things from us so that they get to do the things that they really want. The things that we as parents wont let the do. To the point that one of them is killed.
Dani, Lindsey, and Kendra have been the best of friends since forever. Even their children become best friends like them, Caleb, Jacob, and Sawyer. They have been through everything it seems like but now they have to face the scariest one. The one that killed their child, left one in a coma, and the other too scared to talk about what happened. Can they survive this?
This book has a lot of twist and turns. Don't miss the clues that are given to you...

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the opportunity to review this book.

As a long-time Berry fan, I was thrilled to receive the ARC of <i>The Best of Friends</i> and I was not disappointed- I finished it in one sitting.

Three best friends since grade school - Dani, Lindsay & Kendra, are raising their families, including their 3 teenage sons who are also best friends, in the same town they grew up in.

One night, everyone’s life is changed forever. Someone’s son dies, another is clinging for his life and the other has lost his ability to speak or function due to the horror of that night. Secrets come rolling out, faster and faster and everyone’s perfect lives are shattered.

Berry’s knack for storytelling and always keeping the reader guessing is spot on, per usual. This novel was great! It did, however, feel a bit like a Jodi Picoult novel to me in some portions, which is why i left off a star. I felt like I read this story before or had whispers of it.

This was one of those reads that absolutely hooked me from page one. It was heart wrenching to read as a mother, but unputdownable! Well written, chilling, realistic, and brutal; but also captivating! I highly recommend, unless as a parent you have triggers to stuff happening to children, as this is not your book! Overall, I do think it could be a very important read, as parents, because I think even the best parents are not perfect and all knowing, which this book shows in chilling and heart wrenching words!
I will make sure to buzz it up on all the different platforms!

Wow where do I even start. This book was so emotional. Three families have three children who are best friends. Their mothers have all been friends since elementary school. One night while the 3 teenagers are together, a terrible accident happens. Sawyer is dead..Jacob is in a coma and caleb is so distraught over what he witnessed he is in a psychiatric hospital unable to sleep..talk...or eat. What happened that night. ? Was this an accident or on purpose. How did 2 kids end up dead..one in a coma and one completely uninjured??.. this was a devastating and sad story but I love this book and I love this author as I read many books by Her before.

Wow! This is an incredible book! Read it in a day. This is probably the most real, honest and human book I have ever read.

Best friends since grade school Lindsey, Dani and Kendra have stayed close into adulthood and were so happy that their older children, all boys, became best friends too.

When an unthinkable accident happens, leaving one boy dead, one in a vegetative state and one so traumatized he cannot speak, the three women try to figure out how and why the incident happened, and realize that they did not know their sons as well as they thought.

There is so much more to the story, as it delves deep into the women's lives and marriages and relationships with their other children. I cannot say enough good things about this book. If you are in doubt, just buy it!

**5 Stars**

Three close friends who go way back to primary school in Southern California suffer an unthinkable tragedy. Their three high-school-aged sons who all play on the soccer team are involved in a gun-related incident, one that has claimed one of the boy's lives, put one in a coma, and left one traumatized to the point they cannot speak about what happened that night. Lucinda Berry's The Best of Friends is a twisty who-done-it thriller that looks at what caused one, possibly two, and maybe even three best of friends to harm each other.

This was my first Berry thriller and I was very impressed with her ability to build and sustain suspense. The book is told from the perspectives of the three women whose lives have been irrevocably altered. Each mother is in search of answers as to what happened that terrible night. The three women - Dani, Kendra, and Lindsey - are well off and assumed that their boys, were the best of friends. But the bonds between mothers slowly unravel as they discover the truths about themselves, their husbands, their other children, and their sons. 

One mother has developed close friendships with the teenage boys that the other two mothers don't know about. Another mother has been secretly slipping Adderall to her son without telling her husband and friends. And the third mother is in an abusive relationship with her husband that she hides well, one that may have contributed to what happened that dreadful night. 

What caused two boys to be shot? Are the parents somehow involved or responsible for this horrific incident? Could it have been prevented? 

I found the parts about the mothers' extraordinary grief really gripping and heartbreaking - it is exactly how I imagine feeling if, God forbid, something happened to one of my children. 

This was a solid thriller that kept me turning the pages. It was one of those books I looked forward to reading and had a hard time putting down. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, Lucinda Berry, and Thomas & Mercer for an advance reader copy of The Best of Friends!

Rating: 5 page-turning stars
Format: Ebook*, pub. 8/18/20
Synopsis: A trio of grownup childhood best friends try to figure out what happened the tragic night that left one of their teenage sons dead, one in a coma, and another too traumatized to speak.
POV: This is the first Lucinda Berry novel I’ve read, and it won’t be my last. It’s been a long time since I got sucked into a story that made me want to stay up late to finish it. There was something about the structure that reminded me of a Liane Moriarty book. The chapters jump between the three well-drawn female characters, and it’s compelling to be the insider getting to know the secrets they don’t even share with their friends. The subject matter could be very difficult for some, with teenage children suffering major trauma (including death), but people who love the type of books where a central “what really happened???” question drives the plot will get more than their money’s worth. Oh, and that epilogue!
Recommended for: Thriller readers looking for a page turner who aren’t triggered by stories about children (teenagers) suffering through a tragic event.
*I received an Advanced Readers Copy from #NetGalley & #ThomasandMercer in exchange for an honest review.

I love Lucinda berrys books and this is no exception. The best of friends is a great novel that explores grief, trust, friendship and family. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it’s many POVs. Highly recommend.

I didn't get very far with this one before setting it aside. It felt very cliched, very tired. I wanted to like it, but it didn't hold my attention.

The Best of Friends was brilliant. It is a heavy book to me. Lucinda Berry wrote a beautiful story about love and hate, loss and heartbreak and friendship.

This book tells a story about 3 teenage boys Sawyer, Jacob and Caleb grown up and become best friends and their mothers who also grown up as childhood best friends. The Best of Friends talked about many things and the focus is more on to test the friendship between 3 mothers Kendra, Dani and Lindsey after the incident that happened to their children.

As the story started with the tragedy happened which gun shots have been fired at a sleepover and left one of the boys dead, one of them is in coma and the other was in trauma and he so traumatized to even speak up about what had actually happened that night. Detective Locke tried to investigate and solve the case and piece by piece they learned new things about their children and husbands but they are hiding about it with their best friends. What are they hiding? Why would they hide? They started questioning their marriages as well as their friendship.

All the characters felt real to me and it was like watching a god thriller film and it really was amazing I couldn’t put the book down. The surprises will shock you and you couldn’t expect what’s coming. This book contains a strong message and it really was an amazing read for e. Such a powerful book.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for sharing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be available on August 18th, 2020.

Another beautifully written story on friendship, jealousy, domestic violence, leading double lives. The characters are plain and real, easy to connect with. It also emphasises on parenting and talking to your children which is very important. The detective could have been given more weightage. Excellent and highly recommended book for children and parents. Want to give more than 5 stars.

Riveting. Heartbreaking. Intense.

This was a beautiful read. I was hooked from the very beginning and quite literally could not put it down, and not to mention I sobbed multiple times. I genuinely got irrationally upset at my family members when they would ask me to do something, because all I wanted to do was finish devouring this book!

The writing was simple but got the job done. The plot was riveting and kept me on my toes. I admit there were aspects that were predictable, but strangely that didn't take away from the story at all. The sub plots in this were so intricate and complex I'm honestly amazed at how there were practically no loose ends or plot holes by the end. The talent is clear in Lucinda Berry, and I'm very interested to read what she puts out next.

The characters in this were incredible. They were real and raw and you could physically feel their pain while reading. I was rooting for everyone even though I trusted no one, and I was constantly throwing guesses and accusations around in my head. My one main complaint with this book was that the names and families were very hard for me to keep track of and I often had to stop reading and trace back in time to remember who was who's kid and so on. I feel like that confusion could have easily been cleared up if the chapter/POV headers were a little more informative.

I absolutely adored how this novel dove into human psychology and how everything felt so real and genuine. The themes of grief and domestic abuse and trauma were expertly dealt with, and although I found the discussion of sexuality lacking, I found little to complain about in the thematic department.

I adored all of the character development that took place in this novel, and for a mystery thriller, there was a lot of depth to everyone, and it was refreshing how each character had their own unique voice. None of them blended together for me at all.

I would highly recommend this book, and I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy as soon as it comes out. All in all, a solid 4.5 star read.

Also, thank you NetGalley for this arc! It was a real treat.

The Best of Friends, by Lucinda Berry, explores the dynamics between and among a group of teenage boys (who are best friends) as well as their three mothers (BFFs forEVER) when a terrible tragedy occurs.

Written by a trauma psychologist (yikes), the story is told from various perspectives and (TBH) at first I had to actually draw out a sort of org chart for the three families. Once I got them straight, it was a fun read. Since the author lives in LA, she was able to perfectly capture the sort of quintessential wealthy southern California suburban community, which the families are just sure is the perfect place to safely raise their perfect children…

The three women are Dani, Lindsey, and Kendra, and their teenage sons are Caleb, Jacob, and Sawyer, respectively. One night an accident happens (or was it?) leaving one boy dead, one in a coma, and the third so traumatized he can’t speak.

As the mothers investigate the incident, they discover things that they didn’t know and reveal things they have chosen to deny or avoid. At the same time, the police are investigating, including a detective known to them…well, sort of: “He doesn’t even have a Facebook profile. What kind of a person doesn’t at least have that?”

Dani is married to Bryan, a real dog (“Alcohol turns him into a special kind of monster”). and they are the parents who might be seen as obviously at fault, since (mini spoiler alert) it was their gun. Lindsey, Jacob’s mom, is a special kind of shallow, describing the details of her home in terms of how she picked out her furniture thinking about the effect she wanted it to have. For her, it’s all about how things LOOK. Of the three, she is the only one who “didn’t move up” to the nicer neighborhood, so maybe she is insecure about that…in any case, she spends a lot of time in pursuits such as worrying about her new couch: “…I never expected people to sleep on it.” They live right behind Kendra and Paul, parents to Sawyer and their other son Reese, who seems pathetically forgotten as the drama unfolds.

As things are revealed, all three women come to realize their idyllic life is really just a façade, there is no safe place, and the image they present to the world can be shattered in a heartbeat. This was a quick read, and raises many issues around topics including image vs. reality, jealousy, parenting, domestic abuse, and trauma. Great for book clubs.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for providing a copy in return for this honest review. Four stars.

This is not my first lucinda berry book. Ive enjoyed her style of writing in each of the books ive read and the best of friends did not disappoint.
The story centres around 3 lifelong friends and their 3 boys and a terrible gun accident that leads to one son dying, one in a vegetative state and one who refuses to talk. Who shot the gun? Why? What lead the boys to be in that situation on that awful night?
As a parent this story broke my heart as no parent should ever have to lose a child in their lifetime.
Lucinda captures your heart in this story of pain, betrayal and shock. Its full of twists and turns and its so hard to put down because you will want to know what happens next.
Massive thanks to netgalley for allowing me to read this brilliant book from the equally brilliant Lucinda Berry

This is a fantastic domestic drama that focuses on the mother's of three teenage boys involved in an incident.

It had me intrigued from.the very first page, and I did not want to stop reading.

I definitely recommend this book if you enjoy reading this genre; It's a great one.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this ebook via Netgalley.

Three lifelong friends, Kendra, Dina, and Lindsey, face tragedy when when there’s an incident between their teenage sons’ who have grown up together as best friends, just like their mom’s planned. One son is dead, another is on life support, and one is left a shell of himself and refuses to talk. As they search for answers to find out what happened that fateful night their friendship is tested to the limit and secrets start coming out.
This book captivated me from the very beginning and had me in tears right from the start. It’s a heartbreaking, gut wrenching read that is beautifully written. As a mom of teenage boys it made me want to go hug them and grill them at the same time. This is my Lucinda Berry novel and I will definitely be reading all of her others!

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.

Reeling from the worst night of their lives, the three mothers plunge into a desperate investigation of the bizarre incident. How could something so horrible happen in their wealthy Southern California suburb?

They soon discover that the accident was just the beginning, and troubling discoveries lead to chilling questions: Do they really know their children? Do they even know each other? As more secrets surface, a fog of doubt and suspicion threatens to poison their families, their friendships, and the whole community.

With the illusion of happiness and safety long gone, these women must now confront the hazards of heartbreak, the consequences of jealousy, and the dangers of living double lives.

Ahhh, I wanted to love the book. Hard to rate it. I seemed to put it down often. Hard to connect with the story.I did finish the book. It was good in the end.