Dark, heartbreaking, fast-paced, edge of your seat and emotional thriller. It's about grief, friendships being tested and being a mother. Kendra, Dani and Lindsey have been best friends since childhood. An unforgivable tragedy rips their friendships apart and impacting their families. One of them goes far to find out what happened to her son after a tragic accident. Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this heart wrenching ebook.

I thought the book was interesting and I wasn't bored reading it, but I did find it a little confusing at times and there were a few times throughout the book that information was revealed that was not followed up upon. Also, I felt like the attention and level of detail and development with reference to the sons was confusing and I felt like the character development of Jacob and Caleb was a little off as compared to Sawyer, although that could be because the book opens with his death and the development of the other characters may have given away too much of the plot. I think I would have liked if the author went more in depth with the sons as well as the siblings.

Overall though, this was a quick read and the sort of book that I didn't want to put down because I wanted to find out what happened. However, I found the characters that I met along the way less than satisfying.

This is probably going to be one of my favorite books of the year. It has a lot of characters to keep up with which was difficult at the beginning but the story is so captivating. I was constantly wondering what happened. It’s about so much more than what happened on the night in question. It’s about friendships and marriage and parenting and all done so well.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy!

I really wanted to like this book, I just didn't. I really tried. The plot was intriguing; 3 teenage boys, best friends hanging out at one of their homes in a wealthy, suburban neighborhood when tragedy strikes. One boy is dead, the other in a coma, & the 3rd boy too traumatized to speak. Was it an accident or murder-suicide or just plain old murder?

Each chapter is from the viewpoint of one of the boy's mothers, who are also lifelong best friends. While I should have had my heartstrings pulled at these women dealing with the tragedy, I didn't. They were shallow & passive-aggressive & each one suspicious of the other. They aren't even likable in a love to hate them thriller kind of way. Had I not looked at the name of whose chapter it was I wouldn't have known whose chapter I was reading. They were just dull & boring. These ladies wouldn't have lasted one season on the Real Housewives. Well, maybe Beverly Hills.

Not only did the book lack interesting protagonists, but there were also so many extra characters. I forgot whose kid belonged to which woman as the story weaved through present-day & flashbacks to when the moms were in high school & then the events leading up to the tragedy. I read Game Of Thrones & had a much easier time keeping track of everyone than I did in this book.

I sped read through this book because I had to know what truly went down that night. And it was as uninteresting & predictable as the characters. The family "secrets" thrown in throughout as what I am assuming were supposed to be the "twists" fell flat & weren't shocking at all. All in all, it wasn't suspenseful & not a thriller.

I should write something nice about the book though. It was a fast read.

The Best of Friends tells the story of 3 women, friends since childhood, and their families as they deal with an unimaginable tragedy. Told from alternating perspectives, the reader peers into each woman’s life behind closed doors.
I really wanted to love this book, the story is so twisted and I enjoy the alternating point of view, but unfortunately I found myself confused with who belonged to each family and which secrets they were keeping. Still a good read with an unexpected ending that made me gasp aloud.

The Best of Friends is a fast-paced drama with a surprising twist. Berry has a way with words. The novel was beautifully written and smooth.

An emotional, intense, and heartbreaking story!

Three women, best friends, have a seemingly perfect life with their children and the sweet suburban lifestyle they’ve always dreamed of. Until one night tragedy hits.

One woman’s son will end up dead, and while it’s explained off as an accident, something more sinister could be at play. The accusations and the truth start to emerge and the women’s lives and friendships start to shatter.

I loved this book so much and could not put it down!

Many thanks to Net Galley and Thomas and Mercer for providing me with the digital ARC.

What happened that dark night between 3 best friends, where one was shot dead, one in deep coma, and the last was left in depressive psychosis…

The mothers were best friends as were the sons. But something happened that night which shattered their peace and friendship. The truth had to come out.

My second book by this author, I was filled with suspense and intrigue as each chapter laid bare to the secrets that their children were hiding.

The mothers too had some dark truths. The writing piqued my interest from the get-go as each one was characterized well. I couldn’t stop reading as I had so many theories.

The sons might have had fall-out, so did the mothers, their grudges. But their friendship held close. I liked how their core remained strong. They gravitated toward each other. After all, they were childhood friends.

The pace was steady, I read it at super fast speed as I needed to get to the last chapter which revealed it all. I wouldn’t say I connected to any one of them, but I sure had empathy for the pain they were going through.

In friendship and fights, there was no clear winner only a loss that brought a chasm between the Best of Friends. Yet the bridge held strong.

*"Is there anything I can do to help?” He wears the same cautious expression as he does when I’m in the throes of PMS and waging war with my hormones.” *

I feel like this book was a breath of fresh air in between every other thriller getting published today where the husband killed the victim. What I loved the most about this book was the psychological aspect of it, I found that the emotions and psychic of the characters was very good exploited, and it truly brought out the danger and fear of living a double life and always fearing for you children's life. The twist at the end was truly outstanding as well. Totally recommend it.

Hm. I'm torn. This book has that "Defending Jacob" or "Finding Jake" theme - one teenage boy dies; another teenage boy is a suspect - albeit more superficial.

The fact that I really like this kind of stories is probably what attracted me to the book. But in reality, I found myself a bit annoyed at times. The very shallow side plots which revealed even shallower personalities were a big turn off.

I expected more of the ending too. Don't want to give anything away on this, because maybe I'm just broken and everyone else will be pleasantly surprised.

This book, I thought, was simply AMAZING! It was full of mystery, secrets, hurt, pain, love, friendship...just to name a few! It definitely knocked my socks off! It's not every day that you come across a book that leaves you reeling long after you read it, but The Best of Friends did that for me! I even struggled getting into my next book because of it!

I've read a book or two by Lucinda Berry, but not too many, but I promise you that will change very soon! I do have a lot of her books on my TBR stack, and will get to them a lot sooner after this book!

I always appreciate when a book has multiple narrators, and it was definitely necessary with this kind of book! Each narrator was a perfect fit for the character for which they were reading! Stellar performance!

So you have a stellar narration, well-written story which gives you a solid story that if you haven't, you need to need to hurry up and read!! Do yourself a favor because you will love it just like I did!

I would like to thank Lucinda Berry, Thomas & Mercer, and Netgalley for providing this book to me in return for an honest an unbiased review!

Truly heartbreaking and gut wrenching. I have been reading a lot of books lately with the underlying theme being gun violence and how it effects not just poor neighborhoods or crime ridden neighborhoods but neighborhoods and people that shouldn’t even have guns or think about having guns.

Anyone who thinks guns shouldn’t be regulated needs to read this book and see that having guns is something we need to take seriously and keep our kids educated on them.

Man. This one was rough.
Premise: three drunk teenage boys become in involved in a shooting. Is it an accident? The three boys' mothers are best friends from childhood. One of the kids is dead, one is brain dead, and one is catatonic. Who is at fault? Who is to blame?

Being a mother of a teenage son, this would be my worse nightmare. You try to give them space, but how much space is too much space?

The sub-story of each of the mothers' marriages was also a great thread throughout the story--you quickly learn that it's rough all over.

Recommended...but with reservations for mamas.

This book was very...average. I didn't feel much connection to the characters, and while the synopsis did immediately draw me in, the execution wasn't as good as I hoped. I didn't really feel like it was very suspenseful the way I had hoped, but I didn't dislike it.

A little different than the typical psych thriller. Kept you thinking as to what actually happened between the kids, and a really good twist at the end!

The Best of Friends by Lucinda Berry is the story of three women who are best friends, their three sons and one tragic night. This book absolutely devastated me. For a parent, this story is the stuff of nightmares. The story is told from the three points of view of Kendra, Lindsey, and Dani, best friends since childhood. Their teenage sons are also best friends until tragedy strikes.

This story explores many themes, but I think the title says it all. This is a story of friendship. Berry dives into what makes friendship beautiful and how, like any relationship, friendships are extremely complicated.. The situations that these women faced made me question how believable it was for them to be able to continue their friendship. I'm not sure if I could have, but I admired the way that they continued to support one another. As the story progressed, however, I did wonder if this was more out of habit and obligation than true affection for each other.

I enjoyed the mystery of this story as it unfolded. It wasn't just a "Whodunit." It was also unclear what happened. I appreciated the extra twist Berry added at the end. Overall, this was an enjoyable and fast read for me. I look forward to reading more by Lucinda Berry in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lucinda Berry is my favorite author these days! As a (former) Psychologist, she knows how to get inside the deepest parts of your brain. While her books are not meant to be a causal beach read, they definitely make you feel like you're right there, with the families, as the complex friend/family dynamics unfold. Some things were easy enough to figure out, while others took the majority of the book to demystify. The only thing I wish would've been described better was the "unspeakable event", between the Mom's, 20ish years prior.

A night that changed the lives of 3 families. "An accident with the three boys. The hospital. One of the boys had died."

What an emotional roller coaster in a heartbreaking novel that I absolutely could not put down so read it over several hours today. Three lifelong friends, Lindsay, Dani, and Kendra, have teenage sons who are also best friends. Something happened between the boys on that tragic night and the story is gradually revealed over the course of the narrative told by the female friends in alternating chapters. I had to make a paper chart with names so that I could keep it all straight and that helped immensely.

This is not usually the kind of book that I enjoy, but I was drawn in immediately and was glued to the pages as the events unfolded. I felt sympathy for each of the mothers for different reasons and the writing was superb in drawing out the emotions without being manipulative or maudlin. Of course the boys kept secrets from their parents as all teenagers do and the boys' immaturity added to the the entirety of the sorry drama as it all played out. So many topics addressed and so much pain in a nightmare that no parent ever wants to be in. I liked it immensely even as my heart feels heavy just thinking about it all tonight.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. This would make a great read for a book club.

Synopsis: Jacob, Caleb, and Sawyer are best friends as well as their moms. One night something goes wrong leaving one of the boys dead, one with a traumatic brain injury, and one that refuses to speak. What happened that night and what other secrets are being held?

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This book made me so sad, I could feel the moms pains with having two boys of my own. I almost put it down. However, I had this need to figure out what happened, what went wrong. I’m glad I finished this. The last few chapters pulled it all together and it was heartbreaking. There were so many secrets that came out and each one my heart just dropped for them. I do recommend this, but it’s not a thriller as it was described.

An unthinkable tragedy forever changes a group of teens and turns family against family. A highly charged new thriller by author # Lucinda Berry, # ' The Best of Friends' is a intense drama with a touch of mystery. Every parents nightmare and how they deal with the tradegy.
Thank you,
# Netgalley, # Lucinda Berry, and # Thomas & Mercer for the advanced copy