Lucinda Berry has become a must read author for me. Her new book did not disappoint! Three women who grew up together's sons are also friends and these teen boys get into a situation that has each of their mothers wondering what their sons have been up to. Their actions have permanent consequences that have their mothers accusing each other and their sons for doing wrong. The three scenarios are all very different but they are all effecting their families and their friendships. And what an ending!

The Best of Friends, Lucinda Berry's newest release, is a mystery that is almost over before it starts-in that the main event happens in the beginning which sets the pace for the rest of the novel. Three teenage boys, best friends whose moms are also a trio of best friends, make a set of bad decisions that has deadly consequences: one is killed, one is in a coma and one is so grief-stricken and traumatized he can't speak. The families are left to deal with the devastating aftermath, and while some are willing to accept the explanation that it was an accident not everyone, including investigators, is so willing. Set in the backdrop of a wealthy California suburb The Best of Friends is a story that could happen in any American neighborhood. Dr. Berry's background in trauma research and clinical psychology are center stage but not as a hindrance but as an expert voice. The tightly woven story is hard to put down (while at times the subject matter can be heavy).

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

The Best of Friends followed three women, along with their families, trying to cope with the tragedy of losing their children one way or another. I was extremely excited to read this because of the many favorable reviews. Disappointed is an understatement.

Before going into the book, I had expected a fast-paced thriller/mystery but this novel was far from that. The mystery aspect was handled very poorly. The families didn’t do much sleuthing, instead we followed them with their everyday lives and the aftermath of the tragedy. It was more of a domestic drama rather than a mystery in the vein of Big Little Lies.

To be honest, the prologue was gripping and I was 100% engaged, after that the story went downhill. The first half of the book was so messy. I could not get all the characters straight and they all started to blur together, to the point that I had to actually draw up a diagram to discern everyone from each other.

Overall, I did not have a good time reading this. Take this review with a grain of salt, I’ve seen favorable reviews for this book but this was definitely not the book for me.

Wow! Loved this. I was drawn in from the first page and never lost interest. My favorite books are ones that are not predictable and this one fits that bill. I was a heavy read but I will definitely be recommending it to others.

Thank you NetGalley for the book.
Kendra, Dani and Lindsey have been best friends since they were girls and are now married and with families of their own. Their teenage sons are best friends and all three families live in the same neighborhood and the boys attend the same private school. Then, one night their lives are completely shattered after a horrific event takes place leaving one son dead, one in a vegetative state and one unwilling and unable to talk about what happened that night.
As each mother tries to figure out what happened they night, other secrets bubble up and they each begin to wonder if they really know their friends and their spouses.
The story alternates between Kendra, Dani and Lindsey telling their stories. At times, it was a bit confusing trying to keep all of the characters straight especially since each of the 3 women were so very similar.

The Best of Friends is my first Lucinda Berry book, and I’ve got to admit it was a tough read due to the heavy subject matter! (But when you read about Lucinda’s professional background at the end of the book, you can better understand her choice of topics.) However, I found the story compelling, and I was eager to discover answers to some of the story’s mysteries. The story kept me wanting to progress through it so I could try to make sense of the relationships between two generations of family friends. The reader comes to learn about the many dimensions of close friendships, and that oftentimes secrets both bind and threaten to separate them.
The story opens with a terrible accident at the home of one of the parents in the adult group of friends, involving three of their children. The reader is presented with an impossible situation to even fathom, and then try to make sense of. There are many twists and turns to take when reading this book! Ultimately, it was an engaging book. If you don’t mind serious & sad subject matter, then it is worth taking the journey to try to figure out answers to the book’s mysteries.

An unthinkable tragedy occurs at the beginning of this book, changing the lives of three families forever. We learn about the lives of these three families in alternating chapters of the mother’s point of view. Each family has secrets and their own unique pain from the tragedy that occurred. This book is very fast paced and keeps you guessing. I really enjoyed it! Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this!

They were the best of friends for most of their lives. Married and bought houses close to each other. In and out of each other's lives and thrilled when they had sons who also became best friends. Until an unforseen tragedy strikes. Now devastated, bent with sorrow and grief,they are determined to get answers. How could they not see this coming? How can their friendship withstand this? How well do we really know our children.?

This was for me a page turners, became quite entrenched in this story. A parents worse nightmare. Needed to know what happened. The author does a good job of keeping the plot moving, revelations in a timely manner. Shortly before books end I did have a pretty good idea of what happened, and I turned out to be correct. Didn't know all the details though. The mother's reactions though and what they chose to do didn't quite, for me, ring true. Still, definitely a page turners.

ARC by Netgalley.

The Best of Friends by Author Lucinda Berry is about long time friendships, grief and tragedy. Many lives change and so much sadness when an accident happens with a group of teenage boys. Leaving one of them dead, one seriously injured, and all families suffering and affected.

To me this started off interesting and grabbed my attention, however as the book progressed, I started losing interest, as it felt a little like a soap opera to me, which is not a venue that I gravitate towards. I also lost interest in some of the main characters, and felt like just too much was thrown into each of their development as the book went along

Overall though a pretty good read.


Thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the Author for my advanced copy to read and review

#Thomas&Mercer
#The Best of Friends
#NetGalley

This book keeps you guessing until the very end.
Full of suspense!!! I loved it.
Definitely recommend.

Wow this book was quite a struggle to get through. It was literally a drag to get through this. I almost felt like I was punishing myself. I was so excited for this, it sounded so good and the reviews were great. Maybe I read too many mystery/thrillers lately but this was just boring.

The beginning was a dump of characters who all blurred together as one. I found it hard to keep track of everyone and had to remind myself who was who very often. The moms, dads, and even the all of the kids turned into different names but same characters. There wasn't anything that set them apart from each other. The friendship between the mothers were fake and hard to believe. The end didn't shock me but rather disappointed me. Really sad this one didn't work out.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the copy of this book.

This book was provided to me as an #ARC by NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Lucinda Berry - free of charge for an honest review.

The seemingly-idyllic lives of three life-long friends Kendra, Lindsey and Dani are uprooted and destroyed by a senseless tragedy involving their three teenage sons. One is dead, one is in a coma and one is not speaking. What happened that night? What could the families have done to prevent this from happening? As the answers of that night come to light so many others do as well. Friendships, families, and marriages are all victim to lies, betrayal and heartbreak.

I really liked this book! A lot. It took me a bit to get through because of #life, but once I got going I couldn't put it down. I read about 60% of the book in an 18 hour period (in which I also slept). It soooo good. And soooo heartbreaking. It makes you guess until the very end. And, your heart will shatter about 4 times in the last 5% of the book. Very much enjoyed this book, and I'm looking forward to reading more from the author.

This is a quick, suspenseful read that will have you wondering the truth until the very very VERY end.

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Just finished up Best of Friends on @netgalley by @lucindaberryauthor. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for this fast paced thriller. Synopsis: Kendra, Lindsey, and Dani are best friends and live around the corner from one another. But when a tragic accident results in death of one of their sons, severe injury in another, and trauma to the third will their friendship survive? Such a great thriller and quick read, Im so happy I finally got around to reading it! The character were well written and easy to connect with. Lots of twists and turns, everything you could ask for in a good thriller. Photo cred: @lucindaberryauthor ! #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #bookaholic #booklover #booksofinstagram #booksofig #booksofinsta #booknerd #bookaddict #booksbooksbooks #thrillerbooks #thrillerreads #summerreading #summerreads

I felt so many different emotions with this book! Three best friends who grew up together, have kids who become best friends and live in the same neighborhood... on one frightful night something tragic happens that will shatter their world and life going forward for all of them! #netgalley #thebestoffriends

Three women, best friends since childhood. Three teenage sons, also life long friends. One tragic accident that leaves one boy dead, one kept alive by machines and one mute. As a mother, my heart broke in the first few pages, and continued to break throughout the story. The tragedies these families endured seemed impossible to bear, unsurvivable.

Throughout most of the book, I had a hard time keeping everyone straight. I actually had to jot down family names to make it easier but would still get confused. Not sure if this a reader problem or not.

Overall, it was a heartbreaking, gut wrenching story that no parent wants to endure but I felt it lacked a little oomph. There was also a little side story, that I think was added as a shocker but I found it unfitting and unnecessary.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Best of Friends by author Lucinda Berry is a thriller that is so compelling it keeps you reading even though the subject matter is horrifying to imagine. Three mothers who have been the best of friends since childhood and have gone through everything together, experience the worst of tragedies involving their three sons. One dies, one is left comatose, and the other is so traumatized to even cope. They all want and need to know what exactly happened that fateful night. So many secrets are kept until eventually it all comes to a head and everything is revealed. It was a very sad and tragic read and one that had me crying. It all seemed very real to me as I was reading it and I could really feel the pain that these characters were experiencing. The author did a phenomenal job in writing this. It’s a great read and a book I highly recommend although it could be upsetting to some if they’ve experienced losing a child. I’d like to thank NetGalley for the e-arc that I received from the Read Now section. This easily deserves a 5 star rating in my opinion and I’ll be reading more by this author in the future.

Lindsey, Kendra, and Dani are best friends living in their wealthy Southern California suburb. One night as the three women are relaxing in their respective houses, they hear what initially sounds like fireworks being set off close by. But as the police arrive, it turns out that a terrible accident has occurred and their eldest teenage sons, Caleb, Jacob and Sawyer, who also share a deep, solid friendship, have been caught up in the fall out, leaving one of them dead, another in a coma and the third unable to speak, through trauma.

As the three women attempt to deal with the tragedy and the aftermath of the incident, cracks begin to appear in the friend's lives as truths gradually emerge. The reader is taken on an emotional journey seen through the eyes of Kendra, Lindsey and Dani, and themes of domestic abuse, jealousy, infidelity, drugs, alcohol, grief, and motherhood are explored. I found that I didn't want to put this compelling and absorbing story down. Lucinda Berry's fantastic characterisation helped to make this a rather special tale and all three women, their husbands, the children, and even the detective in charge of the case, Detective Locke, were well crafted and fleshed out, becoming almost real to me.

The Best of Friends is not an action-packed thriller, but it is a suspenseful, electrifying and impassioned read, and the final twist left me gobsmacked.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

I just finished this "disturbing psychological thriller."

Dr. Lucinda Berry quickly became a favorite author after I read "Saving Noah."

She has done it again with "The Best of Friends." It's a great story.

If you've ever read Torey Hayden and enjoyed her books, you'll enjoy Lucinda Berry's books.

A thrilling but at times heartbreaking read that had me hooked from the very beginning, The story was excellent and I would highly recommend this book.

4.5/5 stars for this intense, gripping, thrilling ride of a read.

Three life-long friends; they're wives, they're mothers, and they all have secrets. One terrible incident left one of their sons dead, one on life support and the other non-verbal. But trying to get answers and figure out what happened that devastating night leaves everyone spiraling out of control.

This is a heartbreaking tale that will literally have you at the edge of your seat the entire time you're reading it. So good!