I loved this this book! Atmospheric, dark and compelling! Janelle Harris weaves a wonderful thriller with themes of school bullying, jealously, paybacks and treachery!

This was an interesting read and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

Darcy Hogan is an entrepreneur who seems to have a perfect life on social media, but her business is in trouble. To add to the stress, she is having a difficult pregnancy and her and her husband, Luke, are struggling to find investors to save her livelihood.

Gilliam appears to be their saving grace and the timing couldn’t be more perfect, but then the past comes back to haunt them and Darcy is convinced someone is out to get her.

This was a suspenseful read, and I really enjoyed reading it, but I couldn’t stand Luke. He seemed more concerned about money than his own wife and unborn child and that was very much apparent through the secrets he kept from her. Whether or not he had good intentions for saving his wife’s business, he didn’t come across as very trustworthy.

One aspect I did enjoy was getting a look into their past while they were away at school and seeing how all of the characters played pertinent roles in their loves, even into the present.

Overall, it was a good book and worth the read!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3498146330

I am not really a bad reader of thrillers, but saw lots of interest in this book online and I am so glad I did as its so good.

If you are a fan of thrillers I would recommend this book esp all the twist and turns which are in this book.

With thanks to Netgalley & Amazon Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for this review

Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK and #NetGalley for giving me an ARC of #KeepingYourFriendsClose by #JanelleHarris in exchange for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐ - 3 stars

Darcy is an award winning business woman and adored wife to Luke. She seems to have it all. Unfortunately Darcy's business suffers financial difficulty and she must find financial backing or risk the business going bankrupt.

Darcy is also pregnant and suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum which leaves her weak, sick and unable to make any business decisions. She becomes practically bed-bound.

All of a sudden Darcy's life becomes endangered when a blast from the past comes back into her life. Will she be strong enough to overcome her murderous stalker?

This was a pleasant read but it didn't leave me guessing - I guessed the ending pretty early on. I also didn't particularly warm to any of the main characters until late on in the book when their character traits became much more endearing.

Overall I did enjoy the book and it was well written but I thought it was a bit too predictable.

An arc from Netgalley. a new author to me, a stand alone psychological thriller.
Told from 3 people’s perspectives covering a time span of 20 years.
It starts slow, by the end the tension really builds.
A 3* from me making this a good book.
An arc from Netgalley. a new author to me, a stand alone psychological thriller.
Told from 3 people’s perspectives covering a time span of 20 years.
It starts slow, by the end the tension really builds. for most of her adult revelation, she comes across as being feeble and needy.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Whoa! This book was intense! I really enjoyed the plot, however, parts of it seemed to be a bit of a stretch. There were a few questions left unanswered and a few times where I felt there were just too many coincidences to be believable. Overall though, I really enjoyed it!

I devoured this book in a few great hours and really recommend it for those that enjoy drama with a psychological element. A really solid book from Janelle Harris.

Darcy is our central character in this novel and in a vulnerable time in her life. All seems well until unusual events start to happy around her and to her and the questions of what is going on are raised. The book keeps you hooked as like Darcy you too want to know answers. The reveals are great!

Very well written and a book you can hook into from page one to the last page. Just settle in with this one. I found the characters really well done and could really pick up on the vibes of Darcy as a range of emotions impact her. I think good books need to have you wanting more in the next chapter and this certainly delivered on that.

A recommended book for sure, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would like to read more from this author. An author to watch in my humble opinion. Released on October 6th, 2020.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my review copy. All reviews are my own and totally unbiased.

I did enjoy this book and couldn’t wait to get to the end to see what happens, although the plot was a bit far fetched. However, that’s why I read fiction....it’s allowed to be far fetched! The main character of Darcy was sweet and kind, the polar opposite of her enemy, Tina, and the contrast between these two characters was interesting. This isn’t my usual genre of book but I would be interested in reading more from this author.

An excellent, well written book that held my interest throughout and I found it very easy reading with twists along the way.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This is a fabulous book! The storyline is woven so expertly and he twists and turns kept me gripped the whole way to the final page. Highly recommended.

What is it they say? Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer?

Keep Your Friends Close by Janelle Harris is told from multiple perspectives, but mostly focuses on Darcy, the protagonist, and Tina, the girl who has been obsessed with Darcy and her husband Luke since they were students in boarding school. The story starts and reveals Darcy and Luke are suffering from a difficult pregnancy and financial woes and are at odds with one another. With Luke away on business and Darcy having cabin fever as her due date creeps closer, Darcy feels ever more certain that someone is out to get her. She’s desperate to get away—but is she running from the right person?

What I didn't like about this book?
Sometimes, the story felt a bit rushed and disjointed. While, at times, I think the disjointedness helped with the plot and the creepy, suspense feeling the author was trying to create, I think the majority of the time it made me feel disconnected to the plot and characters. Also, I feel like the relationship between characters was lacking. I didn't feel connected to them or their relationships, minus Tina.

What I did like about the book?
The suspense and creepiness. The book gave me chills and made me wonder what will happen next. Going on, I feel like the psyche of Tina was really well done! It made me feel all the things a thriller should and I was curious to see where the author would take me.

Darcy and Luke Hogan are happily married, with a baby on the way. They run a business together called Darcy’s Dishes and by all accounts appear to have a beautiful life.

Truth is, Darcy is struggling with being pregnant and at the thought of being a mom. The bills are piling up and the business isn’t thriving like it appears it is. One day, Darcy is featured on a TV show and a ominous voice from the past calls in. and leaves her rattled. The rest of the story is a thrilling, slow burn, leaving the reader to wonder who Darcy can trust. Or is it a case of Darcy just being stir-crazy and paranoid?

This story is told from 3 different perspectives; Darcy, Gillian and Tina. The three women attended school together when they were younger. The different POVs transitioned fairly smoothly and I didn’t have a hard time keeping up.

If you like psychological thrillers, then this is the book for you. There are twists and turns and all sorts of dark goodness.

Thank you to NetGalley & Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC.

This was an entertaining psychological thriller that really held my interest all the way through. It was a quick read; I finished the book in less than a day. I didn’t find the story especially unique, but it’s a great book for the beach or a long flight.

Darcy Hogan is everything that a lot of women want to be – successful, married, a baby on the way and living her best life. But the reality is different: she feels unsure of herself at every turn, alone and worried and her company that seems successful is, in fact, full of financial woes. She knows that someone is ringing her doorbell and freaking her out, but doesn’t know who. Except, there’s someone from her past – and her husband’s former life – who is wanting to muscle in their seemingly perfect lifestyle. As she progresses in her pregnancy, Darcy is sure she’s not imagining it, even if everyone else thinks she is. I read this in one sitting, I loved that it had an Irish angle and it was easy to read – though the tension is amped up throughout.

⭐⭐⭐ Read for me, folks!

Keep Your Friends Close is an adult, multi-POV thriller about the consequences of our past, and how even the best of intentions can sow seeds of madness under the wrong circumstances.

Darcy Hogan and her husband, Luke, were childhood sweethearts; popular, beautiful, and sure to be successful. If you looked at them from the outside twenty years later, you would say that this was true—but nothing is ever what it seems on the internet. Their company is on the verge of bankruptcy and with Darcy heavily pregnant, their image and sales are taking heavy tolls. In order to bring some new buzz to the business, Darcy agrees to go on a famous talk show to promote their brand. But mysterious caller outs their situation on live TV, Darcy, sick and paranoid already, can't explain the gut-wrenching feeling that something is going to go terribly wrong. And worse, Luke doesn't seem to believe her.

We hit all the key points of a close-knit thriller, with a nice twist of being able to see into the mind of the villain and catch glimpses of their past. The narration flipped back and forth between past and present, giving insight on not just the situations that created our antagonist, but what was going on in their mind at the time and how they fell so far into insanity. Personally, I love being able to delve deeply into the backstory of the bad guy. It brings a depth and understanding — and even better, a touch of fear if the formula proves true.

Darcy was an interesting POV for me. I found her simpering at times. Definitely a bit airheaded. I wasn't enjoying her for the first half of the book, but her POV moved the plot forward the most and so I also often couldn't wait to get back to it. By the last third, we find her backbone, we find her intelligence, and I can only wish we'd gotten to see more of her earlier.

This story is going to be familiar to most thriller readers. There is not a lot in terms of deviation from the usual story beats, and an unfortunate lack of red-herrings or actual mystery. It left the tension lacking, as really we were just waiting for Darcy to figure out what we know going in and it...well, you'll find out. It wasn't my favorite reveal.

I was fascinated by the antagonist in general terms as they seemed to just always have the knack for obsession an violence, it wasn't so much *created* by circumstance as we often see. Or at least, it wasn't anything we get to witness ourselves. Those people are almost scarier in my opinion.

It was a smooth ride from start to finish even with the POV switching and the time skips back and forth, but it didn't blow me away. But if you enjoy fast-paced, close-to-the-vest thrillers you'll wanna snag this when it hits the shelves 06 Oct 2020.

*As always, my thanks go to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for gifting me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Dare you and Luke are childhood sweethearts and appear to have everything but beneath the polished exterior is a web of debt and the need for a business partner.
What follows is a psychological thriller that has you suspecting everyone.
This is one of those books where you think you have an inkling of what is happening but then a twist follows..
Who would you invite in to your house? Do you know your friends and family?
This story ends with one of the best one liners that made me laugh.
This is the first book in a while that Janelle Harris has written where I’ve not been ugly crying- a refreshing change. 4.5 stars

This was an interesting premise and a somewhat complicated storyline. Darcy is both likeable and annoying. Luke's character was a mystery and Tina was just odd. It moved along at a good pace, there definitely a few twists and I did not see that ending coming at all.

Darcy and Luke Hogan have the perfect life. They have a lovely home, they both run Darcy’s Dishes - a vegan ready meal enterprise that is soon due to expand significantly and they are expecting their first baby. Darcy has been taking a bit of a back seat lately though as she has been quite sick throughout her pregnancy, this all becomes horribly relevant later. However, when an old school friend appears out of the blue and starts to insert herself in their lives things start to go sideways for Darcy and Luke.

Reading this was a bit like watching one of those horror movies where you yell at the screen “get out of the house”. But of course that doesn’t happen - not in the movies (or there wouldn’t be any horror) or in this book. The story is presented from a number of perspectives and in two timelines 1999/2000 and 2019 and the clues are all there in the past. While I’m sure many readers will love this, the book didn’t grab me. I’ve read too many that start with X and Y have a perfect life until...it’s getting a little old. Also, it was obvious to me what was going on right from the start so there was no element of surprise and no twist for me although the author did try to provide these. I also thought all the characters, apart from the villain, were so incredibly gullible. Parts of the story relating to the business just didn’t ring true.

Having said all that, I did find the second half was quite readable and I did want to know how it all finished. It was quite a good story which kept me reading and I do think a lot of readers will enjoy it. Thanks to Netgalley, Amazon Publishing UK and Janelle a Harris for providing this copy in exchange for an unbiased review. 2.5 stars rounded up.

I greatly enjoyed this book, thank you for giving me a preview copy. The plot was interesting and fast paced and I sympathised with the characters. This is the first novel I have read by this author but I hope it will not be the last!

Very suspenseful novel. loved Darcy's character. The plot kept you guessing till the very last chapter. i thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it as a book club selection.