This wasn’t anywhere as good as this authors previous work. I just couldn’t engage with the story at all. I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed

Thinking this book was going to be similar to a Martina Cole, I had high hopes for it, and whilst the author really does a good job of putting you, slap-bang, into the murky world of the Glasgows gangsters it's about, I was disappointed with the story. There was the odd procedural error and there were parts that were just to far-fetched for me. Most of the book was enjoyable enough to keep me turning the pages, but towards the end, only because I was hoping for the big, unexpected plot twist, but, it never came. For me, it just never went anywhere exciting. It was all a bit predictable unfortunately.

I received a gifted advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Zooloos Book Tours.

The New Friend is the first book by Alex Kane that I've read and it won't be the last!
In this book we meet Arabella MaQueen who's been in the foster care system her entire life after being taken away from her alcoholic mother after a violent incident at school. Arabella mixes with the wrong crowd and ends up getting a 10 month stint in prison. Arabella misses her boyfriend Eddie but finds comfort in a new friendship she makes inside with her cellmate Roxanne McPhail.
When the two women get out of prison they meet back up but is Roxanne all that Arabella thinks she is? Is she a true friend or is she taking advantage of Arabella like others have her whole life.
Eddie buys Arabella a hair salon to manage to get her back on her feet and on the straight and narrow but when Roxanne and her boyfriend Jake come knocking will things stay the way Arabella wants.
This book jumps from the slums of Glasgow to Magaluf with fate crossing paths with numerous figures within this book. Who will be left standing and who's going to be taken down?
I couldn't put this book down! I loved the characters but loathed them at the same time. I did have up and down feelings about so many of them but loved Arabella from start to finish.
.

This was indeed a gritty gang story and very hard to put down. You can’t help but wonder what is to happen next. I liked Arabella but thought she was a bit naïve at times. How well do you really know someone?
Many thanks to Hera Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I know if I lift a book by Alex Kane I am in for a great time and The New Friend did not disappoint me.
Arabella MacQueen had a difficult upbringing and no-one to put her on the right path in life. Her so called friends used her for their enjoyment and as a result she ultimately landed in prison for 10 months charged with theft and possession of drugs. Her cellmate, Roxanne, was coming towards the end of a ten year sentence for GBH. Arabella became besotted with Roxanne and the two agreed to meet up on release. Both women had partners waiting on the outside for them - Eddie who ran his own van hire business was at the gate to meet Arabella and appeared to be excited and glad she was coming home. Three weeks later it was Roxannes turn to leave prison and her long term partner, Jake, was there to whisk her away and take her to a business meeting with a new contact- Jake and Roxanne were well known drug dealers and shoplifters in Glasgow.
There are many other characters who slot in easily to the story but you’ll need to meet them on your own.
The book is full of revenge, murder, mis-placed trust but it is fast-paced, emotional, exciting, gory, nasty and sad in places.
Highly recommend this book to my fellow readers.

This book reminded me of a Mandasue Heller book, a bit of a guilty pleasure where you can dive into the drug taking and criminal world that is very different from my own! Lots of themes around friendships, relationships, trust, lies etc etc. These types of books overall, tend to have a depressing undertone, and this is no different. So don't read it if you need to be uplifted but do read it if you want a bit of escapism!

I adore Alex Kane, every book gets better and better. This is a book which is set between Glasgow and Spain.

The novel is filled with a mix of characters. The plot is enthralling and captivating. This is extremely well-written.

This is a book which is tense, dark and filled with secrets. I have found this completely thrilling and unpredictable. I love how it’s written and completely addictive.

Another brilliant book by Alex Kane, who is very much now one of my go to authors. Great story which demonstrates how friendship can be both the most amazing thing in the world but also can be extremely destructive. I loved the character of Arabella, she comes from very humble and hard beginnings in life and has done it tough. Growing up and wanting to fit in with the crowd and find a place to belong, she finds herself imprisoned after a series of stupid mistakes. Well worth a read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Set mainly in Glasgow, the story centres around Arabella, who was brought up in the care system and served a prison sentence where she met Roxanne who changed her life for good.

Filled with selfish criminal characters and twists and turns, this is the typical type of gang land crime that I strive for!

I struggled at times with the multiple points of view, but an enjoyable summer read none the less.

(Thank you to NetGalley for the E-ARC!)

The New Friend by Alex Kane is a gritty crime thriller that I was so looking forward to, I do love Alex Kane's books. Every one is always a gripping read that never let's you down.
Set in Glasgow and Spain, we are introduced to Arabella, a girl with a past that has been so bad with a mother who was an alcoholic. She makes a mistake that lands her in prison. Arabella makes a new friend there. Roxanne is definitely going to help Arabella change her life forever...but maybe not in the way she expects.
A story that is told from the two points of view of the women. We learn how they both ended up in the situations they are in. They become so close they decide to get together when Roxanne is released. Arabella is staying on the straight and narrow with her own hair salon that her boyfriend bought for her as she was released. Then Roxanne and her boyfriend start appearing. Is Roxanne true friend or is she another person who will use and abuse Arabella as everyone she has ever had in her life?
As the story unfolds and we get to know about the men in the two women's lives. We see that they are all keeping their secretsand this really cranks up the intrigue as we find out more about them. In fact, the more information we discover the darker the story becomes.
A book that will have you wondering about people and their agenda's. Even the people around you...how well do you really know them?
I loved how immersed I was in this book. The revelations came thick and fast, keeping me on my toes throughout. Another book by Alex Kane that easily keeps the reader turning the pages wanting more. If you are a fan of Kimberely Chambers, Mandasue Heller...why are you not already reading Alex Kanes' work? And why not? A top notch story from a top notch author. Loved it.
Thanks to ZooLoo's Book Tours and the fabulous Hera Books for the gifted book.

Another fantastic book by Alex Kane, I love a dark and gritty book and this one fits in perfectly, I was so excited to read it, I loved every minute of it.

4☆ A Gritty, Twisty and Enthralling Gang-Lit Story!

The New Friend is a Gritty, Engrossing and Twisty, Gang-Lit story of friendship, betrayal, rivalry and relationships.

It took me a little while to get into the story as there are a fair few characters that most definitely entwine stories, but once I settled in I was hooked.

Arabella has had a rough start, which led her to a downward spiral with drugs , drink and destruction. But after a short spell in prison, she's determined to turn her life around for the sake of herself and her relationship to Eddie.

Inside prison Arabella shares a cell with Roxanne. They quickly become really good friends and Roxanne looks after Arabella keeping her out of trouble.

But what Arabella don't know is just how connected Roxanne is to the criminal underworld.... and her new beginnings might not be so squeaky clean after all!

I adore Alex Kanes books and she is one of my favourite Gang-Lit Authors.
The New Friend will most definitely keep you gripped, second guessing, and Enthralled to the very end. It's a dark and Twisty read, with characters that provoked all the right emotions. So if you love Gang-Lit, Crime Fiction and you haven't yet had the pleasure of reading one of Kane's superb books, then I highly recommend you grab a copy of The New Friend!

Another superb read from a superb authour.

I was really looking forward to reading this book. It did not disappoint. Another brilliantly written story.

If you like a gritty crime read then this is for you.

Arabella and Roxanne become friends when they are both locked up together. Its a special friendship after al they have shared while inside together. To Arabella continuing the friendship is the most natural thing to do as she knows what a good friend Rozanne is.

Things will not go smoothly though, that would be boring wouldn't it. This is certainly a friendship like no other, It's time for the girls to get their lives back on track, move on and get life going again.
Arabella is determined she will not go back inside, the ten months she served is more than long enough for her.
Some brilliantly tense moments and twists in this book that realy kept you on the edge of your seat.
Brilliantly created characters and a storyline i could have followed for ever. I didn't want this book to end.

I love a good gritty crime book that grabs your attention and keeps it all the way through. This was a great read. I really like the author’s writing style.

Meet Arabella, a young woman who made a mistake after bowing to peer pressure… which led to a prison sentence and meeting Roxanne who will change her life forever…. and not in a good and positive way.

But it’s not just Arabella whose life is turned upside down by this new friend. The ripple effect that is Roxanne reaches further afield. This woman is a nasty piece of work and needs to be taken down. Is Arabella strong enough to take out a serious violent drug dealing criminal? Is anyone strong enough? Roxanne really is a force to be reckoned with!!

The New Friend is a strong lesson in knowing who to trust in life. Do you trust the person you’ve shared a 12 x 12 prison cell with for 10 months? Do you trust your bed partner? Do you trust your best friend? Do you trust someone you’ve known 24 hours? Who do you trust? If I didn’t know my friends so well, she’d be making my question my friendship choices! The people Arabella has around her, they all have their own personal motives for their actions but how good a friend are they to this unfortunate woman?

Kane has crafted a twisty turny gritty suspense-packed thriller with characters wouldn’t look out of place in an episode of Line Of Duty. This book goes into the criminal underworld from Bonny Glasgow to the Big Smoke all the way to the sunny Balearics. I love Kane’s books and this is another excellent addition to her back catalogue! This book ticks so many boxes as a cracking crime thriller! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

*don’t think I’ve ever asked so many questions in one review – Alex Kane what have you done to me?? 😂😂

The New Friend by Alex Kane

Dark, gritty, grim and disturbing ~ This story was gripping and kept me reading till the very end. Without light to break the darkness I still managed to have a bit of hope for one character at the end of the story.

This book grabbed my attention on page one and after reading it I had to find who was involved and why what was happening was taking place. The story then went back a few decades to set the stage and introduce the main characters that would come together in the next section of the book. The main portion of the story dealt with a group of people that I found difficulty relating to and with few redeemable, if any, qualities. It was easy enough to understand how they ended up in the lives they were living but not easy to understand why they made the choices that they did.

Best friends, new friends, family, lovers, prison, gangs, drugs, crime, murder…this book deals with people that I hope to never have in my group of acquaintances…and never desire to have as “friends”. That said, it does make for interesting reading to look at the characters, try to understand where they came from and what formed their decisions for the future. Did they have choices? Did they make the best choices based on what we know of them? Could-should they have made other choices? Did they take the easy way…or what seemed easy at the time AND what if they had made other choices instead of the ones they did make?

What made me sad was the manipulation, selfishness, and lack of moral fiber this cast of characters displayed. It was all about the desire to escape to something better with more money or a rosier future…and yet…the way they went after what they desired was cold, calculating, ruthless, and self-serving without much thought, if any, for those around them.

I don’t want to give away the story so won’t go into details. I usually do a like-dislike section in my reviews but listing things for this story would have a longer list for dislike than like since I didn’t like the people and the story was so grim. That said, if you like dark, disturbing, rather depressing well written and intriguing stories…this might be a good book for you.

Thank you to Hera, Zooloo Book Tours, and the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

This is an author that I can't recommend enough and I can say she is one of my favourite authors.
The New Friend by Alex Kane was another fantastic book by Alex. I was hooked within the first few pages till the very end. This latest book had some brilliant and cleverly twists and turns that made this novel one of her best!
I loved the main characters within this book
Arabella MacQueen has had a very tough start. She grew up being surrounded by drugs and alcohol, and getting into trouble as a teen. Now, in her late-twenties she has turned her life around when she meets her new boyfriend Eddie, she can't be happier..........But, things happen and Arabella mixes with the wrong crowd.
She ends up getting a ten month sentence in prison. Arabella finds comfort in a new friendship that she makes inside; her cellmate Roxanne McPhail. Roxanne is keeping a big secret from her, she is the Head of Glasgow gangland and is in prison for ten years for murder, Roxanne has plans for Arabella on the outside and friendship is all an act......a very cleverly planned act! Especially as Roxanne's prison sentence is nearly up!

Will Arabella survive the claws of Roxanne? or go down with her when Roxanne again!

OMG What an excellent book this was. Its a page turner with brilliant twists!!!

Big Thank you to Hera Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Growing up around drugs and an alcoholic mother Arabella Macqueen couldn't have had a worse start in life.
Left to please herself getting into trouble and running around with trouble makers at eight years old Arabella is inevitablly taken into care.

Eventually she ends up in prison for ten months. Her new cell mate Roxanne who is doing ten years for murder makes her feel welcome and shows her the ropes. They become the best of friends so when it's Arabellas time for freedom the girls make a pact that when her time is soon up Roxanne will meet up with her.

On the outside Arabella's boyfriend has waited for her and bought her a hair salon to help straighten her out and lead a respectable life. With the manager Scarlet showing her the ropes Arabella begins to enjoy herself. But then Roxanne and her boyfriend Jake turn up and take advantage of Arabella's good nature.

This book was very good and I enjoyed it immensely, the only criticism was that there were a lot of characters and I got confused at times with the names Jake and Jez.

Everything from Glasgow to Spain was well described so you could really get itno the book and follow the story.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to rad and review this book.

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

The New Friend By Alex Kane - Publication Date 25th August 2021

I have read numerous books by Alex Kane. I always think ...... ah surely all her next book can’t outdo her last one - well believe me they do!! I like to try other kinds of books but I always go back to the crime/gangster type books. I never want the books to end!!

Arabella & Roxanne end up sharing the same cell in jail. What comes from that chance meeting, had a huge impact on numerous characters from this book. And just when you think your have worked out all the joining dots, another one pops up at the end. I feel that their are strong male characters in this book, but I think Arabella & Roxanne for me are definitely stronger characters. I love that the story is based in Scotland although Alex takes us abroad in her book this time.

Thanks for allowing me to read this ARC Alex - loved it!!

#alexkane #thenewfriend #netgalley #herabooks

https://www.instagram.com/Bookstagramshaz

This book was brilliant .it had me hooked from beginning until the end . Full of action and a great read