This book was not really for me. The characters were not likable and even half way in I didn’t really know where the story was going.

This was an interesting novel. For one, it is a short read…It took me just about two hours. I really liked how the author set up the friendship between Bella and Kate. The fast-forward through their early years via their conversations was unique, and it was enough to lay the groundwork for the events to come. I think the author wisely doesn’t answer all of the questions that are posed in the book, leaving the reader to make their own decisions about the actions of both Bella and Kate…and the true nature of their dark, toxic relationship. There is just enough left unsaid, both between the characters and in the book in general, to leave the reader pondering over the meaning of friendship and how far someone will go to protect or save a friend, even over decades of estrangement. I will say that reading their conversations was a bit difficult on my Kindle app, because the author doesn’t have them set up as usual conversations (with quotations, set off from each other, etc.). It actually works in favor of the book, because the reader is forced to read each line carefully to determine which character is saying what. This becomes more important as the story continues. But it was hard to do on a smaller screen. Regardless, I enjoyed this thought-provoking story.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins Press/Minotaur Books, and Jessica Fellowes for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was an interesting deep dive into one hell of a toxic female friendship. I found myself loathing the characters and the games they played with each other. I found myself a bit confused with the storyline at times but I will say that you can tell the author is a very talented writer. While this one didnt fully work for me, it may be up your alley. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!! Grab a copy of this one on September 13th!

This was a short quick read for me but unfortunately I did not like it. It was slow and confusing for me at times. I felt there wasn’t much action overall and the characters were extremely unlikeable. The writing was good though and I definitely will try another book by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy.

I dnf at 15%. I think this book has potential, I just couldn't get past the writing style. It was mostly written in narrative however it never said which of the two friends was talking. It was too much of a headache for me unfortunately. I will not be posting my review on goodreads or elsewhere as I have not finished the book.

Thank you to netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. The writing style felt really disjointed. It made it difficult to connect with the characters. The timeline makes huge jumps through time, which made me struggle to figure out what the author was trying to do with the story.

As seen at www.mysteryandsuspense.com
Author Jessica Fellowes’ takes her first foray into psychological suspense with her new novel, “The Best Friend”. Fellowes is known for her historical fiction series, “The Mitford Murders”, and is the niece of screenwriter and actor Julian Fellowes.
From childhood, Bella and Kate have been inseparable. Even though there have been periods of time where the two have not spoken, they are always drawn back to each other. As Bella and Kate age, men come and go and events happen that change the landscape of not only who they are, but their relationship with each other.
“The Best Friend” is told in a unique way- Fellowes avoids quotation marks, and instead identifies conversations by giving each comment their own paragraph, beginning a new paragraph each time the speaker changes. Telling the story this way makes the novel a very quick read, and I flew through the pages. Fellowes manages to keep the plot easy to follow, even with her unique conversational structure, and each section of the novel is labeled with the age group that the girls are at the time, making it easy to jump right into the plot without too much preamble.
Both Kate and Bella have the kind of fraught emotional connection that any female childhood friendship is prone to, with everything from boys to major life events leaving an indelible mark. Although both have very different personalities, any reader will identify with one or the other, and will quickly develop a connection with both. Fellowes is able to formulate strong, relatable characters without substantial character development, which is something that doesn’t happen a lot in novels like these, yet Fellowes pulls it off with absolute ease.
The focus of the novel is on the friendship between the two young women, but throughout there is a hint of something nefarious, something dark, that has forever changed the relationship. Although Fellowes offers breadcrumbs of the event throughout, it isn’t fully formed until the very end of the novel, and even then the reader is left to connect-the-dots. The end of the novel answers the questions raised in other areas of the plot, and the deep emotional connection between the characters is understood even more.
Fellowes examines the intense, co-dependant, toxic relationship of two girls, turning into women, marked by tragedy, heartbreak and a deep, dark secret that changes them both. “The Best Friend” is a remarkable debut, and I hope Fellowes continues to deliver more novels like this in the future.

Good book. I felt like the characters were very well developed and the storyline was easy to follow. I zipped right through this book and finished it in one day. At the end of this book I was really confused. I was certain there would be some element of thrill at the end but there wasn't really. The ending was explained early on and I thought there would be more details revealed. All in all, I still liked this book and feel it's more of a fiction life story than a thriller.

The Best Friend was a struggle to read for me. The lack of quotations made it difficult to ascertain who was speaking when. On my Kindle it was even harder.

I do line the premise here. Two “friends” that lose touch and come back together throughout the years. They go through some crazy situations with their families together and apart. I really like the idea of this book and there were some really good moments here. They were few and far between for me although the last section of the book made up for some of that!

I just felt this tried a little too hard to be Normal People ish - with odd writing choices and quirky characters. It’s not for everyone. It is a fast read so there’s that.

2.5 ⭐️ I do appreciate the author and publisher giving me an early copy in exchange for an honest review and I would try another book by this author! This one just wasn’t for me.

I was intrigued with the premise of this book and expected more of a thriller but I'm not sure how to describe this book. Not much happened and many things were not explained and left to my imagination. It was also very hard to read due to the formatting of the dialogue. There are many sections where the two friends are speaking to each other but the dialogue doesn't add quotes or label who is who. I had to reread portions to determine who started the conversation and then go line by line to figure it out. I thought there would be more of an explanation at the end why did they both stop speaking to each other for years? Why? What actually happened?

A tale of two best friends, Bella and Kate. Two very different personalities from very different worlds. Bella, a timid and insecure teenager from a modest home, who is being raised by her grandmother after losing both of her parents at an early age. Kate, a confident and charismatic teenager from a wealthy household and the "perfect" family. Friends since the age of 6, Bella and Kate are the best of friends and inseparable until trust is broken between them right before Kate, at the age of seventeen, moves far away with her family.

Decades later Bella and Kate reconnect when Kate moves to town. They start to spend more time together and get eachother caught up on their established lives and family. At a party hosted by Kate, Bella has a traumatic experience that alters their friendship yet again and it may not recover this time.

"The Best Friend" is an interesting tale of two friends, written in an unconventional chapter format with a storyline told through dialogue between characters. As the story progresses the reader is given tidbits of information to piece together, the story can be a little difficult to follow at times since the dialogue is not labeled by character, but is instead broken up with line spacing. The character development is lacking a bit due to the large gaps of time between chapter segments. However, Bella is a somewhat relatable character that drives the story forward.

THE BEST FRIEND by Jessica Fellowes

Bella and Kate were best friends for life. At times, each other’s only friend. They were each other’s secret keepers and dream weavers and were always there to hold each other up and set each other straight.

But underneath that was the cruel criticism that was passed as helpful and the never ending need to have more and be more.

Will insecurities lead to the destruction of their lifetime friendship or will their bond endure?

Only a lifetime will tell.

I don’t think readers are going to know where to put this book on their shelf.

This book, if you focus in, is written in an almost romantic style. I’m not talking about the genre or even structure. (Someone else can talk about quotation marks) I’m speaking more about the turn of phrases and the word choices. There are many ways to say the same thing and this author appreciates the way things are said not just what is said.

Having said that, when you step back and look at the macro view I feel like there are some misfire’s that led to an overall confusing reading experience.

There is a wishy-washy quality to a specific and very integral piece of the storyline that drug on for awhile and although it was wrapped up it felt like it was done poorly.

Perhaps marketed as literary fiction it would have been surprising but as a thriller it was mediocre at best and unfortunately just a lot like the others.

THE BEST FRIEND…⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies!

I received a free copy from NetGalley. Friends? Maybe? They seem to use each other. Told over years, with the years in-between just missing, with most of the telling done in a conversation form that isn't always clear who is saying what (I had to re-read a few times). The characters just frustrated me and the ending was...well...not a favorite.

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really struggled with this book. First, the author decided not to use traditional "Kate said" "Bella said" so many chapters were told through dialogue but I had no clue which person was which. It made it a struggle and I found myself having to reread multiple times to understand. Second, there is such a huge balance gap between Bella and Kate with Bella mooning over Kate, are they more than friends or not? Bella is almost desperate to be close to her and Kate seems to hold that over her. Both characters are not very likeable which makes caring about either of them difficult. Third, the whole story is told very vague leaving the reader to have to fill in almost the whole story by themselves. Is it possible that all this tragedy happened because when they were younger, Kate flirted with a boy Bella liked? Could a grudge really be held for 50+ years? Maybe there was more to the story that I didn't piece together?

All in all, a very confusing read. 😕 wish I had liked it more because it seemed to be an interesting concept.

The unique storytelling style in this book was a challenge for me while reading. I love the idea of the story. Two friends from childhood are inseparable until one betrays the other with a boy. Bella and Kate seem to have developed a toxic friendship with a power imbalance. The story follows the two through different times in their life when their paths cross. The story is a slow burn, but I really wanted to know what happened to the two woman. I think this would be a good book club book because there is a lot that can be discussed and interpret.

Thank you for the eArc from Netgalley and St Martin's Press.

The Best Friend
By Jessica Fellowes
Reviewed: August 2, 2022
Publication date: September 13, 2022

My thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary ARC.
The Best Friend follows two women, Bella and Kate through a childhood formed friendship across the span of 76 years.
I must admit, throughout the book I was torn by the unconventional writing style. Dialogue without any punctuation or visual queues makes for a confusing read at times. I felt caught in the weeds of the dialogue challenges more than I wanted to, and because the plot wasn’t solid enough to hold the wobbly dialogue, it ultimately fell a little short for me. There was not enough of a distinction between the two women to be able to clarify who was saying what much of the time. I finished the book wondering if I ‘really got it’ as fully as I could have.
The friendship between Bella and Kate was for me more annoying than it was satisfying, and in many instances not authentic enough to warrant the lifetime invest made into it on both sides. They drift in and out of each other lives several times from their childhood to their deaths. I questioned if I had a 20 year break in a relationship, could I?would I?should I? consider reigniting something that had hurt and wounded me in the past as their relationship seemed continually destined to do…my conclusion - not likely.
So having said ALL that, I actually did like the book. It was a quick fast paced read. I enjoyed the opportunity to read such an unusually structured book…just felt like the structure needed more detail shoring it up to really work well.

I enjoyed THE BEST FRIEND and how it examines the course of a friendship over decades. The author does a nice job of detailing the personalities and quirks of Kate and Bella and how their relationship evolves and changes.

My only complaints have to do with the pacing, which is pretty slow, and with the long stretches of run-on dialogue, which others have mentioned. While the dialogue is well-written and I don't mind a lack of quotation marks, I still found those sections a bit hard to get through, almost like reading a play.

With respect to the pacing, I think it would work well if the book was marketed to literary readers. However, it seems to be marketed as a thriller, which I don't understand.

Overall, this is an enjoyable read.

This novel is not quite the genre I prefer, but it kept me reading to the end. Kate and Bella were friends early on from childhood. Their friendship was like most children - a love/ hate friendship, but then one hurt the other emotionally and they drifted apart. Years later they were together again, but this time each had their own lives and families, but then another incident drew them apart yet again. Finally as much older people, they come together and go over their past, both forgiving and unforgiving..
I read this book imagining it rather like a dated play, when people dressed for dinner.
I do thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really struggled with this one. One of the biggest issues was the storytelling overall. Fellowes chose to not use quotation marks, which is certainly a stylistic choice, but it makes things extremely confusing for the reader trying to keep things straight. The pace was too slow for this genre, which, combined with the lack of quotes, made reading this a bit of a slog. I never really cared for any of the characters. The premise was good, but it fell flat overall.

I really liked this book even though it had an unusual format with no quotation marks. Bella and Kate grew up together and were best friends until Kate kissed the boy Bella had a crush on. Fast forward and they're both married, each has a child, and Kate invites Bella and her husband to a party. Things go downhill from there; it's creepy, suspenseful, and will have you question everything! No one is truly like-able (except for the children) and when things go haywire, we know it may end oddly. But Fellowes shows us the bond between women that when forged correctly, binds them forever and made me gasp at the surprise ending!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!