Song: You’re No Good by Linda Ronstadt

Overall, this was a decent story with a solid audio narrator.

When the audiobook played, it reminded me of theater a little bit. At times I was a bit confused as the audiobook glitched through the Netgalley app so I feel like parts of the story were missing. So I was confused a few times about what was going on. Even so, I still enjoyed listening to it.

This book revolves around 2 best friends (ok, so mostly Kate bc she always steals the show), who are honestly both pretty unlikable. Kate is the worst. Bella is a bit codependent and came across as a bit whiney/needy. Kate was strong and charismatic but manipulative as well. Kate had some seriously strong sociopath / narcissist vibes going on.

The scene where a certain something gets exposed and Kate tries to brush it under the rug…made me so angry for Bella.

With friends like Kate, who needs enemies. 🤷🏼‍♀️

With pushovers like Bella….there is always a need for a best “friend.” 👯‍♀️

#TheBestFriend #JessicaFellowes #AntoniaBeamish #LucyScott #StMartinsPress #MinotaurBooks #MacmillanAudio #NetGalley

This is the tale of Kate and Bella, two childhood friends, and the way this friendship evolved over many years, well into their old age.

At times bitter, toxic, selfish and consequential, the friendship ebbs and flows, shaping their lives well into their seventies.

It is an interesting story and the narrators have done a great job.

This is a review of the ALC of this book.

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. The narration was good on the audio.

Beautifully written and narrated, this is a study in human psyche and complex relationships.
I found this novel lovely and haunting.

This was a super slow burn. Half the time I wasn’t sure what was even going on. The way it is written is pretty confusing, especially in the beginning when it’s a series of conversations. I have no idea why these two are friends: Kate is self-absorbed and even though she’s a horrible friend, Bella is obsessed with her. Neither one of them is likeable. Both of them constantly have to create drama to make themselves feel better. And yet, despite all this, the writing flowed so well that I couldn’t stop. I enjoyed this in a weird way, almost like staring at a car wreck as you drive by. This book really just wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to review this audiobook. I am not really sure about this book. I didn’t dislike it, but I didn’t love it. Best friends who clearly do not have a normal relationship with one another. Each chapter felt almost like a soap opera. The storyline taking forever to move forward. You had to go through each chapter to understand the last one. I almost felt I was missing in on a secret because I was not fully getting closure for each moment. I may try this author again in the future to try see if this was a one off. I don’t remember if there is swearing. Mild sexual content.

This filled me with so many bittersweet emotions. How many times have our friends treated us poorly and we've replayed their actions in our minds until we're unsure what the motives were? Or in how many stories are we actually the villain? Our memories are unreliable.

I'm feeling very appreciative of my friendships and our boundaries after reading this one.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, 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 did very much enjoy the narrator of this one and thought they did a good job bringing the story through life with their voice! I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!! Grab a copy of this one on September 13th!

WOAH. Wow. This audiobook was amazing and it kept me glued to my seat the entire time. It hooked me from the beginning!

Two best friends since childhood, Bella and Kate have had one toxic friendship. Bella is the more sensible one, while Kate is reckless.

Their friendship troubles lead to three decades of silence. Someone reaches out on Kate’s behalf as she is an old people’s home. We don’t fully know why their friendship came to a halt until much later in the story.

Their emotional connection is inevitable. Can they let the past go and move forward? What secrets are they sharing? Why is their relationship toxic? Why remain friends?

I picked this up as an audiobook ARC from Netgalley. I am not sure what I was expecting. It was mainly about two women with a toxic friendship spanning a lifetime.
I can't relate to being friends with anyone toxic. I even avoided my own best friends when they were using drugs but I suppose the message in the end was important.
There were parts of this book I couldn't follow. I felt like there was missing context or I just did not notice something I should have. There were a few times where I was like "wait what?"
It was not a bad book I was just not maybe focused enough to get it.
I loved the narration though. That was fantastic.

Best friends since childhood, Kate and Bella couldn’t be more different. We see things through the eyes of both Bella and Kate, from childhood into their adult years, and see how toxic their relationship becomes. It was honestly hard to like either one of these protagonists and the story can be hard to follow, but the ending of the book adds some surprises

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 Audiobook format only.
I’m not sure if it was Netgalley’s playback quality which at times can be low, but the beginning of the book when younger Bella and Kate are talking, each voice comes through in a different ear.

And that pitter patter with one voice in particular is very unpleasant. It lasts for maybe 5-15 minutes until the register in the narrators voice changes to reflect aging.