****Publishing February 20, 2024****

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Imagine your best friend disappearing only to discover that she is living in the town you just moved to, but under a different name. This is exactly what happened to Mary when she moved to Woodstock, NY in order to be closer to her family and her ex-husband, George, because that was the agreement she had made with George for their son.

George, one minute sending threatening texts and then the next begging to make up, so it angered Mary! When George doesn’t show up as expected, she goes to his brother’s house and finds her ex-husband dead. Mary is treated like a suspect. Can she prove her innocence? How will she handle going through divorce, juggling a toddler and rediscovering her best friend living under a different name? Is it what it seems?

This fast-paced domestic thriller will leave you feeling shocked as this book has an unexpected plot twist that will keep you guessing until all is revealed! A highly entertaining book, that is perfect for any vacation!

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam (G.P. Putnam's Sons), I was provided an ARC of Keep Your Friends Close by Leah Konen via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. #Netgalley #KeepYourFriendsClose

Mary’s life is a Cinderella story. She is married to a handsome and wealthy man who adores her, living a life of luxury and ease with a son they both cherish. The Haywoods are rich, that much she knew going in. They are also manipulative, undermining, and vindictive. It takes a while for Mary to realize this, but when her brother-in-law, Henry, divorces his wife, the curtain rises. Henry strips his estranged wife of financial support and valuable personal belongings, ensuring she has no means of support. Retribution from a spoiled, rich son who is used to yeses. Leave a Haywood and expect no mercy.

George had helped his brother, so, why did Mary expect different treatment when she leaves George? Because he is the good son, runs the Haywood’s nonprofit and helps women in developing nations? Haywood blood runs in his veins, but she naively thinks he will honor their custody agreement even though it is clear that he doesn’t want to lose her.

Mary is trying to create a life for she and her son, Alex, when she meets Willa. They have an immediate connection and quickly build a friendship Mary desperately needs. Mary has been self-medicating lately and is prone to drinking and sharing. Putty in the right hands. Then Willa disappears. Mary has lost her shoulder to cry on when George reneges on their shared custody agreement and seems to be building a case of unfitness against her. With no money to hire a lawyer capable of facing the Haywood’s powerhouse law firm, the noose is tightening.

George makes a final plea to meet with Mary to discuss their marriage, but he never shows up. She finds him at his brother’s property when she opens the door and trips over his lifeless body. The scene suggests a deranged—or vengeful—person committed the crime. Mary quickly becomes a suspect, and her only hope of seeing Alex again is to find the killer before she is arrested.

This title lives up to its billing as a suspense thriller. There is a sinister feel to every page.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

This was a really good read. The author did a great job with character and plot development. There were so many twists in this that kept me on my toes.

This was a good read - I really enjoyed this book. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

Thank you SO much to Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC of Keep Your Friends Close via Netgalley. You made my year.

Thrilling and endlessly twisty, Keep Your Friends Close kept me on the edge of every page, desperate to know the truth. Our heroine is Mary, who is near the end of an ugly divorce and custody battle with her bitter ex, George. Her only goal is to maintain a fair agreement to share their son, Alex, and have a fresh start. But George isn’t quite ready to let her go, and leverages his family’s wealth and status to place her in an impossible position. When George turns up dead, Mary is suspect number one, and her relationship with Alex is on the line. But Keep Your Friends Close isn’t really about Mary and George. It’s about Mary and Willa.

Charming, seductive and hard to resist, Willa is everything Mary could want in a friend. Mary splits open and spills all her secrets without reservation. Yet, like a bad date, Willa ghosts Mary near the end of her marriage, leaving her alone to pick up the pieces. When Mary sees Willa again – or at least a woman who looks like Willa and is calling herself Annie – she is determined to get to the bottom of what happened to her friend, and who this familiar stranger really is. Told both in the present and the past, the two timelines continue to build their perspective climaxes, both equally jaw-dropping.

I’ve read so many domestic thrillers, but the twist of this one still surprised me. I really loved that the heart of the story was the (faux?) friendship of these two women and most of the big moments hinged on what decisions they would make because of or for each other. The swapping back and forth between present and past was both smart and annoying. Getting to the end of a chapter and being left on a cliffhanger and knowing I’d have to read the whole next chapter to get back to this time was incredibly effective. I couldn’t put this book down, and neither will you. Keep Your Friends Close… but maybe keep this book even closer.

Thank you to Net Galley for this advanced copy in exchange for a review. This is my third Leah Konen book and it may have overtaken The Perfect Escape as my favorite one! It is easy to read in one or two sittings because there is no such part in it that is a "good place to stop" because the twists keep coming at you from all angles. One thing I love about this author is how well she develops her characters and this book is no exception. Perfect for people who love domestic thrillers full of deceit with a pinch of rich people drama sprinkled in. This book is to be released on February 20th.

Publication date: February 20th, 2024
Page count: 297
Genre: domestic thriller
Setting: Brooklyn, Woodstock NY
POV: Mary, Willow
Features: Wealthy family dysfunction

Well written fast paced, mystery filled with twists, greed, revenge and murder. Engaging from the first page, and consistently engaging throughout.

This is my first book by Leah Konen, and I will definitely now be reading more of her books!

Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced audio copy. This is an honest voluntary review.

fantastic and strong thriller by Leah Konen, who isn't an author i've read too much before but will certainly look at now. this work was gorgeous. thanks for the arc!

i especially loved how willa's pov was woven into the whole mess.

Keep Your Friends Close was an addictive, fun and well thought out book that kept me on my toes doing my best to figure not only who could be trusted but whodunit. Leah Konen first came on my radar when I read All the Broken People and I have been a fan ever since. This is the fourth book of Konen's that I have read, and she delivered yet again! I know that I can count on a twist filled, well written and gripping read when I pick up one of her books.

In the beginning of the book, Mary could really use a friend. She has decided to leave George, her controlling husband, and is amid a custody battle with him. When she takes her toddler, Alex, to a playground, she meets Willa and they become fast friends. But after Mary shares something with Willa, her calls are no longer returned. Months later, after moving, Mary sees Willa, who now goes by Annie, on the street in her new town. Top that off with George being found dead and well, Mary's life is turned upside down.

This proved to be a fast read for me. I never knew who could be trusted and at times wondered if Mary herself could be trusted. I enjoyed how this book was told going back and forth between the past and present. Readers are given information little by little but only enough to keep the carrot dangling in front of our noses.

I enjoyed the tension that flowed throughout this book. There is plenty of drama, secrets, twists, and turns along the way. I flew through the pages as I wanted to know who could be trusted, who is lying, who is manipulating, and the identity of the killer. The characters are an interesting lot. I felt for Mary. Wanting a friend so badly and being ghosted. I also felt for her having to deal with not only her controlling husband/ex-husband but also his family members as well.

Leah Konen delivered another thrilling and shocking read! I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

Tense, dramatic, gripping, shocking, and hard to put down!

Leah Konen writes a fast-paced novel weaving a rich family, a lonely woman, and a con artist. A so-called chance encounter leads Mary down a path of lies. She reveals what anyone would do for money and how you don't know the people you meet. Family lies of the rich mixed with murder and an ending that has you wondering what I missed along the way. It is a talented well well-written suspense novel to the last page. I will be looking forward to reading more by Leah Konen.

They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but what if you don’t know your friend is actually your enemy until it’s too late? Mary is going through a divorce. Her ultra-wealthy husband, George, does not want to let her go easily. In the midst of her miserable divorce, Mary takes her son Alex to the park and meets Willa. Willa quickly becomes Mary’s close confidante. Mary tells Willa things she’s never told anyone else. Then, Willa disappears. Months later, Mary runs into Willa in another town, but she looks different and is going by Annie now. Then, her husband George turns up dead. Who really is Willa? Did she have something to do with George’s death? Mary will stop at nothing to find out.

This was my first book by Leah Konen, but it definitely won’t be my last. The first half of the book was gripping, but the second half was so twisty I had to keep reading to find out what happened next. The short chapters helped me fly through the second half of the book. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys thrillers! Clear your schedule for this one because you must know how it turns out. I give it 4/5 stars.

This one was a DNF for me, but I am so thankful to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for granting me advanced digital access to this one before it hits shelves on February 20, 2024.

4 stars 🌟 This book is part domestic thriller, part do you trust your new friend, part rich people drama, and part revenge.
This book follows Mary, a newly separated, almost divorced mother who left a very rich man and then meets a new Mom friend, Willa. However. things aren't what they seem with Willa and it delivers the message of "keep your friends close". There were many twists and turns in this book and one big twist I did not see coming which was refreshing in a thriller. I highly recommend this book for a fast-paced fun thriller that will keep you wanting to know what happens next!

4.25 stars! I really enjoyed this fast-paced and twisty thriller. Mary, the main character is likeable (even if she does make some questionable choices), and you’re rooting for her to have a good outcome. There are a good amount of twists and turns to keep you guessing. The end wasn’t as believable as I had hoped so I took off a few points, but overall I was satisfied.

KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE was an addicting story that grabbed my attention from the start. I enjoyed the alternating timelines and POV's. Although, I did find Mary to be very naive. I also wasn't quite sure if she was always truthful. If you enjoy a good whodunit story, then this one is for you. Overall, I found this enjoyable and would recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group, Putnam for my gifted ARC.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) closer to pub date.

Thank you so much to Putnam books for the ARC and to PRH Audio for the free audiobook!

Leah Konen really excels in her niche' of what I like to call "mama drama". As a young mom, I always find her books to be easy to read and relatable (minus the murders of course).

Domestic thrillers intrigue me because they really play up on our fear of wondering how well we really know our friends and neighbors. And in this case, our main character Mary definitely doesn't know her newly found friend as well as she thinks she does! This book had a great flow and kept me engaged. I finished it in one day because I couldn't stop reading!

I loved the layers in this one and how the plot just kept unfolding more and more as the story went on. Just when I thought everything was revealed, Konen added another twist I didn't see coming!

I definitely recommend this one and can't wait to see what she writes next!

The audiobook was narrated by Reba Buhr and Karissa Vacker and I highly recommend that version if possible!

This book will be available for purchase February 20th!

You know the saying…with friends like that, who needs enemies? Mary is separated from her husband and going through a nasty custody battle. She’s thrilled when she meets Willa who seems to be a real, authentic friend. But Mary doesn’t really know Willa and how she is seemingly connected to many people in Mary’s life. This has some great twists and surprises!

Mary is in a very bad place. She and her husband George are separated and headed for an ugly divorce. Friendless and desperate to maintain custody of her son Alex, Mary meets Willa and her son at the playground and feels an instant connection. The two women spend nights out together drinking and Mary impulsively confides in her new friend about her marriage and her in laws. Suddenly, Willa is gone and all of Mary’s texts and calls are left unanswered. Fast forward and Mary is now relocated to upstate New York, trying to start a new life. She thinks she sees Willa but finds out the woman is named Annie and has a different husband and child. Unsure if this is a con and trying to get to the truth, Mary ends up uncovering secrets involving her husband George, her supposed friend Willa, and her brother in law Henry. Murder and mayhem soon follow. This was a fun read. Lots of twists and turns in this story!

Thanks to Putnam for the copy of this book!

A cat and mouse thriller that started off pretty slow, which didn't work very well for me since I am definitely a fast-paced thriller fan. But, I do love when there are shady characters and you're not sure if you should trust them or not!

Keep Your Friends Close
By Leah Konen

I'm not sure what this book is supposed to be – a thriller, a murder mystery, a gal pal story. But for me, it missed the mark on all counts. There are three women who figure in this story – Mary; her ex-sister-in-law, Cassandra; and Willa, the seemingly serendipitous new friend of Mary's.

All three of them have been involved with rich men who saw them as possessions and treated them badly. All three of them shared the female propensity to think they are only completed by a man. Thus the abusive relationships.

But the women are not entirely deserving of the reader's sympathy. They are heavy drinkers. They seem to hop into bed with whoever shows up. And they are willing to cover for each other in criminal acts. In short, these characters are rather unlikeable.

This book did not ring true for me. While I believe the statistics about abused women, I could not believe in these women as victims.