I devoured this on audiobook! It was twisty - you didn't know which characters to trust and root for, and the ending was just truly so satisfying. I will always appreciate a fast-paced thriller with the right amount of "whodunnit," which allows the reader to play along and figure out the missing piece of information alongside our main character.

I so enjoyed not knowing where this book was going - was it a family or family business conspiracy? Brothers turned enemies? A stalker or con-artists? Something else? It truly set it up so there couldn't have been several feasible answers...but you're still surprised with the final twist.

Excited to read more from this author!

After reading the description, I knew I was in for a wild ride. This was full of twists and turns and you really never knew who to trust. I was pretty surprised by the ending and definitely did not see it coming. Overall, I thought the characters needed a bit more development, but I enjoyed the journey they took. I liked the back and forth POV as well. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Two well-known idioms come to mind while reading Konen's latest offering. perfect for fans of Lucinda Barry (who happens to have a book by the same title), Alex Finlay, or Lisa Unger.
Sun Tzu is credited with the phrase “Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer.”
The phrase “with friends like these, who needs enemies?” is often used to describe people who claim to be friends but treat you poorly. The phrase originates from the Bible, where Job has friends who are not very friendly to him.

Mary is in the midst of an ugly custody battle when she meets Willa who appears to be the perfect mom-friend. This is the beginning of a slow burn thriller with a unreliable narrator but a delicious twisty ending that will leave you satisfied by this story, but wanting more by this author.

Ok, I am not going to rehash the story and the back of the book does that wonderfully.
I am going to say though that while I enjoyed the book, it did fall a little flat. Almost like it was missing a little intensity, a little urgency.

I sort of knew from the moment George was introduced where the story was going to go. I won't say much here because I don't want to give away spoilers but.....

Thank you so much to @NetGalley for the ARC!

Keep Your Friends Close by Leah Konen

Published: February 20, 2024
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Women’s Psychological Fiction
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free and leave my review voluntarily.

Whoo boy… making friends as an adult is already tricky, and books like this make me wonder if it is even necessary.

This plot moves along smoothly, told through alternating narrators. I enjoyed the dual storytelling and the way things built up. There is just enough tension to keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Leah’s writing style is seamless. She creates brilliant chaos and curates such a dastardly tale. The twists were well-placed, and the characters all had solid development.

I thought I had things figured out twice, but both times, I was way off. I love that in a novel. This was my first experience with Leah, and I will definitely be reading her books again.

None of the twists were surprising, though the identity of the killer felt far fetched, in my opinion.

It felt forced, as if the author realized the big bad had to be someone in their social circle and chose this dude at the last minute.

All the talk about jewelry and selling it to start a better life was repetitive, redundant, and SO boring.

The writing was fine, but the narrative lacked suspense, drama, and characters to care about. There wasn't enough any bad characters to hate on!

3.5 stars
This was a fun, engaging domestic thriller. It was an easy, quick read that I didn't want to put down. The chapters are short and the POV switches between Mary, the widow and Willa, the friend. I actually liked both view points equally and I couldn't wait to get to the end. The narrator was very good so I recommend the audiobook.

I loved the overall themes of this book - money-grubbing one-percenters, justice for women in abusive relationships, the balance between independence, companionship, and comfort. The writing is also very casual, focusing more on phrases than actual sentences with short, easily digestible chapters. The characters are dynamic and interesting, swapping between the two main characters; Willa and Mary.

There were a lot of interesting ways the plot could've gone, and though I did not personally care for some of the twists and turns, most were quite unexpected and kept me on my toes!

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the copy.

Mary is a newly single mother trying to stay afloat while she adjusts to being separated from her husband and moving to a new town. While there she meets a charming lady named Willa, and they quickly become friends. However, Mary's ex, George, is not playing nice with their separation and her life quickly turns upside down. When Willa disappears for a time and reemerges as a woman named Annie, Mary is confused and doesn't know who to trust. Then her ex George turns up dead and Mary is accused. I really enjoyed this twisty thriller from Leah Konen. It kept me guessing until the very send!

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for a review!

Wow, what a ride. I was hooked from the beginning. A great amount of characters/suspects. Each time I thought I had it figured out there was a twist. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

This book kept me on the seat. Mary is going through a divorce and she meets a friend (Willa). THey see or talk to each other everyday until Willa decides to ghost Mary. The story evolves arund this friendship.
I really enjoyed this book. THe carachrters are easy to fllow, and the suspense is awesome.

Meh, this was fine. I honestly have very little to say about it. I liked the Brooklyn and Woodstock settings, and the light critique of the wealthy, but again, not much to say.

This book was very engaging with lots of twists and turns that eventually tied everything together. There would maybe too many connections and twists and turns in the book. It’s hard for me to believe the cops would believe everything. Overall, I really enjoyed this read

3.5⭐️ After being on a romance kick, it was so refreshing to jump into this domestic suspense. As the marriage between Mary and George starts to crumble, they decide to get separated until George realizes he wants her back.

Meanwhile, Mary begins a new friendship with a woman named Willa, and as they become fast friends, secrets are revealed which start to create tension. I loved the twists and thought the pacing was great.

*many thanks to Putnam, prh audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I think Keep Your Friends Close has been my favorite book by Leah Konen to date. The twists kept coming in this one and shocked me each time. I really liked that she slowly built the plot, bringing in different elements with each chapter, to the ultimate twist at the end.

Not only is this a great thriller, but this will also definitely make you think about female friendships. I liked that she took the premise of two adult women who become fast friends, and what happens when one ghosts the other. She did a great job writing from both women's perspectives and it brought this book to life.

I recommend checking Keep Your Friends Close for sure!

Thank you, Putnam Books, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The shifting POV left me feeling disengaged from this story. I did like that the chapters were short (this made it a quick read) and the twists and turns of the story left everything covered at the end with no lingering questions (which I appreciate because I cannot let things go!)

A suspenseful psychological thriller that explores the complexities of friendship, betrayal, and hidden agendas. There are plenty of unexpected twists.
Many thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book gives a new meaning to the phrase, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I loved this so much. It blew my expectations out of the water. I was hooked in this book. I loved the characters and the story.

Keep Your Friends Close by Leah Konen is about Mary, a woman who's in the midst of a divorce and custody battle with her extremely wealthy ex-husband, who found relief Willa, a woman with a toddler in the park one day. Feeling the strongest form of kinship than she has anyone else, with the exception of her ex-sister-law-in Cassandra, her time with Willa is a breath of fresh air. But after being ghosted by her for the past few months, Mary is busy with finding a new place to move and school for her son Alex to go. Only... the week she goes up there, she sees someone who looks suspiciously like Willa. Why had Willa ghosted her? And why isn't she answering to her now?

Without intending to, I spent far too long reading this. In this case that is not a compliment nor a complaint. It wasn't that I was savoring it but rather, I struggled to make my way through this with anxiety and a sense of dread (or occasionally, exhaustion) of what was to come.

Mary is sympathetic in how she is fighting for Alex and breaking away from her controlling husband, but sometimes it was hard to see who she was beyond those things. Although, I know Willa was supposed to help bring out the personhood outside of mother and wife in Mary, I still struggled to grasp onto that part of her.

As for Willa... she is a person all her own that I've still yet to formulate an opinion on. I, personally, didn't find her particularly enjoyable (due to how much she stressed me out as time went on) but I can see many who love jaded, "eat the rich" type characters adoring her. I was fascinated with the route she went in her role prior to us learning her full reveal.

I would read something from Leah Konen again. See what her other plots and characters are like since this was a pretty solid read.

Mary and Willa meet at the playground. I can relate to being a new mom and wanting to make other mom friends. Willa disappeared after Mary told her deepest secret. Mary was devastated.
Mary and her husband are splitting up. Let me tell you, he is a piece of work. (but he's supposed to be. It's a thriller). Mary is trying to find a place that is acceptable to her husband and his family that she can live with her son. She runs into Willa but she doesn't acknowledge Mary. Then, George ends up dead!
Y'all sign me up for family drama! I love family drama in books. As the book unfolded, there were many layers to Willa's character. I thought I had her figured out and then BAM something else would happen and I'd be taking another layer off the onion that is Willa.
I did not expect the characters would connect the way they connected. I really liked the ending! This book ends with the “bad guys" getting what they deserve.
The names were common and I had to jot down the names of the characters when I started the book.
Thank you to @leahkonen, & @putnambooks for a gifted copy of this book. I am so happy to keep this one on my shelf! It is out NOW!