4 ⭐️

This was a very fun and twisty read!! As I was reading this, I kept thinking that if this was made into a movie, Blake Lively would be perfect for the role.

This story centers around Mary, a mother that is going through a very messy divorce with a very rich & powerful man, George. She’s ready to be far away from him and his controlling family. While caring for her son, Mary frequents the local park where she meets Willa. Willa is fun, care-free and not like the other moms! Mary felt an instant connection and soon they became good friends.

While out on a night together, the girls were talking about Mary and George. Willa was angry at how he treated Mary and couldn’t believe the injustice. Later that night, Mary made a confession to Willa that she would soon regret. Even more so when her husband turns up murdered!

I loved this one so much. It was fast pace and the characters were likable as well. I kept guessing whodunit. Overall, a great book and I highly recommend.

Keep your Friends Close by Leah Konen tells the story of Willa and Mary with each POV with each chapter. There is a then and now timeline. Mary is separating from her wealthy powerful husband. Willa meets her at the playground and become friends. There’s much drama in this story. The ending left me unsatisfied. I felt the murderer was given that role to make the ending unexpected. But it didn’t go over well for me. Thank you NetGallery and GP Putnam for letting me review this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thoroughly readable and enjoyable novel about female friendships and trust. A solid thriller with memorable characters and a person to root for. Leah Konen is a nuanced writer and the book flows well with various twists and turns. Recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was an okay psychological thriller about female friendships and wealthy entitled men. The story held my attention but was ultimately fairly forgettable.

A quick fun read. Mary, recently separated from her rich husband is glad to make a new friend, also with a young child. But is her friend really who she says she is. Lots of twists and turns, could have been tightened up towards the end to make it stronger, but still entertaining

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

The book was a little slow for me. It was a twisty tale. The only really god male in the story was 2 year old Alex. Mary was betrayed by a lot of people.she was a little slow in learning who to trust. Willa was an interesting character. I’d recommend the book though as it was an interesting tale. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through Net Galley.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for the opportunity.

"Isolated and embroiled in a custody battle, Mary is desperate for a friend. So when she meets the charming and enigmatic Willa at a Brooklyn playground, their connection feels fated. But during a margarita-fueled moms’ night out, Mary shares her darkest secret about her ex, George, and the next morning Willa simply disappears. No calls, no texts, nothing.

Two months later, Mary’s divorce is almost finalized, and she’s trying to build a new life for her son in upstate New York. On her first day in town, she runs into Willa . . . only Willa’s name is now Annie, and she’s got an entirely new family in tow. When George turns up dead and Mary becomes the prime suspect, she has no choice but to turn to her only friend in town: Willa. As coincidences—and evidence—pile up, Mary begins to wonder whether Willa had something to do with George’s death. Is the woman a friend or a foe, a confidante or just a con? Mary must uncover the truth before she loses everything."

Typically I do not read novels having children in them finding them tedious; simply a personal preference. Keep Your Friends Close focus is on the adult relationships and how their lives are intertwined. Interesting cast of characters from the wealthy Portman family, to Mary questioning her life and relationships, to Willa and her way of life. Keep Your Friends close has some great plot line turns and an unexpected ending.

Thank you the ARC @putnambooks!

This book was so fun and twisty, with short chapters and so intriguing.

I couldn’t put it down and was reading way past my bedtime.
Well developed characters, super quick read, and kept me guessing until the last chapter.

It was a great book, go request your copy now!

Thank you #Samantha Bryant for the invitation to read this book, also @netgalley and @putnambooks for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Coming out 02/20/2024.

Thank you #NetGalley and #PENGUINGROUPPutnam, #G.P.Putnam'sSons for the chance to read this book early.This book was so good that it kept me guessing until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and
PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for this ARC of Keep Your Friends Close by Leah Konen.

This book absorbed me, containing thriller characteristics that I enjoy: Multiple POV, short chapters, twisty and mysterious characters.

Who is the friend and who is the enemy?

This book was ultimately about female solidarity bordering on (imo, justified) misandry, though we do not fully know that until the satisfying ending.

The women are ultimately all sympathetic characters. The men, not so much.

The story also contains class envy, a favorite trope of mine. The power imbalance of have and have-not is a factor in their female angst and anger.

Four stars for a propulsive twister that kept me guessing until the satisfying ending.

This book was amazing! It was very well written. Completely captivated my y from start, to finish. I wasn’t expecting the ending so that was a good surprise when you can’t guess!! Thank you for allowing me to read this

Mary is a good girl, and a kind woman, who is going through a divorce from old money. She is also facing the loss of her bff, which is actually what prompted the divorce. When her BFF left her husband, Mary's husband took her jewels and put them in the wall safe. Mary wants to give the jewels back to BFF so she can not die on the streets but husband refuses. So Mary leaves and faces living on the streets herself. She makes a new bestie and then the new bestie suddenly ghosts her. We follow the bestie in part two. She does love Mary and loves taking advantage of rich men. She's badass.
Anyway, long story short someone gets murdered. Rich people don't like it when murder gets too close to home.
And our girls are together because they don't really have anyone else.
I absolutely love Willa because she full on recognizes the huge amount of labor women perform for men and children - and she exploits these men by doing that labor in the short term.
This was really good. I absolutely loved it.

It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great. I liked it and I’d suggest it to someone but I don’t think I’ll read it again. Thank you Netgalley

Such a fun read! Thank you NetGalley for this arc! So we have Mary and she is married to George. He is controlling and possessive. Came from money and is entitled. Mary wants a divorce because she fears what her son will become if she stays. One day she meets a woman named Willa and instantly becomes friends. They stop talking and Mary moves, she’s walking in her new town when she sees Willa but Willa doesn’t know her! Is Mary crazy? Why is Willa not acknowledging her? Then George is killed…who did it? Enjoyed this twisty treat!

This is the story of Mary and Willa. One day Mary meets Willa at the playground with her son. After chatting for a while, Mary confides that she's going through a nasty separation with hopes of a divorce. She tells Willa how awful her husband, George, has really been. She claims life would be better if only George was dead.

I wish I could tell you more but then they'd become spoilers. I really enjoyed the pace of this book. It was definitely hard to put down. There are so many twists that my neck must be hurting now. This was a really fun domestic thriller. I rate it 3.5 stars.

Thank you Penguin Group and NetGalley for an advanced copy for my honest opinion. Expected publication date is February 20, 2024

This is a fast paced psychological thriller that mainly focuses on abuse, the ability to trust and who you should be weary of. I was guessing what was going on till the end and I was wrong every time. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Keep Your Friends Close.

Mary is trying to start a new life for her and her son after leaving her wealthy and controlling husband. She strikes up a friendship with a woman at the playground. Her new friend, Willa, seems to be just what she needs in her life - a real girlfriend to talk to, share her frustrations with, and have a bit of fun with. But suddenly Willa stops communicating with Mary and Mary doesn’t know why. After a couple of months, Mary sees Willa in the small town she’s moving to, only the woman claims she’s not Willa and has the name Annie. What is going on? Is Mary imagining it. Things get more complicated as George, Mary’s husband, also turns up in the town and is trying to win Mary back. But then Mary becomes the prime suspect in George’s murder! How is Annie/Willa connected? How will Mary be able to keep her son when George’s powerful family thinks Mary is a murderer.?

This is a fast paced quick read that held my attention. The chapters alternate between Mary and Willa’s POVs. The characters are fairly well written, although I found them not terribly likable. I found the ending a bit too much, however I still enjoyed the book overall. I would rate the book 3.75 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. The book is set to be published in February 2024.

First things first, thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and Leah Konen for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. All opinions are my own!

Keep Your Friends Close is a domestic thriller turned murder mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat from the first chapter. Seriously - from the get go, I was HOOKED! That, to me, is the hallmark of a great book.

Triggers include...
➡️ Toxic marriage & divorce
➡️ Custody battle
➡️ Controlling (ex)husband
➡️ Domestic abuse

In the beginning we meet Mary, who is going through a divorce from her rich husband and his powerful family. George is not letting Mary go easily, and uses threats to coerce her to stay, especially circling around their 2 year old son, Alex. One day in the midst of their separation, Mary encounters another woman, Willa, at the park. Mary and Willa become quick friends and during a drunken evening a couple of months later, Mary shares her feelings about George and the divorce. The next day, Willa's communication stops and she seemingly disappears. Blaming herself for oversharing, Mary continues with the divorce proceedings, all while missing one of the only close friends she'd made in years. Fast forward a bit and Mary is living away from the city, working to secure a hopeful future, when she spots Willa walking down the street. The woman denies being Willa and claims she doesn't know Mary. From here the story spirals as Mary questions everything she thinks she knows.

The second half of the book has multiple twists and turns, and is not super predictable. I thought I had it figured out more than once, and I was wrong. Overall, this was a very good book and I'd definitely recommend it! I will be reading more by Leah Konen.

Keep Your Friends Close is a fast-paced psychological thriller that follows Mary, who just separated from her abusive husband, and her friendship with Willa, another mother who Mary meets at the local playground. Mary hasn't had a close friend since her sister-in-law broke things off with her in dramatic fashion. Mary is excited to have a new friend and confidant - someone to gossip with and vent to. However, after a drunken night, Mary lets a few secrets slip, and all of a sudden, Willia ghosts her. Two months later, Mary is planning a move to northern New York. When she spends a week searching for a new house and enrolling Alex in preschool, Mary is shocked to see Willa walking the streets of the small town. Yet, when Mary tries to talk with her, Willa claims she has no idea what Mary is talking about - her name is Annie and she has a new family. Between the mystery of Willa and a soon-discovered murder, Mary is doing everything possible to keep her life together.

Keep Your Friends Close, while fast-paced, was just not that exciting. I was able to predict quite a lot of the twists, and while the end wasn't overly predictable, it also wasn't that satisfying. I didn't really believe the "bad guy" to be the "bad guy". It just seemed like someone the author wanted to pin the murder on that wouldn't be expected. With that said, the end also dragged on. I didn't particularly like any of the characters. Overall, Keep Your Friends Close just wasnt' really for me.