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.

Wow! This book was great! It’s a book that makes you question if you can really trust someone you call a friend. I enjoyed the writing style as well. It flowed well. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book first!

I found this book full of twists and turns. Once I thought I knew what was going on, I was wrong.! Erika and Mary seen to be destined to meet during Mary's difficult divorce and tricky custody battle, but then she is ghosted and reeling from Willas unexpected exit.

This is my third book by the author and probably my favorite. This one had me questioning everything to the end.

Mary is hoping for a fresh start after her recent divorce from her husband. She plans on moving to Woodstock, NY and plans a week off to find a new home and daycare for her son. But problems arise when she runs into someone who looks like her former best friend, Willa. Willa ghosted Mary and disappeared from NYC. Mary hasn't spoken to her in months and is shocked when she runs into Willa. But Willa isn't going by Willa and swears her name is Annie. She also as a whole new family to go along with her new identity. Mary is shocked and confused as to what could be even happening. Things get even crazier when Mary's ex-husband is found dead. Now Mary needs to uncover the truth before she is arrested for her ex-husbands murder. Who is Willa really and is she behind her husband's murder?


What I enjoyed:
- this was a quick read and the pacing keeps you interested. I finished this book in less than 24 hours
- Dual timelines and POVS.
- An interesting take on female friendships
- Twisty and quite a mind whirl

This was an enjoyable and quick read! I finished this ine one sitting. I have enjoyed previous books by this author. But this one stands out the most to me! I can't wait to read more by the author in the future. A solid, and twisty read that is perfect for any thriller fan! 4 stars out of 5. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fun and quick read. I loved the setting, which helped build the atmosphere of the novel. Lots of twists and turns! Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.

This was by far one of my top 5 favorite books I've read this year and my number one favorite I've read by Leah Konen. She does such an amazing job of keeping those plot tests and turns that you think you know where the character is going, and out of left field, she sneaks one in, and you're left blindsided. She takes an unfortunate life event of divorce that Mary is going through and shows it leading up to the divorce, during and a little of after. She details, of course, the ugly side with the soon to be ex-husband, his family, and sister in law. In comes a wonderful breath of fresh air in the form of a best friend, Willa. Willa helps Mary to keep a mental hold on life as she struggles with the divorce and learning to be a single mom, then one day she just ghosts Mary. The betrayl and loneliness only add to all the emotions in Mary's head. Ready to try a fresh start, Mary picks a new town, who shows up but Willa?! But seeing Willa is only the beginning of what turns out to be a true test of friendship, trust, and how far you will go to protect yourself and the ones you love? This was one book I couldn't put down, and the huge twist right at the end , well you definitely won't believe it, I read it and I had to go back and read it twice to believe it! Leah konen really does an amazing job with this mystery thriller! I honestly couldn't put this book down, I read from cover to cover in about 5 days!

Keep Your Friends Close was a fast paced read that kept me guessing until the very end. I wasn’t a fan of how repetitive some of the phrases were, but beyond that it was a very enjoyable story.

When Brooklyn mom, Mary, meets another mom, Willa, at the playground, a tangled web begins to unfurl. This novel had twists and unexpected events that kept me guesstimate. The end felt a bit rushed but overall I couldn’t put it down.

Thank you Netgalley & Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC of Keep Your Friends Close by Leah Konen! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Mary is in the middle of a custody battle and finds herself needing a friend now more than ever - Perfect timing, she meets Willa at a Brooklyn playground. They become close and she shares her secrets about her ex - When right after, Willa ghosts her without a word or trace.

A couple of months later Mary finds herself trying to rebuild her life in a new town, and runs into Willa. But Willa is Annie...and she's got a new family.

I'm going to leave the synopsis HERE because I don't want to give away more of the plot and IMO the full synopsis does just that.

This is a twisty book that I found myself really invested in. Some parts fell flat, so I enjoyed it but wasn't in love with it overall. I really enjoy Konen's work!

This mystery was so fast paced and twisty that I devoured it in just a matter of hours. The cast of secretive characters who lie, cheat, and manipulate others to get what they want will keep you guessing and rooting for the main character. I liked the short chapters, multiple points of view, and satisfying ending. Perfect relaxing read.

Keep Your Friends Close is not a bad book by any means, but I would not consider it original nor memorable. Just a generic, entertaining thriller. 3.75 stars.

Pros: Easy read, short chapters, multiple POVs/timelines, plot twists, entertaining, frenemies
Cons: Difficult to keep different settings (houses) straight, clunky, unbelievable/unlikable characters/dialogue

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam and Leah Konen for the advanced copy.

Keep Your Friends Close had the ability to be an interesting read but it fell short me.

We follow Mary who is going through an ugly divorce with her husband who comes from a very wealthy family. The story is told POV style from Mary and her new friend, Willa. The story is broken down into 3 parts but I’m honestly not sure why.

The story was creative and could have been much more interesting but I think the author failed to make any of the characters very likable or deep. Everything was a bit shallow and surface level.

Overall, this was a shorter book and POV style so it made reading it fun and easy but I was really hoping for more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group -Putnam for the opportunity to read this ARC before it’s intended release date in February, 2024