Thank you Leah Konen and Putnam Books for the ARC!

In the middle of a nasty custody battle with her extremely wealthy husband, George Haywood, Mary finds herself isolated and aimless in Brooklyn. That is, until she meets Willa, a charming woman Mary instantly connects with. When Mary drunkenly confesses a dark secret, Willa cuts contact with her completely. Two months later, Mary is starting a new life in Woodstock with her son when Willa suddenly reappears with a new identity. After her husband is murdered in Woodstock and she becomes the prime suspect, Mary must decide whether to befriend the con-artist Willa/Annie or battle the police, press, and powerful Haywoods by herself. In this fast-paced mystery, Leah Konen not only keeps us on our toes but exposes the harsh intertwining of capitalism and patriarchy.

This book is such a page-turner. Konen expertly employs a dual narrative where the chapters alternate between Willa and Mary’s perspectives. This created great cliffhangers at the end of each chapter; Konen knew exactly where to end Willa and Mary’s perspectives so that I kept reading to get to their next story. I finished this book in three sittings because there were so many twists and turns. I’m also usually decent at guessing the killers, but this book really hoodwinked me!

Even if Willa is a con artist, her inner monologues inevitably make her relatable, and I was honestly rooting for her at the end of the book. I really liked Cassandra too; even though she got the least amount of pages, she seemed like a good balance between Mary and Willa.

Konen does a great job at highlighting the abuse and violence perpetrated by the men benefitting from the capitalist patriarchy. The inner monologues of the two mothers were great examples of how women are often hurt in those environments even when it seems like this dream life to have. It’s interesting how Willa and Mary led two different lifestyles, one a con artist and the other a responsible single mother, yet their fates were so intertwined, and they got burned in similar ways.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer… this is certainly the case here but who is friend and who is foe? Mary is going through a tough time and meets fellow mom Willa and they become fast friends. Not everything is as it seems in this fast paced thrill ride… there’s murder, mystery, and mayhem. Unreliable narrators and a lot of jumping to conclusions to lead your mind on the wrong path! Fun and quick read!

One margarita too many can change your entire trajectory of your future.

Mary is going through a divorce and is in much need of a friend. Thankfully Willa turns up at the park one day. The boys play. The moms hit it off.

One night Mary shares a deep dark secret with Willa and then Willa disappears.

Once the divorce is almost finalized, Willa shows back up. Mary's ex dies.

And the messes keep getting messier.

This is a twisty turny book with lots of options for your killer. I really liked the plot and it was different than anything I've read.

I give Keep Your Friends Close 4/5 stars and will definitely pick up more of Leah Konen's books in the future.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting book told from the past leading up to the incident in the present. Mary is separated from her husband, who is very rich, and meets a friend Willa at the park who she confides in. What’s married to do when her husband wants to reconcile and eventually winds up dead? Who killed him and why? I enjoyed this book and was kept guessing Until the end

Keep Your Friends Close by Leah Konen was a great story with twists I did not see coming. Mary is in the midst of a separation from her husband, George, when she meets a much needed friend, Willa, at the park with her son. Their children played and they become instant friends. Willa was there for Mary until Mary shared her deepest secret feelings and Willa was gone without a word.

A few months later, Mary runs into Willa in a twon close by but Willa does not answer to Willa but Annie. Feeling betrayed, Mary does not want to see Willa again... until she needs her after George's murder.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley who provided me with an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This was an entertaining read with a few twists & turns. I can’t say that I loved it, but it kept me intrigued.

I loved this book it has action and twist and I couldn’t put it down. I love the writing style and the story definitely will read more by her!

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. Loved everything about this book!! Kept me on the edge of my seat until the end and I had no idea what to expect at the end. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc of this book.

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer"

If you enjoy thrillers this is definitely the book for you, imagine a crazy whodunnit keeping you guessing all the way to the end!

Coming from the girl who always guesses the ending, I certainly didn't see this one coming. I really would recommend this to anyone who enjoys whodunnit thrillers!!

I enjoyed The Perfect Escape, so I was thrilled to be approved for an advanced copy of Leah Konen's new book. I'm struggling to articulate how I feel about Keep Your Friends Close, but the closest I can come is "confused."

There's a great setup with so much potential, but Konen almost completely spoils it with the dual narratives. I'm not a fan of that format in general, but in this case, it felt like she revealed every twist way ahead of time. I kept waiting to be surprised or to understand the reasoning behind that choice, but it never came. As a result, the plot felt one-note and dragged. I'm disappointed in this book, but will give her next one a try.

While this book ticked many of my usual boxes—New York setting, dysfunctional wealthy characters, crumbling marriages, shady friends—it ultimately fell short of resonating with me. The characters lacked depth, the plot twists felt somewhat predictable, and certain elements didn't hold up to closer scrutiny. For example, the main character feels just a little "too perfect" which makes her somewhat one sided.

However, readers who enjoy these types of stories might still find it an engaging read. The pacing is decent, and despite my criticisms, the plot still held some surprises. Overall, this book was a mixed bag for me.

Keep Your Friends Close
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Leah Konen

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and G.P. Putnam & Sons and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Isolated and embroiled in a custody battle, Mary needs a friend more than ever. When she meets the charming and enigmatic Willa at a Brooklyn playground, the women’s connection feels fated. Finally, she has someone on her side. During a margarita-fueled moms’ night out, though, Mary shares her darkest secret about her ex, George, and 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 Annie now, 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 Willa.

As coincidences—and evidence—pile up, Mary begins to wonder whether Willa had something to do with George’s death. Is the other woman a friend or a foe, a confidante or just a con? Mary must uncover the truth before she loses everything.

My Thoughts: This book was described as Strangers on a Train meets The Family Next Door and that is absolutely an apt description of the story. This face paced thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat. Mary is knee deep in a custody battle with her ex-husband, who has money, attorneys, and power behind him. Finally, she meets a woman, Willa, whom she can relate to and spill her problems too. In a drunk fueled night, Willa shares her deepest desire for her ex-husband to Willa. Shortly after, Willa just disappears. A few months later, when the divorce is finalized and they are just working not the custody agreement, Mary runs into Willa, now Annie, in another part of New York. George ends up dead and Mary is suspect number one. As Mary is shifting through all of the evidence and coincidences in her mind, she is wondering if Willa had something to do with George’s death.

The story is narrated by Mary and Willa, in their respective perspectives. Mary is strong, fiercely independent, honest, and focused on her son’s happiness. Willa was a captivating character. Willa embodied independence, strength, and comes across as caring and is very charismatic. Willa has secrets and will do almost anything to protect those secrets. The characters were well developed with depth, charisma, mystery, and were absolutely intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, twisty, suspenseful, compelling, unpredictable, and brilliant. The characters were built up, character backstory was established, and the plot was delivered in twisty layers with an explosive ending.

I have read thousands of books, my genre is mainly thriller and romance. Since I have read so many, I can usually spot the plot points a mile away, however, this one had some unpredictability for me, which I loved. One of the first thrillers in a while that closed up all plot holes and left nothing unturned. This thriller was gripping, compelling, captivating, twisty, and had me on the edge of my seat until the very last word. This is my first Konen novel but it will not be my last. Konen is a brilliant mastermind at weaving twists throughout the story, and even when you think the last twist is embedded, boom there is another one. I highly recommend picking up this explosive popcorn psychological domestic thriller, or borrowing from your local library.

Keep Your Friends Close will have you wondering how well you really know your friends. This is my first Leah Konen book, but certainly not the last!

"Keep Your Friends Close" by Leah Konen is a gripping and suspenseful thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The story follows a group of friends who are forced to confront their darkest secrets and betrayals when a mysterious figure threatens to expose their past. With twists and turns at every corner, Konen expertly weaves a tale of friendship, trust, and deception that will leave readers guessing.

Pokes good clean fun at millennial parenting and the culture of rich Brooklynites. Konen knows how to build suspense, keep her readers turning the pages, and suffer from whiplash when reveals get shared. Had a great time reading this thriller, and am looking forward to her next. Five stars for suspense and the ability to keep me guessing!

This was a decent story, but it could have been much more. Mary is a young mother, divorcing her rich husband. She has no friends and so when Willa shows interest at a playground one day, Mary jumps at the chance to make a friend. They hang out a few times and after too many margaritas, Mary confesses something dark about her husband and the next day Willa disappears.

It’s several months and further into Mary’s divorce, when she sees someone who looks exactly like Willa. She denies it’s her, but why would she lie?

This was a fun book, but the audio got confusing with different POVs. Still very entertaining.

Thank you @putnambooks for my gifted ARC.

I came very close to not finishing this book because it took me several tries to get interested in the story. Once it became interesting I was able to finish it but was not one that kept me compelled to sit and read for a long period of time. It felt like the author was trying too hard to make sure you couldn't solve the puzzle of who did it. It would have been better to build the characters a little better and get you more invested in what you hoped happened. Overall I wouldn't really recommend this book. It was a bit hard to follow with the back and forth in time line. Thank you too the author, publisher, and Netgallery for the advanced copy. I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Separated from her husband, George, and embroiled in a tense custody battle over their 2-year old, Mary needs a friend to support her now more than ever. She realizes, as she tries to put her life back together, that over time she's become estranged from the friends she had before she and George married. He took over her life. He changed her. She feels very alone.

It's at this low point when Mary happens to meet Willa at a playground in her Brooklyn neighborhood. Mary has never connected with another Mom organically like this before, so it feels a bit fated. Willa seems equally receptive. The two become fast friends and Mary feels like she finally has someone she can confide in about everything she is currently going through.

One night though, after too many margaritas, Mary says some things about George that she later regrets. It seems too have turned Willa off as well, because after that night, Mary doesn't hear from her again. Willa ghosted her.

A couple of months later, fed up with all things Brooklyn and with their divorce almost finalized, Mary decides she needs a completely fresh start. She travels to a town halfway between NYC and her hometown, where her family still lives. She figures this will be a fair middle ground when sharing custody of Alex. It's there that she bumps into Willa again, only Willa pretends not to know who she is. Oh yeah, and she claims her name isn't Willa, she's Annie. What the heck is going on? Mary feels like she's losing her mind.

Things go from bad to worse, when George tracks her down to try to win her back. Mary doesn't want any of this. She just wants a new life.
When George turns up dead shortly thereafter, Mary quickly becomes the prime suspect. With no one else to turn to, Mary seeks out Willa again for help. As new evidence comes to light, Mary starts to wonder just how well she really knows Willa, if at all. Is she friend, foe, or something much, much worse? Mary needs to figure it out ASAP before she loses even more than she already has!

Keep Your Friends Close is an entertaining and fast-paced Domestic Thriller. Konen kept the drama high throughout, so it's easy to fly through. You want to get to the truth. I liked the back and forth between Then and Now sections as the full scope of Mary's relationship with Willa, as well as the dissolution of her marriage are presented to the Reader. I actually really enjoyed getting to know Mary.

I think Konen did a great job of keeping me at the edge of my seat with short chapters and several mini-reveals. Just when I thought it was starting to come together, something else would come up that would leave me scratching my head. I also appreciated getting Willa's perspective a bit as well. That helped to fill in some of the finer details of what all had happened in this messed up friendship.

I will say towards the end, it did start to get a little convoluted, IMO. It definitely toed the line into the dreaded, 'one twist too many' territory. However, the ultimate conclusion did leave me satisfied. I would recommend this to Readers who enjoy Thriller, or Suspense stories, involving complicated Female Friendships. Bonus if you love a Twisted Domestic Drama. This one definitely went there as well.

Thank you, G.P. Putnam's Sons, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I enjoyed this and am definitely planning to read more from Leah Konen!

1 star for me. I found the book predictable and it didn’t hold my interest. Took me 9 days to read it.

Thank you Penguin Group Putnam, Leah Konan, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and honestly review this book.

Keep your friends close one of my favorite reads for 2024. This was my first book by Leah and it would definitely recommend any other books by her. I loved her writing style and it kept me guessing to that. I would give it 5 out of 5 stars.