This books is super catching and easy to get into. I instantly felt invested in Mary and Willa’s relationship. I liked that the POV alternated from Willa to Mary and also then vs now.

As expected, the book took some twists and turns, some of which I saw coming and a couple that caught me by surprise. At the end, it almost felt a little too twisted, but ultimately it worked out and I enjoyed how it concluded.

Mary gets ghosted by fellow playground Mom, Willa, and then stumbles upon her months later in a new town, using a new name. When Mary's husband turns up dead in the same small town, it's anyone's guess who is to blame. Secrets start coming out, no one is who they claim to be, and just when you think you have it figured out, a new suspect comes to light. Definitely my kind of book!

At first I thought I knew “who did it” but I didn’t, so that’s a plus. The whole book was a little far fetched to me but also not very exciting? To me it was mediocre. Not amazing but not terrible.

This book was a fresh, new take on the thriller. I loved the Dual POVs of Willa and Mary. They kept everything fresh and there were twists ta kept my attention. I'm excited to read more books by Leah Konen

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First I want to thank NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam & Leah Konen for an ARC of Keep Your Friends Close.

Looking for a mystery/thriller than keeps you on your toes from the beginning and leaves you staying up all night to finish it? This is definitely the one for you!

Mary is a single mom going through a divorce and in a heated custody battle with her ex, George. George was born into money & is trying to take their son, Alex, away from his mom for no good reason other than to hurt her.

Mary frequently takes Alex to a playground close to her ex’s house in Brooklyn and this is where she meets Willa who becomes a friend Mary desperately needed. After a margarita night, Willa disappears without a reason as to where she went or why. Mary visits Woodstock to try to build up a new life for her & Alex, since George won’t allow her to move back to Old Forge with her mom & sister. Mary spots Willa and demands answers. Willa, now Annie, wasn’t the only person Mary found in Woodstock.

Keep Your Friends Close is a good mystery/thriller and a page turner. I found myself staying up really late just to finish this book because I was invested. The characters were great and easy to connect with. As a mom, there is nothing I wouldn’t do to make sure no one took my kids away from me

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

DNF. It was a little outlandish and I couldn't keep with it. Then I promptly forgot that I'd read it when time to review it and I had to look up which book it was. Not a favorite.

📱”Keep Your Friends Close" by Leah Konen

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
published February 20, 2024

Thank you to Samantha Bryant of PGI Putnam/Penguin Random House for gifted ebook via @netgalley. 

A domestic drama and thriller with friendship at the core. Mary is struggling alone in a dirty custody battle for her son. When she meets Willa, gorgeous, beyond charming and energetic she finallly feels like she has a friend. They go out for margaritas and share their secrets, especially about Mary's manipulative ex George. When Willa completely ghosts Mary, she worries she did something to ruin the one good thing she had in her life. 

After 2 months of Mary finalizing her divorce and making plans for her and her son's future in a small town in upstate New York. And she randomly runs into Willa, but Willa is going by the name Annie, she has dark hair, is much less flashy, and has a new family. So when George ends up murdered, Mary is the prime suspect and she only has Willa to reach out to. 

Told via Mary and Willa's POV, over three parts and the two timelines, I apprecaited the short chapters to keep everything straight. 

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With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Red flags galore and some serious twists abound in Keep Your Friends Close. If you're looking for a suspense novel that will hold you hostage until you turn the last page this is it.

A body is discovered in the opening paragraphs. Who is found dead in the fancy apartment? Who are the suspects? The bitter spouse? The evil brother? The con-woman?

Switching back and forth between past and present and two different perspectives, this thriller zips along with surprising reveals. I couldn't put it down.

My thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC.

Mary, recently separated from her manipulative husband, meets Willa, another mom, at the playground while their two young sons play. Mary instantly takes to Willa and desperately hopes they can become friends -- she's everything Mary needs in her life, especially while dealing with the mistreatment at the hand of her husband and his overbearing family. But Willa isn't what she seems....

I have to say that although this book started slow, I ended up really enjoying it. It didn't blow me away but kept me interested and guessing. I had thought I'd figured it out (I didn't) and was pleasantly surprised. I liked some of the underlying messages (not disclosing due to possible spoilers) and found it wrapped up nicely and in a believable way. I'd recommend this to readers who enjoy twisty domestic thrillers. Solid 4 star read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for my honest review.

Ahhhh.. I loved this book. It was definitely an on-the-edge of your seat book! I could not put it down and read it in one sitting! I would definitely recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.

Mary is lonely, she has finally left her husband, but he is still giving her a hard time. She really needs a friend and when she meets Willa she thinks she has found an amazing new friend. Until one day when Willa just ghosts her. So Mary continues on she finds her self in Woodstock trying to set up a new life for herself and her son. Now that George seems to be giving in a little and letting her move away from the city with their son, Alex.

Then she sees Willa, but when she goes to speak to her the woman ignores her and makes Mary think she is crazy until she sees the necklace. She knows that is Willa, but then she is surprised by George and maybe this time things have changed.

Until she stumbles across her husband dead body... now Mary must find his killer before it is too late. Is it Willa who is hiding all kinds of secrets? Does his brother Henry have something to do with it? Is it Henry's ex-wife? Will Mary find out the truth before it is too late?

Initially, I was a little confused as to what was going and what was happening, But Leah masterfully unfolds layers of complicated back stories. I devoured the story, I could not stop reading it. I had to delete some lines because it would have given too much away. I think I have hinted at enough.

Mary is married to George, a wealthy man and controlling husband. Willa is a friend that Mary meets in upstate NY and they become fast friends. After a night of drinking, Mary tells Willa her secrets and then Willa ghosts Mary. Then Mary's husband is murdered with Mary being the prime suspect. Full of deception, con artists, rich people behaving badly and one murder, this book was a slow burn thriller. It took me a while to get into it but once I did, I wanted to know what happened.

This book was an easy read and kept me coming back for more. There were multiple twists but also I really enjoyed the development of the characters. Mary went from a meek and insecure wife to a strong and happy single mother after adversity. Willa went from a con artist to a caring friend and finally found what made her happy. Both of those created messages that the reader can relate to while wrapped up in an intriguing thriller.

While I have enjoyed some of Konen's prior novels, this one ultimately did not work for me. I found the shifting timelines and perspectives difficult to follow and did not have much of a vested interest in the characters. Since I have enjoyed some of her other books, I still look forward to seeing what comes next!

Thank you to Putnam for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a fun book!I couldn’t put it down. I had no know what was happening next. So many great twists! I love when thrillers make me have questions. It makes the book unputdownable.

This was most definitely a first-class ticket on the train to Crazy Town! It was also a true embodiement of several golden pieces of advice - Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, With friends like that who needs enemies, and If it looks too good to be true, it is!! Yeah, Mary should have been smarter and a wee bit less trusting of Willa and her friendship, but I'm not sure I wouldn't have fallen into the same pit of vipers if in the same situation. I loved how twisty and turny things were and once something was explained, it was only truly partly explained. That probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but it will if you dive into this one!

I loved this book!
It’s about a new mom that strikes up a friendship at a playground. Her and the other mom become fast friends…. until she ghosts her.
Then, she spots the friend later in another town and she acts as if she has never met her. But…. She just can’t let it go.

I really liked this one, it kept me fully engaged with the dueling timelines. I felt like every little bit of the past that was revealed really fueled the storyline for the present. I did feel like there were some plot holes, but the twist was good - and the ending was nice.

My opinion: Would Recommend
Level: Medium High 4/5⭐️

Very twisting and entertaining! It’s a very slow burn but kept me engaged the whole time.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this Arc in exchange for an honest review!

Twisty domestic thriller with alternating POVs between two friends, Mary & Willa. Or so Mary thinks. Mary is in the middle of a difficult separation and custody battle from her very wealthy husband and meets Willa during a particularly lonely moment. But then suddenly, she ghosts her. When she spots her months later, things don’t add up. Secrets don’t stay hidden, and the twists and turns do not disappoint!

Thanks NetGalley for the arc, all opinions are my own