Books with short chapters are my favorite because I feel like I can fly through them but there are enough stopping points for me to also be productive lol. Mary and Willa were excellent MCs, both very different but you could find their similarities. While Mary needed a hug, Willa needed a vacation. There are a few mysteries, separate from the main whodunnit, that will keep your attention. If you are in the market for a binge read then check this one out!

This book is a wild ride. Not only keep your friends close, do you really know who your friends are? In a world of riches, who do you trust?

I never liked Willa. Something was always off about her. Mary just wanted to start fresh. And George just wanted his way, always. I felt the loneliness Mary was experiencing and I felt compassion for her.

This is a great psychological thriller.

"Keep Your Friends Close" is a suspenseful and engaging domestic thriller that will keep readers hooked from beginning to end. Leah Konen's skillful use of dual timelines, dual points of view, and the exploration of friendship dynamics make this book a compelling choice for fans of the genre. If you enjoy unraveling mysteries and questioning the authenticity of relationships, this book is definitely worth a read.

Lonely and in the middle of a divorce & custody battle, Mary is desperate for a friend. When she meets the charming and enigmatic Willa at a Brooklyn playground, their connection feel like fate. 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 only days later 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.

This book is told in the alternating viewpoints of Mary and Willa, and goes back and forth between past and present. There are so many twists and turns that you will be unable to tell fact from fiction, friend from foe. This book will definitely keep you on your toes, questioning everything and everyone, all the way to the end. If you are a fan of thrillers, then you should definitely check this one out.

This is a very twisty novel. Mary lives in NYC and is going through a nasty divorce. She is befriended by Willa as their children play in a park. Willa seems to have her life under control, unlike Mary. Willa disappears without a word leaving Mary confused. Once the divorce is finalized, Mary moves to upstate New York to begin her new, free life. She is stunned for see Willa living in the same town with a new family and tries to question her.

Who is this woman who Mary considered a friend? The plot gets twistier as the story evolves. I don't want to say more and spoil the book for other readers. I will say I found the story enjoyable and wonder what the author will write next. I'll be waiting for and hope another book is written.

Thanks to NetGalley for my chance to read this book prior to publication.

Thanks for the free/gifted e-galley@ Putnam Books also.

★ 4 Stars ★
I have only read two novels by this author, but she seems to enjoy writing about complicated female friendships and messy divorces. This book follows two characters' perspectives with timelines that alternate between them. The chapters often end with cliffhangers, making it difficult to put the book down. The story immediately drew me in and kept me engaged.

Don’t expect a deep and meaningful novel, this isn’t it. However, this a light, humorous beach read that touches on the differences between the wealthy and working class. It's always enjoyable to see snobby characters get their comeuppance.

Mary married into a wealthy family that believes they can have anything they want. However, her husband George is different from the rest of his family, until their opinions clash. They separate, leading to a heated custody battle.

Mary makes a new friend, Willa, at the playground, who helps her through her tough times. But things take a dark turn when Mary discovers that Willa is not who she seems to be. To make matters worse, George is found murdered, and Mary becomes the prime suspect. Whew—a lot of twists.

Thanks to Putnam Books/PRH for providing a copy of this gifted book through NetGalley. As always, all opinions are my own and left voluntarily.

#KeepYourFriendsClose #LeahKonen #partner #PutnamBooks #PRH #NetGalley #justfinished #ARC #honestreview #thriller #bookreviewer #thrillerbookloverspromotions #thrillerfriendsunite #thrillerobsessedbookishclub #ReadersOfTheLateArc #TalkWordyToMeTeam #lovetoread #bookworms #lovebooks #booknerd #readaholic #bookstagrammer

Keep Your Friends Close was an interesting read.

Mary is going through a divorce when she meets fellow mom Willa at the playground. They become fast friends until one day Willa has ghosted Mary.

I can't say anything in the book truly surprised me. Quite predictable at times. But for people who don't read thrillers as much as I do might not find that to be the case.

I couldn't decide who to root for in this one. They are all unlikable to me. I found myself changing my mind several times throughout the book. I liked that aspect.

Lots of drama going on. That is what kept me going, wanting to know how it all ended.

Thanks to netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the arc.

3.5 stars

I thought this book was a decent read, but not particularly memorable.

Mary is married to the very wealthy George and the two have a two-year-old son Alex. They are currently separated and Mary wants a divorce, but George wants Mary back. While at the park one day, Mary meets Willa, another mother of a young child. The two forge a connection, sharing secrets and creating a close friendship. Then one day, Willa ghosts Mary and disappears. Fast forward and Mary is visiting Woodstock, NY to find a rental so she can live away from George but Alex can still spend time with his family. While there, Mary sees Willa walking down the street, and when Mary confronts her, she denies knowing her and says her name is Annie. What is going on?

Although there are some nice twists in this book, I called pretty much all of them before they happened. The main reason why I rounded down instead of up is because I really could not stand Mary. This woman never met an alcoholic beverage she didn't love, shown by her capacity to drink multiple servings and then make very dumb choices afterward. Again and again. Any wise woman in the midst of a contentious divorce and custody battle would dial back the drinking and focus on the task at hand. It made her character both not believable and incredibly annoying.

Overall, this is a pretty fast paced book and it really made me want to know what happened with Willa and why, so it is engaging enough to keep a reader interested. Will I remember much of it after a few weeks? Probably not but it is entertaining for a time.

Mary, newly separated, finds the friend she so desperately needs in Willa. But once she shares her deepest secret with her, Willa ghosts her. Now, months later and newly divorced, Mary travels to Woodstock to look for a new home for her and her son only to run into Willa. Only now she goes by a new name.

This was on twisty thriller! There were so many things to like in this one. First, I found Mary really interesting. She's at a crossroads because she knows she can't continue on with her husband but she knows what's waiting for her if she leaves his wealth and privilege behind. This forces her to make some interesting choices, some that really set her in hot water. The men in this book were so easy to hate. I'm sure that was by design but even when they were being nice, I wasn't happy with them at all. Willa as also interesting. She has a lot of secrets that unfold as the story moves.

The structure of this was also very well done. You shoot back and forth between past and present and even shift narrators at times. This gives you the backstory bit by bit which helps with the intensity of the story.

All in all, this was a good thriller that keeps you guessing.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

Mary and Willa meet seemingly by chance at a playground, and form a fast intense friendship. For Mary, a mother going through a very rough divorce, Willa appears to be exactly what she needs.

Then Willa ghosts her-and shows up later in a different town under a different name, with a whole different family.

Konen explores some really important topics here-gender roles, toxic masculinity, power dynamics, and wealth. The only thing is that the book moved a little slow for me, and was somewhat more predictable. This was by no means a bad book, just not a favorite for me.

This was fine! It didn’t do anything new or exciting. The characters weren’t very likable or especially detestable, and the plot wasn’t quite strong enough to run the show on its own - I needed more stake in the characters (or a more thrilling plot) for this to be a higher rating. Nothing felt truly shocking, but nothing made me roll my eyes, either. It was just a fine starter-thriller, if you will?

3.5 rounded down to 3.

People are not what they seem in Keep Your Friends Close and nobody is trustworthy. This quick reading suspense follows Mary, going through a divorce, fighting for custody of her son, and struggling to understand why her new friend Willa ghosted her. Cut to what should be a fresh start, where Willa shows up going by a new name and her ex-husband turns up dead. Mary needs to figure out what's going on before she takes the fall for his murder. This is the first book I've read by Leah Konen, but won't be my last. Happy to see she has a back catalog for me to explore!

This one was twisty in all the best ways!

Mary is going through a rough divorce and custody battle with George, who comes from a wealthy, influential family. George and his family are making life difficult for her.

Mary meets Willa at a local playground. They bond and become fast friends. Mary shares all her secrets, and then Willa all but vanishes into thin air.

Mary decides to move to Woodstock - close enough to share custody with George but closer to her mom and sister. She is there looking for a rental and daycare when she sees Willa. Or does she?

Things get twisty and complicated. Lots of secrets and lies. Someone turns up dead. And I wasn't sure which of these fantastically unreliable, unlikeable characters to believe!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam and Thriller Book Lovers Promotions for an ARC and allowing me to be a part of this tour.

This is the second book I’ve read by Leah Konen and she’s proving herself to be a fantastic writer for what I like to think of as popcorn thrillers. These psychological thrillers are gripping, read-in-a-day, twist-y, salacious books that will appeal to a large variety of readers, making them perfect book club picks—they aren’t too dark, they have lots of twists and turns, the plot is easy and engaging to read, and the endings are satisfying. Fans of darker thrillers will enjoy, but even non-psychological thriller readers will have a great time and not find anything too moody.

True to that description, I picked up Keep Your Friends Close when I needed something that would instantly pull me in and be an easy read in between some heavier books. It delivered that and more! This worked great as a buddy read for me and a friend because it was easy to say “text me when you get to this chapter, we need to discuss!” I had lots of different theories throughout. The direction it took was unexpected, which was a lot of fun.

The story centers around Mary, who is going through a divorce and brutal custody battle with her husband George. George’s family is extremely wealthy (something Mary benefited from in her marriage), but over time she realized she didn’t have a voice in her own family and home. Mary doesn’t care about the money, but she wants custody of their son. One day when she takes her son to the park, she meets a beautiful and charismatic mom named Willa. The two quickly realize they have things in common, and they exchange numbers. Over the next few weeks, the two form a close bond. Enough so that Mary feels comfortable sharing a bit more than she normally would one night over margaritas. But after that night, Willa never returns her texts or calls, and Mary finally accepts the message that their friendship is over.

Until two months later when Mary sees Willa with a different man and a different child. She tries to talk to Willa but the woman insists her name is Annie. Mary is certain it’s Willa—especially when she notices the woman wearing a very distinctive necklace that Willa never took off. Why is she lying about who she is, and what happened to her previous husband and son? Mary is determined to have a private conversation with Willa to find out what is going on…

But soon after talking to Willa, Mary has bigger problems. George is found murdered and Mary is the prime suspect. It seems a bit too coincidental that Willa turned up under a new name and reconnected with Mary right before George’s murder. Is Willa the person responsible? Did she take those texts from Mary seriously? And if so, what will she expect in return…

What I liked

I love a good con in a book, and Willa showing up with a new hair color, name, and family seems like she may be playing a different game than Mary realized. This was a fun part of the story, as was Mary’s efforts to get Willa to admit who she was. When Willa spills more information about herself, I was intrigued. Especially when it seemed that she took Mary’s complaints about George and her divorce a bit too seriously. Mary was exaggerating when she said life would be easier with George dead. Willa must know that, right?

It did seem like evidence pointed towards Willa, but I questioned whether Willa was the type to do it. There were a lot of twists and turns during the sequence following George’s murder. I liked the Konen kept the reader guessing on what Willa’s role may have been. And so many other details are unveiled that I didn’t expect—I was desperate to know what really happened and how. As more secrets are revealed, I also wondered what Willa and Mary knew about the other person. Konen writes chapter from both women’s perspectives, which adds to the tension between the friends.

Another storyline that made me question Mary’s take on events was related to her ex-sister-in-law Cassandra. When the book opens, Cassandra and Mary are no longer friends, but before they were very close friends. When Mary divorces George’s brother and the divorce turns into a viscous battle, Mary tried to be supportive. But Cassandra asks her to do something that she simply can’t, and it caused a rift that was never repaired. When Mary starts to have a similar pattern with Willa, I wondered more about her and Cassandra’s friendship. Maybe Mary really is the problem in her friendships and we are getting an unreliable story about what happened.

I honestly liked that Mary was an imperfect character. At times I found her a bit pathetic, given how much she had. Her reasons for the divorce are the sort that seem inconsequential when you aren’t the one experiencing them, but may be bigger to Mary. At the same time, Mary doesn’t always feel like she’s giving the reader the full story, and that pulled me back in. I love an unreliable narrator, and Mary is at a minimum leaving some key things out.

What didn’t work

I don’t have a lot of criticism about this book, but there are a few things I noticed that didn’t work as well for me (though none of them majorly detracted from my enjoyment). The first is a personal preference, and that is that Keep Your Friends Close is a fast, plot-driven novel and I wanted a bit more focus on diving deep into the characters. Willa in particular is such a fascinating character and we get a lot of reveals about her, but I wanted to understand her on a deeper level. However, I think many thriller readers like a fast-paced plot and this won’t bother them at all—this book delivers a rapid pace and there isn’t a slow or boring moment in the entire book.

The other minor thing that didn’t really bother me but may bother others are that you have to be willing to go along with several coincidences in order to get to that final big twist in the book. I don’t mind suspending a bit of disbelief because frankly, I don’t read to find something that would occur in the average life. This is a standout plot and it should be the tiniest bit outlandish! I thought the chain of coincidences were worth it to get to all of those delicious twists and turns.

Final thoughts

This is a fast-paced, tense psychological thriller that centers around two fascinating women. Is their friendship real, or a friendship of convenience? And who is playing who? You’ll have to read to find out! Don’t be too sure you’ve figured everything out, Konen has a lot of twists and turns that will throw everything you thought up in the air.

Suspenseful, engaging, and a tiny-bit salacious! A perfect book club pick.

This book was ok. It was not as exciting as I hoped. I feel like this storyline has been a little overdone. Very predictable.

This book was a quick read with short chapters . There were some parts that were predictable but it still kept me entertained.

Thank you to Penguin group Putnam and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review

I felt this started out strong but as it progressed it sort of lost its way. The first half is told from Mary’s POV only, alternating between past and present, and the second half is told from Mary and Willa’s POV, told from Mary’s present and Willa’s past up to present. This way of telling things fills in gaps and brings you to the present of when Mary’s soon to be ex, George, is murdered. The focus is on could it have been Willa, or possibly even Mary who killed him[but when someone from the early chapters randomly appears at 80% in, it’s painfully obvious that he’s the killer and that we’ll get a killer’s monologue at the end (hide spoiler)], and while they started out friends, there is so much about Willa that Mary didn’t know.

One thing I am not a fan of is constant mini-cliffhangers at the end of every chapter. Once or twice is fine, but when you choose to tell a story non-linear or with multiple POVs, I don’t enjoy being left hanging because instead of being left in suspense, I end up forgetting as most of the time that little reveal turns out to be nothing or a red herring. Unfortunately, I felt like that happened a lot here.

Mary jumped to conclusions a lot and where she could have been a strong character fighting for custody of her son, she turned into someone who probably drank too much and made rash decisions. The amount of times she was sure who killed her soon to be ex husband and stormed the police station was comical.

Willa was a good unreliable character and I wish she could have been a little more developed because she was actually really interesting. You were never really sure what was truth or not. I thought the book ended on the perfect note for her character.

This was a fun mystery read. I didn't have a handle on who the actual killer was until closer to the reveal but I could tell it wasn't Willa, that would have been too easy. I enjoyed all the characters and while slightly predictable the plot was good.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mary is estranged from her wealthy husband and has had a falling out with her sister in law who had been her best friend. While at the park with her son, she meets another mom, Willa, and they hit it off, but suddenly Willa disappears and stops answering texts. In an effort to restart her life, Mary moves to upstate New York and she runs into a woman who looks just like Willa, but now with a different man and child.

I liked this book. It held my interest because I really didn't know where it was going. It was fast paced enough that I never got bored and I found myself wanting to return to it when I put it down and when you thought you knew the whole story, there was more. It may not actually be a 5 star, but because I DNF'd my last 2 books, I am giving it the extra star for getting me out of my reading slump. I have liked the other books I have read from this author and look forward to her next offering.

Mary is having a rough time. She has left her wealthy husband George and is trying to navigate coparenting with their son Alex while dealing with the loss of her life. George made sure her career was not a priority and somehow Mary, has to make their divorce work, or risk losing Alex to George and his super wealthy family.
Mary finally makes a friend, Willa, who seems to understand what she’s going through. But there is more to Willa than Mary knows and soon the way she ghosted Mary is the least of her concerns. You see Mary finds George’s dead body. But the police look very closely at Mary and soon she must figure out who killed George before she loses her son and her freedom.
Told from Mary and Willa’s POVs, this story was piled high with secrets and lies. I read this on a rainy Sunday and while some of the reveals had me rolling my eyes, for the most part it was a very good whodunnit. One where my final guess was totally wrong!