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!

This story follows Mary, a wife to a very wealthy man, a mom, and a friend looking for a fresh start. If you’re looking for a fast paced, edge of your seat thriller, add this on to your tbr! I had such a fun time reading this, trying to solve my initial confusion and the twists that followed. Did not see the ending coming AT ALL. Which is rare for me nowadays. 4⭐️

Thank you to GP Putnam’s Sons for an advanced reader’s copy of this title via NetGalley.

Read if you like:
💨 Fast Paced Reads
🔪Thrillers
🤫 Secrets and Lies
💰Money as Power

This is such a bingable thriller & was so well done on audio The vibes of this I feel like are a mix between The Other Mothers, The Drowning Woman, & The Lies I Tell…

I loved the mix of feelings of a pulse pounding game of cat and mouse plus the domestic suspense and marítimo drama weaved in. If you want a thriller that will keep you reading (I binged it in one day) I would recommend this one for that!

Thanks so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Stories about toxic female friendships seem everywhere these days! Mary is divorcing her wealthy husband and needs all the friends she can get. When she meets Willa, a chic, friendly mother in their local Brooklyn playground, she's thrilled to have a sympathetic ear.

But Willa disappears and then reappears with a new name and a new family, When Mary's husband turns up dead, she wonders what's going on.

Keep Your Friends Close did a great job of raising a lot of doubt and questions but I wasn't entirely happy with the way things wrapped up. Still, it was an enjoyable read for fans of that trope.

📚: Keep Your Friends Close by Leah Konen
⭐️: 3.5/5 (rounding down on #goodreads)

With friends like these, who needs enemies, right?

Mary — recently separated, without friends, and in the midst of a bitter, ugly custody battle — finds herself connecting with Willa at a Brooklyn playground. Their friendship evolves rapidly, and when Mary confides in Willa with the full story of her breakup, she expects her friend to support her. Instead, WIlla ghosts her... only to reappear to Mary months later, in a different town, with a different name, and a different identity.

Things only get more complicated with Mary’s estranged husband, George, is found dead.

A quick, fast-paced read, this ride of a book is a twisty one. Minus 1.5 stars for an ending that I didn’t see coming (a good thing!) but didn’t find myself wow’ed by it (a not-so-good thing). While the ending fell flat, Mary’s character did as well. I found myself rooting for the most morally flawed character, Willa, the most — making me wish that Mary was just a bit more likeable. Willa is so full of life and secrets, and Mary paled in comparison.

What I did love? The commentary on motherhood and the mental load. This was my first Leah Konen read, and definitely won’t be my last! Big thanks to Penguin Group Putnam (@putnambooks) via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Keep Your Friends Close is out next week on 2/20!

Mary seems to have gotten herself into a pickle- her ex-BFF/sister-in-law isn’t speaking to her for not standing up for her to their husbands’ family, her and her husband have separated and are fighting for custody of their son, and her new mom friend has ditched her. So Mary sets out to Woodstock to hopefully start building a new life for her and her child, but the people from her life in NYC seem to be following her.

I think the writing was strong but the story itself didn’t feel fresh or innovative to me. There were some twists but nothing that felt like it was my first time reading it. I also usually enjoy unlikeable characters but for some reason these ladies just didn’t connect for me.

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
Konen is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me, because she never disappoints! I loved her previous books,The Perfect Escape and You Should Have Told me, and was stoked to have received a copy of her newest thriller hit! Like in The Perfect Escape, Keep Your Friends Close is a psychological thriller that features friends, secrets, lies, murder, and plenty of suspense and twists throughout. This is the definition of a popcorn thriller and kept me entertained throughout and guessing until the very end. This book is a bit of domestic drama/suspense and psychological thriller. The pacing is a definite slow burn, but in the best way! The twists came out of nowhere, took me by surprise, and kept me guessing until that twisted ending! I love Konen’s writing, and her ability to grasp the reader from the get-go and keep us entertained throughout. Konen knows how to write a great book that plays out in my head like a thriller movie, and she never seems to disappoint. She builds up the suspense, tension, and has you trying to put all the pieces together until it all comes crashing together in a climatic and mind bending conclusion. If you are looking for the next perfect whodunit to binge read in a sitting or two definitely pick this one up!

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
✦Popcorn thrillers 🍿
✦A twisty and addictive slow burn
✦Plenty of secrets, lies, drama, suspense, and twists
✦Questionable characters
✦A mind bending ‘whodunit’
✦Short chapters


𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫4.5/5

Sadly this book was a DNF for me…I found the writing style to be very confusing and the story was not captivating enough!!
I am very grateful for the opportunity to read this book early but will not be finishing it! I hope others enjoy it though!!

I have found that thrillers are the only books that keep me reading lately. I have so little time and if the book doesn't pull me in - I am going to abandon it. Keep Your Friends Close by Konen was a book that kept me reading. There were just enough twists to keep me reading and for the most part I thought the plot was believeable.
Synopsis:

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.

How well do you know your friends is the perfect teaser for this book. There are many things that I liked about it - the dual perspectives and also the dual time lines were a couple. I did, however, think the story itself was a bit cliched though.

I liked the fact that the author presented us with a plethora of suspects, and in actuality, did keep me guessing until near the end. In that aspect, Konen accomplished the feat that a writer of a domestic thriller sets out to do. The entire time I was reading it though, I was struck with the thought that I had read books before with a very similar story line - poor girl marries rich, is done wrong, revenge is sought (if not by her, then by acquaintances).

I really wish that rating systems had quarter star increments. I would actually rate this 3.5. It didn't blow me away, but it did keep my interest until the end and definitely made me want to finish the book. I think this would be an excellent book club discussion book for a club that enjoys the thriller genre. It would be fun to discuss this with book club over a relaxing glass of wine and hear everyone's opinions on the characters.

Thank you, NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for giving me the opportunity to preview this ARC.

Not for me. I find the characters irritating and the plot is messy.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Was not sure where this was going at first and was a little concerned I would not like it.

I need not have feared!! By the midway point I was hooked and could not wait to discover the end of this one. It kept me up late into the evening turning pages.