I have been in love with Lucinda Berry ever since I read The Perfect Child and I have read everything she has released since.

I feel like this book had a much different feel from her other ones. It’s was more of a rich, suburban mom story and not as much of a psychological thriller. Despite that, I did still really enjoy it, just not as much as some of her previous ones. It is definitely for someone who is newer to Lucinda Berry’s writing and not quite ready for some of her darker works.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this one! Lucinda Berry is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.
Loved the multiple povs and also the now vs then, my fave type to read, very fast paced!!

Wow!!!! Told by different p.o.v., at different times, this is a story well told about friendship, trust, wealth, and murder! The title could not be more accurate! Oh, and there is not just one twist, there are many, right up to the very end! I love all the stories Lucinda Berry writes! Well written and grabs you right away!

First off, thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I truly loved this book. However, despite my love for it, I can't read any more "ohmigods" or descriptions of giggles. I just can't. I've read every book by Lucinda Berry written thus far, and she will always be an immediate-buy author... but something another reviewer said has stuck with me the last few years. Berry was an adolescent psychologist, which makes her writing style and narratives incredibly unique. However, it's obvious that she has no idea how to write adult characters when they are expressing any sort of emotion whatsoever.

Please, I beg you, no more giggles. Please.

Beyond that, this was a very fast paced read and it kept me guessing until the end. I wasn't a fan of any of the main characters, but that worked well for this style of who-dun-it. It easily would have been a 5-star-book, but I had to knock points for all the giggles and "ohmigods" and for the less than stellar depiction of mental illness as it relates to postpartum depression (this wasn't the central theme of the book, so it didn't bother me as much as it could have, but I'd expect a better job conveying the symptoms and consequences when written by a former psychologist).

I love Lucinda Berry’s writing! I was so happy when I saw that I was approved. This book flowed really well and everything unfolded very nicely. Having the different POVs and the different timelines kept the story interesting. Lucinda Berry never disappoints and I can’t wait to get the physical copy of this in November. Thank you Lucinda Berry, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this advanced ebook copy!

The more I read Lucinda Berry's books, the more I like her. She's one of those authors that grow on you. Her writing style has an addictive quality that once I start one of her books, I simply cannot stop. This one in particular had so many unlikeable characters that it was like a trainwreck I couldn't look away from. The secrets these women held were so devious and dark, each one worse than the next. Just when I started to feel some sympathy towards one of them, their awful actions took that right away. While I am a fan of twists and being shocked, I also loathe when there is too many or when the epilogue or conclusion will completely change the entire story, changing my rating in a heartbeat. This one though, was brilliant and each twist flowed so effortlessly into the next while leaving your jaw and heart on the floor. I highly, highly recommend this one for any mystery and thriller lover. Four and a half stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for this ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book, all thoughts are my own. This book grabbed me on the first page and didn't stop. This book is like rich Mom's club with a twist! Four women who are also good friends meet for an evening of fun and one of them turns up dead and the others are all suspects. This book goes back and forth to past, and present told by many viewpoints. Would totally recommend and I need more from this author!

Rich, Hollywood moms club. Lots of secrets & betrayal. KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE, alternates between three friends POV and goes between now and then. One friend is murdered and discovering the killer involves digging up lots of secrets 🤫
Overall I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and I really wasn’t sure how it was going to end! There were two lil bombshells at the end that 1) I didn’t see coming 2) I didn’t really like. Can’t say more w/o spoilers but I’m excited to see what people think when this comes out this fall!!!

Thanks NetGalley for the arc!

This book starts out strong and holds you until the end. It took a bit for me to get all the characters down as they’re all introduced in the beginning. Story was well paced whodunnit thriller mystery. Would definitely recommend to others.

Thanks NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this arc honestly.

I was lucky enough to read this ARC, and man what a ride! So many twists and turns that kept me guessing literally till the last page. I really liked this book- it reminds me of a more grown-up pretty little liars which I love. I really liked the multiple POVs and the twists. Highly recommend for my fellow thriller fans!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for allowing me this advanced copy of "Keep your Friends Close.”

Lucinda Berry is one of my favorite authors. I was so excited when I saw I could read this early on net galley! I had to force myself to put this book down once I would pick it up. As always another 5 stars from me. This book kept me on my toes and just keep me watching to find out what was gonna happen next. I’m usually not one for multiple povs but this book made me enjoy all of the povs.

Lucinda Berry always writes such compelling characters and this book did not disappoint. If Desperate Housewives met Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, this book would perfectly summarize those characters. The juicy secrets. The frenemies. The lies. The parties. The deception.
The Hollywood Moms club is having a party with 7 of their members when 1 of them ends up dead in the swimming pool. Accident or murder? As the book delves into 3 of the women, we can see that they each have their own motives. Brooke, spiraling out of control while going through a messy break up with her wife, has been a loose cannon. Whitney, the victims best friend, had a complete secret life to make up for her husband's reckless gambling. And Jade is hiding her lack of wealth from the other moms.

Would these motives drive someone to murder their friend? A juicy, soap opera of a book, I loved every minute.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for the ARC.

Yes one star but I am going to start off with the good stuff. Told from multiple points of view and we have Now and Then chapters, this is my favourite format style, especially for thrillers. None of the characters were likeable but in this case, it’s a good thing because they are all suspect but for them to call each other friends is a stretch, there is nothing friendly about this bunch.

This book started off well enough and I was clicking along at a good pace. It claims to be a fast-paced thriller and it meets the criteria but I had some HUGE problems with this one. My biggest problem was with how mental health issues were portrayed. It wasn’t very realistic and was so over the top by the end that I felt angry. But let’s just say the author did that for entertainment purposes…I get that so I figured this was a pretty decent three-star read and the reveal was a surprise because the author threw in so many red herrings it was impossible to guess and I liked that. There were a bunch of other problems I had with the plot…

SPOILER A killer lesbian wife who goes off the rails, the affair of the second best friend with her best friend’s husband who turns out to hate them both and runs away, the madame of the neighbourhood running an escort service and best of all… embryo theft…Not just one but she stole two embryos! END SPOILER

…that were so stupid and so cringy I was shaking my head and rolling my eyes so much my family thought I was having a seizure. It was all just so unhinged and wildly unbelievable. I have no idea how this book has such high ratings, it was so dumb.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

It you believe in the old proverbs you may change your mind. At times our friends are too close. Ever way you’ll love it.

Well that was a wild ride. Really loved this book and didn’t want to put it down. This was very much Real Housewives but make it suspenseful, dark and of course a murder. Loved the alternating time lines and multiple POV’s. This was a very fast paced read and the twists and turns were crazy. My only complaint is the amount of time “ohmigod” was said and the talk of Covid. With that being said 4.5 ⭐️

Can’t wait to read more from this author!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

During West Hollywood Mom's Club, one of the moms, Kiersten, turns up dead in her own pool. And it's certainly not an accident... Now all of the attending mothers are suspects in the investigation, and they all have something to hide. None of them is as perfect as they want everybody to think.
This is a psychological thriller, and I went in expecting it to be dark, and twisted, and disturbing, just like Queen Lucinda can write them. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. I'm really not a fan of these types of Desperate Housewives stories where all women do is bitch to everyone behind everyone else's back. We follow these women in multiple POVs and a dual timeline, where in the now we follow the investigation to figure out what happened to Kiersten, and in the then we learn to know more of where each character came from and how they are all tied together. I didn't guess the twists, but I didn't really cared. None of these women are likable, and I found it was hard to keep track on which POV we were because their voices weren't distinctive enough (except for Brooke). Kudos to the author for being able yo create characters that could get you wondering what your friends are hiding from you. It took a while to pick up, but otherwise it's a very quick read.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Lucinda has done it again,I love reading her books! She truly has a gift for writing!
Very fast paced with some twists! A must read if you're a fan!
Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read and review book!

This was a NetGalley approved read for me.
I devoured this book! The house wife thriller trope is one of my favorites. I was on my toes until about 60% and then I started to figure everything out. Oh the drama!! 4/5 stars ⭐️

Lucinda’s writing is always fast paced and I fly through these books. Her chapters are short which makes the book hard to put down. This is a classic “who done it” with different perspectives from each character. A group of wealthy mothers get together for a ladies night and a night off from their families to let loose. Someone ends up dead. I loved how the secrets of each character slowly unveiled themselves. I really loved the setting of this book and it gave me real housewives vibes. I’m rating it 3 stars because it is not my favorite of Lucinda Berry’s but I would recommend it to any thriller lover.