I’ll start by saying I am a huge Lucinda Berry fan and was absolutely thrilled to receive an eARC of this book. I had high hopes for this book and the author did not disappoint!! This murder mystery was fast paced and kept me engaged throughout the book. It’s full of friendship, drama and secrets! The characters reminded me of the desperate housewives show! If you are interested in a page turner that’s full of twists and turns, this is the book for you!! I don’t give 5 star reviews often, but this one earned 5 stars easily! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this book was a miss for me. All the characters were really unlikeable. The story is told through various characters both in present day and in the past. I honestly could not keep them straight.

As of writing this review, this is the only one on NetGalley and I feel bad about starting things off with a negative rating and review. However, there are a lot of reviews over on GoodReads and I'm definitely in the minority.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas & Mercer through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Thomas & Mercer.

I just got done reading Keep Your Friends Close by Lucinda Berry, thanks to Net Galley, and I really enjoyed it. I really didn’t want to put it down. I was hooked from the very beginning. I didn’t find it to be slow at all. There were twists at the end that I didn’t see coming.

The book is about a group of friends and one of them is found murdered. Each chapter goes from the point of view from one friend to the other.

The question is how well do you really know your friends? Even your very best friend? Do you know all their deepest darkest secrets? You think you do, but you don’t.

I gave this book 5 stars because I liked how it had me hooked from the beginning. It was never slow. It wasn’t obvious to me who did what and the twists were really good. It was a fairly quick and easy read that kept me on the edge of my seat.

This was my first Lucinda Berry book, but it won’t be my last. Thanks again, Net Galley.

Lucinda Berry nails it again! Such a delicious read. Picture a modern 'Desperate Housewives' meets Hollywood.

A deep dive into the lives of the Hollywood elite. The only thing more than money that this friend group has is secrets. When tragedy strikes, it will expose every single one. This book will have you questioning how well you really know the people closest to you!

Thank you to Lucinda Berry, Thomas Mercer, and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

My Review:
Enjoyed!!!!! This author is one of my favorites so I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was going to read this book no matter what. Boy am I glad I did. It’s exactly what I needed and was looking for. It was a light hearted murder mystery with lots of deep dark secrets to go with it. Who wouldn’t want to read something like that. I do have to say though I’m used to this author writing more darker twisted tales so this was a little different to her norm but I still loved it anyways. Even more so I would say. Sometimes dark is not always better and that’s especially true in this case. These characters were something else let me tell you. They had their nose so far up in the air yet they had so many secrets they wanted to keep hidden. The rich always act that way and I hate it. You should never judge someone without looking at yourself first. Now let’s talk about that shocking ending. Wow, just wow. This author never ceases to amaze me. I never know what to expect when I read one of her books. That’s why I keep coming back for more and I will definitely continue to do so. If she keeps writing them, I will keep reading them.

In conclusion, the plot, the characters and all the twists in this book made this book an enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 5 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Kiersten McCann, president of the exclusive West Hollywood Mom’s Club, turns up dead at her own house party, found floating in her pool. It doesn’t make sense though, she was a great swimmer, and there’s no reason she would leave her party for a swim - especially fully clothed. It’s clear this isn’t an accident and fingers start to get pointed to her three friends and other moms that were at the party: Whitney, Brook, and Jade. Nothing is as it seems as the truth unfolds in this domestic crime thriller.

Berry’s “Keep Your Friends Close” starts off with a bang and really never looses pace. The book is fully in 1st person switching from each women’s prospecting both in present day and in the past. Berry keeps the reader guessing until about 90% of the way through when three large twist are thrown at once. Unfortunately this was just a bit too much to get through in too short of a time and felt rushed. 3/5 stars - if there was one less twist, or if they were introduced earlier in the book it would be almost perfect.

Wow! Thanks for ARC. The plot twists kept coming towards the end. Just when I had it figured out, here comes another twist.

Privileged women in California, each hiding a deeper, darker secret. Things aren't always how they appear in this twisted, privileged moms club. Highly recommend.

3.5⭐️

Lucinda Berry is one of my go to authors, always consistently great. So I was excited to read her new release asap. This one feels more like a domestic suspense.

It opens with Kiersten drowning in a pool with lots of people around who were attending a party of The West Hollywood moms club. There’s a bunch of names to get to grips with, the core members being Brooke, Natasha, Whitney, Jade,Taylor and Colleen.

The story is revealed by the questions of the detective in the now time frame, then flips to prior with the Then.

This is a book of 2 halves, the first is so slow, I really struggled with it. Non of the friends are likeable, so that didn’t help me gel with the characters. It would be a generous 3⭐️

By the second half things pick up 4⭐️, and it ends strongly 4.25⭐️ . So I’m torn with my rating, but it’s her weakest book for me overall. So I’m sticking with a disappointed 3.5⭐️

4.5 ⭐️

I’m such a fan of Lucinda’s writing and her books are always so fast paced and easy to fly through because they keep me on the edge of my seat the entire time, and this one was no different! I love the juicy rich people drama vibes of this book and there were so many twists that I had no idea who was behind the murder so the ending was shocking to me. This book is so well written and the constant switching in POVs made it so much more interesting seeing the viewpoints of each of the possible murderers. Overall a really enjoyable read that I would recommend to any thriller lover!

“When Kiersten McCann, president of the West Hollywood Moms’ Club, turns up dead in her own pool, it quickly becomes clear this wasn’t an accident. And the party guests—all members of the exclusive club—are now key suspects in her murder.
Accusations fly, and three mothers find themselves at the center of the investigation. Whitney, Brooke, and Jade all have heavy secrets to bear…and possible motives for their friend’s murder. But as the police look closer, more secrets, betrayals, and sinister plots are revealed than the women could ever imagine.
With everything at stake, deceit threatens to shatter their illusions of the perfect life. West Hollywood will never be the same.”

Thank you to @netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and @lucindaberryauthor for the arc of this book, all opinions are my own. Keeps Your Friends Close is releasing November 7th

This was a pretty solid murder mystery that had Desperate Housewives vibes. I liked to read from the different characters’ POV and trying to link plot lines together. The chapters are short and keep the reader engaged, it did get a bit confusing at times however to remember which character we’re following. There were a few plot twists I didn’t see coming and a few I kind of saw coming 😊 Will be reading from this author again!
rating: 3.5

Whitney, Brook and Jade are all members of Kirsten’s mums group
For elite parents in West Hollywood.
When at a party at Kirsten’s home the host is found
murdered and floating in her own pool the women’s are
in utter shock.
As the police try to get to the bottom of what happened and who
Murdered Kristen it is apparent that all the women are hiding secrets
giving them each a motive for the killing..
This story was paced so well with secrets revealed making the
reader desperate to find out who did the deed and why.
Brilliant

What a wild ride!!! This book is full of drama! This group of desperate housewives had secrets, lies, cheating spouses, money issues and this all leads to Kiersten's murder. Detective Perez is on a mission to find out which one of these women killed their friend. Thank you Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for the ARC in exchange for my review.

The glamorous ladies of the West Hollywood Moms Club are throwing themselves a booze-soaked bash when club president and hostess Kiersten is found floating lifelessly in her own pool. It soon comes to light that Kiersten’s death was no accident and more than one of her so-called besties had plenty of motive to want her dead.

Lucinda Berry doesn’t waste a moment, starting off the action with the chaos and terror of Kiersten’s drowning, and never letting up for the rest of this twisty, turny, wild ride! I’m a big fan of stories about rich moms behaving badly, and the West Hollywood Moms Club members are definitely good at being bad. After all, the second part of the old adage “keep your friends close” is “and your enemies closer,” and some of these women are definitely the best of frenemies. Affairs, betrayals, secrets, and lies make this a juicy, gossipy read with lots of suspense. Red herrings kept me guessing and had me totally shocked at some of the developments. Lucinda Berry fans will love this compulsively readable book!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC!

This book was juicy and full of drama! I did find around the first 30% a bit slower but then one I passed that point I could not put it down!

One again Lucinda Berry did not disappoint with all the twists and turns! Many of them leaving me stunned, I highly recommend you pick up this book.

Chilling Rollercoaster..
What a tangled web is weaved among a group of friends, considered the Hollywood elite. Secrets and lies abound but when one of them is seemingly murdered walls will come tumbling down. Kiersten is discovered floating in her pool, a party going on in her home, the West Hollywood Mom’s Club celebrating themselves. It seems that it was no accident, all of the guests are suspects. This will not end well. Relayed effectively in a dual timeline, the reader is pulled into the women’s lives. Suspenseful and compelling, tension mounts throughout the narrative and the pacy plot is populated with a credible cast. A chilling rollercoaster.

Kiersten McCann is the president of the West Hollywood Mom's Club-or she was, until she was found dead in her own pool during a party that she hosted. The investigation quickly finds that the cause of death wasn't an accident, and now the guests of this exclusive club are the key suspects.

Three mothers find themselves at the very center of the investigation. Brooke, Jade, and Whitney all have their secrets, and possible motives for their friend's murder. More secrets, betrayals, and plots are revealed throughout the investigation, and with their freedom at stake, their illusions of a perfect life are threatened to be shattered.

What I liked: I was instantly hooked from page 1, and the book kept a steady pace to the last page. I loved the constant twists, and learning all of the secrets of every character. At 50% I really thought I had the mystery figured out, but wow I was wrong! This book will have you staring at the wall after you finish it!

What I disliked: Nothing. This book was truly great.

I gave this book 5/5 stars. I love when a book gets you hooked in the first few pages, and I enjoyed the fast pace of the book. If you want a book that keeps you guessing while learning the many secrets of an exclusive club in West Hollywood, this book is for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for this advanced copy of this book.

Ok so, I LOVE messy rich people drama books, tv shows, movies, you name it, and Keep your Friends Close did NOT disappoint.

We have a small group of women who, from the outside, seem to be besties. They met by forming an exclusive moms group in West Hollywood. There’s a ton of money, drama, betrayal, and scandal. I don’t really know what else you could want!

The only complaint I have is that I really love how Lucinda Berry often writes pretty disturbing stories and I had my hopes set on something similar to what I know her for, however this one is great.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC. This is the third book I’ve read by Lucinda and I can say I enjoy her psychological thrillers more.

Keep Your Friends Close started off on a bang, but halfway through I find myself putting it down after a few chapters. I thought there were too many POVs and I would have rather had just two POVs, but I understood why we needed them by the end.

To be honest, I enjoyed the first half of this book but by the end I wasn’t a fan of the “twists”. Although I didn’t love this book by Berry, I will continue to read her books in the future.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is my 2nd book by Lucinda Berry. I am going to be reading the rest for sure. Keep Your Friends Close did not disappoint. I was fortunate to receive an ARC (Advance Review/Reader Copy) of Lucinda’s latest book, Keep Your Friends Close. 
(Pre-order available now on Amazon. Release date is November 7th.)

This is a story of 6 friends, murder and a whole lot of secrets! Being a part of the West Hollywood Moms’ Club is where you want to be. Or is it?
When the president Kiersten is found dead floating in her pool the story is just beginning and 3 of the friends are at the center of the investigation. As the investigation progresses secret after secret is revealed. No one is safe. Trust no one. The story will leave you guessing till the end and no one’s life will be the same. 283 pages and I finished it in 2 days.

Thank you @Netgalley for a chance to read this ARC.

One thing about me is that if Lucinda Berry writes it... I am gonna read it.

Imagine you are apart of an exclusive moms club in Beverly Hills and you are at a party with all your friends and next thing you know someone is dead in the pool. How would you react? What secrets would come out?

This was a fast paced thriller that had me on the edge of my seat the entire ride! I was immediately sucked in from the first page and I did not stop until I knew exactly what happened.

This was such a good book of lies, twists and turns, and some good detective work!

I recommend this if:
- you love a good thrill
- you love a friend group with secrets
- you want multiple pov's with a lot of sass
- you love unreliable narrator/pov's
- you're looking for a page turner

Thank you Netgalley & Thomas & Mercer for this e-ARC!