This was such a good read! I literally could not put it. This book starts fast-paced and with a bang and the pacing was so good till the end. This book follows wealthy moms there who are in a friend group, when the book starts we see that one of the women in this group was found dead in the pool which sparks an investigation. As the detective and 4 women in the friend group try to figure out what happened to their friend so many secrets are revealed and they realize that there are so many lies, drama, and secrets between them all.

So this was juicy I thought of it as a gossip girl meeting desperate housewives with a murder to figure out. The drama kept me so interested in figuring out what these women were hiding. I love the way everything unfolded, there are money problems, spousal issues, adultery, deranged lies and so much more. I thought this book was well written and flowed so well. The ending was twist after twist. I wouldn’t call any of the twists very shocking but I liked it because it felt earned and in line with the characters I’d gotten to know.

My first Lucinda berry! Will definitely be back for more.

Was a good quick thriller to binge in one sitting- and once the twists started coming they really didn’t stop!

This book by Lucinda Berry that was a bit different from her usual writing style. The story was a slow burn, which is not typical for her. It picked up towards the very end, which was a pleasant surprise. The characters were different and spread out, so I didn't connect with them. However, it worked well with the storyline. The motive of one of the main characters was a bit too austere for my taste, but the ending brought everything together nicely. It's definitely a book that requires some patience to see if it's worth the read, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to others.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a fun book with so much drama and twists! I could not put it down and was reaching for it every free minute I got. I really liked all the different characters in this story with all their POVs. It was very fast paced and one of those books that really made you feel like you were watching a movie. The only thing that would have made this book better if there were a couple of chapters with a couple of the spouse's POV at the end!

Lucinda Berry is always a winner for me, and I was definitely happy with how twisty her newest novel is! I was able to get close to all of the characters, but I still didn’t see the ending coming at all! This book was so fun! :)

One of my favourite authors, everything Lucinda Berry writes is a must read ASAP.

The West Hollywood Moms' Club, a glamorous social circle, some of whom take their little clique a bit too seriously. When Kiersten McCann, the president of the group, turns up dead in her own pool during a party, all the guests are now suspects.

It's an unusual m*rder mystery, there's quite a few characters, the moms, their husbands and babies. The main characters have good depth, with plenty going on. It wouldn't hurt to keep a list of names.

There are secrets, lies and scandals. I prefer Lucinda Berry's darker and more disturbing books, but this was pretty good.

The m*rder mystery seems less important than the various intricate characters plots and revelations. Brooke was my favourite with her sudden bitter breakup with her wife Abby was probably one of my favourite strands.

Not one of Lucinda Berry's dark classics, but still worth reading, probably.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer

I absolutely love Berry’s writing style. It keeps you captivated and wanting to read just more page or chapter. In this story, you’re led to believe one thing yet it totally changes as the story goes on! There were twists I didn’t expect at all! And I thought I had the person pinned who did it but I was wrong! Another wonderful read by Lucinda Berry!

Full of neighborhood drama mixed in with tons of drama amongst family and friends. When Kiersten is found dead in her pool at a mom's party everyone there becomes a suspect. This book is fast paced and alternates between different view points and past and present which helps keep the pacing. I could not believe just how many secrets all of these people had, I loved it! There were so many twists and turns along the way and I love a good secret reveal. This was very well executed until the ending. I am a huge fan of plausibility and I just did not find the ending plausible at all. I still did like the shocking twist, but just didn't find it believable in real life. With that being said, I still thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this book, I just wish the ending was different.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lucinda Berry NEVER disappoints! Everytime she pulls one out on us and we are left with our jaw on the floor.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Keep Your Friends Close jumped right in with the drama. This book follows a group of moms and is told from multiple POVs, both past and present. I really enjoyed the different storylines and felt like I got to know the characters. These moms were full of drama, secrets and lies and I am here for it! I felt like Lucinda was back full force with a great story and filled it up with great stories from her psychology background. I really enjoyed how the story unfolded and kept me flipping those pages into the late hours. I highly recommend this one!

Another winner from Lucinda Berry! It was so hard to put this book down once I started it-I couldn’t wait to read the ending but I didn’t want the book to end! Written with POV past and present by multiple characters kept the book flowing. Great ending. I really enjoy this authors books. Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas and Mercer and Lucinda Berry for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This is my second Lucinda Berry book and after reading this one I am definitely a fan!

Written in the “then” and “now” chapter format makes the storyline easy to follow. The character development is spot on and the plot thickens rapidly.

The drama and suspense builds at a swift pace…and the ending is a WoW!

So good!

I’m new to Lucinda’s writing and have only read four so far, but I love her style so much I’m working my way through. I was so excited to see this offered on NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book! I absolutely loved the characters and their complicated lives and how they all intertwined. The final twist and ending were executed perfectly.

If you’ve enjoyed One of Us is Dead by Jeneva Rose or Big Little Lies you’ll absolutely LOVE this one. I couldn’t recommend it enough.

Oh. My. Gosh! The amazing Lucinda Berry knocks it out of the park again!! This was a fabulous read. Packed with perfectly designed characters and so many twists and turns that I might have whiplash. So many secrets woven in to the lives of a circle of super close women. Deliciously dark and captivating. Highly recommend.
Thank you NetGalley and Lucinda Berry for the opportunity to read and review this book. Well done!

My premise is that if it's Lucinda Berry it's good, so I started with high expectations for this book, which I'll say right away, were far exceeded. In this murder mystery, in which a group of friends may have been to blame for the death of one of them, there is a lot of drama, gossip, toxic relationships, and friendship, all of which kept me very entertained throughout the book, and that when it reached approximately 75%, it became crazy. Twists and turns one after another, all which kept blowing my mind. Loved this one, 5 stars for sure.

'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.'

Meowwwww! I do appreciate a good cat-scratch kinda read!

Keep Your Friends Close was chock full of shape-shifters of the non-fantastical sort. You think you know your best friends and you think you know your husband….But after a book like this, you’ll be mean-muggin’ everybody because Berry will leave you sus AF! Ha ha! This one was quite the page-turner!

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 11.7.2023.

Lucinda Berry is an auto read author for me and I have read all of her books, so I was so excited to be able to read this one early. The alternating timelines and POVs moves the story along quickly, and the pacing was good. Each character was distinct and I felt like it was easy to keep track everyone. I don’t watch Desperate Housewives, but this book seems to give similar vibes. As the story unfolds, you start to learn everyone’s secrets and will be surprised at the revelations. As the story progressed, I didn’t want to put this book down. I really enjoyed the way the story wrapped up. This book is similar to the author’s writing style in The Secrets Of Us so if you enjoyed that one, I’d definitely recommend this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Doesn’t the say go, “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer”? You def need to keep your friends closer in this case! Who knew moms could keep so many secrets??! This book is written in multiple POVs and you have no idea who could have done it until the very end. Who would murder a beloved mother, daughter, friend??

Wow! I will admit that I struggled with the beginning of the book and almost DNF. I'm so glad that I stuck it out! It started to get very interesting and then I couldn't put it down. I didn't really care for any of the characters, they all got on my nerves and I kept thinking that I was glad that they were not my neighbors/friends. The women's friendships seemed to be solid, but there is a reason that this book is called "Keep your Friends Close". I HOPE that my friends are nothing like these women. I trust them with my life and hate to think that I could be wrong after reading this book.

The ending! The last few chapters in this book took this book to a new level of "WOW" for me. Again, I am so glad that I stuck it out and kept with this book. I would definitely recommend this book. Just be prepared for some drama.

This was another book that once I started it I could not put it down. I was so invested in this story and loved the different points of view, as well as the flashbacks for each character. And the twists!! Just when I think the book is over, she throws in that final chapter twist that I am still thinking about! Highly recommend.