I was immediately intrigued by the plot of Keep Your Friends Close. It falls under one of my favorite categories: beautiful people behaving badly. Unfortunately, I could not root for any of the characters. They all came off shallow and one-dimensional. Maybe this was the author's intention; either way, it wasn't compelling enough to motivate me to keep reading.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for giving this beautiful chance to ARC read this book!
This is my first Lucinda Berry book and i was not disappointed. I loved it.
A friend is found dead at a party and all three other friends are suspects so who did it?
This is a fast paced thriller that unfolds with multiple POVs. This book kept me hooked right away and it was so well executed. Major love!

Kiersten is found floating in her pool during a Mom's Club get together. The party guests are all regarded as suspects when it is found that it was no accident, she was likely dead when she was placed in the water.

The friends seem to turn on each other, and so many secrets are revealed. The story is told from multiple points of view.

There is just so much to unpack in this book! Lucinda Berry does a sterling job of keeping the reader engrossed and I found when a finger was pointed at one person, I should have been looking in a completely different direction!
Lucinda Berry is a master story teller, and I have no choice but to award 5 stars. My mind is still reeling!!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

ARC review 12 Aug 2023
Pub date: 7 Nov 202
Rating: 3.5 out of 5. Rounded down for Goodreads.

Desperate housewife meets murder mystery.

After reading the description and first few chapters, I was excited to read this - however, I feel the story didn't have much to it and dragged on a bit.

The ending/ last chapter was also unbelievable (not in a good way) haha, and was a bit daft. Is data protection/ security not a thing in clinics anymore?

The "killer" was kinda obvious to me aswell (I've read enough to know its not the person the author is trying to push it towards).

I'd have liked more back stories on the women, especially Brooke.

Didn't like abby, didn't like any of the husbands.

Shame!

This book was a WILD ride!

I always struggle finding mystery/thriller books that hold my attention but that was definitely not the case with this one. Throughout the book I found myself thinking I knew the outcome multiple different times, but boy was I wrong. Exactly how a good thriller should be! With a few draw dropping moments no one could ever see coming, this is one I just couldn’t put down!

Murder. Lies. Deceit. This one isn’t for the faint of heart!

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the copy of Keep Your Friends Close by Lucinda Berry. This is a fast read. If you like stories about dysfunctional rich women, all with secrets, you will love this book. I thought the book started out great, but then when one character got more and more unhinged, it began to go over the top and I had trouble staying engaged in the story. The ending was overblown too, with so many unbelievable things occurring I had to roll my eyes. If you want a popcorn thriller and don't mind outrageous events, this is the book for you. I prefer more believable reveals, not gratuitous ‘twists’. 2.5 rounded up to 3 because a big portion of the book was great.

Luncinda Berry does it again! Pulled me in from the very first page. Love the different time lines and perspectives. Reminded me of the show Desperate Housewives. The characters in this book will have you feeling all types of emotions in this hard to put down book.

The twists at the end just kept coming.

I love LB! Her books always feel more like tumbling dominos than a twisty ride and this was no different. However, due to my on personal reasons I DNFd this book when Abby left with the baby. The themes were just a bit too heavy. I did love the writing and story so I rated it an honest five star just because I couldn’t hand doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the story

This book was impossible to put down!
I read it one sitting. The twists and turns are crazy. The different perspectives make it a page turner.
You feel bad and worried for Brooke.
Whitney and Jade are great characters. I didn’t root for them though (they were kind of mean).
Lucinda Berry doesn’t disappoint.

Wow!!! Lucinda Berry does it again and I think this may be my favorite book of hers yet!

I was sucked into Keep Your Friends Close from page one and read it all in a day! This book is told from multiple perspectives and jumps between moments in time before the murder took place and the present which helps keep it interesting and fast paced. The characters are well developed and you get just enough details to give you a glimpse into their lives so that you *think* you know who they are… but do you really? Every time I thought I had it all figured out and pinned the murderer, I was wrong! There were SO many twists and they were SO good.

Definitely a 5/5 star read!

Keep Your Friends Close doesn’t waste any time getting started. It begins with a group of friends in Hollywood being interrogated after one of them drowns in the pool during a party.

The writing style is unique; Lucinda Berry does a good job of making each characters voice their own. They’re all pretty unlikeable, in my opinion, but it seems like that was intentional. The storyline felt like it plateaued early on - started strong and then nothing really happened for a while. But then towards the end it takes you on a rollercoaster of twists and turns, and leaves you somewhere you don’t really recognize. I don’t necessarily mean that in a good way…this story ends so randomly that I’ll be surprised if it’s not being set up as a series.

All in all, not a bad read. Really quick…I think I read it in about 12 hours. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read it before it’s released!

Whew! So many twists and turns. This keep me interested and the story moved quickly. I look forward to more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

Great mystery who done it with multiple points of view. Lucinda Berry always brings great psychological tension to her books and this one was no exception!

When Kiersten's body is discovered in her pool in West Hollywood during a get together of the McCann, prestigious West Hollywood Moms’ Club, everyone is a suspect. It turns out, however, that everyone has something to hidE

Police begin questioning and friendships and mental health begins to fray. Very well executed and a complete page turner!
#ThomasandMercer #Thomas&Mercer #KeepYourFriendsClose #LucindaBerry

How far would you go for your friends?
Kiersten, Brooke, Jade, Taylor, Whitney, and Colleen - known as The Six - are wealthy women who have bonded over their children. Kiersten has set up a glamourous new mum's club and she decides to host a 'mum's night' but winds up murdered, floating in her own pool.
Everyone is a suspect but all fingers are pointed toward new mum - Brooke, but she really kill Kiersten?
The story is told from multiple perspectives but not Taylors or Colleens - this may have just been too confusing for the reader. Each character battling their own problems and they are all withholding their own secrets.
It is a fast-paced, psychological story with an epic twist at the end - Berry's work is edge-of-your-seat reading!

Real housewives meets NCIS.

when I tell you I ate this up, I ATE. THIS. UP.

A group of mom’s finally get around to having a party just for them. They are an “elite mom group” One of them ends up dead and you follow along to see what happened.

The whole time I thought I had it. Boy was I wrong and holy crap did the ending blow my entire mind. The TWIST(S) are you KIDDING ME????
This is one of the best books I’ve read in awhile.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced copy!