A woman ends up dead in her pool at a party with her friends. It looks suspicious and the remaining friends don’t know who to believe. Alternating between past and present of three of the friends, secrets emerge.

There were some good twists toward the end here, but it wasn’t as suspenseful as I thought it was going to be. I do think the epilogue/final twist felt weird and unnecessary. It didn’t really leave me stunned like a last minute reveal should do.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kicking off with the discovery of Kiersten McCann floating dead in her own pool, the police really have their work cut out for them as they investigate the West Hollywood Moms Club. With all the secrets and lies in this tight knit group they could also easily be called The Real Housewives of West Hollywood. Keep Your Friends Close has a fast paced story with several surprise twists and some interesting characters. While it wasn’t my favorite Lucinda Berry love, it’s a solid domestic thriller. I'd like to thank Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Keep your Friends Close.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R20QQZWNK38FBV/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This one wasn't as dark as some of her books I've read and although it wasn't a favourite of hers the secrets and lies kept me guessing throughout 4 stars

Man I love Lucinda Berry! This one was a lot more “mild” (mild for her anyways!) and I think it will definitely appeal to most thriller readers. The story was captivating, I devoured it in 24 hours and can’t wait for Lucinda’s next!

Keep Your Friends Close is like a soap opera on steroids.

Think high society mom's group full of self absorbed snobs.

One of them ends up dead at a adults only party.

Which one is the killer?

These people have more drama and secrets than you can imagine. I don't understand how they are even friends.

Full of twists and turns that I couldn't get enough of. Did I like the characters? Not so much. But was it a good story? Yes!

Thanks to netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc.

Well! With friends like these, who needs enemies, right?

This is a closed-loop domestic thriller/suspense mystery about the type of mean girls who grew up to be the type of moms I worked very hard to stay away from at any and all social events that involved children when mine were growing up: rich, self-involved, vain, discriminatory, judgmental, and insular. At a “moms-only” party one night, the hostess is found floating in the pool, and the police call it homicide. Now the question is: Who murdered her?

The narrative structure of this book is first-person, with chapters alternating between characters (Brooke, Whitney, and Jade), and between timelines (Then and Now). Even though there were more people present at the party than these three characters and there are more suspects than these three characters, it’s pretty evident that by making these three core characters the center of the narrative that one of them must be the culprit. While this is convenient for narrative structure it sure does take the power out of the story. It becomes pretty easy to guess (for me, at least) who the culprit is by about halfway through the book with only three true suspects to contemplate. In my readings I’ve found that five or six is my preferred number of suspects in a closed-loop mystery.

A lot of the motives behind our main characters’ actions in this book is love. Usually I don’t have an issue with that, but in the case of this book it made me so mad at these women because their love made them all look so weak.

The story itself is nice and soapy. Twisty and turny. It’s entertaining enough for a shorter read. It’s certainly not the tidiest book when it comes to closed-loops, but it’s pretty decent. I just wish these women hadn’t come across as so weak.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. This review was written without recompense. Thank you.

File Under: Domestic Thriller/Kindle Unlimited/Psychological Fiction/Suspense Mystery

Excellent! I had no clue how this would end, and I loved being in the dark the whole time! Multi-POV made this even better.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have yet to meet a book lover who does not love Lucinda Berry, as much as I do.

Berry is hands down the face of future thrillers.

Under Her Care, The Best of Friends, A Welcome Reunion... I could go on and on but those are my top 3 favorites by this author.

Actually, that's a lie.

Keep Your Friends Close IS my favorite Lucinda Berry book.

Secrets, Lies, Murder.... what else could a thrill loving girl ask for ? Not much, I'll tell ya that!

This book is wild and will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time! I was never once bored or looked to put the book down but then again, have we ever wanted to put down a Lucinda Berry book.

Check out this teaser:

From the bestselling author of The Best of Friends comes a fast-paced thriller about how one woman’s murder unravels the tangled web of lies and deceit connecting a group of Hollywood elite.

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.

What a fun thriller this was! I'm always drawn to books that surround a friend group with lots of secrets. Of course when one member of said group turns up dead, there's always going to be questions about whodunnit. And what's even more exciting is that each of the other three women all have their own motives. This book had me flipping the pages at rapid speed and gasping out loud in several sections in shock. Another masterpiece for Lucinda Berry - I loved it!

Keep Your Friends Close by Lucinda Berry Lucinda Berry - 5 ⭐️’s
Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my ARC
Read if you like:
Unreliable characters
Desperate housewives
Real Housewives of any city
Group of best friends
Interesting storyline
Multiple POVs
Psychological thrillers
💭 Not sure what it was but I fell in love with this book immediately on page one and it just progressed as I continued to read this story written by the amazing Lucinda Berry! 🤩 Lucinda Berry has a way of words like no other! I haven’t read any of her other books and this was my first by her but it absolutely won’t be my last! The way Lucinda Berry creates such character development and great storylines should honestly win her a trophy of some kind! 🏆 This psychological thriller is one of the best ones I’ve read! My favorite parts of the book was the Whitney character and Kiersten’s chapters. 🤩 This book left me thinking there could potentially be a sequel to it in the future and if there is I’m all for it. 😉💭
QOTD: Are you a person who prefers thrillers or romance novels?! What is your favorite author in your preferred genre?!
#PsychologicalThrillers #NursesWhoRead #ThrillerReads #LucindaBerry #KeepYourFriendsClose #TeachersWhoRead #NetGalley #BookRecommendations #NewBookReleases2023 #ThrillerBooks

Although not my favorite from this author, still a fun book altogether! I loved the police procedural concept but had some setbacks with the characters.. None of them we’ve very likable for me and because of that, I didn’t care too much about what happened to each of them. I love a book a lot more when I find myself rooting for a character and i didn’t have that with this book. I liked the unraveling of secrets throughout the plot but the high drama was a little turn off. I’ve found all of her other books a lot more enjoyable in the atmospheric thriller aspect but this one was more like girl drama thriller.

A decent read, but not my favorite by this author. Lots of rich people behaving badly, mostly unlikeable characters, and an ending that I found kind of underwhelming. Hoping her next one is back on track!

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

This story kept me engaged from start to finish, and I wasn’t sure until the very end who did what. But, having said that, these were terribly unlikeable people and terrible terrible friends. And some of the things they did- or perhaps, better put, the sum total of what they all were guilty of, was just so outlandish by the end that it made Desperate Housewives look like a dry documentary by comparison.

Thank you Lucinda Berry, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

West Hollywood Mom’s Club President Kiersten McCann is found dead at the club’s most recent party and it soon becomes apparent that her death wasn’t an accident. As the investigation proceeds, secrets about all the core member’s lives are revealed, seemingly complicating the investigation.

This was a great, twisty thriller by Lucinda Berry. I have such mixed feelings about all the characters, and I think creating such morally gray characters is a skill not many authors have.

This multi POV story centers around the death of beloved club president Kiersten and really focuses on the then and now of the core six members of the club, each with their own secrets that are slowly revealed and become intertwined with everyone else.

The reveal of the actual murderer was not as shocking as I had hoped but the last chapter really revealed some jaw-dropping information bringing everything altogether at the end.

If you’re a fan of fast-paced, twisty thrillers or have enjoyed any of Lucinda Berry’s previous works, this is a great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the digital copy. My review is voluntary and honest.

The West Hollywood Moms’ Club is for affluent and influential women, by invitation only. They have left the kids with their partners and are having a wild party, but it comes to a screeching halt when one of the Club is found floating dead in the pool. The story unfolds through fast-paced "then" and "now" chapters told from the POV of several key members of the Club, with "now" progressing in time with the police investigation and "then" giving the backstory of events leading up to the party. When the police announce that the dead woman was murdered, the women from the party turn on the weakest member, who is having a mental health crisis over her impending divorce. But did she have motive? Or is one of the other women's secrets worth killing to keep? Lots of twists, and I did not figure out whodunnit before being told (doesn't happen all that often). None of the characters were particularly relatable, or even likeable, and while that often makes it hard for me to really get into a book, that was not the case here.

I love the author's books, and I couldn't miss her latest, "Keep Your Friends Close" by Lucinda Berry. What a ride it's been! From the very first page, I was drawn into this fast-paced thriller, and I couldn't put it down. The murder of Kiersten McCann, the president of the West Hollywood Moms' Club, sets the stage for a tangled web of lies and deceit that kept me on the edge of my seat.
The characters are well-developed, and the story is full of suspense and unexpected twists. The last chapter was a complete shocker; I never saw it coming. It's a must-read for all thriller lovers. The way the author weaves together accusations, secrets, betrayals, and sinister plots is masterful. As the police investigation delves deeper, more dark secrets are unveiled than I could have ever imagined.
"Keep Your Friends Close" is a gripping, engaging, and thrilling read that will keep you guessing until the very end. West Hollywood will never be the same, and neither will you after experiencing this rollercoaster of a story.

Very grateful to the publisher and author for my arc through NetGalley, opinions are my own.

Without giving any of the goodies away, let me say this is a very twisted tale of friendship. I liked journeying through the perspectives of the female protagonists who make up the elite mom group the story revolves around. If you enjoy character driven domestic suspense then this is the book for you.

The story begins with Kiersten McCann, president of the West Hollywood Moms’ Club, being discovered face down in her swimming pool during a party she was throwing for the Mom's Club. The attempts to revive her were futile and she was pronounced dead on the scene when the ambulance arrived. The police determine it was a homicide and all of the moms in attendance are suspects. The focus turns mainly towards the three women closest to Kiersten - Whitney, Brooke, and Jade. All three are harboring secrets that they don't want to get out, but no one seems to have a motive. So who killed Kiersten., and why?

I am a big fan of this author's books, and was excited to read this one. Unfortunately, this turned out to be my least favorite of all of her books. The investigation seemed to just be dragging on and on and going nowhere, none of the women were likeable, and I felt like after the rest of the book was so slow paced, the ending had too many reveals all at once and just felt rushed. I really wanted to like this book, and this won't deter me from read everything else she writes. I am giving this a solid 3.

This book has NO business being as good as it was. The twists kept coming and they didn’t stop coming until the very last page, THE WAY I AUDIBLY GASPED! Whew. This was a rollercoaster I did not want to get off of. @lucindaberryauthor knows how to write twisted characters and she held nothing back with this one. BRAVO! 👏🏻👏🏻

This book publishes tomorrow and you HAVE to read it. I don’t make the rules. 😂

Thank you @netgalley and @amazonpublishing for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Oh I absolutely loved this book. Lucinda Berry is always drawing me in and fully engulfing me into the story. There were some twists and turns that I wasn't expecting and I really felt like I knew the characters, which is one of my favorite things. I saw some reviews that the mental health issues were not presented in a way that they should have been. My opinion is that not every book is meant for every person and I don't think its the author's job to try to please everyone. I read this to be entertained and that was ultimately successful. The relationships between the women were interesting and engaging and I would definitely recommend this one!
Thank you to #NetGalley and Lucinda Berry for the ARC of #KeepYourFriendsClose !