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 !

Huge thank you to Thomas & Mercer for an early e-arc!

This book was INSANE. The synopsis draws you in, but it’s genuinely not even scratching the surface of what this books delivers. There’s rich wives, background husbands, deep, horrifying secrets, and so many plot twists.

This book is delicious and hooks you from the jump, dropping you immediately into the middle of a whodunnit type of crime. The characters — Whitney, Brooke, and Jade — are three of the most insufferable, but lovable women I’ve ever read about. Lucinda’s ability to write complex, unhinged characters and plots made this book an insane, beautiful ride.

This was a fast paced read and easily entertaining. Definitely will keep me interested in Lucinda’s future releases as well!

This was a drama filled mess and I loved it. Definitely a domestic thriller, but the domestic was the whole neighborhood. This book switches perspectives between six women who were all part of a mother’s group and at a party when a seventh mother was murdered. The book is full of suburban secrets some more scandalous than others as the mother try to figure out who killed their friend. There were some interesting subplots, but the divorcing women and custody battle one broke my heart. None of the women were likable, especially the murder victim. The twist at the end was unexpected and quite interesting. It’s hard to talk more specifically about the plot without giving anything away so I won’t get into the details.

Keep Your Friends Close by Lucinda Berry is another gripping and entertaining story.
I absolutely love Lucinda Berry's books - she is an absolutely fantastic author and every single book keeps me gripped, and this one was no different.
This book really captivated me from beginning to end. It had lots of twists and turns throughout the entire book
It was highly suspenseful and cleverly written with excellent plot development, interesting characters and a mystery that kept me guessing.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

This was a great read with a couple of huge twists. I really enjoyed the writing style and the flow of the plot. Even though there are a few characters and different timelines, overall it works. There was a couple spots I wasn’t entirely sure what was happening because it got a smidge muddy. But nonetheless it’s a good read and a definite recommend.

The appearances of the women in the West Hollywood Mom's Club may be very deceiving. On the surface, it looks like they're all wealthy, successful, and happily married, but is that real or an illusion? When Kiersten McCann, the organizer of the club, is found dead floating in the swimming pool of her house during one of their parties, all of the moms become suspects. As the police investigate Kiersten's death and discover it was a murder, they also uncover the women's deep dark secrets. The characters aren't very likable, but there are lots of fun twists and this is a quick and easy read at just 287 pages. This is my 4th Lucinda Berry book and I look forward to her next one. Thanks to #netgalley #thomasandmercer and #lucinda berry for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I just couldn't get into this one which was really surprising to me because all of Lucinda's other books that I have read have been 4-5star reads.

Thank you so much Thomas & Mercer, Lucinda Berry & Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

Another totally bingeable - finish in one sitting - book by Lucinda.

Fast paced, twisted and entertaining from start to finish. Comprising of short and quick chapters the story is easy to fly through. Multiple POVs - one of my fav things - was a great way to keep the mystery and to reveal Multiple truths.

Loved this one and highly recommend to all my thriller lovers!

Thank you Lucinda Berry, NetGalley and the publisher, Thomas Mercer for providing me an arc of this novel. Keep Your Friends Close is a domestic thriller loaded with suspenseful plot twists. In this story they have to be careful of who their friends are and who can be trusted. All the women in this close knit mother's club have secrets they keep from each other. As the story moves along you don't know who is the guilty party and who is not. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat and kept me up way past my bedtime reading.

As usual, so good! I will read anything from Lucinda Berry. Her writing is fantastic and this didn’t disappoint. Highly recommend! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

I love Lucinda berry! I could not put this one down. It was a quick, easy read, and very good. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️definitely recommend.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

The West Hollywood's mom clubs, the wealthy, the elite and all keeping secrets from each other. Their actions and secrets result in one of their very own being murdered. But who did it?

Keep your friends close is very Real housewives with a twist. Everyone has secrets. Everyone is lying to each other. You have divorce. Unstable POV's. Murder. If you like insane drama that is a train wreck everyone is standing around to watch. 10/10.

4.5/5 read.

*Thank you Lucinda Berry, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for my copy to review. *

Twisty, fun, voyeuristic.....all the great things people who read domestic thrillers love! A group of moms has formed their own support group. Supposedly they are all so very close but when one of them is killed, the cracks in the relationships start showing. The story is told through multiple points of view and with a then and now timeline to keep things moving quickly. This was over the top female drama with so much conniving and double crossing and back stabbing! At one point I debated making some popcorn to accompany my devilish readings. I will say, however, that I could have done without the last 2 chapters. It felt excessive and somewhat unrelated. Like all those epilogues I complain about, I wish authors would know when to say when.

My goodness what a ride! That was intense. If you want a twisty tell of friendship, loyalty, lies, deceit then this is the book for you.
In true Lucinda Berry fashion this book sucked me in and kept me hooked page after page. I got whiplash from the back and forth on who to believe and not to believe. Then when I got to the twist there was another twist.

Such a great read!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc for my honest review.

This was a great whodunnit! I couldn’t predict where the book was going which made reading more enjoyable and I love!