Lucinda berry does not disappoint. Loved being able to read this book before it comes out! Surely you will be on the edge of your seat from beginning to end! Things go from bad to worse. Really enjoyed this book!

I've read several other of Ms. Berry's other books and I liked each of them and this was no different. Parts of this book keep you on the edge of your seat, which is my favorite.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Lucinda Berry's Keep Your Friends Close delves into the enigmatic world of the West Hollywood Moms' Club, where wealth and privilege conceal a web of secrets, lies, and betrayals. When the club's president, Kiersten McCann, is found dead in her pool, her closest friends become prime murder suspects. The narrative unfolds through multiple perspectives and dual timelines, showcasing a cast of complex yet unlikeable characters. While the plot offers a thrilling rollercoaster of shocking revelations, it takes an unexpected turn towards the climax and leaves some loose ends untied. Despite its flaws, the book combines elements of domestic suspense and a mild police procedural, delivering an engaging and dramatic tale of deception and intrigue within the world of Hollywood's elite.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. I did not suspect these twists. The person I thought did it was really the only person who was true victim in the book. Well, except for the murder victim. The characters are wonderfully written. It will make you look at your friends a little differently

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Keep Your Friends Close by Lucinda Berry was a madhouse! Like seriously - madhouse! It started like a good murder mystery where there is one dead body and a group of friends where one must be the killer. I am not the biggest fan of this format but sometimes it can be nicely unwrapped.

So the beginning took me all in but the middle part was a bit everywhere. I was constantly struggling to picture which friend was which. But events kept going in the right direction and I was intrigued to find out what the hell happened. Then there was some turn that definitely built my interest more than the main storyline so I was more excited to follow that story as my blood was boiling and I literally was shakingg off how angry I was! And then the end comes... absolutely didn't expect but made sense but as I said I was more intrigued by the other story that went a bit mad I would say! I was talking out loud with the characters, I just could not believe they would do such a stupid things! Come-ON!!!

The end of the book broke my heart! Like, seriously! I can understand it could be the case but no - if you are so desperate for a result you would use a little bit more logic!

I really enjoyed this book but there were a bit too many unrealistic moments that could be played differently.
Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this advance copy!

Lucinda Berry has become one of my favourite authors, always very excited to get my hands on her newest book. Keep Your Friends Close is about a group of well to do friends who along with their partners make up a tight knit circle. All of the women are new Moms and they formed an elite “Mom Club”. Their husbands/ partners all get along and everything seems perfect until it’s not… one of ladies is found dead in the swimming pool.
The book started off a little bit slow for me, it jumps from Now and Then storylines so you get a better understanding of all the relationships prior to the incident. Berry does a great job of keeping you guessing as the story unfolds. I had no idea right til it was revealed who was to blame.
But this is what stops me from giving it a better rating… the last 25 pages or so. It just felt a bit all over the place and unrealistic. Will I look forward to the next Lucinda Berry book. Absolutely! But this one of her best books. No.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the opportunity to read the ARC.

The shocking death of a popular socialite mom at a party leaves the rest of the neighborhood reeling. Told from multiple points of view, this novel keeps the reader hanging by a thread in a dual-timeline plot until the ultimate reveal at the end.

Though I really liked the premise and some of the themes included in this domestic thriller (rich people behaving badly and an unlikely murder), there were some aspects that fell flat for me and parts that I struggled with. I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning and end of the story, but the middle contained some content that I found to be difficult and very uncomfortable to read as a new mom (content warnings include kidnapping and a toxic relationship). It was not immediately obvious that these things would be a part of the plot, especially since this is an ARC which hasn’t been reviewed by many other readers yet. Despite this, I generally enjoyed the writing style and fast-paced nature of this novel, so I would definitely be interested in reading other books by Lucinda Berry in the future. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys domestic thrillers and reading about rich people behaving badly, though I would suggest checking content warnings prior to reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

The story was about rich moms of an exclusive club called the West Hollywood Moms Club. They decide to have a party for themselves where they dress up, drink and eat edibles. The club president and hostess Kiersten was found floating dead in her pool. The story was told from 3 POVs (Brooke, Whitney, Jade) and told from then and now.
The story read like something from Desperate Housewives or Real Housewives. It had affairs, betrayals, secrets and lies. It was filled with twists and turns that spins your head. There were so many unbelievable things happening. The ending was ridiculous.
Brookes mental health wasn’t portrayed well. They blamed her because she wasn’t stable. Instead of helping her, they shut her out.

WOW!! What a read!! This is one of my top 5 for the year for sure. It wasn't a 'dark' as some of the other books Ms. Berry has written (admittedly I've only read a few) but absolutely loved this classic 'whodunit'. Add in catty, boujee, and rich women and it's the perfect recipe for a great book! The back and forth between 'then' and 'now' was easy to follow and I didn't get lost (which is sometimes easy for me to do). I hope there are more books of hers written like this!

I thought I was really going to enjoy this book but sadly I didn’t.
There was just too much going on at once, I thought it would be a mystery and they would all be trying to find out who done it but didn’t stay on that topic for long and it was about a lot of other secrets from everyone involved.

I usually love Berry titles but for some reason this one just didn't do it for me - it was too over the top and dramatic , I like the psychological thriller she writes more I think.

I was intrigued by the concept of this book, but it was hard to root for anyone in this story. I think that all of the characters were unlikable, and it was hard to care about what happened to any one of them. The twists and turns are all over the place, and I wasn't excited to keep reading.

It was a struggle to get through the book, and when I got to the end, I was so confused because the characters somehow got even more unlikeable. I didn't like how mental illness was depicted in the book either. I think that the ending was all over the place.

Overall, I didn't enjoy reading this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Thomas and Mercer, for an ARC.

This book was a ride. It really keeps you guessing throughout the book, and that ending…
Just when you think it’s time to wrap everything up in a neat little bow there’s another twist. It really makes you think about outside appearances and just how different things can be under the surface.

This book was a bit too all over the place for me and I don’t really feel it came together as one cohesive story but more two books trying to mesh and it just didn’t work for me. I love Lucinda and I’ll still read anything she puts out but this didn’t hit for me.

KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE was an interesting story. Each of these ladies held secrets that the others knew nothing about. I didn't feel sorry about anything that happened to them, they were are horrible people. I was very curious about who had killed Kiersten, but I felt that the reason why she died was underwhelming. I did like the past and present timelines and POV's but overall, I just thought that this was an average book. Although this one was not my favorite of Berry's novels, I do still plan to read her future novels.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my gifted ARC.

This review will be shared to my Instagram @coffee.break.book.reviews in the near future.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Great read. A domestic thriller that does not disappoint. Good writing.

Not sure how to review this one! I can't say for sure that I actually enjoyed this book but it kept me guessing the whole time and I did not see the ending coming at all. I had a hard time putting this one down and wanted to see where it was going. I won't give anything away I think with this one it would be best to go in blind. Rated this this one 4 stars rounded up from 3.5. I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was really getting pulled in until the LGBTQ character line started. I am not interested in that kind of storyline.

THIS is the Lucinda Berry I love! Secrets upon secrets among best friends; I couldn't read this fast enough!

Would recommend if you love:
-multi-pov
-multi-timeline
-secrets galore
-friendship dynamics

I found the multi-pov & multi-timeline easy to follow and it added to the story as we find out glimpses of the past while going thru the investigation in the current timeline. The three POV are of three of the women friends: Brooke, Whitney, Jade. I love a story like this where the secrets are so layered and you don't know who is involved in which secrets with who else. Confusion and chaos and I am here for it :-)

One star off for the last chapter twists which seemed just for funsies. I didn't find them necessary to the storyline or added in any way to the end result of the book.

Overall I really liked this!

I really, really enjoy Lucinda Berry’s stories and Keep Your Friends Close is no exception. It is a juicy who done it set in a wealthy community. The chapters very from character to character and past and present, which makes it a fun read. Quick, fast paced and exciting!