An amazing ride,between two best friends,but the fact that they hadn't seen each other in over 20 yrs.caused a multitude of problems.
Louise contacted her best friend,by phone & said "I want to confess."
This confession stemmed from a murder that had taken place over 20 yrs.ago.
What transpires is a scary,scary ride,
Suffice to say with a friend like,Louise, you won't meet a nicer enemy?
The characters & storyline were great & I would highly recommend the book.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read it & J.V. Cardy for their writing.

The Perfect Friend
Written by J. V. Cardy

Blurb:

Lou has finally found a friend. Now she’ll do anything to keep her.

Anna is in a good place in her life – a husband she loves, a great job, a lovely home. Everything is perfect.

But then she gets a call from an old girlfriend, Lou, whom she hasn’t seen for twenty years. Lou, now seeming troubled and off kilter, wants to confess to a fatal hit-and-run from back in the day – an accident which Anna helped cover up. If Lou goes to the police, Anna’s life is over, she’ll lose everything she has worked so hard to build.

Anna can see that Lou is not in a great place, and hopes that if she can help her old friend get back on her feet, she’ll forget about confessing. So Anna invites Lou to move into her home.

Lou is delighted and sees this as a sign that Anna still loves her, that they really are best friends forever.

But Lou isn’t easy to live with. At first, she’s demanding, then openly menacing – using her desire to confess as a weapon to get what she wants.

Anna realizes she needs to get free of Lou no matter what it takes. But when she finally acts decisively, she opens the gates to hell. 

Because Lou is far more disturbed than Anna realizes, and enraged by her rejection, she plans a revenge beyond Anna’s wildest nightmares.

My Review:

I found this book easy to get into, it drew me in from the very beginning, & I liked its’ pace, throughout.
What I particularly liked was that it mainly switched between the two main characters, - Anna, & Lou(ise), - and whilst mostly their alternate p.o.v’s were in continuation, at times there was also some overlap of the two, which I think worked really well. Also, I liked how the narrative also directly addressed the reader quite a bit; questioning and explaining some of the understanding, as to where the characters’ p.o.v and experience was coming from.
Whilst this book did contain some quite sensitive topics, for which I will add a ‘Note of trigger’ here; contains instances of child sexual abuse, the use of drugs, domestic violence, abuse, & suicide, - which I think this is personally the most heaviest content on all of the above that I’ve read in a single book to date, - I have to say that overall, I very much enjoyed reading this, - as a work of fiction. It was written well, it was a compelling read, its ending was satisfying, & I would deffo highly recommend!

Based on a rating of 1-10, where 10 is the highest, I would give this book a rating of 9 out of 10! = Deffo a MUST-read for anyone who loves a good, gripping, page-turner, of a psychological thriller!


Available from 25th February 2024! Publisher: Inkubator Books

The perfect friend was a very twisty thriller which had me on the edge of my seat throughout. Told from different perspectives which I love as it helps build the tension up. The characters are so well developed you can’t help but keep reading to find out what is going to happen to them. Such a fantastic thriller which I can’t wait to recommend. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy.

A real twisty tale told from several of the characters. Fast paced and suspenseful i was left reading late into the night. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my early copy.

"The Perfect Friend" by J.V Cardy is a gripping psychological thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from beginning to end. Cardy's writing is captivating, drawing readers into the complex and twisted relationship between Anna and Lou.

The character development in this novel is superb, particularly in portraying the psychological turmoil of both Anna and Lou. The author skillfully explores the depths of their friendship, blurring the lines between loyalty and manipulation. The tension between the two characters is palpable, creating a sense of unease that lingers throughout the story.

Cardy's storytelling is masterful, weaving a tale of suspense and unpredictability. The plot twists and turns keep readers guessing, and the pacing is spot-on, ensuring that the suspense never wavers.

"The Perfect Friend" is a thrilling and thought-provoking read that delves into the lengths people will go to protect their secrets and the consequences that follow. I really enjoyed this book

Back in 1996, a horrible crime was committed by Lou and she had her bff Anna as an accomplice. They held this secret for many many years. Then comes along Daniel who married Anna and boy do the lies, secrets, and revenge come out! I was glued to this from the very first page. Gripping until the end! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. I believe this is a debut for this author. Looking forward to many more books by JV Cardy

This was so exciting, to see how an old friend can derail and demand like Lou does in this book makes it so tense and full of suspense as her control of Anna gets increasingly worrying.

Anna receives a strange text one night saying "I want to confess " and knows it's from old school friend louise. Anna's life is going well with a good job, husband and son. Louise's life not so good as she is into drugs and prostitution and living rough. After she meets up with louise and invites her to live with them awhile things go downhill as louise uses a horrible secret from their past to manipulate Anna.
Told from contrasting chapters of Anna, Louise, and sometimes Daniel, Anna's husband there are so many twists and turns as Anna and Louise take turns having the upper hand and manipulating each other. Fast paced and suspenfull with a good ending.