"Murder Between Friends" is the perfect example of why Liz Lawson has become an auto-buy author for me.

I love that her YA books are filled with mystery, murder, and drama for days. I also enjoyed that there was a bit of romance and plenty of twists and turns to keep readers guessing.

While I was able to guess who the killer was a little sooner than I had hoped, I still thoroughly enjoyed the storyline.

Thank you to Liz Lawson and Delacorte Press for selecting me for this ARC. I can't wait for the next book from Liz Lawson!

I had a lot of fun with this one. These kids did a lot of questionable things in the name of saving someone they care about, but man was I screaming at them! They were so lucky that they were able to get out of so many sticky situations. It was driving me crazy that they kept doing things alone, but it all worked out in the end.
I was worried that I had figured out who had done it about halfway through, but was pleasantly surprised when I realized I was wrong. When the real killer was finally revealed I was jumping in my seat because I was completely taken by surprise. There were a lot of twists and turns and it was a very enjoyable read. I’d read an article written by Ally Copeland any day.

I really loved the mystery behind this book and how the plot was laid out! I liked that we got the POV’s of all 3 friends: Grace, Henry, and Ally. The timeline was interesting to follow because it all happens within a short period of time as told by the beginning of the chapters. I really enjoyed the start of the book and how it laid out all the relationships between the 3 main characters but also how other side characters viewed the situation and those involved. This book had several twists and turns that I didn’t seem coming and the ending had me even more surprised with the truth of it all. I really enjoyed how you think the book is going one way and it all blows up and has this huge gotcha scene, and yet it doesn’t actually solve the mystery the teens were hoping to and continues in that directions once again. The ending was really well done and was a little shocking to find out considering I thought it was someone totally different based on the first half of the book, but also made complete sense with what you find out in the last 1/3 of the book.

There was a lot to this book because this type of situation had everyone feeling some type of way. Having parents that want to protect their kids and don’t want them getting involved in scary scenarios, other high school student being being awful and judgy to Henry and his family but also to Grace when she poses questions about Jake’s possible innocence to them, family drama, grief due to loss of a parent and some questions about how they died, solving a murder and investigating leads, forgiveness in a friend group, etc. It was really fascinating to see how it affected each of them individually in their personal lives and as a trio.

I will say the one major thing that annoyed me and kept me from rating higher due to how prominent/persistent it was, was how Henry and Grace treated Ally. They were genuinely not good friends to her at times even when I really don’t think she didn’t anything wrong. There’s this scene at the end when Henry and Ally exchange apologies kind of but I did not think Ally needed to give one for being hurt by the fact her two best friends were doing stuff without her and being “sneaky” within the 2 months since her dad died. Getting the POV’s of everyone made my feelings even worse at times because we read how they felt about how Ally was behaving or what she was saying and I just think those thoughts were completely uncalled for. It made it hard at times having main characters I was supposed to like but in actuality wasn’t the biggest fan of.

Also, I feel like Ally bringing up discoveries about her dad and his possible involvement with Miss.Appelbaum and what we find out before his death was totally dismissed by Henry and Grace. And even when it was proven to be connected and they found out the truth behind everything (spoiler: that he was essentially murdered) it wasn’t mentioned a single time after that. It was just frustrating how Henry’s brother Jake was still alive and they were fighting for his innocence, but Ally’s dad is DEAD and they didn’t seem to care or be supportive of her at all. I just hate that her grief and feelings are totally pushed aside to ‘save’ Jake and her friends are still not there for her just like they weren’t right AFTER he died.

It may seem like I had a lot of cons to state but I really did enjoy this book, sometimes I’m just more detailed of the things I didn’t like in order to explain why I feel the way I did so that others who read my review can see if that’s something they want to read as well. I will say, I think sooooo many people will love this book because it is fast paced and has more suspenseful/action chapters as you get into it!

I received a digital copy from NetGalley & the author of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Liz Lawson for this novel!

This book was good I really enjoyed it even tho it was a YA READ IM REALLY STARTING TO LOVE THESE TYPES OF BOOKS !!! I will recommend to any school age and even adults about this read I loved it

Murder Between Friends by Liz Lawson was a fun and engaging YA thriller.
I enjoyed this read a lot. I loved how fast the pace was. It was one of those reads where I was kept up much later than I should have been because I HAD to know what happened next.
The increasingly tense plot takes turns the reader won’t see coming.
I loved reading The Agathas. So to say I was excited for a new story by Lawson is an understatement.

Short Summary:

A group of estranged friends must come together to try and prove the man convicted for the murder if their teacher is innocent. But there are more factors at play than they ever could have imagined.

I really enjoyed this. It was a nice cross between a detective novel and a "whodunnit" mystery. Every perspective offered new insight into what might be happening without giving anything away. I thought I saw the end coming, then it came out of left field and hit me straight in the face. This was a nice, quick, fun read. It wasn't so heavy it dragged, but it wasn't so lighthearted that it came across as childish.

Best Parts:

Plot line
Character development
Connections

Worst parts:

Ally's attitude
Shady adults

Loved this murder mystery. This book had friends doubting each other even when brought together to solve the mystery of their teacher's death. I was invested in the book to the very end. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ally, Henry and Grace are old friends, but following Ms. Appelbaum's murder and conviction of Henry's older brother with the help of Grace's testimony, the friendship fell apart. Now, two years later, Jake has been released on a technicality and Grace starts to question whether she really saw him that faithful night.

The more and more they dig, the more dangerous their investigation becomes. Our trio find themselves in a middle of a drug trafficking scheme, cheating and betrayal scandals. Will they make it out alive this time?

I loved the story, it was easy to follow the narration, but due to its simplicity, the plot was predictable. I wish the characters were more fleshed out and had a little more of a challenge in their investigation.

People were killed, but when 3 teens start digging around all they get is a little "stop digging" note on the door? Doesn't make sense to me.

The main "villain"(if we could even call him that) felt like a last minute addition. Like, we do not see him until the scene, where he literally confesses?

Other than that, the book is pretty solid and is guaranteed to keep your attention for the night.

Liz captured my attention from the start with this. At no point was I ever sure on what was happening next and I loved it! I need more!

I really enjoyed this arc! I couldn’t put it down. Murder between friends is a fast paced, thrilling YA mystery. There are 3 povs- Henry, whose brother, Jake, was found guilty of murdering a beloved teacher. Ally, Henry’s only friend and the only person who has stood by Henry’s family. And Grace, their ex-best friend and the person whose testimony sealed Jake’s fate. But as Jake gets released on a technicality and faces a new trial, Grace starts to think maybe it wasn’t really Jake she saw that night. The three of them band together to try to solve the real mystery as to who killed their beloved teacher and clear Jake’s name.

This book was fast paced. I was never bored and I enjoyed the individual backgrounds of each character as well. I love multi pov books because when stuff starts to go down, you get mini cliffhangers as it pops to the next pov. This book had a few unexpected twists up until the very end!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Random House Children’s and Delacorte Press for allowing me to
To read this arc and exchange for my honest review

This is a YA murder mystery and it was amazing. It reminded me a lot of A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder except even better. The book follows three best friends and is told from each of their POV’s. It has thrill and a great twist. I would highly recommend this one even to those that don’t typically read YA because it did not feel like a YA book at times.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Murder Between Friends by Liz Lawson is a gripping tale filled with suspense, betrayal, heartbreak, and an unexpected twist that will leave you on the edge of your seat. This fast-paced thriller delivers a perfect blend of intrigue and humor, showcasing Liz Lawson's signature style. A thrilling ride that keep me guessing until the very end.

This book had a good pace and everything came together well. I think this was a good YA book and a quick read.
Thank you Random House Children’s and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book!

I really did enjoy this book although the killer was quite obvious from the onset.

It was a quick, light read. No to scary and just plain entertaining.

Dear Liz Lawson, please write more YA thrillers ASAP! I loved every moment of this book and was hooked from start to finish. I love the characters, the multiple POVs, and their relationships with each-other (the bad and good. The writing and plot were so well done, I felt like I was in the story solving the mystery with the 3 characters. I had fun trying to figure out who it was and didn’t see the twist coming at the end. Definitely recommending this one!

I was shocked by all of the twists and turns in this book, you think the murderer is one person, then nope it's not them it's someone else, then nope not them either. It had me guessing till the very end. I was surprised by all of the crimes that were exposed by 3 high schoolers. Like how couldn't the police figure these things out but the teens were able to. I felt bad for Grace, Ally, Henry and Jake. Like they lost friendships and time that they shouldn't have all because a handful of people couldn't stop being criminals.

I highly recommend this book if you want to stay guessing till the very end.

As an avid mystery/suspense reader, I try to read as many YA titles in this genre as I can. I was a big fan of The Agathas series, which was co-written by Liz Lawson, so decided to try this.

It has a bit of a Good Girl's Guide vibe, as a student accused of the murder of a teacher is let out of prison on a legal technicality, which makes everyone rethink the case. Did he really do it?

It could be because of my honed ability to sniff out a culprit, but I had two suspects from the very first pages and ... I was right.

I can see that other early readers are really enjoying this, so don't let my opinion deter you!

Grace, Henry, and Ally were 3-peas-in-a-pod, the best of friends, before Grace testified against Henry's brother. Now, 2 years later, Jake is out of prison, on a technicality, and he's getting a new trial. Grace, Henry, and Ally decide it's up to them to investigate who killed Ms. Appelbaum, saving Jake from going back to prison for a crime they're sure he did not commit.

This was a quick and gripping YA thriller. It was chock-full of twists, had excellent character development, and had characters you were truly rooting for. Unlike many YA thrillers where you're exasperated by the silly decisions the characters are making, these characters were smart... most of the time... and in the moments where one character had a lapse in thinking, another character generally picked up the slack. This was an excellent read! Read It for sure!

Note: I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this book. It had a wonderful flow that made it feel as if you were watching a movie. The main characters were well developed and authentic. It was full of twists and turns that kept getting more complex and shocking as the story progresses. Anyone who loves mysteries and whodunits will love this book.

Let me preface by saying I haven't read a lot of YA lately. I like a good mystery and I enjoyed the three main characters/friends. Grace, Henry and Ally band together to try to find out who killed one of their favorite teachers who was also a neighbor almost two years ago. Their sleuthing was very good and I thought Liz Lawson did a good job of building teenage characters. Their were conflicts in their friendship the way they treated each other seemed very realistic.

My problem was with the adult characters, including those in their 20's. They were such caricatures that I couldn't take them very seriously. The ending, the whodunit, was pretty predictable. The hints were strong earlier in the book, but again, this was YA.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.