For me, this story highlighted how the choices we make because they seem right in the moment can have long-lasting, terrible consequences for ourselves and others. The protagonist, Lily, is very relatable as she struggles with regret over a pivotal decision she made as a teen and the emotional wounds of her childhood. The ensemble of Lily’s friends, interesting and complex characters, sometimes provides lighter moments that balance the story’s deep themes. I also love that Lily’s outlet is painting. Because of the references to childhood, family trauma, this wasn’t always an easy story for me to read. However, its messages of healing, resilience, and forgiveness made it worth it. Thank you, Lake Union, for providing me an Advanced Reader Copy of Closest Kept via NetGalley to review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishng for allowing me the opportunity to have early access to this amazing book. Kitty Johnson wrote a beautiful, emotion-evoking story filled with raw emotions, realistic characters, and plenty of drama. This book does a beautiful job addressing trauma, realistic adult relationships, and the multiple ways to go about addressing adulthood in all of its complexity. This was a fantastic read that I will definetly reccomend to all.

I really enjoyed following the main character, Lily, as she grappled with her misbeliefs and guilts, and came to terms with the hand she'd been dealt. As in Prickly Company, the author deals with some hard realities with an honest but gentle touch. It was a very HUMAN story, and I closed the book at the end with a happy sigh and feeling of satisfaction.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Themes of friendship, family and love surface as drama after drama unfolds for Lily and she juggles each one, all the while pushing away the past she desperately wants to forget. A satisfying read with characters and the complexity of their relationships relatable to readers.

CLOSEST KEPT by Kitty Johnson was a heartfelt, emotional, enjoyable read. Johnson explores the ideas of friendship, family, love, and the question of the road not taken. Lily and Inga are best friends. When they meet Alex and Matt at a bar, it seemed destined they would become two happy couples forever. But as job changes and geography creates gaps between the friends, secrets emerge that threaten to destroy everything. Lily must face her web of lies that have hidden her childhood trauma in order to mend her complex relationships.

I love that Johnson tackles dark, complicated topics with an accessible, sometimes light-hearted style. I found this story to be easy to read and relatable.

[Special Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for offering this book for early consideration/review]. In this novel, Johnson has crafted a tale of family, friendship, trauma, and love in all its forms. What appears to begin as a lighthearted romantic read soon melds to an insightful, deep portrait of childhood trauma and how it shapes a person for life. Brimming with vibrant characters who practically burst from the page, the novel is a stunning example of characterization and character development. I can't imagine what this book would be without its cast of side characters. Through it all shines themes of art, creation, betrayal, parenthood, and doing good by others, even when it doesn't benefit us personally. Lily, the main character, navigates romantic and friendly relationships, falls in love with unexpected people, and pursues her love of painting, all while mending her relationship with her adult sister, who was placed in the foster care system after their mother's addiction and neglect were discovered. These are only some of the core themes Johnson incorporates into this touching story. There are frequent mentions of child neglect and alcoholism, so these would be my only content warnings. I highly recommend this book to readers who are looking for an emotionally deep read that does not hold back from difficult topics. Truly a remarkable read.

Best friends Lily and Inga do everything together—they even meet their future loves at the same bar. After one serendipitous night, it seems like it’s going to be Lily and Alex and Inga and Matt forever.

But life gets more complicated. A job offer moves Inga and Matt from Norwich to London. Lily, who craves stability after a traumatic childhood, is already struggling with the change when Inga confides in her a secret that could tear the group apart for good. At the same time, Lily’s friendship with Matt deepens, and she wonders if she was always meant to be with him instead of Alex.

As the two couples try to hold on to their dreams and one another, Lily’s life is further upended by the reappearance of her long-lost sister—and all the terrible truths she brings home. Lily needs her chosen family more than ever, but in order to heal the rifts, she must find the courage to be honest with herself and reveal the secrets she’s kept hidden from her loved ones for too long.

Loved it. Cannot wait to read more from the author. Will recommend to others.

3.5🌟 I have conflicting feelings about this book. It was a very emotional read, with flawed and realistic characters, and messy and complex relationships.
Overall, I really enjoyed the writing and look forward to read more of this author, but I also found some of the themes and characters a bit too dull and frustrating at times.

4.25/5 stars!
This is the first of Kitty Johnson’s work I’ve read, and I found her writing style pleasantly relatable and accessible. Her characters in this novel were well rounded and thoughtfully fleshed out, but I appreciated the ‘real-ness’ of their interactions between one another. The storyline was well paced, with a hooking premise. I enjoyed the exploration of how friendships/relationships can evolve over time as we age and adapt into adulthood, their fragility but also robustness. I also thought the commentary on motherhood, the struggles women can face, and our right to choose was tactfully and cleverly handled. I fell for these characters hard, and thoroughly enjoyed my time seeing their stories unfold. Would definitely read another of Johnson’s books moving forward too!

I was quickly drawn into this novel for its rich themes centered on family, both found and biological. The book is told from Lily’s perspective and reveals how she relates to her best friend and their boyfriends (who happen to be best friends as well). Over the years, Lily struggles to grow close to anyone due to extremely traumatic and painful events in her past. It’s a beautiful story that explores what we owe to one another, how we can hurt our family members and dearest friends, and how to accept and pursue what you really want in life. I could hardly put the book down, as I was so invested in Lily’s journey.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC of this book.

Closest Kept will likely make it onto my favorite books of the year list. What a tender and heartfelt book! I love how Johnson dives into the complexities of relationships – romantic, friendship, family – showing the beautiful, the messy, and even the ugly sides of them. We follow along as Lily navigates her life as an artist after overcoming a tumultuous childhood. While this deals with serious and difficult topics, the story’s pacing and in-depth characters make it quite the page turner!

Closet Kept
By: Kitty Johnson
Pub date: May 6, 2025
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

This novel is about best friends Lily and Inga and their relationships. They go to a bar and they both meet a wonderful man. They are so used to doing everything together, but as we know marriage, jobs, and family dynamics change over the years.
One of the couples moves to London. A secret can destroy them all and as friendships deepen a relationship might be in jeopardy. Opening up to others can be a struggle, even with a best friend.
I believe its natural to wonder about paths not taken. Thank Suzy Approved books, Lake Union and author Johnson for this novel.

I'm glad I stuck with it despite not really liking the main characters at the beginning. They grew and learned. This book does start off a bit slowly, but if you stick with it, it is an enjoyable read overall.

Haunted by her past, Lily lies to her best friend – Inga about her family. Tangled in a web of lies she couldn’t be honest with Inga or anyone else, as confronting the past takes her back to the night that she doesn’t want to hearken back. One night Lily and Inga meet two handsome men, Alex and Matt, at a bar for a random hookup. Little did they know that this hookup will lead to Alex proposing to Lily and Inga carrying Matt’s child. Will this new found family make Lily forget about her painful memories?

This novel Closest kept is about love, friendships, trauma and self- discovery. The author has clearly depicted each character’s emotional struggle with authenticity. Kitty Johnson used a minimalist style to write in this book, frequently keeping her plots straightforward and letting the depth of her character’s interactions propel the story. She writes delicately about depression, childhood trauma, postnatal depression and loneliness that often come with growing up.

I was hooked on this novel from the start. The character development in the novel was exceptional, with well-rounded, complex personalities that evolved naturally. Their growth felt authentic, making it easy for me to connect deeply with their journeys. The novel felt "Sally Rooney-coded," capturing the same quiet intensity, intricate relationships, and raw introspection. As a person who does not read without checking hundreds of reviews for a book and to pile up this was my first ARC novel. I was a little scared to read one without much review, although I am pleased that I chose one of the best.
Thanks to netgalley for the advanced digital copy.

I did not like this book. The main character is wasting everyone's time. She is dating 2 people at once essentially, so she is cheating on her long term partner. It is messy and disrespectful. I hate it. I do not condone cheating and emotional affairs

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

I have read Kitty Johnson's previous books, so I was looking forward to her latest title from Lake Union.
At first, it seems to hinge upon a foursome of friends who soon become couples: Lily and Alex; Ing and Matt. But this is a book that widens out into bigger issues than these immediate relationships, as their lives become more complicated - particularly for the main character Lily, who discovers it's impossible to outrun her troubled past.
It's a story of friendship and torn loyalties and how secrets, both new and decades old, can haunt us. It's also about learning empathy for others and trying to work out what motivates the people who were once closest to us but, it turns out, do not define us.
As with Kitty's previous books, difficult issues are exposed and worked through, making this a thoughtful and confronting read, but one that is ultimately satisfying.

This book was such an emotional roller coaster. Lily was such an interesting character to follow along with. Her struggles and traumas from long ago were so heartbreaking, to see her navigate through them as an adult was emotional. Along with her character , I experienced the ups and downs of each set back or triumph- the writing depicted these emotions so expertly! I honestly started the book with no idea what direction the story would take, and found myself more than once questioning and hoping for certain outcomes only to be surprised. I love when a story can catch me off guard and transport me right into the characters world. Lily is a deeply nuanced character I loved rooting for, and I highly recommend this book!

A very different story to the previous book, Prickly Company, which I read and enjoyed earlier this year.
Closest Kept is a story of a woman with secrets. Secrets she has kept hidden for the whole of her adult life. Secrets that keep threatening to spill.
Lily and Inga are best friends. They are artists, struggling to make a living in the big wide world, but they keep going, in the hope that one day their dreams will come true.
Both women have reasons for not trusting, but they have faith in one another.
A drunken night out introduces them to Matt and Alex, and after a quick regroup in the ladies, Inga pairs herself off with Matt, leaving Lily with Alex.
They end up in happy relationships until things happen that threaten to push Lily to tell the truth about her own childhood, especially when her little sister turns up. Oh, and also wondering whether she really got the right guy...
I was so torn for Lily. She had such an enormous burden on her, her whole life, and no-one she felt she could share with. And the feeling that you might be thinking of your best friend's partner in the wrong way can't be an easy situation to be in, either.
There is a lot of trauma in this.
It's not a light-hearted read, but a very well written, solid read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.

The main character of this story is Lily, artist and teacher who is still battling scars from an initially undisclosed childhood drama involving her neglectful alcoholic single mother and eight years younger sister Violet who has grown up as damaged as her but uses drugs as crutches while Lily pours all her anguish into painting.

Her best friend is half-Danish Inga who she met at art college. Lily has learned to keep her feelings and her needs to herself and to avoid conflict at all costs. Therefore, when she and Inga one night meet friends Alex and Matt in a bar, she defers to Inga's preference for Matt and doesn't listen to her own feelings. The four of them become two very close couples.

The book chronicles the relationships between these four people in a very engaging way, making us care about them all. Lily has always known that she doesn't want children and it leads to friction between her and Alex. Will Lily and Inga's friendship survive Inga's treatment of Max and refusal to take responsibility for her actions and Lily's refusal to share her demons with her friends?

Then her sister Violet turns up unannounced, and Lily is forced to confront her childhood trauma and mental health once and for all, especially when Violet finds their mother, living in a commune in Scotland. Will she be able to put the past to rest and deal with her growing feelings for Matt?

NetGalley has already given me Prickly Company by the same author which was a five star read for me. This isn't much different. The book is about relatable, complex and flawed characters that don't always act in a mature way, and teaches us not to get ruled by our childhood, stand up to people and ask fearlessly for what we want.

It's a compelling and emotional novel about love, friendship and forging your own way. It is fantastically written and explores the issues of (not) having children with sensitivity, and how important it is to give new mothers the support they need. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to read an intelligent story that's not predictable or fluffy but gives us great characters. I was rooting for Lily and Max all the way through to get the ending they deserve. The cover is lovely but somehow doesn't do the story justice!

"Fire that's closest kept burns most of all."

This book was a meaningful read for me. It handles difficult topics with care and I could empathize with the main character, Lily throughout the book. This book pushes the question of how much of you do you share with others and left me to evaluate my own character. Thank you for the ARC!