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shari_russell's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Set in an idealistic community in California, the story begins as gunshots ring out on a perfect evening. In the aftermath you find out that one teenage boy is dead, one unconscious, and one too traumatized to speak.
The story focuses on the mothers of the 3 best friends as chapters alternate between points of view from Kendra, Sawyers mother, Lindsey, Jacobs mother, and Dani, Caleb’s mother. The mothers have been Best friends for 30 years. As they struggle to find the truth about what happened that fateful night they question how well do they really know their children. They are forced to deal with the unraveling of close friendships and marriages when years of secrets are revealed. Trust in loved ones is shattered as they each want to blame each other.
This is such a compelling plot that is dark and emotional and draws you in immediately. You are enthralled with suspense and tense filled moments and questions that aren’t resolved until the end. The focus on friendship and loss is something that everyone can relate too, which makes the story and themes especially significant.
The storytelling Is beautiful and raw and puts you in the heart of the story. With such a heartbreaking tale, it’s easy to become emotionally invested especially with such powerful and skilled writing.
The characters are believable and realistic and you see how each one handles grief and tragedy differently. Guilt exposes flaws which can give the real insight to a person. One of the characteristics that really stood out was that each one of them is in denial. They were so quick to deny what was said about their son because in their eyes their son could do no wrong. You are reminded time and again that they have the perfect life and nothing can touch that. However, the development of the characters is brilliant as you clearly see the personality change from one of privilege and confidence to someone who is broken and in some cases, mentally unstable.
I found this book to be an addictive and memorable read. It takes ahold of your emotions from the very beginning and doesn’t let go. As heart breaking as the story is, you’re too invested in finding out the truth to put it down. The truth about that night is revealed at the end and it was surprising as it was something I hadn’t considered.
The thing that really stood out to me is how intense and sometimes heartbreaking friendship can be. In a case with three best friends there are times when the 3rd friend is left out of the bond of the other 2. This came full circle in the book as it was experienced first in the friendship between the mothers, and then again between the 3 sons. I disliked most of the characters mainly due to negative traits that were apparent early on. However, I had so much empathy, especially for the women, that my initial impression quickly was put aside.
I’ve read 7 of Lucinda Berry’s novels. I have enjoyed each one so much that I rated the majority of them 5 stars, and nothing ever less than 4. I think that makes me a pretty big Lucinda Berry fan. Well, I am even more so now and if there were more stars they would all go to this big. The skill that Lucinda put in the writing of this compelling novel is definitely deserving of the highest rating of 5 stars.
My Recommendation
This book is so unforgettable for me, that my first thought is to tell every reader that they have to read this. However, the drawback is that it has quite a few trigger warnings⚠️ If you can get past the triggers and love a read that is not only suspenseful, but also emotional and thought-provoking, I highly recommend “The Best Of Friends.” And I urge you to read some of Lucinda Berry’s other books if you enjoy a good psychological thriller.
Trigger alerts⚠️
Child death, gun violence, suicide, domestic abuse- physical and mental, teen drug use and alcohol, mental illness, panic attacks/disorder, homophobia
The story focuses on the mothers of the 3 best friends as chapters alternate between points of view from Kendra, Sawyers mother, Lindsey, Jacobs mother, and Dani, Caleb’s mother. The mothers have been Best friends for 30 years. As they struggle to find the truth about what happened that fateful night they question how well do they really know their children. They are forced to deal with the unraveling of close friendships and marriages when years of secrets are revealed. Trust in loved ones is shattered as they each want to blame each other.
This is such a compelling plot that is dark and emotional and draws you in immediately. You are enthralled with suspense and tense filled moments and questions that aren’t resolved until the end. The focus on friendship and loss is something that everyone can relate too, which makes the story and themes especially significant.
The storytelling Is beautiful and raw and puts you in the heart of the story. With such a heartbreaking tale, it’s easy to become emotionally invested especially with such powerful and skilled writing.
The characters are believable and realistic and you see how each one handles grief and tragedy differently. Guilt exposes flaws which can give the real insight to a person. One of the characteristics that really stood out was that each one of them is in denial. They were so quick to deny what was said about their son because in their eyes their son could do no wrong. You are reminded time and again that they have the perfect life and nothing can touch that. However, the development of the characters is brilliant as you clearly see the personality change from one of privilege and confidence to someone who is broken and in some cases, mentally unstable.
I found this book to be an addictive and memorable read. It takes ahold of your emotions from the very beginning and doesn’t let go. As heart breaking as the story is, you’re too invested in finding out the truth to put it down. The truth about that night is revealed at the end and it was surprising as it was something I hadn’t considered.
The thing that really stood out to me is how intense and sometimes heartbreaking friendship can be. In a case with three best friends there are times when the 3rd friend is left out of the bond of the other 2. This came full circle in the book as it was experienced first in the friendship between the mothers, and then again between the 3 sons. I disliked most of the characters mainly due to negative traits that were apparent early on. However, I had so much empathy, especially for the women, that my initial impression quickly was put aside.
I’ve read 7 of Lucinda Berry’s novels. I have enjoyed each one so much that I rated the majority of them 5 stars, and nothing ever less than 4. I think that makes me a pretty big Lucinda Berry fan. Well, I am even more so now and if there were more stars they would all go to this big. The skill that Lucinda put in the writing of this compelling novel is definitely deserving of the highest rating of 5 stars.
My Recommendation
This book is so unforgettable for me, that my first thought is to tell every reader that they have to read this. However, the drawback is that it has quite a few trigger warnings⚠️ If you can get past the triggers and love a read that is not only suspenseful, but also emotional and thought-provoking, I highly recommend “The Best Of Friends.” And I urge you to read some of Lucinda Berry’s other books if you enjoy a good psychological thriller.
Trigger alerts⚠️
Child death, gun violence, suicide, domestic abuse- physical and mental, teen drug use and alcohol, mental illness, panic attacks/disorder, homophobia
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting
gmm1966's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
ids100's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicide, Grief, and Alcohol
andrea_caselles's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Suicide, and Grief
queerbookworm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was very difficult to get through. Major trigger warning for anyone interested in reading. I included all the triggers I could think of but it's possible I forgot some. But that's the author's goal so I can't really fault her. If you think you're mentally prepared for this, I 100% recommend this book. If you aren't, I would tell you to read something else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Medical content, and Gaslighting
Minor: Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racial slurs
jenfulls's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, and Murder
amina2002's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I thought the beginning was so intriguing and captivating but after that it felt as if the mystery was not an important portion anymore. It was just revolving around the 3 women’s lives which got very annoying after a while. The mystery was very obvious to me by the middle of the book and there was nothing thrilling. I wish this book revolved more around the lives of the kids than the mothers. But overall I was still enjoying what was being revealed about the boys and what ends up happening to the two boys who didn’t die that night.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol