Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - Keep Your Friends Close

I enjoyed most of the book. I liked the twist on who the murderer was. I felt like the plot twist at the end was really strange and unnecessary to the story. The ending in general just got a little weird like the author was trying to do too much to keep you guessing. The main storyline was good though.

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bookburdy's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

"Keep Your Friends Close" by Lucinda Berry is a good book for fans of messy rich people drama (which I am). The story revolves around an exclusive club of wealthy moms. During a party, one of the moms is found dead in a pool, and the investigation begins to uncover the culprit. The book delves into the messy lives of each character, given their wealth. This book took me by surprise! I was so engrossed in one of the storylines (Brooke's) that I didn't even try to figure out who the culprit was for most of the book. It may or may not be predictable, but personally, I found some unexpected twists that I enjoyed. Overall, I liked it, especially the twists. However, I had a couple of issues with the book. Firstly, the language used by the characters was a deliberate exaggeration of how one might mock a rich person's way of speaking. For example, they said "Omigosh" too many times and used "like" excessively. While I understand the intention, I felt it was a bit excessive and took me out of the story at times. Secondly, I found the book to be slightly too long. Some parts dragged on unnecessarily.

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shari_russell's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Keep YourFriends Close by Lucinda Berry
The West Hollywood Moms Club is complete with NDAs and “invite only” inclusion for membership. Very exclusive! The first big party without their babies is held at the gorgeous home of the club president Kiersten McCann. Drinks are flowing and it seems to be a great time for everyone there. Until a horrifying scream comes from outside and they are dismayed to find a dead body floating face down in the pool. Even more shocking is to find out that it is Kiersten, the host and life of the party, popular and liked by everyone. The friend group of Whitney Gilmore, Jade Porter and Brooke Lyons quickly become suspects in what is deemed a homicide, not an accident. Each one of them has secrets that could give them a motive for murder. They are quick to point fingers hoping to take the focus off of themselves. The Detective in charge of solving Kiersten’s murder is ruthless, exploring every angle and will stop at nothing to get to the truth. With the relentless digging for answers she uncovers more secrets, betrayals and lies then the women could ever imagine. The illusion of privileged Hollywood wives living a perfect life is soon destroyed as the race is on to catch a killer.
“Keep Your Friends Close” is a delightful fusion of domestic suspense with a touch of police procedural. It explores how delicate the thread that binds friendship and love really is when faced with secrets and lies. Once trust is broken can it ever be the same?
The story is told from multiple points of view with dual timelines alternating between Whitney, Brooke and Jade after the murder of their friend Kiersten. The different perspectives and unreliable narrators make for so much drama and suspense that the reader is drawn in from the first chapter.
The characters are well developed with distinctive personalities, but mostly unlikeable with an array of distressing problems. You’ve got women that are trying to maintain that illusion of a perfect life in spite of the darkness that is threatening that. Then there are the husband’s that are as uniquely developed as the wives and equally important. The husband/wife dynamic plays a key role in the lengths one will go to when faced with deceit and adversity. To be clear, the negative aspects of the characters were a good thing and really added to the dark and edgy tale.
The plot unfolds at a perfect pace through cleverly placed clues and unexpected twists. There seemed to be no shortage of surprises and crazy antics in every chapter. The number of cliffhangers throughout did not even come close to the final twist at the end. Oh, wait, make that twists as in plural, as in many. And twists is too tame of a word to describe this conclusion. The finale was full of shocking explosions that were not only unexpected but begged the question “if you can’t trust your friends, who can you trust?”
I love reading about the quirks and mentality of the privileged crowd or those that portray to be. Throw in the backdrop of Hollywood and it’s even better. It makes for such a dramatic story and puts you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what they’ll do next. Readers may find the characters a little exaggerated or “over the top” but having spent a lot of time in Hollywood and the nightlife there, I can tell you that people are really like that.
I have never read a disappointing book from Lucinda Berry. I always know that I can expect a fast-paced page-turner with twists galore and an ending that’s sure to shock me and have me thinking “wth did I just read?” for days after. “Keep Your Friends Close” lived up to all expectations and I gave it a well-deserved 5-star rating.
“Keep Your Friends Close” by Lucinda Berry is a good fit for those seeking a gripping and intense mystery that delves into the darker side of human relationships, where secrets, lies, and deceit threaten to shatter the illusions of a perfect life. I highly recommend it to readers that in addition to enjoying a dark domestic thriller also like to see scenes that have shock value and subject matter that you don’t see everyday.

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cdace8's review

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emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I enjoyed this book like I do most of her books! I was happy that this one was interesting and kept me guessing all the way through but didn't noleave me traumatized at the end like some of her others!

Definitely recommend if you like complicated friend drama!

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astoriareader's review

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

SYNOPSIS:

Kiersten, Whitney, Jade, Brooke, Natasha, Taylor, & Colleen are all part of a boogie Mom’s Club in West Hollywood.
Kiersten drowns in the pool, while hosting a party for the Club. Was it an accidental drowning, or was this a murder?

MY THOUGHTS

Lucinda Berry is my girrrrrl & I love her books👏🏼
Multiple POVs + alternating timelines (past & presents)
Lots of twists & layers
Fast paced & didn’t want to put it down
Some of it was a little unbelievable, but it didn’t bother me
Satisfying ending
Although some of the characters weren’t likable, they were still well written
Only negative was the use of the phrase “omigod” constantly by all the characters
Love a neighborhood suspense/drama filled with secrets & twists

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Wealthy moms in neighborhood suspense. Well written & fast-paced. Finished in 2 days.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. It will be published on November 7, 2023.

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