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dunder_mifflin's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up from the library because it looked interesting, and it was. I liked it, but I didn't love it. The plot was interesting enough to keep me reading, even though it was pretty predictable. The characters were likeable enough, but nothing special. It entertained me for a few hours, anyway, so no complaints. I'd recommend this if you want a quick, fun, read, though beware that it's nothing special.
katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
Makes a great audio book - I even felt like jogging for longer to hear more!
A good tense family thriller, this differs from the usual 'evil woman' (Hands that Rocks the Cradle) genre by giving the other woman part of the narrative. Natty and Sean are married, fairly happily, though Natty focuses more on her daughter's and bed and breakfast that her marriage. When one daughter needs her on an overseas trip, her friend Eve volunteers to stay with Sean and her other daughter while she's away. Natty returns to the news that Sean is in love with her best friend.
Wow. Quite a premise. Especially as we've been treated to chapters narrated by the scheming and seductive Eve and KNOW she's purposely breaking up the marriage. Natty gets wind of this through an anonymous note, and despite trying to keep her life on track, her daughters, tries to investigate her best friend's past.
A good rock-solid mystery/thriller that offers revelations on a regular basis, and not just about Eve. Natty has her own history and her own secrets she doesn't want exposing. She's symathetic though, and Eve makes a deliciously unlikeable anti-hero. I did like the decision to give Eve a voice, normally her character would be shrouded in mystery and seen only by the leads. You know from the start you're allowed to hate her.
Sean is a bit weak, for me. Couldn't feel much for him - just HOW does he fall for his wife's friend so fast? The daughters are also a little shallow, but that may be the sickly voice narrating them on the CD.
Enjoyed the twists and the plot, though the denouement and showdown didn't really hit the heights of the build-up, though the final pages are excellently understated and apt.
A good quick thriller, will never be my personal favourite genre but it's one I like to dip into occasionally.
A good tense family thriller, this differs from the usual 'evil woman' (Hands that Rocks the Cradle) genre by giving the other woman part of the narrative. Natty and Sean are married, fairly happily, though Natty focuses more on her daughter's and bed and breakfast that her marriage. When one daughter needs her on an overseas trip, her friend Eve volunteers to stay with Sean and her other daughter while she's away. Natty returns to the news that Sean is in love with her best friend.
Wow. Quite a premise. Especially as we've been treated to chapters narrated by the scheming and seductive Eve and KNOW she's purposely breaking up the marriage. Natty gets wind of this through an anonymous note, and despite trying to keep her life on track, her daughters, tries to investigate her best friend's past.
A good rock-solid mystery/thriller that offers revelations on a regular basis, and not just about Eve. Natty has her own history and her own secrets she doesn't want exposing. She's symathetic though, and Eve makes a deliciously unlikeable anti-hero. I did like the decision to give Eve a voice, normally her character would be shrouded in mystery and seen only by the leads. You know from the start you're allowed to hate her.
Sean is a bit weak, for me. Couldn't feel much for him - just HOW does he fall for his wife's friend so fast? The daughters are also a little shallow, but that may be the sickly voice narrating them on the CD.
Enjoyed the twists and the plot, though the denouement and showdown didn't really hit the heights of the build-up, though the final pages are excellently understated and apt.
A good quick thriller, will never be my personal favourite genre but it's one I like to dip into occasionally.
paulabrandon's review against another edition
3.0
I looooove made-for-TV movies, so my rating is generous - because this is a lot like a made-for-TV movie! Except even made-for-TV movies have better characterisation and character motivation than what can be found here.
Examples:
Why does Eve want Sean so badly? He has two kids and Eve doesn't like kids. Wouldn't that just make her "plan" more difficult?
Why does Eve do what she does? What exactly did she do in the past?
Why is Natty so dumb? Why is she calling Eve up and giving away her game plan?
How could Eve know in advance that Natty would ram her car and thus kick off her plan to make Natty look dangerous and crazy?
Why do we spend so much time learning about Joanne Aspinall's intention to get breast reduction surgery in the first quarter of the book, only for it to never be mentioned again?
Why is Natty so determined to win back a husband who would leave her as soon as another woman gives him a blowjob? He's a douche!
I did like the ending, however.
Examples:
Why does Eve want Sean so badly? He has two kids and Eve doesn't like kids. Wouldn't that just make her "plan" more difficult?
Why does Eve do what she does? What exactly did she do in the past?
Why is Natty so dumb? Why is she calling Eve up and giving away her game plan?
How could Eve know in advance that Natty would ram her car and thus kick off her plan to make Natty look dangerous and crazy?
Why do we spend so much time learning about Joanne Aspinall's intention to get breast reduction surgery in the first quarter of the book, only for it to never be mentioned again?
Why is Natty so determined to win back a husband who would leave her as soon as another woman gives him a blowjob? He's a douche!
I did like the ending, however.
beastreader's review against another edition
4.0
I read this author's first book, Just What Kind of Mother Are You?. It was fine. what drew me to this one was the book cover, the book summary, and again the fact that the prior novel was fine. I have to say this book was by far way better then the prior one. If you are wanting to know what this author is like then check out this book. I could not stop reading this book. Although to be honest, I thought that Sean was a douche and thus did not feel that sorry for Natty. I thought she could do way better than Sean.
This book had a little feel of Fatal Attraction with Eve being Glenn Close. However Glenn was way more evil then Eve. I was not expecting the twist with Natty's past. That just added an extra level to the story. By the end I was on Natty's die all the way. The ending was the perfect ending to this story.
This book had a little feel of Fatal Attraction with Eve being Glenn Close. However Glenn was way more evil then Eve. I was not expecting the twist with Natty's past. That just added an extra level to the story. By the end I was on Natty's die all the way. The ending was the perfect ending to this story.
helen_mitchell_2012's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
justlily's review against another edition
2.0
A little underwhelming. Everything was built up to be this huge deal and then every time something was revealed I went "That's it?"
So I would really not call this a Thriller. More of an "Oh, that's a shitty situation. Oh well."er. Which isn't a real genre but apparently should be.
So I would really not call this a Thriller. More of an "Oh, that's a shitty situation. Oh well."er. Which isn't a real genre but apparently should be.
judithdcollins's review against another edition
5.0
A special thank you to Grove Atlantic, for a complimentary copy, in exchange for an honest review. (I also purchased the e-book as could not wait. Well worth it)!
Paula Daly’s KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE is an addictive, intense, and riveting suspense of marriage, family, obsession, betrayal, lies, and dark secrets . . . keeping you glued to the pages of this psychological thriller.
Set in England’s Lake District, Natasha (Natty) Wainwright is married to Sean, with two teenage daughters, (16 yr. old Alice, and 14 yr. old Felicity). They live a good life, owning and managing a busy hotel, with busy lives. However, Natty finds herself focused on making sure the hotel is running properly. A type A personality, perfectionist, overseeing everything at the hotel, (which is all consuming, as have been involved in the hospitality business for years), to ensure the best guest experience, and of course the perfect and loving mother, and employer. She has little time life over for her husband’s needs. Her mom died at an early age and she helps take care of her dad. Her mother-in-law is not one of her biggest fans.
Enter, Eve her best friend from college, glamorous, sophisticated, now newly divorced, visiting from the US, a successful psychologist. The day she arrives for a visit, Natty receives the frantic phone call, her daughter has a ruptured appendix in France. (She is there studying for school). Being the good mother, she sets off to tend to her daughter, leaving behind her husband and daughter. What she does not consider is Eve. Does she really know Eve? By the time she returns home with her daughter, manipulative and evil Eve, her supposedly best friend, has taken over her life, her husband, and her home.
What follows is a series of events which lead down a dangerous path. Natty wants revenge; however, one act of car ramming, spirals out of control. When Eve turns the tables on Natty, turning her family against her, as Natty is arrested, and Eve continues to spin her a web of deceit and slowly takes everything from Natty.
Natty seeks desperately to find information about the real Eve, and comes up empty handed, with no identity for Eve. This is when all paths lead to a woman who has done this before and has many secrets in her past. Who is this crazy woman? Has anything she has said in the past been true?
Natty is racing against time to save herself, her family, and her life from the clutches of this evil dark woman, who appears to be poised and calm on the exterior. In the meantime, Natty has a secret and Eve knows the secret and will use it against her. No spoilers here. Yummy, you have to read it! Note: never tell a friend a secret, as you never know when it will come back to haunt you-found this out the hard way.
Having read Daly’s debut novel, Just What Kind of Mother Are You, could not wait to read her follow up novel, which does not disappoint! It was even better (if that is possible).
Told in alternating voices, Natty (1st person), Joanne (3rd), for an absorbing novel, masterfully crafted, femme fatale Eve, with a mixture of humor, intrigue, drama, psychological aspects, and suspense - coming at you with twists and turns, keeping you turning into the wee hours of the morning to learn the fate of these well-developed characters.
If you read Just What Kind of Mother Am I, (highly recommend) then you will enjoy hearing from a familiar character, Joanne Aspinall, the female cop with the big boobs, and boy, oh boy, are you in for a treat with her aunt, Mad Jackie. She is a total riot, as hoping Natty would sick Mad Jackie on wacko, Eve. Loved Natty, and totally disliked Sean, as he definitely is not thinking with his head, but other body parts.
I was dying when I got to the last page, even though a brilliant ending, I kept hitting the page, wishing it could go on. If you love family dramas, suspense, mysteries, and psychological crime thrillers, this book is for you! Keep them coming Daly, as would love a sequel here, as want to see Natty getting revenge, and more from Mad Jackie, and Joanne! What I missed was the British accent from the audiobook from last book, as was not available yet on audio, as could envision her performance.
Daly is a powerhouse writer to follow. She knows psychological, family dynamics, and strong mother characters-grabbing you from page one and never lets go!
JDCMustReadBooks
Be sure and add this one to your 2015 Must Read List: THE MISTAKE I MADE Coming 9/8/2015 (US) Scandalous!
Paula Daly’s KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE is an addictive, intense, and riveting suspense of marriage, family, obsession, betrayal, lies, and dark secrets . . . keeping you glued to the pages of this psychological thriller.
Set in England’s Lake District, Natasha (Natty) Wainwright is married to Sean, with two teenage daughters, (16 yr. old Alice, and 14 yr. old Felicity). They live a good life, owning and managing a busy hotel, with busy lives. However, Natty finds herself focused on making sure the hotel is running properly. A type A personality, perfectionist, overseeing everything at the hotel, (which is all consuming, as have been involved in the hospitality business for years), to ensure the best guest experience, and of course the perfect and loving mother, and employer. She has little time life over for her husband’s needs. Her mom died at an early age and she helps take care of her dad. Her mother-in-law is not one of her biggest fans.
Enter, Eve her best friend from college, glamorous, sophisticated, now newly divorced, visiting from the US, a successful psychologist. The day she arrives for a visit, Natty receives the frantic phone call, her daughter has a ruptured appendix in France. (She is there studying for school). Being the good mother, she sets off to tend to her daughter, leaving behind her husband and daughter. What she does not consider is Eve. Does she really know Eve? By the time she returns home with her daughter, manipulative and evil Eve, her supposedly best friend, has taken over her life, her husband, and her home.
What follows is a series of events which lead down a dangerous path. Natty wants revenge; however, one act of car ramming, spirals out of control. When Eve turns the tables on Natty, turning her family against her, as Natty is arrested, and Eve continues to spin her a web of deceit and slowly takes everything from Natty.
Natty seeks desperately to find information about the real Eve, and comes up empty handed, with no identity for Eve. This is when all paths lead to a woman who has done this before and has many secrets in her past. Who is this crazy woman? Has anything she has said in the past been true?
Natty is racing against time to save herself, her family, and her life from the clutches of this evil dark woman, who appears to be poised and calm on the exterior. In the meantime, Natty has a secret and Eve knows the secret and will use it against her. No spoilers here. Yummy, you have to read it! Note: never tell a friend a secret, as you never know when it will come back to haunt you-found this out the hard way.
Having read Daly’s debut novel, Just What Kind of Mother Are You, could not wait to read her follow up novel, which does not disappoint! It was even better (if that is possible).
Told in alternating voices, Natty (1st person), Joanne (3rd), for an absorbing novel, masterfully crafted, femme fatale Eve, with a mixture of humor, intrigue, drama, psychological aspects, and suspense - coming at you with twists and turns, keeping you turning into the wee hours of the morning to learn the fate of these well-developed characters.
If you read Just What Kind of Mother Am I, (highly recommend) then you will enjoy hearing from a familiar character, Joanne Aspinall, the female cop with the big boobs, and boy, oh boy, are you in for a treat with her aunt, Mad Jackie. She is a total riot, as hoping Natty would sick Mad Jackie on wacko, Eve. Loved Natty, and totally disliked Sean, as he definitely is not thinking with his head, but other body parts.
I was dying when I got to the last page, even though a brilliant ending, I kept hitting the page, wishing it could go on. If you love family dramas, suspense, mysteries, and psychological crime thrillers, this book is for you! Keep them coming Daly, as would love a sequel here, as want to see Natty getting revenge, and more from Mad Jackie, and Joanne! What I missed was the British accent from the audiobook from last book, as was not available yet on audio, as could envision her performance.
Daly is a powerhouse writer to follow. She knows psychological, family dynamics, and strong mother characters-grabbing you from page one and never lets go!
JDCMustReadBooks
Be sure and add this one to your 2015 Must Read List: THE MISTAKE I MADE Coming 9/8/2015 (US) Scandalous!
jacki_f's review against another edition
4.0
By all rights I should only give this book three stars because it gets extremely silly to the point of being utterly ridiculous, but it's so immensely readable that I'm giving it four.
Natty and Sean have been married since she became pregnant at university and they have a happy marriage, raising their two girls and running a successful boutique hotel. When their younger daughter develops appendicitis on a school trip to France, Natty drops everything to rush to her bedside. Her old friend Eve offers to stay and help Sean with the household. When Natty returns two weeks later, her life has been turned upside down. Sean and Eve are in love and he is ending their marriage. Natty is bewildered and angry, as she gradually starts to realise that very little that she thought she knew about Eve is true.
This is a complete page turner. I read it in two sittings, finding it almost impossible to put down. It doesn't have a shred of realism about it. Eve is a totally implausible character and by the end of the book virtually everyone is behaving in ways that make very little sense. Nevertheless it's an excellent, disengage-your-brain kind of thriller.
Natty and Sean have been married since she became pregnant at university and they have a happy marriage, raising their two girls and running a successful boutique hotel. When their younger daughter develops appendicitis on a school trip to France, Natty drops everything to rush to her bedside. Her old friend Eve offers to stay and help Sean with the household. When Natty returns two weeks later, her life has been turned upside down. Sean and Eve are in love and he is ending their marriage. Natty is bewildered and angry, as she gradually starts to realise that very little that she thought she knew about Eve is true.
This is a complete page turner. I read it in two sittings, finding it almost impossible to put down. It doesn't have a shred of realism about it. Eve is a totally implausible character and by the end of the book virtually everyone is behaving in ways that make very little sense. Nevertheless it's an excellent, disengage-your-brain kind of thriller.
mmc6661's review against another edition
5.0
With friends like this who needs enemies ! Natty and Sean seem to have a happy if not busy married life and all is well until Eve comes to visit and stays while Nattie goes to nurse her sick daughter and bring her home. When she comes home her husband tells her he is in love with her best friend Eve. Eve begins to take over her life in all her perfectness, but all is not what it seems, as Natty is soon to discover. Great suspense and what an ending !!