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emma_jade91's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
mandylovestoread's review
5.0
Need a page turner of a thriller? My Best Friends Murder is an addictive story that kept me guessing right until the end. Just when you think you know what is happening, plot twist! Unlikeable characters and fast paced, this was a winner for me.
Bec and Izzy have been best friends for years. It is a lopsided relationship with Bec being passive and quiet while Izzy is aggressive and controlling. They have been through a lot together but Bec is finally seeing Izzy’s true colours and has had enough. But she is not the only one. When Izzy is found, broken at the bottom of the stairs did she fall or was she pushed? And who is involved?
You don’t want to miss this one. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for my advanced copy of this book to read.
Bec and Izzy have been best friends for years. It is a lopsided relationship with Bec being passive and quiet while Izzy is aggressive and controlling. They have been through a lot together but Bec is finally seeing Izzy’s true colours and has had enough. But she is not the only one. When Izzy is found, broken at the bottom of the stairs did she fall or was she pushed? And who is involved?
You don’t want to miss this one. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for my advanced copy of this book to read.
liisp_cvr2cvr's review
4.0
I really liked this book, it was gripping and, gods, forgive me the cliche - unputdownable - but I was not so keen on the ending. Just what?
It was meant to be a twist but it didn't feel like it. Fizzled out, more like. Hmm...
It was meant to be a twist but it didn't feel like it. Fizzled out, more like. Hmm...
melaniesreads's review against another edition
4.0
I am probably going to be in the minority with this but I loved Izzy. She’s a passive aggressive toxic, gaslighting, narcissistic she devil. With her qualities normally being reserved for male characters it made a nice change, plus she’s glamorous as hell (putting me to shame as I sit here in my scruffs). She’s deviously clever in her manipulation, having Bec questioning her gut instincts, from little things like throwing her flowers in the bin and when questioned saying they were full of bugs. Whereas Bec, who most will probably get behind as she’s set up as the “good guy”, did my nut in. Get some gumption girl and call her out if her actions bother you that much! She’s not the little miss innocent she makes herself out to be either and their friendship has been rife with competitive one-upmanship.
There are so many intricate layers to this, from crossover relationships, in not just the romantic form but in career and family too. Their lives are so entwined that surely only death could tear that apart. The control emanates from more than one direction and I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as the saying be careful what you wish for sprang to mind.
I had my suspicions on what happened until a totally different idea hit me with a random lightbulb moment. I was completely wrong on both counts and as the truth was finally revealed I discovered there was so much more to the story than even I had realised. Bravo!
There are so many intricate layers to this, from crossover relationships, in not just the romantic form but in career and family too. Their lives are so entwined that surely only death could tear that apart. The control emanates from more than one direction and I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as the saying be careful what you wish for sprang to mind.
I had my suspicions on what happened until a totally different idea hit me with a random lightbulb moment. I was completely wrong on both counts and as the truth was finally revealed I discovered there was so much more to the story than even I had realised. Bravo!
bookwormaims's review
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
2.0
mouwuol's review
3.0
Really addictive and full of drama and a total page turner but the last 100 pages kinda fell off
this book was STRESSFUL though
this book was STRESSFUL though
kba76's review
4.0
Isabel and Bec have been friends since they started high school. Izzy has always been the confident one, the one who excels effortlessly and who seems to lead a charmed life. Bec has always felt second-rate, and her childhood crush marrying her best friend definitely doesn’t help this.
The book starts by telling us that Izzy dies. She is found in a crumpled heap at the bottom of her stairs and of course we want to know what happened.
Going back a little, we watch the final stages of Izzy’s life unravel before us as we try to work out exactly who might have done this.
There’s no getting away from the fact that these two have a toxic relationship. They stick together for seemingly no reason other than they depend on their twisted relationship to give them meaning.
Bec, of course, harbours a crush on Izzy’s husband. She is about to marry but finds her fiancé cheating and Izzy seems more involved in the bad things going on than is wholly palatable.
Getting events from Bec’s view did manipulate us somewhat into feeling for her and seeing events from her viewpoint. By the end I realised she was just as toxic. A sort of happy ending but nobody really a comes out of this a winner.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with the chance to listen to this before publication. A solid thriller, and it made me pleased to not have friends like this!
The book starts by telling us that Izzy dies. She is found in a crumpled heap at the bottom of her stairs and of course we want to know what happened.
Going back a little, we watch the final stages of Izzy’s life unravel before us as we try to work out exactly who might have done this.
There’s no getting away from the fact that these two have a toxic relationship. They stick together for seemingly no reason other than they depend on their twisted relationship to give them meaning.
Bec, of course, harbours a crush on Izzy’s husband. She is about to marry but finds her fiancé cheating and Izzy seems more involved in the bad things going on than is wholly palatable.
Getting events from Bec’s view did manipulate us somewhat into feeling for her and seeing events from her viewpoint. By the end I realised she was just as toxic. A sort of happy ending but nobody really a comes out of this a winner.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with the chance to listen to this before publication. A solid thriller, and it made me pleased to not have friends like this!
jjv84's review
4.0
I enjoyed reading this book thinking all along I knew who did it. The twisting plot made this book so interesting. I enjoyed the way Izzy and Bec were connected through the story and how they had their ups and downs, like every friendship does.
shelleyrae's review
4.0
My Best Friend’s Murder is an entertaining domestic thriller from UK journalist Polly Phillips, who currently calls Australia home.
“You’re lying, sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, legs bent, arms wide.”
Bec and Izzy have been the best of friends since they met, aged eleven. In the years since, Bec has mostly been content to let Izzy set the terms for their relationship, but recently she’s begun to sense that contempt lurks behind Izzy’s backhand compliments and seemingly solicitous advice. Hurt and angry, Bec is determined to confront her best friend, but could she really be responsible for her murder?
My Best Friend’s Murder is told from Bec’s perspective, beginning with her standing over a broken and bloodied Izzy, before moving back three months previously as Bec and her new fiancé, Ed, celebrate their engagement at home of Izzy and her husband, Rich. The occasion is not the first time that Bec senses something awry between herself and Izzy, but she is surprised by her best friend’s cool behaviour.
Well-paced, this is a suspenseful novel as Phillips reveals the history of the friendship between the two women and it’s increasing toxicity. To Bec, Izzy’s behaviour is inexplicable- beautiful, married to her handsome highschool sweetheart with an adorable child, wealthy and ambitious, Izzy has everything, yet she seems to resent Bec’s recent small successes - her engagement, and a potentially career altering opportunity. Phillips skilfully explores the complex dynamic of their friendship, the role each of them play in maintaining the status quo, and how difficult it is for them to let go. With Izzy’s death, Bec is left to grapple with her grief, and her guilt.
I admired Phillips subtle, and not so subtle twists, in the plot, and though I wasn’t so enamoured with an element of the ending, it’s a minor flaw in what is otherwise a well told tale. My Best Friend’s Murder is an absorbing read and an accomplished debut.
“You’re lying, sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, legs bent, arms wide.”
Bec and Izzy have been the best of friends since they met, aged eleven. In the years since, Bec has mostly been content to let Izzy set the terms for their relationship, but recently she’s begun to sense that contempt lurks behind Izzy’s backhand compliments and seemingly solicitous advice. Hurt and angry, Bec is determined to confront her best friend, but could she really be responsible for her murder?
My Best Friend’s Murder is told from Bec’s perspective, beginning with her standing over a broken and bloodied Izzy, before moving back three months previously as Bec and her new fiancé, Ed, celebrate their engagement at home of Izzy and her husband, Rich. The occasion is not the first time that Bec senses something awry between herself and Izzy, but she is surprised by her best friend’s cool behaviour.
Well-paced, this is a suspenseful novel as Phillips reveals the history of the friendship between the two women and it’s increasing toxicity. To Bec, Izzy’s behaviour is inexplicable- beautiful, married to her handsome highschool sweetheart with an adorable child, wealthy and ambitious, Izzy has everything, yet she seems to resent Bec’s recent small successes - her engagement, and a potentially career altering opportunity. Phillips skilfully explores the complex dynamic of their friendship, the role each of them play in maintaining the status quo, and how difficult it is for them to let go. With Izzy’s death, Bec is left to grapple with her grief, and her guilt.
I admired Phillips subtle, and not so subtle twists, in the plot, and though I wasn’t so enamoured with an element of the ending, it’s a minor flaw in what is otherwise a well told tale. My Best Friend’s Murder is an absorbing read and an accomplished debut.