Reviews

Friends Like These by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

charlie_reads843's review against another edition

4.0

This book surprised me at how much I liked it. I binged it.
Jessica I like from the get go and whilst I didn't agree with everything she did, I still liked her over all. Jake? No. Nope. He's an asshole. I cannot stand him. When it came to his POVs I was interested but didn't enjoy them. And then we have Tegan. At first I wasn't too keen but as we learned more about her and her character I started to like her a bit more.
There were loads of plot-twists in this book and I hadn't predicted the ending AT ALL!
I really recommend this book. This is a book that deserves more hype.

sreynaud's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

rgaiko's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-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

5.0

andrearbooks's review against another edition

4.0

This is my second Jennifer Lynn Alvarez, and this author is masterful at writing twisty thrillers with messy and multilayered relationships and stories. This revolves around a prank gone wrong, a missing girl, and so, so many secrets. Along the way, you learn that everyone's story is not what it seems, and people are connected to what happened in unexpected ways. This one kept me reading as the truth was revealed along the way!

mariafri's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

3.25

bluelou7's review against another edition

3.0

it was kind of basic and i didn’t care about the characters very much

bookcaptivated's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Blood, Car accident, Death, Murder, Bullying, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Violence, and Physical abuse

Minor: Cancer, Classism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Animal death, and Emotional abuse

danys_reads's review against another edition

2.0

The MC in this book thinks she's better than everyone when in truth she's a twat.

Also, the author's note talking about how important it is to tell stories about drug-induced sexual assault when the book completely squandered any potential around having a meaningful conversation about male SA victims.

girlreading's review against another edition

4.0

Jennifer Lynn Alvarez is such an exciting new voice in the world of young adult thrillers. Having loved her debut, I was highly anticipating the release of her sophomore novel and it did not disappoint. Addictive, fast paced and gritty, with a brilliant discussions surrounding rape (specifically male rape), sexual assault, substance abuse, grief and toxic friendships, Friends Like These was an emotive and twisty thriller I struggled to put down. I have a feeling Jennifer Lynn Alvarez has officially become an auto buy author for me…

TW: rape, substance abuse, sexual assault

user_136492896384027279648's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0