A review by cassiecat
The Best Friend by Shalini Boland

mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This is a new author to me with this psychological thriller. I had the audiobook version narrated by Katie Villa who is excellent. She does a great job with different voices for the main characters. She adds a good level of emotion and tension, she gets the balance just right. 

The book is set in Dorset. Louisa’s son Joe has moved school and makes a new friend Tyler, the moms soon become best friends too. Darcy has it all, a rich opulent elegant lifestyle that Louisa and Jared can’t keep up with, but it’s a lifestyle which Jared desperately aspires to. 

Louisa’s family quickly become very intertwined and reliant on Darcy both emotionally and financially. 

Most of it is from Louisa’s POV, but we are taken back to 1996 with Callum and Nicole, we don’t know how the past fits with the present until the end. 

Louisa and Jared are naive and trusting. It feels believable though. The level of threat and suspense escalate, I was well engaged with Louisa’s plight as she was struggling to be taken seriously. 

The plot utilises a traditional trope for psych thrillers, it has multiple twists and reveals which are dispersed throughout the story, and the personalities are developed with their layers also gradually being laid out for the reader. 

I feel that the narrator has really added to this book. I really enjoyed it.