Cover Image: Friends Like These

Friends Like These

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Member Reviews

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. The writing was good, and I can see why other people will like this book, but it just wasn’t for me.

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Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. It was a good enough story but it just didn't seem to gel together as I would have hoped.

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Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

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I did enjoy this although for me I have preferred the author's YA titles. Still a gripping thriller with plenty to keep you hooked until the final page.

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I love a thriller set around social media and so when I was looking for my next book to read, Friends Like These by Sarah Alderson really stood out to me. This is one crazily tense story, with a whole rollercoaster of twists throughout. The book did seem a bit confusing to begin with and it took me a little bit of time to get into it but when I did, I was absolutely hooked and flew through the book in less than a day. When I got to the end, the beginning made a lot more sense to me and I realised just how cleverly written the entire novel was.

We’re all guilty of being swept up in social media. When you click on a friend’s page on Facebook and then end up scrolling through photos and comments from people when you have no idea who they are. It’s so easy to fall into that rabbit hole, without really considering the actual person on the other side of the screen. After all, some people just aren’t what they seem online.

For Lizzie, she is definitely guilty of cyber-stalking, especially after a drink or two. One day she swipes right on an all too familiar looking guy on Tinder – the ex-boyfriend of Becca, one of her former colleagues. Lizzie and Becca were no more than work acquaintances. They were polar opposites. But after a shocking accident resulted in Becca leaving the business, Lizzie is intrigued to see just what Becca is up to a few years later. After finally finding her on Facebook, she types out a bitchy message about her to her friend Flora, only she accidentally sends it to Becca instead. And let me tell you, I will definitely be double checking all my messages in future to make sure they are going to the right person!

Friends Like These was so addictive. This was a dark yet often witty read with dislikeable characters who mess with your mind. The actions of these character spiral out of control and the drama had me racing through the book feeling anxious and apprehensive about what was to come yet dying to find out all at the same time.

Both Becca and Lizzie are people that outsiders would judge. Becca would be judged based for her beauty and hated on for her overuse of #blessed hashtags online, showing off about her perfect life. Lizzie would be judged for, in her own eyes, being fat and frumpy. But social media is the place where people share only what they want others to see. This novel draws upon that wonderfully, showing just how somebody can pretend to be whoever they want to be when they’re behind a computer screen. I loved the exploration of both these women. They were truly fascinating characters, manipulative but highly entertaining.

There is definitely no filler in this book. So much is going on and it kept me on my toes throughout. Set at a fast and frenetic pace, Friends Like These was truly intense with exhilarating twists and compelling characters. The story had me gripped, and the clever ending sent a shiver down my spine.

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I was expecting a standard thriller going into this, however, with all the twists and turns it turned into something I could have never expected. Don't trust a single character in the book as everybody has something to hide. I hated every character, in the best way possible, they were all so flawed and looking back there were so many aspects to their actions and personalities that made sense once a reveal had happened. It didn't go the route you expect from the synopsis and allowed for shocks and thrills even for someone who has read a lot of thrillers.

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This was really enjoyable, ended up buying a copy for my mum! A fast paced read with lots of suspense.

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I really enjoyed this book and would read more from this author. May have been first but won't he the last.

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A very fast paced book with a great plot. A few twists along the way made this a very enjoyable read.

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An enjoyable read full of twists. I could not put this book down. Did not see the twist at the end!

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Don't believe the hype. Really did not like this book. It felt rushed, poorly plotted and shallow. I won't be reading this author again.

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Wowzers. This book was fantastic and I was totally gripped from the very start. I will be telling everyone how good this book is.

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Wow, nothing is as it seems in this book! Just as soon as you think have the story figured out, another twist and turn take you on another path, more dark and mysterious than the previous one. I really enjoyed this book, can't wait to get my hands on the next one!
TB

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Lizzie is rather lonely and wants to find a fella, she takes to Tinder only to discover the Ex of a previous colleague, Becca. With her interested piqued Lizzie sends him a message and eagerly awaits a reply. In the meantime Lizzie does some digging to see whatever happened to Becca, Becca appear to have a whole new and exciting life. Lizzie accidentally sends Becca a message which is less than complementary. Lizzie now has to deal with the consequences of her mistake. There are some great twists and turn throughout the whole book and the ending was definitely a shock.

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This book has me gripped from the beginning. I need to read more from this author !
Will be hugely recommending to friends and fellow readers !

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I couldn't put this novel down, the characters and the plot were brilliant. The incredible twists and turns are spot on and kept me guessing all the way to the end.

If you are looking for a gripping thriller, look no further you have found it!

Thanks to Mulholland Books and Netgalley for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.

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Finally got round to reading this book! Was so good, I couldn’t put it down. Lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing

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A thrilling book to read! Can you believe anything you read on social media? how well do we know our friends? Lizzie and Becca used to work together until Becca had a serious accident, when Lizzie sees Becca's ex boyfriend on Tinder they meet up - this leads Lizzie to find Becca on Facebook. Things go wrong for Lizzie, someone is out to get her. I loved all the characters, they were so well written and the book went down lots of different avenues, you think you have it worked out and then you change your view. A fab book

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OMG!!! I couldn’t put this book down, it was such a compulsive read and so full of twists right up to the last few lines... it was the perfect holiday read / thriller for me.

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Friends Like These was definitely better. This one is a book which will have you always checking that you're sending that bitchy Facebook message to the intended recipient in the future.
Lizzie, who has looked up her ex-colleague Becca online, fails to do just that and instead sends the message to Becca herself.

Clearly I expected things to get interesting at this point, as Lizzie dealt with the consequences of her error. And interesting they were, to a point. I found that things got a little bit unrealistic at the point where the police got involved. Suddenly there seemed to be a bit of a shift from fairly plausible to rather improbable storyline, with a few little nuggets of information being thrown in to make the plot twists more believable.

This definitely had promise, I just think it may have benefited from a little more research as it had all the feels of a debut novel. I was surprised to find that Sarah Alderson has a fairly extensive back catalogue, but will be looking up some previous titles in the hope that this was a one-off.

Have you read anything you'd recommend lately?

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