Having thoroughly enjoyed Ms Sefton's debut thriller, The Mother's Lies, I was eager to see whether this would be a successful follow-up, and it certainly didn't disappoint; in fact, I loved this even more and found it compulsively readable. It is actually so much more than just a thriller as it has elements of women's fiction and a whole lot of credible/believable emotion too.

It centres around three university mates - Alex, Karen and Misty but after Alex dies unexpectedly with both the remaining girls knowing they contributed to her untimely demise the story takes a dark and troubling turn and the Karen and Misty's lives begin to spiral out of control. Eventually, they move on with their lives and push the incident to the backs of their minds, but when Karen is absolutely convinced she saw Alex alive she begins to lose her mind and once the paranoia and obsessive thought set in there is no escape. What follows is a struggle to maintain sanity and a slow loss of grip on reality and unable to tell the difference between what is real and what is perceived family ties that had been nurtured for years dissolve.

This is a fast, easy and beautifully plotted read with such relatable characters and twists and turns aplenty. The emotional aspect of the novel is what really makes this book stand out amongst the thriller genre jungle. The writing is effortless, flows easily and this naturally leads to being able to read large chunks without even noticing! Many thanks to Avon for an ARC.

This is an extremely enjoyable and well-written book with a wonderful storyline. The mystery, twists and turns held my interest, whilst pondering which way the author was going to take the story. It flowed extremely well and the characterisation by Joanne Sefton was great as the characters came across as very realistic and well developed.

"The Guilty Friend" was my first book by this author, but it definitely won't be my last as I intend to read 'If They Knew'. This novel may not win any awards for its originality as a thriller, but it definitely made my list for great summer reads and for that I highly recommend it.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Avon Books UK via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

First off- know that this isn't the thriller you might be expecting where Karen and Misty discover that their friend Alex did not die 30 years ago when they were at Cambridge together. Told in their alternating voices and moving back and forth between 1989 and 2019, this really is about the guilty friend. Karen was not as supportive (to put it mildly) of Alex and her mental health issues. Now her own daughter Tasha has an eating disorder. Misty runs an eating disorder clinic. Anorexia is a tough subject and one Sefton has done a good job taking on. This is well plotted (there's a twist I didn't see coming) and the characters are sympathetic (although sometimes annoying). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Well done.

I didn’t find this book to be a thriller at all however I found it an enjoyable easy read. The story moved well, I enjoyed that the chapters took you back in time and also showed different perspectives. I don’t really understand the title or how it really works with the story. Definitely worth a read but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers for the advances copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"One of them is dead. One of them is lying."

I knew I would love that book right away!

Well written, good storyline, good pace, interesting characters... never boring! I was into from page 1.
About 3 friends in the 80s... then 30 years later... Is the past always connected to us or can we move on...
Secrets and more! Keeps you interested and guessing until the end...

Warning : deals with aneroxia...

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is book that deals with the complications and heart-break of anorexia nervosa. Misty, Karen and Alex are at university together in the late '80's. Alex has done battle with anorexia and appears to be beating it. The friendship ends with Alex dying due to apparent complications of her anorexia.
Move forward 30 years and Karen is a widow with three daughters and is doing it hard. At her 50th birthday a mutual friend turns up with Misty, who is now a doctor working in an Eating Disorders clinic. Brought back together again, memories and ill feeling surface. But will Karen because of one of her daughters need the help of Misty? Will they be able to put their differences aside and help each other?
A very dramatic book, about friendship, family and loss. The one thing I don't understand is the 'mystery & thriller' tag on this book, I don't believe it belongs in this category.
Thank you Avon Books UK and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not what I expected. I'm a sucker for a dual timeline and Sefton executes it perfectly. The story at the center of this book will shock you and pull you in, This book is crime fiction but so much more. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a good mystery along the lines of Mary Kubica or Liane Moriarty. The publisher gave me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Guilty Friend by Joanne Sefton is a novel about friendships we make, break and how past mistakes can haunt you. It also features heavily on the subject of anorexia which was handled very skillfully but should be of note in case of triggers.

Following a trio of friends in the late 80’s as they attended Cambridge University to present day where lives are now very different the main message of the book is that of understanding and ultimately can we right the wrongs of our past or are they doomed to follow us?

Not so much a traditional mystery, but definitely one if intrigue you’ll enjoy the 3 different points of view of the girls both past and present. Very enjoyable read even with heavy subject matter.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for my ARC.

This story is told primarily from the points of view of two friends, Misty and Karen, who were at Uni in the late 1980's. It's now thirty years later and we are still being told this story by the same people. We learn that when they were at Cambridge University, their friend Alex had died from complications from an eating disorder. Now history seems to be repeating itself as Karen's daughter, Tasha is fighting anorexia. Karen has always blamed herself for Alex's death. The story is also told from alternating timelines, then the sudden reappearance of Alex, who they thought was dead.

What a great cast of characters are in this book. The villain to this story is anorexia, a terrible disease to fight. To watch someone you love suffer from it must be a living hell. It's well written and the author has done her research into eating disorders. Definitely not what I was expecting, but I was hooked from the first few chapters. A really good read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Avon Books UK and the author Joanne Sedton for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A very enjoyable read, with a turn that I'm not sure if I expected it but very good story overall.
Good writing style, a story about friendship and moments not so happy that happened thirty years ago while the girls were at the university and one of them dies or so it seems like because after an unexpected apparition in the background of some news, there's someone looking very similar to the missing friend. This makes the lost friendship to be reconnected and we take a journey of learning about trust, life and family. There are a few sensitive issues that were very well treated in my opinion and overall was quite a good story, unexpected but good.
Looking forward to more readings by the author.

This novel about three friends at Cambridge University centers on the story of two, told from their perspective after the third one presumably died at college. Although this story did not develop into the thriller I was expecting it was a fascinating recollection of the times and carries a theme of shaming body issues and our response to them. I was rooting for all the characters, except one, and then I realized what I thought happened was turned on it’s head.

One of them is dead. One of them is lying.
Alex, Karen and Misty were an inseparable trio at university. But when Alex died suddenly, the remaining two friends could no longer look each other in the eye, knowing they both had a part to play in her death.

Thirty years later, Misty and Karen have long since moved on with their lives. But when Karen thinks she sees her former friend alive, she soon becomes obsessed with a past she thought she’d left behind.

Before long, the perfect life she’s built for herself starts to unravel, and it seems as though history might just be repeating itself…

While this was a very good read, I don't think I would label it as a thriller. I do think it was an interesting and unique story though and had a few twists that I didn't see coming.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of The Guilty Friend by Joanne Sefton
Pub Date: 24 Jun 2019

Could not get into this book at all. I immediately went to the back just to see if Alex was dead or alive. This plot has been done over and over. Secrets from back in the day. Flashbacks to the past. Friends losing contact over secrets etc

The Guilty Friend is the story of two young women, both suffering anorexia, thirty years apart. I do think there should be something about this in the blurb as for some readers this may be a distressing trigger read.

Having said that the suffering caused by eating disorder diseases is sensitively and well portrayed here, and the story reads well with believable characters.

Karen, Misty and Alex meet as students at Oxford. Alex dies tragically and thirty years later Karen and Misty remain troubled by the circumstances of her death. When Karen's daughter, Tasha falls prey to the same disease, Misty, who is a doctor specialising in eating disorders, does her utmost to help her.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for the opportunity to read and review the book.

I absolutely loved this book by an author I've never read before.
It's 1989 and misty Alex and Karen are all starting university. They befriend each other and we also meet Andrew, Alex's boyfriend. This story alternates between the events of the developing friendship in 1989 to the impact it then had on their lives as well as their families in 2019. The story sensitively tackles the difficult subject of anorexia but is full of twists that keeps you guessing to literally the very last sentence.
I would absolutely recommend this book.

Page-turning and heart-rending novel about secrets between family and friends. The storyline touches on the theme of anorexia. Superb writing and plotting, loved it.

Friends Alex,Misty and Karens story is told over the course of 30 years from all of their points of view, both past and present.
This story unpacks the pain and heartache over the loss of a friend battling anorexia and how this loss impacts the rest of their lives from relationships to careers to intimate personal experiences.
I throughly enjoyed this detailed, right to heart story.

Not sure I got what I expected with this book, I thought it was going to be a crime thriller - what it actually was was a story of two teenage girls with anorexia, told 30 years apart.

The blurb didn't really give any indication of that and had it done, I probably wouldn't have requested it for personal reasons - I did feel obliged to finish it so I could honour my obligation to review it.

Having said that, if I review it with a reviewers hat on....the writing was excellent, characters well formed and I'm sure other people will enjoy this book, it just wasn't for me. I have still given it 4 stars as I appreciate the quality of the writing.

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review - this is my honest opinion.

TW: Death, anorexia

A suspenseful, fast-paced story that touches on tough issues such as anorexia, death, friendship, and scandal.

The storyline is consistent and engaging from the get-go, and well written and researched. I found the main characters were quite vivid by description and any touchy topics were touched on in a sensitive way.

Rating: 4/5

I mean doesn't the name just scream out to you "read me"?! It was definitely an amazing book and I am so glad I was able to read this! It was my first book from Joanne Sefton and it was an excellent one!