Seriously twisted!!!

I am reeling over Her Closest Friend by Clare Boyd! This book puts the twist in twisted! It brings to mind the phrase “with a friend like this, who needs enemies?” This devious tale of friends Sophie and Naomi who met in college at Exeter is shocking, dark, and addicting! I truly couldn’t put it down. Fans of psychological thrillers will love this book!

Reflection

When Sophie’s marriage starts to crumble in the wake of her husband Adam’s affair, her best friend Naomi is the one person who supports her no matter what. But even Naomi must admit that Sophie can be a difficult person to be friends with. As magnetic and charming as Sophie can be, she is also as devious and manipulative. Naomi can look past those moments, though, because Sophie is so broken.

But Sophie needs more from Naomi than she can ever know. Sophie has held onto a terrible secret to protect Naomi all of these years. And now just as Naomi continues to flourish, Sophie’s life crumbles. It isn’t fair, is it? Naomi and Sophie are the closest of friends. They can weather anything together. Can’t they?

Well, I honestly don’t know what to say about this book because I’m so afraid of spoiling it! From the very first twist (and trust me when I say, there are many), I was shocked and delighted by this thriller. Truly, I was getting whiplash from the amount of times a new twist was thrown into the mix! I wish I could say more about them, but this is one readers need to discover on their own!

Sophie and Naomi are just absolutely the epitome of unlikeable characters. And yet, I can’t help but kind of hope they can save eachother amidst all of their disfunction! The way Boyd tells the back and forth is masterful—the same events unfold from each perspective.

And the ending is just magnificent! I read the entire last few chapters with my jaw hanging open in shock, awe, delight, and horror! What an ending! This is a book you won’t want to miss this spring!

Thank you to the team at Bookouture for my spot on the blog tour!

Friends since they were 18 Sophie and Naomi share a background of university life with all the parties and drinking to current day where they share wine, childcare and enjoy socialising with their respective families. Sophie's life goes off track and she needs Naomi more than ever. A friendship that turns so toxic. Lots of secrets and a traumatic back story. Lots of twists and turns. A gripping novel with a pretty shocking ending.

This was one twisted book. It took me a couple of tries to get into it, but soon I found the book getting into me.

2 friends and one secret hidden for 20 years till it slithers out like an insidious snake hissing and biting. Naomi and Sophie are best of friends, where Sophie has held on to a secret of what happened one night, apparently to protect Naomi, till her anger comes out as her jealousy.

Clare Boyd's characters were unlikable, where both had a hate - love relationship with each other. The scenes in the book were slow and repetitive, the book seemed to show the same routine of both women. There were good twists, the last ending was shocking.

This book was one where I was excited yet deflated, it had potential yet failed to deliver across the pages, it was thriller-y yet ended in pathos. Too many pages were written telling us about the toxic friendship, yet it was not interesting. I skim read the repetitive parts.

The book on third attempt did manage to pique my interest, and macabre ending was definitely horrifying. All my love was for these two factors.

a deliciously disturbing tale brimming with deceit! have you ever finished a book with your eyes popping out of your head, your jaw dropping to the floor, and you’re thinking WTAF? That was this book. Clare Boyd has constructed one crazy ride of a book! This was a book that got more and more unsettling as it progressed, I kept turning those pages frantically because I had to see what could possibly happen next. Toxic friendship is an understatement, Naomi and Sophie brought toxic to new levels!

Naomi and Sophie have been friends since university but their friendship is pretty dysfunctional at best downright toxic at worst. They share a secret between them a secret that will define them, their future, and their friendship. Two pretty unhinged women with a unhealthy dependency upon one another. I really can’t say much more than that, this is a book best gone into with no knowledge. Just know it is packed full of unlikable, untrustworthy, and unstable characters doing despicable things. This is a book that will leave you feeling unsettled and uncomfortable. It is both brilliant and bewildering! Recommend!

*** A big thanks to Bookouture for my copy of this book ***

Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this book. I finished it, but just found it to be boring compared to other thrillers I have been reading lately. It drug a bit at times.

Naomi and  Sophie have been best friends since university twenty years ago. Together they share a secret, one knows more about it than the other and with that comes a bond which has turned incredibly toxic. Jealousy plays a huge part in this relationship, with one friend becoming transfixed on the others supposedly 'perfect' life.

The book alternates between Sophie and Naomi's point of view. I found myself switching allegiances throughout the book but actually never invested in either character. I was eager to find out if the friendship would survive when the truth finally came out and that kept me reading to a dramatic and satisfying conclusion.

A thought-provoking and entertaining book, it was unpredictable, chilling and highly enjoyable.

This book was fast paced, and an interesting thriller. It is very dark in my opinion, and the dynamic between the characters was somewhat disturbing. Definitely this book stood out as something different in this genre.

Her Closest Friend by Clare Boyd is an intense, character-driven dissection of a friendship that has turned increasingly toxic over a twenty year period. The novel is a slow burn of psychological tension that will hold you in its clutches right up until the stunning conclusion.

Sophie and Naomi have been friends since their university days over twenty years ago. The two women have always been there for each other through life's ups and downs. When Sophie's husband announces that he is leaving her for another woman, Sophie's jealousy of Naomi's seemingly perfect life, and her own insecurities come bubbling to the surface. Long festering resentments manifest themselves in Sophie's mind and she takes it upon herself to find ways to hurt Naomi, including the revelation of a dark secret from the past that could shatter Naomi's carefully constructed world. Sophie believes that Naomi has spent years "enjoying the fruits of her cover-up", and the time has finally come to level the playing field.

This is a compulsively readable novel. I was riveted by the dark deconstruction of a female friendship gone terribly and dangerously wrong. The ending is absolutely jaw-dropping. I would not hesitate to recommend this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this wonderful ARC.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I found this a really uncomfortable read. Neither protagonist was particularly likeable, and while the story was generally well written and engaging (although it jumped around too much at times), it wasn't my cup of tea.

I hope the right readers find Her Closest Friend. Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I found both lead characters to be unbelievably unappealing. It wasn't that they were unlikable in that "villains we love to hate" sense. Instead, they were just flat out unlikable, and rather horrible.
A couple of truly horrific events in the book really ended any hope of my enjoying this book. Some readers might enjoy this book, but I really could not look past those events or find enough redeeming qualities to give it more than 1 star.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was about the long term,toxic relationship between two women. It was disturbing to follow the destruction of the lives and relationships of all involved through to the harrowing end. I enjoyed the read.

I have read novels by Clare Boyd before and was excited to hear about this new book of hers. I was not disappointed. Two friends who have known each other for years. Shared memories, secrets, lies and betrayal. They have always been there for one another and had each other’s backs. Such close friends would always be there for one another… wouldn’t they?

I enjoyed reading about Naomi and Sophie’s friendship and all the things they have gone through together. I found they had a somewhat questionable friendship, that was full of pettiness, jealousy and trying to outdo each other. They both seemed to pretend to be better friends than they actually were but in truth didn’t really seem to be all that fond of one another anymore but tried to keep up with appearances. It was interesting to read about their distrust, and disloyalty. Shouldn’t you be able to trust your closest friend?

Both main characters were interesting to read about their different dynamics of their friendship and the two-facedness that came along with it. The plot unfolded nicely and I enjoyed the fast paced nature of the book. It definitely had me turning the pages. These ladies have a unique friendship for sure!

I enjoyed this book and found it to be an addictive read from cover to the end. I am sure you will enjoy this book as much as I did. Make sure to check this book out now!

This book is one of those slow burn psychological thrillers that grips you because everyone at some point has either been or known someone who has had an incredibly toxic relationship, albeit this one really goes for broke.

Sophie and Naomi have known each other for almost two decades since University. They’ve shared secrets, lies, and even betrayal, but let’s be honest, when friendships have lasted that long, who hasn’t. They have always supported each other (even if they probably shouldn’t have), so they always would. Well that is until Sophie’s husband informs her that he’s leaving her for a younger woman, so Sophie decides that now is a time to enlighten Naomi and just how much she has done for her…

Sophie and Naomi’s relationship is beyond dysfunctional. The story is told from both Sophie and Naomi’s viewpoints, which I really appreciated because it drives home how flawed their friendship actually is. They are both two-faced and conniving, and strive to outcompete each other out of jealousy. However, in true psychological thriller fashion, this book gets incredibly dark and twisted and these competitions turn into matters of life and death.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It really made me question the friendships that I have, which I think makes this book even more sinister. To me, a good psychological thriller is one that you can imagine taking place, which is exactly what happens here. Oh, and that ending? It will have you jumping out of your seat.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for proving an eARC of this book. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 4 stars

This is an unsettling thriller based around two friends, Sophie and Naomi, who have known each other since University. The story begins at the birthday party of Sophie’s 8 year old son Dylan. There is lots of tension in the air, not just from Sophie’s chaotic manner but also because Sophie’s husband Adam tells her he’s leaving her for another woman.

The book grabbed my interest from the beginning and without even getting to know Sophie I took an instant dislike to her. Right from the start, Sophie was a confusing character! One minute she came across as selfish and argumentative, the next (particularly where her son was concerned) she came across as caring although to the point of smothering! Naomi was initially the more likeable of the two friends and I did feel for her in the opening few chapters as she had obviously knew that Sophie’s husband was going to leave and had been put in an impossible situation with her best friend. I also felt that Sophie could be the more controlling out of the two and Naomi the more withdrawn, but as the book moved on and secrets between them are revealed, it begins to show that perhaps they were both as untrustworthy as each other.

There are lots of twists and turns throughout the story and it did move at a good pace for most of the book. It did slow up a little in the middle, but the ending more than made up for it. Some books are written so that you don’t like or trust any of the main characters, and this definitely felt like this was one of those books as everyone seemed to have something about them that I just didn’t trust! What was once an inseparable friendship turned into one filled with lies, mistrust and jealousy. It was also a desperately sad story of how all these things can cause so much pain in so many different people’s lives. The ending, for me, was the most shocking and upsetting, although I did feel it rounded off the whole story perfectly.

I do have to mention the cover of this book because this was the first thing that attracted me to it! The cover is absolutely stunning. The contrast of the clinical white and grey with the bold red of the wine glass is fantastic and so eye catching! One to definitely catch the eye when you are perusing the shelves!

A word of warning though – it does have some subjects that may be upsetting for some and it does cover the topic of mental health problems. These may not be for everyone, so this is to make you aware. Don’t let that put you off this book though, the author has done a brilliant job of writing a dark and disturbing story that will chill you to the core!

Sophie and Naomi have been best friends for years. Something happened in their past that we start to discover as the book progresses. Sophie's marriage is struggling and Naomi's appears to be thriving and Sophie appears to be jealous of Naomi and what she has achieved.
I found the book easy to read yet I struggled to really get into it. There were twists and turns but they didn't all make complete sense to me.
The ending however wasn't what I was expecting which was good.

Naomi and Sophie have been friends since they were at university together over twenty years ago. Naomi is happily married, with two daughters and a successful career. Sophie, on the other hand, has a son and a failing marriage. We soon realise that Sophie has a big problem. She is obsessed with Naomi, envious of Naomi’s perfect life and starts stalking her. Sophie has been hiding a secret from Naomi from years ago and thinks it’s now time to reveal it to her and shatter her complacent life. We now have a story about two friends who have had a friendship based on lies that leads to it becoming toxic and dangerous. Naomi wants to sever the ties with Sophie but it soon becomes obvious that Sophie isn’t totally sane and won’t give up on this friendship whatever it takes.
I enjoyed reading this book. The characters were very frustrating at times and the storyline a little far fetched but it did have a totally unexpected ending.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Claire Boyd captivated me with this truly unique opportunity to read about friendship that on the surface is extremely close but underneath is disturbingly toxic.
Naomi and Sophie met on their first day at university and immediately became best friends. Their personalities were very different but Sophie became very protective of Naomi and went to unspeakable lengths to keep her happy and safe.
All through life they remained close friends and both their families lived in close proximity to each other.
So what could wrong ? As the past starts to unravel each of the women become unstable and events are brought to an unexpected climax.
Not to be missed great book.

This is a book full of toxic relationships, not just between the two main characters, Sophie and Naomi - but between their own relationships with their husbands, Sophie's marriage looks doomed and Naomi and her husband seem unable to confide in each other.

Sophie and Naomi met ant university, with Naomi intrigued by Sophie's Bohemian ways , living up to the student life, they spent their years in Exeter in a drunken haze until it all comes to a head one night when their car collides with a deer....at least that's what Naomi thinks, this is what Sophie told her and her best friend wouldn't lie to her...

Two decades later both women are struggling, Sophie is jealous of Naomi's perfect life and Naomi is trying to paint over the cracks in hers.

This all leads to story of un-likeable characters who only play to their own agenda, this isn't a book where you're rooting for a particular character, it's one where you hope they all get their comeuppance.

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

Sophie and Naomi have been friends for 18 years since their time at university. Both now married with children, but then Adam says he’s leaving Sophie for another, younger woman.....Sophie feels its time Naomi knows just how much she has done for her.....

Sophie is the toxic friend, the one with snide comments disguised as jokes, little digs at Naomi’s appearance and lies and twists everything.....all the while holding a secret about an event many years before.....doesn’t Naomi know just how much she owes her?.....it’s time to let her know !

Just what would a person do to keep a secret ?

This is a story of lies, toxic relationships, guilt and how it affects mental health. Told from both perspectives of Sophie and Naomi so you get to know both sides in this twisty, gripping and unsettling tale which will hold you tight right to it’s terrible but maybe inevitable end.....a true psychological thriller...

I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review

I’m sorry to say that I’m not enjoying this story about a toxic friendship. I’m not finding the characters likeable and the plot has not really unfolded yet and I’m quarter way through. I don’t often abandon books but I feel I’ve given it my best shot.