The story dragged on a bit too much in some places but it was a good read and I spent most of the time hoping that Naomi would react differently and when she did I was a bit shocked. It was my first time reading anything by this author and i would check out her other books. I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for letting me have the book to review and the opinions expressed are entirely my own views.

Again many thanks to the author Claire Boyd and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book. I am a big fan of Boyd but this book fell a little short for me. The burb promised an edge of your seat thriller but I have up reading 50% through. I found the plot a little too crazy for me.

I have no words guys. I stayed up until 1 am finishing this book. It's engrossing because at times you can't believe how bad the writing and flow is. I kept reading because I was wondering if the character of Sophie was finally going to snap and take out her closest friend Naomi. And I was baffled at how dumb Naomi was about a lot of things. So I just sat back and enjoyed a so-so book. Then we get to the bonkers ending and my jaw dropped. I don't even know. I want to say Boyd is kind of brave for just going down a truly dark path and not backing away from it. A lot of times authors just don't lean in enough to where a plot is going IMHO. And Boyd goes there. If only the 2/3 of the book had those same smacks in the faces this would have been a very good thriller.

"Her Closest Friend" is a siren warning to all of us women out there who have toxic friendships. You know what that is. The one friend who no matter what it seems can't help saying something cutting to you when you have something wonderful happen to you. The one that reminds you of the time you walked around for an hour at an party with your skirt tucked into your pantyhouse. That one friend who always posts shitty pictures of you on Facebook and doesn't get why you are mad that she looks like she got a glow up in the same picture.

Naomi and Sophie have been friends since they were 18. Now they are in their early 40s and are on different paths in their marriages. Naomi is happily married with two daughters. She has a successful blog (seriously authors, give the women in your books another job). The only fly in the ointment is her feeling like she is on suffrage when she is dealing with Sophie and her up and down mood swings.

Sophie for her part is dealing with a failing marriage, an old grandfather who seems to speak in riddles and like vodka, and a son with eczema. Sorry, that last part was mentioned in the book a lot. Apparently it is a sin among many that a young boy can have. I don't know.

We quickly realize that Sophie is off her freaking tree. She stalks Naomi and gets angry if she doesn't text her back right away. She is jealous of Naomi's perfect life and think that she owes her. We find out slowly (and in a mind numbing way) why Sophie feels this way. I had to call bullshit over the whole thing that Sophie is holding over Naomi's head though. It made zero sense why Naomi owed anything or was responsible. And I hated the book even taking the whole thing seriously. I always want to ask these women do they not know any lawyers to advice them?

The book just goes back and forth between both women. As Sophie keeps trying to cause Naomi harm in small and then big ways, you have Naomi just dealing with it and snapping at her husband and descending into a bottle.

The two women's husbands in this one are not very developed. They were just there to either say something about the one woman or the other and in one case to worry constantly, but not do anything.

The book moves back and forth between both their homes and other locations. Mostly though we have Sophie in her cottage and realizing that she also owns a big house that she won't move into.

The ending as I said was a shocker. I re-read it a few times to make sure that I got all of what Boyd was putting down. I thought the justification at the end was nonsense, but had to admire Boyd for going dark.

I too am not one to start a book and not finish it but I have given up on this book at 46%. It seems as though the main plot is not that great a storyline and Neither Sophie or Naomi.... Or their families are likeable characters. The storyline seems to be going no where and constantly touching on the same thing.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy but this book is certainly not for me.

Her Closest Friend


A brilliant page turning psychological thriller that kept me in suspense and had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through!

The chapters alternate between Sophie and Naomi and I was able to connect to both characters (and their families) with ease. This was my first time reading one of Clare Boyd’s novels and it certainly won’t be the last.

With an impeccable writing style, Clare Boyd tells the story of a toxic female friendship filled with secrets, lies, deceit and guilt. The only reason I didn’t give this book five stars is because I didn’t like the animal abuse.

Such a fun book - chock full of twists and turns! I just loved Her Closest Friend! It was a thrilling story about two best friend's and the past they shared - one is eager to claim what is rightfully hers, while the other lives in bliss completely unawares of what is truly going. Everything changes and soon the two are fighting for their lives. Talk about a thrill ride!!

Thank you Bookouture and Net Galley for an early release of this Fabulous book!!!! Wow, Wow, Wow!! One of my favorite books ever, the characters were soooooo addicting. I needed to know what happened after each chapter. Loved it!!! Excellent Clare Boyd.

A chilling page turner a thriller about toxic female friendships .Female friendship at its worst most evil makes for a page turning deliciously tense read.#netgalley #bookoture

I will never turn down a suspense novel that keeps me reading late into the night! Clare Boyd’s book, Her Closest Friend centers around Naomi and Sophie who have been best friends since high school. One of them knows the truth about the night of a terrible accident but she has been hiding it. Is it the weight of keeping the secret that has been wearing her down?

For several their friendship has been slowly turning toxic and now Naomi feels she needs to pull away. There are some hints and clues that Sophie is just not totally sane though and she won’t give her friendship up without a fight.

Naomi and I are best friends. School runs, dog walks, a shoulder to cry on over a glass of wine, we’re inseparable.
But now my husband has walked out, I need her more than ever. I know she will help me pick up the pieces. Because she knows about the lie I told to protect her.
She knows how much I’ve sacrificed for this friendship. And she’d never let anyone hurt me. Would she?

This creepy page-turner is due out on March 5.

This is an entertaining psychological thriller about toxic female friendships.
I expected more from the plot as it had significant potential, but I felt the execution fell a little short from my expectations.
But this is just me and it didn't stop me from finishing the book, so this is a good sign.

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookutoure, and author Clare Boyd for a chance to read this book.

The only reason I'm awarding this book two stars instead of one is because it was decent reading up until the last third. The. It became incredibly stupid and inane, with the characters acting so ridiculous I was wondering if I was reading a comedy (not a good one). A definite pass on this one. The plot just got crazier and crazier, and the more I read the more surprised I was that it had made it into publication,

This was an interesting psychological thriller., It’s one of those that I really had high hopes, but unfortunately it wasn’t gripping or suspenseful enough for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

A fabulous psychological thriller about toxic female friendship I really enjoyed this & all the twists & turns. An enjoyable read would recommend this book.

Have you YOU ever been part of a toxic relationship?

Her Closest Friend gets down and dirty with this very topic...in the most twisted way possible. This story had the potential to be truly phenomenal. Unfortunately, it's absolutely littered with unlikable characters, boundless repetition, horrifying animal torture/death (which I do not appreciate at all...it's a trigger for me), and writing which struggled to rein the plot in--it felt unnecessarily long to me.

The story foreshadows a seismic conclusion...and it delivers. I always appreciate when authors push limits and write endings which may or may not resonate with readers. The ending was depressing, but oddly appropriate, I think.

While I know this isn't an overly positive review, I do want to mention the absolutely stunning book cover. All that shadowed white with a splash of red...the contrast is striking and beautiful.

Despite my somewhat lackluster review, I want to give huge thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced reader's copy, in exchange for my honest review.

I have read all of Clare Boyd’s previous work and have up until now been a big fan!
I just could not get into this book, the characters didn’t grip me at all.
I am not one to start a book and not finish it....but this one was a tough one for me from start to finish.
Thank you netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free e-copy of Her Closest Friend by Clare Boyd from Net Galley and Bookouture in exchange for my review.

This book is a twisty study of toxic female friendship, mental illness, guilt, and self-medication, and I loved every minute of it. The chapters alternate between the two women, so you’re able to get deep inside each of their heads, even though you don’t necessarily want to be there! Both narrators are fairly unreliable (in different ways), so you never feel completely sure who to believe, which is very unsettling. The two women feed off each other in negative ways and the whole book is a slow spiral to a terrible conclusion - eventually, you can see it coming, but you have to keep reading to see it for yourself.

I would absolutely recommend this dark and twisty book to any fans of psychological thrillers.

A brilliant psychological thriller! Clare Boyd has done it, again! In this story we meet Sophie and Naomi and their families. The relationship between Sophie and Naomi has been (and for the past 22 years has been) extremely trying. Having been best friends since uni, the two women have each formed a tie to each other that is nearly impossible to break. Their love/hate relationship trickles down to both their husbands and children.

Sophie's fixation with her grandfather and vodka and Naomi's paranoia and love of wine make for a twisted plot that the reader will easily become enthralled in. Just when you think that you know what is coming next: you are blind sighted!

A wonderful read that I would highly recommend!!!!!

Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a giant of a thriller!

Naomi and Sophie have been friends for a long time, both now married with children.
It starts out friendly as Naomi, her husband Charlie and their daughters Izzy and Diane head over to Sophie and Adam's house for the 8th birthday of their son Dylan. But all is not well with Sophie and Adam and a change is coming that will rock Sophie's world. But really, who in the history of writing fiction, doesn't have a secret or two, something that the author can use to rip the rug right out from under you(that's what makes for a compelling read, they all lived happily ever after, just doesn't cut it, IMHO).
Well, let's just say that a secret will be revealed, which could change both their lives. And let's just say that one friend has had just about enough from this toxic friendship, and wants out. How far would you go, how much would you do, and by the way, could you prevent collateral damage along the way? That is all I am going to say about Her Closest Friend lest I tread into spoiler territory. A lot will be revealed and dare I say the ending was not for the faint of heart. My first book by Clare Boyd and I would definitely like to see what else she has got up her sleeve. A fast read and one where I really wanted to know how far Naomi and Sophie would go.

Well done domestic suspenser about a toxic friendship. Sophie and Naomi have been best friends since University. Both are married with children yet they stay as close as ever. When one begins to drain on the other, and Naomi tries to pull away, the toxicity is revealed along with secrets from a long ago past crime. What lengths will each go to in order to preserve the bond or to break it?

I am still wondering about what I have read and I must admit I struggled with this book, not gripping in my opinion and I couldn't get to grips with the story line or the characters.

After reading Three Secrets by this author which I absolutely loved I was disappointed with this one and ended up doing a bit of skim reading just to get to the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book.