This story is filled with secrets & they don't stop coming. Told by three best friends about an incident involving their sons, it's an emotional story about grief, guilt and finding out the truth behind the tragedy. I struggled to put this down - I wanted to know what happened & why!

Hugging my boys a little tighter after this one!
Three women who are best friends have 3 sons that become best friends and one fateful night to change it all! Lindsey’s son Jacob is left braindead in a coma, Kendra’s son Sawyer is dead and Dani’s son Caleb might have the answers they are looking for but is too traumatized to speak. As the hunt for the truth of that night brings up more secrets, they are left wondering if they really knew their boys at all. Kendra is heartbroken and spends her time in Sawyer’s room pouring over his texts and videos trying to find the answers to how and why he is gone. Lindsey is desperately holding onto the hope that Jacob will miraculously wake up and be ok despite what the doctors have said. Dani is trying to keep Caleb as calm as possible and comfort him in any way that she can. All three women have their own secrets that they have been keeping and they will all come out in the end. Will their friendships be stronger after they find out the truth or will they be irreparably torn apart?
Enjoyed every moment of this book up to the last page! Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really liked this book. The suspense of what happened to the three boys and how the drama unfolded was very good. My only complaint was it was sometimes hard to remember who was who with the parents. I think this did a great job of capturing the pain and uncertainty around the tragedy of losing a child. I felt the parents emotions which kept me reading. I would definitely recommend.

Publication date -18th August 2020

I love Lucinda Berry, she is my go to author if I am asked for recommendations, especially ‘The Perfect Child’.

Like her other books, this did not disappoint. Even though the conclusion was known from the beginning, this in no way impacted upon the journey the reader takes in finding out exactly what lead to the events of that night.

The book delved not only in to the friendships of the children involved but also of their parents. Whilst you get a lot of characters for one book, they way the book is written, it is easy to follow and does not get confusing.

I found the book to be fast paced and held my interest throughout and I read it in one sitting.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas and Mercer and Lucinda Berry for my advanced readers copy.

Three families in the same neighborhood intermingling for years. Three women - best friends since elementary school. Three teenage sons and a gun. One dead. One critically injured. One survivor. Only one person knows what happened that night and he is so traumatized he can’t tell.

This intense psychological drama is an exploration of the implosion of three families and three friendships in the aftermath of a tragedy. As the police and the parents attempt to put the puzzle pieces together, long-held secrets are revealed and nothing is as it seems. Cracks appear in a myriad of relationships leaving pain and betrayal in their wake.

The author is a trauma psychologist and a leading researcher in the subject of childhood trauma. It clearly shows throughout the book as the storyline unfolds from the perspective of the three friends/mothers.

While this is a challenging subject matter, I enjoyed the characters and the twists and turns in the development of the plot. There are moments that evoke deep compassion for the heart-breaking events and discoveries made. At other times I found myself responding with anger at the abuse and denial exhibited by some of the characters. This book definitely engenders feeling what the characters are going through in a significant way. The ending presents one last twist that is sure to set off another wave of repercussions left to the reader’s imagination.

I recommend the book and look forward to more offerings from the author.

My thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for providing me the privilege of reading an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Best of Friends by Lucinda Berry was written by a trauma psychologist, and it shows. This book delves into the heartbreaking tragedy and aftermath of a terrible night that leaves one son dead, one in a coma, and one alive. Three mothers, best friends, are left to deal with the fallout. I read this compulsively readable novel quickly. While this was my first novel by the author, I don't imagine it will be my last.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

This book is intense since the very first page. It got me hooked right away and it was hard to put it down. In a very few words, this book is such a wild ride.

This book touches on some serious issues like, violence, trauma, depression, death and how to cope with them. I liked how these issues were addressed, and the ease with which you can put yourself in their shoes to try to understand what they were going through.

The story switches between the three main characters, Dani, Lindsey and Kendra. These three women are best friends since very young, and now with grown up children, who happened to also be best friends things start to get complicated. Something I really enjoyed about this book is the short chapters. It makes it very easy to read and to stay interested.

I have to admit that at first it was confusing due to the fact that there are so many characters and names to remember. After a few chapters when you get the hang of it, it gets pretty easy to understand.

Even though I was expecting it, I really liked the little twist in the prologue. I’m definitely gonna be in the lookout for more of her books, since this one was pretty good.

*Thank you to @netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC. This book will be out on 08/18.

This book had me gripped from the very first page and I found myself reading at every opportunity I could get, desperate to find out what happened to those three boys on that fateful night. I was torn between wanting to rush to the end for an explanation, and never wanting it to finish. There were three sets of parents who all had at least two children each, and I’m not going to lie, I struggled a bit at first trying to remember who belonged to who. I don’t want to give away too much about the story but I really enjoyed this book. It was full of twists and turns, secrets and lies, each of the mother’s battling their own demons, and my heart broke for all of them. This book was beautiful yet tragic and I would definitely recommend it. I haven’t read anything else by this author but that will be changing soon!

It’s actually a bit hard to think and write this review after finishing this book. I’ve really enjoyed previous books by Lucinda Berry, but this one... heartbreaking and emotional...did I say heartbreaking?
The book starts off with a bang...literally. Lindsey, Dani and Kendra have been besties forever. They also happen to have boys who are the same age. Of course, the boys are good friends also, but there are some big differences underneath the seemingly strong friendship.
The event that takes place in the first chapter has repercussions that will last a lifetime for everyone involved. As a mother, this is a truly heart shattering moment and I can’t imagine the pain these women endure. One woman has her choices taken away from her. Another woman must make a choice that no mother should ever be asked to make. The third woman is left not knowing which choices she has any longer. Yet throughout they try to maintain their strong bond.
I read this book pretty much straight through, stopping only for few quick breaks. The characters are well written and completely believable which make it so easy to feel their pain. The story is a very real look at an event that could easily occur to anyone at any time. Five emotional stars!
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced ebook arc in return for my honest opinion. #TheBestofFriends #NetGalley

Lucinda Berry masterfully wove an intricate story with multiple voices into a seamless and complex narrative. The backstories of the characters was perhaps even more riveting than the current events as things have been set into motion well before the novel begins. Each friend has dark secrets and their sons carry the weight into their relationships. I am now a huge fan of Berry and cannot wait to see what story line she comes up with next.

This book started off extremely triggering. Having read a few of the authors previous books I knew I was in for something incredibly deep and more then likely a bit hard to handle. However, it morphed into something so beautiful and so tragic. I went through a whole spectrum of emotions and spent the majority of the book not knowing if I loved or detested the characters. It was wonderfully written, the character development and intertwining relationships were so interestingly complex, and I ended the book with a solemn tear. A very solid five stars.

My first book by Lucinda Berry and I can see why she is such a popular author!
I struggled with the different characters and their relationships to each other through most of the book but the plot was fast, gripping and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Will definitely be seeking out more books by this author.

The Best of Friends by Lucinda Berry | review.

Genre: Thriller.

Rating: Four stars.

Three friends Lindsey, Kendra, and Dani endure every parent’s nightmare when a tragic accident befalls their teenage boys- leaving one dead, another in a coma, and a third too traumatized too speak. In the weeks that follow, the three mothers plunge into a desperate investigation of the incident. Of course, each family has it’s own issues and secrets that may have contributed to their nightmare.

What I liked about this book:
- It was very fast paced and thought provoking. It was the perfect quick triller for my exhausted and overworked brain.
- In the end, this book wrapped up nicely and didn’t seem far fetched or unbelievable.

What I didn’t enjoy:
- There were lots of characters and for about the first half of the book they were almost interchangeable. I kept having to stop and remember which one’s son was dead, etc.
- This can be a heavy read… especially for a parents. It reminds me of my favorite saying- little kids, little problems; big kids, big problems! Ek. I’m nervous for the teen years!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this book in exchange from my honest review.

Wow! Just wow! I haven't been having much luck with the thrillers I've been reading recently, and so I've been on a sort of mini hiatus from thee genre and, consequently, almost didn't pick this book up. But I am so, SO glad that I decided to give The Best of Friends a try because it was worth every minute that it took me to read it. It was everything and more that I could want in a thriller.

Lindsey, Kendra, and Dani are best friends whose three teenage boys suffer a tragic accident together, leaving one dead, another in a coma, and a third catatonic. In the aftermath of the calamitous tragedy, the women, needing to understand what happened to their boys, start an investigation into the accident that changed all their lives forever.

The Best of Friends is far and away on my favorite thrillers of the year, ranked up there alongside Riley Sager's Home Before Dark, and will definitely be in contention for the Goodreads Choice Award in the genre. It's a must-read book for thriller readers everywhere.

3.5 stars. This definitely kept me turning pages. I had a hard time keeping the characters straight in the beginning because there were a lot of... similarities between them? But once I finally got that down, I couldn't put it down. I definitely did not find this one predictable. This wasn't my favorite Lucinda Berry novel, but it was a worthwhile read!

I received an electronic copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I found this to be fairly predictable and found myself unable to connect with the characters. I really thought the premise was interesting but the relationships between the characters seemed unrealistic as the book progressed. I did appreciate the last little twist on the last page.

I received this ARC for an honest review from Net Galley.

This is the first book I have read from this author. The book was fair to me. Storyline is about 3 friends who all have sons that are friends and tragedy strikes their families. I felt sometimes the chapters going back and forth between the 3 female friends were difficult to follow.

I would try another of her books in the future.

Okay, I'm confessing right off the bat that I struggled with this book, and a fellow reader hit the nail on the head as to why. Only, she expressed it way better than I could. So, thank you Melissa Buehner for this quote: "...the novel is in serious need of character development and voice distinction. The story is told from the points of view of the three mothers, through alternating chapters, and in all honesty, I struggled to keep the characters' names straight and to remember whose viewpoint I was reading. Juggling three viewpoints and voices should not be this tough to do. But in this case, it is tricky because Kendra, Dani, and Lindsey are basically the same woman, just in triplicate."

I'm giving it three stars because the story kept my interest, but it's not a book that will stay with me. Thanks NetGalley for opportunity to read and review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providiing a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Three women, friends, all mothers. Their sons are friends, life is good. Then something happens. One son is mute. One is in the hospital. And one has died.
As a parent, this is a hard one to read. No parent wants to think of anything bad ever happening to their children. The thought that a split second mistake can change everyone's life so drastically - it's a hard one to read. I knew from the description going in, that this book would not be a light and fluffy read. And I think that the categorization of this book as a mystery is incorrect - this is fiction, this is family drama, this book is a lot of things. But it's not a mystery. A hint of a question doesn't make a book a mystery.

But I wanted to like the book. I gave it a serious try. But this was one of the most confusing books to read! The book is told from various POV's but none of the characters were really well developed, so it was very hard to distinguish one character from another - to tell who was married to who, which son was which woman's. After a few chapters, I gave up, went back to the beginning, and had to make notes. This is not the way I like to read a book! I expect for the author to develop the characters enough that I don't need to keep a record in order to read a book in 2-3 days.

Overall, it was ok. It's not a mystery. There are lots of hints at character flaws, but it was just filler. Many of the threads went no where. In a book where I'm writing down notes to keep track of details, giving me unnecessary details is only going to put me off. I know the book already has lots and lots of 4 & 5 star reviews, but I just can't understand it. I'm setting on a 3 star review, because it was ok, but I can't say I really liked it all that much.

This is the third Lucinda Berry novel I’ve read, the others being When She Returned which I loved and Phantom Limb which I gave three stars. I read both of these books in a day each, and this one was no different. Just like Berry’s other two novels, I was hooked immediately.
This was an addictive read that was easy to get invested in the story. All the characters and situations seemed genuine and real. I enjoyed reading from the perspectives of the three moms. The thing I always like most about Berry’s novels is that she intertwines her experience in the field of psychology with a mystery thriller.