Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Best of Friends!

Wow! What an emotionally tragic rollercoaster this book was! I think happiness is the only emotion you don’t experience while reading this. I feel like this is what every mother wants when growing up - to have 2 best friends and you all have children together who end up being best friends. After reading this, I’m not so sure I want that anymore!! Tragedy shatters the lives of Kendra, Dani and Lindsey when one night there is a fatal accident involving their teenage sons. One son is dead, one son is in a coma with a traumatic brain injury, and one son is physically unharmed but hasn’t spoken a word since everything happened. The women are determined to find out what happened to their children but at the possible cost of their friendship? Each woman has different secrets they haven’t told their best friends and everything is threatened to be exposed. Will their friendship survive this?? A great quick read and another book from Lucinda Berry that I really enjoyed!

Great read! I’m more into the psychological suspense, like Lucinda Berry’s last few books but I had to give this book a chance, too. Glad I did! It’s not the genre I usually prefer but it is a great family drama with a bit of mystery, too.

The Best of Friends by Lucinda Berry is a heavy book that left me with a severe book hangover. Its brilliantly written, full of emotion with sympathetic characters and a storyline that will break your heart into pieces and leave you in need of safe space and a quiet room.

What happens when a shooting occurs at home and a teenager dies? One of the other kids is left in a coma and the other refuses to speak. The mothers of the boys are all longtime best friends who have no choice but to deal with the fall out of this event and the ensuing grief and no one is left unscathed. Lucinda writes so beautifully and the reader is pulled into each woman’s personal hell as she tries to figure out what happened and why. What drove their kids, who they all thought they knew so well, to get a gun and shoot?

The plot:

Best 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 to speak.

Reeling from the worst night of their lives, the three mothers plunge into a desperate investigation of the bizarre incident. How could something so horrible happen in their wealthy Southern California suburb?

They soon discover that the accident was just the beginning, and troubling discoveries lead to chilling questions: Do they really know their children? Do they even know each other? As more secrets surface, a fog of doubt and suspicion threatens to poison their families, their friendships, and the whole community.

With the illusion of happiness and safety long gone, these women must now confront the hazards of heartbreak, the consequences of jealousy, and the dangers of living double lives.

I read a few of the author’s other books and they are very good and engaging but this I think is her best due to the emotion and sympathy between the pages. When I finished this book, I really felt like I had been put through the ringer. It’s tragic and every parent’s nightmare.

FREE with Kindle Unlimited or $4.99 if you don’t have it. This is an excellent book that you don’t want to miss. Pre-order here.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 Thanks to netgalley and thomasmercer for the e-arc for an honest review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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Three families are left reeling after a tragedy among their teenage boys. As they deal with the aftermath, they start to understand they may not have known their children as well as I had thought. ⁣
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Wow, that was a dramatic, heartbreaking story. This was short, but packed a powerful punch. The friendships were built so well, you really got to know each character and the complexes of the relationships. At first it was difficult to keep the families straight. I actually wrote them down.. the names of the couples and their children, and then I had no problem. There was a lot going on in this novel, in a good way. It wasn’t just about grieving families, it was about secrets and what we keep from the ones we love. There are resentments and jealousies, even among the best of friends. These friends were about to stick with each other through terrible tragedy, in this beautiful story. ⁣
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“𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯.”⁣
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Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for the chance to read an advanced copy of this book through Net Galley. The book begins with a shocking event that involves three best friends and their children. Each character narrated their story, alternating by chapter, to reveal little pieces of the puzzle until that culminating event which is not the last surprise in store for the characters. Make sure you read to the end for one last twist. Enjoy reading!!!

Once I was able to get the characters straight in my head (I did have to restart after a couple of chapters because I couldn’t keep the families straight) .... wow! Could not put this one down - read it in just a few hours. With that being said, it’s not that I liked the characters, I really didn’t, but I did want to know what happened. I was completely invested in the outcome.

This is the 2nd book I’ve read by Lucinda Berry and I look forward to reading more.

Thank you #netgalley and #thomasandmercer for the rARC.

Love, hate, secrets, and lies are deeply ingrained in this book. When the 3 sons of 3 childhood best friends spend the night together you're left with 1 dead, 1 in the hospital brain dead, and 1 who can answer the questions but isn't speaking. I enjoyed the drama in this book a lot. None of the characters are particularly likeable but the book is still first rate. I highly recommend it.

Not for me I'm afraid. Couldn't connect to any of the characters and was a bit bored reading it. Maybe personal preference though. I did find the premise quite interesting and may return to it at a later date

Good morning! I enjoyed this book and thought the characters were well developed and that the storyline was interesting. It was fun to not know who shot who or what happened until close to the end. I did have trouble keeping the characters from each family straight in my head, especially who's kids belong with which family. I'd hoped that as I got further into the book that I would have it figured out but I did struggle with that throughout unfortunately. Also, the ending where Dani and Kendra were hanging and and friends just didn't seem realistic. One son murdered the other son out of anger (even though he didn't meant to supposedly) and there's a court case going on between the families but the moms are still close friends? Not realistic at all. Overall I like this book but not my favorite by Lucinda. Thanks!!

Thank you so much NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel! I loved it! Loved everything about it. Each chapter is told from either Lindsey, Dani, or Kendra’s perspective. They are best friends since childhood and their sons are all best friends too. Tragedy strikes the besties, and leaves one son dead, one in a coma, and one in a psychiatric ward. Many topics are covered including end of life care, domestic abuse, and cheating. The ending was satisfying to me and the epilogue’s little twist was completely shocking to me. I can’t wait to recommend this one to friends once it comes out!

Bravo Lucinda Berry! This is my first book by Lucinda and I assure you it won't be my last. As a parent of two boys this book took me through all the emotions.
After an event that leaves three mothers absolutely shocked and paralyzed with fear, they must ultimately come together to find out what happened on the night in question. Perfect families in a perfect suburban So Cal Neighborhood? Not so much. Three best friends, three teenaged boys: 1 dead, 1 in a coma, and 1 so paralyzed with shock he simply cannot speak. The mothers must come together to discover the truth. Even if it tears apart everything they've built. Suspicion, doubt, lies, secrets. This book is every mothers worst nightmare in the best way possible. A well crafted drama Lucinda Berry keeps you on the edge of your seat, as she weaves a tale through multiple POVs. It'll leave you reeling, and I found myself asking just how well I know my children. Thank you to @netgalley and @lucindaberry for the ARC copy for an honest review!

Dani, Lindsay and Kendra are best friends as are their oldest sons. One night this all falls apart. The boys go for a sleepover but ends with one dead, one in a coma and a third so traumatised he can’t speak. The families try to come to terms with what has happened even though they don’t know what has happened.
The story is written in alternating POV of the three women as they try to come to terms with this tragedy as well as other issues each of them has in their families.
I was gripped from the first page and also emotionally invested in all the characters. This was a story that was never going to have an happy ending for any of the women but I really enjoyed it.
Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
TheBestofFriends #NetGalley

A tragedy involving three teenage sons of lifelong friends remains an open ended mystery.

We know the end result, but we don’t know what happened or who, if anyone, is at fault. The sole survivor is so traumatized he can’t speak about it.

As each family attempts to grasp the shocking turn of their lives, at the heart is a story of relationships - between friends, family members, husbands and wives, sons and daughters.

I thought this may be too sorrowful to read during these stressful times, but an underlying lifting sentiment was surprisingly affected by the author. That’s talent!

This was a fast read and flowed easily.

My first novel by Lucinda Berry, but it won’t be the last as I’ve happened upon an impressive “New to me” author.

Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Lucinda Berry for my advance copy.

The story was engrossing and compelling the characters were well defined and reliable. There was trauma, drama, tragedy, love, hate, and secrets (oh so many secrets. And the ending....didn't tune into that possibility until the last chapters. I wasn't a fan of THE PERFECT CHILD by Ms Berry and was hesitant about reading the The Best of Friends but am very glad that I did.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

A well developed story with interesting characters, it did take me a while to get into the story line so I am not sure I would read more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

After one explosive night, one boy is dead, one's in a coma and one's too traumatized to speak. Their mothers, best friends Kendra, Lindsey, and Dani, desperately search for the answers to the tragedy that upended their lives. But what they uncover might be more than they bargain for, especially given the lies they've been telling each other--and themselves.

I'm pretty much in the minority here, but I didn't like this one at all. Sure, it's well-paced with good writing, but I just couldn't wait for it to end. And I probably never would have finished it if I didn't feel obligated by the review.

Here's my issue: I hated everyone in this book (with the exception of some glimmers of understanding for Dani and Luna). I know characters don't have to be "likable," but these people were all just terrible. The kids were all brats and the mothers acted hideously and without empathy at all. In a book that leaves two teenage boys pretty much dead at the very beginning, I was expected to be immersed in the mothers' grief. Instead, because of the horrible ways they all acted (before the shooting and after), I had absolutely no sympathy for anyone.

The grossest thing (and there were lots), was the mom who pretty much giggled away one boy being completely drunk/drugged and potentially killing her son with an offhanded "haha I can't be mad because it was so funny when we were all wasted in college and always competed who was the best drunk driver. It's what kids do." Yeah, but no, drunk driving's not that funny, honey.

I'm sure others will love this one--it seems to have a lot of 4 and 5 star reviews here and on good reads, but subjectively, this was not for me at all. I'm going to go hide my face now, because it makes me so sad to negatively rate books like this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing this copy for review.

I feel this is way different than the previous books of hers. The others seemed to be more psychological thrillers than this. But this is a good book. Being someone that works with chemically dependent people she did a great job with these teenagers and the dangers of drugs. Good book. Lots of sadness and secrets.

As a parent, this book rang so true on so many levels. Three women, who have been best friends their entire lives are fortunate to have what many hope for...their children are close in age and also best friends. One night a tragedy occurs that will change all of their lives, and it will end others. As the book progresses, we are trying to figure out exactly what happened. The event will expose secrets kept even from the best of friends, test friendships and marriages and leave everyone scrambling. This isn't a fun read, but it resonates and has so many twists and the characters are so well done that you feel you know these families. This book drew me in from the first page, already had me completely hooked by the end of the first chapter, and gave me one final twist at the very end. I can't recommend this book highly enough. Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and Net Galley for an e-ARC of this title in consideration for my honest review.

Wow, this book is an emotional roller coaster. Be prepared for a heartbreaking read, especially if you are a parent. The story revolves around three women who are best friends, and their teenage sons, who are also best friends. A tragedy occurs that damages the lives of all of the families in so many ways. Kendra's son Sawyer dies, Lindsey's son Jacob is in a coma, and Dani's son Caleb won't speak a word, even though he is the only one that truly knows what happened. Because the events of the accident are unclear, it leaves the families in a sort of purgatory, unable to properly grieve and move on.

Not only do the parents have to come to grips with what happened, but they need to find a way to support their other children and try to maintain normality with their spouses. It is of course too difficult and more than one marriage appears too broken to fix. As desperate as Kendra and Lindsey are to know if Caleb is responsible for what happened to their sons, they know he is suffering, as well, and don't want to push too hard, for fear that he will never be able to tell them the truth. Because the women are so close, they want to believe they can pull through this, but can any friendship survive such a tragedy?

It is a deeply emotional story that at times I had to step back from. There is so much sorrow and loss, but you keep hoping that somehow the characters will persevere. At times brutal and raw, this story makes you reflect on the strength of the human spirit and the love that guides you through the worst you will ever experience. Truly a story not to be missed.

It's a story between the grief between three long-time friends Lindsey, Kendra and Dani. They did everything together from toddlers to getting married, buying a house in the same neighborhood. Lucky for them their friends was expanded to their kids. Can their friendship be salvage after a death of one kid, another one in a coma and the last not speaking?

The connection between these friends was very relatable. It's something that as human could only hope for. The mystery behind the incident did not hinder the exploration of the friendship of these three women. It also did not hinder the exploration of each character and their family life. It has an easy read to it, with a hint of mystery. However, this book by Berry is very different from all of her other books. It's lighter and not so dark. Her other book was much darker, mentally. This book is all about connection and going through something hard even when you suspected your friend's child had hurt your child.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this fabulous ARC in exchange for an honest review.