Dani, Lindsey and Kendra have been best friends since childhood. Much to their delight, their teen aged boys are also close friends. But when one of the boys ends up dead and another in a coma, the women's lives fall apart and the secrets they have been keeping from each other, and even themselves, start to surface. Berry does a good job of creating suspicion and suspense while giving us believable characters and situations. I just wish that she had fleshed out the characters of the siblings a bit more and given us a deeper story. But all in all, quite satisfying.

Five out of Five, heartbreaking, emotionally ravaging, soul destroying, cry your eyes out, and rip your heart out of your chest, stars!

This book will break your heart, and never quite put it quite back together. You will be left reeling and emotionally spent after you finishing reading it, much in the same way that the characters are feeling throughout the pages within.

This is a book about family, friends, that familial bond that forms between friends, and the way in which friendships are tested when tragedy strikes, no matter how deeply the bond may run.

This is also a book about grief, loss, motherhood, and the lengths in which a mother will go to in order to find the truth, no matter how ugly or devastating it may be, behind the loss of her child.

Lindsey, Kendra, and Dani are the best of friends. They grew up together, and remained close throughout their lives, to the point of adulthood and motherhood. So close in fact, that their kids also grew up together, as they did, and befriended each other, just as they did when they were children. But one eerie night, an unthinkable tragedy rips through their suburban neighborhood, shattering their bonds of friendship as they know it, and changing the courses of their lives forever.

A gun blasts from the house of one of the women, and all three of their sons, whom are close friends, are a part of that gunshot and the events surrounding it. One of them is dead, one of them is in a coma, and one of them is too traumatized to speak about the tragic events that befell him and his friends.

So what happened that night, and why? As the investigation into the events of that night goes on, it becomes clear that something far more sinister than they may have even first imagined had happened that night. Did one of them try to kill the others or is the truth far darker and more complicated than that? Friendships are put to the tests as the women, especially Kendra, who’s son is dead, becomes increasingly frustrated on her quest for the truth and answers as to why her son ended up dead of a gunshot wound.

Each of the three women are broken and flawed in their own ways, and it is easy to resonate and sympathize with each of their arguments and points of view as you feel their grief and frustrations alongside them.

Settle in for a gut wrenching, emotionally devastating ride as you flip the pages of this book, especially when you arrive at the shocking ending.

This is a haunting, thought provoking, intriguing, and extremely well written book that will keep you on the edge of your seat wanting to discover the truth about what happened that tragic night in that quiet, suburban neighborhood.

This is one of those stories that will haunt you and stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page.

Absolutely fantastic read! I was blown away by Lucinda Berry’s breathtaking writing, and while this was the first book I have read by her, it certainly won’t be the last. Definitely add this book to your to-be-read list if you haven’t already!

Highly recommend!

Excellent thriller and family drama. I did not see where this was going. Kept me extremely entertained during a very difficult pandemic time. I really enjoyed it and will definitely be reading more by this author. I really liked to see how a specific set of random events can change relationships forever. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book

Having read most of Lucinda Berrys books I knew I would enjoy this one from the first page where we are thrown unexpectedly into a complex and heart wrenching story of mothers and sons. All her novels are complex and dark with the most extreme of characters with the darkest of souls and I never figured out the ending until it happened. Highly recommended novel that stayed with me long after the last page.

The book started out strong, and had me captivated from the first page of the Prologue right until the last word. I can honestly say that The Best of Friends is my #1 book for the year.

Three best friends, three families living “perfect” lives. Their worlds are turned upside in the blink of an eye.
This terrifically written story of childhood best friends whose children also become best friends is captivating from the first word. Tragic, heartbreaking, and a real life portrayal of things that can go on behind closed doors.

You meet the friends, their spouses and children. You live through the horrific events with them and you hang on to the roller coaster ride until the very end. The writing is so well done that you easily imagine each character and scene as if you were there with them.

Lucinda Berry gives away just enough information for you to keep up without giving away too much. There are so many pieces to this puzzle and putting it all together kept me guessing until the very end. Truly an awesome read and as a “physical” book lover, I’ll be buying an actual, hold it in your hands copy, as soon as it’s available. This is my first Lucinda Berry book, but it definitely won’t be my last. 5 stars all the way!

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very good. I did not guess the ending in a million years. It was heartbreaking to see these women deal with the trauma surrounding them. It is such a tremendous burden to deal and live what these three best friends do on the journey through this novel.

Three best friends living the ‘dream.’ They live in the same neighborhood & they all have sons who are seniors in high school & just happen to be best friends too. Within the first chapter there is a terrible accident that finds one of the boys dead, one in a coma & one who is refusing to speak about the incident. The book follows Dani, Lindsey & Kendra as they try to navigate their families and friendships during a terrible situation. We find that their lives aren’t perfect & their families are more twisted together than we once thought. The book is fast paced (even from chapter one) & and each chapter switches from each woman’s point of view. I’d recommend it! Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley for review.
I was hooked from the beginning! 3 women are best friends, and their sons are best friends as well. One night, an incident shatters them all, leaving one boy dead, one in a coma, and one unable to speak about what happened. While they eventually learn what happened, they also learn a lot about themselves along the way.

This one is hard to rate! I could not put it down and couldn’t stop thinking about it when I had to stop reading. It was emotionally draining, not for the faint of heart, and triggers abound. But at the same time it was real and raw and terrifying. I had a hard time keeping track of which character was which between the switching perspectives, which is the biggest drawback to the book, in my opinion. And there were very few glimmers of happy, which is usually something necessary for me. But it was still a compelling novel and one I won’t forget anytime soon. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Absolutely gut-wrenching. I was sucked in from the very first chapter and could barely put it down until I finished. This book rotates through the POV of 3 mothers who are best friends, and their 3 sons are also best friends. The story begins with a tragic night that doesn't become completely unraveled until the end of the book. In the beginning the different characters were a little difficult to follow because they all read similarly, and there were a lot of names and relationships to follow but I figured it out in time. This story is honestly tough, but in a good way. It's emotional and raw, and one of those books that really makes you FEEL something while reading it.

I want to thank @netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙱𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝙵𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍s, a mystery/thriller that follows three best friends living through a parent’s worst nightmare.

After a normal Saturday night ends with one boy dead, one in a coma, and another filled with so much terror he refuses to speak, three families struggle to put the pieces together that lead to “the incident”. Throughout this gut-wrenching journey, we learn that even the happiest of families have their secrets and some will do whatever it takes to keep them.

The first chapter of this book had me hooked and seemed to hold some real promise but unfortunately, it fell flat. For the most part, I was able to figure out the big secret before it was revealed, with the ending just filling in the blanks. The worst part of this story for me were the cliche/flat characters who were difficult to connect with. The male characters were awful all around and I struggled to find true emotion in the women. We didn’t get the POV of the children involved and I think that would have helped the overall delivery.

Lyndsey, Dani and Kendra have been friends since childhood, how lucky they are that they each had sons who are also best friends. But by the end of one fateful night one mother’s son will be dead, one will be in a coma and one will be so traumatised by what he saw he no longer speaks.

The Best of Friends is a split narrative between Lyndsey, Dani and Kendra as they try to discover what exactly happened on that tragic night and deal with its aftermath; not only how it’s affected their own families and relationships but their friendship with each other as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. There weren’t any massive reveals that I didn’t see coming but instead the author cleverly weaved little clues into the plot along the way. The great thing about this story was the exploration of how each character was coping with the situation. I quite often found myself thinking what I would do in this situation. The Best of Friends is a quick and captivating read with strong Jodi Picoult vibes. I Will definitely be checking out other books by this author.

Brilliantly written!! Definitely looking forward to seeing more from this author. I love the story. Quick read for me.

The Best of Friends
Lucinda Berry
8-18-20
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a tragic and emotionally gripping story.  This story pulled at my heart strings and l found myself in tears throughout this book. Three families - facing a parents worst nightmare. A Saturday night that ends in tragedy with a gun. The character development was wonderful and I could see how these families have grown close through the years- they are the ones you rely on for parenting advice and an ear to listen but how well do you really know your closest friends? This riveting story is filled with secrets, and as time passes these best of friends will be turning on one another... who is to blame? There were times I had to step back, as I was filled with raw emotion at times and at times it was heart wrenching. I mourned the losses these families were facing while hoping they could find a way to persevere and be there for one another.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Lucinda Berry for sending me an electronic Advanced Readers’ Copy for an exchange of an honest review.

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Wow! This book was a great read. Something unique that kept me wanting to read more. The characters were flawed but you felt for them, being a mom is hard and doesn’t come with a manual. Being a teenage boy is also complicated and confiding in your family isn’t something most teens do. Highly recommend this one and I can’t wait to read more by this author.

I was fortunate to get an advanced copy of this from Netgalley. I haven’t read anything else by this author but the description intrigued me. I was drawn into the story immediately. Part family drama and part mystery, I couldn’t wait to get to the end to see how it all unfolded and the final pages were something I never saw coming. I liked having three narrators as it helped really see all sides of the story. A great read all around. I look forward to reading more by Lucinda Berry!

The first chapter of this book immediately sucked me in. It begins on the night of a tragic accident when two teenage boys are shot. Of the two, one of them dies on the scene and the other ends up with a traumatic brain injury and is placed on life support. A third surviving boy is so traumatized by the event that he is unable to speak. To add more depth to the story, the mothers of the three boys are long-time best friends with various secrets of their own. The author managed to pack a whole lot of sensitive topics into this book, including gun control, domestic violence, drug/alcohol abuse, sexuality, and marital affairs. Although it’s a heart-wrenching story, I had trouble connecting with the characters so it didn’t emotionally affect me to the extent that I felt it should have. Despite this, I still thought it was a very well written and highly engaging book.

Thank you to net galley for sending me a copy of this book for review. I was at the edge of my seat this entire book and couldn’t wait to find out what next. I wish I could have a whole series of this. I will definitely be reading more by this same author.

I love lucinda books and am always so excited when a new one arrives. I savored every page it was a beautifully done epic read.

Lindsay, Kendra and Dani have been best friends since high school. They remained close and now are neighbors and have loved that their boys also became best friends. Until one night Kendra is relaxing at home with her husband Paul and they hear a noise which at first they thought was fireworks but another blast convinced them it’s gunfire and while Pail runs to check on their other son, Kendra runs out check on her son Sawyer who is staying at Calebs’ house for the night. Her worst fears are realized when she sees emergency vehicles blocking the entrance.
One of the boys has been killed, the other is in a coma and the other hasn’t spoken since that night.
As one of the mothers sinks into substance abuse and obsessively searching for answers, another is struggling to hold on to a son who may no longer be there. One is trying to protect her children while hiding the fact of her abusive marriage.
As they answer the detectives questions they also learn how many secrets have been kept not only by their children but from their spouses and each other.
This is a story that could happen in any neighborhood in this country and for me Lucinda Berry’s best work yet. As always she leaves a little bit unanswered at the end but not in a way that had me as frustrated as the ending of a previous book.
I very much enjoyed this book despite guessing some of the “ why it happened”.
Thank you to # netgalley and #thomas&mercer for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. This is due for release in August.