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.

This book was a page turner, and I wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery of what exactly happened the night of “the incident.” It was difficult to keep track of the characters at times though and there were a few errors throughout. Mixing up of names, sometimes difficult to understand what’s going on, details are sometimes missing. Early on in the book I remember a mention of “mom” saying something about Caleb, but there was no mention previously of Dani’s mom or of her being there. I expected more from Bryan’s lawyer friend, maybe a good opportunity to add some depth to a character or give him redeeming qualities. I didn’t understand why he and Bryan were described as walking arm in arm at one point as it didn’t fit with their other behaviors. The lady’s all felt kind of the same to me voice wise which made it difficult to remember who’s perspective I was reading. Many characters demonstrated a lack of boundaries and emotional maturity to the point that it was irritating at times. The story was well paced, though somewhat predictable.

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.

Great story. I found this book hard to follow, with all the husbands and children. I kept having to think who belongs to who. The author even got this mixed up once. In all, I enjoyed this advanced reading copy.

First off, I love Lucinda Berry and have read every one of her earlier books, so I was thrilled to receive and advanced copy! Like all of her books, The Best Of Friends sucked me in and I pulled an all-nighter to finish reading. I love the way the story is told from different perspectives, all moms questioning how well they know their sons after a tragedy strikes. The characters were detailed, the story moved quickly, & the ending was surprising. I will be telling everyone about it!

This was my first Lucinda Berry read, and it was a captivating one. What happens when best friends who also raise their kids to be best friends go through an unspeakable and tragic event that changes the rest of their lives forever? Read this book to find out. I don't want to spoil anything, but this book had me hooked from the beginning as I saw the plot unfold and the characters lives and emotions were falling apart. I definitely recommend!! Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy of this book for an honest review.

This was my first read from Lucinda Berry. I was initially drawn to the book plot, as well as the gorgeous cover. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this as much as I hoped. While the narrative arc was strong, the characters and execution fell flat for me. I wished for more vivid scenes to pull me in and make this heartwrenching story feel like a reality. There was a bit too much telling for this suburbian world to feel believable.

While it wasn't my taste, I have no doubt this book will do very well for the right audience, as it is a fast-paced and suspenseful read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy for review.

This was my first book by Lucinda Berry and now I want to read more!
I felt bad liking this story so much because of its content, if you know what I mean. But I really liked it because it was so well written and so deep. The characters had such depth and I could feel their emotions.
As a parent of a son, this was heartbreaking to read and pulled on all my heartstrings, but it was also unputtdownable. It touched on so many different subjects, behaviors and emotions from the viewpoints of teenagers, parents and long time best of friends.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for me honest review.

Do you ever wonder if you really know your kids? I mean really know them... Your answer is going to be no because we all know that they still lie and hid things from us so that they get to do the things that they really want. The things that we as parents wont let the do. To the point that one of them is killed.
Dani, Lindsey, and Kendra have been the best of friends since forever. Even their children become best friends like them, Caleb, Jacob, and Sawyer. They have been through everything it seems like but now they have to face the scariest one. The one that killed their child, left one in a coma, and the other too scared to talk about what happened. Can they survive this?
This book has a lot of twist and turns. Don't miss the clues that are given to you...

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the opportunity to review this book.

As a long-time Berry fan, I was thrilled to receive the ARC of <i>The Best of Friends</i> and I was not disappointed- I finished it in one sitting.

Three best friends since grade school - Dani, Lindsay & Kendra, are raising their families, including their 3 teenage sons who are also best friends, in the same town they grew up in.

One night, everyone’s life is changed forever. Someone’s son dies, another is clinging for his life and the other has lost his ability to speak or function due to the horror of that night. Secrets come rolling out, faster and faster and everyone’s perfect lives are shattered.

Berry’s knack for storytelling and always keeping the reader guessing is spot on, per usual. This novel was great! It did, however, feel a bit like a Jodi Picoult novel to me in some portions, which is why i left off a star. I felt like I read this story before or had whispers of it.

This was one of those reads that absolutely hooked me from page one. It was heart wrenching to read as a mother, but unputdownable! Well written, chilling, realistic, and brutal; but also captivating! I highly recommend, unless as a parent you have triggers to stuff happening to children, as this is not your book! Overall, I do think it could be a very important read, as parents, because I think even the best parents are not perfect and all knowing, which this book shows in chilling and heart wrenching words!
I will make sure to buzz it up on all the different platforms!