Stevie‘s review of How To Kill Your Best Friend by Lexie Elliott
Contemporary Psychological Thriller published by Corvus 02 Sep 21

I greatly enjoyed Lexie Elliott’s first novel, although I missed the release of the second. No matter, this third book is another stand-alone story, and once again involves a group of long-term friends dealing with a mysterious death – this time one that occurred more recently. The opening is certainly a kicker: a very short half page chapter musing on one method of committing murder. The story proper begins on the next page, with Georgie arriving late for a memorial service, in completely the wrong clothes.


Georgie, one of a group of thirty-somethings who have been friends since university, if not earlier, has not received the email instructing her to wear white for the ceremony – the result, she assumes, of a new spam filter being installed by her employer’s IT department. The memorial is for Lissa, the second member of the group to die, who is believed to have drowned during a late-night sea swim. Lissa’s body has not yet been recovered, although a fisherman has reported almost retrieving a dead woman matching her description with his catch.

Also present at the remote island resort, where Lissa had been living with her second husband Jem, the resort’s owner-manager, are the three other surviving members of the group: Bron, Duncan, and Adam. The fifth member of the group, Lissa’s first husband, also died in what everyone has so far believed to be a tragic accident. While the main purpose of their visit was to attend the official memorial, the four plan to stay on for a few days to pay their respects to Lissa in less conventional ways, as well as catching up with each other as a group for the first time in several years.

It soon becomes clear that Lissa’s death is not the only problematic issue at the resort. Both Bron and Georgie soon find themselves targeted by a stalker, and when the group go out for a swim in memory of Lissa, they are endangered by both a recklessly piloted tourist boat and by what appears to be the sea monster that locals claim took Lissa. There are also issues with the resort’s finances, and various relationship entanglements past and present emerge to further confuse Georgie and Bron’s feelings around Lissa’s death.

When the women’s lives are directly threatened, Georgie begins to wonder just who is behind various unexplained events, and what really happened to Lissa, but before the group can escape back to their respective homes, a storm hits the island, providing any would-be killer with the perfect opportunity to complete their plans.

I liked the various interjections on methods of murder and how Georgie is helped to put the pieces of the mystery together by the gradual release of her missing emails from the over-enthusiastic spam filter. As with the previous book from the author, I also appreciated the fact that no character is either completely good or completely evil. Well worth reading, and very much worthy of a reread too.

Grade: A

Unfortunately this was not my favorite. I loved the island setting and the premise. Id want my friends to avenge my death should something happen to me. But this was slow and I never bought into the mystery yet somehow i I guessed it early. Also too much swimming talk! :) still, would try this author again because I loved the French girl.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this book.

I loved this story, even when it seemed too predictable. Elliot does a good job twisting and turning the story to keep the reader turning pages.

Georgie, Lissa, and Bronwyn have been friends since college. They were on the swim team together, with Lissa being the best. So, it’s quite a shock when Lissa drowns off the coast of the island resort she owned with her husband. Georgie and Bronwyn are among the guests who gather at the resort for Lissa’s funeral. However, Georgie and Bronwyn feel unsafe and don’t know who to trust.

How to Kill Your Best Friend is told using the alternating points of view of Georgie and Bronwyn. Both women have secrets, and start receiving ominous messages at the resort.

A slow-burning, atmospheric, and suspenseful thriller. Fans of Lexie Elliott’s other books are sure to enjoy this one too.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

painfully boring unfortunately, couldn't get myself even remotely interested but i appreciate the advanced copy regardless! thank you to netgalley and berkeley

The title of this novel is perfectly tempting! How to Kill Your Best Friend is a murder mystery (between friends) set in a tropical paradise but with a twist. The author does an amazing job drawing in the reader through the narrative voice of the main character. Georgie. Each chapter begins as a diary inscription into the ways one might conjure how to kill their best friend. This adds to the growing anticipation and deliberately pushes the reader's brain into trying to piece together clues that will ultimately reveal which one of them is a killer. The suspense created through the book is further heightened by past memories and the complicated bond the characters share. Past competitive swimming uniquely links them and the author uses the tropical remote island setting and the ocean as a means to again place them in familiar roles with one another but also visits the legends tied to the island's haunting history, particularly a vast and beautiful cliff known to lead to death. This novel is a fun ride that readers will find hard to put down! Peppered with past marital affairs, reawaked feelings, childhood secrets and lipstick warnings on the wall...this book is a clever take on a traditional who done it genre. Pairing the cast of friends together again, after years, at a funeral but in a vacation style setting and then throwing in a sadistic killer builds the tension and the drama. Much is revealed through their relationships. Sides are chosen and darkness and water are reoccurring themes.

One of the things I love about reading mysteries is trying to figure out all the possibilities and who the suspects are. I very rarely get it right.

How To Kill Your Best Friend by @lexieelliottwrites is a slow paced mystery that will keep you engaged until the end. It’s filled with drama and a few unexpected twists. We have Georgie and Bronwyn who attend a memorial service at a resort on an island for their friend Lissa. Now, all three are excellent swimmers that competed in college. It’s a mystery why Lissa, the strongest swimmer of them would take a swim by herself at night in these dangerous waters that are also supposedly haunted. Lissa’s body hasn’t been recovered and strange things start to happen.
This is a wonderful whodunnit, locked room mystery, as they’re all trapped on the island. Told by Georgie and Bron’s POV you get to know them and also the baggage and secrets that they carry.

Thank You to @ netgalley and @Berkley for the ARC provided in exchange for a candid review!

I know people say this is an "on the edge of your seat" mystery, but it was hard for me to get into it. I didn't care much for any of the characters or the plot for some reason. The ending wound up being pretty good and the reason I liked it. It's pretty suspect when one of three friends on the swim team at school together suddenly drowns. The side stories were very helpful in building suspense and causing you to suspect nearly everyone in the story. There winds of being a pretty huge twist at the end, they a good mystery reader could have seen coming, but you'll have to read for yourself to understand what I'm referring to.

Lissa, Georgie & Bronwyn have been best friends since college where they partied & drank heavily especially Lissa & Georgie who had a peculiar inseparable bond. The 3 were a part of a competitive swim team who remain close friends with 3 other guys. They’ve stayed close over the years & often meet up for swimming holidays. Regrettably, one of the guys died 4 years ago & he was married to Lissa. Now Lissa is also dead. Assumed drowned 3 months ago in a dangerous cove near the gorgeous seaside hotel newly owned by Lissa & her new husband. The group of swimmers are gathered again for the funeral despite not finding a body. But Georgie who knows Lissa down to her deepest secrets isn’t convinced Lissa would die by accident or suicide.

The story alternates between the remaining best friends, Georgie & Bron. After the funeral patrons leave the remote island, the group of friends, the new husband & some of the hotel staff are left as the weather starts to change for the worse. As tensions build & suspicions arise, it’s clear that Georgie & Bron have dark secrets of their own.

This was a gratifying fast-paced mystery thriller. While I guessed a bit of the mystery, I still really liked Elliott’s writing style. Others mentioned that the focus on swimming was too detailed, but I rather loved learning about the unique skills of each swimmer, their strength & style & how they used it to their advantage. For ex, the group’s 1st swim was described like a dolphin pod with how they complemented each other in the open water & what it felt like to be missing their 2 former friends who trained together for years.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC.

i DNF this book around 40% - i tried but it just wasnt for me. I didnt connect with the characters or the story at all.

I seriously could not put this book down!! I needed to know who killed Lissa and how this book would play out.

In How to Kill Your Best Friend by Lexie Elliot, Georgie, Lissa, and Bronwyn met while in college and have stayed close since then. They bonded together over swimming and have always kept water and swimming as part of their time together. So when word comes out that Lissa has drowned, it seems suspicious... They show up for the goodbye ceremony but something is off... is there a killer on the loose and if so, who is it??? This book is layered with secrets and suspense! Lexie Elliot does it right!!

#HowtoKillYourBestFriend #NetGalley #BeritTalksBooks #BerkleyBuddyReads #WhoKilledLissa #BerkleyPublishing #Mystery #bestfriends #BerkleyWritesStrongWomen #bookstagram #readingiscool #booklover #books

If you thought your BFF was a killer, what would you do? Would you feel safe once she's dead? Georgie, Lissa and Bronwyn are BFFs with a shared love for swimming. So how could it be true that Lissa drowned while out for a swim? Everyone gets together to honor Lissa's life but Georgie and Bron can't help feeling paranoid. Nothing as it seems and nobody knows who they can trust.

This book took a lot of twists and turns and I didn't really know where it was going to end up. The suspense is real and the author slowly reveals key details that make you THINK you know what's going to happen. I did find it a bit slow at times but overall it kept me intrigued, and I loved the island resort setting. Most characters are not likeable - but I actually enjoy that in a suspense read because it makes it hard to guess who is "good" or "bad".

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys suspense and mystery!

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an eGalley of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book would be enjoyed by a late teen. I was not the correct target for this book. Positives: each character seemed guilty and the narration reminded me of Pretty Little Liars
Negatives-the passages were longer than I prefer

How to Kill Your Best Friend by Lexie Elliott was an engaging and thrilling read.

This book is about of two women and their group of friends who bonded over swimming. A few of them were on island vacation together and one of the friends, Lissa, mysteriously drowns in Kanu Cove. Georgie wasn’t able to make the trip, but does travel to the island resort for the funeral. Once she arrives, strange things start happening to her and one of the other friends, Bronwyn. Georgie starts receiving clues that Lissa’s death may not have been accidental and Bronwyn starts receiving threats. They need figure out who things out before the killer comes after them.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked that it was told from two perspectives - Bronwyn and Georgie and that they both had their own secrets they were keeping from each other and the rest of their friends. I will say that I did guess the first big twist of the book, but the second twist at the very end caught me more off guard. I think the last few chapters of the book could have been tightened up a bit, the scenes surrounding the first twist just seemed to drag on a bit, but the outcome was satisfactory.

DNF at 40%. I wanted to enjoy this one and was very intrigued by the blurb but the pacing is too slow for me and it isn’t keeping my attention. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free review copy.

I think author Lexie Elliott must have had much better friends in college than I did. While Facebook is the only way I've stayed in touch with friends from my University of Maryland days, Elliott has now written two books about a group of college friends who stayed tight after graduation, reuniting after someone’s death. Her debut in 2018, The French Girl (reviewed here), put her on the map; now How to Kill Your Best Friend presents a swimming-centered tale just in time for the end of summer. As usual, Elliott’s keen description and atmospherics create a compelling, although sometimes convoluted, tale.

Click on the link below to read the rest of the review

Georgie, and Bronwyn, friends and swimmers from university, and others gather for the memorial service of fellow friend and swimmer, Lissa who is presumed dead from drowning a few months earlier. Georgie, however, is unable to accept that Lissa either accidentally or intentionally drowned. When strange things happen to the group the question becomes - is Lissa in fact dead. Throughout the book we are given methods for "killing your best friend" but you'll ask yourself who is the killer and who is the intended victim. A slow burn to the end but a good read.

This is the third book I have read this year with a similar premise (The Guilty Party and The Guilt Trip) - adults who became friends in university gather together in a remote location where they behave questionably, act impulsively, and lack the ability to communicate.

While I rated this book higher than the other two (but just barely), I still struggled with the same issues, the biggest one being unlikeable characters about whom I didn’t care much. The two narrators had such a similar voice that it was hard to differentiate between them, and it took me a while to figure out all the relationships between the main characters, their off-screen counterparts, and the myriad of secondary characters. I was also on the fence about the storyline involving the mysterious sea serpent.

I did not see the final twist coming, so that was a surprise but, at the end of the day, I just really didn’t care.

Georgie and her University friends come together to lay their long time friend, Lissa, to rest. It's a memorial - her body was never found. Lissa drowned at Kanu Cove - according to local legend, Kanu takes who wants to be taken.
Georgie refuses to believe Lissa would suicide - let alone swimming. Their group has swam together for decades - each an assigned position per their strength/ability. I appreciated this metaphor - as it played into the group's dynamics. Georgie pushes her friends to investigate what really happened to Lissa.
Bron provides insight into Lissa and Georgie's relationship as well as movement for the mystery surrounding Lissa's death.
I felt this book moved too slow. I skimmed some areas detailing their swimming history, the suspense build.
I did enjoy the ending - though one portion was setup nicely, the second was a great surprise.

In How to Kill Your Best Friend, a group of long-time friends, brought together by a passion for swimming, gathers to memoralize a murdered member of their group, Lissa. Staying at a failing island resort, quickly emptying of all other guests, Georgie and Bron become aware that something else beyond a funeral is going on, and that there might be more deaths before the trip is over.

The tension is high from the very beginning, when a main character shows up dressed the complete opposite of the funeral's requested dress code. Readers learn more about what has happened through the eyes of the deceased's best friend, Georgie, who was not present at the last group reunion, and so has a lot of questions she needs answers to. Georgie and another friend, Bron, take turns as the first person narrator and guide for readers, as they try to stay safe and determine what exactly is occurring and why.

It's a great premise, and there's definitely a lot of suspense. Elliott knows how to write well, that's for sure. But the main big twist just didn't completely work for me personally. It fell a little flat with all the build up that had come before. The second big twist however, which readers don't find out until the very end, was a huge surprise and brilliantly done.