I had such high hopes for this book but unfortunately it didn’t pan out. I felt confused and honestly not that interested so I tried listening to the audio version which was worse. I didn’t know who was talking or what they were talking about, it felt that convoluted. Sadly, this one was a miss for me.

The best friend is part thriller part drama that builds over several decades of the relationship between Bella and Kate. Starting in childhood, the years pass and Bella and Kate develop their own personalities, interests, identities, Overall this was an interesting exploration at relationships, identity, and the way friends may drift apart. I liked the idea and premise of the story, but felt at times the relationships were forced.

DNF. This was really horrible. The writing style was awful. It just made absolutely zero sense. Not sure how the editors let this one slide. Characters are unlikeable and there is no plot. The writing made it impossible to finish.

The Best Friend follows the "friendship" of Bella and Kate throughout their lives. I put "friendship" in quotations because it is certainly a toxic one, filled with gaslighting and horrible treatment of what one would call a "friend".
Unfortunately I expected this book to be a thriller but it wasn't very thrilling. I found that I neither liked Kate nor Bella. I do like a good novel where there is a character that's "supposed to be" unlikeable but is written so well that you have to remind yourself that that character sucks, but this isn't one of those novels. I found this book a little boring since I wasn't really invested in the characters or their lives/friendship, and the ending was lackluster to me. I also didn't like how the book didn't have quotation marks for when people were speaking (just a pet peeve of mine-- personal preference).

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I sadly DNF'd this more than 60 percent in. It couldn't keep my attention, it was written in a very confusing manner and I never connected with the characters

This book fell a little flat for me. I started it and read a lot but lost interested and gave up around 30% in.

This was so hard to read, so I had to DNF about halfway through. The writing wasn't bad, but it needs a lot of editing. There weren't quotations anywhere in the book, so it was hard to know when someone was talking vs when the narrator was talking. It was just a mess.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. I'll review again once the book is released.

We follow the (toxic) friendship of Bella and Kate throughout their lives. There are no quotation marks used, which made it very difficult for me to follow the speaker. This may be a stylistic choice, or a way to illustrate that both friends have the ability to be horrible, but either way it makes it hard to remain engaged in the story. I just wanted a lot more from this story and felt let down.

Ummm what??? Thank God I also had the audiobook because at least that helped me figure out what was going on. This was definitely not a thriller, more a friendship fiction. There are no quotations or indicators of who is speaking so you don't know who is who. Not for me at all!!

*Thank you @minotaurbooks for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Review not posted to Amazon/Goodreads because less than 4 stars or DNF.*

I really didn't enjoy this book at all. This is the ultimate toxic friendship that never becomes un-toxic. It almost felt like Kate and Bella were addicted to each other and it was so unhealthy. There was a lot of backstabbing, a lot of secrets, a lot of excusing behavior and not enough genuine regrets for me. I just kept wondering why Bella stayed friends with Kate while also wondering why she made some the decisions that she did. Especially when they seemed out of character for her. Much of this book is written in conversations which was interesting. But it was more the reader learning the story through the conversations versus being there in the moment. Overall it just isn't a book that worked for me.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Jessica Fellowes for free e-ARC of The Best Friend in return of my honest review.

The story of a friendship between two girls, and then women. The toxic story. The toxic relationship. The sad story.

Overall, I think it is a good premise - a good idea to write a book about toxic friends, especially between the girls. I feel like every girl has this idea of a best friend and sometimes that best friend is not really best and it is hard to see. However, the execution here could have been better.

The narration style is difficult to comprehend. There are no signs for dialogue and sometimes it’s hard to get who says what. The jumping from one thing to the other doesn’t help.

The character development is outstanding though. I feel like both women came into life and were multi-dimensional.

Overall, it was a good book with a few structural exceptions. I am looking forward to new work by Jessica Fellowes.

This was just an ok novel for me. The plot was interesting and kept me invested to read until the end, but it fell a little flat for me. I would recommend it though.

I loved this book; it was the perfect thriller! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for alloweing me to read this!

I am torn, because I don't like leaving such short reviews, but I just couldn't get into this book. I didn't like the characters, nor did I like the storyline. I am sad that this one just wasn't for me.

Good lord this is terrible! Definitely not a thriller and there’s no way in heck I can finish it. The narrators did fine but had nothing to work with. I don’t care about these characters, they’re both awful! And the time jumps just left out so much!

Haunting thriller. Shortish and sweet but terrifying and twisty. Please read this book so I have someone to talk about it with.

It was a unique book on the tale of two friends. It’s a really interesting start with the girls growing up and then as it evolves into present day and where their lives have gone.

This book gives a new and deeper meaning to that casual term "frenemies." Is it wrong to trust someone who has hurt you? Does it matter if that person was a friend and not a lover? With the mystery of relationships at its core, this book will have you questioning all your friendships.

DNF at 38%. I always feel terrible when I DNF a book, but this one just wasn't doing it for me. The pacing in it was really slow for me and I found it very hard to follow. It was hard to tell who was speaking when. The premise definitely sounded good and had me excited to read, but after taking almost 2 months to get to just 38% I felt it was time. I'm not sure if the author has other works out, but one DNF definitely doesn't stop me from giving an author another chance.

Good not great. A little slow moving for me. It was neither great nor bad just ok. If you like a slower paced thriller this book is for you