The lack of quotation marks was SUPER confusing. The allusions and vague fleshing out of events was even more confusing. I enjoyed the exploration of a toxic friendship but this one ultimately fell short for me.

“The Best Friend” was an okay story. Bella and Kate became best friends as young girls. However, by the time they were teenagers, there was a clear power imbalance favoring Kate. And Kate’s behavior was not really that of a “best friend.” When they were seventeen, Kate and her family moved away and she ceased all contact with Bella. Their paths would cross multiple times over the years, and the friendship would be rekindled before something happened to cause a breakdown. Traumatic events in their forties would separate them for over thirty years. Their reunion in old age is out of necessity, and their lives have taken very divergent paths in the intervening decades.

I finished this book 2 days ago and I'm having trouble fleshing out a review. I didn't hate the book. I didn't love the book. Because I received an ARC I couldn't tell if no quotation marks around the spoken parts was intentional or not. Either way I was able to tell who was speaking but at the beginning it took me a second. The beginning chapters was interesting because it jumped in years to show pieces of Bella and Kate's life in those important ages.

Bella and Kate. The story is told from Bella's POV which was a bit unfortunate as I found her quite dull. Kate was self centered and selfish. Even with the gaps in time in their friendship, it seemed that one once was near the other, they couldn't be apart. And while that may seem beautiful, in their case, it was toxic. Almost symbiotic.

I can't say that I disliked the book because I kept reading wanting to know more of their relationship. But I didn't love it and I can say it was missing something. I don't know what though.

I normally love to read thrillers focused on toxic friendship and female rivalry but this book truly gave me headaches! I was expecting to like it more!

Telling the story by two girls’ friendship’s evolvement chronologically was a great idea and I had no problem with both Bella and Kate’s characterizations ! I didn’t adore them but I didn’t dislike them either. There were worst characterizations at the thrillers I recently read.

My problem is about unconventional storytelling style. I respect the author’s choice not to use quotes for trying something new. But at some parts I couldn’t differentiate the characters’ lines. I reread a few times to interpret what the author meant and finding out who’s talking.

Normally I don’t have much problem but slow burn mysteries but the writing style already made me lost my patience so I struggled to read the rest. When I reached the last chapter, I felt like I ran 50K marathon, feeling exhausted!

I’m still giving solid stars for some intriguing parts about the toxic friendship between heroines and author’s efforts to try something unique. I still want to read her future works. But I didn’t like this book as much as I expected.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. It follows the lives of two women from childhood into their eighties. I feel the writing could have been better and at times that the reader was to interpret where the story was going.

This was a unique read that I ended up enjoying, though I felt that the author makes you work a bit to figure out what is really happening from breadcrumbs she leaves. The story centers on Bella and Kate who have a decades old friendship, starting from when they were 6 and going into their 80s. The book is told chronologically by their ages, and alternates between conversations (almost like a play) and traditional chapters.

The ups and downs of the friendship made sense to me, and though the author didn’t provide deep characterization of either protagonist, I felt like I learned who they were through the dynamics between them. Others had said they found both to be unlikable, but I didn’t, really- they were just people and all people have flaws. The chapters with the conversations were somewhat confusing because there are no quotes and the author doesn’t call out who is talking- you have to follow it along based on what they said and check that you’re right when one says the other’s name. I didn’t really mind that you were left to your own devices to piece together the big events that happened throughout the book, but I do wish those conversation chapters were more clear.

I didn’t fully get the intention of what happened at the end (without giving away anything). I couldn’t decide whether the author intended us to question it or if I was just missing something that others understood.

Overall, I liked the book and felt that there was just something about it that worked. I started this review intending to rate it 3 stars but ended thinking I’ll go with 4. This isn’t my typical read but the unique style made it stand out. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really didn’t find these two best friends especially likable. It certainly is a book that a younger demographic might enjoy more than I did. Perhaps, my cynicism impacted my enjoyment.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I wanted to like this story more, but it was more of a slow burn for me. It took to long to get to the "good stuff" for me. Bella and Kate's relationship is a complicated one from childhood to adults, but the writing style sometimes threw me off, and I couldn't tell which character was speaking,. This ended up being a DNF for me.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
This book goes through the lives of 2 friends from early school to their 80s. It's written in a choppy short style to keep the story moving quickly, but it was kinda disconcerting that way and hard for me to get really comfortable in the story.
The story hints at a lot of things or starts to go down a path and then stops leaving the reader to interpret things their own way which could be good or bad.
It wasn't really the genre for me and it took me out of my comfort zone a bit with references to rape while never saying the word.

The Best Friend by Jessica Fellowes was a quick and interesting read. This is a story of the complex and changing relationship between two women spanning several decades. The author leaves a lot to the reader's imagination. I found myself wanting to know more about the lives of each of the main characters and their respective families. I enjoyed the writer's style and the way she used an ongoing dialogue between the two women to reveal the story.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

This one was pretty twisty- some more obvious than others but still an enjoyable ride. You really do you fall in love with the main female characters. Enjoyable take on female friendship. Solid four

Bella and Kate have been best friends since they were little girls. It was impossible to see one and not the other. In the last term of their senior year, Kate tells Bella she's moving because her father's work is relocating him and his family. Bella fears that she and Kate will lose the closeness they have, and Kate will find a new best friend. Kate assures her that will never happen, and they will call and write to each other. Even with Kate's reassurances, Bella knows their friendship is about to change.

I requested this from Netgalley and started reading it last night. I liked the plot because I had a best friend where I was always in her shadow, and she was shining brightly. I was at the halfway point where I considered making this a DNF. The writing format is odd, with short chapters and unlikeable characters. I also had to go back a few chapters to figure out the pivotal turning point since I missed it earlier. Once it was clear what the twist I chose to speed-read the rest of the book. Once I reached the end, I sat and thought about how I felt about it. I did have that one revelation of oh, that's why that happened, now it makes sense! Unfortunately, it still doesn't change my opinion overall on this story. I wouldn't recommend this unless you're looking for something to read while lounging at the pool.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this book.

Pub Date: 09-13-22

✨Book review✨
The Best Friend
By Jennifer Fellowes

I liked the way this book was written. The chapters were based on the ages of the two main characters, and the dialogue was presented in a first person, conversation the majority of the story. This allowed me to read this one fast!

I sort of had an idea of how this one was going to play out, but all in all my attention was held, and the pages turned.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

Thanks so much to

The Best Friend follows the friendship (or is it ?) between Kate and Bella. They start as inseparable childhood playmates that morphs into co-dependent adolescence. But as they grow and change so does their friendship. This novel follows the fluctuating and albeit toxic relationship between two women who must learn how to navigate the world together and apart. 

Personally I struggled to read this novel due to formatting. The difficulty primarily laid in the lack of no quotation marks to differentiate who was speaking. I found myself getting lost in the conversation and having to re-skim what I just read to count out who was currently speaking. It made the dialogue muddled and I had a hard time connecting to the characters. There were also instances of gaslighting that I found upsetting. 

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Have you ever had a toxic friend? Tia toxica? I feel like almost everyone in their lifetime has had or has known of someone who could be categorized as toxic. The Best Friend is a story of just that. This is the story of Bella and Kate. Bosom buddies since babies. They have known each other forever, but does that make their relationship solid and trustworthy? Or do secrets and betrayal intersect their intertwined lives?
Although I would have loved to read more character development for both Bella and Kate, I truly enjoyed this book. I love reading about women's friendships and just how complex relationships can be.

Thank you NetGalley and Jessica Fellowes for the eARC.

The Best Friend is a slow burn - the kind of creepiness that insinuates throughout the novel but does not crystallized until the close. Bella and Kate are the best of friends at age 6, age 8 and age 12. When one moves away with her family, they promise to keep in touch. The novel then touches on many ages when the two intersect and what transpires to keep them together or separate them again.

The writing can be fragmented and it requires the entire book to understand just exactly what happened. It's a beautiful toxic friendship though, to the very end. If you love a slow burn, a female-centric story, a potentially unlikeable and unreliable narrator, then The Best Friend is for you#minitour #stmartinspress #netgalleyreads #netgalley #thebestfriend

interesting book about being friend and the friendship over the many years. I liked bella and kate and how they changed over time. overall an okay book.

I’m definitely in the minority with my 2 star rating but this story fell flat for me and I could not connect with any of the characters. DNF at 30%. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my review.

This one was a little different than I expected it to be. The writing style wasn’t what I expected and I had a hard time getting through it. I love the premise of it, so I may give it another try.. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was different. It read like a play with almost all dialogue, although there were no quotation marks. Even though it is contemporary fiction, it reads like a classic novel, which won points with me. The chapters are organized by the characters ages and it spans the friends’ lives. It was oddly entertaining. Plot holes abound, but that may be because I was too dense to figure out the clues dropped throughout. It is an odd book, but an intelligent one. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!