Hollinger was a 'new to me' author, so I couldn't wait to get stuck in to see what her work was like...

Best Friends Forever is a moderately paced thriller that's well written. It's dark, disturbing and was definitely one for me.

The characters are solid, unreliable marmitey (is that even a word?) characters. Which got me thinking as to what my best friend would do in this situation...hands down, I know for a fact she'd throw me under the bus without hesitation!

By the last third of the book, when things started going batshit crazy I'd
worked out who the killer was, but this didn't distract from that jaw dropper ending!

Many thanks to Bookouture for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Best Friend's Forever' by Shannon Hollinger.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Shannon Hollinger, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 12th January 2023.

This is the first book I have read by this author.

I was originally drawn to this book by its stunning eye catching cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is An utterly gripping and compelling psychological thriller with twists and turns to die for. If you love Karin Slaughter, Paula Hawkins and Freida McFadden, you’ll love Best Friends Forever.' I am a huge fan of 'Gone Girl' so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue, 74 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in the USA 🇺🇸.

This book is written in a mix of third and first person perspective and the protagonists is Kate. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on. The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything. To have the benefit of both first and third person perspective ensures you don't miss out on anything.


LOVE, LOVE, LOVED THIS BOOK!! THIS MAY BE THE FIRST BOOK I HAVE READ BY SHANNON BUT IT MOST CERTAINLY WON'T BE MY LAST!!!

OMG!!!! WHAT DID I JUST READ!!!! I DID NOT EXPECT THAT!!! MIND BLOWN MUCH!!!

Wow!!! This book is fantastically written and had me hook, line and sinker from beginning to end. The descriptions were so in depth and vivid that the hair on my arms was standing on the ends and my heart was pounding throughout. The synopsis, title and cover were perfect for the storyline.

I was absolutely absorbed throughout this page turner. It is filled with tension, suspense, lies, loss, family, secrets, friendship, secrets and omg the twists!!! I DID NOT see any of them coming!!! A MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS Shannon!! It is getting harder and harder to shock me but by God you did that over and over and over!!! What an ending!!! One of the most gripping unputdownable nerve wracking psychological thrillers I have EVER read!!! You lady have one hell of a talent and I cannot wait to get hold of your previous and future books. I cannot remember the last time I was so hooked by a book but you managed that big time!!! The storyline is filled with crime, twists, shocks, suspense, tension, deceit and murder. There was not one, not two but at least 3 explosive bombshells I did not see coming!!! There was so much going on and it was very fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. Clear your schedule before you start as I read this in one sitting as I could not put it down!! Practically every chapter ended on a cliff hanger so no way could I put it down!! Absolutely hooked!! I would absolutely love to see this turned into a movie!!!! I am looking forward to reading more of Shannon's books as of this is anything to go by they are guaranteed to be page turner's!!

I read approximately half of this book on kindle and listened to approximately half on audio book. I must also give a huge congratulations to the narrator Kate Handford who not only brought the storyline to life by really portraying the emotions through his voice but by doing absolutely fantastic impressions of males and females so a HUGE congratulations Kate!! I cannot imagine that this was anywhere near an easy feat!!! I am looking forward to discovering more books read by yourself as you definitely have a perfect "book" voice!! I sometimes struggle to absorb the storyline through an audio book but if you are the same as me I can promise you will not have that problem with this amazing narrator!! Kate also narrates 'Local Girl Missing' which I also listened to via audiobook. She did a fantastic job on that book too and I would highly recommend it.

It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.

The characters were all strong, well developed and realistic and I was completely invested in both the storyline and the characters. Each of the characters had their own unique personalities and I felt differently about each of them. I really liked Kate and felt so sorry on her throughout the book. Kate refuses to believe that her best friend would have killed herself or that it was an accident so she goes hunting for the truth. Will she find it and will she regret looking in the first place? You'll just have to pick up a copy yourself to find out!! I am not going to say anything about any of the other characters as it isn't worth the risk of dropping any hints but there was major shocks to be had!! If you want to know more you will just have to click the link below to get a copy!! All in all a great mix of characters that worked well with this storyline.


Welcome to my favourite author Club Shannon! Bring on the next one!!! I cannot wait!!! Here's to the next success 🥂

Overall an absolutely heart racing, never wracking, unputdownable addictive psychological thriller!!!


Genres covered in this book include Women's Psychological Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Women's Popular Fiction, Crime, Thriller & Mystery Adventures, Psychological Fiction, Crime Fiction and Psychological Thriller amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'Gone Girl', Shari Lapena, Karin Slaughter, Paula Hawkins, Freida McFadden, Rachel Abbot and anyone who loves an explosive ending!!!


352 pages/10 hours 56 minutes

This book is just £1.99 to purchase, £8.99 in paperback and £20.03 for the audiobook via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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3 stars for being better than what I imagined!

Synopsis
After a mysterious traumatic event that led her leave her hometown for ten years, Kate returns back because her mom broke her hip and her sister needs her. Dealing with guilt and absence, Kate tries to right the wrong. If only it's that easy. Soon, she gets entangled in what looks like more than one murder.

What I like
Short chapters! It really helped my jumbled brain and busy week. Kate as the main character didn't annoy me too much that I still rooted for her to find the truth. The red herrings that Hollinger threw were great. And the plot twist! It wasn't an unpredictable one, but still quite shocking for me (especially the reasoning!).
The book also dealt with a lot of things and I'm pretty glad that they were resolved in the end. (unlike irl)

What I don't like
Except for the main antagonist, everyone were kinda black and white. The side character who did some horrible things was trash to the bone, it was easy not to give my sympathy for him. I just wish for a more fleshed out characters.

Final Thought
This one was a solid story, better than most ARCs I've read last year. Definitely checking her books more in the future!

Why did an 18 year old Kate flee town to parts unknown 10 years ago after a post graduation party incident? Maybe the fact she saw her best friend, Emma, murder someone and couldn’t face it? Or that her baby sister who also witnessed the incident and has since been mute from the trauma. That’s a big burden to carry so she left.
   Kate's now back in town because her mom is ill and needs help….grown sister is still mute……and this best friend is murdered while she is home. The guilt is everywhere.
   The story now includes the reuniting of her high school clique…all who have moved on to better lives and jobs except Kate. It’s while Kate is trying to find her place back in this town that she makes an interesting discovery about a series of murders that happen on the same night and the one that drove her away.
   It’s this avenue that starts the questions and discoveries that the reader did not expect to see.
   A driving storyline you can’t put down.

Kate & Emma were BFFs until one night after partying in the woods. Kate found Emma standing over the dead body of a homeless man with a blood-covered brick in her hand. Kate's younger sister, Lily, was also there that night & she hasn't spoken a word since. Kate packed up & left her old life & moved away from everyone: her family, her friends, & her boyfriend, Jeff. Now, years later, Kate receives a silent telephone call from Lily & she knows she has to return home.

When she arrives back in her hometown of Wakefield, the first person she sees whilst in a taxi home is her ex-BFF. She finds out to her dismay that her mother has had a bad fall resulting in broken bones - no wonder Lily needed her home. Kate settles in to help out but knows that she can't hide from Emma forever, however the next day, she gets the shocking news that Emma is dead. Believed to have taken her own life, Emma was found in the woods, but when Kate speaks to Emma's mother, she begins to think that perhaps there is more to Emma's death. Perhaps Emma was killed & if so, who would want to kill her & what secrets are they keeping?

Although this was an intriguing story line, the main character was rather too passive: originally she didn't stop to talk to anyone about what happened or get Emma's side of the story, just hightailed it out of town, now she is back home, Kate just drifts. To say there was a crime to be solved, there seemed to be precious little investigating happening most of the time. Kate kept saying that she really needed to find out what happened & if Emma was involved, but spent most of her time shuttling between her ex & his ex-best friend. She barely even spent any time with her sister. The pace really flagged at one point & I was thinking that this was going to be a low score read, when all of sudden, things picked up & the ending was actually quite good. It threw in some curve balls & actually lifted my rating to 3 stars. Just a pity that this didn't happen earlier in the book.

TW: references to paedophilia, sexual assault, violence.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Bookouture, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I had a hard time figuring out exactly what had happened that night in the woods. I kept thinking one thing and then another and who was involved and who wasn't. I didn't trust to many people except for 3 and I was wrong about 1.
We know Kate and Emma were best friends and they were friends along with Becca and Mel. Lily is Kates sister but we find out more as the story unfolds. The night of a party, in the woods after they graduated. since that night Lily has not talked at all from the trauma of whatever she saw.
Kate was dating Jeff at the time and something just seemed off about him. The story starts out from the party and then 10 years later. Kate comes back home to take care of her mom, who has fallen. When she comes back, Emma has died.
I had so many emotions and conflicts going on in my mind while reading this.
Thank you to NetGalley for the book to review.

Best Friends Forever by Shannon Hollinger is a thriller that mostly delivers on its promises. There are definitely requisite thrills, more than one mystery to be solved, and a couple of decent twists thrown in. In short, there is a lot going on – sometimes too much. I liked the mystery aspects of this thriller. In fact, the plot was really good. The author dropped enough red herrings and legit clues to keep me guessing. Several subplots may or may not (no spoilers here) have bearing on the overall arc. Those were also mostly handled well. And once the story reaches a climax, there is surprise after surprise. The only thing keeping this from being a five-star thriller is that the middle drags…a lot. A few of the subplots seem to be thrown in as twists that aren’t really needed. There isn’t enough character development for them to really matter (if that makes sense). However, despite all of that, Best Friends Forever is still a good, page-turning thriller. I will be looking for future books from Shannon Hollinger. For more details, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. This review was written based on a digital copy of the book from Bookouture.

Best Friends Forever by Shannon Hollinger

Published: January 12, 2023
Bookouture
Pages: 352
Genre: Psychological Thriller
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Shannon Hollinger has degrees in Crime Scene Technology & Physical Anthropology, Florida author Shannon Hollinger hasn't just seen the dark side of humanity - she's been elbow-deep inside of it! She finds writing to be a much cleaner way to spend her time than the autopsy suite. Most days it smells better, too.
Her debut novel, the psychological thriller Best Friends Forever, will be released in January 2023 and is the first of a five-book deal with publisher Bookouture.

“There are ghosts everywhere, here.”

Kate left home shortly after she graduated high school. The incident has haunted her for years. When she gets a call from her sister, she knows she has to go back. She isn’t prepared for the past to come crashing down on her, though. As both bodies and the secrets of the past start to pile up, Kate is suddenly very aware that she may not get the chance to run away again.

HOLY BUCKETS. For a debut novel, this was excellent. The build-up was intense, the reveal was bananas, and the twists and turns will give you whiplash.

The characters in the book were fantastic. I loved the darkness and mystery in Kate. You like her instantly, but something makes you want to know what is in her head. Lily was such a shadow of a character, which was portrayed beautifully. Every character had a part to play, and they were well done.

There is such an intense pace to this novel. I enjoyed that it kept me on the edge of my seat. Every time I thought I had figured out what was happening and who was guilty- another layer would be revealed, and I’d be back to square one.

I love when a plot is complicated and twisted, which was brilliant. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, and things move quickly. The way the pieces fell into place was so insane I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

I will read the next thriller Shannon writes. This was a scary, twisted, dark thrill ride from start to finish!

Kate and Emma were inseparable, best friends so close that they considered themselves sisters. The night of their high school graduation, Kate comes into the clearing of the woods to find her friend and protector, a homeless man named Brad, bloodied and dead, and Emma standing over him with a blood-splattered rock. Emma whispers, “It was an accident,” but Kate turns, grabs her little sister Lily who had been with her that evening, and runs away, leaving Emma behind. Kate decided to not tell anyone what she saw, knowing she could never betray her best friend. However, she also knew she could never watch Emma pick herself up and live a normal life as though the murder never happened, so she left her mother and Lily (who was frightened into mutism) behind, and headed north. She eventually landed in Boston, working as a server. After ten years, she gets a silent phone call from Lily, and knows that means she must return home. She is just in time to find out her mother in the hospital with a broken hip, and Emma dying a day or two later. It appears that Emma has committed suicide or died accidentally, without her always-present EpiPen. The official cause of death was anaphylactic shock from her peanut allergy. Knowing that she never went anywhere without that EpiPen, Kate does not believe Emma would have ever killed herself, concluding that she must have been murdered. She doubts everything she believed all of those years, and a bit of research on her part shows that a homeless man had been killed every year since, in June, which was the anniversary of Brad’s murder. Kate believes Emma may have had an accomplice: “Someone else is out there. Someone who was close to us both, someone who knew the smallest details of what had happened back then. Who from our small town could have murdered not once, but twice? And who’s next…?” (“Best Friends Forever,” location 2081 of 4089)

“Best Friends Forever” is a twisted, incredible, totally engrossing thriller, with a ending I didn’t see coming (at least not the way it unfolded!) The storyline runs a bit long and wordy in parts, but is otherwise well-written and solid. The tales about high school friendships ring true, including the hidden traumas, outward snark, and the ease with which friends lose touch with each other. The book explains the characters and suspicions that were presented very well, also introducing other facts which explain characters’ behavior. Some insights have nothing to do with the plot centering around Brad’s murder, but are shocking nevertheless, and there are red herrings along the way. I truly enjoyed this novel with its premise, surprises, and plot; and I happily recommend it to all fans of psychological thrillers.

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture, and Shannon Hollinger for the ability to read and review this ARC.

A very entertaining slow and sinister novel with twists galore! The plot unfoldes beautifully and the characters and dialogue and very compelling. A real page-turner!

Slow burn of a twisted and dark story. If you like this genre, then this is the book for you! It's a ten-year old murder mystery that comes to the present when the alleged murderer has died. Revelations ensue with shocking twists and an ending that will have you surprised!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

One horrific night had Kate running away from her life. Reluctantly returning after her mother’s surgery, Kate faces her past along with the aftermath of that terrible night.
Hollinger threw in some delicious twists that were right under my nose and I didn’t sniff out soon enough.
When one of the characters said something it did click in my mind about who was doing the attacks and I guessed correctly.
But the real shocker came at the end and what Kate finally remembers and then what she has to do to save herself.
Some of us can run from our pasta but we can never truly escape it.

What a twisty thriller! I read half and listening to the audio for half of this book. The experience was equally as spine tingling with both versions.

Best Friends Forever
by Shannon Hollinger
Pub Date 12 Jan 2023
Bookouture
General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers


I am reviewing a copy of Best Friends Forever through Bookoture and Netgalley:



As I emerge from the trees I am drenched in sweat. I am unable to speak as I stare at the scene in front of me. The blood. The body. Emma’s eyes meet mine for a second. “It was an accident,” she whispers.



Emma and I had been childhood best friends until that horrible night in the woods.



I wasn't able to tell anyone what I had seen that night. We never discussed it but our bond was to strong to tell anyone. I could not betray my best friend even if she had killed someone. Even if she had killed someone.


But I also couldn’t stay in town and watch her live a normal life, knowing what she’d done. So I left.


Ten years later and I'm back. The guilt and the fear have stayed with me. And I have realized I need to reveal the truth if I’m ever going to move on.

But I never get the chance. Because the day I turn up, Emma is found dead, and the way she died means I start to doubt everything I thought I knew about that night all those years ago.

As my grief turns to anger at all those lost years of friendship, I realise with horror that Emma might not have been the only killer. Someone else is out there. Someone who was close to us both, someone who knew the smallest details of what had happened back then. Who from our small town could have murdered not once, but twice? And who’s next…?

have stayed with me. And I have realized I need to reveal the truth if I’m ever going to move on.

But I never get the chance. Because the day I turn up, Emma is found dead, and the way she died means I start to doubt everything I thought I knew about that night all those years ago.

As my grief turns to anger at all those lost years of friendship, I realise with horror that Emma might not have been the only killer. Someone else is out there. Someone who was close to us both, someone who knew the smallest details of what had happened back then. Who from our small town could have murdered not once, but twice? And who’s next?

An utterly gripping and compelling psychological thriller with twists and turns to die for. If you love Karin Slaughter, Paula Hawkins and Freida McFadden, you’ll love Best Friends Forever.An utterly gripping and compelling psychological thriller with twists and turns to die for. If you love Karin Slaughter, Paula Hawkins and Freida McFadden, you’ll love Best Friends Forever.


I give Best Friends Forever five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

This is the first book I've read from Shannon Hollinger, and I feel I'd be back to read more books from her!
I'll admit the first part of the book was a bit slow for me, but things took a quick turn and soon I was flipping through the pages, wondering what would happen next!
I love how descriptive and detailed the writing was! The plot was also very well-written and there were so many suspects and when I was sure one of them was the one, it proved me wrong! I definitely wasn't expecting the ending!
Highly recommend it if you're looking for a gripping mystery to read!

Thanks a lot to Netgalley and Shannon Hollinger for allowing me to read this chilling thriller in exchange for an honest review. It's Kate's story and her courage to discover the truth of the horrible crime that happened ten years ago, which changed her and her friend's and little sister's life forever. Now, her best friend is murdered and she can't trust anyone so she started to find answers on her own. Shocking secrets and twists, one after another start to spill out. A serial killer is on the loose and everyone is a suspect. Totally a page turner thriller and superbly written. The end is unexpected. Highly recommended for mystery thriller fans..

Im not even exaggerating when i say that this was the best book that i have read this year.It was excellent especially because it was the authors debut.I was hooked from the very first page and i couldnt stop reading -i think i finished it in a day.It was fast paced and it was a unique story,ive never read anything like it.Im so sure that it will be selling out in 2023 because it is that good.There are so many plot twists with so many suspects in the last 30 pages that you definitely wont guess them all(speaking from experience).
I cant wait to see what shannon hollinger does next

This was my first book by this author and I was very impressed.

I did find it a little slow in places but not so much that I didn’t want to keep reading. The story was solid, interesting and it kept me guessing. I ran through a few scenario’s in my head as to what the final twists might be and I did get some of it right but that was basically just luck. The twists are good ones.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

#Netgalley

⭐️Rating: 3/5
✍🏼Author: Shannon Hollinger
📖Genre: Psychological Thriller

Fast paced mystery thriller about two best friends Kate and Emma. They are both holding onto a secret from the past, then suddenly.. one of them ends up mysteriously passing away and the other is left to unfold what really happened to her best friend. As she starts investigating she revisits the secret from the past and comes across a bunch of other deaths surrounding her best friend. Along the way, there are plenty of twists and turns that you don’t expect.

The story is fast paced and follows a dual timeline so would advise to pay attention to the details so you don’t miss anything. I recommend this book for a good murder mystery / thriller

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Trust No-one 🥸

Told both in present time and ten years earlier where it all began for Kate, the reason she ran. Hoping to get some answers from best friend Emma, no longer possible due to her untimely death. Searching for clues, who can she trust?…

Great read with plenty of twists and turns, some questionable meetings with childhood friends.