Just when you think you know who murdered Kate’s best friend, Emma, you begin to doubt yourself and suspect someone else...everyone else. This murder mystery gave me everything I wanted: suspense, lies, drama, and revenge. I seriously did not expect the layers to peel the way they did in revealing who Emma truly was to Kate. Even death couldn’t keep them from being loyal friends to each other.

Great read! I would definitely read another Shannon Hollinger book!

Wow, this was an amazing book that had me hooked from the start. I love that you were led to suspect so many characters. It was so exciting and thrilling that I just couldn't put it down. I even had to listen to it while food shopping. I was totally engrossed and forgot to buy a lot of things, lol. I just loved everything about thos novel. There were so many unexpected twists and turns. I love the faster pace of this book. I was emotionally invested in this storyline and was shocked by the ending. I just didn't see it coming, but I am not giving anything away. I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a brilliant job at bringing out all the atmosphere and tension that this book held. This is definitely a must-read as I can't recommend this book enough for thriller fans.

Only the highest of praise goes out to the author and publishers for such an exciting and thrilling novel that definitely had my heart racing. I will definitely be looking out for more books by this amazing author. She is definitely going on my authors to watch out for list.

The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog today https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/best-friends-forever-by-shannon-hollinger-bookouture-5-stars under ladyreading365

The twist in this one did not come as a surprise. It felt very cliche and predictable. I still enjoyed getting there, but I think the book could have been summed up in far less chapters.

Thanks so much NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

This really did not have me in the first half, but when I tell you the ending made this journey worth it! Slow burn thriller that was very much redeemable in the end for the boring first bit !

I thoroughly enjoyed this book the entire time I was reading it. It definitely isn’t what you think. It has you guessing the whole way through. Every time you think you know who did it, another twist comes along. And the ending is totally not what I was thinking how it would end or definitely expected. I can not wait to read more from her!!

After witnessing a murder on graduation night, Kate runs from her small town. Ten years later, her mother is injured in an accident and Kate returns home to care for her. Kate is faced with the demons she left behind and she realizes that she needs to reveal the truth of that night when she finds out other murders have been committed and that her best friend might be a serial killer.

I really liked the storyline but the characters were immature for being in their late 20s which gave this book a YA feel. There were times that details were repetitive when they didn’t need to be. My biggest complaint is that part of the storyline revolved around an epi-pen whose usage was described incorrectly. If you don’t know how epi-pens work this would not be a big deal.

Since I like YA thrillers, I could overlook the flaws in the writing. While I figured out some plots early on, the storyline kept my attention and there were twists that I didn't see coming.
4/5⭐️

Thank you to @netgalley and @bookouture for the audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

#bookreview #netgalley #bestfriendsforever #KU #kindleunlimited #bookrecommendations #booklove

“You can only break someone who doesn’t want to be whole. People who want to survive and be well are never broken, only mending.”

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨: This was a fast faced thriller, mystery that I definitely enjoyed. This book finds main character Kate going back to her hometown after a decade away. This town and the people here still haunt her, and she still harbors lots of secrets. This book was interesting, never knowing who to trust - but I thought the characters weren't very likable. I don't think many signs pointed to the twist, but I new almost immediately how it was going to go.

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮:
• childhood friends
• old secrets
• small town
• family drama
• amateur detective

"This behavior isn't a sign of who I am but a symptom of what I've become."

𝙉𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧: Kate Handford
𝙇𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝: 10h 31m

Thank you Bookouture Audio for this gifted ALC!

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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**please note due to low rating I will not be leaving a public review for this book as I have not paid for it.**

Narrated by Kate Handford ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Story by Shannon Hollinger ⭐⭐

Thankyou so much for allowing me to give this audiobook a go but unfortunately I just could not get into the story. For at least 60% of the book I felt like it went absolutely nowhere and by the time things started to pick up I was desperately wanting to move onto a different book.

This is the first time I've tried or even heard of this author and while I didnt enjoy this book I would give the author another go.

"Problems don't go away when you ignore them."

If only Kate had realized the above sooner many might still be alive. In the psychological thriller Best Friends Forever, by new to me author Shannon Hollinger, Kate literally runs away from a murder scene leaving the truth behind and a trail of dead bodies.

On the night of her high school graduation Kate and friends, along with Kate's 12 year old sister Lily, party in the woods. Kate leaves to be with her boyfriend and when she returns she finds her best friend Emma holding a bloody rock and a homeless man they had befriended lying dead at her feet.

In the aftermath Lily becomes a selective mute and Kate leaves town unable to cope with this murderous secret. Ten years later she comes home to help her Mom after a fall and finally confront Emma (which she should have done 10 years ago) but Emma mysteriously dies before Kate can talk to her.

Kate starts to play detective into Emma's death and wondering if her friend was a "serial killer" when she connects random murders of homeless men to the first murder ten years ago. Soon Emma isn't the only suspect and Kate knows she can't trust any of her childhood friends because one or more of them are killers.

Narrator Kate Hanford does a fine job with a full cast of often despicable characters including a creep that works with children; that reveal made me feel very icky.

This story was more a YA thriller with the naivety of its characters and their poor judgements. I was rating it 3.5 Stars because there was a bit of repetitive whining from Kate that had my eyes rolling but the ending was so shocking and was just pure entertainment for this thriller fan. Best friends may not always be forever but they leave us with stories to tell.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from #bookoutureaudio via #NetGalley
for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

4.75⭐️
I love a good Psychological Thriller and this book checked most of the boxes ✔️

Chapter after chapter, I wanted to know more. I wanted to know if what I was thinking was true so it took over my life for a day., and guess what? All my guesses were wrong , I mean all of them.😂😅
I didn’t see the twist coming, it was indeed Jaw-dropping. What a Huge Reveal.

I was a bit conflicted about rotation between the stories of the past and present, but after some few chapters in, I got in-tune with it,

I recommend this, and be ready to be wowed.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this advanced audio listen.

I listened to this as an audiobook. The narrator was pretty good, although at times she sounded a bit robotic. The book had a great storyline, lots of twists and turns and good characters. There were some I liked right away and some not so much!

The story is told from Kate's perspective. It is told partially in the past and partially in the present. Kate returns home to help care for her mom after ten years of being away. She left right after high school where she attended a graduation party with her friends and a homeless man who was also her friend (Brad) was murdered by her best friend, Kate. Or so she thinks. Soon after returning home, her friend Emma dies.
Kate starts doing some amateur sleuthing to try to find out what really happened that night! She doesn't know who to trust and where to turn!

I enjoyed this book overall. There were lots of little twists and turns. I recommend it to anyone that enjoys thrillers! It was a quick listen! My only complaint was that Kate was so whiny sometimes! Thank you so much to NetGalley, Bookouture and Shannon Hollinger for providing an audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a fun thriller. I loved the main character and her personality fit the book great! The story kept me on my toes to figure out the truth.

Kate never wanted to go back to her hometown- not since the night she found a body in the woods. A body of a person her best friend, Emma, may have killed.
Kate's injured mother brings here back though- and now Emma is the one dead- and Kate is trying to figure out who killed her, and what really happened that night in the woods.
The audio version of Best Friends Forever was a compelling listen. I wish some of the minor characters had gotten some more development- some came off only at a surface level. I enjoyed the listen.

This was a three star book for me. I liked the dual time lines but the characters were hard to get comfy with and it was definitely on the slower side. The reveals were good and the intrigue was enough for me to finish even though it was slower than I normally like. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book felt…forced? I’m not even sure that is the right word. It just felt like the author was determined to shock us but in the end it wasn’t shocking- disturbing- but not shocking. I think the best part was the underlying romance but the rest was not my favorite.

🌀Synopsis
When Kate’s best friend Emma dies, she comes back to her hometown for the funeral. Not believing that Emma would commit suicide, Kate starts investigating. What she finds is going to change her world forever.
When they were kids, Kate’s sister Lily watched Emma murder someone but they all kept the secret. Kate’s investigation finds that someone was killed on the same day each year following that.
As she gets closer to the killer she finds a lockbox key from Emma and inside there is a confession from the killer. Knowing the truth, she heads home to face her family. Only to find that her mother has been taken and she must now face the killer in the flesh.
When she finds her, her sister owns up to all the murders but won’t give up her accomplice. With her sister out of the way all Kate has to do is find the last person who has been terrorizing their town. With one memory, she knows exactly who it is and how to catch them.

This was a great read, following dual timelines and crimes in both timelines I was hooked from chapter 1. Including some of my favourite tropes; unreliable narrator and not knowing who to trust the twists just kept coming.

Although I guessed a couple of the reveals it was no less enjoyable. I would highly recommend this book.

Kate and Emma’s relationship as best friends ended one unforgettable and tragic night. Kate spied Emma standing over the body of a friend of hers so Kate fled town. She left Emma, her family, school. It has been ten years since Kate left, but she is back due to an accident her mother has had. Another terrible death occurs almost as soon as Kate returns home. Meanwhile a series of dangerous events begin to occur, leaving Kate desperate for answers. Not only does she want the past cleared up, but she needs to know what is going on now.

When a vagrant is murdered, Kate learns that similar murders have taken place just about every year she has been gone. Similarities in their murders lead Kate to think that their deaths are connected and this brings to mind seeing Emma standing over that body years ago. Could Emma had been behind all of those deaths?

Meanwhile, those tragic events from a decade ago rendered Kate’s sister Lily mute, and that has never changed. Something begins to unfold in this vein, but the reader will have to pay extra close attention as answers are being worked out.

What a thrilling story that kept a fast pace, more than a few surprises and a truly unexpected and shocking ending. I had Best Friends Forever as an audiobook for review. It was expertly narrated by Kate Handford in a delightful way.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/RsXTaE-Posg

This book has some interesting twists and the narrator did a good job with this story. It was a little hard keeping up with current and past viewpoints. It might have been easier with a paper version.

This was one of those books I wanted to read simply because it was a thriller that I’d never heard of. Just sort of a random pick sort of day. I’m really glad I went with this one because it was just a good story that kept you guessing the entire time.
Kate left her hometown right after something terrible happened. She and her best friend, Emma, went to a party in the woods and rather than betray Emma, Kate left. She couldn’t stay knowing what Emma had done. There was no way she could go on living a perfectly normal life or watch her live that way either. So she left.
Ten years later Kate is back. She is racked with the guilt and fear that have stayed with her all these years. She is beginning to realize that if she wants to move on she has to tell the truth but the very day she arrives back home Emma is found dead. The way she died causes Kate to begin doubting everything she thought she knew about that night ten years earlier.
As Kate’s grief begins to turn into anger at all the years lost of friendship, she realizes that it’s very possible that what she thought she saw wasn’t the entire story. Someone else could be out there. Someone close to both Kate and Emma who knew the smallest of details about what happened back then. There could be a murderer out there. One that has struck way more than once.
This book was very well written. I had a hard time putting it down because I really wanted to know what was going to happen next. It had a nice build up and a good finish. I enjoyed this one a lot and definitely recommend it.
I wanted to add here that I got a copy of the audio book of this book from NetGalley for review. The narrator is top notch. She's absolutely fantastic and brought life to the story. If you like this form of media, you should like this book that way.