I was actually quite surprised by this thriller. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting but I was pleasantly surprised and quite happy with it. The plot twist - did not see it coming!! This thriller had all the things to make it great - lies, secrets, deception.

First of all, I want to say that I loved the cover of this book! I really like reading books about broken friendships and secrets that need to be revealed! In this book we have Carrie and Maya, friends who grew apart and who meet again after the death of Maya's husband. On an impulse, Carrie asks her friend and her daughter to stay at her house to better deal with the pain, to get away from the memories of home. But things don't go as Carrie expects. The reader is left wondering whether or not Maya wants to harm her friend and what happened to make them stop talking to each other. I recommend!

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A really interesting thriller that has a little dose of just about everything a good thriller needs - it's an easy but pacey read that will have you questioning the characters, wondering what's going to happen next, and really feeling a bit creeped out. Would recommend!

This book released in November of last year, but I do want to thank NetGalley for the advance review copy I received for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I actually tried to start this book a few months ago but was struggling to get into it so I moved on. Well I decided to give it another try and whew I’m so glad I did!! I still struggled to get into it as it has a slow beginning in my opinion. But once it picks up, it picks up! I couldn’t read the last 30% fast enough. I did NOT see that coming! 4/5 stars ⭐️

A novel that explores the price of secrets and the lengths people will go to protect them. The plot was suspenseful and I was kept guessing until the end.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for my free and honest review. Such a well written and suspense filled novel. These characters drew me in emotionally and I was invested in their story 100%. I was sad when it ended. Definitely recommend this book!

A riveting exploration of betrayal, deception, and the ties that bind. This domestic thriller will leave you questioning everything

I have to admit that Carrie is a better person than I am with forgiveness and understanding. Carrie and her family move to Montauk when her husband's mother dies. He's working several days a week in the city and Carrie and her daughter stay. One day, an old college best friend knocks on her door. Maya has just lost her husband and also has a daughter. Carrie offers to let her stay with them.Carrie soon regrets her impulsive offer. Someone has taken a pair of scissors to her college yearbook. Her herb garden is destroyed. She’s starting to receive sinister texts. And Maya is making herself a little too much at home. What does Maya really want? What is she hiding? Carrie’s afraid to ask. Because Maya knows all her secrets, and exposing them comes with a price Carrie can’t afford to pay. A few twists and turns make this a great read. This is my first book by Ms. Willett but I plan to look for others.

Unfortunately this one was a little too tropey and basic for me. I couldn't get into it and even though I got 50% through it just never regained my attention enough to finish. I'm sorry because the author had an excellent first thriller!

I’m always intrigued by stories of complicated friendships but I admit I seem to have trouble getting into books about families and suburban life.

Anything for a Friend by Kathleen M. Willett
This was a pretty good read. It kept me invested the whole time and I literally didn’t see where it was going. This is the story of two old college friends, Carrie and Maya. Carrie grew up privileged and Maya had to work hard for everything she got. They are as different as night and day yet become good friends. The story is told in a past and present format but it’s easy to follow. Fast forward many years and the friends have drifted apart, both married with a daughter each and their own lives in separate cities. So when Maya and her daughter, Lola show up on Carries front step after the death of her husband, Carrie is a bit surprised and perplexed. Yet she welcomes them into her home as a respite but quickly starts to rethink this decision. With old friendships come old secrets.

Lots of layered secrets and complex relationships between friends or is it enemies! So many different opinions are written about and it really makes you think! A great physiological thriller to get stuck into!

Tha k you Netgalley. What a ride!! I loved it!! This was a very suspenseful storyline and crazy good characters. Just when I thought I figured it out, NOPE, it blew me away. The story was well written and the flashbacks between our characters really does to the suspense. Looking forward to more from this author. Highly recommend

Complex relationships and so many layered secrets. Best friends or best enemies. It's a physcological thriller with different opinions presented.

EXCERPT: Even though 'the girls' have been home for only a few minutes, Maya has already spread out in the kitchen and is preparing dinner. Herbs weren't the only things she had picked up at Round Swamp market; I can see that she also got salmon, arugula, parmesan, potatoes and crusty french bread. 'Is there anything I can help with?' I ask her pathetically, as if it's me who is the guest.
'Nope,' she says. 'The least I can do is make some meals, since you've so generously agreed to host us. Besides, cooking is like therapy to me.'
I nod at her, feeling gangly and clumsy and in the way. It's strange to be rendered so pointless in my own kitchen, my own life; she's made breakfast for my husband and picked up my child, and now she's cooking dinner in the kitchen she organised.
I know I should just enjoy the help that Maya's offering. It's not like I love schlepping to East Hampton twice a day, every day, to take Kelsey to and from school; I've complained about it plenty of times to Pete. My kitchen cabinets are way tidier now that she's had her way with them. I've actually gotten some decent writing sone and might finally be on the right track with my manuscript. I've done two Peloton core workouts. And it's good to have a break from cooking dinner. It should be, at least. I don't really like cooking.
Unlike Maya, who apparently just loves it.

ABOUT 'ANYTHING FOR A FRIEND': Writer Carrie Colts hopes a move to Montauk will be a rejuvenating change of pace for her family. The last thing she expects to see is her former college roommate on her doorstep. Newly widowed, and with a daughter of her own, Maya would love to reconnect. As a gesture to an old friend in mourning, Carrie extends an invitation to stay. Just for a few days. After all, there are reasons that Carrie and Maya are estranged.

Carrie soon regrets her impulsive offer. Someone has taken a pair of scissors to her college yearbook. Her herb garden is destroyed. She’s starting to receive sinister texts. And Maya is making herself a little too much at home. What does Maya really want? What is she hiding? Carrie’s afraid to ask. Because Maya knows all her secrets and exposing them comes with a price Carrie can’t afford to pay.

MY THOUGHTS: Even though I didn't much like Carrie, the main character in this novel, I just loved the story Kathleen Willett has built around her. Carrie is one of those people who sail through life impervious to the chaos and hurt that they cause. Selfish, arrogant, entitled she may be, but she is also a strangely good friend to Maya her college roommate. Maya is the white to Carrie's black; she is conscientious, loyal, and thoughtful. She is also poor, at college on a full scholarship and has never had a friend prior to Carrie. She is enamored and Carrie's safety net. Yet, after college, they drift apart . . .

Willett writes wonderfully believable characters. She imbues the atmosphere with a little innate creepiness that is as hard to pin down as it was to put this book down. I have read it in one sitting over a wet Saturday. Although I had some idea of where Willett was taking me, I enjoyed the journey.

The timelines switch between the present and Carrie and Maya's college years. The tension increases incrementally as secrets in Carries past are revealed and the relationship between the two women becomes increasingly fraught.

Willett's cat, Mr Sparkles, makes a cameo appearance.

A quick, exciting and fulfilling read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.1

#AnythingforaFriend #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Kathleen M. Willett is an English teacher who grew up in New Jersey and London. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, two daughters, and a cat named Mr. Sparkles.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Anything for a Friend my Kathleen M. Willett for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

I dove into Kathleen M. Willett's Anything for a Friend, and let me tell you, it's a rollercoaster of suspense that will make you rethink hosting unexpected guests.

Carrie, hoping for a serene life change in Montauk, finds herself face to face with her estranged college roommate, Maya. Maya, now a widow with a teenage daughter, takes Carrie up on her offer to stay for a few days. Little did Carrie know, this impulsive act would unleash a wave of unsettling events—scissors through her college yearbook, a wrecked herb garden, and ominous texts. As the visit extends beyond expectation, the past between Carrie and Maya unfolds through well-placed flashbacks, adding layers to the suspense. I thought I caught a red flag early on, but the story's twisty and twisted conclusion left me stunned.

Thanks to Kathleen M. Willett, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for this ARC. The tale is a suspenseful ride, and my opinions are entirely my own.

All of the twists in Anything for a Friend kept me enthralled from beginning to end. The complex relationships between old friends, mothers and daughters, and teens felt fully fleshed out and highly illustrated. This book was definitely hard to put down and an author I will surely keep an eye on.

One of my favorite aspects about Kathleen is she writes about complex female relationships and motherhood in an honest but entertaining way. As a result, this was SO bingeable and fast-paced. Honestly I couldn't put it down between the messy characters and snippets of information that leave you wanting more. However at the conclusion of it, it didn't stand out to me as much as her first book did. It was still very solid and I'd recommend it for a quick read, but it didn't leave a majorly lasting impression on me as one of the better books out there.

Thank you kindly to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the gifted eARC. My sincerest apologies for the late review! I did struggle a bit to get through this one and found myself setting it down and coming back to it weeks later only to set it down again. While the plot was intriguing, I had a hard time connecting with the characters and didn't quite get the thriller vibes I was hoping for.

Carrie is still adjusting to her family’s move to Montauk when her life takes another turn as her college roommate, Maya, shows up on her doorstep with her daughter. Maya is newly windowed and looking to reconnect. Carrie decides to open her home to her old friend but only for a few days, after all there is a reason they drifted apart. As strange things start to happen around the house Carrie comes to regret her offer and wonder why Maya is actually here.

I absolutely loved Kathleen’s debut so I was super excited to see she had another book coming out. And let me tell you she did not disappoint! Dual timeline is my absolute favorite format and it was done so well here. There was a great balance of past and present well keeping a good pace to the story. I couldn’t stop flipping the pages, trying to connect all the dots.

Which although I was successful at guessing a few of the twists I still really enjoyed seeing them play out. The story as a whole came together perfectly and was quite entertaining. And even though I think Kathleen’s debut is still my favorite I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to see what she does next!