When Kiersten McCann, president of the West Hollywood Moms’ Club, turns up dead in her own pool, it quickly becomes clear this wasn’t an accident. And the party guests―all members of the exclusive club―are now key suspects in her murder. Accusations fly, and three mothers find themselves at the center of the investigation. Whitney, Brooke, and Jade all have heavy secrets to bear…and possible motives for their friend’s murder. But as the police look closer, more secrets, betrayals, and sinister plots are revealed than the women could ever imagine. With everything at stake, deceit threatens to shatter their illusions of the perfect life. West Hollywood will never be the same. Not the most likebale you will ever meet but you will be happy with the ending. Lots going on and I did get a bit bogged down about 2/3 of the way through but all in all an enjoyable binge read.

This was fast paced & bingeable. Not my favourite from LB but if you enjoy mean rich people getting what they deserve then you’ll eat this up!

A very good book and story fully of twists. There were a few main characters and there were some times where it felt like there was too much going on to keep it all straight.

This book seemed like your run of the mill who dun it. Until the last few chapters that is. The ending absolutely blew my mind and I never saw it coming. Just when you think it’s all wrapping up and figured out there’s another twist.

Keeping up with the (fill in any popular Hollywood family name) was the main goal for this cast of female characters in KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE. A close-knit group of ladies' worlds are destroyed when one of their own is found floating in a pool. Murrdddeerrrr.

For those readers who are mothers, a lot of the pressure these characters feel will resonate. The need to be liked, the hope you are doing the right thing for your family, the complicated workings of being there for your friends who are like sisters to you... Of course, most of us don't have even a tenth of the secrets these ladies had, but the mystery was an interesting one.

The only aspect of the book I did not care for, were the numerous references to the 2020 pandemic and lockdown. I still find it to be "too soon." The references did not advance the plot in any way and could have been left out.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an e-copy of KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE to review.

I rate KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE four out of five stars.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. Lucinda Berry has done it again with this book! This cast of characters are awful and brilliant frenemies. The story is told in dual timelines of past and present. The story just flew and I couldn't put it down. Highly recommend

Lucina Berry is a new to me author. Unfortunately this one did not do it for me. I enjoyed that the story was told in a dual POV, typically my favorite format but I felt that there was too much going on with the story line. I didn’t really care for the characters either.

Lucinda Berry is an auto read author for me. I have enjoyed any of her books, so I was super grateful to be able to read this. I loved how fast-paced this book was overall. I also took away the life lesson of "keep your friends close" because you simply never know who you are dealing with. I devoured every page of this book up until the very last page and was left speechless. Lucinda is the queen of thrillers!

Who needs enemies when your friends are this backstabbing? I loved this book. The amount of unreliable narrators made you feel just as lost as the detectives. I honestly did not see the ending coming

The president of the West Hollywood Mom's Club, Kiersten McCann, is dead in Keep Your Friends Close by Lucinda Berry, but who did it and why? Three moms, Whitney, Jade, and Brooke, find themselves at the heart of the investigation. They've all been hiding secrets that could ruin them, their families, and possibly bring to light why Kiersten ended up facedown in a swimming pool after a Mom's Night Out. The aftermath could be even worse than the murder.

I found this book pretty engaging, sometimes too slow, though. I've seen some reviews that completely panned this book, and I can see why, but I thought it was entertaining. There are so many juicy secrets to reveal as you turn the pages although it takes a little too long, and you're kept guessing throughout the book. I liked the writing style and felt it moved you along the story. I'll say that this is nothing like the mom's group I was a part of for so many years.

One issue I had was keeping track of the moms. Two of the principal characters, Whitney and Jade, seemed so similar that I had to refresh my memory about who was who more than once. Even the victim Kiersten felt interchangeable with the other two women. I recalled who Brooke was because she was in a same-sex marriage. This was also the case with their husbands. I kept forgetting who was married to whom. Some circumstances in the book led to this possibility. I think that I needed a physical description of the moms such as hair color, background, etc., to keep these people in mind.

One of the storylines was really scandalous, and I hoped that they would delve into that more. I thought that it was integral to the plot, but it sort of disappeared. Towards the climax, it started to get too crazy, and things happened that were not just shocking but puzzling. The end and possible reasons that led to the murder were a little sketchy in that it felt too simple. As the book draws to a close, it felt too loaded with craziness and shock. It was almost like it was layered on way too thick to the point of lunacy.

Other than that, I have to say that I enjoyed it to a point. It's my first reading of the author's books, and I'm interested to read a few more of her books.

This was a pacy, gripping, tense + captivating thriller that I flew through. The twists kept me engrossed and the writing style was brilliant. It kept me guessing till the end! I love Berry’s writing and this was no different!

Thank you Netgalley + the publisher for my ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Another great book by Lucinda Berry.
Really great read that held my interest the whole time. Definitely check this one out. Well written book by a great author.

A new-to-me author I had heard great things about. I liked the THEN and NOW format for all the characters, that was informative.

The story flowed along quite well and I found it interesting until later in the book....

For me....TOO many END twists...it was like the 'kitchen sink of twists' were flying near the end...and I was confused with it all. Too unbelievable...really too silly... Disappointed, not sure if this author is for me?

Thank you for the ARC! This book was captivating and disturbing. There were some parts where the switching between timelines was messy and confusing but otherwise the POVs were done well! This is a "who dunnit" with lots of mental health spotlights.

"Women bond over secrets. That's what female friendships are made of-shared secrets."

MAN OH MAN Lucinda Berry does it again.
Delivering yet another roller coaster ride of a domestic thriller and of course including Berry's signature surprises and easter eggs along the way.

Grasping your attention right from the beginning. Jam packed with suspense and twists and turns that will have you in a complete head spin

The genre blend of thriller, murder mystery and crime procedural will have you in an absolute chokehold. You will spend the entirety of this book sleuthing your way through trying to connect the dots. And just when you think you have someone pegged, WHAM Berry smacks you with another spine tingling plot twist that changes everything.

And that ending, Y'ALL . Like What the actual heck!?! For real it felt as if I was stepping into a whole new book genre. Experiencing something I haven't seen from Berry before. And I absolutely loved it. MIND FREAKING BLOWN

"I didn't want to play with the mean girls. I wasn't cut out for it. Not in highschool and not now."

Seriously I'm not joking, You gotta read this book!

Thank you the Netgalley and Lucinda Berry for an early peek into Keep Your Friends Close in exchange for my honost thoughts and opinions. I absolutely loved it and I can't wait to see what comes next

One of my favorite tropes is rich ladies acting unhinged. It's so fun. This story had me engaged on the first page. All the characters had secrets and they were all suspicious. The ending had my jaw on the floor!

I am such a sucker for rich women that have nothing better to do but be dramatic lol. Even though you find yourself rolling your eyes at a lot of these characters and their antics, you can't help but fly through the pages. The book switches POV between all 6 of the women. The book is full of secrets of the suburban neighborhood. The twist at the end was not expected and interesting turn of events. I love Lucinda work and can't wit to read more!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. This started out good, got boring, got freaking nuts. A total hot mess express. It was ok but nothing great.

This was a good book but a little different than what I was expecting. I didn't expect it to be quite so domestic but it does make sense. I just wish I would have felt more connected to the characters or invested in the plot. I really liked the ending but it didn't impact me as much as it would have if I was gripped by the rest of the story. I would have loved to see some of the dark ending expanded and made more of the book. Overall a good read and I would read more from the author.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.