I enjoyed this book for the most part and finished it relatively quickly once I started it. It definitely lived up to the mystery end of the deal keeping a final twist until the end that I truly was not expecting.

I found Grace's character to be insensitive and also Henry and Grace combined to be bad friends with how everything was described post Ally's dad dying. I also think when you consider how easily Grace was forgiven and how quickly Henry admitted to loving Grace I found it all very odd with all of the problems she had caused his family. I suppose maybe he found it easier to forgive her given the part her played in his own brothers arrest also, but none the less.

Lastly, I was also just very annoyed with how little it showed Grace standing up to her supposed 'friends' when they had problems with them because they seemed very unkind, but she just let them be rude basically for every interaction and didn't stop any of them or try to insert/help/correct and it was hard to watch again lending to my dislike of her character.

This book was pretty good and the first book by this author. I will definitely read more from them in the furture

I am such a big YA mystery reader. They're always fun, quick and twisty, and a lot of the time, the characters are actually likable. One of my go to YA mystery recs is The Agathas, so I was super excited to try out Liz Lawson's solo YA mystery work. The premise is interesting. We follow Henry, the brother of a teen boy whose been arrested for the murder of a teacher, Ally, Henry's best friend, and Grace, their ex best friend who served as a witness in the original trial. At the beginning of the book, Henry's brother is released from prison on a technicality, and he and Ally are determined to find the actual murderer before the retrial. Grace joins them as she grows more and more guilty about her role in the original trial, doubting that she even saw Henry's brother. These three are interesting enough, and their connections to the case raise the stakes in a big way. I got A Good Girl's Guide to Murder vibes, which isn't a bad thing. I think a lot of authors want to recreate that magic. However, I didn't feel like I got to know these three outside of the murder. We don't really see how they became friends or what they have in common. There is a sweet romance between Henry and Grace, which added some levity, but still wish we got more. Also, I feel like I called the major twists at the end, which was honestly fine. There are smaller twists along the way that caught me off guard, and the way the final reveal was written definitely had me on the edge of my seat.

Overall, I think this will be a crowd pleaser. Teens love easy, fast-paced mysteries, and this is a great example of that. It wasn't 100% for me, but I'm not the target audience, and will be happy to recommend it to younger readers.

I was intrigued by this book because of the author, Liz Lawson. So, it was a bit of a letdown that I couldn't get into the novel. There are three main characters: two girls and a boy. They are all connected by a murder case that has rocked their small town. A beloved HS English teacher has been killed and her student was convicted of her murder.

Girl A believes that the student is innocent. Girl B is the one who told police that she saw the student at the victim's house, which led to his arrest. The boy is the brother of the accused and was friends with Girl B before she identified his brother. The killer has now been released after it was revealed that the prosecutor and the judge were having an affair. This leads to the media returning to the small town for the scoop. However, Girl B isn't so sure that she identified the right person anymore. Plus, a new trial is about to start because the new DA is retrying the murder trial shortly after the student was released.

This is a promising book; however, it was a struggle to hold my attention because each chapter is from the POV of one of the three characters. I did have to go back to the chapter to remember whose POV I was reading at the time.

Great little Scooby Doo mystery! I had to throw that in there since the teens were told they were being very Scooby Doo. I loved Ally, Grace, and Henry. They had grit and determination that the adults in the situation didn’t. They solved the mystery and saved the day. It wasn’t just one of them either, it took all three to figure it out. Great story and can’t wait for more from this author!

Murder Between Friends was just as addicting and jaw dropping as all of Liz Lawson's previous mysteries. You will not figure this one out before they do.

Entertaining storyline and I like that it was multi-POV. If you’re looking for a book similar to AGGGTM, this is way better! It was fun making partially correct theories and I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t guess the entire ending.

I tend to love YA thrillers so I am bummed to say this did not work for me. I picked it up and put it down 10 times and tried the audio as well. I felt no connection to these characters and no interest in solving the mystery.

Fans of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder will devour this with glee. Lawson creates multiple dimensional characters having to face an unthinkable predicament, and teen sleuths will love unraveling the mystery.

Murder Between Friends had a great premise and an intriguing start, but it dragged in the middle and didn’t hold my attention. The characters blended together a bit, and the twist was predictable but not the 2nd one. Not a bad read, just slower than I expected.

Murder Between Friends is a suspenseful, twisty read that dives into the darker side of friendship—loyalty, betrayal, and everything in between. The story follows the fallout of a student’s conviction, and the way the mystery unravels keeps you guessing the entire time.

The pacing is spot-on. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, the author drops a new clue or twist that makes you question everything. It’s the kind of book that leaves you saying “just one more chapter” until suddenly you’ve finished it.

If you’re into psychological thrillers that mess with your head a bit and make you rethink trust and truth, this one’s definitely worth picking up.

This story had an intriguing premise—old friendships tested by a murder trial and the question of who to trust—but unfortunately, it didn’t quite deliver for me. The three points of view felt uneven: one was downright unlikable, another somewhat sympathetic but thoughtless, and the third just boring.

I also guessed the killer very early on, which took away some of the suspense. The characters lacked depth, and the plot didn’t build enough tension to keep me hooked. Overall, it felt like a missed opportunity to make the mystery truly gripping.

I wish I could say I loved this book. I tend to enjoy thrillers and YA, but there was something missing from this one for me. The story and the twist were good. I honestly didn’t expect it the twist. I think the dynamics between the main characters was the issue for me. I would definitely recommend this book to younger thriller readers. I will for sure be looking into more books by Liz Lawson as well.

This was a really captivating read. I liked how it had multiple POVs and everything wasn’t so black and white. The teacher running a drug ring was wild though. I didn’t see that coming, nor did I see the sister being totally psycho at the end. I was thoroughly entertained. I feel really bad for Jake and the time he lost.

eview of Murder Between Friends by Liz Lawson

Murder Between Friends is a gripping YA thriller that explores the tangled web of friendship, betrayal, and buried truth. Two years after a murder shattered their childhood bond, former best friends Grace, Henry, and Ally are forced back into each other’s lives when a mistrial releases the boy Grace helped put behind bars—Henry’s brother, Jake.

Liz Lawson masterfully blends suspense with emotional depth, peeling back layers of grief, guilt, and mistrust as the trio reluctantly reconnects to uncover what really happened the night of the murder. With shifting loyalties and twisty revelations, the novel keeps readers guessing while exploring how trauma can fracture—and maybe even rebuild—relationships.

Perfect for fans of The Agathas and One of Us Is Lying, this is a tense, emotionally charged mystery with a strong heart and sharp edges.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

Murder Between Friends by Liz Lawson is a really well-written mystery about three friends who have a whole lot of history and baggage between them. I really enjoyed the writing style and the twists and turns of this book.

I thought this book was a good little popcorn thriller! The story was entertaining and kept my interest. I feel like there was a LOT going on (high school drug ring, teacher murder unrelated) but, again, although it felt a little disjointed it kept me interested.

Thank you to Ms. Lawson's team for allowing me an arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

Liz writes about a group of friends that are trying to completely exonerate Jake for the murder of a beloved teacher. The deeper they dig, the more secrets they find. As soon as you think you know 'whodunnit', no you don't .This was definitely a great and easy read and something that I would allow my teenager to read as well. Absolutely worth the read.

This was my first Liz Lawson book and I look forward to reading more. There was one twist that I had predicted and I wish it had been a touch more subtle but overall I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.

I didn’t get a chance to listen to this audiobook before it was removed from my shelf. I look forward to reading it in the future!