Cynthia Murphy has done it again—Keep Your Friends Close is a tightly wound, dark academia thriller that kept me glued to the pages from the very first chapter. Set in the shadowy, secret-ridden halls of Morton Academy (familiar to fans of Win, Lose, Kill, Die), the story follows Chloe Roberts, a student who seems to have it all—beauty, intelligence, a perfect academic record. But from the start, there’s an unsettling sense that nothing is quite what it seems.

As Chloe becomes entangled in a dangerous game of manipulation, lies, and secret societies, Murphy masterfully builds suspense with a razor-sharp eye for psychological detail. The tension between characters is palpable. Every interaction feels loaded, and just when you think you know who to trust, she flips the script. I especially loved how Murphy uses the elite school setting to explore privilege, pressure, and performance—themes that resonate deeply in today’s academic culture.

The pacing is relentless in the best way. Short chapters, cliffhanger endings, and eerie interludes kept me compulsively turning pages late into the night. The reveals toward the end are so satisfying—twisty, but never cheap. Everything clicks into place, and yet the lingering chill of the final scene stays with you.

What sets Murphy apart, though, is her ability to blend genuine emotion with horror-tinged thrills. Beneath the gothic atmosphere and clever plotting, Chloe is a fully realized, flawed protagonist trying to understand her place in a cutthroat world.

Let me start by saying I love Cynthia Murphy’s books. I was lucky to receive an ARC copy and was beyond excited to start. By the second chapter I was experiencing severe déjà vu, and began to compare to win lose kill die. The books are set in the same school, have different characters, but still felt as if read it before. I did love the characters but was able to predict the twist. That has never happened for me with her books in the past. So while it was an enjoyable read, it was not as good as I had anticipated.

2.5 stars rounded up. This one started promising with the allure of secret societies, nineties references, and teenage drama, but ended up being slow and overdone. I began to lose interest around 31%, decided to power through, and ultimately hated the ending and how predictable it was. I had hoped that Chloe would show growth, but she didn't. The dialogue and characters ended up being one-dimensional by the end, which I wasn't expecting.

While this one wasn't for me NOW, I think I would have loved this when I was younger. Chloe's friendships and relationships are some that I think all readers can understand and empathize with.

A dark academia YA thriller set in the '90s? Yes. Please.

I was ready to love Keep Your Friends Close, but I just could not get into the story. While I loved the '90s references, at times they seemed a bit heavy-handed. I also struggled with some of the one-dimensional dialogue. I'm clearly not the audience for the writing, but I'm excited that there are great YA books for this current generation.

This one was a bit too predictable for me. I feel like I had it figured out in the first third of the book, but there were a couple of good red herrings mixed in.

Cynthia Murphy is amazing at teen thrillers and this is nothing exception. It was such an easy and fast paced read. It kept me guessing the entire time and I didnt want it to end.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE by Cynthia Murphy

Thank you Netgalley and Getunderlined for the earc (Sept 2)

KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE is a dark academia, YA thriller that kept me on the edge-of-my-seat. It follows Chloe Roberts, a student at Morton Academy. When she loses out on being Head girl of Jewel and Bone +plus her boyfriend, Chloe discovers the secret society isn't so secret. The rest of the school knows---and despises---the members. They even have a Book of Crimes and Punishments with their misdeeds listed. When the bodies start piling up, Chloe works to connect the dots before she d*es next.
Murphy has done it again with this enthralling mystery that sticks its talons in you and doesn't let go until the last page. It'll have you grasping at the seems, breath held as everything plays out. Set in the 90's, at Morton Academy like WIN LOSE KILL DIE, KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE is full of mysterious societies, mean girls, and neverending drama.
I love this author's work, and KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE has become an immediate favorite. The first page offers a look into Chloe's mind, and the tension that follows up until the first k*ll was topnotch.
KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE is easily devourable because it pulls you in and keeps you there. I read this in under a day, and once the bodies started piling up, I tried to solve the m*rders. There were times where I was absolutely sure I was right---thinking it had to be who Chloe thought---then Murphy offers a twist---and then a reveal---that left me utterly shocked. The whodunit reveal was just the beginning.  The epilogue is where it's at---I gasped at that final reveal.
This book is perfect for fans of Murphy's previous work, but also for those who love heart-pounding mysteries with secret societies at its core. 10/10.