nelli_lakatos's review
2.0
Honestly I enjoyed this book until the twist.
It kept me interested in the story the whole time I wanted to find out what happened in the past, the story was told in dual timelines which was great and I liked the audiobook but unfortunately I really hated the ending.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an AudioARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
It kept me interested in the story the whole time I wanted to find out what happened in the past, the story was told in dual timelines which was great and I liked the audiobook but unfortunately I really hated the ending.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an AudioARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
sams_fireside's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Wow! This had more twists than the largest rollercoaster in the world and I was certainly turned upside down whilst listening to it! Murder, deception, lies, dirty cops, this book has it all.
I started listening to Best Friends Forever while on a long walk in the countryside with the dog. I was obviously hoping that I wouldn’t get lost but when I told my Bookstagram friends what I was doing that day, one of them said, and I quote...‘we are gonna write a book about our friend lost in the countryside while listening to a murder book’!
I honestly loved it from start to finish, and I didn’t work out who the murderer was at all. I discovered the culprit right alongside our protagonist. For me, it was totally unexpected and a real shocker. There were lots of characters to hate in this book and not many to love! Shannon Hollinger got it so right and every character just added to the interest of the story. Kate Handford was a well-chosen narrator, and she simply made the book come alive.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review Best Friends Forever by Shannon Hollinger.
kookie9200's review
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.
While attending a graduation party in the woods with her friends and 12 yr old sister Lily, Kate's world is turned upside down. A grisly murder rocks the group, rendering Lily mute and causing Kate to run away from what she'd seen. Ten years later, after her mother breaks her hip, Kate returns home to face her demons.
This book...what can I say? The story is told in the present time and in flashbacks. I found most of the flashbacks to be unnecessary and they dragged the book down. There wasn't a lot of new information given and I feel they could have been used more judiciously or not at all.
the tone of this book also threw me. It's written as an adult general fiction/thriller but it read like a YA book. No knocks against YA, as it's one of my favorite dramas. It's just that the protagonist of this book is a 28-year-old woman who still acts like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old. It didn't fit the story being told. I constantly forgot that the characters weren't still kids and that the traumatic event that ended her friendship with Emma was ten years before.
My biggest problem other than tone was that I feel the author had too many ideas and used too many tropes to add twists. The ex-boyfriend turned out to be a complete jerk (honestly, saw that coming from the jump). The best friend not being who she seemed. The sister drama. It's mutism. The friends/foes storyline. Everyone is a suspect, it seems, but it falls flat when you realize the author is just painting a weak picture of each person until the big reveal (which wasn't really surprising to me." Also the big twist at the end? Made no sense at all. None.
You have to suspend a lot of disbelief at the outset of this novel to get through it. The cops in this book are jokes, for one. Two,, the number of secrets in this small town that all seem to bubble up to be solved by a traumatized woman doing her own research. It was a lot to digest and none of it quite worked out. It all read false and unbelievable in a bad way to me. There isn't enough substance to make me want to suspend disbelief to go full in on this novel, so for me, I rated it at 2.5. It's just too out there and slapdash.
While attending a graduation party in the woods with her friends and 12 yr old sister Lily, Kate's world is turned upside down. A grisly murder rocks the group, rendering Lily mute and causing Kate to run away from what she'd seen. Ten years later, after her mother breaks her hip, Kate returns home to face her demons.
This book...what can I say? The story is told in the present time and in flashbacks. I found most of the flashbacks to be unnecessary and they dragged the book down. There wasn't a lot of new information given and I feel they could have been used more judiciously or not at all.
the tone of this book also threw me. It's written as an adult general fiction/thriller but it read like a YA book. No knocks against YA, as it's one of my favorite dramas. It's just that the protagonist of this book is a 28-year-old woman who still acts like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old. It didn't fit the story being told. I constantly forgot that the characters weren't still kids and that the traumatic event that ended her friendship with Emma was ten years before.
My biggest problem other than tone was that I feel the author had too many ideas and used too many tropes to add twists. The ex-boyfriend turned out to be a complete jerk (honestly, saw that coming from the jump). The best friend not being who she seemed. The sister drama. It's mutism. The friends/foes storyline. Everyone is a suspect, it seems, but it falls flat when you realize the author is just painting a weak picture of each person until the big reveal (which wasn't really surprising to me." Also the big twist at the end? Made no sense at all. None.
You have to suspend a lot of disbelief at the outset of this novel to get through it. The cops in this book are jokes, for one. Two,, the number of secrets in this small town that all seem to bubble up to be solved by a traumatized woman doing her own research. It was a lot to digest and none of it quite worked out. It all read false and unbelievable in a bad way to me. There isn't enough substance to make me want to suspend disbelief to go full in on this novel, so for me, I rated it at 2.5. It's just too out there and slapdash.
virgowhoreads's review
2.0
Unfortunately, this isn't the book for me. So you're telling me that she was 99% sure her best friend murdered a homeless man and her sister saw the dead man, and Kate just moves away rather than telling ANYONE? I get that we're supposed to believe she has a strong bond with her best friend, but she is a potential murderer and traumatized her own sister and she still stays quiet? Then once Kate returns to her home and learns that several homeless men have been murdered throughout the years, she decides to investigate it herself. I'm not a fan of main characters becoming amateur detectives so I just couldn't get into this book.
abridings1119's review
5.0
Best Friends Forever tells the story of Kate who thinks her best friend, Emma, committed a murder. Unable to live every day with that secret suddenly leaves town. She returns 10 years later to take care of her mother after an accident ready to confront Emma. Unfortunately the day she comes back in to town Emma is found dead.
This book was a page turner from start to finish filled with twists and turns. Every time I would think I had the story figured out, then new evidence would come to light and leave my brain whirling! I highly recommend this book to mystery/physiological thrillers lovers.
I listened to this on audiobook and Kate Hanford did an excellent job pacing and portraying all the necessary emotions to keep you hooked while listening.
I give this book 5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and the author for an advanced copy!
This book was a page turner from start to finish filled with twists and turns. Every time I would think I had the story figured out, then new evidence would come to light and leave my brain whirling! I highly recommend this book to mystery/physiological thrillers lovers.
I listened to this on audiobook and Kate Hanford did an excellent job pacing and portraying all the necessary emotions to keep you hooked while listening.
I give this book 5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and the author for an advanced copy!
bellajune819's review
4.0
Mystery thrillers of who done it always keep you on your toes. Bestfriend forever is one of those. After being gone from her small town Kate returns after an urgent call from her kid sister, only to find her mom has broken a hip and needs help. This forces Kate to be stuck in the whole she fears. As she begins settling in she discovers her very best friend, someone she fears has died. With Emma gone Kate is left feeling like something is wrong and suspicious with her death. Making Kate question if Emma was a murderer.
I enjoyed this book a lot and it had a different writing style with being 3rd POV, and sometimes 1st, which could be distracting at times. The flashbacks were an element used to establish what occurred in the past which made me constantly want to skip the present to figure out the past.
The beginning of the book was slow as it was creating the setting, but things really start picking up around the 40% mark and then you cannot put the book down. I read way later than I should have that night. It was fast paced and with so much going on you had so many questions.
Overall, I gave this book a 3.5/5 because although it’s well written. The POV switch’s from 1st to 3rd, was difficult to follow at times, even though it was done to establish different times. It was continue forward.
The answer Kate was looking for was something I guessed closer to 75% but even then I wasn’t 100% sure. With this not being obvious on who the killer is, lead to it being more enjoyable since it wasn’t a give away, there was still twists, where I couldn’t figure out the why to the character motives until it was revealed to the audience.
I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book a lot and it had a different writing style with being 3rd POV, and sometimes 1st, which could be distracting at times. The flashbacks were an element used to establish what occurred in the past which made me constantly want to skip the present to figure out the past.
The beginning of the book was slow as it was creating the setting, but things really start picking up around the 40% mark and then you cannot put the book down. I read way later than I should have that night. It was fast paced and with so much going on you had so many questions.
Overall, I gave this book a 3.5/5 because although it’s well written. The POV switch’s from 1st to 3rd, was difficult to follow at times, even though it was done to establish different times. It was continue forward.
The answer Kate was looking for was something I guessed closer to 75% but even then I wasn’t 100% sure. With this not being obvious on who the killer is, lead to it being more enjoyable since it wasn’t a give away, there was still twists, where I couldn’t figure out the why to the character motives until it was revealed to the audience.
I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
illusie's review against another edition
3.0
The story was good, but not totally believable. Still several twists and turns that I didn't see coming. The narrator did a good job. Despite thinking it was farfetched, I still enjoyed it.
_clairereads_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
dapperreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
While this thriller was super predictable (to me anyway), it was pretty interesting route to get to the end.
We follow a MC that is convinced she knows what happened during a traumatic event during her teenage years that caused her to leave her hometown and end friendships. After a phone call from her sister (who has remained mute since the incident) she returns to help her mother recover from an injury. Chaos ensues.
While I know “who dunnit” almost immediately, there were enough red herrings and misdirections to make it less predictable than some. Even knowing (or being pretty sure anyway) where it was going, it was still and interesting journey. We hear about the past, learn about friendships and other relationships that had been going on throughout the course of the story and then the ending comes up and is equally dramatic.
I received an audio copy through NetGalley and the narrator was perfect for this book. It was such a great listening experience.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️