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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.
adrianapires's review against another edition
3.0
SPOILERS
So as far as i understood, all this happened because Beka wanted a sister?
I still dont understand how the mc figured out so quickly that Emma was her sister just by looking and pictures at comparing them, even after they spent all those years together.
Another thing i didnt understand was how Lily decided to start talkimg all of a sudden.
This book made me feel sad and sorrow towards the mc, how she lost her sisters, the people who she was closest to. I admire her for being strong after all that had happened.
So as far as i understood, all this happened because Beka wanted a sister?
I still dont understand how the mc figured out so quickly that Emma was her sister just by looking and pictures at comparing them, even after they spent all those years together.
Another thing i didnt understand was how Lily decided to start talkimg all of a sudden.
This book made me feel sad and sorrow towards the mc, how she lost her sisters, the people who she was closest to. I admire her for being strong after all that had happened.
angay_reads's review against another edition
4.0
*Thank you to Netgalley & Bookouture for an early copy of the book!
Kate left her hometown after witnessing her best friend, Emma, murder someone 10 years ago. But the moment she returns, Emma is found dead from an allergic reaction. Kate realizes there's a lot more to her friend than she thought she knew, and she'd be the one to put an end to everything, once and for all.
So many things to say about this book! I love how descriptive and detailed the writing was! The plot was also very well-written and I definitely didn't expect the ending!
There were so many twists and turns I really didn't trust anyone (as Emma warned). I was suspecting everyone until the final reveal! Although there is a kinda cliche antagonist monologue at the end, it was comforting to know what really happened all the years Kate had been gone.
SPOILERS
Was NOT expecting Kate to be Brad's murderer. An excellent example of an unreliable narrator! Also, LILY?!? OH MY GOD! That chapter left me reeling!
*SPOILERS OVER
If you're looking for a thrilling mystery book to read, I really recommend this book for you! Hope you enjoy it!
Kate left her hometown after witnessing her best friend, Emma, murder someone 10 years ago. But the moment she returns, Emma is found dead from an allergic reaction. Kate realizes there's a lot more to her friend than she thought she knew, and she'd be the one to put an end to everything, once and for all.
So many things to say about this book! I love how descriptive and detailed the writing was! The plot was also very well-written and I definitely didn't expect the ending!
There were so many twists and turns I really didn't trust anyone (as Emma warned). I was suspecting everyone until the final reveal! Although there is a kinda cliche antagonist monologue at the end, it was comforting to know what really happened all the years Kate had been gone.
SPOILERS
Spoiler
At the start of the book, I thought Kate would rekindle her relationship with Jeff. Then I thought that he was the serial killer, but apparently, he wasn't. But he's still a bitch and I honestly never liked him.Was NOT expecting Kate to be Brad's murderer. An excellent example of an unreliable narrator! Also, LILY?!? OH MY GOD! That chapter left me reeling!
*SPOILERS OVER
If you're looking for a thrilling mystery book to read, I really recommend this book for you! Hope you enjoy it!
millshal's review
5.0
Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley, and Shannon Hollinger for allowing me to preview this pre-publication. I devoured this audio is 1 sitting, relishing in the suspense. Kate left town 10 years ago after one tragic night that left her sister mute. She is back in town right in time for her childhood best friend to be found dead. Kate dives right back into that night in this narration that alternates between past and present. The plot thickens as she gets closer to answers and the plot twists were exquisite and unexpected. I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend this title to my fellow readers.
crbrennan's review
4.0
Best friends forever. For the first half a dozen chapters, or maybe 1st third of the book, I had no real direction of where the story was going. It was written well and interesting to have flash backs of something traumatic that happened in the past. But didn't know what we we're trying to solve just yet.
Finally it becomes clear that the best friend died suspiciously and we need to know what really happened and who did it. The book really picked up at about the 80% mark on my kindle when the first of the big twists came. Then the ending. Wow didn't see that coming. It was good and glad finished vs stopping and not coming back.
Finally it becomes clear that the best friend died suspiciously and we need to know what really happened and who did it. The book really picked up at about the 80% mark on my kindle when the first of the big twists came. Then the ending. Wow didn't see that coming. It was good and glad finished vs stopping and not coming back.
judithdcollins's review
3.0
A woman returns to her hometown to reveal the truth about a murder ten years early in Shannon Hollinger's latest suspense whodunit mystery—BEST FRIENDS FOREVER.
Kate returns to her childhood home in Florida after fleeing ten years earlier to Boston.
There was a murder near the orange groves, a bloody rock, a 30-something homeless man (Brad), two sisters (Kate and Lily), and a best friend, Emma Daley.
There were other friends, Becca, Mel, and a few guys.
We learn something terrible happened on graduation night. Appears Emma killed someone with a rock, and Kate cannot stand back and watch, so she leaves town. (makes no sense)
Her younger sister, Lily, was traumatized and became mute. Kate regrets bringing her little sister that night. Did she leave her behind with a serial killer?
Now there are multiple murders. A serial killer, or is it Emma?
She failed Brad and there were more victims, more deaths she could have prevented. All the new murders were discovered within days of the anniversary of Brad's death.
A different killer, a copycat, an accomplice?
Her baby sister is now a woman and Kate is there partly to take care of their mom, which has broken her hip.
Can Kate forgive herself for leaving?
However, was everything as it appeared after digging into the dark past?
When Emma dies, her best friend is gone forever. Was there something more sinister going on?
Did Emma end her life, or did someone murder her to keep quiet?
From past to present, we hear the events that unfolded that fatal night. Where nothing is as it appears.
Was Emma the killer or someone else, all along? Did Kate get it all wrong all these years?
Unfortunately, I could not get into this book, which seemed very disjointed. The author's background is impressive in her field; however, I was not invested in the story or any of the characters. The novel seemed unbelievable and more like a YA book with the girls and lots of drama—not a fan and steer away from these types of books.
I cannot recommend this one. Maybe it will appeal to an audience of YA. This book is NOT even in the same league and is nothing remotely similar to Karin Slaughter, Paula Hawkins, or Freida McFadden (I have read all their books) as referenced in the description.
I read the e-book and listened to the audiobook narrated by Kate Handford for an engaging performance.
Kate returns to her childhood home in Florida after fleeing ten years earlier to Boston.
There was a murder near the orange groves, a bloody rock, a 30-something homeless man (Brad), two sisters (Kate and Lily), and a best friend, Emma Daley.
There were other friends, Becca, Mel, and a few guys.
We learn something terrible happened on graduation night. Appears Emma killed someone with a rock, and Kate cannot stand back and watch, so she leaves town. (makes no sense)
Her younger sister, Lily, was traumatized and became mute. Kate regrets bringing her little sister that night. Did she leave her behind with a serial killer?
Now there are multiple murders. A serial killer, or is it Emma?
She failed Brad and there were more victims, more deaths she could have prevented. All the new murders were discovered within days of the anniversary of Brad's death.
A different killer, a copycat, an accomplice?
Her baby sister is now a woman and Kate is there partly to take care of their mom, which has broken her hip.
Can Kate forgive herself for leaving?
However, was everything as it appeared after digging into the dark past?
When Emma dies, her best friend is gone forever. Was there something more sinister going on?
Did Emma end her life, or did someone murder her to keep quiet?
From past to present, we hear the events that unfolded that fatal night. Where nothing is as it appears.
Was Emma the killer or someone else, all along? Did Kate get it all wrong all these years?
Unfortunately, I could not get into this book, which seemed very disjointed. The author's background is impressive in her field; however, I was not invested in the story or any of the characters. The novel seemed unbelievable and more like a YA book with the girls and lots of drama—not a fan and steer away from these types of books.
I cannot recommend this one. Maybe it will appeal to an audience of YA. This book is NOT even in the same league and is nothing remotely similar to Karin Slaughter, Paula Hawkins, or Freida McFadden (I have read all their books) as referenced in the description.
I read the e-book and listened to the audiobook narrated by Kate Handford for an engaging performance.
thisisjusttheprologue_'s review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this eARC of Best Friends Forever by Shannon Hollinger. This was my first book from this author and I really enjoyed her writing style. This was a fast-paced thriller with no lack of plot twists. I enjoyed how the "now" chapters are written in first person from Kate's perspective and the "then" chapters are in italics and written in third person point of view.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
After high school graduation, Kate saw her best friend Emma kill a man named Brad who she was friends with. After the group of friends got their stories straight and talked with the police, Kate left down and didn't come back for 10 years. The only reason why she rushed back home was because she got a phone call from her sister, Lily, who has selective mutism. So Kate drops everything, leaves her car title for her roommates to sell toward her portion of rent, and flies home. (I found this scenario very unrealistic. She just hadn't gone home to even visit her Mom or sister for 10 years? Then with one phone call with nothing but breathing on the other end, she rushes back home?).
Then when Kate is back, she finds that her mother was recovering from a broken hip and then after being in town for 2 days, Emma is found dead. Kate is able to somehow request a copy of her autopsy report and believes that Emma was murdered. She buddies up with a cop who was also in their friend group in high school and is working to investigate what happened to Emma. She then finds that homeless men had been being murdered throughout the last 10 years and is convinced that Emma had been killing them.
I thought for sure that I had figured out who the killer was halfway through the book, but I was very wrong. When I got to the end and found out the truth, I wasn't totally shocked, but it still was a good twist.
My reason for not giving this book a 5 star review is because I wasn't crazy about the ending. When I say there was so much going on in this book, there was SO MUCH. Even though it was entertaining, it felt like too many different things going on at once. A serial killer on the loose, a rapist in town, childhood sexual assault, a secret sibling from an affair, a stalker, and a murderer who couldn't remember committing the crime... I felt like there wasn't a need to add so many different dramatic (and traumatic) scenarios. It also didn't sit right with me that *one of* the killers in this book literally got away with it and never confessed or took accountability for the crime that they committed. Also wasn't crazy about the fact that Kate was friends with Brad for two reasons: 1- he was a grown adult in his 30's or 40's hanging out with high school kids and 2- if she really was his friend, why did she never tell the truth about what truly happened to him?
I genuinely enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it! I guess just trying to process it all after reading it and writing it down, there are just some things in the plot that were either unnecessary or just didn't sit well with me.
#BestFriendsForever #NetGalley
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
After high school graduation, Kate saw her best friend Emma kill a man named Brad who she was friends with. After the group of friends got their stories straight and talked with the police, Kate left down and didn't come back for 10 years. The only reason why she rushed back home was because she got a phone call from her sister, Lily, who has selective mutism. So Kate drops everything, leaves her car title for her roommates to sell toward her portion of rent, and flies home. (I found this scenario very unrealistic. She just hadn't gone home to even visit her Mom or sister for 10 years? Then with one phone call with nothing but breathing on the other end, she rushes back home?).
Then when Kate is back, she finds that her mother was recovering from a broken hip and then after being in town for 2 days, Emma is found dead. Kate is able to somehow request a copy of her autopsy report and believes that Emma was murdered. She buddies up with a cop who was also in their friend group in high school and is working to investigate what happened to Emma. She then finds that homeless men had been being murdered throughout the last 10 years and is convinced that Emma had been killing them.
I thought for sure that I had figured out who the killer was halfway through the book, but I was very wrong. When I got to the end and found out the truth, I wasn't totally shocked, but it still was a good twist.
My reason for not giving this book a 5 star review is because I wasn't crazy about the ending. When I say there was so much going on in this book, there was SO MUCH. Even though it was entertaining, it felt like too many different things going on at once. A serial killer on the loose, a rapist in town, childhood sexual assault, a secret sibling from an affair, a stalker, and a murderer who couldn't remember committing the crime... I felt like there wasn't a need to add so many different dramatic (and traumatic) scenarios. It also didn't sit right with me that *one of* the killers in this book literally got away with it and never confessed or took accountability for the crime that they committed. Also wasn't crazy about the fact that Kate was friends with Brad for two reasons: 1- he was a grown adult in his 30's or 40's hanging out with high school kids and 2- if she really was his friend, why did she never tell the truth about what truly happened to him?
I genuinely enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it! I guess just trying to process it all after reading it and writing it down, there are just some things in the plot that were either unnecessary or just didn't sit well with me.
#BestFriendsForever #NetGalley
rlqrosie's review against another edition
3.0
The twist in this one did not come as a surprise. It felt very cliche and predictable. I still enjoyed getting there, but I think the book could have been summed up in far less chapters.
Thanks so much NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.
Thanks so much NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.
heatheradoresbooks's review against another edition
3.0
3.5⭐
Featuring ~ single 1st person & 3rd person POV, dual timeline ~ now and 10 years ago, death, pedophilia references
We've got some amateur sleuthing going on by Kate when she comes back to town to care for her mother and her old BFF, Emma, dies. Initially deemed a suicide, Kate isn't so sure. And then she learns other men have turned up dead throughout the years in the same manner as Brad 10 years ago. BTW ~ Brad's death is the reason she hightailed it outta town, which was weird.
The now timeline is in the 1st person and 10 years ago is in the 3rd, which was really the only way I knew which timeline we were in. I could have went for it to be titled or something. Maybe it's easier to decipher in a print version? With that said I did enjoy this one for the most part. The dual timeline helped build the suspense of how Brad really died. There were some secrets and twistaroos I hadn't guessed.
I gotta round my 3.5 down because after Kate reads Emma's note it felt like I heard her wonder who she could trust like 87 times. I didn't really care for any other characters either, except for Kate's mom and Jimmy.
Narrated by Kate Handford for 10 hours and 57 minutes. She sounded robotic at times, but overall did a fine job.
*Thanks to the author, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for my audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Follow me here ➡ Blog ~ Facebook
Featuring ~ single 1st person & 3rd person POV, dual timeline ~ now and 10 years ago, death, pedophilia references
We've got some amateur sleuthing going on by Kate when she comes back to town to care for her mother and her old BFF, Emma, dies. Initially deemed a suicide, Kate isn't so sure. And then she learns other men have turned up dead throughout the years in the same manner as Brad 10 years ago. BTW ~ Brad's death is the reason she hightailed it outta town, which was weird.
The now timeline is in the 1st person and 10 years ago is in the 3rd, which was really the only way I knew which timeline we were in. I could have went for it to be titled or something. Maybe it's easier to decipher in a print version? With that said I did enjoy this one for the most part. The dual timeline helped build the suspense of how Brad really died. There were some secrets and twistaroos I hadn't guessed.
I gotta round my 3.5 down because after Kate reads Emma's note it felt like I heard her wonder who she could trust like 87 times. I didn't really care for any other characters either, except for Kate's mom and Jimmy.
Narrated by Kate Handford for 10 hours and 57 minutes. She sounded robotic at times, but overall did a fine job.
*Thanks to the author, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for my audio copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Follow me here ➡ Blog ~ Facebook
audiobookscount's review against another edition
4.0
This book surprised me in a good way! I read a lot of mysteries, and at first I thought this one was a bit predicable, and I thought they were spoon feeding some of the messages to readers. However, every time I thought it was getting cheesy, I was surprised with an unexpected twist! In the end, I loved how it all turned out — even if it was a bit far fetched. I especially enjoyed how the author distinguished the past from the present by going from first person to third person narration. Now, I would love to read a sequel of the same story, but through Lilly’s point of view!