A terror attack in London brings two strangers together, a frightening situation that leads to further nightmares later on. Cara is caught in the middle of a terror attack and fearing for her life when she is whisked to safety by total stranger Amy. Cara hidden away from danger with her new friend Amy begins to tell of her secrets that may return to haunt her in the future.
A novel full of tension and intrigue that kept me enticed to the bitter end. This is a good read from a pair of authors I had previously no knowledge of but will now look out for.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Penguin UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This story is about Cara who gets caught up in a terror attack. Luckily she gets pulled into a building by Amy. This ultimately saves Cara’s life. Cara, still believing that she could still die reveals to Amy all her secrets. Their lives cross again and out of desperation she employs Amy to look after her daughter. This comes at a time that she starts receiving threatening texts from somebody who signs themselves off as YCF (Your Closest Friend).

This started off brilliantly, it occurred to me that this may be the only book that I have read which involves a terror attack. I felt very frightened for Cara. I felt that it dealt with the aftermath and other people’s reactions to what she had gone through very well. After this was over however it falls back into the usual psychological thriller formula. Lies and obsession are the main themes in this book. The book was fast paced and kept me interested. What disappointed me the most about this book was the twist, I personally don’t think that the book needed it and it was nearly identical to the twist in a book I had finished the day before. I will check out other books by this author as I did like her writing style.

I recently read Can You Keep a Secret? by Karen Perry (who’s apparently two people, à la Nicci French) and enjoyed it a lot, despite the terrible title. (Sorry, but really, that is not a good title.) There’s no doubt though that Karen Perry can write, and both CYKAS and Your Closest Friend are extremely well written.

Two women, radio producer Cara and the younger Amy, are flung together, almost literally, by a terrorist attack. Amy pulls Cara off the street to safety; Cara, naturally, is just grateful to be alive. It’s a horrific and traumatic event by any standards, but the story doesn’t end there. For Amy, they were fated to meet, and she’s going to make sure destiny is fulfilled....

The premise of “dangerously obsessive young woman insinuates her way into a family, proceeds to wreak havoc” isn’t that original - it’s been done a number of times before. It’s particularly effective here though, as we see events from both Cara’s and Amy’s points of view - in Amy’s case, providing insight into a very damaged mind. Both women have secrets, and consequences, when they come, are shattering. And for a change, it’s Cara herself Amy is obsessed with, rather than her husband, her child or her life.

It’s in some respects a fairly straightforward story of obsession - with, right at the very end, a devastating twist in the tail.

Recommended.

This was a story which gave a strong sense of tragedy right from the beginning and the tension built the whole way through the story. Some well described characters that were easy to relate to. It was had inevitable conclusion and the relief was palpable

This is a tense psychological thriller which opens with a terrorist incident in London and continues with a sense of menace and foreboding running through it.
Who is the person sending texts and messages signed “your closest friend”?
Who is the manipulator? Who is the real victim and are there are any innocent parties to it?
This is a disturbing story of obsession, mental illness and some quite damaged personalities, all told in an engaging writing style. I enjoyed the book and liked the twist at the end.

I really enjoyed this twisty thriller and toying with the question of what could happen if you entrust your innermost secrets to a stranger thinking you will never see them again ..... and then you do ..... and they stalk you?
The author managed to make the characters believable and I wanted to reach into the book at times and warn Cara!
This is the first book I have read by Karen Perry and I'm pleased to see she has written another one which in looking forward to reading.

Having read karen Perry’s other titles “ girl unknown” and “can you keep a secret” I have been secretly waiting for this book!!
Cara is on a night out when a gunman starts randomly shooting, she is rescued by Amy, fearing she won’t survive she reveals her secrets to her which is then a roller coaster ride of terror!!
From the first sentence you had me hooked, the detail of description made me feel like I was there amongst the panic and terror, I Immediately forgot my surroundings and was plunged into this dramatic scenario wondering what I would have done and desperate not to be parted with this book.
Thank you to netgalley for letting me have this book in exchange for a review..

The book is topical with a backdrop of terrorism in London. That's how Cara and Amy meet as they hide from the terrorists. Amy leeches onto Cara. Amy's audacity and obsessive behaviour beggars belief. In the mix are an older husband and the revival of a lover from the past. The characterisation is good although neither of the women appeals to me at all. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin UK- Michael Joseph for inviting me to read this e-book in which I give my honest opinion.
It’s my first by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well-paced and kept me hooked.
Told in alternating chapters by Cara and Amy, the books starts with Cara on that night of terror as she comes face to face with an armed gunman.
Amy grabs Cara and they, along with another person, take refuge until they think it’s safe to venture out. The other person, a colleague of Amy, thinks it’s safe and leaves before them and they are left alone. This is when they share secrets with each other, not expecting to ever meet again.
Cara is back at work as a radio producer, and is on air talking about the attack when Amy hears her on the radio and phones in.
They reconnect and Cara invites Amy into her home to look after her daughter, a seemingly good arrangement to help out Cara and her working-away husband. It starts to go wrong from here as things are revealed from both Amy and Cara’s past and it all spirals out of control….

WOW – Loved this book! Cara is returning home one evening and gets caught up in a terror attack. Amy drags her to safety and they share secrets whilst they wait for the all clear, Cara confides in Amy believing she will never see her again after that night.

Amy has other ideas and is obsessive about Cara, wheedling herself into her life – lots of lies and stalking. Well written and very believable story line

In the middle of a terror attack in London Cara is saved by Amy. During the time they spend together that night Cara tells Amy her deepest secrets. But secrets have a way of being found out.

Amy wheedles herself into Cara’s life with a rollercoaster ride.

A great read. I found it went on a bit at times but it tied together at the end very well. Highly recommended

Despite this book having three parts, it's really a story of two parts. A story that is told by two characters, each offering their perspective, each filling in the events in their part of the story. Perry manages this dual narrative well, better than most in fact.

The other two parts of this book come to the plot. Given the opening few pages you could expect quite an intense story, but in truth, it quickly drops into a fairly steady storyline that has a few curiosities but little that really grabbed me. Luckily things change about halfway through, suddenly the story comes alive and delivers a gripping story that had me reluctant to put the book down. It's powerful, it's intense, it's engaging!

The plot doesn't really have much mystery, but it is full of suspense and thrills. It manages a few unexpected turns, something that often struggles with the dual-narrator approach and yet Perry manages to write around that obstacle with ease.

The characters have a great depth to them. Not just the two protagonists, there're some good details lurking in most of the people we encounter. They're decorated with those little touches that make them readable, the blemishes, the redeeming moments - and they bring a richness to the whole story.

The first half can be a little slow going, but the real story is worth the wait and the early chapters do lay a great foundation for what follows. A cleverly captivating read that's enjoyable and rewarding.

This is one of those books you devour in one sitting. It's not particularly original or ground-breaking but it is nonetheless a well-executed psychological thriller that builds up sufficient tension and suspense to keep you turning the pages. The opening scenes of a terrorist attack are very well written and because I never read the blurb beforehand I didn't expect what came next. There are a few episodes where you wonder why Cara doesn't just come clean about what is happening but on the whole it is a plausible and well-plotted book.

Quite a good thriller. Certainly worth a read. This is the first I've read by this author and I will read another one.

A friendship bourne from a terrorist attack sounds like just what is needed - who better to understand what you have been through. But what if the friendship isn’t quite what it seems...? Add in a struggling marriage, an affair, an unco-operative step-daughter and a secret to get a story filled with intrigue and plenty of twists and turns. I loved the pace of the book and the characters and enjoyed seeing the plot unfolding.

This is a contemporary psychological thriller set in London. The novel is told in the first person by two narrators, Cara and Amy, in alternating chapters. They meet accidentally during a terrorist attack on the streets of London, chillingly reminiscent of events at Westminster Bridge and Borough Market. The traumatising nature of their encounter leads Cara, the elder of the two, to reveal secrets to Amy, who has pulled her out of the way of a gun. Amy becomes obsessed with Cara and the resultant narrative is the tale of this obsession and its inevitable spiralling descent into a terror for Cara that is far more personal and immediate than the terror on the streets. I was gripped by the tale which was well paced. Some scenes in particular were very cinematographic. I found Amy's voice (and the voice of Connie that she hears in her head) far more convincing than that of Cara. Cara is supposedly a successful London radio producer and a loving mother of 5 year old Mabel but she comes across as naïve and selfish. I was interested to find out that Karen Perry, the author, is the pen name for two writers working together, Paul Perry and Karen Gillece. I do wonder if they each wrote one of the characters in this book. I would read other books by the duo but there are only so many psychological thrillers I can take at a time.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from the publisher via Net galley in return for an honest review.

A psychological thriller that gripped me till the last page and then still managed a surprise at the end! Cara and Amy meet one fateful night during a terrorist attack in London, forcing them to spend the night together in the dark. .They are not the only things hidden that night as both have past secrets and Cara shares a little too much not realising the devastation this will unleash. When it's safe to leave they part company with Cara returning home and so the tension and unravelling of her life begins. Who is her closest friend? All eventually becomes clear - or does it? A real page turner that is difficult to put down.

Well this novel is definitely a knuckle-clencher. Full of well-drawn, complicated characters and an opening which will have even the most jaded psychological thriller reader gripped, Karen Perry does an awfully good job of rationing out their revelations, even to the last page.
Very smoothly written and descriptions of situations and surroundings beautifully balanced (economical yet vivid), they are writers enjoying mastery of their craft.
I look forward to the next one.

I enjoyed this book and read it within in a week ..... the Book kicks off in London during a terrorist attack and secrets are deluged right at the start leaving the reader unsure of the real truth and what secrets have been told . Its a complex tale of love and betrayal and will keep you gripped to the last page.

I was never quite sure how the ending was going to play out and the book really keeps you guessing ....

The book tells the tale of Cara and Amy and the story flips between the two throughout the book in a strong psychological thriller, this is the first I have read from this author and i shall be looking out for the next book.

Thanks to NetGalley, for review copy this is my honest review

Many Thanks to my good friend, Mark Fearn, for recommending this fab read to me. He knew I would really enjoy this ~ and I did!
I have read another of this author's books and was really pleased to hear about this new publication by her.
It's a tense, nail biting story which kept me glued to its pages for a fast addictive read. It took me just a day to race through, most take me between 3 and 7 days to so you can tell I loved this one! Highly recommended.