Shannon Hollinger tells us the story of best friends. Kate and Emma. Kate left her hometown of Wakefield, Florida right after high school graduation, when a friend of hers, a homeless man who once protected her from some thugs, was murdered. Kate's younger sister was present at the murder and has not spoken a word since. She returned home only years later to help her mother when her hip was broken, and never contacted Emma in all that time. Kate sees Emma on the street but still doesn't speak. Imagine her surprise a few days letter when Emma died due to her severe nut allergy.

Kate believes Emma killed her friend. She does not want to confront that issue. After Emma's death though, Kate wants to find answers so she gathers her other friends to try to figure out the truth. With red herrings aplenty, the reader is kept in suspense until the very end when the story takes an unexpected twist.

Kate Handford, experienced audio book narrator, does an admirable job with the voices.

Recommended for those who enjoy mysteries with surprise endings.

Best Friends Forever is marketed as a Mystery/Thriller. As far as thrillers go, this one fell flat for me. It was slow and took me a long time to get into it, and even then it felt like a chore to pick it back up, which is why it took me forever to finish it. I found the story very repetitive and figured out who the killer was very early on. I listened to the audiobook and unfortunately, did not find the narrator very engaging. Perhaps reading a physical copy would make it more enjoyable. Overall, this one just didn't work for me. Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this audiobook alc in exchange for my honest opinion.

The book was really slow at first and I got bored with it quick. Honestly I think it was the narrator’s tone more than the story because once I speed up the book, I liked it a whole lot better. I also had a hard time distinguishing the male characters in the story other than the deceased one. There was a Jason, Jeff & a Jimmy. Why??? It was annoying.

The bigger problem for me is that I figured out who the killer was from the start. That always takes the fun out of reading thrillers/mysteries for me. I like to keep guessing throughout the book and be surprised by the ending! In the author’s defense, even though I knew who the killer was I didn’t know the motive until closer to the end of the book. That made the last 15-25% of the book interesting.

If you decide to read this, I would recommend skipping the audiobook and physically read the book.

Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for a copy of this audiobook.

DNF. I really was excited for this book and wanted to like it, but I just couldn't get into it. The narration wasn't great either. I made it through 4 1/2 hours but I couldn't force myself to finish. I did like the dual timeline, but not enough to save the book for me.

Best Friends Forever by Shannon Hollinger published January 2023. Ten years ago at a graduation party. Kate sees her best friend Emma standing over a homeless man with a bloody rock. Now Kate is back Her sister has not spoken since that night. And there has been a serial killer on that night each year. What really happened and who is the killer

After ten years, Kate returns home to help her mom. While there, she digs up old memories and secrets. The question is, who is telling the truth and what really happened.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this audio ARC. #Netgalley #BestFriendsForever

Ten years after leaving her small town in the aftermath of a tragedy, Kate returns home to help her mother after a fall. When new crimes bring up old ones, Kate is sucked back into everything she thought she left behind.

The narration was pretty good on this one, but overall the story fell flat for me. I feel like there's a lot of books with very similar plots and while this was entertaining to listen to, it didn't have anything that stood out in a way that would make me recommend it over similar stories. I would read more from this author if the plot was a little more distinctive.

Actual Rating: 2.5/5
Audio Rating: 3.5/5

Kate and Emma are best friends. That is until one night at a party, Kate finds Emma standing over a body holding a rock. Determined to keep it a secret, Kate could never betray Emma, even if she had killed someone but she also couldn't stay in town and watch Emma live her life like nothing ever happened. After ten years when Kate decides to come home and make amends, her days at home become a tangled web of lies and deceit.

Told over dual timelines, <i>Best Friends Forever</i> is a psychological thriller fit for even the most hardcore fans. Using a much slower than usual pacing, each clue and lead is carefully laid out to entice the reader further into the story. Unfortunately, this was a book of adult nature with a very Young Adult feel to it. It relied on a lack of common sense and adult reasoning to progress the story in hopes that the "jaw-dropping twist" stays a surprise. This would definitely be a read for fans of Karen M. McManus or Holly Jackson.

This audiobook kept me on the edge of my seat. The narrator was phenomenal and it just kept me guessing until the very end. It tends to be the one you least expect it to be, but not so this time around.

The narrator kept the story pace very interesting and thrilling. I can’t recommend this audiobook enough.

This was my first book by the author and it won’t be my last.

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 at pictures at comparing them, even after they spent all those years together.

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.

In the beginning I wasn't convinced about this book and stopped for a bit, and then went back to it. It got really good so it is a definite slow burn. By the end I really was getting so involved in the story and really enjoyed it and got involved. I am definitely looking for more by both the author and narrator.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

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!

I listened to the audiobook version of this story and that made me round up from 2.5 to 3 because the narrator did a good job of keeping me engaged in the story deep many times me finding the story to be dragging and repetitive.
One night while they were in high school, Kate witnessed her best friend Emma kill somebody and get away with it. This caused her sister, who also witnessed the murder, to become mute, and the guilt ate away at mate until she couldn’t deal with it anymore and she ended up moving away from her hometown. Now, ten years later, her mom is sick and Kate is back in town to help care for her and is forced to revisit her past and as she does, she starts to uncover evidence that Emma may have killed others.
The story is told in dual timelines but the problem with the past timeline is that once the big reveal was made there was a lot of repeating information and some of the details were far fetched.
Overall, it was an average story, not a bad way to spend my time while I was getting some work done, but nothing super memorable.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this audiobook arc in exchange for my review.

I really did enjoy this book and for all the murder mysteries I have read this one is high up on the list! I liked the old murder and new crimes aspect and it did leave me guessing until the end.
The characters were built up enough and were very relatable in a group of friends from high school that are now catching up. I would say the male characters were less built but that makes sense coming from a young girls point of view.

Thank you Bookuture for this ARC. Shannon Hollinger has written a thrilling book, and the narration by Kate Hatfield was wonderful! I felt so involved with all the characters, as one or as a group. Lily not speaking for 10 years had me really thinking, what is really going on here. As it slowly unravels to a mind blowing conclusion I refused to take my headphones out until it was completed!! This book will have many readers enthralled as I was. And of course a little romance tossed in was a nice touch. No spoilers her, grab this book, you will absolutely not be disappointed, not even in the least! Kudos to Shannon Hollinger, looking forward to so much more from you!!

4 stars!

Kate’s sister who has not spoken since many years places a phone call and Kate rushes back home as she knows something is wrong!
Upon reaching home, she sees her mom is bed ridden and hence Kate decides to stay back until her mom is feeling all better. But least does she know she will have to attend her childhood friend Emma’s funeral, it seems like Emma dies a sudden death due to her allergic reaction. What really happened is something Kate must find out as otherwise what happened in the past will destroy lives and the whole town will know what happened that night which led to her sister’s selective mutism.
This was a really fast paced book, I couldn’t guess what was happening and the ending was very well written.
Thanks to Bookouture Audio, Netgalley, Shannon Hollinger for approving the audio book in exchange for an unbiased review.
I thoroughly enjoyed the narration by Kate Handford too.

This book was good. I had a hard time getting the hang of the characters, It took me a long time to get through the book. I felt like it was slow and the additional details felt slow coming.

Best Friends Forever by Shannon Hollinger was a surprising disappointment to me. I love books that have multiple timelines/perspectives. However, Best Friends Forever changed timelines randomly and without warning. This led to confusion and missing details while trying to figure out where we were.

I also did not care for Kate. There's a big reveal 3/4 in that came out of nowhere and was so far-fetched and convenient that I was just over it all. I also knew who the guilty party/parties was/were WAY too early, taking away the guessing game that comes with reading mysteries. I kept waiting for the shocking secrets that never came (aside to the one mentioned above) and was just thoroughly disappointed. I rate Best Friends Forever 2 stars.

Kate Handford was not my favorite narrator. There were some awkward pauses that made no sense, and her cadence was inconsistent, sometimes speaking at a normal peace, other times painstakingly slow, making the book drag on.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio for providing me with an ALC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Kate leaves home immediately after high school graduation after witnessing something. Ten years later she comes home to help her mother and the next day her estranged best friend dies. Kate is trying to come to terms with what happened all those years ago and trying to figure out what happened that fateful night, how her friend died, rapes and annual murders. Lots going on.

Enjoyable narration by Kate Handford.

I, unfortunately, was not into this book very much, which is a bummer. I had been given the ARC audiobook from NetGalley, which I am still grateful for. Honestly, to me, it came off as a YA-ish Domestic Thriller or for a younger audience. I had to keep reminding myself that the main character, Kate, was almost 30 years old and had to kind of disconnect myself from the story to get through it (I am also almost 30 and the choices and thought process of MC kind of drove me up a wall sometimes tbh). It took over half of the book for me to get into it and it was a very slow start and I almost DNF'd. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the chance to read this book anyways. It just wasn't for me, and that's okay, maybe it will be for others. I will add that I loved the cover, and I loved the narrator, but again, the book was just not for me. I have seen several reviews saying they will wait to post review on Goodreads until publication date, I think I will also wait to do the same.