I was looking forward to reading this book, but unfortunately it did not work for me.
The novel had a great premise with plenty of potential but for some reason it wasn’t reached.
It was written in the first person and there was so much internal dialogue that at times it felt tedious and unnecessary and because of this the pacing was impacted. I didn’t like any of the characters, but that’s not normally an issue for me. I felt that the characters were flat, lacked depth and seemed to be forced to fit the plot.
I appreciate the time and effort that goes into writing a novel, unfortunately this one wasn’t for me, sorry.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

The description of this book really sold me on it! I was pulled in right from the beginning from the prologue that really just caught my attention.

The main character, Mia, is battling between a lot in her life. Between Carrie not liking her new boyfriend, and Owen, the man in her apartment, giving her problems, she is incredibly on edge. But when the man she killed comes back it sends Mia into a downward spiral (as it should).

Mia is not a likable character, but throughout the book she is slightly unreliable, and I love a good unreliable narrator.

The story did kind of lose me when it talked about the dark web and paying them off for covering the murder. This didn’t seem as feasible, and the fact that Carrie is involved kind of threw me as well. Especially since there is no tracing it, but with the method of how she paid there definitely would be ways to track that down.

Other than that! The book was a mix of fast and slow pace. There were some areas where I felt so much was happening and other parts that I felt that we were waiting for what was going to happen next. I don’t think that pulled me out of the book though as the parts that were fast-paced really made me keep reading. The ending wasn’t entirely predictable but I did have an inkling of what was going to happen.

She knows your darkest secret… Can she keep it?

Happy Pub Day, Joanne Ryan!

You sure took my brain on a bender with Keep Your Friends Close!

I just want to get this part out of the way before I literally scream ... FIVE FLIPPING STARS!!!!

Female friendships are tricky, is anyone really THAT good of a friend that you can trust them with your deep dark secrets? Speaking from experience, I believe the only person you can ever trust is yourself, so keep your mouth closed.

When it comes to this book, you won't even be able to trust yourself or everything you "think" is going on. Everyone has secrets, some worth killing for...

Check out this teaser :

It’s a lovely sunny day when Mia sees her ex-boyfriend on the street. But she knows that’s crazy. It can’t possibly be him. She knows that… because she killed him.

Only her best friend Carrie knew what Mia did that night. Where everything went wrong and Mia’s boyfriend attacked her, so she attacked him right back.

Carrie made the problem go away though. Like she always would for Mia. They’re best friends who’ve always stood up for each other. Now they just need to get on with their lives. Mia’s even met someone new – a man she thinks she could be with forever.

But now it looks like her ex is back. Alive and well. So either the two best friends are losing their minds, or somebody is lying…

Another amazing book by joanne ryan ....lots of twists never disappoints at all 10 out of 10 from me!!!!!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BoldwoodBooks for the book # KeepYourFriendsClose by #JoanneRyan. This book is fueled by jealousy and rage. You never know who you can trust and what people are capable of.

Mia sees Marco everywhere. It must be the guilt.

But then, Mia starts getting sick and she's worried she's having a repeat of an episode she had when her grandmother dies. We can guess that she might have had a breakdown, but we don't know why.

When Mia decides to date her boss, Sebastian, her roommate is not happy. But then, Carrie didn't like Marco either. Sebastian is so good to Mia, and not the controlling bad boy she usually falls for, but something is not right...and she doesn't know who to trust.

The concept was great. But, the idea of someone that naive hiring a hitman was laughable. I also had to skip over a lot of the first 75% of the book because of repetition. Dong that made it a fast read with an ending that had me racing through the pages to find out what happened. So pushing 3.5 stars up to a 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance readers copy.

Had me on the edge my seat until the heart-pounding conclusion

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Keep Your Friends Close by Joanne Ryan hooked me from the very first page!

This book is truly gripping and unputdownable! How can it not be when the prologue opens with a murder!

I was engrossed and engaged the whole time, wanting to read one page after the other to find out the events leading up the murder.

Lies, suspicion, and betrayal throughout made this a five star read for me! Joanne Ryan has proven herself a “read immediately” author for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Joanne Ryan, and Boldwoood Books for the opportunity to read this ahead of the proposed January 25th release date.

This book is a light read but didn't hold my attention. I didn't find the main character very likeable. Easy to follow writing.

I went in completely blind, when I started reading Keep Your Friends Close, but I liked the cover. Two chapters in, I thought I was reading a YA thriller. I think this was because the entire story was told in first person, from Mia’s perspective.

While it was fun to follow along, as she questioned if she was losing her mind and going mad, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the writing style, and felt it seemed a little immature. GRANTED, Mia had a lot of character flaws, and her inner monologue came off as unlikable. But it was a lot for a whole book. It was one of those stories where you’re supposed to root for Mia… but she’s really just unlikable😅

The story itself was fun… though extremely predictable. I mean, the last third of the book was certainly a page-turner! (Sips tea 🫖) I felt all signs pointed to the obvious conclusion… but that didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the ending! Absolutely well-played. I’m a big fan of an abrupt ending and nothing ruins a thriller more than everything being tied up with a pretty bow. Keep Your Friends Close absolutely delivered in the endings department! Circling back, I think it’s because I didn’t like Mia that I enjoyed it so much 😂

This is a very fluffy thriller, and would be a good summer read, poolside. A solid 3 from me!

Keep Your Friends Close by Joanne Ryan was very interesting and intriguing.
This was a fast paced and easy to follow thriller read. I devoured this book and couldn't wait to find out the ending.
This story is filled with suspense and intrigue, capturing readers’ attention from page one to the last page.

Thank You NetGalley and Boldwood Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This book starts off with a bang and finishes just as shockingly. Told from a single POV, readers are made to question whether or not their narrator is unreliable. I found this book to be almost gossipy in the best way; the twists being even more juicy than the last. This is a quick read at just under 300 pages, and readers will not be able to put it down. Highly recommend checking this one out!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 rounded up!

Keep your friends close follows the story of Mia and Carrie, two best friends who have been inseparable since they were teens. Both girls are complete opposites. Mia is privileged, she inherited a lot of wealth and can afford practically anything she could ever want without working a day in her life. Carrie, on the other hand, hasn’t been as privileged and has had to work extra hard to obtain a scholarship and to progress in her job as bookkeeper. Both girls have completely different outlooks on life, but their relationship just works.

One day, Mia is startled as she believes that she’s seen her ex boyfriend Marco in the street. But how can this be possible if she killed him? 8 months prior, Mia shot her abusive boyfriend in self defence and Carrie quickly came to the rescue to make it all disappear. She never told Mia how she managed to get rid of body, but this was for the best. The less you know, the better.

After believing that his body was taken care and that she could carry on with her life as normal, weird things keep happening. She keeps seeing his face everywhere. She has nightmares every night taunting her about what she did.

But how could he still be alive? She’s either loosing her mind or someone is messing with her.

My review-

This is my first ARC that I’ve read so thank you Netgelley, Boldwood and Joanne Ryan for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review. I haven’t read anything from this author but overall a great read. I was really intrigued with the plot and i just couldn’t stop reading until i uncovered the truth. I would say that it can be a bit slow at times but it defiantly picks up towards the end. One thing that I wish was different about this book is the title. I think that from the get go it was pretty obvious that the friend was involved so everything they were doing I was over analysing. I think that it would have been a solid 4* if I hadn’t known the title, because the friend being involved was a great twist!
Nevertheless, it was a great read and would definitely recommend!

I received an E-ARC with a request or my honest review.

This mysterious psychological thriller follows Mia who lives with her long-time friend Carrie.
Mia is slowly trying to move on from her life after one night where she murdered her ex-boyfriend. Carrie her best friend helped cover up the crime and is the only one who knows her darkest secret.

When Mia starts to believe she has seen her ex, she starts to believe she is losing her mind.

Is Mia seeing things? Is there a darker explanation? Who can she trust?

This psychological thriller is dark and mysterious you try to work out with Mia if she is actually seeing her ex or if someone is playing with her mind.

Throughout you are double guessing everyone in Mia’s life, just as she is as the mystery unravels the storyline becomes even darker.

Overall, a mysterious and dark psychological thriller where the events of one night come back to haunt Mia.

Just wow! My first Joanne Ryan book but definitely not my last. So thrilled to find a
new-to-me author! These characters were brilliant and I was offering my unsolicited advice! Loved the style of storytelling! Packed with secrets, lies, twists and turns. And I NEVER saw that ending coming. So much about this book to love.
Thank you NetGalley, Joanne Ryan and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this cracker of a book

First, I want to thank Joanne Ryan, Boldwood Books, NetGalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

WOW!!! You will definitely want to Keep Your Friends Close while reading Joanne’s latest psychological thriller!! It felt like I was binge watching a thriller movie on Netflix. You know the one you start watching at 8pm and the next thing you know it is 5am!

Joanne grabbed my attention hard within the first few sentences of the short prologue! The storyline got even more intense within the first chapter where we jump back 8 months prior! This is a book that you will want to add to your TBR list and possibly to the top of your list.

There was a point in this book that I too was creeped out just like Mia was! I was at the edge of my seat wondering if she was really seeing what/who she was seeing?! Plus, who were those freaky text messages coming from! Ohh I just had to know!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this. This one was a little slow at first, I couldn’t see what was going on, then it picked up and had an amazing twist at the end.

Wow wow wow!!!! I read this book in less than 24 hours. This book had me hooked and unable to put it down until I finished the last shocking page!!! I sort of expected one of the twists but some things totally shocked me!!!! Love love loved everything about this thrilling book, and I recommend it. Mia was totally not likable at all! Many thanks to the author, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 STARS!

This was thriller that ended up being more on the unhinged comical side which was fine! This was a satisfying read. The premise was creepy (love) and the characters like it or not were relatable. I mean the title alone tells you a lot. I would describe this book as unreliable because you think you know what’s going on and you do NOT. The twists were GREAT and on top of that this was just a really fun book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood books for this ARC!

Mia and Carrie are great friends. They are different and have different attitudes towards money and life. Mia loves shopping and Carrie prefers to save. I liked their nights out. Mia is someone who wants to get everything she can out of life, Carrie prefers time at home.

Mia once loved Marco and he’s dead. She knows she killed him….but she keeps seeing him. She’s now with Sebastian, but Marco is always on her mind. She keeps seeing him and having nightmares. I was concerned about her.

School, university and home life are very well covered. I agree with Mia: Tally is very irritating.

The thriller is very fast paced and it’s not a long one, but this is something that helps it be so great, in my opinion. It was very twisty, and had me questioning what was real and true and what wasn’t all the way through.

Thanks to Joanne Ryan, Rachel’s Random Resources for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

5 stars, but it deserves more. I am looking forward to finding another book by Joanne Ryan.