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The Best of Friends

Auteur(s): Lucinda Berry
Narrateur(s): Amy Rubinate,Tara Sands,Coleen Marlo
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Description

An unthinkable tragedy forever changes a group of teens and turns family against family in this edge-of-your-seat thriller that begs to be heard in one sitting.

Best friends Lindsey, Kendra, and Dani endure every parent’s nightmare when a tragic accident befalls their teenage boys, leaving one dead, another in a coma, and a third too traumatized to speak. 

Reeling from the worst night of their lives, the three mothers plunge into a desperate investigation of the bizarre incident. How could something so horrible happen in their wealthy Southern California suburb? 

They soon discover that the accident was just the beginning, and troubling discoveries lead to chilling questions: Do they really know their children? Do they even know each other? As more secrets surface, a fog of doubt and suspicion threatens to poison their families, their friendships, and the whole community. 

With the illusion of happiness and safety long gone, these women must now confront the hazards of heartbreak, the consequences of jealousy, and the dangers of living double lives.

©2020 by Heather Berry. (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Ce que les auditeurs disent de The Best of Friends

Moyenne des évaluations de clients
Au global
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 étoiles
    5
  • 4 étoiles
    7
  • 3 étoiles
    3
  • 2 étoiles
    0
  • 1 étoile
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 étoiles
    5
  • 4 étoiles
    7
  • 3 étoiles
    1
  • 2 étoiles
    0
  • 1 étoile
    0
Histoire
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 étoiles
    5
  • 4 étoiles
    6
  • 3 étoiles
    0
  • 2 étoiles
    2
  • 1 étoile
    0

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  • Au global
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Histoire
    3 out of 5 stars
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  • A Customer
  • 2020-09-15

Synopsis is well-written but misleading. Minimal mystery. Women’s fiction w angsty melodrama.


Here’s my first bit of advice: Listen to the Audible version & pass on Kindle.

I was eager to read about three distraught mothers who investigate the tragedy that left one of their sons dead, another brain dead, and the third psychologically damaged. The prologue hooked me, as did the first 25 pages—but at 10% into the book, there are already 16 characters, not counting tertiaries. This is set in an upper-middle class, very White neighborhood in SoCal—with McMansions, privileged children, clueless parents, spoiled athlete sons, private schools, drugs, and alcohol abuse. Yes, cliches galore. Five eye roll emojis for the kids’ names: Sutton, Wyatt, Caleb, Sawyer, Reese, and Luna. Happily, one is named Jacob.

As a whole, the mom characters are unsympathetic, as are their sons, but I did like Luna, a college age teen. Character development is minimal, although very short chapters feature the moms’ POVs. Goodread reviewers pointed out that their voices are too similar, so before frustration set in, I switched to the Audible version. Problem solved! Three narrators—Amy Rubinate, Tara Sands and Coleen Marlo—are skilled voice-actors who give the moms distinctive voices.

This book has many hanging threads. Which mom had the terrible eating disorder? Who had a drinking problem? What was the horrible situation one mom experience whilst in high school? Who else was involved? How were the women affected by these problems? Or did the author just decide to toss in the kitchen sink for padding?

Minus 1/2 star for the ridiculous epilogue, which could have been omitted. Docked another 1/2 star for the unbelievable and seemingly supernatural “miracle”—which grants a sort of HEA to one family. I’m in the minority of reviewers, so if you enjoy women’s fiction or domestic drama, please read this w a shaker of salt.

Trigger warnings: suicide, murder, domestic abuse, alcoholism, drug abuse, subplots that go nowhere.

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29 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

  • Au global
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Histoire
    2 out of 5 stars
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  • MA Reviewer
  • 2020-09-08

BEST OF FRIENDS was not the BEST....

Lucinda Berry, did you really write this book?

Lucinda Berry's "When She Returned" earned a 5-star rave review from me. Unfortunately, "The Best of Friends" did not seem like it was written by the same author and was certainly not "the best" effort by this author.

Just like "When She Returned", this book revolved around a horrific event. This, however, is where the similarities of the two books ended. When I listened to "When She Returned"., I remember that I was unable to stop listening to it. While listening to "The Best of Friends", I kept on wanting to abandon the book. Unfortunately, I listened to the book in its entirety, optimistically hoping that it would get better but it never did.

I am unable to comment on the character development of the three best friends showcased in this book --- because character development did not exist. Quite frankly, it was hard to keep who-was-who straight. And the book just dragged on-and-on-and-on. ...with a "surprise ending" that was very predictable. UGH!

Looking at the half-full cup, the narrators did a superb job.

Sooooo disappointing!

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12 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

  • Au global
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Histoire
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Corinne
  • 2020-08-18

I'm only 1/4 of the way in...

And I'm already hooked!!! Let's hope there rest of the book keeps the same pace.... 🤞🏼😍

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7 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

  • Au global
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Histoire
    1 out of 5 stars
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  • Lucy
  • 2022-04-14

What A Disappointing MESS!!

I'm sorry, but it is completely beyond me to understand how this got such good ratings. Based on the reviews, I was looking forward to this. I love Liane Moriarty, and Diane Chamberlin rarely lets me down, so I thought, Yippee! Well. NOT.

I wasn't even going to bother with a review, but this book ended up really annoying me on so many fronts. For a start: a horrible tragedy is NOT a plot. Novels have plots. This, on the other hand, felt manipulative and lazy. Set up a ghastly situation, and the reader just has to sort of stick with it and try to be generous. Which I did. I really did. But this was boring. The writing is utterly pedestrian, with a good dose of plodding thrown in. A sort of class in anti-tension. Did this author even try? And these rather spoiled self involved women? All you really need to know, is we are supposed to be engaged by the idea that they were still using High School as a frame of reference. Not even college. Something Bad That Happened at Junior Prom. Seriously. To add insult to injury, we never even find out what it was. Although I doubt anyone would care.

The Three friends thing is an old plot device - but these three friends were A: just under-characterized versions of the same person. B: Self involved and, ultimately, pretty hard to like. With the exception, maybe, of Dani. Although even that didn't survive the epilogue, which was seriously dumb. Every cliche known to readers of 'women's fiction' was stuffed in here, from alcoholism to eating disorders to abuse. It ended up as a sort of chopped salad, with a pretty weird dressing ( quite a lot of slapping and punching an unconscious body? What WAS that?). As for the big mystery of 'What Really Happened?' Let's just say you didn't need to be Enola Holmes. I did keep it on until the end...by which time I was having happy fantasies about a hail of bullets killing them all.

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4 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

  • Au global
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Histoire
    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Sheila S
  • 2020-08-23

Melodrama

There were so many characters here that I had to develop a chart to keep everyone straight. Despite my confusion, the storyline was initially engaging. This was a tough tale to resolve, and the ending seemed rushed and unsatisfying. Overall rating: 3.5 stars rounded up

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4 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

  • Au global
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Histoire
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Christina Moore
  • 2020-10-24

Amazing!! Please please read this book! If you have children it’s so gripping and emotional!

I was obsessed each morning and after work to get on audible and listen to this book!

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2 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

  • Au global
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Histoire
    1 out of 5 stars
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  • Susan
  • 2020-09-29

I should have known-women’s issues!

While I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the kids, I did not enjoy the women’s story (issues) surrounding it. The narration was irritating. I also found the substance abuse issue rather disproportionate. The women seemed not in the least concerned about their kids drinking but the drug used for ADHD sent the mothers and fathers into hysterics. While I don’t approve of abusing prescription drugs, I see adderall help many kids every day (when taken appropriately). I don’t know if this woman had a bad experience with the drug (as anybody can with any drug) but I hope the completely negative light she shed on this medication doesn’t stop moms whose children are truly ADHD and need the medicine to survive in school.

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2 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

  • Au global
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Histoire
    1 out of 5 stars
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  • Brenda Kimbrough
  • 2020-08-23

Slow, slow, slow. Boring.

I expected an interesting story due to the summary. I kept waiting for things to pick up and get a bit mysterious. Never happened.
Boring and depressing.
I would return it, but have listened too long
For it to seem legitimate.

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2 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

  • Au global
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Histoire
    1 out of 5 stars
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  • Gus S.
  • 2022-12-20

Ignorant, dangerous takes on ADHD & mental health

Aside from the fact that the plot resembled a block of Swiss cheese, not a single “strong take” in the story is one that any normal human being would take. The three main characters are equal parts forgettable and terrible. The only way I can describe them is “the people who love high school reunions.” Their claim to fame is that they’ve grown up best friends and now their kids are best friends and their husbands all like totally get along. I have to imagine they live in one of those tragic towns exposed to an awful chemical leak at the local mill. That, or stupid is far more contagious than I once believed it to be.

Character takes from least to most terrible:

The one with the abusive husband- the only one I give any leeway to simply because she was subjected to physical and mental abuse for years. HOWEVER, she is still very stupid and impossible to root for. One example- her daughter leaves the house after a fight but leaves a note for her which we assume explains why she left and wasn’t just her grocery list. Our stupid character is initially too distraught to read the letter (ok) but then spends chapters trying to call, text, show up at the daughter’s house to find out where she is. But she still…never reads the letter bc it’s “too hard.” Stupid.

The one who sounded like she had a Werther’s in her mouth- I would preface this with a disclaimer that shows respect for what can only be the worst possible scenario for a parent….BUT the author showed it no respect so I won’t either. Keeping your child in a vegetative state bc you’re sad is not love, sorry. The fact that she’s supposed to be seen as some badass taker downer of the meany doctors who “refuse” to keep her kid alive is just the wrong take. I thought… like everyone knew that? Oh you’re such a good mom taking your kid home by stealing him from the hospital! No, you are cruel, selfish and are absolutely putting/keeping your child in pain you big dummy. She should not be portrayed in any sort of heroic light.

The one whose kid died- this idiot and that idiot husband of hers. Where do I begin? She has absolutely no problem that her 16 year old kid got drunk all the time and went to college parties. Boyz will be boyz! Her other son, even younger, is openly dealing drugs to the whole school and getting suspended for vaping but we can “deal with that later.” BUT her terrible awful secret is that she has been giving her son, who was diagnosed with ADHD, his prescribed medication for said disorder. She’s an emotional mess about telling her husband and when she does he flips the F out, basically says he wants a divorce and blames her for their other son’s death…what the actual F? I had to listen to this part again bc I thought surely that’s not what’s going on, this is the first legal substance any of these kids have taken. But then we’re supposed to totally get why her low IQ husband is soooo against adderall bc when he was a boy his cousin was prescribed anti-depression meds and ended up committing suicide so he blamed the medication. HUH? SO. MUCH. WRONG. In one chapter, this author did so much harm and damage by continuing to promote all the stigmas around mental health and behavioral disorders. Also how unrealistic is it that anyone could say “ah yes, that one cousin 40 years ago that was depressed.” He’s only known one person on anti-depressants?! WTF is going on in this donkey brain infested town?

If anyone is reading this and struggles with mental health and/or behavioral disorders PLEASE do not let this ass clown of a book dissuade you from doing whatever is needed for you and your health. This author should be ashamed of promoting such dangerous views.

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1 personne a trouvé cela utile

  • Au global
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Histoire
    3 out of 5 stars
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  • RueRue
  • 2021-02-08

Melodrama

A bit heavy handed on the melodrama and dysfunctional families. There is a nice little twist at the end.

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1 personne a trouvé cela utile

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