Book Review: The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker

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The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker  was published on March 17, 2025. It opens with Detective Declan Shaw at a closed subway station trying to work up the nerve to commit suicide when he receives a call from his partner about a break in and homicide at the home of a true crime author. Shaw makes his way to the crime scene to work the case, and in a turn of events, Declan comes under scrutiny in another case loosely connected to this new case. I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Writer  from NetGalley and Little , Brown, and Company for free in exchange for my honest review. I'm appreciative that my request for this book was approved. With this story opening with the main character trying to commit suicide, I almost didn't go any further with the book. However, I am glad I stuck with it as it took me on a fantastic ride and had my emotions all over the place. There were so many twists and turns that just when I thought I had it all figured out, there was ...
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Book Review: Keep Your Friends Close by Leah Konen

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Book Review: Keep Your Friends Close by Leah Konen
netgalley arc book review keep your friends close leah konen

Keep Your Friends Close by Leah Konen opens with two moms, Mary and Willa, on the playground with their sons in New York City. They become fast friends after a snarky mom makes a comment about the junk food given as a snack. Suddenly, Willa ghosts Mary for apparently no reason, but while in Woodstock, Mary spots Willa and tries to speak with her. Why is Willa pretending to be someone else?

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for free in exchange for my honest review. I was intrigued by the synopsis and was thrilled when I found out I was receiving Keep Your Friends Close. Unfortunately, life got in the way, and I got behind in reading and reviewing the book.

The story started off a bit slow but the suspense ended building very nicely. The novel alternated between Mary and Willa as well as had alternating timelines. Because it was told from different perspectives, the reader gets a bit of insight that they wouldn't if it wasn't told this way, and it would be harder to figure out the twists and turns. However, the alternating timelines kept me guessing a little, and things weren't always what they seemed. I did figure out part of the ending but not all of it.

At times, I didn't care for Mary for a couple of reasons. There were times she seemed wishy-washy and other times seemed too needy. Overall, I did enjoy this character. As for Willa, I never really trusted her, but I really wanted to like her and had trouble with that. I'm not going into details as I don't want to give any plotlines away, but I think you'll agree with me. George and Henry were completely unlikable. I think that George could have changed if given the chance, but I think Henry was a lost cause.

All in all, I enjoyed Keep Your Friends Close by Leah Konen and gave it five out of five stars. I look forward to reading more novels by this author as I find myself thinking about this story days after finishing it.

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