Minimum-wage worker Amy saves comfortable middle-class Cara's life during a terrorist outrage. This shocking event leads to a spilling of secrets, more death and more secrets come out. Amy manipulates her way into Cara's life and home.
Gradually we learn the history which has lead to todays vulnerabilities and life choices.

This book is fast paced, exciting, with layers of uncertainty right till the end. I found the swapping of narrators confusing at first, but it grew on me since this technique allows us access to both lead characters inner thoughts.
I found this an enjoyable holiday read, and having treated people under extreme stress, and people with psychopathic personality disorders all too realistic.
Psychological warfare and manipulation, but who is the real victim here?

A real thriller the main characters were both very damaged especially Amy lots of different emotions and was a chilling read at times the ending was exiting all in all a great read

This book didn't work out for me. I prefer more mystery to the story, you know is she crazy or nor not? However, knowing right from the start that Amy has a screw loose just made this reading experience pretty boring ESPECIALLY since Cara didn't seem to get the hints about it. The ending, the very last chapters, however, is the best part of the books. If the book had been better, more thrilling and less annoying would I have liked the book so much more.

Following a terror attack that rocked London Cara spills her secrets to a stranger. What follows is dark and gritty with a good twist at the end. This book kept me interested throughout and I would definitely recommend to family and friends.

A great idea for the beginning and setting of a modern thriller/mystery novel. However parts of it were so unrealistic and unbelievable that I felt let down. If Karen had made things just a little more 'real life' like and her characters, at least one of them, more likeable, then I think she would be on to and even bigger success.

This book started off really well, I loved the premise of it, two women are irrevocably tied together due to their experience of being caught up in a terrorist attack in London. Amy pulls Cara to safety and the pair hide out in a storeroom until the attack seems to be over. During this time Cara confides in Amy, confessing some of her secrets in the knowledge that they won't ever meet up again. However, we learn that Amy has become obsessed with Cara and soon manages to inveigle herself into her life with the consequences becoming deadly.
I did enjoy the book, but felt it became slightly unbelievable and I found myself shouting at Cara, get a grip, open your eyes and stop behaving like such an eejit! It is scary how one person can wreak so much havoc on another person's life but if Cara had any kind of self awareness and stopped behaving so selfishly, she might have figured out what was going on sooner.
An enjoyable book but not the best I have read in the genre.

This book is a good read. Fast paced and full of action with an ending that I did not see coming. Amy and Cara narrate alternate chapters and everything is pieced together from their points of view. The only thing that I disliked about this book is that I could not warm to either if the main characters. I do not think that either Amy or Cara are likeable, nice people.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Firstly, thanks go, as always, to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me a pre release copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Briefly, Cara is stepping out of a tube station when she sees a terrorist walking towards her; fearing for her life, she's suddenly dragged off the street and into a shop store room by Amy, a young American girl. While they wait for the attack to be over, and expecting never to see her again, Cara reveals some of her deepest secrets to Amy. Things don't quite turn out like that, however, and Amy instills herself into Cara's life.

This book just ambles along as Cara begins to reignite an old flame and juggle work, home, her new found friend, and protecting her secrets from being exposed. For the first two thirds of the novel, there really isn't a lot happening and I couldn't help but thinking 'This really isn't going anywhere!' Then, I got the last third. And things most definitely pick up. There's suspicion, murder, and a few red herrings thrown in for good measure. I'll admit, there was a point I didn't think I was going to make it to the end, but I'm glad I did as the ending does make up for the dull bits towards the beginning.

If you're contemplating this book, it's a very worthy read; you just have to percevere and keep reading.

WOW! Loved this one....had me turning the pages so fast, I literally couldn't put this one down. An absolute must read and we'll earned 5 stars.

'Your Closest Friend' by Karen Perry brings everyone's worst nightmare to life by detailing the events of a terrorist attack. What Cara Jameson, one of the survivors, doesn't realise is that the attack is only the beginning of a long road of terror, blackmail, fear and hopelessness.

Perry was very successful in describing the terrorist attack and how victims may suffer afterwards with symptoms such as PTSD but the main story, the one that runs alongside and after the terror attack was extremely drawn out.

'Your Closest Friend' is a fast paced, psychological thriller but it can become tedious at times and I found it very hard to believe, especially the ending.

I love Karen Perry as an author and usually write much longer reviews but this novel leaves me disappointed and without a lot to say.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free ARC in return for an honest review.

3.5 stars. This book started of well and had me hooked from the first page but unfortunately I felt the pace slowed down towards the middle. It seemed to drag on a bit and I found myself skimming parts. Nevertheless not a bad read and I would look out for more by this author in the future

This story lives up to its genre- a thriller. It hooks you in from the first terrifying moments when, in an ordinary person's life the events would be the main story, they becomes secondary. This author has made a unnerving, unrelenting personal attack much more frightening. Told from two viewpoints we see into the mind of the perpetrator and see the devastating consequences of the object of her desire. Not knowing who to trust, Cara is driven to the edge of despair and the reader to the edge of their seats.

A very claustophobic thriller of obsessive unrequited love. It is set in London and starts with a terrorist attack. Amy possibly saves Cara's life. In the panic while they are waiting to be rescued, Cara tells Amy all her secrets.

But once the attack is over Amy does not want to let go.
Cara has a good job, she is happily married and has a lovely kid but her life is possibly not as good and happy as it might seem. For a start her husband has accepted a job abroad, he insists on living in the flat he shared with his dead wife and daughter Olivia. And Olivia can't stand Cara.
But the danger is not inside the family but outside.

Overall a good thriller, as in other book in this genre there are some cliche' but it would not be a psychological thriller without them! It is the kind of book that you want to finish to see how it ends. A book you want to have for a journey or for the beach. It is my first book by this author.

When Cara is rescued from a terrorist attack in London by stranger called Amy, she reveals secrets that even her husband is unaware of. Once the danger passes and life begins to return to normal, Cara can't remember exactly what she's told Amy but she doesn't give it too much heed because they've gone their separate ways.

With her marriage now running into difficulties, Cara becomes the target of anonymous threats by someone called 'Your Closest Friend'. She's relieved when Amy reappears with an offer to help look after her young daughter. Feeling a shared affinity, Cara accepts and Amy moves into the house.

But has Cara just made a massive mistake by accepting Amy into her life and home?...

I really enjoyed this psychological thriller and it held my undivided attention throughout. It's tension-filled and moves along at a good pace. However, I felt slightly disappointed that certain details could have remained hidden for longer - I thought too much was revealed too early on in the book.

Yes, the plot is good and character development is handled extremely well, but I was able to anticipate the direction it was taking. That being said, I wasn't disappointed. There were plenty of unexpected twists and turns and these balanced the book nicely.

Would I recommend it to my friends? Of course I would! It's a great read and will appeal to lovers of this genre.

Quite harrowing in places when the heroine of the book is being monitored and stalked by a young woman she met in a chance encounter. However, I didn't empathise too much with the heroine due to her questionable behaviour.

Loved it

What an absorbing read. If you thought you were going to die would you share your deepest, darkest secrets with a stranger? Torn between her ex and her good old reliable hubby, Cara bares her soul to Amy after they are both caught up in a terror attack. Will Cara live to regret this and if she does, will someone else have to die? This book sucked me in, chewed me up and spat me back out! If you love a good twisty read with believable characters, read this, you won’t be disappointed.

I was totally hooked on this book. Its written in a dual narrative, which is a style i quite like for this type of book. The story starts with two women meeting as a terrorist attack occurs. We see how their lives unfold and merge. This story will definitely keep you on your toes. I highly recommend it.

Karen Perry’s new novel is an interesting read that is told using two first person narratives which is an interesting choice for an essentially what is a thriller. Telling the story from the points of views of Cara, the heroine and Amy, the new found friend?!.

Setting the story against terrorist attacks of London works and helps dive you into the story at hand. At times, the character of Cara becomes increasingly frustrating through her choices whilst Amy, comes as across as the most interesting character. There are a few red herrings and although some of them are pretty easy to figure out, which can be a little annoying as it takes a while before Cara catches on, saying that, there are some real good twists and turns to keep the reader on their toes.

The books characters are very well written and Perry keeps it interesting enough to keep the reader involved. There are some questionable choices that are made but this is in keeping with the character of Cara. I was deeply involved with the plot which is well developed. It’s a great summer read and there is a lot to like. The ending doesn’t have complete closure and does lack some character growth or some epiphany which doesn’t quite happen here although this maybe more of a realistic ending.

Exciting, gripping and enjoyable, Perry’s Your Closest Friend is well paced and very enjoyable.

A masterclass in manipulation and insanity. I thought the London terrorist incidents would be too recent to include in a novel but they were important to the whole story. I lost some sympathy with Cara for a while but the way she and the family were manipulated by Amy changed my feelings. The ending reminded me of Apple Tree Yard.

This book begins with a scene that felt only too real. A terror attack in London and Cara is seeing it unfold before her when someone pulls her inside a shop and saves her life.

We find out that Cara works as a radio producer and the next day a special programme is aired featuring the events of the terror attack. The person who saved Cara rings in and reveals that she will keep the secret Cara shared with her safe!

Slowly we see Cara's life begin to unfold, both the past and the present events before she witnessed the terror attack. Cara needs a nanny and it turns out that the stranger who saved her is just that so she invites her to live in her home. Meanwhile the stranger begins to find out a little more about Cara's past.

I found this book to be a slow starter after the initial horror of the opening scenes. There was nothing for me to endear me to Cara - I found her very shallow and self serving and wasn't really interested in what happened to her or her life.

Once Amy - the stranger, begins to find out more about Cara's past the book got more interesting and there were two twists - or even a double twist that made me sit up and take note. The end of the book was very taught and the physiological thriller aspect of the book really came to life with a nail biting scene. I was wondering how this was all going to end. Finally we get closure on what has been happening in the book - or do we? as a terrific final twist is revealed.

I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. I did enjoy the book but felt it took me a long time to get through.

My thanks to Netgalley for a copy of the book for review.