BEST FRIENDS FOREVER

How well do you know your closest friend?

Alice Campbell and Kat Grant met three years ago waiting for a delayed plane back to their small Florida town and have been inseparable ever since. Despite the differences in their lifestyles—Kat owns an art gallery and comes from money, while Alice is a former math professor–turned–children’s author with two school-age kids and ever increasing debts—they have an unbreakable bond forged through secrets shared during boozy lunches. Or so Alice thought. But when Kat’s boorish husband falls from their balcony one night, the police come knocking at Alice’s door, and suddenly, Kat goes dark, not returning texts or calls and actively avoiding Alice. The book skips back and forth in time from the present day to different points in Kat and Alice’s relationship, revealing how they got so close and pointing out flaws in a supposedly perfect friendship. Seemingly innocuous moments from the past get reframed as new information comes out, and Alice tries to decipher what exactly she means to Kat. The time transitions, which could have been clunky, flow into each other and provide almost constant cliffhangers. The whole narrative constantly pushes forward, asking readers to question every conclusion and warning them to never completely trust anyone. It helps that the characters are well-drawn, speaking easily for themselves and standing out as unique people who feel real. While the novel never quite hits the high point it's hinting at, skittering to a conclusion, the striking last few pages make up for a weak climax and would reward a reread.

Hunt’s thriller races toward a lackluster conclusion but offers interesting characters and a twisting plot.