Friends Like These

by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

Twisted secrets that will have readers guessing with every flip of the page. Perfect for fans of GONE GIRL and Karen M. McManus.

Tegan Sheffield's annual end-of-summer beach party is the only way to start their senior year. At least that's what Jake Healy tells his girlfriend Jessica Sanchez.

But when a video prank from the party goes viral and a body is discovered at the beach, Jake and Jessica find themselves at the centre of a national media storm and a police investigation.

It's a race to uncover the truth before the killer strikes again.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary, Crime, Audiobook

376 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2022

About the author

I am the author of two thrillers, FRIENDS LIKE THESE and LIES LIKE WILDFIRE from Delacorte Press. I also write middle-grade fantasy stories, THE GUARDIAN HERD and RIDERS OF THE REALM from HarperCollins Children's Books. THE PET WASHER is my indie novel.

Praise for LIES LIKE WILDFIRE

"Consider this a must-have thriller." School Library Journal

"Five Fiery Stars for this bingeable, edge-of-your-seat, twisty thriller." NATASHA PRESTON, New York Times bestselling author of The Lake

"Twisty and fast-paced and visceral. I couldn't put this one down." KATIE COTUGNO, New York Timesbestselling author of 99 Days

"A twisty, fast-paced thriller about accountability, guilt, jealousy, and survival." Kirkus

Praise for The Guardian Herd Series
“Chock-full of adventure and twists, making it difficult to put down.” School Library Journal

“Filled with fantastical action, and rich with description. A well-paced and engrossing story. Alvarez has created a series that will be beloved by readers.” Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

"Alvarez's world is lush with description and atmosphere, and her premise has much to offer." Publishers Weekly

"The clever resolution will get kids psyched for more tales from the Guardian Herd." Booklist

"This epic adventure is richly developed. Compelling." Kirkus Reviews

“From page one, Jennifer Lynn Alvarez weaves an epic tale of a doomed black Pegasus foal named Star, whose race against time will lift the reader on the wings of destiny and danger, magic and hope. It’s a world I did not want to leave, and neither will you.” (Peter Lerangis, New York Times bestselling author in the 39 Clues series and of the Seven Wonders series)

Reviews

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars A very captivating, twisty YA mystery about a mean girl who disappears after a video prank gone wrong.

Jessica and Jake are in love and entering their senior year of high school. Their only problem--Jake's ex-girlfriend and Jessica's ex-best friend Tegan. Against Jessica's better judgment, they attend a back to school party at Tegan's house and things get out of hand, a live stream of an event goes wrong and when everyone wakes up the next day, Tegan is missing and no one knows (or will admit to knowing) what happened to her. The police begin their investigation and everyone is hiding something. Will they find Tegan dead, alive, or at all?

This book has some great twists and some very astute observations about sexual assault. It is very rare that there is a male victim of sexual assault portrayed in a novel, and the narrative gives a lot of food for thought about how it could (and does) happen. I thought that the thread involving this subject was surprising and intriguing.

As I had mentioned in one of my updates, some of what happens along the way in this book was just ridiculous and made me round down my rating. There's one instance where Jake has just beat someone up and is on the run because the police have been called, and yet he encounters Jessica in the woods and they get naked and hook up in a shed. Really?

Other than a few eye rolling moments, the mystery proceeds at a brisk pace and nothing is fully answered until the end. There are definitely a few surprises and some of the characters are not as they appear on the surface. I listened to this as an audiobook and it is a full cast narration, which is great for keeping straight who is narrating. The narrators were all excellent and different.

If you like a well-told YA mystery, this is a great choice.

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friends Like These is a perfect beachy/small town toxic friendship YA mystery/suspense for fans of character-driven slow burns with delicious writing. Jennifer Lynn Alvarez is such a talent. "Delicious writing!" I thought more than once. Just some lovely turns of phrase and a cresting purposeful build of suspense and high stakes that I got incredibly invested in.

And, man, the stakes. While this is a "missing girl, where is she and who's involved?" book, it hinges on some high conflict/stakes scenarios that were beautifully rendered. The big inciting incident was jaw dropping in the best way. I was immediately invested in the plight of the main characters, particularly Jess. Oh, Jess. Jess, girl, Jess SOME OF YOUR LIFE CHOICES. Yeah, it's that kind of book. You want to both yell at and hug the characters.

Highly recommend this one for Kara Thomas YA thriller fans. It's similarly deftly woven with compelling characters and a dark edge.

Intoxicating and propulsive; an emotional rollercoaster that doesn't let up until the final, brutal twist.

[Mary Books and Cookies · Rating 3 out of 5]

* you know how that song goes, "teenagers scare the living shit out of me"? this book was that for me

* besties, for real, these kids 🥲

* half a brain cell between all of them

* revenge or a minor inconvenience shouldn't mean "let's kill everyone! 😃"

* me @ these kids: sometimes it's okay to let things go, especially when we're talking about things that happened when you were like... 15 years old

* toxic friendships and relationships all around, there wasn't one (1) well adjusted relationship in the entire book

* i liked that it was fast paced and intense, even though I kind of guessed the twist

* the writing was choppy at times, and some character decisions questionable at best, so i found myself shaking my head a lot 😅

* it's great for when you have an afternoon off and you want to get through a book quickly

[Lenka Palmová · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was predictable, but I still binged and enjoyed the book!

[Joana B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boy am I happy my high school days are way behind me!

This had me hooked almost immediately! The anticipation is really well done. I wanted to flip to the end because I just couldn’t wait to find out what the heck happened?! I thought I had it figured out but I was wrong (and I love when that happens).

This is told in alternating chapters between 3 of the main characters. I really sympathized with all of them. Who hasn’t made mistakes in high school without wholeheartedly understanding the consequences? I thought Tegan was awful to both Jake and Jessica but her chapters really helped humanize her. I’m glad we got to see things from her point of view as well.

I really enjoyed this one and, if you are into YA thrillers set in sleepy Northern California beach towns (yay Sonoma county), you will too!

Thank you Jennifer Lynn Alvarez, Delacorte Press and TBR & Beyond Tours for providing a Netgalley eARC in exchange for my honest review!

[ᒪᗴᗩᕼ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4½⭐

“With friends like these, who needs enemies?”

MOODS:
➨ YA Mystery Thriller
➨ Contemporary
➨ A Missing Girl
➨ 4 separate POVs

WHAT YOU GET:
➨ Toxic Relationships
➨ Sex, lies, & betrayals
➨ Great writing & Perfect Pacing

I was so into this book…it was just what I needed…right when I needed it.

NARRATION:
🎙️ Maria Liatis, Max Meyers, Chelsea Kwoka, Angel Pean 📣 The narration was really quite excellent.

Total Score 8.71/10 | Opening-8.5 | Characters-8.5 | Plot-8 | Atmosphere-9 | Writing Style-9 | Ending-8.5 | Overall Enjoyment- 9.5

[Fenita Pasya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow... this book is something, cuz it has twisty mistery kind of story that made me wondering all the possible things that could solve the riddles. I kinda love this genre tho. But there are things that weigh on my heart to give it 4 or even 5 rating, only because i dont really like Jess' character here, thats it.
I mean she's behind all this mess and act behind an 'INNOCENT MASK' what?!

And i was pissed off by the ending. I wanted something more bad happened to her and the hell she has the nerve to say to Jake, "please go to college for me", who on earth are you now for him btw girll? Guess you dont have self aware or something. So i felt satisfied when jake left her, he deserved more than her. Poor our Jake here bro.

Moral of the story is dont trust anyone even your closest people can betray you.

[Lyra (Cardan's tail's version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

How did this take me so long to read 😭 anyway, it’s even worse than I remember lmao

[Lorianne Magny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ L’histoire était bonne, mais un peu trop teen à mon goût

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friends Like These || Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
Genre: YA mystery/thriller

Perfect for fans of Karen M McManus! Friends Like These is a standalone YA psychological thriller by author Jennifer Lynn Alvarez. This is my first book by this author but it certainly won’t be my last one.

Told in current POV by Jessica and Jake, a teenage couple who attend a beginning of the year party where a video prank goes horribly wrong. Shortly afterwards Jake and Jessica find themselves in the midst of a missing person’s investigation where it’s a race to uncover the truth about what happened to Tegan before it’s too late. We are also treated to events in the lead up to the party as told by Tegan. These bite-sized pieces of the puzzle give us vital backstory to the prank and subsequent crime when every teenager is potentially hiding deadly secrets. The twists and turns in this one will give you whiplash and I can honestly say I didn’t predict the turn of events that occurred or the motivations. This book felt like a guilty pleasure, a fun-filled reminder of the heightened time of being a teenager where social connections and relationships are so intense.
I will be reading more by this author and intend to go back and read her well known YA thriller, Lies Like Wildfire. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

[Jake Russo · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was about 150 pages too long, so many obvious misdirects, and a pretty obvious who-dunnit (that's probably because I've read a few too many YA mysteries though).
I'm also not really a fan of split POVs and this book had a few too many for me to really connect with any of the characters (and I share a name with one of the main ones!)

[cece · Rating 1 out of 5]

a trite mystery with a (half) decent plot execution that unfortunately doesn't make up for the mediocre writing or how unlikeable the characters were. others may enjoy it, but I guess it's a no for me.

thank you to PRH International for the ARC.

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent young adult psychological thriller from Jennifer Lynn Alvarez taking on some emotive themes whilst also presenting the reader with a twisty mystery that is very entertaining to read.

Some excellent love to hate to l9ve characters in the mix creating a group dynamic that is hugely compelling, the writing is terrific and overall this is a wonderfully addictive read that is very satisfying.

My first book from this author won't be my last.

[des · Rating 2 out of 5]

oooh..cue up 'super rich kids' by frank ocean, or teenagers by mcr. I was NOT expecting that ending, but i like, well,


I despised most (if not all)of the characters so I was pretty happy. how dare that basic Mary sue Jess have the AUDACITY or even half the nerve to BEGG jake to go to college FOR HER in the end. the world does not revolve around you, honey. you deserved every single thing that came to you in the end, as well as your horrible friends. I guess, moral of the story is: you can't trust everyone. or better yet, you can't trust anyone. I did not believe Jessica's innocent "soft girl 😔🥺" act. she is so basic it makes me mad that she's a main character, like I do stand with teagan on that part. I did NOT expect the killer to be chloe, though... but on to things that matter.

the writing was solid? something like that but it felt so generic and once again very outdated and sort of cringe, like so many other books that I have encountered within the ya contemporary genre. not to say this thriller was absolutely bad (it wasn't) but the characters mainly pissed me off cuz they were stupid. but I was asking for it ig. It is a ya thriller after all lmao the dual pov was kind of weird especially when it came to teagan's POV. i had no idea it was before all the events that occured till her third chapter came. but I will say the dual POV was pretty smart in keeping the reader engaged and on their toes.

buut, besides that I do commend the author on bringing up the fact that yes, men get raped very often. it is quite common, but is not addressed a lot. this is my first time reading about it in ya.

anywho I was tempted to give this book 3 stars, but for the majority of the time I spent banging my head in frustration of the characters, I guess I settled on a two. I think other people would like it more, though.

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Oh man, I have to say this is one book I was trying to get to the end to find out what would happen next. This book was so good that after I finished it, I have not been able to start another book. I am having trouble finding something as good as this one! One night is supposed to be fun for all attending this summer party. What happens next affects so many people. We have a missing girl, a boy caught in the middle, and Jess, who is trying to help figure it out all. I loved all the characters. I could feel the frustrations they would have, and they acted just like I expected teenagers to.
I can't wait to put this book on my shelves in the library because I know it will be flying off the shelf. It has everything you need in a story. Fast-paced, amazing story plot, great characters, and mystery. It just shows that you sometimes have to watch your friends and those close to you.

[kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jennifer Lynn Alvarez is such an exciting new voice in the world of young adult thrillers. Having loved her debut, I was highly anticipating the release of her sophomore novel and it did not disappoint. Addictive, fast paced and gritty, with a brilliant discussions surrounding rape (specifically male rape), sexual assault, substance abuse, grief and toxic friendships, Friends Like These was an emotive and twisty thriller I struggled to put down. I have a feeling Jennifer Lynn Alvarez has officially become an auto buy author for me…

TW: rape, substance abuse, sexual assault

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating 2.75.

It was really hard to enjoy the story when the narrators were unlikeable. Tegan, Jessica, and Jake were connected through an extremely tangled web with lots of history and due to that layered history, several rivalries were rooted. They didn't have any redeeming qualities and so it was difficult to feel sympathetic for them. The plot covered tough subjects and portrayed realistic consequences, but overall, this book was not for me. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

[Patricia · Rating 1 out of 5]

First time ever writing a review, but I could not hold back after reading this book. How disappointing to read a book in which a young woman has such low self respect that she puts up with and justifies her boyfriend’s shameful, violent, and stupid behavior. Behavior that has brought shame on her, led her to breaking the law, and put her at risk. What a bad example for young women everywhere.

If I could, I would rate it no stars.

[Brittany (whatbritreads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay but I’m a little disappointed with my rating considering I gave this author's debut five stars. She again has produced a very easy to digest novel, but this one didn't quite hit the same in terms of the pacing, plot and characters unfortunately. Still an entertaining and mildly thrilling storyline that I devoured in a single day, but didn’t blow my mind nearly as much as I anticipated.

I know this is a ya novel so this is probably a very daft complaint, but I don’t remember her writing being so juvenile. It really took me out of the story for this one, because it felt very overly cliche. The characters especially fell victim to this, and their preset personalities seemed to be pre-programmed and cookie cutter. Because it’s such a short novel trying to cram so much information in too, with a cast of suspects this big, it didn’t do their development much justice unfortunately. They were very forgettable, quite bland personalities. I wished it had more perspectives outside of Jess and Jake, it would’ve felt more engaging to pull the other characters and their point of view into the mix as well.

Pacing wise, I think this actually ended up being a little slower than I was hoping for. With her first novel, I thought it was extremely atmospheric and tense and just completely wild from the get go. It had me guessing, it stressed me out, it was wildly unpredictable and full of suspense. I weirdly barely got any of the same feelings with this one?! Of course it was twisty and I was curious about them ending, but the desperation and the thirst to know seemed absent.

I did enjoy the twists in the plot and while I wouldn't have guessed them, I do think maybe it took the deceptive red herring aspect too far, to the point where the end results were unsatisfying. We spend the whole book being pulled in a million different directions, so that by the end of the book when you hear the real truth of what happened it almost doesn’t make sense. Well it did make sense - but we’d neglected certain characters and events so much that it felt like it was very random and coming out of left field, rather than breadcrumbs being placed throughout the story to point you to that conclusion all along. For some people it’ll be a jaw dropping shock that they never would have seen coming in the best way possible, but I felt like the conclusion was too far out of reach to be plausible in a satisfying way.

I’m still really intrigued to keep reading her thrillers in the future, but this one underwhelmed me.

[Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday)]

Enjoyed this one. I thought for a YA thriller it was really well-plotted and twisty. Yes, it's all about teen drama, but it is YA!

You can read my full review on 12/27 on my revived (!) YA site YA All Day (formerly YA Romantics)

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was just not for me...
I felt that it was unrealistic, hard to care for any of the characters, and a predictable outcome.
With friends like these who needs enemies?
The idea is definitely deserving of a better storyline than the one offered in this book.
I wanted to put it down after the first few chapters, and honestly I just skimmed the rest and looked for the important details.
The characters actions were overdramatic and unlikely. The storyline was just cringey. As soon as Jake cheated on Jessica I was over it, and that was like 10 pages in. It just does not make sense how that would ever happen. Huge character flaw. He is described as loving his girlfriend Jessica, worried about her leaving for college, head over heels; and Tegan is obsessive over him, he dumped her, he doesn't like her anymore, furthermore Tegan and Jessica hate eachother. So my argument is, its not likely he would have entertained Tegan at all. Why would he have gone to the party? Flirted with her? Took the shot from her?
Then skip ahead, after Tegan and Jake end up sleeping together and the event streamed live for all their classmates to see. WHY would Jessica ever talk to him again? She didn't know he had been drugged. Why would she take Tegans phone from him knowing he slept with her, suspicious that he could've had something to do with her disappearance?
Furthermore, I did not like some of the writing. "The fact that you don't know if I'm your sons friend, lady, probably means I'm not his fucking friend". Are parents really expected to know all of their kids friends? Lol. I just felt like there was a lot of unnecessary dramatics, unrealistic commentary and conversations.
Honestly I could go on. Maybe I'm over analyzing. But it just all seemed ridiculous.

[christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

✨3.75✨

[Stephanie A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and twisty! I didn't suspect the truth until maybe 85% of the way in. That said, I hated everyone except Jessica, who did nothing wrong.

Her logic in making the bet was flawless -- easy money with bonus humiliation of someone who sorely needs her ego popped. There should be literally nothing hard about resisting temptation if you only have eyes for one girl. She didn't "set him up," at least not to fail -- she set him up to look awesome! At worst she tested his loyalty, which is not the greatest thing to do in an established relationship -- but again, the test should have been passed with flying colors, and easily forgiven if the person doesn't do it again. I cannot believe that fucker got to dump HER at the end and be all high-n-mighty about it while she cried and accepted her just desserts.

I have OPINIONS about this and I'm stewing, which is not how I like to feel at the end of a novel. It's extra frustrating because I'm still giving this four stars -- it was really intense and addictive; I couldn't put it down and I even found all the ultimate reveals pretty satisfying -- it just ticked me off at the end.

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phew. What an intense and gripping book! I was on the edge of my seat and rapidly devouring the book to get answers. The twists and turns, the intrigue and the suspense. It definitely made for entertaining and exciting reading.

I love these kind of books. Teenage drama, mystery and murder. A whodunnit at it’s finest with a story that will keep you guessing.

Tegan throws a house party that rapidly spirals out of control. Jessica and Jake are flung onto a path that sees them in police interviews, accused and on a mission to clear their names from any wrong doing. It was so good and honestly had me hooked. If you love a murder mystery, you won’t regret reading this.

Thank you to the author and publisher for this book on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review.

[Iqra Nadeem · Rating 3 out of 5]

i know it’s fiction but cmon at least make it a BIT realistic like how are you going to be beating up someone’s face one page and the next your hooking up with your ex in a shed ???????

[Karen Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fans of Karen McManus and anyone who likes twists in their tales, Friends Like These is a story where you can never wholly trust the characters who are sharing their story.
Our main focus is rich girl Tegan, former friend of Jessica and ex of Jessica’s boyfriend, Jake. Her parties are synonymous with excess, but her end of summer party becomes known for all the wrong reasons.
It’s not giving anything away to say that this group of classmates have a long and complicated history. Things come to a head on the night of Tegan’s party when she kisses her ex and ends up having sex with him…but the whole thing is filmed and shared with their classmates downstairs (including Jake’s girlfriend). When Tegan goes missing the night after the party, people are quick to judge.
Before we know it, bodies are found in the sea. There’s a lot of background to this story, that seems a little distracting but is actually crucial to our understanding of what happened. We learn that a number of people are lying about their involvement in the evening’s events, and once things are wrapped up it made me very pleased to not be a teen today.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this before publication.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

There's nothing particularly special about this book, and yet I really enjoyed it. The voice is engaging, and there's something so fun about following a bumbling sort of main character who isn't even sure himself whether he's innocent. He can't remember, and he doesn't trust himself to say that he didn't do it. Jake's a loveable buffoon, and he's the best quality to this book. Was it a perfectly executed thriller? Not by a long shot. But I'd still highly recommend it.

My full review is up and ready to read at .

Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.

[Steph Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhhh nothing like an overnight book to reignite my reading this summer holiday.

If you’re in a reading slum this is a perfect page turning murder mystery book with many layers of character complexities.

[Jessica Keller · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

[shea · Rating 3 out of 5]

As soon as I started this, I could not put it down. It was so messy and gripping. The ending made me sad, but this is a great beachy thriller.