The Bad Friend by Caroline Kepnes @CarolineKepnes @justjuliawhelan @BrilliancePub #NeverTellCollection

the setup…
Ellen and Tanya are childhood friends who seemed to drift apart after a pivotal encounter right before Ellen married her fiancé Troy. Tanya met them for drinks, accompanied by a man that was quite appealing, at least on the surface. Though Ellen thought she and Tanya were as close as sisters, there was an edge to their relationship and Ellen was on the receiving end. Many years later, they had a chance meeting that upended her world.

the heart of the story…
Have you ever had that friend who would deliver compliments that felt like they had barbs around them? That best describes Tanya’s behavior toward Ellen, at least in Ellen’s mind. There’s definitely a rivalry and it shaped Ellen’s life decisions even after they became estranged. That next encounter years later had a bombshell effect and even I couldn’t tell if Ellen’s imagination and paranoia were running amok or if there was game playing on Tanya’s part.

the narration…
It’s Julia Whelan at her finest, capturing all of Ellen’s emotions so well, drawing me into her mindset as if I were there!

the bottom line…
This was extremely thought provoking and unsettling. Don’t expect a straightforward ending, which I found provocative and appropriate. Did Ellen get what she deserved, was she played or was it just life? You’ll have to decide and I still haven’t made up my mind.

Book Info

• Release Date: March 19, 2024
• Series: Never Tell Collection #6
• Narrator: Julia Whelan
• Audio Length: 1 hour, 19 minutes
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio

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(Thanks to Brilliance Audio for my complimentary copy of the collection. All opinions are my own.)