Friends Like These

 I'm sure by now we all know and love the Libby app. If you don't know what that is or if you've never heard of it, Libby is a free app you can download to your mobile device. Once you make an account, you can sync your library card to the app and instantly have access to free audiobooks, ebooks, and more! So while I was scrolling through Libby, I was looking for an ebook that would catch my attention, whether that be the cover art or the title of the book. I wanted to read something that I hadn't seen many people talk about. I knew I primarily wanted a thriller; something that would make my heart race and would completely absorb me into the story. It was then that I came across the book I am reviewing today, Friends Like These by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez.

Summary: Told through multiple POV's, this fast-paced book follows teenagers Jake, Jessica, Tegan and their friends as they anxiously await their first day of their senior year of high school. To celebrate, Tegan decides to throw an end of summer party. At the party, Jake's world is turned completely upside down when his hook-up with ex-girlfriend Tegan is live-streamed on TV for everyone, including his current girlfriend Jessica, to see. After the party, Tegan is nowhere to be found, and everyone suspects that Jake had something to do with it. Full of secrets, lies, and questionable friendships, this 'whodunit' had me feeling like a full on detective trying to crack this case! Before we get started, I wanted to quickly insert some of the books TW's since they will be mentioned throughout this review: sexual assault, alcoholism, underage drinking, sexual situations, physical assault, domestic abuse, and death of a parent.

Starting off, I want to talk about the things I liked in this book. I appreciated how each character had their own distinct voice. In fact, I noticed that Jake is more so the protagonist of this book rather than the other two main characters: Jessica and Tegan. Alvarez did a fantastic job of showing us who these people are, where they come from, what their families are like, and their personalities. You are easily able to put yourself into the characters' shoes by how descriptive and real the author made them out to be. This story was also easy to follow, and like I mentioned early on was heavily character driven which made the story, in my opinion, more seamless. The pacing was also just right. I didn't feel rushed through any scenes, and nothing seemed to skip around. Since I primarily read thrillers, I can normally spot the suspect early on, however I didn't figure out who the suspect was until it was revealed towards the end. I liked that Alvarez kept me on my toes, but didn't confuse me by making it someone that wouldn't make sense to the story as a whole. I also loved the contrast between Jessica and Tegan, as I felt like they represent Jakes life before, during, and after this whole ordeal. Tegan is reckless, selfish, and obsessive. Jessica is smart, headstrong, and optimistic. Before, when Jake was with Tegan, he was extremely reckless, naive, and suffering with grief. But after the case and once he breaks up with Jessica, he realizes who he is and how he can turn his life around; he realizes the most important things are himself and his family. 

Speaking of Jake, before I move on to what I disliked about this novel I want to talk about Jake separately, because I felt like Jake's character development throughout this novel was FANTASTIC. Jake is a character who is put through so much and, not to mention, right underneath his nose. Jake is a huge family man and is close to his younger brother and loves his dog. It's revealed to us that Jake suffered previously from alcoholism after the loss of his father to cancer. While he was able to suppress it initially, the stress of the ongoing case with Tegan, him being the main suspect in the case, and losing his girlfriend sends him spiraling into his old ways. We see Jake really struggle after Detective Underwood tells him he was sexually assaulted by Tegan, and that what happened was actually caused by a bet between Jessica and Tegan. Seeing him go through the feelings of accepting he had been sexually assaulted, betrayed by his girlfriend, and while still dealing with the grief from his fathers death was crushing, but Alvarez did a fantastic job of taking us through those stages of grief in all its raw forms through the eyes of Jake. In the end, Jake realizes in order to move on with his life despite all his hardships, he must officially break-up with Jessica, start going to Alcoholics Anonymous, and even consider going to college. He wants to improve for himself and most importantly for his family. I was glad to see him have a happy ending that was much deserved after everything he had been put through.

So now I want to get to what I didn't like in this novel. For the most part, I really enjoyed it! However, I did notice that the author used quite a bit of the same similes throughout the novel, especially when it came to the ocean and the beach. Earlier in the book, after Jake wakes up from the party, it is mentioned that he had something hiding in his closet, but then we never learn what that specific item was. We do learn that he had Tegan's phone, but he discovers that in the glove box of his truck. So i'm unsure if he had found it and then stashed it in his closet and maybe I just don't remember reading that? Either way, that part confused me since we never know exactly what was in his closet. I also felt like I wanted to read more about Tegan. We do get her POV leading up to the party, and we do get to see how she really feels about herself and her home life, but I was still left feeling like I wanted a little bit more from her. I also found it annoying how many times it was mentioned that Tegan thought of Jake as the, "one that got away". I do understand how that was crucial to the story, but I felt like the amount of times it was mentioned was definitely overkill.

Overall, I really enjoyed the pacing of this book and I fell in love with some of the characters. It was the perfect combination of mystery and thriller, and I found myself easily able to read this in one sitting. My goal is to prioritize thriller, mystery, and horror books for the months of September and October, and I think this book was a great start! I would love to read more work from Jennifer Lynn Alvarez in the future!