Friends Like These: A Novel

Written by Kimberly McCreight

Narrated by Carlotta Brentan, Ewan Chung, Susan Dalian and 5 more

A GMA Buzz Pick 

“Kim McCreight's thrillers are smart, propulsive and impossible to put down."" —Laura Dave, author of The Last Thing He Told Me

In this relentlessly twisty literary thriller from New York Times bestselling author Kimberly McCreight, a desperate intervention brings together a group of college friends 10 years after graduation—a reunion marked by lies, betrayal, and murder.

Coming Soon from Amblin Television

Six college friends have reunited for a glamorous weekend in the Catskills, a decade after a fatal accident that nearly destroyed them. Keith, once the ringleader of the group, was a handsome charmer on the fast track to success. Now he’s spiraling into addiction and stands at the edge of losing it all. This weekend is the last chance to save him.

But Keith, it turns out, is not the only one who needs saving.

By dawn on Sunday morning, a car has been found deep in the woods—one of the friends is dead, another is missing. When a local detective turns up to investigate, it’s clear the group is hiding something ominous.

Haunted by her sister’s murder years ago, Detective Julia Scutt has her own share of problems. But she’s a skilled detective, and knows a rehearsed story when she hears one. It is up to Julia to untangle a decade-long web of friendship, lies and betrayals to discover the truth. But first she needs to face her own past—including the secrets that could, in the end, offer the key to everything.

A story of unconditional love, obsession, and the sometimes-impossible choices we have to make in the name of loyalty, Friends Like These is a relentlessly twisty, roller-coaster of a novel. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Sep 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063061606

Kimberly McCreight

Kimberly McCreight is the New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia, which was nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, and Alex Awards; Where They Found Her; and The Outliers young adult trilogy. She attended Vassar College and graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters.

Reviews for Friends Like These

[Donna Benoit · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I found the plot and dialogue too unbelievable. Dialogue seemed very simplistic and not the way people would speak especially in the difficult situations the characters were in. Interesting twist to the story made it worth finishing.

[Jenni Hoover · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Only so-so. Nothing much happens there are no big twists saw returns. There is one reveal that was pretty obvious about halfway in and it’s not revealed until the very end. You could probably find something better to read.

[Kathy Dingrando · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

It may be a great book yet in the hostile, hate filled environment, i just want to read ,…not to reread the same tired views of the author. As we struggle to put food on our tables, I just became sick, instead of putting people in categories, why don’t you get out in the world, see the beauty of every culture, mot your own biases false impressions ugh. Never again

[Megan McLean · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Definitely not my favorite from this author. The characters were flat and clichéd. I also didn’t like the narrator for the detective. And at certain points it felt like the author was trying too hard to be sarcastic or humorous but it didn’t really land. It just came across as the characters being whiny.

[Diana Reese Puckett · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic full cast. I enjoyed this riveting whodunit mystery. Multilayered stories culminating into a satisfying ending. Toxic friendships, with friends like these who needs enemies? Overall a great listening experience. Check this one out!

[Kelsey McCullough · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Quick Summary:
This is a hard one to do a summary because I don’t want to give anything away.
Five friends. One secret. Protecting your friends above all else, especially when your friends are more like family, is a vow each of them intend on keeping. When they come together again to help one of the friends history is on the verge of repeating itself. A murder, an overdose, a missing friend and secrets all tangle together.

What I liked about this book:
In pure Kimberly McCreight fashion you don’t see any of the twists coming. The characters are well developed, you know exactly the kind of person each of them are. Told from a multiple POV you’re constantly wanting to know what is about to happen.

What I didn’t like about this book:
That it ended! When the twists all unraveled I wanted more!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[acargile-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This novel presents itself as a Whodunit. A dead body is found in a car. Two people originally occupied the car. What happened to the other person? Who, of the two, is dead? The novel reveals bits at a time as it alternates between viewpoints. A group of friends witnessed a student die while at Vassar; they've all felt guilty for leaving and not calling the police at the time. They've kept this secret for years. A few other people have joined their group, but this secret remains. One of their friends committed suicide because of the guilt: Alice. Even she has chapters from her point of view. In the present time, they are getting together to save one of their group before another death occurs: Keith. Keith appears to have never gotten over Alice and deals with his guilt via drugs and alcohol. The friends are determined to get him into rehab. Jonathan, Maeve, and Stephanie all arrive at Jonathan's new home in a quaint town, not too far from Vassar, together with a plan. They will have Keith in rehab by Sunday. Jonathan 's challenges include a fiancé who renovated the house and whom Jonathan loves but no one else of their friends likes. Stephanie practices law successfully and strives to keep everyone focused. Her problems connect to Finch, a "new" friend whom no one likes. Maeve struggles to make sure everyone gets along and worries constantly as to why her boyfriend won't text her back. Derrick's marital life reveals that no one likes his wife, including Derrick, but she never makes an appearance. All of these friends intertwine their lives and for some even their business lives. They also never reveal that each has received an email stating, "I know what you did." As this simmers beneath the plot, the weekend in the country completely changes all of them. Ultimately, is Derrick or Keith dead?Julia Scutt, the local detective, plans on advancing up the professional ladder despite her male chauvinist boss. Julia, whose sister was killed in high school, wants justice for victims and punishment for the criminals. Her sections of the novel take place beginning Sunday morning as she puts the evidence together, separating all of the friends and asking questions. The other chapters begin on Friday night and go up through Saturday night detailing all of the actions of our various friends. There are A LOT of chapters from different points of view. This thriller should keep you on the edge of your seat, but it doesn't. It's a constant train wreck because of these friends. Friends like these.......might not be the best friends.....or maybe they are? They certainly look out for one another. A lot of plots develop into a final story. You will know who the "bad" guy is, as it's pretty obvious. Did I figure out all the twists and turns? No. It's not a bad novel--it's a adequate escape if you like this type of genre.

[jnmegan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A trip to the Catskills reuniting old school friends takes a sinister turn in Kimberly McCreight’s Friends Like These. As soon as the group arrives, they start discussing the real reason for their gathering: convincing one member to enter Rehab. Being in each other’s orbit brings back fond memories and the intimation of a tragedy that binds them all. Old dynamics, roles, and emotions are resurfaced-each of them carrying a burden of guilt in different ways. When two of the friends end up missing, the investigation unmasks a connection between the shared secret from long ago and the events unfolding at their reunion. McCreight ambitiously attempts to provide depth and histories for each of her many characters. What results is a novel that fails to be truly engaging. Friends Like These confuses the reader with its implausible revelations and concurrent plotlines, scaffolded on a plot that is neither strong nor interesting enough to overcome its deep flaws.Thanks to the author, Harper and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Friends from Vassar reunite for a weekend 10 years after graduation in an attempt to stage an intervention for their friend, Keith, who is an addict. Their friendship took a turn 10 years earlier when they were partying on the roof of a college building and someone fell to their death. This led to the death, presumably suicide, of their friend Alice. When they take a trip to a town in the Catskills, the police officer assigned to the case has a tragedy trying her to the area. Julia’s sister, Jane, was killed savagely, and her friend, Bethany, was never recovered.Maeve, Jonathan, Derrick, Stephanie, Keith, and an outsider Finch, are in for a terrible weekend. This book has the premise of being great, but there were too many storylines happening. There was a lot of betrayal and backstabbing. Plenty of hints to give you clues to the killer’s identity, but still somewhat surprising.

[twink_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"Everyone has those friends. Doesn’t matter how long it’s been, or how badly they’ve occasionally behaved, or how late it is when that call finally comes—you show up. No questions asked."Oh, there's so many avenues McCreight could take us with a premise like that! Five college friends reunite ten years after they graduated. Secrets, lies, complicated relationships - and a dead friend are part of the past that keeps this group of friends bound to each other.Well, it was very easy to not like any of group. They're all hiding something, they all lie and despite their seeming love for each other, they all have their own agendas. The only character I really liked was the police detective.I found the plot to be a bit confusing at times as the narrative jumped timelines - and there were many timelines. Past, present, and times within the present - days and weeks. For this listener it was just too much, too many, too convoluted. The ending did however, provide a really good twist.One reason I was excited to listen to Friends Like These was the use of multiple readers for this title. Eight to be exact - Carlotta Brentan, Ewan Chung, Susan Dalian, Lauren Fortgang, James Fouhey, Stacey Glemboski, Joe Knezevich and Alex McKenna. I can't tell you who played what role, but their voices all suited the characters they were portraying. The standout for me was the police detective - she has a cigarette and whiskey rasp to her voice that really worked for the role. A few voices did seem somewhat similar, so I had to listen to the name given at the top of each chapter to confirm who was taking center stage. I think all the reader's performances were very good. But for this listener, having so many narrators just exacerbated the 'too much' feeling of the timelines and plotting.