Thank you Atria Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of Friends and Liars in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Atria Books
Published: December 2, 2025
Summary:
From “edge-of-your-seat suspense” (Booklist) author Kit Frick comes an insidious thriller about four estranged friends trapped in a powerful family’s deadly games at a luxe estate in the Italian countryside.
It’s been five years since heiress Clare Monroe tragically died on New Year’s Eve at her family’s opulent Italian palazzo. Since that time, her college friends have harbored a dark secret—their lies and betrayals led to Clare’s untimely death.
What happened that fateful night was a horrible accident, but Luca, Harper, Sirina, and David are guilty, nonetheless. And their desperate decision to conceal the truth destroyed their once-close bond.
Now, the estranged friends are each the recipient of an invitation from the Monroes to return to the lakeside palazzo for a long-overdue memorial for Clare. Accepting the Monroes’ invitation means playing with fire, but they can hardly refuse.
Luca, Harper, Sirina, and David have barely settled into their idyllic accommodations on Lake Como before someone at the memorial party begins targeting them. Haunted by little “gifts” left in their rooms, taunting notes, and the unshakable sense of being watched, it soon becomes clear that someone on the guest list knows the whole truth about the night Clare died—and the secrets her friends have been keeping. Nothing is as it seems at the palazzo on the lake, and under their tormentor’s vengeful gaze, their secrets—and their lives—are in danger.
My thoughts:
This is the author’s 2nd adult thriller, her 1st being The Split, which I was a fan of and so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one and I’m happy to say this is also another winner in my book!
This one had me flipping the pages so fast I couldn’t catch my breath…it immediately hooked me and never let go. Alternating amongst several POVs, and moving back and forth in time, I was desperate to know why these friends had been brought back to the scene of the crime and who was behind it all. Everyone has secrets to hide and could be responsible for Clare’s death and throughout the book I suspected just about everyone did it.
I love the way Frick writes. It’s both addicting and claustrophobic…you can’t look away yet you also find yourself gasping for breath at times. The pacing is quick, the characterization is whip-smart, and the setting drips with atmosphere. You immediately get the sense that not only is someone always watching but that you cannot trust anyone. And yet, you also want to, you feel for the characters and want them to figure things out before anything else bad happens.
This one is already out I highly recommend grabbing a copy if you haven’t already read it!
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