e-ALC, 04:54:32
Narrated by: Jennifer Jull Araya
Release Date: June 16, 2026
Published by: Spotify Audiobooks
Read from: May 28-29, 2026
Stand-alone
Source: Netgalley (I received this e-ALC from the publisher and Netgalley. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: Death, Gun Violence, Abuse of Tech
For Readers of: Adult, Audio, Auto-Buy Authors, Contemporary, Sparkly Covers, Most Anticipated, Mystery, Realistic Fiction, TechnologyA good friend will help you move. A best friend will help you move a body.
One year after a disastrous girls’ trip ended in a secret cover-up, Mandy is set to reunite with Piper, Lexie, and Jazz at a private island estate owned by Piper’s tech-mogul father. They expect it to be a weekend that will repair old wounds. Instead, they discover they are not alone—and that the past is not buried as deeply as they thought.
Mandy has spent the last twelve months trying to outrun what they did. The others have stayed busy managing the image of a wildly successful influencer, whose curated perfection attracts millions of fans who love her a lot and loathe her a little. Every image is polished. Every mistake: artfully erased.
But online control doesn’t translate to real life. When a storm traps everyone on the island and someone is gravely injured, the reunion shifts from uneasy to perilous. Mandy must decide who she can trust in the midst of a deadly reckoning.
Blending a locked-island mystery with sharp commentary on tech-driven ambition and the fragile power dynamics of female friendship, Close Friends Only is a timely thriller about what happens when the truth can no longer be edited. Only available in audio!
*MY THOUGHTS*
This was a wild ass ride. I was not expecting any of this lol I REALLY need to start reading the synopsis because how tf did I just read this and literally everything was a surprise lmao This was so good tho. I couldn’t stop reading. Literally everyone and everything was unhinged lol
When I say this was crazy! The craziest part of this tho was the fact that it is so relevant! And that’s also what made me damn near count this as a horror book too. Because this shit is unfortunately happening already. I was biting my damn nails off trying to figure out how tf she was going to get out of this. I was riveted and couldn’t stop listening.
The whodunit was easy to figure out tho. I’m thinking its because it was a novella and short, but I knew immediately. I think at this point I’ve been reading thrillers too long because I got it just from listening to the banter and the way they acted towards each other. This was legit a hot mess. I can’t wait for more people to read this and let me know if they got it too.
This was wild for it to only be like 5 hours long. I don’t know what I was expecting, but Kate Alice Marshall exceeded my expectations. Not only was it relevant, but it was also a real thriller and kept me on my toes. This was definitely a book I was glad I didn’t miss!
Overall, I give this
