Carrie Colts is a writer whose recently-deceased mother-in-law left them a house in Montauk. She, her husband Pete, and their daughter Kelsey had packed up and moved from NYC. Even though Carrie loves her life in the city, the move seems to be a good way to temporarily escape from their troubles. But one day, she receives a call from her college roommate Maya, whom she hasn’t spoken with in years. Suddenly Maya is at her doorstep with her daughter Lola. Seeing as Maya recently became a widow, Carrie offers to let them stay for a few days to cope with the loss. But when strange things start happening around the house, Carrie isn’t sure if it was the best idea. Besides, Carrie has secrets that only Maya knows, and can’t afford to risk her family learning the truth about her past. Anything for a Friend by Kathleen M. Willett is a psychological suspense novel in which Carrie must somehow figure out Maya’s true motives before her own life unravels.
Maya had a tougher upbringing than Carrie did. And even though Carrie seemingly took Maya under her wing in college, Maya still carries some resentment that everything seems to work out for her friend. Nevertheless, they were still there for each other and never left the other behind. But then Carrie has a problem that needs solving, and she begs for Maya’s support. But what occurs throughout that ordeal is the reason that 20 years later, in the present day, the former roommates have become estranged. Which makes things uncomfortable when Maya suddenly appears with her daughter.
Prior to moving to Montauk, Carrie was in a situation of her own making. And she hoped that moving away would help make the situation disappear. Not only that, but Kelsey has been acting strange and moody lately – not to mention getting in trouble at school. While Carrie reasons that she is being a typical teenager, she still longs for the connection she once had. So Maya’s timing is less than ideal. And then Carrie’s garden is ruined, and her photo is cut out of her yearbook. Even her manuscript is somehow deleted from her computer. Carrie can’t help but think that somehow Maya or even Lola is behind it all. But how can she confront them, when they are still grieving over the loss of their husband and father? And if they are behind it, why?
Willett does a great job slowly pulling the readers along in Anything for a Friend. Upon looking at the cover, I could tell that the title was intended to be more ominous, and she delivered. I could feel the anxiety Carrie experienced when Maya popped up out of the blue, and what that could mean for her. And I couldn’t wait to find out what the huge secret was that separated them all those years ago. There were a couple of plot twists that I didn’t see coming, but I can only speak for myself. Plus, the dual-timeline method was a great choice by Willett. Readers get insight as to what their friendship was like back then. Being able to compare the dynamic from college to the present day made the story that much more engaging for readers. Overall, I would recommend this one for sure.
Anything for a Friend is available now.
