What do you think?
Rate this book
Frenemies
Just a few months shy of her 30th birthday, Gus Curtis finally feels like she has it all: a strong career, great friends, and a wonderful boyfriend. But all of this comes crashing down when Gus discovers Nate, her "Mr. Right," hooking up behind her back with her so-called "friend" Helen. Soon it seems like the life Gus has worked to make so adult looks a lot like the one she already had as a teenager, and Gus is left with more questions than answers: Can she win Nate back before she turns 30 alone? (And if so, does she really want him?) Is Helen really as devious and manipulative as she seems, or, worse, is Gus more like her frenemy than she ever imagined? And is she ever going to grow up? With the clock ticking down to her birthday, Gus discovers that sometimes the best thing about best-laid plans is trashing them altogether.
304 pages, Paperback
First published June 20, 2007
About the author
Megan Crane
57 books658 followersUSA Today bestselling, RITA-nominated, and critically-acclaimed author Megan Crane has written nearly 145 books – and counting. She’s won fans with her romance, women’s fiction, chick lit, and work-for-hire young adult novels as well as with the Harlequin Presents, Harlequin Dare, Harlequin Historical, and contemporary cowboy books she writes as Caitlin Crews. She loves romance in all its forms, from cowboys to military heroes and beyond – including her take on futuristic and historical Vikings in turn, outlaw bikers, and fairy tale princes. She has a Masters and Ph.D. in English Literature, has taught creative writing classes in places like UCLA Extension’s prestigious Writers’ Program, and is always available to give workshops (or her opinion). She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her comic book artist husband, though, at any given time, she is likely to either be huddled in a coffee shop somewhere or off traveling the world. Preferably both.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews
May 27, 2008
Standard chick lit. Perfect reading material for the beach (or park). Gus is a 29-year-old Librarian (from Simmons, woot!) in Boston. She just caught her boyfriend making out with her old roommate, who as it turns out is bat-sh*t crazy. Gus wants revenge and her bofriend back, and in thr process beds her boyfriend's roommate. Her job sucks, her apartment sucks, and she's almost 30. Of course she's going to have a happy ending.
For librarians and those who live in the city. The portrayal is accurate, the author actually knows her way around Boston. It's fun to see shout outs to Bukowskis and Beacon Hill.
For librarians and those who live in the city. The portrayal is accurate, the author actually knows her way around Boston. It's fun to see shout outs to Bukowskis and Beacon Hill.
June 12, 2008
Megan Crane’s Frenemies is a coming of age novel that I felt I could relate to (so it seems much of what I’ve been reading lately deals with growing up and/or embracing adulthood). It spoke to me, mainly because I’m feeling caught in the crosshairs of “adult” and “young adult” and I found the story both poignant and believeable.
The heroine, Gus (short for Augusta), obsesses - much like a young college student might - about her ex whom she caught cheating on her with one of her so-called “friends”. Naturally, this leads her on a journey not only to try to get him back and plot revenge against the offending “friend”, but also propels her on a mission to make sure everything goes according to plan so she can arrive at age 30 with the man, the career, and the ideal independent living situation.
The interesting dynamic in this novel is the ties between friends and pseudo- or semi-friends. Guys might not understand this concept, but women do. She’s your friend, but not really. You have some laughs, maybe go out every so often, but there’s this underlying feeling you’ve got that you don’t completely trust one another. There’s this fine line between friendship, sisterhood, and competition. And which category do your “friends” fall into?
Plus, it’s about Gus growing up. Is a choice or does it just miraculously happen? Up until recently, I kind of thought it just happened. Poof, you’re grown. But every day, I get closer and closer to twenty-five! And I realize that’s not old by any means, I still find it a bit shocking. Twenty-five?! Already? But, wasn’t high school just, like, two springs ago? (Um, try seven years ago. I’m three short years away from my ten-year reunion!). Thanks to various conversations with a guy I’ll just call my White Knight, I’m questioning that and trying to figure out - like Gus was - how to go about the business of ‘growing up’.
To my chagrin, and everlasting surprise, I am once again flabbergasted by the degree of relateability I find within the pages of Ms. Crane’s well-crafted women’s literature. Take note, readers, chick lit has more to offer than you might think it does.
The heroine, Gus (short for Augusta), obsesses - much like a young college student might - about her ex whom she caught cheating on her with one of her so-called “friends”. Naturally, this leads her on a journey not only to try to get him back and plot revenge against the offending “friend”, but also propels her on a mission to make sure everything goes according to plan so she can arrive at age 30 with the man, the career, and the ideal independent living situation.
The interesting dynamic in this novel is the ties between friends and pseudo- or semi-friends. Guys might not understand this concept, but women do. She’s your friend, but not really. You have some laughs, maybe go out every so often, but there’s this underlying feeling you’ve got that you don’t completely trust one another. There’s this fine line between friendship, sisterhood, and competition. And which category do your “friends” fall into?
Plus, it’s about Gus growing up. Is a choice or does it just miraculously happen? Up until recently, I kind of thought it just happened. Poof, you’re grown. But every day, I get closer and closer to twenty-five! And I realize that’s not old by any means, I still find it a bit shocking. Twenty-five?! Already? But, wasn’t high school just, like, two springs ago? (Um, try seven years ago. I’m three short years away from my ten-year reunion!). Thanks to various conversations with a guy I’ll just call my White Knight, I’m questioning that and trying to figure out - like Gus was - how to go about the business of ‘growing up’.
To my chagrin, and everlasting surprise, I am once again flabbergasted by the degree of relateability I find within the pages of Ms. Crane’s well-crafted women’s literature. Take note, readers, chick lit has more to offer than you might think it does.
May 22, 2019
Augusta 'Gus' Curtis thinks her life is going fairly well. She has a good job and great friends, and has been dating Nate, a guy she has known since college, for two months. And things are wonderful - until she walks in on Nate and her friend Helen kissing each other. Reeling from the betrayal, Gus isn't sure how to handle herself and ends up making a series of poor choices (the first one involves large quantities of alcohol and a drunken confrontation). In the midst of her post-break-up hysteria, Gus hooks up with Henry - Nate's bad-boy roommate and someone Gus doesn't even like as a person, much less a boyfriend.
What is Gus supposed to do? Her friends seem to think she should just grow up and get over it. Helen is acting strangely too, one minute wanting to be Gus's best friend and the next trying to sabotage the last bits of Gus's friendship with Nate. Is there hope for Gus and Nate to rekindle their romance?
Frenemies starts slowly and is frustrating for a while. Approaching thirty, Gus should have developed some maturity. But she seems stalled in her college days and a college mentality through most of the book. Once she does begin to change, the pace improves and the plot begins to flow enjoyably. I think the main problem with my inability to summon up any sympathy for Gus's pining for Nate is that the reader is never given a first-hand look at Gus and Nate's relationship. We come onto the scene after everything has happened and find out about it through the narrative. Thus it takes time to warm up to Gus and to understand her motivations.
Gus's ongoing attempt at salvaging her relationship with Nate and with Helen adds drama and seems incredibly realistic. Helen especially could be considered the frenemy of the novel - the friend who becomes an enemy but acts like a friend. Many readers will find that they think they know Helen due to the Helen in their own lives. The last few chapters bring the story together cohesively and make reading the entire novel worthwhile. Frenemies is excellent chick lit that should appeal to a wide variety of women in all stages of life.
What is Gus supposed to do? Her friends seem to think she should just grow up and get over it. Helen is acting strangely too, one minute wanting to be Gus's best friend and the next trying to sabotage the last bits of Gus's friendship with Nate. Is there hope for Gus and Nate to rekindle their romance?
Frenemies starts slowly and is frustrating for a while. Approaching thirty, Gus should have developed some maturity. But she seems stalled in her college days and a college mentality through most of the book. Once she does begin to change, the pace improves and the plot begins to flow enjoyably. I think the main problem with my inability to summon up any sympathy for Gus's pining for Nate is that the reader is never given a first-hand look at Gus and Nate's relationship. We come onto the scene after everything has happened and find out about it through the narrative. Thus it takes time to warm up to Gus and to understand her motivations.
Gus's ongoing attempt at salvaging her relationship with Nate and with Helen adds drama and seems incredibly realistic. Helen especially could be considered the frenemy of the novel - the friend who becomes an enemy but acts like a friend. Many readers will find that they think they know Helen due to the Helen in their own lives. The last few chapters bring the story together cohesively and make reading the entire novel worthwhile. Frenemies is excellent chick lit that should appeal to a wide variety of women in all stages of life.
May 12, 2008
Growing pains don't stop when the birthday clock rolls into the 20's (and beyond)--but it's never too late to grow up. That seems to be the underlying theme to the often hilarious and sometimes cringingly close to home frenemies by Megan Crane. She defines a frenemie as "the friend who gives you the sweetest smile to your face, while holding the sharpest
knife to your back". The story centers on Augusta (Gus)Curtis who, in the shadow of her 30th birthday, discovers her boyfriend kissing a friend of hers when he's supposedly home sick. Her entire clutch of friends gets involved in the drama, opening more dramas and eventually new light on old friendships. It's a coming of age novel for those in their late twenties that is entertaining yet still manages to touch on some major themes of self respect, friendship and what it means to be an adult.
knife to your back". The story centers on Augusta (Gus)Curtis who, in the shadow of her 30th birthday, discovers her boyfriend kissing a friend of hers when he's supposedly home sick. Her entire clutch of friends gets involved in the drama, opening more dramas and eventually new light on old friendships. It's a coming of age novel for those in their late twenties that is entertaining yet still manages to touch on some major themes of self respect, friendship and what it means to be an adult.
November 30, 2007
One of those girl gets cheated on by a friend stories. I really like this one.
Read
October 15, 2008Can I give this a negative rating?
It was really poor writing, but so true. I imagine most women have lived this and don't need to read it.
It was really poor writing, but so true. I imagine most women have lived this and don't need to read it.
May 14, 2023
This book made me laugh so hard at times. The kind of laugh where your partner looks over at you and you have to explain the joke and he even laughs..
April 19, 2019
This was a reread (4th time) for me and it brought back all the same sentimental feelings I had the first day and really just got me. As a former Bostonian I loved the setting and all the familiar places Megan Crane referenced. I can clearly remember that time in my life where Gus is - itchy about her job, trying to make a bad relationship work and watching her relationships and friendship evolve and change as people grow up and move on. Gus is struggling to come to terms with the shifts taking place amongst the circle of friends she has had since freshman year in college. It's a group who knows each other so well, and while some friends do become like family, others are still there out of habit and familiarity. And when Gus is betrayed by people in the group she thought were her friends she falls into a bit of a rabbit hole trying to figure out how to cope, how to let go of her past and how to get it all done before her looming 30th birthday.
This book and the relationships were very familiar territory and I really enjoyed reading it again now with that part of my life in full 20/20 hindsight. People who you thought were your friends will do selfish things to serve their own self interest, people you trust will break that trust and breaking up with a best friend can be even more painful than breaking up with a partner.
I am someone who writes in my books and it was fun to see the passages I highlighted in the past....to see the person I was then and what resonated with me...and to also underline new passages that hit home. This is very much in that old school ChickLit vein and was a great, reminiscent read. I'm so happy I picked it up again.
I would give it 3 1/2⭐️ but rounding up for all those sentimental feels.
This book and the relationships were very familiar territory and I really enjoyed reading it again now with that part of my life in full 20/20 hindsight. People who you thought were your friends will do selfish things to serve their own self interest, people you trust will break that trust and breaking up with a best friend can be even more painful than breaking up with a partner.
I am someone who writes in my books and it was fun to see the passages I highlighted in the past....to see the person I was then and what resonated with me...and to also underline new passages that hit home. This is very much in that old school ChickLit vein and was a great, reminiscent read. I'm so happy I picked it up again.
I would give it 3 1/2⭐️ but rounding up for all those sentimental feels.
May 9, 2012
I have read a lot of Megan Crane's Harlequin Presents (written as Caitlin Crews) but this is my first mainstream novel of hers.
I am so glad I picked it up as I really enjoyed it. The intricacies and complexities often found in the relationship between women are captured and used perfectly by the author. She doesn't shy away from making her characters behave badly at times, and her heroine manages to be both likeable and un-likeable all at the same time.
The story is full of ups and downs, which perfectly relates to the theme of 'growing up' in this book. Plus it has a nice mixture of fun and grittiness. One of my favourites scenes is where Gus, dressed in her blueberry bridesmaid dress for a party, realises that what sounds like a laugh doesn't actually work in reality and her silly actions are only hindering her want to be taken seriously!
The almost-a-love-story running through the book is nicely executed and enough to keep me (a die hard romance fan) pleased, and I love how the ending was left nicely open.
Any woman will be able to relate to the themes in this book and Megan Crane writes as though she is your oldest friend telling you about her latest adventure.
Really enjoyable.
Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....
I am so glad I picked it up as I really enjoyed it. The intricacies and complexities often found in the relationship between women are captured and used perfectly by the author. She doesn't shy away from making her characters behave badly at times, and her heroine manages to be both likeable and un-likeable all at the same time.
The story is full of ups and downs, which perfectly relates to the theme of 'growing up' in this book. Plus it has a nice mixture of fun and grittiness. One of my favourites scenes is where Gus, dressed in her blueberry bridesmaid dress for a party, realises that what sounds like a laugh doesn't actually work in reality and her silly actions are only hindering her want to be taken seriously!
The almost-a-love-story running through the book is nicely executed and enough to keep me (a die hard romance fan) pleased, and I love how the ending was left nicely open.
Any woman will be able to relate to the themes in this book and Megan Crane writes as though she is your oldest friend telling you about her latest adventure.
Really enjoyable.
Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....
January 18, 2009
I had a lot of trouble getting interested in this book. The first few chapters, I thought Gus was a complete moron. In fact, I thought she was throughout the whole book, trying to win her ass of an ex-boyfriend back, WHILE he was with her ex-friend who he cheated on her with. Yeah, I know, drama.
The only reason I gave this book three stars is because of Henry. To me, he carried this book..and I grew to have a little bit of a crush on him. He was so complex, and I could really relate to him (being 'fake' with everyone as to keep appearances). I don't know if it was completely obvious to everyone, but I recognized the good in him immediately. From even when he let Gus in the house to find her boyfriend and her friend.
Don't think I'll be re-reading, but definitely worth the $4.00 I got it for.
The only reason I gave this book three stars is because of Henry. To me, he carried this book..and I grew to have a little bit of a crush on him. He was so complex, and I could really relate to him (being 'fake' with everyone as to keep appearances). I don't know if it was completely obvious to everyone, but I recognized the good in him immediately. From even when he let Gus in the house to find her boyfriend and her friend.
Don't think I'll be re-reading, but definitely worth the $4.00 I got it for.
November 13, 2011
I simply loved this book. Its about frndship, pure and simple and how frnds are the backbone to any woman's life. No matter how the bf, the husband, the son, the father, MEN can never bond with a WOMAN like WOMEN bond with WOMEN... Of course this precious bond comes with hazards and traps. Its lyk playing golf, one stroke can get you to the flag faster, bt if you get stuck in a hazard, you are likely to doom. The main character of Augusta is stuck in a hazard. She has recently witnessed her roommate and frnd Helen smooching with her bf Nate. The break-up brought out the worst bout of nagging, scolding, screaming, plotting, revenging in her. The people who have to bear the brunt so to speak are her frnds Amy Lee and Georgia. The book is an unique insight into the world of frenemies - an enemy disguised as a friend...
January 6, 2009
I struggled between giving this 3 or 4 stars. It was such a fun read, but admittedly not the best writing I've ever encountered. I gave in and gave it 4 because I liked it despite its flaws. I love reading about librarians who don't adhere to the traditional sterotypes. And I guess I'm a sucker for some good chick-lit at times.
August 20, 2012
I do believe I am somewhat partial to this book because it's set in Boston, my favorite city, and I could relate to the locals, but in addition to that, it's a great, fun story. If you've ever had a friend turn on you or had to deal with an ex-boyfriend who you have to see constantly because he's part of your circle of friends, you will relate to this book. It's classic chick-lit at it's best.
December 4, 2013
Megan Crane writes about friendship, betrayal, pain and shame in a deep and thoughtful way I find. She clearly has an uncanny understanding of human character and dissects human behaviour. I have read a few of her books and I am on to the next one. She is a definite read for anyone interested in trying to peel back layers on people and try to understand them better.
September 23, 2008
Every kind of relationship I have had is talked about in this book; which makes me realize it's not just me! Frenemies is a great book even for those who don't think they have ever been stabbed in the back.
April 20, 2009
This was OK. It was kind of interesting that I didn't find any of the characters to actually be a "good guy", so that set it apart from most chick-lit. I'm just not sure that was what the author was going for.
September 11, 2009
I really like this. Instead of the usual blah story about great women friends (which is a bunch of BS in real life)...this book accurately portrayed the petty bs that is female friendship. Refreshing, true to life and well written.... a total winner!
April 22, 2013
Maybe it's because this is EXACTLY where I am right now - just into my 30s and trying valiantly to Figure It All Out. But the mix of immaturity, serious hilarity and true friendship was perfect for me.
May 23, 2014
I really enjoyed reading this book, the storyline was great and very true to life. The characters where believable and the relationships and friendships between them really pulled you in and kept the pages turning.
June 19, 2020
Megan Crane is my spirit animal of authors. Her humor is such a match to mine that I feel like I either wrote the story or am in the story. She writes how I think! It's bizarre and awesome. Her female MC in each of her standalone novels are the most relatable characters I have ever read.
July 27, 2007
Ok so I am biased as my cousin wrote this novel, her third. If you like ChicLit, I recommend it!
June 22, 2008
This is such a cute book. You find yourself being pissed for the main character more than a couple of times. She's very likeable. It's an easy read.
June 6, 2008
As a female in my mid-late 20's, I found her worries to be common. I like how the author captured the conflict between growing and letting go. It was cute.
March 2, 2009
This book is hysterical. I think it is probably the only book I have read where the characters reminded me of my friends.
April 10, 2009
It was a light read, and interesting enough, but I just couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters.
August 11, 2013
This is one of my fav books. Found it in my storage yesterday and am re-reading it. Might come back and do a proper review, but I love this book and would recommend it.
September 2, 2012
This is one of my fav books. Found it in my storage yesterday and am re-reading it. Might come back and do a proper review, but I love this book and would recommend it.
July 15, 2015
A little slow at first but it was pretty cute didn't realize it was based off of Mean Girls
September 2, 2020
Like what the Author said in the endnote, this is about the world of mean girls, fake friendships and crazy girls I couldn’t grasp. Gus is the obsessed ex-gf. Wishing for more Henry moments, but the ending is quite nice.
Excerpts:
Stalker moves 😂 “I knew all this from near-personal experience, thanks to the epic crush Georgia had had on Henry for years back when we first met him. (This would be yet another reason I was working so hard to repress.) She didn't just see Henry somewhere and think he was hot, either. She pined. She constructed elaborate plans to spend time in his vicinity, even if it meant befriending his various floozies. We once drove all the way out to his parents' summer place on the water in Dennis so that Georgia could monitor his comings and goings one memorable Memorial Day weekend. It was like Henry was Georgia's ex, except without his own side of the story, because the thing about epic crushes was that they had nothing to do with the crushee and everything to do with the crusher. Nonetheless, I was still mad at him, years later, on behalf of Georgia's yearning, unrequited heart.”
Realizations 🤔 “and I was left to stand there and really bask in the full extent of my hypocrisy. I was amazed that you could become a hypocrite without even meaning to--just like that. That it was so simple. That you could look into someone else's life and see the things they were doing with such clarity, even as you ignored those same things when you did them yourself.”
Love songs 🎶 “Every song on the radio was about heartbreak, it seemed, of one sort or another. What to do to keep him from leaving, how to get through those awful days right after she took off, the fantasies about the two of you getting back together, the sick realization that he might never love you again and maybe never did in the first place. It was breakup central all along the FM dial, and if the songs weren't enough, you could turn on the television to just about any prime-time show to really stick the knife in.”
Excerpts:
Stalker moves 😂 “I knew all this from near-personal experience, thanks to the epic crush Georgia had had on Henry for years back when we first met him. (This would be yet another reason I was working so hard to repress.) She didn't just see Henry somewhere and think he was hot, either. She pined. She constructed elaborate plans to spend time in his vicinity, even if it meant befriending his various floozies. We once drove all the way out to his parents' summer place on the water in Dennis so that Georgia could monitor his comings and goings one memorable Memorial Day weekend. It was like Henry was Georgia's ex, except without his own side of the story, because the thing about epic crushes was that they had nothing to do with the crushee and everything to do with the crusher. Nonetheless, I was still mad at him, years later, on behalf of Georgia's yearning, unrequited heart.”
Realizations 🤔 “and I was left to stand there and really bask in the full extent of my hypocrisy. I was amazed that you could become a hypocrite without even meaning to--just like that. That it was so simple. That you could look into someone else's life and see the things they were doing with such clarity, even as you ignored those same things when you did them yourself.”
Love songs 🎶 “Every song on the radio was about heartbreak, it seemed, of one sort or another. What to do to keep him from leaving, how to get through those awful days right after she took off, the fantasies about the two of you getting back together, the sick realization that he might never love you again and maybe never did in the first place. It was breakup central all along the FM dial, and if the songs weren't enough, you could turn on the television to just about any prime-time show to really stick the knife in.”
January 15, 2011
29yo Augusta “Gus” Curtis had a plan. She was going to see in 30 as a grown up with a fantastic boyfriend, great friends, a job she loved and some partying. That all fell apart when she discovered her perfect boyfriend lip locked with her so-called friend Helen. Helen and Gus had roomed together in freshman year of college and although Gus’s other friends didn’t really have any time for her, Gus had always assumed they were good friends. She’d always been there for Helen when Helen needed her so she’s not sure quite why Helen repaid her by stealing her boyfriend. Although Helen is one of ‘those’ girls who doesn’t enjoy female companionship much and always gets along better with men, Gus thought that Helen had some loyalty towards her. What’s even worse is that Helen can’t seem to see that what she’s done is wrong and just wants to know why Gus is mad at her. Gus is a complete mess over the break up and goes through several humiliating moments, including karaoke singing a Janis Joplin song to ex-boyfriend Nate and boyfriend stealer Helen. As Gus’s best friends, Amy Lee and Georgia try to get her to see that her obsession with getting Nate back and understanding why Helen did what she did isn’t healthy, Gus can’t be told. She looks for hidden messages from Nate everywhere, convinced that he was ‘trapped’ by Helen and that deep down, he wants her back too. He just need to escape Helen’s clutches.
While Helen is trying to get Nate back and dealing with Helen, there’s also the problems of her best friends to consider. Georgia has a thing for unsuitable men and is forever picking up corporate sharks who discard her after a few weeks, leaving her bereft and bedridden in tears. There’s Amy Lee, the only married one who just wants everyone to grow up. And then there’s Henry…. Henry Benedict Farland IV, who rents Nate a room in his house, who has been on the periphery of Gus’s social circle for 10 years, who Georgia pined over for most of college and who let Gus into his house in order for her to find Nate and Helen kissing in the kitchen. But is Henry as evil as Gus likes to believe? Maybe there was another reason he let her in that night, and not just for his personal amusement.
This was a random pick up from my local library – the colour of the cover caught my eye and so did the title. Because let’s face it – who hasn’t had one of those toxic frenemy types in their lives at some time? I like reading about women’s relationships and I’m an avid fan of all ends of the chick lit spectrum from the fanciful to the more serious ‘women’s fiction’ types. And this book was a really fun and quick enjoyable read that passed a lazy summers afternoon.
Gus is a bit of a mess – she’s still living in the same one bedroom apartment she’s had since college and her furniture is still the same mishmash of rejects found on the street that she’s had since college as well. Her walls are lined with posters and her books don’t have shelves, piling up all over the floor. She has a pretty cushy job as the librarian in a museum where she gets to catalogue and research how she wants and quite a lot of freedom. Her friends Amy Lee and Georgia, a dentist and lawyer respectively have moved onto the grown up train a little ahead of Gus but at the beginning of the book she truly doesn’t see that she is wallowing in her early 20′s when really she’s about to turn 30 and her college days are long ago. She’s likable but a bit nutty – totally done in by finding out that Nate betrayed her with Helen and she mostly lays the blame at Helen’s door, assuming that Helen trapped or seduced him. Someone ought to give her the heads up on ‘you can’t take what doesn’t want to be taken’ but she is at first, steadfast in her belief that poor Nate is innocent, having been tricked by the toxic Helen and it isn’t until almost the end of the book that the wool starts to lift from her eyes and she stops viewing Nate in such an idyllic light.
It’s something that happens plenty in the real world – we’ve either been there or know someone who has. It’s never the poor male’s fault, it’s always the witchy other woman and her seductive wiles. Especially when the male is one like Nate – affable, good looking, nice, probably a bit simple. He’s not exactly a deep character in the novel so you have to make assumptions about him based on what you’re given but he doesn’t strike me as being particularly intelligent. It’s mentioned several times that Nate has a long relationship history, not much of it particularly serious and he seems the type of man who ‘marks time’ with whoever is around until another woman comes along. And it’s obvious that he wasn’t that into Gus in the first place if he’s swayed by Helen, her supposed friend after just four months.
Helen was a bit of a weird character. At first I found it a bit hard to believe that she didn’t know that she was doing something wrong but then I was reminded of a few instances in my past where similar things have happened. Helen’s attitude was more that she was doing Gus a favour, because clearly it proved that Nate and Gus were not meant to be together – which was true, but it’s not the way that anyone ever wants to find that out, is it? She made good hatred fodder because she was so annoying and clueless and I wish that Gus had actually given her a bit more of a serve throughout the book instead of standing there bemusedly gaping like a fish at Helen Logic, which made very little sense and deserved a pretty good smackdown.
Henry was delightful – I love rich, male slutty types with hidden depths who clearly have eyes for the main character which she’s totally oblivious too. At first he comes across like he might be the villain but it’s a wonderfully fun journey when you realise he’s not. This book is not without its flaws – Gus is at times just a little too neurotic. It stops being amusing and strays into irritating, wanting-to-smack-her territory and her obsession with Nate and Helen goes on just a fraction too long. And the fight she has with her friends is a bit weird, but I suppose some of the worst fights in real life can be over the most trivial things. But overall it was just a soothing read – good girls like Gus who get jerked around by boyfriends/so called friends can win in the end. And who doesn’t like a happy ending?
While Helen is trying to get Nate back and dealing with Helen, there’s also the problems of her best friends to consider. Georgia has a thing for unsuitable men and is forever picking up corporate sharks who discard her after a few weeks, leaving her bereft and bedridden in tears. There’s Amy Lee, the only married one who just wants everyone to grow up. And then there’s Henry…. Henry Benedict Farland IV, who rents Nate a room in his house, who has been on the periphery of Gus’s social circle for 10 years, who Georgia pined over for most of college and who let Gus into his house in order for her to find Nate and Helen kissing in the kitchen. But is Henry as evil as Gus likes to believe? Maybe there was another reason he let her in that night, and not just for his personal amusement.
This was a random pick up from my local library – the colour of the cover caught my eye and so did the title. Because let’s face it – who hasn’t had one of those toxic frenemy types in their lives at some time? I like reading about women’s relationships and I’m an avid fan of all ends of the chick lit spectrum from the fanciful to the more serious ‘women’s fiction’ types. And this book was a really fun and quick enjoyable read that passed a lazy summers afternoon.
Gus is a bit of a mess – she’s still living in the same one bedroom apartment she’s had since college and her furniture is still the same mishmash of rejects found on the street that she’s had since college as well. Her walls are lined with posters and her books don’t have shelves, piling up all over the floor. She has a pretty cushy job as the librarian in a museum where she gets to catalogue and research how she wants and quite a lot of freedom. Her friends Amy Lee and Georgia, a dentist and lawyer respectively have moved onto the grown up train a little ahead of Gus but at the beginning of the book she truly doesn’t see that she is wallowing in her early 20′s when really she’s about to turn 30 and her college days are long ago. She’s likable but a bit nutty – totally done in by finding out that Nate betrayed her with Helen and she mostly lays the blame at Helen’s door, assuming that Helen trapped or seduced him. Someone ought to give her the heads up on ‘you can’t take what doesn’t want to be taken’ but she is at first, steadfast in her belief that poor Nate is innocent, having been tricked by the toxic Helen and it isn’t until almost the end of the book that the wool starts to lift from her eyes and she stops viewing Nate in such an idyllic light.
It’s something that happens plenty in the real world – we’ve either been there or know someone who has. It’s never the poor male’s fault, it’s always the witchy other woman and her seductive wiles. Especially when the male is one like Nate – affable, good looking, nice, probably a bit simple. He’s not exactly a deep character in the novel so you have to make assumptions about him based on what you’re given but he doesn’t strike me as being particularly intelligent. It’s mentioned several times that Nate has a long relationship history, not much of it particularly serious and he seems the type of man who ‘marks time’ with whoever is around until another woman comes along. And it’s obvious that he wasn’t that into Gus in the first place if he’s swayed by Helen, her supposed friend after just four months.
Helen was a bit of a weird character. At first I found it a bit hard to believe that she didn’t know that she was doing something wrong but then I was reminded of a few instances in my past where similar things have happened. Helen’s attitude was more that she was doing Gus a favour, because clearly it proved that Nate and Gus were not meant to be together – which was true, but it’s not the way that anyone ever wants to find that out, is it? She made good hatred fodder because she was so annoying and clueless and I wish that Gus had actually given her a bit more of a serve throughout the book instead of standing there bemusedly gaping like a fish at Helen Logic, which made very little sense and deserved a pretty good smackdown.
Henry was delightful – I love rich, male slutty types with hidden depths who clearly have eyes for the main character which she’s totally oblivious too. At first he comes across like he might be the villain but it’s a wonderfully fun journey when you realise he’s not. This book is not without its flaws – Gus is at times just a little too neurotic. It stops being amusing and strays into irritating, wanting-to-smack-her territory and her obsession with Nate and Helen goes on just a fraction too long. And the fight she has with her friends is a bit weird, but I suppose some of the worst fights in real life can be over the most trivial things. But overall it was just a soothing read – good girls like Gus who get jerked around by boyfriends/so called friends can win in the end. And who doesn’t like a happy ending?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews