Faking Friends: THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER (edició 2018)

How is this my first Jane Fallon book? I LOVED Faking Friends so much that I started and finished it within 24 hours. It is rare that I find a book so riveting outside of the thriller genre but this book hooks you so quickly that you have to read it cover to cover to find out how it all plays out.

Amy is pursuing her dream to become an actress and she has a part in an American soap which sees her parted from her fiancé, Jack, who lives in their flat in London. Amy gets quite a shock when she comes home for a surprise visit and finds another woman's things where hers should be. This would be bad enough but the other woman is her best friend, Melissa. With remarkable powers of restraint, Amy doesn't tell Jack and Melissa that she knows their secret but instead plots her revenge...I nearly dropped the book to clap and pump the air - GO AMY!

There is a reason that such proverbs are still being used today: hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and revenge is a dish best served cold. Amy personifies those proverbs and kept me glued to the pages as her plans played out to perfection. I was disappointed that my bullshit radar didn't raise the alarm when a new character was introduced, but I think I was so caught up in the excitement of Amy getting one up on Jack on Melissa. Needless to say, I was metaphorically kicking myself but full marks to Jane Fallon for lulling me into a false sense of security.

I loved the flashbacks to the past as Amy and Melissa's relationship went under the microscope. I know such toxic friendships exist and think it's amazing that you can't see what's happening until it's pointed out to you, or it's too late. Which is why the strapline: keep your friends close and your best friend even closer is BRILLIANT!

Faking Friends is a superb book that had me gripped from start to finish. I couldn't put the book down until I knew how this game of chess would end. Your move, Melissa.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. ( )

Sweet revenge, with lots of plot twists. Enjoyed 2 others of her’s and this one did not disappoint. Felt she could have tightened up the back story after the first have. To me it felt unnecessary and a bit boring in the last half. ( )

Two “best” friends, Amy and Melissa, (although you wouldn’t think so after reading this!) vying with each other, taking revenge, tit for tat. Amy back from her acting job in the States for a surprise visit is the one who gets the surprise when she discovers that someone has moved in with her fiancé. All hell is let loose when the culprit is revealed. Loved it even though wouldn’t have thought that at their age they wouldn’t have been so childish - a bit more sophistication is needed I think! True colours were definitely shown by these childhood friends and they weren’t very pleasant. Two viewpoints and flashes back in time tell this tale which was riveting and comical in turns. I would love to see a return bout! This is a perfect book to put in your suitcase, ready for the beach or pool. ( )

Struggling actor Amy has finally had a break, she has a small role in a US drama and life looks great. The it all comes crashing down, her role is axed and she has to return to London where she discovers that her fiancee has been unfaithful and worse still, it is with her so-called best friend Mel. Amy decides to take action and get revenge but before things are resolved the player also gets played and discovers what friendship truly is.

I am not a fan of chick-lit at all but I make an exception for Jane Fallon. She has a way of writing witty, entertaining stories that are more age-appropriate and just on the fantastical side of believable - this is no different. There are times when I felt the storyline plunged into morally ambiguous territory, I felt the loss of Jack's job offer and the passport theft crossed a line. I also thought the ending was a little twee - friends who have not seen each other for 20 years suddenly reunite and everything is great. However they are minor niggles in what was a wonderfully indulgent read. ( )

I feel like there's a bit of a theme going on in Jane Fallon's books, one of revenge, plotting, secrets. And this is what she writes about really well.

In Faking Friends it's all about getting even with someone you thought you could always trust. Amy is an actress, enjoying some moderate success in an American drama. Being away from home and her fiancé, Jack, is hard but it's about to get even harder when she discovers he's playing around with her best friend since childhood, Mel. Instead of confronting them she decides to make things a little difficult for them.

Amy is such a lovely person it's a wonder she ever became friends with Mel in the first place, but then a lot of 'friendships' are between people who balance each other out. Where Amy is friendly and unselfish, Mel is jealous and bitchy. Amy is loyal, Mel is a backstabber.

I loved following Amy along her journey of discovery, as she finds out once and for all that she has a toxic friendship and as she tries to get her life back in order and come out the other side a dignified person. She's quietly powerful, taking control, being strong and ultimately being the better person, despite also trying to get some revenge on her cheating fiancé and her so-called best friend.

There are back stories about Amy and Mel's early friendship which help to show to the reader things that ought to have dawned on Amy before but, as I said, she's a genuinely nice character. I really liked the characterisations of some of the other main players, mostly Amy's other friends. Kat and Greg, in particular, are a great support to Amy and I loved them for their quirkiness.

I know that with a Jane Fallon book I will be getting a relatively light read but not one which lacks substance. I found this one quite thrilling with some unexpected twists and turns and there was one moment in particular when I clapped my hand over my mouth at the turn of events.

Faking Friends is a really fabulous read, a page turner. It's well-plotted, well-written and it's such an easy, engaging read. ( )