Book Review: Faking Friends by Jane Fallon

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for the ARC.

You can buy Faking Friends now here.

The Blurb

Your best friend stole your fiancé. Do you run away and hide, or start planning your revenge?

THE TOP 5 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 

'A deftly plotted, witty tale of revenge. It's a romcom with attitude' Mail on Sunday
Best friend, soulmate, confidante . . . backstabber.

Amy thought she knew everything there was to know about her best friend Melissa. Then again, Amy also thought she was on the verge of the wedding of her dreams to her long-distance fiancé.

Until she pays a surprise trip home to London. Jack is out, but it's clear another woman has been making herself at home in their flat.

There's something about her stuff that feels oddly familiar . . . and then it hits Amy. The Other Woman is Melissa.

Amy has lost her home, her fiancé and her best friend in one disastrous weekend - but instead of falling apart, she's determined to get her own back.

Piecing her life back together won't be half as fun as dismantling theirs, after all.

My Review

Jane Fallon is fast becoming a favourite author of mine; she writes with humour and warmth with an underlying layer of grit which can make you feel quite uncomfortable. See my earlier reviews of My Sweet Revenge and Strictly Between Us.

Faking Friends is a tale of betrayal, revenge and toxic friendships. When trust is smashed to pieces, how do we cope with it? Do we crumble, beaten into submission? Or do we quietly scheme to destroy those who would purport to destroy our lives?

Of course Amy does not allow herself to be a meek victim. She is, like all of Fallon's characters, feisty and determined. 

Fallon has the knack of showing both sides of the story. The heroine is never perfect, and it is refreshing to see the other person's version of events, and sometimes there is no distinguishing between the hero or the villain - they can be just as bad as each other. And the plot isn't simple or obvious - with each new chapter comes another revelation, entangling the reader in the glorious web of lies and deceit.

Sickly sweet this book is not; it's punchy and gritty and ooh, how I loved it!

About the Author

Jane Fallon is the multi-award-winning television producer behind shows such as This Life, Teachers and 20 Things to Do before You're 30. Her debut novel "Getting Rid of Matthew' was published in 2007 and became a Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller as have her subsequent books 'Got You Back', 'Foursome', 'The Ugly Sister', 'Skeletons', 'Strictly Between Us' and 'My Sweet Revenge"

Her 8th novel Faking Friends is available now to pre order in both paperback and for Kindle.

Join Jane on Twitter - @janefallon or at her website www.janefallon.co.uk

Blog Tour and Review: Dangerous to Know by Anne Buist

Today the Blog Tour for Anne Buist's novel, Dangerous to Know, stops off at mine.

Thanks to Legend Press and Anne Buist for the advanced reading copy. All views are my own.

The Blurb 

Natalie King is back: back from a stay on the psych ward. Her reluctance to live a quiet life has contributed to a severe depressive episode, and now it’s time for a retreat to the country. A borrowed house on the Great Ocean Road; a low-key research job at a provincial university nearby.

But Natalie and trouble have a strange mutual fascination. Her charismatic new boss Frank is friendly, even attractive. But it turns out his pregnant wife is an old enemy of Natalie’s. And when Frank’s tragic personal history is revealed—then reprised in the most shocking way—Natalie finds herself drawn deep into a mystery. And even deeper into danger.

My Review

This is our second encounter with psychologist Natalie King (you can read my review of the first book in the series, Medea's Curse, here). 

Natalie has her bi-polar in hand (for now) after a stay on a psychiatric ward, but she treads a dangerous path when she ends up working for Frank Moreton. Frank is an enigmatic, attractive man, who has the somewhat unfortunate misfortune of losing pregnant wives. He and Natalie are both drawn to each other, but not in the usual way.

Jealousy weaves its way through the story, as wives, ex-lovers and members of an eccentric family all make their presence known. No one appears to be straightforward, everyone has their own hidden agenda, with the exception of the lovely Declan, Natalie's own therapist. I feel sorry for him, and it is obvious that Natalie respects him and wants to please him.

I found this second novel easier to read than the first as there were not as many technical details relating to the mental health profession - as promised by the author!

The plot twists and turns, as family secrets are revealed in this fast-paced thriller. It is a breathless ride along with Natalie as she is at risk of losing control of herself and the complicated situations in which she inevitably ends up embroiled. Natalie is one of the most interesting and complex characters I've ever met in a book, and I hope to be reading about more of her escapades.

About the Author:

Anne Buist is the Chair of Women’s Mental Health at the University of Melbourne and has over 25 years clinical and research experience in perinatal psychiatry working on cases of abuse, kidnapping, infanticide and murder.

She has published ten erotic romance- suspense novels under the pseudonym Simone Sinna. She is married to novelist Graeme Simsion and has two children.

Follow Anne on Twitter: @anneebuist

You can buy Dangerous to Know here (other retailers are available!).

Blog Tour: Lost in Static by Christina Phillipou

Sometimes growing up is seeing someone else's side of the story.

Four stories. One truth. Whom do you believe?

Callum has a family secret. Yasmine wants to know it. Juliette thinks nobody knows hers. All Ruby wants is to reinvent herself.

They are brought together by circumstance, torn apart by misunderstanding. As new relationships are forged and confidences are broken, each person's version of events is coloured by their background, beliefs and prejudices. And so the ingredients are in place for a year shaped by lust, betrayal, and violence...

Lost in Static is the gripping debut from author Christina Philippou. Whom will you trust?

Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC and the opportunity to participate on the Blog Tour.

University life. A chance, to make a fresh start, to make new friends - and new enemies. 

The story is told in first person point of view; with each of the major characters getting to put forward their version of events. It's cleverly done; once I realised that each scene was being described by each character in turn, so there was a little bit of a sense of travelling back in time to the beginning of each scene/incidence. It was interesting to see each person's perspective, making it easy to see how misunderstanding can happen so easily, and proving that we cannot know what is going on in someone else's mind. Never assume you know what someone is thinking!

It's interesting to see how different people react to others when placed in a rarefied situation like university. It was an uncomfortable read at times, with characters not reacting as I presumed, but this is in no way a criticism; it makes for a great read with it's twists and turns.

A great debut novel, and I look forward to reading more by Christina.

Lost in Static is available from, amongst others, Amazon UK, Amazon US, and direct from the publisher, Urbane Publications.

Author Bio

Christina Philippou’s writing career has been a varied one, from populating the short-story notebook that lived under her desk at school to penning reports on corruption and terrorist finance. When not reading or writing, she can be found engaging in sport or undertaking some form of nature appreciation. Christina has three passports to go with her three children, but is not a spy. Lost in Static is her first novel.

Christina is also the founder of the contemporary fiction author initiative, Britfic.

You can connect with Christina on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Google+.

Books, Fizz and Cake - Spring Bloggers Evening

Photo courtesy of @TeamBATC



Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Spring Blogger Evening at Books and The City in London. These events, led by the irrepressible whirlwind Sara-Jade Virtue, (I love this woman!) never fail to disappoint and last night was no exception.

We had the pleasure of meeting fabulous authors Juliet Ashton, Holly Hepburn (both of whom I adore and I'm lucky enough to have met before), Paige Toon (serious fan-girl moment!) and lovely debut authors Penny Parkes and Georgia Clark. They all read excerpts from their new novels, and OH MY GOD we got VIP proofs in our generous goody bags - I know! I love these events!

There was fizz, cheese straws and gorgeous cupcakes specially commissioned from Crumbs and Doilies, and chat about plot twists - quite tricky to do without spoilers! - with conniving cousins, tricky triplets, dishy doctors and bashful blacksmiths. Watch this space for reviews of these exciting new books - I just don't know which one to start with!

It was a great chance to catch up with great friends and meet online friends IRL. Writers and bloggers form such a sociable, friendly community. And they say being a writer is lonely - not a chance with this bunch!

Thanks again for a fabulous evening! Hopefully one day I will be one of those authors!

Me (centre) with blogger/author Annette (left) and Editor of fabulous books Clare (right)

Me again (left) with Author & heat Magazine's Book Reviews EditorIsabelle (right)