GIFTED / Today I decided to speak about one book that came out few months ago, that I wasn’t too fascinated by. In other words, it left me disappointed.
It’s the story about friendship and forgiveness.
I want to thank the team from Penguin Random House Global for sending me an e-galley of this novel (in an exchange for an honest review).
The Friends We Keep came out on June 4th 2019 and it has 384 pages.
About the book:
FROM GOODREADS / Evvie, Maggie, and Topher have known each other since university. Their friendship was something they swore would last forever. Now years have passed, the friends have drifted apart, and none of them ever found the lives they wanted – the lives they dreamed of when they were young and everything seemed possible.
Evvie starved herself to become a supermodel but derailed her career by sleeping with a married man.
Maggie married Ben, the boy she fell in love with at university, never imagining the heartbreak his drinking would cause.
Topher became a successful actor but the shame of a childhood secret shut him off from real intimacy.
By their thirtieth reunion, these old friends have lost touch with each other and with the people they dreamed of becoming. Together again, they have a second chance at happiness… until a dark secret is revealed that changes everything.
The Friends We Keep is about how despite disappointments we’ve had or mistakes we’ve made, it’s never too late to find a place to call home.
Review:
If I could use only one word to describe The Friends We Keep by Jane Green, it would be boring.
Even though the story takes place in time period of 30 years, and so many things happened during that time, it still felt like the story was dragging and dragging.
This novel has 384 pages, but it felt like I was reading 600 pages long book. It took me 4 days to finish it, even though I really do have time for reading on my hands at this point in my life.
The story follows three people, Evvie, Maggie and Topher who met in collage and started their friendship there.
Through the story they keep and lose contact with each other, but their lives are always intertwined in some way.
I usually love novels that explore human relationships, and I don’t mind when the story takes time, but this time I just couldn’t wait for it to be already over.
I think my main problem was with characters. Two of four main characters (yes, four, because one side character is very significant) were very superficial, one was alcoholic and I feel like person who knew about him only tried to find excuses for his behaviour, and one only made bad choices in her life.
The worst of them all was Evvie. I think with a friend like that you really don’t need enemies.
This is the story about forgiveness, and although I am aware that forgiveness is important for one to move on with his life, I also think that some actions are unforgivable and even if you do forgive with time, it’s better to move on with your life without a person who wronged you in it.
Jane Green is very popular author and I have to admit that, even though I haven’t read her work before, I was pretty disappointed with The Friends We Keep.
Book Dust Magic 
Hope your next read is better!
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Thank you. I’ve finished some good books after this one. 🙂
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I think it is so disappointing when you spend time reading a book only to find it wasn’t for you. There are not many books that I don’t finish, but if a book doesn’t grip me I will leave it.
I have read a Jane Green book before but it was years ago. ( before I blogged). I remember enjoying it then but not which one it was. 😉.
I hope your next read is better.
Amanda xx
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Thanks Amanda. Maybe I would dnf it, but tbh I wanted to know how the characters will react once the truth comes out, and they reacted disappointingly.
Spoiler: one character has a baby with other’s husband (he cheated on her wife with her so called best friend), while this wife couldn’t have kids.
After the husband dies of alcoholism the truth comes out, and the wife is angry but until the end of the book she not only forgives her friend, but also decides to live with her in her own house.
I mean, some people just choose to be treated like crap over and over again. In my country there’s a say: too stupid to feel sorry for.
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I would be very annoyed that I spent time on that book if that is the way the story ended! 😤
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