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Circle of Friends #1
The Best of Friends
When the new doctor's family moves in across the street, Glen is happy to show the son, Charlie, around the small town. With his good looks, charisma, athletic ability, and sports car, Charlie soon has the whole town in his corner.
Except Nicole, the prettiest girl in town (and the pastor's daughter), who has no intention of dating Charlie. No matter how often he asks her. Or Luke, Glen's best friend since kindergarten, who dislikes Charlie on sight and longs to wipe that smile off his face!
As Glen sidesteps the hostility between Luke and Charlie and assists Charlie in his quest to date Nicole, he faces major problems--some life-threatening, others life-changing.
Excerpt
He wanted to know about girls--were there any he hadn't met yet? I really couldn't think of any. Well, just a couple who I didn't think he'd be interested in--one girl who never takes part in anything, and Zoey Burgess, who wears glasses and is kind of chubby and sort of plain. Girls seem to like her, but I've never noticed any guys that were at all interested.
And then I remembered her. Why I hadn't before, I don't know. She's everything Charlie could want, and no doubt she'd like him, too. At least, she might. With her, you never can tell.
Charlie noticed that I'd stopped talking. "What are you thinking about? Remember somebody?"
I didn't know whether to tell him or wait until he spotted her himself. I decided to wait. "Nothing special. If I've missed anyone, you'll soon find out."
Except Nicole, the prettiest girl in town (and the pastor's daughter), who has no intention of dating Charlie. No matter how often he asks her. Or Luke, Glen's best friend since kindergarten, who dislikes Charlie on sight and longs to wipe that smile off his face!
As Glen sidesteps the hostility between Luke and Charlie and assists Charlie in his quest to date Nicole, he faces major problems--some life-threatening, others life-changing.
Excerpt
He wanted to know about girls--were there any he hadn't met yet? I really couldn't think of any. Well, just a couple who I didn't think he'd be interested in--one girl who never takes part in anything, and Zoey Burgess, who wears glasses and is kind of chubby and sort of plain. Girls seem to like her, but I've never noticed any guys that were at all interested.
And then I remembered her. Why I hadn't before, I don't know. She's everything Charlie could want, and no doubt she'd like him, too. At least, she might. With her, you never can tell.
Charlie noticed that I'd stopped talking. "What are you thinking about? Remember somebody?"
I didn't know whether to tell him or wait until he spotted her himself. I decided to wait. "Nothing special. If I've missed anyone, you'll soon find out."
264 pages, Paperback
Published May 16, 2016
33 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 20, 2017
N J Lindquist has a gift for getting into the mind of a 17-year-old boy. The Best of Friends is book 1 in her Circle of Friends series and it was the first book I've read by this author. I was impressed with how 'real' the characters became as I read the book. Glen Sauten's best friend since kindergarten, Luke, has started spending all of his time with his girlfriend, Jamie, leaving Glen at loose ends. When the new doctor's family moves in next door, their son, Charlie, latches onto Glen as someone who can help him navigate his new community. Charlie is as outgoing as Glen is reclusive and his personality draws Glen out, challenging him to examine true friendship.
As Charlie quickly establishes himself as the most popular, athletic, all-around gifted guy in town, jealousy erupts between him and Glen's former best friend, Luke. Luke was used to being the 'big man on campus' and Charlie's arrival puts a crimp in his status. Charlie takes over as team quarterback - Luke's former position, he gets the lead in the school play - also something Luke usually got AND, worst of all, he's moving in on Luke's girl. When the two come to blows, which one will Glen support?
Told in first person from the perspective of Glen Sauten, The Best of Friends is an examination of what it means to be a friend even when someone you consider a friend does something to damage the friendship. I loved the part of the story that dealt with Glen and Charlie attending church. Charlie drags Glen out of bed every Sunday morning to attend church - not because he's ultra-spiritual over even interested in the things of God, but because the pastor's daughter, Nicole is the most beautiful girl in the school and he's trying to get a date. Charlie pushes Glen into situation after situation, some even life-threatening, but none is more challenging to him than what he hears in church.
This would be a great book for teens or to promote discussion of things like peer pressure, bullying, alcohol abuse, and what being a friend means. I enjoyed getting to know the ensemble cast of the book. I definitely recommend!
As Charlie quickly establishes himself as the most popular, athletic, all-around gifted guy in town, jealousy erupts between him and Glen's former best friend, Luke. Luke was used to being the 'big man on campus' and Charlie's arrival puts a crimp in his status. Charlie takes over as team quarterback - Luke's former position, he gets the lead in the school play - also something Luke usually got AND, worst of all, he's moving in on Luke's girl. When the two come to blows, which one will Glen support?
Told in first person from the perspective of Glen Sauten, The Best of Friends is an examination of what it means to be a friend even when someone you consider a friend does something to damage the friendship. I loved the part of the story that dealt with Glen and Charlie attending church. Charlie drags Glen out of bed every Sunday morning to attend church - not because he's ultra-spiritual over even interested in the things of God, but because the pastor's daughter, Nicole is the most beautiful girl in the school and he's trying to get a date. Charlie pushes Glen into situation after situation, some even life-threatening, but none is more challenging to him than what he hears in church.
This would be a great book for teens or to promote discussion of things like peer pressure, bullying, alcohol abuse, and what being a friend means. I enjoyed getting to know the ensemble cast of the book. I definitely recommend!
August 28, 2017
The Best of Friends is the first book in The Circle of Friends series and it is wonderful young adult Christian fiction. Glen is a senior in high school and his friendship with his best friend Luke becomes strained when Glen befriends a new guy in town. Charlie is good looking and athletic and suddenly Luke's popularity is challenged. This causes an immediate conflict between them and Glen finds himself caught in the middle of their rivalry. He also finds that he may have developed feelings for Nicole, the young lady that Charlie has chosen as the girl that he wants to date.
I found this book to be both refreshing and inspiring. So many young adult novels choose to show stress and conflict between teens and their parents so it is refreshing to see both Glen and Nicole enjoying family relationships filled with respect and love. It is also inspiring to see Glen grow in his faith as he becomes involved in youth group and church activities and ultimately makes the decision to give his life to God.
Author N.J. Lindquist has been able to accurately capture the emotions, anxieties and drama that teenagers often encounter in their march to adulthood. I recommend The Best of Friends for both teens and their parents and I look forward to learning more about this circle of friends.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author through Book Club Network. My honest thoughts have been shared in this review.
I found this book to be both refreshing and inspiring. So many young adult novels choose to show stress and conflict between teens and their parents so it is refreshing to see both Glen and Nicole enjoying family relationships filled with respect and love. It is also inspiring to see Glen grow in his faith as he becomes involved in youth group and church activities and ultimately makes the decision to give his life to God.
Author N.J. Lindquist has been able to accurately capture the emotions, anxieties and drama that teenagers often encounter in their march to adulthood. I recommend The Best of Friends for both teens and their parents and I look forward to learning more about this circle of friends.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author through Book Club Network. My honest thoughts have been shared in this review.
May 23, 2017
Great book - fast-moving, interesting, well-written story about several young teen boys, Glen, Brad, Derek, Luke and Charlie during their High School years. Before Charlie moves int0 the area, Luke is 'the Star' of the High School and the small town and Glen is Luke's sidekick; however, when Charlie moves in next door to Glen, the dynamics change. Charlie becomes not only a friend of Glen's, but he becomes the HS football star and has all, or almost all, the HS girls falling over him. Luke becomes extremely jealous of Charlie and Glen gets in the middle of all their quarrels and disagreements. There is one girl, Nicole, who shows no interest whatsoever in Charlie and this does not go over well with Charlie and he uses every possible tactic to win her over, getting Glen involved in his schemes too. Through all this Glen starts attending church and youth group activities with Charlie - of course, the church where Nicole attends. Read this great story to see how God works in many wonderful ways.
This is a clean story which could be recommended from the youngest teen to the oldest Grandma. Well done, N. J. Lindquist.
This is a clean story which could be recommended from the youngest teen to the oldest Grandma. Well done, N. J. Lindquist.
July 6, 2017
The Best of Friends by N. J. Lindquist is young adult Christian fiction at its best. First in the Circle of Friends series, readers meet Glen and his friends as they are entering their senior year in high school. New to town, Charlie, has moved in across the street from Glen and into Glen's circle of friends. With a Mustang, sports events, and, of course, the girls in the picture there is plenty of action to keep the pages turning. The author does a great job of portraying teenage emotions and actions and capturing the reader's heart for her characters. The main characters are well-developed and not static. Readers can see growth and maturity in their attitudes and choices as they face different situations. Strong family relationships are depicted well. I liked the openness and honesty in Glen and Nichole's interactions with their respective parents...a good role modeling for teens. I am looking forward to the next in the series and also to giving these books to my young teen grandchildren. I know they will enjoy them. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author through Book Club network. A favorable review was not required and opinions are my own.
July 15, 2024
A delightful coming of age inspirational novel! The first person narrative is the strongest I can recall encountering in any genre. It does not miss a beat, picking up at the end of summer for high school senior Glen Sauten and following him through mishaps with friends and foes (sometimes combined!) academics, and the opposite sex, over the next several months. This is a genuine coming of age story with humorous and honest self-examination, and most importantly, a realistic story of a kid who knows next to nothing about Christianity yet comes to faith in Jesus Christ--AND--no, I won't spoil the ending for you, but it's the cherry on top. I highly recommend this as solid Christian reading, but especially for young adult boys. I plan to read the next in the series, With Friends Like These.
March 15, 2025
This was more a character study than anything else and the pacing of the story was quite slow. I wished we could have seen more of Glens journey with faith and even that felt pretty lacking as He only really questions it at around the 65% mark and nothing much is discussed further…overall it was just okay. Pretty slow and though relaxing, it just left me questioning; “what was the point?”
Therefore, I do not see myself picking up the next book in the series…
Therefore, I do not see myself picking up the next book in the series…
May 9, 2017
reviewed on amazon
January 2, 2015
Glen is very relatable as a main character. Although his character is boring at times(because he never put effort in anything he does) you will very much root for him to do more, speak his mind and to push himself even further. He is just an ordinary student and never really the type to stand out. I find myself to Glen most of the time because as a human we are afraid to do greater things because it will be a lot of work so we tend to just be typical and average. Charlie, the new guy in town (very much Glen's opposite: rich, very goodlooking, excel in everything he decided to do) can be considered as the antagonist but he's not at all evil type villain. In fact i can say that I have few friends very much like Charlie so it's hard to hate him that much. Nicole, the love interest of Charlie (and Glen too) is a nice girl and likable too. What i love about the book:
a. It's has a christian theme. I hesitate to read it a first because of that since i thought it would be preachy type of book. But the the theme is presented in a very sublte way and sometimes thought provoking through questions the main characters are given which I as a reader will ask myself for an answer as well.
b. The characters are well written, and you can very much picture the scenes. Glen acts as the narrator of the story and his points of views are very interesting.
c. The characters have all interesting traits that teenagers can relate to.
d. Love angle is quite interesting. It's a slow progress between the main characters but one will surely hope that they end up together somehow.
e. The trials and conflicts are well thought.
Somehow, this reminds me of perks of being a wallflower story. Glen is very likable and i can't wait to read the next in the series. Glen and Nicole's love story got a little too fast at the end but that's ok since I root for both of them since the beginning.
a. It's has a christian theme. I hesitate to read it a first because of that since i thought it would be preachy type of book. But the the theme is presented in a very sublte way and sometimes thought provoking through questions the main characters are given which I as a reader will ask myself for an answer as well.
b. The characters are well written, and you can very much picture the scenes. Glen acts as the narrator of the story and his points of views are very interesting.
c. The characters have all interesting traits that teenagers can relate to.
d. Love angle is quite interesting. It's a slow progress between the main characters but one will surely hope that they end up together somehow.
e. The trials and conflicts are well thought.
Somehow, this reminds me of perks of being a wallflower story. Glen is very likable and i can't wait to read the next in the series. Glen and Nicole's love story got a little too fast at the end but that's ok since I root for both of them since the beginning.
April 5, 2017
"Best of Friends," by N. J. Lindquist is book one in the Circle of Friends series, it is a work of young adult fiction. This book is clean, easy to read and easy to understand. Best of all, it is about teenagers. Teenagers that are busy handling with whatever life throws at them. They are trying to enjoy life while dealing with the everyday stresses of peer pressure, teacher hassles, homework, jobs and family life.
My favorite main character was kind-hearted Glen. Glen is pretty content to just let life pass him by as he sits back and watches others have fun. He is as easy going and obedient as they come. But, when a new guy moves to town and befriends Glen, his social life does some drastic changing. Glen helps his new friend be conniving and sneaky, but eventually starts to question what is right and what is wrong. I really enjoyed some of Glen's choices and kept hoping that he would stand up for what was right.
Best of Friends reminds me of how very painful and hard being a teenager can be. Teens are so quick to judge and apply pressure to each other. N. J. Lindquist has written a book that has good role models and understands how these kids are feeling. There is a small drinking scene and a couple minor fist fights in this story. There are also several responsible adults that genuinely care for the teenagers, some scriptures and church visits. I enjoyed reading this book.
I received this book from The Book Club Network and the author in exchange for my honest review.
My favorite main character was kind-hearted Glen. Glen is pretty content to just let life pass him by as he sits back and watches others have fun. He is as easy going and obedient as they come. But, when a new guy moves to town and befriends Glen, his social life does some drastic changing. Glen helps his new friend be conniving and sneaky, but eventually starts to question what is right and what is wrong. I really enjoyed some of Glen's choices and kept hoping that he would stand up for what was right.
Best of Friends reminds me of how very painful and hard being a teenager can be. Teens are so quick to judge and apply pressure to each other. N. J. Lindquist has written a book that has good role models and understands how these kids are feeling. There is a small drinking scene and a couple minor fist fights in this story. There are also several responsible adults that genuinely care for the teenagers, some scriptures and church visits. I enjoyed reading this book.
I received this book from The Book Club Network and the author in exchange for my honest review.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews