Queen Bee

by Jane Fallon

Welcome to The Close - a beautiful street of mansions, where gorgeous Stella is the indisputable Queen Bee . . .

It is here that Laura, seeking peace and privacy after her marriage falls apart, rents a tiny studio. Unfortunately, her arrival upsets suspicious Stella - who fears Laura has designs on her fiancé, Al.

When Laura stumbles on the big secret Al is hiding, suddenly Stella's perfectly controlled world, not to mention Laura's future, are threatened.

Taking a chance on beating Al at his own twisted game, these two former strangers are fast becoming best friends.

But has Laura forgotten that revenge never comes without a sting in the tail?

Genres: Audiobook, Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Drama, Contemporary, Book Club

399 pages, Paperback

First published April 2, 2020

About the author

Jane Fallon is an English producer and novelist, most famous for her work on popular series Teachers, 20 Things To Do Before You're 30, Eastenders and This Life. She is author of ten novels on the Sunday Times Bestseller List — Getting Rid of Matthew, Got You Back, Foursome, The Ugly Sister, Skeletons, Strictly Between Us, My Sweet Revenge, Faking Friends, Tell Me A Secret, and Queen Bee. In 2011, Foursome was nominated for the Melissa Nathan Award for Romantic Comedy Fiction, and in 2018, Faking Friends was nominated in the popular fiction category of the National Book Awards and in 2019 was long listed for the Comedy Women In Print prize.

Fallon has been in a relationship with popular comedian Ricky Gervais since 1982, after they met while studying together at the University College London. The couple has lived together since 1984 and are based in North London.

Reviews

[Irena BookDustMagic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, Jane Fallon proved herself as a perfect go-to author for book clubs with her newest book Queen Bee.

As I already stated in my reviews for her other novels, I think Fallon's work is great to read along with friends, as her novels often demand to be discussed about.
However, this time there wasn't too many things people could argue about, but still it would make a perfect choice to read together and just comment things that were served.

I started this book and immediately knew I wouldn't let it go until I finish that last page.
But life doesn't happen as we planned it, so I gave birth somewhere in the middle of my Queen Bee journey, and too pause from it to get to know my baby and get better from that exper.
Once I finally took some time to read again, I was so happy to continue, as I was really looking forward to it, and didn't forget anything that happened.

I enjoyed spending time in the neighborhood along with Laura. I think fans of Desperate Housewives would enjoy this story, because of the setting and mentality of characters.

The book is written in first person, following Laura's POV.

I think it was a great choice because it made me really invested in the story.

I also really enjoyed how children of main characters were involved and I was looking forward to read about them.

I really recommend Queen Bee to readers of women's fiction and I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are familiar with Jane Fallon's previous novels, then you will know exactly what you are in for with her latest offering. She writes light, entertaining, humorous stories that revolve around women, providing great escapist fare. Running a small cleaning enterprise, the hard working and acerbic Laura has a beloved young daughter whose marriage to her husband, David, has fallen apart. Thanks to the kindness of Gail, her new landlady, she now finds herself living amongst the wealthiest of neighbourhoods. Having her feet on the ground and plenty of commonsense, Laura has little in common with the trophy wives and women she is now surrounded with, where the eponymous Queen Bee, the rude, arrogant and privileged Stella, rules the roost.

Under the mistaken misapprehension that Laura is making a play for her partner, Al, Stella, ensures that Laura is shunned. Whilst carrying out her cleaning job, Laura unearths devastating information about Al that leads to her and Stella unexpectedly joining forces. Laura turns her clear, astute and observational eyes on the interactions, secrets, shenanigans, surprises, the twists and turns of the over privileged community, the over indulged, shallow women with their over the top lifestyles obsession with beauty and plastic surgery. There are echoes of Desperate Wives and the Stepford Wives amongst these particular circles of women. This, as usual, is a fun, witty and engaging revenge drama that I found an enjoyable read. Many thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC.

[Beckee❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, this book was my first by Jane Fallon and I found her writing style easy to read and engaging. I grew up in the 90's so Mean Girls was my jam and this book gave me very Mean Girls-esque vibes in that the popular girl gets stuffed over, falls from the top, and learns some hard lessons along the way. The main character was relatable - I joined in on every single eye roll - and overall it was a humorous, fun and satisfying read.

[Eglė Eglė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oi kaip man buvo smagu skaityti Lauros ir jos naujųjų draugių nuotykius aklagatvyje! Ir nors vietomis (dažniausiai) jos priminė išpaikintas paaugles, o ne suaugusias moteris, bet tai joms suteikė dar daugiau savotiškumo. Iš dalies jaučiausi sugrįžusi į savo paauglystę, kai nekantraudama laukdavau naujos "Nusivylusių namų šeimininkių" serijos. Nes skaitydama knygą taip ir jaučiausi- lyg žiūrėčiau linksmą, kuriozišką filmą.

[Jayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jane Fallon is a gifted and talented writer and her books usually receive "As" from me.

QUEEN BEE gets a "BEE Minus" and that's because I rarely diss anyone with the first name Jane.

Not quite sure what happened to one of my favorite authors. Did she fall asleep at the wheel? Did a COVID quarantine with boyfriend Ricky Gervais do her in?

QUEEN BEE's plot was B-O-R-I-N-G with character development that was lacking. And the book dragged on and on and on.

The book did feature a few witty signature "Jane" lines but there were just not enough of them.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a terrific job. Even a good narrator, however, could not save this book.

I am not giving up on Jane Fallon. I am hoping that her next book will be "My Sweet Revenge" good. Yes, that would be sweet.

Two stars rounded up.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

How the other half lives!

This engagingly funny and breezy summer read was the perfect comic observation of an outsider arriving in a wealthy neighbourhood and soon befriends the titular stories Queen Bee.

The breakup of Laura's marriage sees her temporarily stay in a studio flat on The Close.
Opposite her is Stella, who becomes very suspicious that the new arrival has designs for her soon to be husband Al. This leads to a frosty reception for the areas newest resident.

It certainly says more about Stella's insecurities that whilst her and Al have been together for 12 years - she's so desperate to finally marry him.

The whole dynamics between the two women changes one a big secret of Al's is discovered by Laura.
As the second half of the novel completely flips the friendship.
Prior to this Laura was shocked to see how such wealthy ladies kept themselves busy as most of the group don't work.
Situations like teaching someone how to use eBay is always a reliable simple gag, this is a great example with a bond forming between Laura and Stella.

Laura was an easy character to instantly like, one of the novels strengths is the ability to actually warm to Stella over time too.

Another really enjoyable hit by Jane Fallon.

[Nora|KnyguDama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Šis žanras - ne mano arbatos puodelis, bet Jane Fallon kūrinių pralesit nenoriu. Trečia jos skaitoma knyga ir trečia gero humoro dozė su detektyvo prieskoniu. Ši - gryna Desperates Houswives serija, kurią nostalgiškai perskaičiau vis grįždama į laikus, kai televizijos ekrane grožėdavausi išpuoselėto priemiesčio namų ir sodų grožiu, lyg iš žurnalų puslapių nužengusiomis namų šeimininkėmis, kurių prabanga ir šypsenos slėpė tamsias paslaptis. Viskas lygiai taip pat ir šiame romane.

Laura - paprasta moteris, ką tik išsiskyrusi ir bandanti gyvent iš naujo, atsikrausto į va tokį fancy kvartalą. Čia visi kaip iš filmų - patobulintomis išvaizdomis, vardiniais drabužiais ir netikrom šypsenom. Draugų ji susirast čia nesitiki, bet, kad įsigis priešą - visai nesitikėjo. Stela jos nekenčia iš pirmo žvilgsnio. O tai nieko gero, mat Stela - visų kvartalo fyfučių karalienė, kurios žodžio vaikosi visos ir visur. Laurai būtų kaip ir nusispjaut, bet netyčiom ji sužino apie Stelos vyro Alo aferas ir nusprendžia kažkaip padėt nesusivokiančiai turtuolei.

Kad prisijuoksit - duodu ranką nukirst. Labai smagiai ir nekvailai suregztos kurioziškos situacijos į kurias vis papuola veikėjos. Labai patiko ir pati Laura - tokia ne iš dangaus iškritus, nepuola į ašaras dėl niekų, o vadovaujasi sveiku protu ir logika. Šita knyga, kaip it kitos Fallon, puikus pavyzdys kaip galima rašyt lengvus romanus jų nenucukrinant ir nenusaldinant, įmetant netikėtumų ir vistiek išlaikant jausmingą dramą.

[Nic · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 fluffy easy to read stars.

This was an ok book, perfect for holidays or if you don't want to challenge yourself at all.

However it was a bit slow going and it took me a third of the book to really get into it. I struggled to gel with any of the characters and it was all just so implausible!

[Sarahjanelyons · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just dull. The main character got on my nerves. Scratch that. They all got on my nerves. Ridiculous plot, weak characters, and a very predictable and unsatisfactory ending.

[Gabrielė|Kartu su knyga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aklagatvis - tokia vieta, kurioje renkasi tikra "grietinėlė". Namai, kurie ptilygsta rūmams, namų tvarkytojos bei prabangūs automobiliai. Į šį kvartalą atsikrausto Laura. Po skyrybų su vyru ji susiranda mažytį butuką, kurį šiuo metu dar išgali sau leisti. Deja, tačiau ne visi džiaugiasi naujosios kaimynės draugija. Stela mano, jog Laura gali kėsintis į jos sužadėtinį. Juk likusi be vyro, tik ir ieško "gardaus kąsnelio".
Bet visai netyčia Laura atkapsto didžiulę Alo paslaptį. Laura nusprendžia, jog Stela nusipelno sužinoti tiesą. Taip ir prasideda žaidimas..

Tai yra mano trečioji perskaityta šios autorės knyga. Jos romanai neįpareigojantys, šmaikštūs bei tikrai lengvai skaitomi. To netrūko ir šioje knygoje, tačiau man ši knyga patiko mažiausiai iš visų. Visa istorija pasirodė kiek per daug pritempta, o paaiškėjus tiesai nebelabai likau ir kažkuo nustebinta. Ir mano nuomone, galėjo šis pasakojimas būti truputį trumpesnis. Nepaisant to, turėjau gerą laiką su šia knyga. Mane sužavėo Lauros personažas, o Stela šiai istorijai įnešė taip pat savito šarmo.
Tad rekomenduoju šią knygą, kuomet norėsis pailsėti nuo įtempto siužeto istorijų. Su šia knyga galėsite pasinerti į aklagatvio gyventojų gyvenimus, kurie kupini paslapčių bei intrigų.

[Loreta Griciutė · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man knyga skaniau skaitytųsi, jei pagrindinė veikėja būtų Stela ir istorija suktųsi apie jos paslaptis ir bėdas su vyru,na ir dar koks keršto planas jam būtų gerai suregztas.

O čia Laura,kuri išsiskyrusi,turi savo valymo firmą, ieško naujų namų sau ir savo dukrai, kiša nosį į svetimus reikalus,ir išsiaiškinusi svetimas paslaptis,sugeba tapti iš priešės vos ne geriausia drauge,ir dar suka galvą,kaip padėti,ir mokina kaip ir ką reik daryt.

Man istorija pasirodė primityvi, lėkšta ir tikrai ištempta,jokios intrigos ir noro versti puslapius.Perskaičiau, užverčiau knygą ir po kurio laiko net neprisiminsiu,apie ką buvau skaičiusi.

[Rachel (not currently receiving notifications) Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect escapism with edge - relatable protagonist but a disappointing secondary cast.

3.5 stars

Witty and sassy escapism is Jane Fallon’s strong suit and she always delivers a relatable and believable protagonist that readers can get behind and forty-two-year-old Laura Martin in Queen Bee has her feet firmly on the ground. Recently separated and mother to seven-year-old Betsy, Laura takes a six-month lease on the annex (staff quarters) of a McMansion in The Close, a private cul-de-sac on the leafy edges of North London. Her landlords, Gail and Ben, are wonderfully welcoming but when a gathering of the neighbourhood couples sees Laura fall foul of pampered Queen Bee, Stella, the botoxed doyenne of The Close it does not bode well for a harmonious few months, especially when the other women ostracise her on the say so of Stella.

Laura runs a small cleaning company of part-timers and mainly single mums with three office contracts that keep her business ticking over but far from rolling in it, one of which is the company that Stella’s beau is the CEO of. Given Stella’s hostility when she mistakenly believes Laura is making a play for husband-to-be and partner of twelve years, Al, it leaves Laura convinced that she might force him to change his cleaning company. Fearing the worst Laura scrambles to clear her name and discover if Al really does have another woman waiting in the wings but in doing so she discovers something far worse. There are huge grey areas in what Laura actually does and even more so when she becomes convinced that despite being a bitch even Stella does not deserves what is heading her way and shares the details with the woman who wronged her.

With the exception of Gail, the women of The Close are indulged, shallow and entitled and have never done a days work in their lives. Privileged beyond Laura’s imagination they are also snobby, offhand and even when Stella teams up with Laura they remain fair-weather friends easily influenced by a largely ungrateful Stella. But knowing what Stella is capable of and having seen her with claws out, can Laura really afford to trust her? Whilst Fallon is as sharp as ever with her observations and implicit understanding of female relationships the secondary cast and the resident women in The Close lack depth and redeeming features. There is no real reason for Laura to involve herself in Stella’s marital issues and given plastic Stella and her clique’s lack of gratitude and the fact they never evolve from fake and very fickle friends to the real variety that care about Laura it seems a little hard to swallow. Given that Stella proves time and again that she is not to be trusted as far as you could throw her I couldn’t really see understand what Laura got out of the arrangement when she had enough on her plate with finding a house and running her own business.

Laura is impossible to dislike, a fair employer and a devoted mother desperate to find a new permanent home in order for Betsy to live with her whilst still coming to terms with the unexpected end of her marriage. Self-deprecating and very down to earth she won’t be taken for a mug but can turn on the bad behaviour and mean girl act with the best of them. Realistically flawed, what makes Laura such an appealing character is that she is your average woman and someone we can all recognise. The mother-daughter relationship between Laura and Betsy feels so natural and Fallon never fails to gives readers a protagonist with bags of common sense who says what every normal woman is thinking! Along with astute observations on all the different varieties that female friendship comes in and a healthy dose of humour, Queen Bee is another thoroughly entertaining read.

[Deimante · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smagi knyga 😊 puikiai susiskaite 👍

[Eglė · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sulaukus vieno vaiko nuo vyro, kuris nėra tavo sutuoktinis, situaciją galima pavadinti nesėkminga, bet sulaukus ir antro tokio vaiko, tai jau kvepia neatsargumu."

[Rhian Eleri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was like revisiting Desperate House wives! It had the gossipy rich types, the mansion homes, and the spoilt rich kids and the flash cars!
I really enjoyed my time reading this, the main character Laura is such a good egg amongst some rotten ones!
There are no amazing revelations, big twists or shocking moments. But there was plenty to funny bits, a lot of heart, and some really frank home truths which I think everyone can relate to, to some degree.
Laura and Her daughter Betsy have the most touching relationship, I felt this was the main interest of the book and I found myself wanting things to end perfectly for these two. They deserved only the best.

[Nila (digitalcreativepages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nobody could dish a revenge plate better than author Jane Fallon. I couldn't get enough of this book. I loved it so much.

A new resident in the cul-de-sac and a misconception caused the reigning queen bee to show her power. Laura rented an annexe in the beautiful street of The Close to take a breather after the collapse of her marriage. But it caused Stella to become more suspicious. Al was so not Laura's kinda man, but who would explain that to the Queen Bee? A truth was revealed and a comeuppance was planned. But would it work?

Having read a few of this author's works, I was beyond overjoyed to get my greedy hands on this book. The writing was absolutely addictive. My eyes wanted to rest, but my heart craved to read the book from first page to last at one-go. And I had to give in to my heart's desires.

Humor interspersed the prose in a self-deprecating manner. The neighborhood was filled with characters who had plasticized their bodies, yet a tiny sliver of goodness remained within them. Some of the trophy wives were depicted true to their ways.

Laura was delightful as my main characters. Her emotions came out well, but never went overboard. The author restrained her characters so well that I felt sympathy for all of them. The situations and twists came at the right moment. The book was everything I wanted, a chick-lit of sorts but not so much. A beach read but not so much. A women's fiction but not so much. It was a combination of all three and more.

I just loved the happiness reading it gave me.

[Eglė / Gal paskaitom? · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jame Fallon "Kvartalo karalienė" 👑⠀
⠀
Linksmas, painus ir įtraukiantis romanas/detektyvas. ⠀
⠀
Laura atsiduria prabangių namų kvartale, dar kitaip vadinamame - aklagatvyje, susiklosčius nekokioms gyvenimo aplinkybėms. Čia ji nori turėti nuošalų, ramų kampelį ir gyventi toli nuo savo rūpesčių, tačiau gan greitai supranta, kad to gali nesitikėti. Šiame rajone nuolatos verda dramos, visi vieni kitus pažįsta, čia kiekviena moteris yra įpratusi prie lengvo gyvenimo niekad nesirūpinant finansais ar nepajudinant piršto virtuvėje. Laura supranta, kad čia tikrai nepritaps, tačiau atranda bendrą kalbą su vienu čia gyvenančiu vyriškiu. Tačiau ji net nenutuokia, kad ši pažintis yra tiesus kelias link visiškos katastrofos. Laura įsivelia į didžiulį paslapčių ir apgavysčių rezginį ir sunkiai įsivaizduoja kaip iš viso to išbristi sausai! 🫣⠀
⠀
Jane Fallon kaip visada patiekia lengvą, neįpareigojančią istoriją, bet tokią su kuria tikrai nenuobodžiausite! Knygos pagrindinė veikėja labai realistiška, paprasta moteris, kuri atsiduria visiškai ne savo "rogėse" ir dėl to patenka į daugybę komiškų situacijų. Kitos veikėjos, kartais atrodo, tokios paviršutiniškos, kad net sunku patikėti, bet iš tikrųjų ir tokių žmonių pilna realybėje. 😄 Autorė labai gudriai sunarplioja istoriją ir priverčia ne kartą spėlioti kur gi pasisuks istorija. Visgi aukščiausio įvertinimo negalėjau skirti, nes iš pabaigos tikėjausi didesnio netikėtumo! ⠀
⠀
Rekomenduoju, jei ieškote knygos su kuria tikrai linksmai praleisite laiką ir visiškai atsipalaiduosite. 😊 ⠀

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Big fan of this author but am kind of shocked that, unlike her other books, this plot went absolutely nowhere, slowly. The whole time I was reading it I was thinking, OK any minute now we’re going to get our infamous Jane Fallon reveal/wrong end of the stick/comeuppance! But...it never came. Everything went as expected and, for some reason despite all the protagonist’s awful choices (the constant snooping in a client’s office was ridiculous and made me dislike her more and more every time she did it!), she has the nerve to blank the person she was trying to help when a rather dull and somewhat insignificant secret is revealed. Sadly I think it was another case of a rushed ending. Will read ‘My Sweet Revenge’ to remind myself of how well Fallon can write a story if she puts her mind to it.

[Goda l Knygu_jura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Su autore Jane Fallon jau esu šiek tiek pažįstama, nes skaičiau vieną jos knygą. Šiai kažkokių lūkesčių neturėjau ir džiaugiuosi, kad turėjau labai smagų laiką. Autorės humoras superinis, vietomis tikrai balsu juokiausi. Kai kurios situacijos buvo tos, kur "netinkamai sukrito kortos", bet tai darė pačią istoriją "gyvesnę". Įdomi ir pasirinkta autorės aplinka - uždara, prabangių namų gatvelė, kur moterys viena už kitą gražesnės, šeimos auksu žiba, o vienas neigiamas kvartalo karalienės žodis, gali lemti visą gatvelės požiūrį į kitą žmogų.

"Kvartalo karalienė" man patiko dėl besivystančių santykių tarp pagrindinių veikėjų, o kartu buvo jauku skaityti apie motinos ir dukros santykius. Visas Lauros pastangas atsistoti ant kojų po skyrybų, bet kartu ir slaptus šniukštinėjimus norint išsiaiškinti tam tikras kvartalo kaimynų paslaptis. Smagu buvo ir tai, kad intriga buvo išlaikyta iki pabaigos bei tai, kad autorė vis įtraukdavo kokių netikėtumų! Tiiiik, mano skoniui knyga buvo kiek ištempta, o pagrindinės intrigos atskleidimas kiek suskubėtas..

Romanas leis atsipalaiduoti nuo įtemptų, emociškai slegiančių skaitinių, o kartu "Kvartalo karalienė" nėra per daug saldus romanas bei neprivers nuobodžiauti su tiek paslapčių!

[Aistė Svarauskaitė · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ech. Toks gana vidutiniškas romanas. Nei labai gailiuosi, kad perskaičiau, nei labai būčiau ką praradusi neperskaičiusi.

Pačioje pradžioje buvo labai sunku įsivažiuoti, nes dar iki galo nepajautus veikėjų, skaitytojas yra įmetamas į įvykių sūkurį. Veiksmas, nors primena nusivylusių namų šeimininkių serialo dramas, yra gana nuspėjamas ir tiesiog nesukelia emocijos. O romanas be emocijos - nei šioks nei toks 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Knygų Romantikė · Rating 5 out of 5]

☆☆☆☆☆

Smagus, lengvas, su ironija, įvykiais ir intrigomis pintas perpintas kaip siūlų kamuolys romanas.
Laura, išsiskyrusi, bandanti savo gyvenimą susitvarkyti, atskirausto į turtuolių kvartalą, atsiranda būrelyje moterų, kur žodis darbas ir blogas gyvenimas neegzistuoja, o konkurencija akis bado. Vienas neteisingas žingsnis ir jau esi intrigų sūkuryje. Nuo priešų iki draugų, nuo nemėgstamos iki geriausios draugės.

[Kayl_may · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to on audio. What a nice easy listen to start the new year with. Not really my usual type of book as I like psychological thrillers/murder mysteries but this was a nice change. Funny and relatable, about friendships, relationships and the dramas that can come with them. Would definitely recommend!

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the breakup of her marriage, Laura, owner of a small cleaning company, temporarily rents a studio flat in an enclave mainly of the super-rich, known as The Close. Her landlady Gail seems to be the only other woman there with an actual job; the rest, mainly trophy wives of some variety, appear to spend their days having various cosmetic procedures and socialising. And of these, Stella – who takes an instant dislike to Laura – is the undisputed Queen Bee. When Stella suspects Laura of having designs on her husband Al, things get rather messy rather quickly. But then Laura finds out something devastating about Stella’s husband, and things start to change.

It’s a promising setup for a juicy story, and so it proves to be.  

The fun is largely in the observation of the inhabitants of the Close - I had to laugh at Laura’s description of Stella’s limited skills as “swanning about, bitching and spending money”, which did seem to sum things up nicely. While the characters are to a certain extent stereotypes, there’s just enough depth to make it, if not exactly believable, at least not entirely unbelievable. And there really are women out there not that dissimilar to the inhabitants of the Close...

All in all a really fun, enjoyable read.

[Jenny C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Jane Fallon’s books, so was excited to read her newest offering. Although it took me around a third of the book to get into it, I did end up staying up late as I had to know how it finished! I love the contrast between the main characters Stella and Laura and how their relationship developed. I really empathised with Laura and even began to feel for Stella too. There are twists and turns to keep you interested and the secondary characters are also well developed and interesting. I really enjoyed it and loved the ending.
Thank you to netgalley, the publishers and Jane Fallon for allowing me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[Alison Pashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm normally a huge fan of Jane Fallon, but this one didn't quite hit the spot for me. Laura was a great character but why she let Al get away with dropping her in it in the way he did at the start just didn't ring true with the Laura we saw throughout the rest of the book. The residents of The Close (other than Gail who i liked) felt like caricatures, and I expected some more twists and turns than I got.

Still enjoyable and an easy read, but missing some of the usual Jane Fallon magic for me.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars - This authors books have long been an auto purchase as her books are always an easy read, filled with humor, good storyline and happy outcomes. This book however fell short. I didn’t like or invest in any characters and after 100 pages wanted to change books however finished it hoping it there was a good twist at end (there wasn’t).

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite Jane Fallon book so far! I don’t want to give any spoilers but was disappointed with the ending. Such an compelling read until the final few chapters where I felt the opportunity to finish with one final twist was missed.

[Bridget Torkington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book, but not 5* due to bad editing! Couple of glaring continuity errors, first I noticed, was David had a brother,few chapters on, he was an only child, then the baby Alexei changes parents. For a bestselling author, not good!

[Kay Cugini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable light read, good humour, I liked Laura and Betsy and the book was enjoyable but not particularly outstanding for me x

[Skaistė Girtienė · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mačiau kelias vertingas temas, apie santykius, draugystę, skyrybas, meilę, tiesą ir melą, pasirinkimus. Visgi pradėjo varginti nuolatinis pasakojimas apie tai kokie jie turčiai, kokie mes paprasti, kaip viskas nesuprantama tame kitų pasaulyje. Truputį pašiepti ir patraukti per dantį suprantu, bet tuo paremtas pasakojimas kažkaip "neskanu" buvo. Perskaičiau iki galo, nes įdomu buvo, kaip kaimynės ir pačios veikėjos istorijos išsirutulios. Abejoju, ar imsiu į rankas kitas autores knygas (nebent rasiu labai gerų atsiliepimų).