Friends from Home

by Lauryn Chamberlain

“An insightful, keenly observant debut about the power and complexities of a lifelong female friendship. Engrossing and wildly relatable.”—Carola Lovering, author of Too Good to Be True

“ A bighearted story with deep roots in a complicated old friendship . . . [A] moving tale of love and life-changing choices. ”—Hannah Orenstein, author of Head Over Heels

A timeless story about female friendship with an incredibly timely hook that makes it perfect for the millennial reader

Jules O'Brien and Michelle Davis have been best friends since third grade, when Jules and her single mother moved from Cleveland to the small Alabama town where Michelle's family has lived for generations.

Now in their midtwenties, the childhood friends live miles and worlds apart. When Jules agrees to be the maid of honor in Michelle's wedding, she quickly realizes just how different the two have become. Over the years, their passions and politics have diverged, and in the middle of wedding-planning squabbles, they feel more like strangers than the sisters they once were. When their friendship reaches a breaking point, Jules will have to decide if the bond they once had as girls is strong enough to reunite the women they are now. Is shared history enough to carry their friendship through a lifetime?
 
Disarming and wildly relatable, this novel is perfect for anyone who knows the complex love we have for our friends from home. It will have you calling the Michelle to your Jules immediately to discuss.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Adult Fiction, Womens Fiction, Chick Lit, Friendship, Womens

304 pages, Paperback

First published May 18, 2021

Reviews

[Robin Loves Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

While reading Friends from Home the idiom 'you can't go home again' stayed ever-present in my mind. When Jules O'Brien and Michelle Davis met in third grade, they became closer than sisters, best best friends, and imagined being friends forever. Adults now, they are not only separated by miles, but also by the worlds they live in. Michelle is getting married and she and Jules begin spending a lot of time together as wedding preparations begin. However, the more time Jules spends with Michelle, the more she realizes how different they have become and is often beset with feelings of sadness and loneliness.

Jules has other serious issues. A difficult relationship with her single mother and completely estranged from her father. Also, money meant completely different things to them as children and even now as adults. Jules always struggled, and Michelle had everything Jules ever wanted. She is in a good relationship with boyfriend Mark but when Jules is around Michelle she does get those sad feelings. The more time they spend together the more they drift apart. In fact, everything they knew as children did not carry into their adulthood.

Friends from Home is a highly emotive read, one which kept my heart in a vice from the beginning. In fact, I couldn't help but think of the different relationships I have had in my life and pondered what has happened with different friendships. I think the way this book was penned gave rise to those thoughts within me. The balance of reminiscing about the past while exploring current changes was something that was seen throughout Jules eyes in this story. Michelle was wrapped up in her loving relationship and impending marriage.

This was a wonderful book that did include a very sensitive subject, so sensitive that it might prove to the catalyst for Jules and Michelle losing everything they once had. Lauryn Chamberlain's debut novel will keep me thinking for a long while and will no doubt resonate in the hearts of many. I have heaed throough the grapevine that Ms. Chamberlain has signed a two-book deal, so I am more than eager to see where this emotional and contemplative story goes from here.

Many thanks to Dutton Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

[Heather~ Nature.books.and.coffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was definitely a relatable story of friendship. Once bff's in childhood, doesn't necessarily mean you will or can stay friends for life. People change, circumstances change. I thought this was a really well written character driven book. 


 Jules and Michelle have been best friends since third grade. Now they're in their 20s, and don't live in the same town anymore. They keep in touch through phone calls still, and meet up sometimes. When Michelle gets engaged, Jules accepts to be her maid of honor. Well as the wedding is being planned, and they are together more often, they realize how much they have actually changed. You get flashbacks into significant times throughout their friendship and see how these things sway a relationship one way or another.

This book really had me thinking about my own past friendships. I think you can find yourself in either of these characters. I thought the problems they faced were very real, and handled great by the author. 

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own!

[Chapters of Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Dutton Books, for the gifted copy of Friends From Home {partner}

Genre: Fiction
Format: 📖
Audiobook Narration: ☆☆☆☆
Pub Date: 5.18.2021
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆.5

Honestly, I chose to read Friends From Home because the author, Lauryn Chamberlain, has a new book coming out soon, and I wanted to get a taste of her writing style. What I didn't expect was to find one of the most relatable books that I've read in recent memory.

This whole story felt like a trip down memory lane. It took me right back to my early 20s when I constantly felt like the bridesmaid (and never the bride, but thankfully that didn't work out) and was in this whirlwind of change with my friendships. It was a time for transformation, and I felt utterly unequipped to handle it all.

Chamberlain captured the complexity of female friendships and how difficult (and extraordinary) they can be. Women in their 20s go through all of these changes as they navigate post-graduate life, new jobs, boyfriends, homes, and friends that personify who they are at their core.

I loved the MC, Jules, and cheered for her as she attempted to take control of her life, even if it meant saying goodbye to the people she'd had beside her for years. She made tough decisions but didn't make them without considering the implications it would have on her future.

I recommend reading Friends From Home if any of the above interests you. However, fair warning, some heavy topics are discussed throughout the story, and they may make you uncomfortable. If you have any questions, please get in touch with me on Instagram ( @thebookend.diner ).

[Sherrie Howey · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a New Yorker who went to college in the south, I totally related to this book. Jules and Michelle have been best friends since they were in elementary school in Alabama. Jules had a difficult home life being raised by a single mother and Michelle's family embraced her as one of their own family. Jules decides to go to college in New York while Michelle is the epitome of a sorority girl in college in the south. Upon graduation, Jules moves to New York City and begins working in publishing. Michelle gets engaged and asks Jules to be her maid of honor. As the wedding plans start to shape up, the differences between Michelle and Jules are magnified.
The author did a phenomenal job with character development. She delved into long term friendships and how we often feel compelled to remain friends with people we have known for a long time. I am sue most readers have struggled with friendships that have changed over the years but loyalty and longevity prevails in the decision to continue the friendship.
I could not put this book down. The last 2 lines of the book make me hopeful that there's a sequel and I eagerly await her next book.

[Arvin Ahmadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most relatable books I've ever read. Perfectly paced, with characters you feel like you know. Jules and Michelle have been best friends since they were kids, and while they've grown apart in many ways--in distance, in politics--they still cling to that shared history. It's a challenging feeling so many of us can relate to with our "friends from home." This is one of those books you won't stop talking about.

[Dive Into A Good Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friends from Home is an excellent book that tackles the issues that come up in long term friendships. The amazing aspect about this book is that everyone can relate. Every person has had a life long friendship, that started when they were in elementary school. When one of them leaves to conquer the world, and the other stays at home or closer to home. Do these friendships just disappear. Or do they grow, tear, mend, and continue on. Different but not any less special and meaningful.

Lauryn Chamberlain did a terrific job of developing the main characters Jules and Michelle. Friends since elementary school, they were inseparable until Jules decides to move out of Alabama and go to New York for college. This is where their lives diverge. Michelle is a sorority girl to a T, and Jules is more laid back and wants to have a solid career in publishing. When Michelle gets engaged, to the love of her life, her everything. Jules feels shocked, that she is not more excited about her friends future wedding. What does this say about Jules and where her owl life is heading. Their lives are as different as can be, but their past history keeps them as best, best friends. Michelle asks Jules to be her Maid of Honor, and the roller coaster of friendship begins. Navigating lifelong friendships can be tricky ground. Especially when one decides to move away. Can their friendship survive?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, from the moment I sat down. I highly recommend it to anyone who has been the friend left behind or the friend that tried a new life, something different from how they grew up. Thank you to Dutton Books for giving me the chance to review this fantastic book.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

good easy read

[jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

objectively, probably an average, well-written new adult book. but reading it the summer after my freshman year of college made it hit diff. i read this in less than six hours while eating chocolate covered plantain chips from trader joes in the back of ada's car. also! i finally got a new library card so i could check this book out. it made me think about how much we grow once we leave our hometown and go to college and get jobs and how that means our friends from home might change and become very different than who we turn out to be. and it made me think about my best friends from home and how i can't imagine one day not being a part of their lives but it will be so much harder to be a constant part of their lives as we grow up and maybe even apart. so many of the fears and problems addressed in this book are things that i'm scared about so it felt very relevant to me. there's a part at the end that i really love where jules says she can't think about growing up without thinking of michelle, her childhood best friend. and it made me realize that whenever i think of growing up and my childhood, i will always think of the same people, and i am so grateful for that. jules also says that her friendship with michelle was her first big love and taught her how to love, which i love bc platonic friendships need to be more romanticized !! also i especially liked this bc jules went to cornell go big red :D

[Olivia Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Dutton Books For an eARC. This beauty was released yesterday and is available in hardcover, ebook, and audio!

I don’t normally go for contemporary fiction so I’m not sure exactly what compelled me to request this but I have no regrets.
Friends From Home was heavier than I was expecting. If you’re looking for fun, light-hearted, traditional happily ever after this isn’t it.

But if you’re looking for real, and relatable and raw and emotional, and important this is for you. I’d say it’s Gilmore Girls meets Firefly Lane. It’s an examination of relationships and how we move, grow, change and find our place in the world within (and out of) those relationships.

Julie grew up in a small town in Alabama and is now a 20 something living in NYC. Her best friend from childhood, Michelle, still living in Alabama asks her to be maid of honor at her upcoming wedding. We follow Julie present day navigating just how much her and Michelle have both changed and we have flashbacks of pivotal moments in their relationship.

I’ll be thinking about this book long into the future. Whether you’re a Michelle dreaming of a spouse and kids or a Julie dreaming of being a published author and traveling, I think you’ll find something to love about this story.

[Dkbbookgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great balance of light and heavy topics
Well developed - likable characters
Really enjoyed this book

[Lisa Welch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Random thoughts:
** I thought Chamberlain tackled the topic of friendship changes over time with a great deal of insight and compassion. I think we all grow apart from many of our childhood friends as we find ourselves and our place in life, as we discover who we are and what we believe in.
** However, in trying to capture the ways in which friendships change, I felt that the characters lacked a bit of nuance in their development. Jules' friends fit into two groups - the right leaning, hometown, snooty group or the left leaning, New York, liberal group. They were strongly in one camp or the other and the characters all blended together as a result.
** The characters of Michelle and Jules had a bit more development, but the secondary characters were underdeveloped and not memorable. (honestly......Dana and Ritchie were the same character to me).
** Chamberlain attempts to tackle the topic of abortion, but it felt underdeveloped. I don't want to give any spoilers away on this one, but I felt that this should have warranted more page time and exploration than it did. I do appreciate that the book addressed this issue as not many books currently do, but I was left wanting more.
** The ending left me with too many questions. There were so many loose ends with nearly all of the main relationships featured - Will they have a relationship? What will that relationship look like?

Overall, I felt like this book needed a bit more editing to further the character and plot development. This book has a great deal of potential, but in the end it fell a bit short for me.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you keep in touch with friends from your elementary school days? Specifically your very best friend from childhood? This book focuses on two BFFs who has been friends since they were little kids and it does an excellent job of exploring how friendships can change throughout the years.

Michelle and Jules are in their twenties and no longer live in the same town but they still have managed to stay fairly close. They see each other as often as they can and they talk on the phone all of the time. They’re both confident and solid in their friendship, their bond is unbreakable. Then Michelle gets engaged and of course Jules will be her maid of honor and this only serves as a catalyst to show just how much these two have actually grown apart as adults. So what do you do when your best friend and you don’t seem to have much in common anymore? I’m not talking just different opinions on pizza toppings, bigger issues like political and societal issues. The author did a great of examining all of this and more and I got such a strong sense of both of these women and how they interacted together. If you like character driven stories about female friendships this one was good!

[Elise :) · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF’d at ~50%. Just so unpleasant to read - the main character is so judgemental towards any life choices other than pursuing a high profile career and also cannot grasp that dependence on other people is part of HEALTHY INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS. Was hopeful for this one bc the author’s other book (Who We Are Now) really hit for me, but that also was a case of right book at the right time. I skimmed the rest of the book after the plot started going in a direction I really didn’t like, and it seems like there was maybe some redemptive aspects at the end but I was not willing to slog through the 140 pages of conflict to get there.

[Emily Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd start by saying that Friends from Home is NOT part of my normal genre. I tend to read non-fiction, and usually don't care for stories regarding romance, women, friendships etc.

That being said this book blew me away. From the relatable themes to the delicate, yet tangible way things are described, I felt that I had visited both NY and Alabama, and have never once been to either place in my life.

I honestly could not put this down, this is the fastest I have read something in a long time.

What I love most about this book, aside from the style of writing, is the way the lessons learned by the main character can be re-applied to my own life. Some of the quotes from this book I will take with me not only as pieces of something I truly enjoyed, but as mantras for life, love, and work.

The way the author weaves relevant, of the moment issues with emotions that I am sure have been felt by more than just individuals who have directly experienced similar issues was something truly special. The gravity of situations involved, combined with light hearted flashbacks to simpler times, and a sense of grieving as lives change created a book I think many will enjoy.

And remember: "Somewhere - everywhere actually - someone thinks you're doing it wrong."

So live for your happiness. In the end, we cannot please everyone.

[Ilana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t want to like this book. I picked it up as an “easy read” and in many ways, it was. The story and writing were simplistic at times and occasionally relied on stereotypes. And yet, when I got to the end of the book, I was sobbing. So credit where credit is due: the story about female friendship - especially life long female friendship - with all of its complexities and beauty and nuance, is one I won’t forget.

[Magnus Jorgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is SO GOOD!!! Somehow both universally relatable and also extremely personal, anyone who has moved away from home, or felt directionless at a time in their life will be able to find something in Friends from Home. Lauryn Chamberlain has such an assured voice in her writing, I often had to go back and reread some sentences/passages so I could really feel the impact of the words. A few times throughout, Chamberlain describes a nuanced feeling so succinctly in ways I've never read, or even known how to describe before.

Jules and Michelle's relationship really resonated with me, and made me reflect on my longest friendships, my goals in life, and my relationship with my parents. You can tell a lot of love and experience went into crafting this story. As someone who has spent their early adulthood moving to a new city, never having enough money but somehow always being able to justify a bottle of wine, Jules really felt like someone I would love to be friends with. If you've ever felt like life in your twenties is a race and all your friends are lapping you, and if you don't succeed by 25 then you're a failure, then you NEED to read this book.

Friends from Home is an incredible debut novel that I think will resonate with everyone. I'll be thinking and talking about it for a long time. I would recommend it to anyone, and I can't wait to read what Lauryn Chamberlain writes next!!

[Dream Ackland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short and sweet. It’s better that way …. 😴

[Meredith McGowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

OBSESSED!! I immediately felt like the author was one of my closest friends; she has an amazing ability to make the darkest topics light with humor and displays powerful insight into intrapersonal connections' evolvement over the years. Would DEFINITELY recommend and hope she's coming out with a sequel soon!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novel that deals with relevant issues for young women. Although the plot is slight, Julie and her friend Michelle, must deal with the issues of female friendship when one gets married, and the issue of abortion and choice, which remain significant in our world, especially in some parts of our country.

How do friends navigate major relationship changes? How can friendship transcend deep differences?

I admire the author for tackling these issues and I’m certain that reading groups will want to follow up with discussions.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

[Caitlin Barasch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friends From Home was beautifully written & infinitely relatable with many poignant insights that snuck up on me. All of the relationships in the book—whether familial, platonic, or romantic—felt grounded and real and distinct, and I loved how the final third of the book went in an unexpected direction. (In my opinion, there aren't enough books out there about ambivalence in romantic relationships; I was so glad to see it represented here.)

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book. I haven’t read a novel like this that hit on the head how devastating/strange it can feel when you realize your friendships with home friends have shifted, and makes you question whether or how those friendships can survive. I’m recommending this to everyone!

[Berit Ericson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt...dragging to me, in a way. I really expected this to be a story that I completely related to and understood, which it was, but something about the writing style and the actual text of the book just felt like it took too long to get through to me.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I’m just too old (36) for this story line. I found both leads immature and obnoxious. I felt pot-committed to finishing the book, and did feel like there was a little improvement at the end, but in general the characters were not ones I wanted to spend my time with.

[Madison Trozzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

On a whim I picked up this book from a stack of books my mom has been collecting, mainly to have something to keep me busy during the slow times at work. Little did I realize that I’d end up reading something that would genuinely move me.

While some of us are lucky enough to make childhood friends and keep them close for life, others make these friendships and find that over time these relationships drift apart. As people grow, learn, and change, so do relationships, despite how much we want them not to. I think of my life, and the many amazing people I’ve known; I’m forever grateful for those people and those memories. But along with fondness is sadness, as many of these friendships have faded out over the years, due to a variety of complex reasons. It’s difficult, that longing for something different, while also logically knowing that some things cannot be changed.

Friends from Home, by Lauryn Chamberlain, is the perfect book for any of us who have experienced complicated and distanced relationships. All of the difficult feelings brought about in these situations are validated in this novel, but not only that, there is advice to be given as well.

With her mature, grounded, and compelling storytelling, Lauryn creates a touching, heartfelt story of female friendship in the modern age. She touches on the nature of relationships over time, the experience of womanhood over time, and ultimately the journey of finding out who you are and what you want from life.

Jules is a complex female character, with her talents, flaws, and doubts, and is shadowed by Michelle, who has her own faults, talents, and questions. Two girls, now women, woven together and yet also increasingly separated every day.

It’s not easy capturing the intricacies of human relationships, especially female friendships, but Friends from Home truly hits the nail on the head in its depiction.

With that being said, I can definitively say this novel will forever hold a spot in my mind, and will remind me I’m not alone in my experience with complex relationships. As Lauryn writes, it is important to remember that “Loving someone without the hope of changing them is the only way that you can love them”, even if that love is done “from afar”. Nothing is ever black and white, and every relationship will have multiple people coming into it with differing points of view.

Today I give Friends from Home 4 stars, as I truly enjoyed the read and would definitely recommend it to anyone interested.

Until next time fellow readers!

[Missy (BigSkyBooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What a fresh, real and relatable book Friends From Home is. I also found it to be a very binge-able read, reading it in only a day! Love that!

📚 Book Review + Pub Day 📚
Title: Friends From Home
Author: Lauryn Chamberlain
Publisher: Dutton Books
@duttonbooks
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Jules and Michelle have been best friends since third grade, when Jules and her single-flighty-absent-always looking for a man-mother moved from Cleveland to a very small southern Alabama town where Michelle’s family has lived for many generations. Now is their mid-twenties these childhood friends live worlds and miles apart. Jules lives in NYC pursuing her dream job of becoming a book editor. Michelle is back home in Alabama working at a jewelry boutique and engaged to her college boyfriend.

So, of course Michelle asks Jules to be Maid-of-Honor! And Jules obviously accepts. BUT . . . she quickly realizes that over the years their dreams and beliefs have shifted apart and in the middle of wedding planning they have quite a few squabbles.

When Jules makes a decision for her future that Michelle can not understand it puts their friendship to the ultimate test. Will even they make it to the wedding still as friends?

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A very solid four stars for this debut. It will have you wanting to call up your best friend. It’s very relatable to how people grow and change in different seasons of life. And that maybe the people we love the most aren’t on the same paths at the same time; Or maybe they won’t ever be. And that’s Ok!!! 🛑 Stop reading if you do not want a 🚨 spoiler…

… this book does involve an abortion and disagreement between pro-life and pro-choice. I hate doing spoilers, but I do feel like this may be a trigger for some.

This one is out TODAY 5/18 and I highly recommend you put it on your summer reading list! Thank you @netgalley and to the publisher @duttonbooks for honoring my request to read and review this book. #netgalley #friendsfromhome

[Shannon (The Book Club Mom) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you remember your best childhood friend? Do you still keep in touch? Are you still BFFs? Bravo if you are. I only keep in touch with a small handful of my old friends, my friends from home. This makes me a little sad, and regretful that I haven’t made more of an effort. After reading this debut, I thought long and hard about some friendships that I let drift away, and then started making excuses: I moved to another country, our political views clashed, we were in different stages of life, we just naturally grew apart, etc. You get the idea. Honestly, though? I didn’t try hard enough, and that’s unfortunate. Everyone changes, right? We grow, we learn, we move on. Friends from Home explores this progression in the best way possible. Jules and Michelle have been friends since the third grade, are now in their mid-twenties, living miles apart, and are miraculously still involved in each other’s lives. As they get older, and move further into adulthood, it becomes apparent that things have changed. They both want different things in life, their political views cause tension between them, and they’re basically walking in opposite directions. Can their friendship survive this fracture? That’s the million dollar question, and for you to find out. If you enjoy reading stories about female friendships, or just complex relationships in general, this is the perfect book for you. You may find pieces of yourself in each of these characters, and also rethink some of your past behavior. I sure did. It really made me think of the type of friend I truly am, and what I need to work on. It really opened my eyes. 4/5 thought-provoking stars for Friends from Home!

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked FRIENDS FROM HOME. Jules is 25 years old and working in publishing in New York when she gets a call from her best friend from back home in Alabama. Michelle has just gotten engaged and wants Jules to be the maid of honor, just like they decided when they were 8 years old. Things are different from when they were in elementary school though, and the cracks in their friendship become more obvious as wedding planning goes on. The two women are living entirely different lives, and it seems like sometimes they don't understand each other at all.

The timing of this book coming out could not have been more perfect; I started reading it the day before I got a save the date for the wedding of one of my closest high school friends. FRIENDS FROM HOME has an extremely authentic feeling, one that I think most of us can relate to in our mid and late twenties. My version of Michelle got married when we were 24, when I had just moved to Los Angeles and was trying to figure out my life and looking around thinking, "Are we really old enough for this?" At times I felt like I related to Jules a little TOO much, which felt uncomfortable, but again, it was authentic.

I could really go on for a long time about how I appreciated this book for its character development and how real it felt, so instead I'll just say that if you're looking for a book about changes and growth and coming into yourself this summer, this is the one.

[Lafourche Parish Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you remained close friends with your best friend from high school? Even though most people would like to, that’s not always the case. Friends from Home by Lauryn Chamberlain got me thinking about friends from high school. You see your friends every day at school. Then, graduation comes and each person takes their own path in life. Life events happen and many times friends drift apart. Ms. Chamberlain tackles this issue with Jules O’Brien and Michelle Davis in Friends from Home.

Jules and Michelle have been best friends since third grade. Now they are in their mid-twenties and living hundreds of miles apart. Michelle is getting married and has asked Jules to be her maid of honor. As they prepare for the wedding, the ladies begin spending more and more time together causing them to realize just how far apart they’ve grown. Their differences lead to conflict.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were well-developed, and the theme of long-term friendship was well written. I’d recommend this book to anyone who has lost touch with a childhood friend, or anyone who still has a close relationship with their childhood friend.

Availability: Book
Rating: **** Stars (I really liked it)
Reviewer: Crystal, Technical Services Librarian

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GENRE: Relationship Fiction
SUBJECT: Childhood Friends; Female Friendship; Individual Differences; Interpersonal Conflict; Reunions; Weddings

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book would be a fun read and a complex one about friendships and how they can splinter and taper off as you move away and grow older. I could not find myself liking either of the characters. Jules O’Brien was the girl from the dysfunctional family that only had one parent. Actually, her mother was only there half the time because she was searching for a man to take care of them, but she was having no luck. Michelle Davis was a spoiled princess from the family in the country club setting and she seemed to always get it all. Jules goes to college away and moves even further, but still keeps somewhat in contact with the bestie.
However, issues come up when Michelle is getting married and the two start disagreeing especially when Jules is going to do something Michelle is truly upset about!

Both chateau are selfish and have no clue about life or how friendships work. I just personally think the author misses the mark with this one because neither character is even likable. I think if you can’t relate to a character or the storyline then you can’t find the book enjoyable.

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Strains and Rewards in a Long Term Friendship

When Jules and her single mother moved to the small Alabama town where Michelle’s family had lived for generations, the two third graders became instant best friends. The closeness lased until after high school graduation. For college, Jules went to New York City where she hoped to pursue a career in publishing while Michelle stayed home and became the consummate sorority girl.

Now Michelle is getting married to the man of her dreams. Jules is chagrined to learn about the engagement first from Instagram, but when Michelle asks her to be the maid of honor, she agrees. This is the beginning of a year the will test their friendship and bring individual challenges that help them grow.

This is a sensitive and well written book. Anyone who has a best friend from childhood will enjoy this book. Both Michelle and Jules are well defined characters. Their problems are real and the way they deal with them, while not always perfect, reminds us of their own trials as a twenty somethings.

The story is quite emotional. This is not a sugar coated friendship, but you’ll remember the characters, and their struggles, and probably think of your own best friend.

I received this book from Dutton for this review