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Between Husbands and Friends
Lucy met Kate when they were both young wives and mothers. In the years since, the two women and their husbands and children have become inseparable, spending every August together in a house on Nantucket. Lucy and Kate, each other's most trusted confidantes, have shared their secrets, from the mundane to the shocking--but there's one explosive secret that Lucy has kept to herself.
As August once again approaches, Lucy must confront the truth she has kept hidden all these years. Now, in the midst of an unexpected family crisis, she must make a decision that could shatter all of their lives.
A poignant and gripping novel about friendship, family, loyalty and deceit, Between Husbands and Friends will hold you spellbound as it lays bare the desire and complexity of the human heart.
As August once again approaches, Lucy must confront the truth she has kept hidden all these years. Now, in the midst of an unexpected family crisis, she must make a decision that could shatter all of their lives.
A poignant and gripping novel about friendship, family, loyalty and deceit, Between Husbands and Friends will hold you spellbound as it lays bare the desire and complexity of the human heart.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
562 people are currently reading
2393 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Thayer
51 books4,044 followersNancy Thayer has published 35 novels, including Family Reunion and Secrets in Summer. She has lived on Nantucket Island year-round for 38 years with her husband Charley Walters. They have two children and five grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews
August 22, 2017
Lucy and Kate find themselves in a new town and in need on a friend -- a confidante. With their children in the same grade, the mothers become best friends and eventually their husbands do the same and the foursome are soon inseparable. This story brings strong meaning to the fact that sometimes too much togetherness can just be too much.
One wife is keeping secrets from her husband while asking her best friend to not only keep her secret too, but keep it from her own husband. You know, whether this type of story lies between the pages of a book cover or is playing out in real life - anytime it begins or is built on a lie there is usually not a happy ending and it is pretty much guaranteed that somebody is going to get hurt.
I don't want to spoil the story by telling what the secrets are, but everyone is hiding them, living them and others not dealing with them. All hell breaks loose and it is obvious that only the strong will survive, or at least those with the strongest relationship.
I will say I enjoyed the story and hung on every chapter as I watched their lives unfold. The author laid out their lives in ricochet format, switching from present to past as she built up to the moment the dam broke.
I saw where some reviewers of this story that felt the author left it open ended -- with the possibility of a simplistic, Suzie Homemaker meets Stepford wives scenario where everyone trust everyone, smiles and the world rolls along in greased grooves, but I closed the book and thought to myself -- "never going to happen". Call me cynical, but any marriage that involves infidelity also involves a lack of trust, respect and solid ground.
Regardless of what any reader perceives as the ending, it was an entertaining read that left much room for thought, reflection and hope.
One wife is keeping secrets from her husband while asking her best friend to not only keep her secret too, but keep it from her own husband. You know, whether this type of story lies between the pages of a book cover or is playing out in real life - anytime it begins or is built on a lie there is usually not a happy ending and it is pretty much guaranteed that somebody is going to get hurt.
I don't want to spoil the story by telling what the secrets are, but everyone is hiding them, living them and others not dealing with them. All hell breaks loose and it is obvious that only the strong will survive, or at least those with the strongest relationship.
I will say I enjoyed the story and hung on every chapter as I watched their lives unfold. The author laid out their lives in ricochet format, switching from present to past as she built up to the moment the dam broke.
I saw where some reviewers of this story that felt the author left it open ended -- with the possibility of a simplistic, Suzie Homemaker meets Stepford wives scenario where everyone trust everyone, smiles and the world rolls along in greased grooves, but I closed the book and thought to myself -- "never going to happen". Call me cynical, but any marriage that involves infidelity also involves a lack of trust, respect and solid ground.
Regardless of what any reader perceives as the ending, it was an entertaining read that left much room for thought, reflection and hope.
May 2, 2016
Between Husbands and Friends by Nancy Thayer was a slow start for me but keep reading because the plot, characters and emotions are intensified and the reader is rewarded with a page turner!
There are many complex issues that are explored. The ending is open-ended and leaves the reader with hope for a renewed friendship despite all the lies, secrets and misconceptions. This book would lead to great discussions in a book club.
"Perhaps no one person is ever enough for anyone. We're all so complicated".
There are many complex issues that are explored. The ending is open-ended and leaves the reader with hope for a renewed friendship despite all the lies, secrets and misconceptions. This book would lead to great discussions in a book club.
"Perhaps no one person is ever enough for anyone. We're all so complicated".
March 10, 2019
A boring story about the aftermath of people suffering from boredom in the suburbs. All the adult characters were unlikeable, and the ending was unrealistic.
May 23, 2023
A solid 4 stars. Nancy Thayer specializes in family dramas that take place on Nantucket and this one does not disappoint.
The West and the Cunningham families have known each other since their children were small. Lucy West and Kate Cunningham are best friends, with children close in age who are also best friends. They, along with their husbands, spend time together on the Cunningham farm and the West’s vacation home on Nantucket. They all seem to be one happy family.
Until tragedy strikes one family and has repercussions for both families. A long buried secret is revealed that rocks the foundations of both families and tests the resilience of everyone, especially the adults.
Lucy and Max, and Kate and Chip are fairly well portrayed, although Chip seems to get overlooked a lot. The story is told from Lucy’s perspective so the emphasis is on herself and Max, with Kate as her BFF. Everyone is flawed, some more than others. Everyone makes poor life choices at some point in the story. Probably the person I had the least sympathy for was Max, because he wouldn’t do what was necessary to help himself, and his family suffered because of it. Although we don’t get to learn a lot about Chip, he comes across as smug and arrogant. Kate, although a caring friend to Lucy, can be very careless and self absorbed. Lucy, although she makes a major bad decision, is often overwhelmed and is just trying to do the best she can.
This is a heartbreaking read at times, but is well done. The pages just turn themselves at times. The only problem I had with the book is that it mainly takes place in two time frames: 1989 and 1998, and my number dyslexia would get the time periods confused, but that’s on me.
Nancy Thayer is one of my favorite authors and this book is a definite recommend.
The West and the Cunningham families have known each other since their children were small. Lucy West and Kate Cunningham are best friends, with children close in age who are also best friends. They, along with their husbands, spend time together on the Cunningham farm and the West’s vacation home on Nantucket. They all seem to be one happy family.
Until tragedy strikes one family and has repercussions for both families. A long buried secret is revealed that rocks the foundations of both families and tests the resilience of everyone, especially the adults.
Lucy and Max, and Kate and Chip are fairly well portrayed, although Chip seems to get overlooked a lot. The story is told from Lucy’s perspective so the emphasis is on herself and Max, with Kate as her BFF. Everyone is flawed, some more than others. Everyone makes poor life choices at some point in the story. Probably the person I had the least sympathy for was Max, because he wouldn’t do what was necessary to help himself, and his family suffered because of it. Although we don’t get to learn a lot about Chip, he comes across as smug and arrogant. Kate, although a caring friend to Lucy, can be very careless and self absorbed. Lucy, although she makes a major bad decision, is often overwhelmed and is just trying to do the best she can.
This is a heartbreaking read at times, but is well done. The pages just turn themselves at times. The only problem I had with the book is that it mainly takes place in two time frames: 1989 and 1998, and my number dyslexia would get the time periods confused, but that’s on me.
Nancy Thayer is one of my favorite authors and this book is a definite recommend.
June 3, 2015
My rating 2.5 stars.
"Between Husbands and Friends" is cliche women's fiction. Two best girlfriends who share hopes and dreams, secrets, family and of course one has a big secret that could destroy the entire friendship. Nothing in this book surprised me. I will admit to a tear in the middle as one of our 'friends' deals with a tragedy, but other than that....I yawned.
Even though the story is told in first person, I had a hard time really liking Lucy (one of the dynamic duo) and liked her friend Kate even less. Both seemed caught in the trappings of their New England life, all the expectations of living in their small town, and not too concerned with the emotional health and well-being of their families. I have a hard time relating to women who think nothing of a one night stand--as if it's just something women need to do in order to be happy. Of course, when their infidelity is revealed (which it must be in a cliche women's fiction) lives fall apart (as they should) and families are destroyed.
I did find the book's treatment and explanation of Cystic Fibrosis interesting. I actually know someone who suffers from the disease and was pleased to read more about it. And I also appreciated that actions did have consequences. The poor choices made by both Kate and Lucy didn't pass without some repercussions, even if it was years later.
Thayer does have some lovely writing skills. There were a few paragraphs that discussed the idyllic dreams of women when expecting a baby. And although I didn't have those same dreams when I was expecting my own children, I could certainly relate to the sentiment. That type of writing makes me feel a camaraderie with the author and women everywhere.
The ending was hopeful, but not overly sweet. I always like that.
Overall, just a so-so read. This was my first Nancy Thayer book, and sorry to say, not one that would make me look for another of her titles.
"Between Husbands and Friends" is cliche women's fiction. Two best girlfriends who share hopes and dreams, secrets, family and of course one has a big secret that could destroy the entire friendship. Nothing in this book surprised me. I will admit to a tear in the middle as one of our 'friends' deals with a tragedy, but other than that....I yawned.
Even though the story is told in first person, I had a hard time really liking Lucy (one of the dynamic duo) and liked her friend Kate even less. Both seemed caught in the trappings of their New England life, all the expectations of living in their small town, and not too concerned with the emotional health and well-being of their families. I have a hard time relating to women who think nothing of a one night stand--as if it's just something women need to do in order to be happy. Of course, when their infidelity is revealed (which it must be in a cliche women's fiction) lives fall apart (as they should) and families are destroyed.
I did find the book's treatment and explanation of Cystic Fibrosis interesting. I actually know someone who suffers from the disease and was pleased to read more about it. And I also appreciated that actions did have consequences. The poor choices made by both Kate and Lucy didn't pass without some repercussions, even if it was years later.
Thayer does have some lovely writing skills. There were a few paragraphs that discussed the idyllic dreams of women when expecting a baby. And although I didn't have those same dreams when I was expecting my own children, I could certainly relate to the sentiment. That type of writing makes me feel a camaraderie with the author and women everywhere.
The ending was hopeful, but not overly sweet. I always like that.
Overall, just a so-so read. This was my first Nancy Thayer book, and sorry to say, not one that would make me look for another of her titles.
September 20, 2018
Having married young, Lucy West - wife of Max West, the editor of a small-town Massachusetts newspaper - found herself occasionally troubled by a variety of doubts and questions which flitted through her thoughts. Will marriage fulfill your deepest desires? To whom should you be most loyal, your best friend or your spouse? Is a secret the same as a lie? and Can you marry young and remain faithful all your life? were just some of the unanswerable questions which still went through Lucy's mind from time to time. Lucy loved her family dearly, but she couldn't help feeling that there was so much more to life that she was missing.
Every August for the past decade, the West and Cunningham families have spent summers together sharing a summer house on Nantucket. As both couples are best friends, they are delighted to know that their four children are friends as well. When they first met each other in their early twenties, Lucy West and Kate Cunningham were vivacious young women who found their lives as wives and mothers incredibly limited. Both women shared a certain restlessness; a personality trait that they recognized in each other and which led to some pretty wild times together that their husbands knew nothing about.
So, Lucy kept Kate's secrets from her husband Chip. And through the years of their friendship, those secrets had steadily accumulated. Lucy even had some secrets of her own to keep.
Then one summer a pivotal event forces Lucy to disclose the secrets she's been hiding. And now everyone must sift through the tangled beds of love and lies to discover where desire has ultimately led them. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book; I find Nancy Thayer to be a thoughtful and emotional author, writing poignant stories and creating characters that really resonate with me. I give this book a definite A+! and will absolutely be keeping it on my bookshelf to read some time soon again.
Every August for the past decade, the West and Cunningham families have spent summers together sharing a summer house on Nantucket. As both couples are best friends, they are delighted to know that their four children are friends as well. When they first met each other in their early twenties, Lucy West and Kate Cunningham were vivacious young women who found their lives as wives and mothers incredibly limited. Both women shared a certain restlessness; a personality trait that they recognized in each other and which led to some pretty wild times together that their husbands knew nothing about.
So, Lucy kept Kate's secrets from her husband Chip. And through the years of their friendship, those secrets had steadily accumulated. Lucy even had some secrets of her own to keep.
Then one summer a pivotal event forces Lucy to disclose the secrets she's been hiding. And now everyone must sift through the tangled beds of love and lies to discover where desire has ultimately led them. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book; I find Nancy Thayer to be a thoughtful and emotional author, writing poignant stories and creating characters that really resonate with me. I give this book a definite A+! and will absolutely be keeping it on my bookshelf to read some time soon again.
February 7, 2018
What a hot mess. Lucy and Kate are friends. Lucy and Kate like to hang at Nantucket. Kate is married to Chip, though it doesn’t stop her from side-stepping or from falling in love with Garrison. Lucy is married to Max, though it doesn’t stop her from eventually sleeping with Chip. Karma bites back when Lucy and Chip conceive - but don’t realize it until seven years later. This story is a total soap opera. All females know that betrayed friends don’t forgive this type of hurricane-grade devastation quite so easily. An air-kiss ending? I think not.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2015
I just didn't relate to either woman or understand their husbands. Everyone seemed whiny.
August 26, 2014
Good writing, interesting storyline. Just felt unfinished at the end.
February 7, 2016
4.5 stars! I loved this story and all the characters. Emotional and very well written.
April 28, 2023
Great read
Different from the previous books by Nancy that I've read but in a good way. Always love a good Nantucket book.
Different from the previous books by Nancy that I've read but in a good way. Always love a good Nantucket book.
November 13, 2024
Has a slow start, but once you get into it, it's hard to put down.
January 5, 2021
It wasn't great but wasn't horrible either. Pretty predictable once you were about 1/4 in. I kept going, it was entertaining.
December 16, 2017
I love Nancy Thayer! This might not have been one of her best, but still gave me the satisfying peek into "real" lives that are so much a part of a Thayer novel!
September 14, 2023
First of all, I didn’t finish this. I disliked the two main female characters and decided to stop reading it. They seemed self absorbed women who needed to get over themaelv s and their wants.👎🏻
skimmed
April 26, 2024Very lightly skimmed this. Good writing, but not my cup of tea because the main heroine it follows is the cheater...and my least favorite trope is when the .
October 6, 2014
This was an interesting ride full of weird things that completely contradict each other in terms of how I enjoyed the story. First there was the fact that physically reading this book is a very long and slow process despite how short it actually is. I would be reading for a few straight, solid hours and only get...50 pages. Where I could finish entire other books in the same amount of time. I have no idea why this is, but it is. The flip side of that is that, despite how long it was taking me, I was never bored and I was thoroughly entertained the entire time.
The other contradiction is that I saw the plot twists coming chapters in advance every time. BUT...I was still emotional over them when they actually happened. I was FURIOUS with every single character in this story at some time or another, even though I knew they were going to do what they did way before they did it. In fact, this book gets an extra star just for being able to piss me off so effectively.
I can't say I liked any of the characters except perhaps for the four children of the two main couples. The adults were just...pretty evenly messed up and despicable people but I suppose they did the best they could with what they had.
My favorite thing about this book was how perfectly the author described motherhood through Lucy. How euphoric and content and blissful you can be...and how completely terrified and on the verge of having a psychotic break you can be...all within the same day. It was beautifully worded and I could really, really relate to it.
Overall it was a slow but very entertaining read and I will definitely be checking out more books by this author.
The other contradiction is that I saw the plot twists coming chapters in advance every time. BUT...I was still emotional over them when they actually happened. I was FURIOUS with every single character in this story at some time or another, even though I knew they were going to do what they did way before they did it. In fact, this book gets an extra star just for being able to piss me off so effectively.
I can't say I liked any of the characters except perhaps for the four children of the two main couples. The adults were just...pretty evenly messed up and despicable people but I suppose they did the best they could with what they had.
My favorite thing about this book was how perfectly the author described motherhood through Lucy. How euphoric and content and blissful you can be...and how completely terrified and on the verge of having a psychotic break you can be...all within the same day. It was beautifully worded and I could really, really relate to it.
Overall it was a slow but very entertaining read and I will definitely be checking out more books by this author.
August 15, 2022
This was pretty bad, an unrealistic melodrama. The heroine is just an awful woman. The book is ridiculous, the ending is a knee slapper.
August 6, 2014
Actual Rating: ***1/2
This was an earlier book (1999) from Nancy Thayer, and the story revolves around the damage that secrets long held can do to relationships. I wondered as the story became more and more entangled how this could possibly turn out to the good.
Opening Lines:
June 1998
It's a soft, lazy morning with the early June sunlight tumbling into our kitchen where the four of us move in a carbohydrate-high daze after indulging in Max's triple-fruit pancakes.
A random thought...
Does every woman at some point in her life wander through the sleeping house, looking in at her husband and children, and wonder what she's doing here, in this particular life? I think so. I think we all carry the girl we once were within us, and from time to time we need to commune with her, our early self.
This was an earlier book (1999) from Nancy Thayer, and the story revolves around the damage that secrets long held can do to relationships. I wondered as the story became more and more entangled how this could possibly turn out to the good.
Opening Lines:
June 1998
It's a soft, lazy morning with the early June sunlight tumbling into our kitchen where the four of us move in a carbohydrate-high daze after indulging in Max's triple-fruit pancakes.
A random thought...
Does every woman at some point in her life wander through the sleeping house, looking in at her husband and children, and wonder what she's doing here, in this particular life? I think so. I think we all carry the girl we once were within us, and from time to time we need to commune with her, our early self.
March 15, 2018
This was an interesting story to read. Although they all behaved abominably at some point, I did not dislike any of the MCs. Having read a few books with similar plot lines—chic lit with couples as friends/MCs—typically involve hanky panky, I knew where it was going. The family issue toward the latter part of the story, however, brought the couples’ relationships to a head. My heart broke for Jeremy & Max.
The ending was too abrupt and left several matters unresolved or otherwise incomplete.
If you can deal with the adulterous liaisons, I’d recommend giving this book a go.
The ending was too abrupt and left several matters unresolved or otherwise incomplete.
If you can deal with the adulterous liaisons, I’d recommend giving this book a go.
May 18, 2015
I got used to the author jumping back and forth in time but it never felt comfortable as a reader to do so. The topic was a bit touchy although I do know people do remain friends after something like this happens in their life it just wasn't a topic I enjoy reading about. I never really connected with the characters and always felt like I was on the outside looking into their lives. I have read other of her books and enjoyed them but this wasn't one of them.
July 5, 2019
This book just didn't do it for me. I didn't find the characters likable, or the premise believable. But being the 4th of July, my choices were limited, having finished most of the books I had checked out from the library. And it did fill one of the Summer Reading Challenge prompts, so there was that.
SRC - June 4. Beach reads ☀️ Read a book with the sun, sea or a swimming pool on the cover
SRC - June 4. Beach reads ☀️ Read a book with the sun, sea or a swimming pool on the cover
May 24, 2014
It was an okay book. It didn't stop me from wanting to try her other books.
Read
September 29, 2014Fair book . Sad story about relationships of two couples. One with an ill child.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2016
Interesting family story.
-- Wendy, St. John Branch
-- Wendy, St. John Branch
April 23, 2023
Between Husbands and Friends is so good! It is so real and the characters are like people we have all known. Have you ever had a best friend so close you could be sisters, one you reveal all your deep dark secrets to? Have you had a friend like that with whom you confide everything, even things you keep from your own husband? This is the scenario in Thayer's masterpiece.
Lucy and Kate are just that close. Every August, the bundle up their respective children and head out to Nantucket to the home that was left to Lucy by her Aunt Grace. Lucy's husband, Max, is always so busy running the local paper. Kate's husband, Chip, is just so wrapped up in his law practice and raking in the big bucks. But no matter, Lucy and Kate always have the best time, and if their husbands make it out to the island, great; and if they don't, oh well. Nothing stops their great time.
But things do take a weird turn at around the time that the two women experience their second pregnancies, within weeks of each other, and things shift between these best friends.
I won't reveal anymore, as I hate to ruin this sensational story. I will say, it is filled with tears, and betrayals, secrets, and hardships, mothers' sacrifice and broken hearts, but through it all, love prevails.
I was completely engaged start to finish.
Lucy and Kate are just that close. Every August, the bundle up their respective children and head out to Nantucket to the home that was left to Lucy by her Aunt Grace. Lucy's husband, Max, is always so busy running the local paper. Kate's husband, Chip, is just so wrapped up in his law practice and raking in the big bucks. But no matter, Lucy and Kate always have the best time, and if their husbands make it out to the island, great; and if they don't, oh well. Nothing stops their great time.
But things do take a weird turn at around the time that the two women experience their second pregnancies, within weeks of each other, and things shift between these best friends.
I won't reveal anymore, as I hate to ruin this sensational story. I will say, it is filled with tears, and betrayals, secrets, and hardships, mothers' sacrifice and broken hearts, but through it all, love prevails.
I was completely engaged start to finish.
Read
June 28, 2020Lucy en Max, Margeret en Jeremy
Kate en Chip, Matthew en Abby
Lucy en Kate spreken regelmatig af in het buitenverblijf van Lucy in Nantucket.
De mannen passen meestal en zijn met hun werk bezig of gaan zeilen.
In die weekends gaan ze op stap en houden aan met mannen.
Op een gegeven moment wordt Jeremy ernstig ziek. Een genetisch probleem.
Bij testing blijkt dat Chip de echte vader is van Jeremy en niet Max.
Max heeft zich destijds afgezonderd van zijn gezin en Lucy heeft heil gezocht bij Chip.
Max heeft natuurlijk zelf ook een verhouding.
Lucy houdt ondertussen aan met de terminale Garrison.
Max en Lucy verloren vóór Jeremy al een doodgeboren kind waardoor het gezin uit mekaar groeide.
Heel deze verwikkelingen zorgt ervoor dat de vriendschap van beide gezinnen in duigen valt.
Maar tijd heelt wonden en na heel wat tijd komen ze stilaan terug samen.
Kate en Chip, Matthew en Abby
Lucy en Kate spreken regelmatig af in het buitenverblijf van Lucy in Nantucket.
De mannen passen meestal en zijn met hun werk bezig of gaan zeilen.
In die weekends gaan ze op stap en houden aan met mannen.
Op een gegeven moment wordt Jeremy ernstig ziek. Een genetisch probleem.
Bij testing blijkt dat Chip de echte vader is van Jeremy en niet Max.
Max heeft zich destijds afgezonderd van zijn gezin en Lucy heeft heil gezocht bij Chip.
Max heeft natuurlijk zelf ook een verhouding.
Lucy houdt ondertussen aan met de terminale Garrison.
Max en Lucy verloren vóór Jeremy al een doodgeboren kind waardoor het gezin uit mekaar groeide.
Heel deze verwikkelingen zorgt ervoor dat de vriendschap van beide gezinnen in duigen valt.
Maar tijd heelt wonden en na heel wat tijd komen ze stilaan terug samen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2023
I enjoyed tagging along with both of these families as they spent Augusts on Nantucket. Their stories were fresh and gripping - I gasped out loud at one point, not expecting to find out what I did…that’s why I love reading a solid story! However, the author left me with some holes - questions regarding some of the characters’ relationships and development. Max’s character especially, was puzzling to me. I questioned his motives and his love for his wife. Max did Lucy wrong, and yet, it wasn’t addressed and he wasn’t held accountable. Lucy was forced to face and live with her poor choices, being judged by everyone. I just feel unsettled as I finish this book.
May 7, 2020
Lucy met Kate when they were both young wives and mothers. In the years since, the two women and their husbands and children have become inseparable, spending every August together in a house on Nantucket. Lucy and Kate, each other's most trusted confidantes, have shared their secrets, from the mundane to the shocking--but there's one explosive secret that Lucy has kept to herself.
As August once again approaches, Lucy must confront the truth she has kept hidden all these years. Now, in the midst of an unexpected family crisis, she must make a decision that could shatter all of their lives.
As August once again approaches, Lucy must confront the truth she has kept hidden all these years. Now, in the midst of an unexpected family crisis, she must make a decision that could shatter all of their lives.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews