The Friends We Keep

by Holly Chamberlin

Meet Sophie, Eva, and John. In college, they did everything together. Then they drifted apart. Now, twenty years later, they're about to reunite to compare lives, talk about the past, and plan for the future. But will it bring them closer together or tear them apart? Sophie was accustomed to living her life on the straight and narrow path. She married an MBA, morphing into the perfect wife and soccer mom. Now, with her son grown and her divorce final, she can finally become the woman she was meant to be - whoever she is.

Eva's passionate temperament was certain to lead her down the road to becoming a poet - not an aggressive, sophisticated advertising executive with a trail of lovers in her wake. Smart, powerful, and too busy for anything deeper than sex, Eva likes everything on a temporary basis, until she meets a hot, young thing who could destroy the only friendships she truly treasures.

As a selfless lawyer, John gives his all to pro bono work, never thinking about his own life. He'll get to marriage and kids later. Besides, there's only one woman he's ever been truly crazy about, and for twenty years, he's carried that torch painfully alone. Or has he? What starts as a warm reunion soon gives way to old insecurities, hidden passions, romantic misadventures, new secrets, and shocking betrayal...

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Novels

408 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2007

About the author

Holly Chamberlin is a native New Yorker, but she now lives in Portland, Maine - the aftermath of stumbling across Mr. Right at the one moment she wasn't watching the terrain. She's been writing and editing - poetry, children's fantasies, a romance novel or two, among many other genres and projects - her entire life. She has two cats, Betty and Cyrus, and when she's not writing her hobbies include reading, shopping, and cocktails at six.

Reviews

[Minty McBunny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lord, this book was horrible. I have no idea what the point of the rude, tacky "answer lady" segments was, I kept thinking maybe that was going to be revealed as Eva's secret identity or something since both were such total a$$holes. The only reason I read the whole thing was to figure out the connection between the "answer lady" and the characters (there wasn't one) and see all the jerky characters get their comeuppance (which they don't). Total crap.

[Meredith · Rating 1 out of 5]

A narcissist, a playboy and a doormat attempt to re-kindle college friendships. The whole thing is stupid.

[Ang Han · Rating 2 out of 5]

Characters are not all that likable and the story could have been so much better. I had surgery and couldn't do much for six weeks so I did a lot of reading. My daughter sent me this book and I have to admit, at times I enjoyed parts of it and at others, I think I would have rather just slept instead.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lost

Sophie, Eva, & John or basically the main characters. They've been apart for a long time and Sophie calls Eva and brings gets her to come back and John and together they have a background of being in college together and things are getting a little bit hairy so to speak as you read.

Of course they all have their jobs and they also have their own problems. However, although I'm sure one of them is the speaker for the obnoxious individual people continually seek help from. w Question is which one of the 3 is it. (I'm honestly leaning more towards Eva)

[Ansley Brooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and I was particularly intrigued by the character of Eva. I wish the writer put a little more depth into her background though so the reader can get a better understand on why she is the way she is, why she acts the way she does and why she has come to a point in her life where she has lost all sense of morality and care in the world. Because of my interest with Eva, I actually had to do my own research underneath her character and all that she's been through in order to come to the conclusion that Eva has a fear of intimacy and is hostile to everyone and has kicked everyone out of her life in the fear of getting hurt. I can see why most would find Eva as the b-word of this book because of... what she did, but as Sophie and John also failed to do, the reader found a hard time finding sympathy for Eva. And I completely understood why they couldn't. I mean this is a woman who is abrasive and mean and heedless, but this is also a woman who suffered a massive loss at such a young age and having to deal with it by herself, who gave up on her dreams and seems to find her young self a ridiculous and naive little girl, who has exposed herself to equally immoral people, who didn't have friends or any acquaintance in her life for almost two decades, amongst other events that has led her to where she is. And I think the writer failed to come through with making the reader understand Eva and having to make me do the work to figure out what was going in her head.

Now, as for John. The writer made his character a bit confusing to me to the point where I don't know much about who John is. There was a certain chapter where he converses with his "right-hand woman" (as he called her) about why he never committed to anyone and settle down. And I know that chapter was invoked to sort of get into the head of John and his own psychological background, but the writer absolutely failed with that because I was just left confused rather than informed. I don't know if anybody else felt that way, but I certainly did.

Now there's Sophie. I didn't particularly like her character. She came off as a naive, man-worshipping doormat and even though she finally stood up to herself in the end, she still seemed so... annoying to me. I don't know really know what other word to explain how I felt towards Sophie other than annoying. There's just something about her character that actually made me wish that she didn't get a happy ending. A part of me wished she would have dropped Ben and she just starts looking after herself and take some time to herself instead.

Also, it's really hard to believe that these three characters would just agree to all of a sudden be "friends" after not having seen each other in almost two decades. I just don't find it believable. I mean Eva didn't even remember much about their time together at college and probably found John and Sophie as more strangers than anything else. I think it's more believable that they only used each other because they were lonely instead of the excuse of actually wanting to be friends.

Anyway, in conclusion, the writer could've done better in regards to character development as well as depth and connecting with the reader because there was not a lot of meat in this book to keep me interested. Especially towards John and Sophie. I feel like Eva was the only one carrying this book for me. I was only interested in her and her developmental outcome. And while we're here, I was not pleased with the ending. I really wanted the writer to tell us what came of Eva like was she going to quit her job and go do what she always wanted? Did she want to have kids with John? Did she reach out to her sister and spend more time with her nieces? Does her getting engaged to John and meeting his family mean that she's letting herself be more open and vulnerable to talking about what she's been through to him? The writer could've spared us a little more bread because I was starving. I definitely feel like the writer just wrote this book as a draft and just put it out there without going over it, re-reading it to make sure it's up to par. Because there is a minor blip in the book where Eva said she fell onto her couch, but then it was later mentioned that she doesn't even own a couch??? I don't know. It just kind of makes me feel like the writer didn't even care for this book.

And yes, like most, I didn't understand the Answer Lady columns, but I did find some of them a little entertaining and amusing. However, they were absolutely unnecessary because I didn't find this book amusing at all. I actually went into it with a more earnest attitude from the moment I read the first chapter with Eva's background and getting the brief of her misfortunes. What she went through really hit home for me and maybe that's why I'm able to understand her, find compassion for her and forgive her for her mistakes. Overall, I think this book is such a good psychological piece that was sadly written by a not so good writer. Sorry Holly.

[Haley Blattner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hated this book. Mostly because everyone is a shitty person OR a wimp. The writing style wasn’t for me. Perhaps it was intentional, but it lacked any kind of emotion until the last 60 pages. Maybe I’ll resonate with this in 10 years but doubt it.

[Liza Prall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahh, my good friend Roxy, this book is thirdly (thirdly?) about the cold-hearted business woman I think it is funny to say you are. It was a very believable story about some lonely people in a lonely world and the lies and deceit that surround and consume us on a daily basis. Again, one of those novels that has three main characters and each chapter tells the story from the others point of view, nice. I would venture to say one of the things I liked most about this book was the chapter intros... each chapter would begin with a "Dear answer lady" or a very inspiring, very true quotation pulled from a series of books dedicated to the pleasure, inevitability and usefullness of the art of Lying.

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

In college Sophie, Eva, and John did almost everything together. After college they drifted apart.
They are now reuniting after 20 years to talk about the past and see if their friendship has a future.

Not my favorite book by Holly Chamberlin but still a good read. A bit of a slow beginning but once I got a bit further into it I enjoyed the story and connected to some of the characters. I really enjoyed Eva's character.

A heartfelt novel about rediscovery and letting go. College friends catching up with each other in their 40's. The ending may be a tad predictable but still worth the read. After a slow start I'm glad I kept with it and finished it. A good beach read for sure.

[Jenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m ashamed to say I purchased this book because it was on clearance and had popsicles on the cover. I finished it because I paid for it. Horrible narcissists reconnect later in life and do horrible things to each other and react hypocritically when horrible things happen to them. This book was NOT for me.

[Amelia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not one of my best impulse buys from Target... I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone really. The plot was somewhat predictable and the short, choppy chapters didn't capture my attention very well at all.

[Meital Ben-Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much infidelity and disloyalty for my liking. Sorry !!

[Leslie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sorry but I did not care for this book. I wanted to smack the characters and the love triangles were terrible....who really has a sexual affair with your friends son!!! Good grief!!! And the ending couldn't come soon enough but left the read hanging!?
Sorry if others liked this book! I just did not!

[Ellen Sbarro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick enjoyable read, nothing much to it though!!

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t a fan of the intro Q&A to each chapter but I was quickly engulfed in their stories and couldn’t put it down once halfway through

[Pamela Vollans Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick little read, full of fun, caustic and honest about dishonesty. Good poolside companion

[Bookophiliac]

Not rating because I DNF.
One hundred pages in and I'm over it. Everything is pretty blah and I've lost interest in finishing

[Taylor Hartley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Friends We Keep is about three friends—Eva, Sophie and John—who met in college and haven’t seen each other in almost two decades. They all fell out of touch with each other because life, but after Sophie’s divorce, she reconnects with her friends. Sophie and John have stayed the same since college but Eva hasn’t. After a devastating loss, she has been alone in life for years and had to give up her dreams to provide for her little sister. Eventually, she lands a job at a prestigious company where she becomes a workaholic. Basically she’s Margaret Tate from The Proposal. She has no regards for other people’s feelings and keeps to herself.

Suffice to say, she was the only interesting one in this book.

This idea for this story is great, but I don’t think it was well-executed in this author’s writing. There’s definitely not a lot of substance in this book. I feel like I don’t really know these characters. The characters are conflicting and confusing because they say one thing then do another. A good example is with Eva’s character who comes off as though she wants nothing to do with Sophie and John and yet hangs out with them. And then she says she doesn’t want a relationship with John but then continues to have dinners with him. And then she says she doesn’t own a couch and yet in one of the chapters, she says she fell into her couch. And then there’s that “relationship” of hers with that kid and I was left guessing what exactly she felt towards him because she was expressing herself more to him than to Sophie and John. And what was she thinking getting involved with him? Was her need to feel worthy that strong for her to do that?

I don't particularly like any of these characters. Sophie is boring. John is picky and uninteresting except for his family. Eva is the only complex one here. She’s imperfect and has development yet still a little scarred at the end. That’s reality and I like that. I like that the most about this book—how realistic it is instead of having an ending where everything is perfect.

Still, I have to give this book two stars. It’s an easy read and feels empty. As a reader, I don’t like to feel confused or not be able to connect with the characters i’m reading about and that certainly happened with this one. I just think it could’ve been written better.

[Allison Fitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an easy, enjoyable read. I'm a sucker for stories dealing with all kinds of relationships. The three main characters are flawed, which makes them human, and throughout the book they all grow, emotionally and psychologically. Sometimes your brain just needs a break, so I recommend this to anyone looking for an easy breezy read.

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was very good! It had strong characters. I highly recommend this book to any one who loves a good story. It was a quick read..started reading on Wednesday and finished today (Friday)!

[Kayla Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Addictive story of loves inner twisted workings

We all can relate in some way to this book. The question of loyalty to a friend versus the desire for love creates twisted love triangles. This is a multi-layered story that you just can’t wait to finish

[Laura Wonderchick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ehhhhhh....

[Bridget]

It was a good read novel. I enjoyed it because each chapter is just short and is devoted to just a character's POV.

[ShyAnn64 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meet Sophie, Eva, and John. In college, they did everything together. Then they drifted apart. Now, twenty years later, they're about to reunite to compare lives, talk about the past, and plan for the future. But will it bring them closer together or tear them apart? Sophie was accustomed to living her life on the straight and narrow path. She married an MBA, morphing into the perfect wife and soccer mom. Now, with her son grown and her divorce final, she can finally become the woman she was meant to be - whoever she is.

Eva's passionate temperament was certain to lead her down the road to becoming a poet - not an aggressive, sophisticated advertising executive with a trail of lovers in her wake. Smart, powerful, and too busy for anything deeper than sex, Eva likes everything on a temporary basis, until she meets a hot, young thing who could destroy the only friendships she truly treasures.

As a selfless lawyer, John gives his all to pro bono work, never thinking about his own life. He'll get to marriage and kids later. Besides, there's only one woman he's ever been truly crazy about, and for twenty years, he's carried that torch painfully alone. Or has he? What starts as a warm reunion soon gives way to old insecurities, hidden passions, romantic misadventures, new secrets, and shocking betrayal...

[chloegirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a slow and somewhat weird start with introductory chapters from each of the 3 main characters, this train wreck, soap opera of a story began to come together in a predictable way. I had inklings of how things would go down with each of the characters Eva, Sophie, and John. It held my attention, and at times I was hooked due to my morbid fascination with seeing how these characters lives were about to implode. But at other times I just didn’t like the story or the characters. None really had any redeeming qualities. It was hard to believe the feelings of love that were proclaimed in the last couple of chapters. And I thought it was way hypocritical of the characters at the beginning to mention how they opposed certain things due to their Catholicism (fertility treatments), but then turn around and do things the Catholic Church frowns upon (divorce and remarriage). Was the author even Catholic or aware of these conflicting ideals? If the author wanted us readers to not like her characters, then she truly succeeded in this book.

[Taylor Segen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually enjoy this author's books but this one I couldn't finish. As others have commented what the heck was the point if the "advice" column which reflected the downward spiral of personal morality in this country. Does the author seriously believe lying can ever be acceptable?! And what the hell does she mean when she belittles the idea of shame!!!! I almost threw the book down at that but tried for a little longer. But let's go back to shame, author dear. Police who murder innocent black men shouldn't feel shame? Government officials who place the economy over those who die in a pandemic shouldn't feel shame? I grew up with grandparents who said "Shame on you" and caused me to develop a conscience. Wow, could we use more of that in our world. As for other aspects of the book, just please give me one character who is likeable and for whom I can care what happens to them. I hope this book was an aberration. but I'm a little worried about buying any more of her work right now.

[Kim R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though I went to college and still remain friends with a few of the people I knew there- I could not relate to this story. 3 college friends reunite, but none of them were nice to each other, they all hid a secret from the others (that came out at the end) and all of them end up being hurt by the others. I can never understand a 21 y/o pursuing a 42 y/o, but I really can't understand why the 42 y/o wanted anything to do with the 21 y/o. ICK. There were so many one night stands, sex with no strings attached, the 21/42 y/o affair and on and on all relating to sex.

I only gave this 2 stars because I liked the "Answer Lady" tidbits and found them hysterical even though they were sarcastic and downright nasty sometimes. I didn't like the supposed blurbs from the self help books at the beginning of some chapters.

The book was a fast read, but a bit confusing at times because you don't know who is talking until a few sentences in - then it becomes clear.

Not recommended.

[Dona · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Answer Lady introductions to some chapters made no sense whatsoever to me, nor did the self-help prefaces to a new chapter. Aside from these terribly irritating parts of the book (which I pretty much skimmed over after slogging through them for half of the book) this novel was a quick and somewhat mindless read. I have a confession to make, I started this book thinking I was reading Jane Green’s 2019 novel by the same name. I’ve read quite a few of Ms. Green’s works and overall enjoyed them. Imagine my surprise when I realized I was reading the wrong book by an author I was totally unfamiliar with. DUH …. On that note I am signing off!

[Sandra Charron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I would rate it lower than 3 stars while I was reading it. I did not like the blurbs from the columnist at the beginning of every chapter (3/4 into the book I started skipping right over them.) But once again, I'm a sucker for an ending that ties everything up in a nice tidy bow, and the very last sentence that alludes to John and Eva's upcoming nuptials was cute enough to move my rating up one star.

[Valerie Carrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

So you look at the cover and you see three kids right? And the title indicates « the friends we keep » so you think it’s three 3 life long friends who have kept together. Nope college friends who haven’t spoken in almost twenty years reunite and create a bunch of meaningless drama for six months.

This storyline is SLOW. No big climax. Bunch of self centered adults crying why me.

And the whole dear reader etc at the beginning of every chapter, what’s the point?

[Wanda Gibbons · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sophie, Eve(a) and John were friends in college and reunite years later. Not much to base a friendship on when they have not spoken to each other in 20 years. They talk little of what they did together in college. There is not much even in this new meeting to build a friendship on. Lacks real substance.