Friends with Secrets: A Novel

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars | 11,494 ratings

Price: 4.99

Last update: 08-18-2024


About this item

In a funny and suspenseful debut, Christine Gunderson explores the myth of the perfect mother, the bonds of female friendship, and the haunting impact of secrets.

What you see isn’t always what you get.

Take Ainsley. The gorgeous mother of two lives a picture-perfect life with her husband, Ben—aspiring politician and heir to a candy fortune—in suburban Washington, DC. But in reality, Ainsley has no idea what she’s doing and is terrified someone will figure out who she really is and where she came from.

Nikki’s fighting to keep afloat as a stay-at-home mother of four, subsisting on chicken nuggets and very little sleep. She’s a mess on the outside, and inside yearns for the validation—and the paycheck—of the television news career she left behind.

When a dangerous figure from Ainsley’s past becomes a coach at her kids’ school, she fears the worst and confides in Nikki, spilling every detail of her former life.

Together, they devise a plan to expose the coach and safeguard their kids. But can they protect their own lives—and their new friendship—in the process?


From the Publisher

FRIENDS WITH SECRETS description

Top reviews from the United States

Judy Lotus
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and Very Satisfying
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2024
This was an engaging and exciting read. It’s been decades since I was a young mother, but I still found it interesting and relatable. I liked the mystery, relationships, humor, characters, values, point of view and issues.. This author, I think, knows her audience and how to reach it.

It did not bother me that all the men were either saints or despicable. I’m accustomed to the long tradition of many authors treating the opposite sex as caricature, and their own sex as nuanced and interesting.

It’s not meant to be great literature, but neither is it a vapid beach read. It’s entertaining and yet it has some substance. In fact, it could be a good movie. I think It would be a good book for book groups of mainly women 18 - 60. Older women like myself would probably enjoy reading it too, but IMHO maybe want to discuss other books in their groups. 4.5 stars.
Galaverna
4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and well written.
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2024
This was a good book. The descriptive blurb suggests it's "funny" but I wouldn't call this funny in a laugh out loud way, however the author has a clever way with words that keeps the reader engaged. The story moves along at a fast pace and the main characters are human yet likeable.
The dialogue and prose are intelligent and the story never drags.

The book deals with some nasty people and unpleasant themes yet it avoids overly graphic violence, sex or language.
Stacey
5.0 out of 5 stars A relatable book for women of every socioeconomic class.
Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2024
I found the book to be spot on in highlighting the difficulty women have in making friends when they are older and how we women are so incredibly hard on ourselves and how we take on what we think are the perceptions of other women. The book highlights that when women let some of those defensive walls down, friends can be made and, yes, some enemies can be waiting to pounce but worth it in the end. For women, letting the defenses down that take decades to build is frightening and leads to a vulnerability that most women don't want to acknowledge. I am glad the author tackled this in her novel. Refreshing.
I loved the friendship that is quickly forged and the battle that these friends venture into together to solve a mystery and a crime.
I also love the nonjudgmental, unconditional spousal support in this book.
Very well done for a first novel that is a mystery while also being very funny at times and the author takes an honest look at women overcoming their inner demons regarding juggling family, friends, and a career.
JazzberryJimJam
3.0 out of 5 stars Quick, easy, fun brain popcorn
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2024
I found the characters and plot fun, if a little over the top at times. It's not a particularly unique plot or message, plenty of things were predictable, and the author could have probably benefited from a thesaurus with how often she repeated certain words (prance and atavistic are first to come to mind), but it was funny and I had a good time.

I do wish the author would have done a little more around destigmatizing sex work and pole dance. The dancers are usually described as being dancers to escape desperate situations, and there's a lot of focus on the negative aspects of club work with only a few instances where one of the main characters reflects that it wasn't all terrible. This just felt disingenuous to me as someone who has a lot of friends who work in clubs and enjoy in, and as someone who pole dances for fitness and recreation. The book didn't feel against the work, but it also didn't exactly feel in support of dancers and destigmatization.

Also, neither really here or there and pretty niche, but I'm curious how many clubs the author actually visited while writing this book. Very few clubs or studios use brass poles, especially clubs and studios in places as humid as the DC metro, so it just kind of took me out of the story a bit.
Rebecca Writer, Reader, Reviewer
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable story
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2024
This was an Amazon First Reads, and it was a good choice this month.

The story was intriguing, the characters were interesting and well-defined, and the book was entertaining and held together very well until the last few chapters. The set-up in the last scene fell flat.

I have found this to be the case with more and more books. You're tearing through it, loving the story, anxious to get to the climax and finish; and then somehow, the author doesn't really bring it home.

Despite that, it was an enjoyable book, well written and certainly worth reading.
Les
5.0 out of 5 stars refreshingly great read
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2024
I was pleasantly surprised by the writing style (I love an author who can make me laugh out loud!) and the characters were well-developed and believable. I will absolutely look for Christine Gunderson’s work in the future, she’s a great storyteller.
Jannean Caddy Dixon
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful page turner!
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2024
I was very surprised by this book! It made me laugh out loud, smile like a goon while reading, and tugged at heartstrings in addition to having page turning suspense. The characters are so relatable and there is something about their friendship that speaks to every mother. A great read!

Best Sellers in

 
 

Love, Utley: Love Letters Book One

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 2307
4.99
 
 

The Mist Thief (The Ever Seas Book 3)

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 782
5.99
 
 

Not What She Seems: A Novel

4 4 out of 5 stars 15054
4.99
 
 

Deeper Than the Dead (Vera Boyett Book 1)

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 20681
4.99
 
 

Daydreamer

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 8741
4.99
 
 

Reckless (The Powerless Trilogy)

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 2158
12.99
 
 

Twisted Deeds: A Dark Hockey Bully Romance (Hellions of Hade Harbor Book 3)

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 4256
5.99
 
 

Lies I Taught in Medical School: How Conventional Medicine Is Making You Sicker and What You Can Do to Save Your Own Life

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 288
15.99