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Publication date 11January 2018
Penguin UK, Michael Joseph
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I received an advance e-copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Book description:
A provocative, hilarious new book about the glory and toxicity of female friendship from Sunday Times bestselling author Jane Fallon.
Amy thought she knew everything there was to know about her best friend Melissa. Then again, Amy also thought she was on the verge of the wedding of her dreams to her long-distance fiancé. Until she pays a surprise trip home to London. Jack is out, but it's clear another woman has been making herself at home in their flat. There's something about her stuff that feels oddly familiar . . . and then it hits Amy. The Other Woman is Melissa. Amy has lost her home, her fiancé and her best friend in one disastrous weekend - but instead of falling apart, she's determined to get her own back. Piecing her life back together won't be half as fun as dismantling theirs, after all.
Mr review:
The tag line "Best friend, soulmate, confidante....backstabber" grabbed my attention and I knew I would have to get stuck straight into this book. Jane Fallon is one of my top authors so I was pretty sure this would be another cracking read.
Amy and Melissa have been friends since schooldays. Mel is working in a mundane job in an insurance office while Amy has just got her big break in the States as an actress in a top ranking TV series. Amy makes a surprise visit home to fiancé Jack, but is met with another woman's belongings making a significant presence in their flat. It doesn't take long for her to work out that the other woman is her "best friend" Mel.
Amy seeks solace with her friend Kat, who isn't a big fan of Mel's anyway and together they work out what Amy's next move should be.
I was delighted that Amy didn't do the usual "woe is me, my life is over" weepy wronged woman thing, but with Kat's help sought her revenge against Jack and Mel but because she is such a genuine person she doesn't feel the satisfaction she expects to from these acts. She doesn't even let Jack or Mel know that she is back in the country, let alone that she is aware of their betrayal. She continues to keep in contact with both of them via phone calls and texts - something I am not sure whether I would be able to do were I in the same situation. She even meets a new man, Simon, who gives her extra strength of character to be able to cope with life without the two people she has always trusted and thought she could rely on most.
Running alongside the main story is the history of Amy and Mel's friendship and we are given snapshots of events throughout the two girls' lives which give us background knowledge of their personalities. As Amy recalls these moments she realises that Mel has never really been there for her as a best friend should be and confronts Jack about his deception. Once Mel realises they have been rumbled she can't help but try and cause further trouble in order to feel like she is in control. The fallout from this is just what Amy needs to realise just how far Mel will go to get what she wants and who her true friends really are. A great quote from the book to describe Mel's personality: "Mel has always been the kind of person who takes what she wants. Lip gloss from Boots because she didn't see why she should pay for it, other people's homework to copy because she couldn't be bothered to do it herself, other people's husbands just because she could. Over the years there have been several married men."
This is a great tale of friendship, revenge and what really matters in life. Yet again Jane Fallon has not let me down. I would definitely recommend you give this one a read.
Find out more about the author at www.janefallon.co.uk
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