What an absolutely brilliant book, was so well written and packed quite a punch.
An actress and her so called friend are really put to the test when one uncovers a huge betrayal on the part of the other.
Amy was great as the reluctant heroine and I was really behind her when she fought back, the few twists in the storyline were good too, quite unexpected and of course, I truly loved to hate Mel.
The plot was addictive and the writing smooth and flowing without any over descriptions at all, chic lit with a bite.
I will definitely read more by this author.

I found this book enjoyable exploring different relationships and their effects on the people involved. It also looked at how they responded to disappointments and bad news.
It was kept light and often amusing.

Loved this book!! It was a nice easy read with a nice twist in the middle for good measure. Thank you to netgalley & the author for sending a copy.

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 any way 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 as 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.
This is a great tale of friendship, revenge and what really matters in life. Yet again Jane Fallon has not let me down.
My review will appear on my blog at www.sandiesbookshelves.blogspot.co.uk

Wow I really enjoyed this book it was surprising how much as it’s not my usual cup of tea! However it was fantastic and had a few twists to boot....

So Amy has it all a career in acting, wonderful husband and life in general is good, until she comes home to find someone has been sleeping in her bed! To find out it’s her best friend is a total shock and she sets out to get revenge.

There begins the story, I loved Amy and totally hated Melissa but then in the end warmed to Melissa somewhat.

The book was bloody brilliant though I devoured it in one evening and can’t wait to read more form Jane!

Really enjoyed this book, it was a pleasant engaging read and I liked the lead Amy and her friends. The setting was good too and I could easily picture Amy in her wee flat. I especially enjoyed Amy's revenge against Mel & Jack, very cleverly thought-out & written.

A great read about 4 best friends, the secrets, betrayals and hiw the main character fights back. I couldn’t put this book down, the plot is unpredictable and the characters well described. I have read other books by Jane Fallon and enjoyed them all and her style of writing, a talented author.

Fantastic read from Jane Fallon, great quality writing. This book has relatable, realistic characters, an engaging and not-too-predictable plot and a vivid sense of place. My boyfriend is an actor and the glimpses into that world were entirely believable. I barely put it down once I'd started, and sped through in a couple of days!

Superb, wonderful read. Just loved this book. Very satisfying ending, although I didn’t really want it to end. Buy this title, you will not be disappointed.

A totally engrossing tale that I didn’t want to put down. From beginning to end I was hooked, fabulous!

Many thanks for the advance copy!

This was a strange book. I loved the concept, and I found it very readable on the whole. However, the book was 90% exposition and explaining things, so it had a chatty and informal feel but this made it less literary for me. The change in the second part was interesting but ultimately the characters were very 1 dimensional, yet there is a feeling that nothing too bad can happen. The worst retribution the main character faced was experiencing disappointment. I had the feeling that this was a new author and was surprised to find that she has many books out.

I read this quite quickly and at the time found it kept my attention but I don't think I'd check out any others by this author.

Faking Friends by Jane Fallon a five star-read that will have you reaching for your bestie to check up on them. I don’t know if it was because I used to have a best friend who betrayed me not in the same way as Amy’s but still in a way that I will never be able to forgive or forget. This could have fast become a story of getting over one man and getting under another but it was so much more than that, it’s a story of how Amy manages to enact some of the most devious and delicious revenge ever written. It makes you wish you had the imagination and passion that Amy shows in this story. There is also other underlying plot twists and stories that will keep you hooked and reading, we get to see into other worlds seeing the toxic relationships not just between couples but in many different relationships.
Jane Fallon is a great writer and she will have you reading this story in moments that you wouldn’t think you have time to read, I was picking this up while waiting for the kettle to boil at work, waiting in que’s every spare second, I had I had to finish this book. It was like I couldn’t not keep reading to find out what Amy would do next. In some ways I felt a little bad for Jack and Mel and then I was doubting myself and wondering why I was feeling like that for them, it didn’t make sense as they didn’t deserve my sympathy but then on the flip side it made me think about how we don’t know what we would do if we were in the same situation, as much as we hope we wouldn’t can you honestly say you haven’t done anything wrong? I think that’s they talent Jane Fallon has in that she makes you doubt and question yourself while reading. It makes reading an all-encompassing experience.
If you are looking for a great Chick-noir (chick-lit with a darker edge, I would say) read then this is the story for you, there is so much you can enjoy in this book. Even if you don’t know what Chick Noir is pick it up, you won’t be disappointed. Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin and Jane Fallon for my ARC of Faking Friends.

Amy has landed the dream job - working on a tv series in New York. After getting some bad news she comes home to find the people around her aren't who she thought they were - and learns the meaning of true friendship.

I enjoyed reading this book and thank you to Netgalley. It is a book about friendship but I do feel with friends like these you might be better with your enemies !!!!!

Absolutely loved this book. I couldn’t put it down. I read it in one sitting, it’s a real page turner. Highly recommended. Five stars from me. This is the first book I have read from this author, I can’t wait to read more.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Jane Fallon for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

With friend like these, who needs enemies?
The author describes her genre as ‘chick noir’ which is as good a term as any to describe these tales of toxic relationships – whether between husband and wife, siblings, parents and offspring – or, as in this case – female friends (which are often the most noxious of all, in my opinion).
This is a cleverly-plotted version of a life-long friendship soured by deception and betrayal, when the low-level female rivalry escalates into a competition to destroy the other woman's life. There are fascinating insights into the narcissistic, dog-eat-dog world of the acting profession, plus a couple of unexpected twists that add extra an dimension to the usual storyline of vengeance and retribution. This novel is a great holiday read and will appeal to fans of Marian Keyes and Sophie Kinsella.

I am new to Jane Fallon and don't normally read this genre but I really enjoyed it! So much so I read it in two days! The characters are great, I loved her flat, and the twists and turns are brilliant. I will definitely be looking for more Jane Fallon books.

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin and Jane Fallon for my ARC of Faking Friends. Amy has finally got it together, she has a strong friendship with Melissa who she has known since she was 11, she's engaged to Jack who she loves and lives with, and she's finally got an acting job which is more than just 'woman in the park' or 'woman with dog'. Everything is perfect, that is until she arrives home on a surprise visit, to find Another woman's stuff in her flat, and there's something familiar about the clothes and jewellery in the flat. They belong to Melissa.

Amy is understandably devastated but as she begins to pick up the pieces of her life, she realises that pulling theirs apart is even better.

At first I thought to myself that as Amy finds out about the betrayal in the first chapter, how is there going to be a full novel of this? I expected it to be a boring story about a woman getting back on the dating scene or something, but it is nothing like that. It's all about the brilliant revenge that Amy enacts on Melissa and Jack and all without their knowledge. It's a fantastic premise and I absolutely loved it!

All of the characters were great, Amy is so likeable and easy to feel sorry for, she is the wronged woman and she's genuinely nice which obviously makes you hate Melissa and Jack. Then as you find out more about Melissa and the turns their 'friendship' has taken over the years, the more reasons you have to hate her even more. She is literally that horrible toxic friend who has no business being friends with anyone. It was great to see the revenge enacted on her. I was rooting for Amy from day one.
I really enjoyed Faking Friends and I'll be adding more of Jane Fallon's books to my TBR as a result.

Jane Fallon has not disappointed with this addictive read - aspiring actress Amy returns home from the USA unexpectedly only to find her fiancée has been busy seeing another woman - as the story unfolds we find this woman to be her supposed best friend Melissa . A great read that I couldn't put down a definite 5* read

I am like a child at Christmas when a new Jane Fallon book comes out: wide-eyed and giddy with excitement. Just so with Faking Friends: it's chock full of laughs, romance and revenge...

You know when you're reading a book and your mouth does this - O. That happened. Lots. I love that! Getting so lost in a plot and the in the company of the characters that something sideswipes you without you seeing it coming is one of my favourtie plot devices. 

Amy is a budding actress, working on a series in New York. She has a great new job, a gorgeous fiance, Jack, at home in London and a best friend, Mel, who she's known since they were children. She's on the up and she's happy and who better to share in her excitement than her best friend and fiance? On a surprise trip back to London, Amy finds out that the one person she thought she could trust more than anyone has been making herself at home. In her flat. With her boyfriend. Amy has two choices: she can walk out and move on, or she can have a little fun of her own...

I love a good revenge plot, but I love it even more when the author throws in a few surprises to keep us on our toes. 

Verdict:

Gipping, unpredictable, a hoot.

Warning: Keep your friends close and your best friends damn close!