I love reading books from Holly Bourne. I would say they are one of my favourite authors. I always find I connect with the story on a personal level. Girl Friends in particular gave me so much nostalgia as I was a teenager in the early 2000s. I was also reminded of all the negatives of that time and truly hope that the way teenagers respond to each has improved. I found the switching back and forth between time lines worked well in allowing the audience to gain better understanding of Fern's insecurities. I understand that the book is from Fern's perspective but I would have liked to have known more about the reality of Jessica's life.

I read Pretending by Holly Bourne earlier this year and It Only Happens in the Movies previous to that, I knew I loved her writing style from the get go and I saw Girl Friends was coming out and managed to get this arc copy. I read it as soon as it was approved I was that excited!

This book I avoided spoilers for immediately, I went in with little to zero knowledge of the story and only the author name and book title and I'm so glad I did, every page was peeling away the story/the mystery and I loved every second of it.

So for a quick summary, the story is about Fern who is in her early thirties and trying to navigate her life, career, friendships and relationship with her boyfriend Ben. The book alternates between her present life and the past back when she was a teenager. We get to experience Fern's emotions during both times, her struggles and frustrations with people and society.

I have never related to a book more, especially her teenage years oh my god. The references made me nostalgic, the story made me relate and by the end of the book I was almost in tears. Holly Bourne writes in such a way that makes you think it's been pulled right out of your head, make you feel understood. As a teenager you don't realise that the experiences you are going through others have gone through too and I felt included and understood reading this. Every woman can relate to at least one of the characters in this book or even multiple depending on how their teenage years were, maybe your Jessica wasn't a friend but a sibling? Either way the story packs a punch, hits hard topics like depression, self harming, suicide, slut shaming, rape, sexual assault so please look out for those.

This was an intense but amazing book that highlighted so many real life conundrums and navigations and it's a book I am going to recommend to so many people, I'm so happy I got to read this before it's release and I will be buying a physical copy no doubt about it!

I loved this book!
The throwbacks were spot on, I could see my teenage years in so many of the references - the wooden trays of shots, getting drunk on £5, the first festival experience.
A brilliantly written story on the highs and lows, complexities and challenges of female friendships.
5 stars.

As a 39 year old man, I am not sure whether this is a book I shouldn't read or whether I am the kind of person who this book should be aimed at.

Here we have Fern, who has spent a lifetime in the shadow of her friend, Jessica. They meet again as adults after something came between them when they were young. We don't know what this is but we know that Jessica was beautiful, popular with boys and comfortable in her own self whereas Fern struggled to be noticed by anyone.

The story is told in both the present day as they attempt to rebuild a friendship interwoven with chapters about their past as we learn what made them such close friends and what eventually drive them apart.

The book is seemingly about the friendship between women and the struggles young women have growing up as they try and find their place in the world. But it is also about boys/men and the impact of pornography, misogyny and how this impacts upon our behaviour towards women as teenagers and as adults.

This may not have been aimed at me, but I certainly learned a lot from it. The two main characters were so well developed and the divide between them, when they were in fact both jealous of each other, was heartbreaking.

An amazing novel of our times and sure to be a hit.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Holly bourne writes in a way that makes it easy to engage with the story and fully invest in the characters.

Fern and Jessica were written with so much realism and depth that they felt real, and the alternating timeline really helped develop and shape them as characters.

The themes of the book were difficult at times, and I strongly suggest checking the tws, but the story was beautifully written and the exploration of a toxic friendship and the influence it can have on your path and future, were really well explored and interesting to read about.

This book contains themes of suicide and self-harm. Please check the trigger warnings before reading.

Thank you to @netgalley @hodderbooks and @hollybourneya for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read Pretending by Holly Bourne earlier this year and was eager to read more by the author.

This book essentially explores the complexity of female friendships, right through from being a teenager to adulthood. We meet Fern, who in the present day is in her early 30s. We alternate between the present and the past where she is a teenager, and through both perspectives, we also meet Jessica and are taken on a journey of their ‘friendship’. I personally felt I really related to this book as we have all had a friendship like theirs. I have definitely been friends with a couple of people in the past where I have felt like the Fern, and they’ve been the Jessica. This book highlights how intense and often, emotionally draining, friendship can be.

As with Pretending, Holly Bourne’s writing is so raw and so real, and it has a real edge to it. I was completely drawn into Fern and Jessica’s world, and was desperate to see what conclusion there would be to their relationship. I think that the book is very relatable and cleverly shines a light on what women are faced with as they move through adolescence and into adulthood. It’s a thought provoking story and it definitely made me reminiscent of my own adolescence, both the good and the bad.

Being a teenager is hard. Being a woman in this world is hard. What women have to go through at the hands of some men is appalling, and that is something that still, in this day and age, isn’t spoken about enough. This book recognises that and I think it will help a lot of girls/women to feel seen.

For me, this was a fantastic book that highlights so many real issues. It’s out on the 8th of September and I would highly recommend buying it!!

I will read anything Holly Bourne writes - her particular mix of feminism, contemporary settings and well-fleshed characters always hits the spot. This book made me feel so uncomfortable in all the right ways, but I felt like there was something missing - like Jessica was demonised the whole book and never really given the chance to be more than just a villain. We never learn her motivations or what her background is, what drives her to be who she is.

Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher, it’s much appreciated!