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!

I have read a couple of Jane's previous books and really enjoyed them so was really looking forward to reading this and it really didn't disappoint . Amy is an actress working in the states , has a fiancé and a best friend at home . She surprises them both with an unexpected trip home for her friends birthday and lets just say she gets more than she bargains for when she discovers that Jack and Melissa have been having an affair . Rather than confront them she decides to stay hidden and reap some revenge on the pair of them . I loved Amy and really rooted for her to make a success of both her personal life and her acting career . I enjoyed the parts of the book that were set in the past and you see fairly early on what kind of a friend Melissa really is .

Really loved this and would be the perfect book to curl up with on a cold winters afternoon . Brilliant

Faking Friends is Jane Fallon at her best, I was hooked from the start.

Amy is engaged to Jack, she is an actress who has been working for several months in New York. She decides to surprise Jack so out of the blue she arrives back in London for a visit and discovers another woman’s belongings in the flat she shares with him.

Mel is Amy’s best friend, they have been friends since they were eleven, until Amy realises that Mel is the one having a relationship with Jack. Unbeknown to Jack and Mel, she decides with the help of another friend Kat, to cut them out of her life but before she does it is time for a little payback.

The story is told mostly from Amy’s perspective, from how Amy and Mel became friends and they way their friendship has evolved over the years, and from Mel’s point of view when she becomes aware that Amy knows about her and Jack.

This is an excellent book, Amy is an great character, although the victim of deception from those closest to her she kept her cool and came out fighting. Mel is truly awful, I felt sorry for Jack although he was in the wrong. There are several twists within the story that keep you guessing. A fantastic read which will keep you hooked until the end and which I highly recommend.

What a brilliant book and so very well written. The plot is superb, the characters excellent and I assure you this book will keep you gripped all the way through. I would highly recommend this book.

Loved the twists in this story, couldn’t put it down as I just wanted to find out what happens!

Faking Friends
Jane Fallon
Available: January 11, 2018

Thank you to NetGalley.com and the publisher for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions
I think I was the last one on earth to know that Jane Fallon is the better half to Ricky Gervais. I’m going to crawl back under the rock I’ve clearly been under but can I take this book with me to read again? I felt an instant kinship with this book – been there, definitely had that happen. My on and off high school love neglected to tell me that he moved in with my best friend (and both claimed they absolutely hated the other) when I went off to college. I never had the guts (or ability – it was 1989 people) to pull off some of the stunts of Amy & Kat but I did end up screaming at him for about 3 hours in a small bathroom and then cut both out of my life and never looked back.
What I loved: I love how calm Amy is during this who thing. She plays an excellent long game and needs to be amply rewarded for her efforts. Of course some will say that she shouldn’t have done the things she did against Jack & Melissa – that’s not being nice, that’s not empowering women, blah blah blah. Let me know how you feel when it happens to you. In the mean time – suck it.
What I didn’t love: My only critique is that towards the end – when it goes from one character’s perspective to the next? I would have liked some Italics/font change/something to differentiate since I was totally thrown by the plot twist and had to re-read a few sentences more than once.
What I learned: Girl code – some people need refresher courses.
Overall Grade: B+

www.FluffSmutandMurder.com

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Amy has it all, a fabulous acting job in New York. Her fiancée, Jack and her best friend, Mel, support her and adore her. Everything is perfect until she arrives home as a surprise to find another woman's stuff in her house and then deduces it's her best friend who has betrayed her.

Amy sets out to sort her life out ready to go solo with the help of her friend, Kat, and destroy Jack and Mel in the process.

I love Jane's books and this was a brilliant read which had me glued to my kindle at every spare moment. Jane makes all her characters believeable and you root for the good guy all the way!!