Girl Friends cover art

Girl Friends

the unmissable, thought-provoking and funny novel from the author of SO THRILLED FOR YOU

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Girl Friends

By: Holly Bourne
Narrated by: Heather Long
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About this listen

 "Men see women in two separate categories. There are the women they sleep with, and the women they fall in love with. And they will treat you differently based on that."

From the day they first meet as teenagers Fern and Jessica are best friends. Despite their differences, they are there for each other throughout everything, navigating the difficulties of growing up and fitting in. That is until Jessica crosses a line that Fern can't forgive.

But now, more than ten years later, Jessica has unexpectedly reappeared in Fern's life.

A lot has changed for them both - but can their relationship be different now they are older? Is it possible for either of them to rewrite the role that they have been cast in? Or will their shared history ultimately be doomed to repeat itself again?

Set between the present day and the past, GIRL FRIENDS is a blisteringly funny and devastating novel: both a joyful celebration of female friendship and a razor-sharp look at the damage we can all cause to those we claim to love the most.

(P) 2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited©2022 Holly Bourne Contemporary Contemporary Romance Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Romance Women's Fiction Funny Heartfelt Witty Feel-Good Tear-jerking

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Critic reviews

GIRL FRIENDS is a blistering, confronting, and utterly compelling read. It's laugh-out-loud funny and disquieting in equal measures. This is Holly Bourne at her very best
I will never, ever forget this book. It explores some of the darkest and most difficult parts of womanhood and growing up in an engaging and profoundly compassionate way. It's more than a page turner - it's the sort of story you inhale. Fern is one of the most real, most loveable heroines I've met. This book will leave its readers kinder and wiser, and it will inspire us all to forgive ourselves for our complicated pasts
A total tour de force - GIRL FRIENDS is all at once shocking, validating, shrewd and sharp-witted. I didn't even know female friendship could be altered by the male gaze until I read this! And that is what is so astounding about Holly's work: she makes you understand what you didn't know you needed to examine . . . put words to my experience of growing up in the noughties and how the boys back then affect who I am now. Just magnificent. Buy it for every friend you have, and then hold a book club to discuss immediately.
A fantastic, gripping read - a feminist manifesto driven by fury beneath a great story brilliantly told
With her usual laser-like focus and sharp writing that can veer from heart breaking to hilarious within the space of a sentence, Holly Bourne weaves a fraught and fascinating tale of female friendship . . . Set in the present day and the early 2000's, Girl Friends will resonate with so many readers, not just for the noughties nostalgia but for the remembered agony and ecstasy of being a teenage girl
Holly writes so brilliantly on female friendship - there's a queasy accuracy that makes you want to cry for every teenage girl in the world, including yourself. Her characters are so relatable, I just wanted to reach into the book and hug Fern. Read it, make your friends read it, and then let's work out how we can pull everything down and reconstruct a matriarchal society
A laughter filled read which teases out the different angles of female friendship and conflict . . . razor sharp that lingers long after you finish
SO good, quite agonisingly accurate and vivid
So deliciously enjoyable, so powerful and so skilfully done. I'll be thinking about it for ages
A forensic look at how the patriarchy impacts our self-image and even our friendships
It blew me away! Couldn't put it down and couldn't stop thinking about it afterwards. Made me laugh and cry and look at lots of things in a new way
This book absolutely sparkles with wit and heart. Joyous
Equally funny and heartbreaking
All stars
Most relevant
I found this book tough to listen to but found it so intriguing that I continued to listen to it despite some of the themes being a little close to home. I am the same age as the characters in the book (late 30s) and related to so much of the content, it made me realise how crazy things were ‘back then’.
Very thoughtful, beautifully written book about friendship, relationships, mental health and life in general. Perfectly observed. Loved the narration too. Would recommend to people…but there are some big themes in the story that are warned about at the outset.

Thought provoking and honest

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As a writer myself, I really wish I had written this. Congratulations to the author.

Excellent, moving and clever

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Can’t put into words how much I loved this book. It is such a beautiful, complex story about female friendship told with such honesty and tenderness. If you’re a woman who grew up in the noughties you must read this! Countless times I felt like my own teen years were literally being relayed, the details are uncanny and Holly Bourne paints a picture of the culture and the ways it harmed women with such skill and wisdom. It was honestly so cathartic to hear this story being told, I wept!

This book is soul healing!

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This book was amazing. it was both heartbreaking and warming and as a women in my late 20s the story was very relatable. Thanks for putting into words what it's like to grow up as a women. Would 100% reccomend but be prepared for tears and reflection at the end.

What a book!

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I love Holly Bourne as an author and this didn’t disappoint, thought provoking, brilliantly characterised and completely reminiscent of the time.

Brilliant and thought provoking

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