The Friends We Keep
By Susan Mallery
- Release Date: 2016-02-23
- Genre: Fiction & Literature
Description
In this insightful and compelling story from book club favorite Susan Mallery, three close friends test the boundaries of how much a woman can give before she has nothing left
After five years as a stay-at-home mom, Gabby Schaefer can't wait to return to work. Oh, to use the bathroom in peace! No twins clamoring at the door, no husband barging in, no stepdaughter throwing a tantrum. But when her plans are derailed by some shocking news and her husband's crushing expectations, Gabby must fight for the right to have a life of her own.
Getting pregnant is easy for Hayley Batchelor. Staying pregnant is the hard part. Her husband is worried about the expensive fertility treatments and frantic about the threat to her health. But to Hayley, a woman who was born to be a mom should risk everything to fulfill her destiny—no matter how high the cost.
Nicole Lord is still shell-shocked by a divorce that wasn't as painful as it should've been. Other than the son they share, her ex-husband left barely a ripple in her life. A great new guy tempts her to believe maybe the second time's the charm…but how can she trust herself to recognize true love?
As their bonds of friendship deepen against the beautiful backdrop of Mischief Bay, Gabby, Hayley and Nicole will rely on good food, good wine and especially each other to navigate life's toughest changes.
Look for another compelling story in the Mischief Bay series, The Girls of Mischief Bay by Susan Mallery. Order your copy today!
Reviews
Wholesome and uplifting
3By merwall96The author did a wonderful job of setting the scenes. It was interesting, but real and I loved the way the stories intertwined.The friends we keep
5By 87sukiLoved this book!!The friends we keep
1By Best of LVThere were no words. No story. Every page said something about an errorGreat read!
5By Cruz&cashI never wanted to stop reading and was distraught when it ended.Most emotional Susan Mallery read!
5By Pam50627LOVED THIS BOOK! Susan Mallery has such a way with the written word. This book takes us into the lives of a group of friends and what is going on in those lives. You laugh, love, & cry along with the characters through out the entire book. I picked it up to read a chapter or two and ended up closing the book on the end at 2 am. I just didn't want to leave it. What can I say about the characters? They are people that live in your neighborhood with problems and concerns that you and your friends are or have gone through. The three friends are in three different places in their lives. This book details the journey's they each take to reach a level of satisfaction in their personal lives and the conflict they have to go through to get there. It's a very emotional book to read and will tug on your heart strings.Keeper Friends
5By Marge_RobertsThis wonderful book about three friends has a central thread - children and family. Gabby, Hayley, and Nicole became friends in The Girls of Mischief Bay, and they will be friends forever. Each have their own situations and problems, but when they get together or intervene on each other, they help guide each other towards life-changing decisions while facing risks of their own. They don't tell each other what to do, but stand behind their friendships to support and love each other. I loved this book and can't wait for more.Modern, Strong, and Romantic = A Great Read!
5By SCBleoIt is pure joy to slip into a story that is located in a familiar town filled with memories, where you get to pickup on the life of an old friend and meet some new friends. In the latest Susan Mallery novel, “The Friends We Keep”, we get to do just that! Nicole and her young son Tyler, who we met in “The Girls of Mischief Bay”, are back and we are treated with their progression of life after divorce. New friends, Hayley and Gabby, are strong females who each have challenging issues to confront and resolve. Hayley yearns for a baby of her own. Gabby has a full life with husband, a teen stepdaughter and almost 5-year-old twins. It is the friendship of these three women, each with their own style, approaches, and diverse families that offers us the most strength, insight, and thought provoking realities of today’s adult life. This town might be Mischief Bay or it could be any of our towns, and these women could be any of our friends. Modern, strong, and romantic, a great read!Wonderful can't put down read!!
5By Sarah tobinThe Friends We Keep by Susan Mallery is a great amazingly well written story of three women at differing stages of their lives. We get a glimpse into the lives of three women living ing Mychief Bay, CA all at a different crossroads in their lives . Mallerys storytelling makes you feel like you are there and you can fell their emotions and thoughts jumping off the page. This was a can't put down read that really shows the reselunce and determination and love women posses.Forever friends
5By KmbrlybarForever friends A beautiful story of friendship. Nicole, Hayley and Gabby are three friends and though they are in different seasons in their lives they rely on each other for support and lift each other up. It's a great story that reminds us that forever friends are priceless.The Friends We Keep
5By MblteachFriendships that are lasting take you through the ups and downs of your life. They are there for your happy times, sad times, angry times, and the times you aren't sure about. Those friends who hold your hand, yell at you, hug you, and love you are those friends we keep near our hearts. This is a story of friends like that. It will cover all your emotional upheavals and be there to catch you if you start to fall. Susan Mallery has a way with getting to the heart of the situation and bringing you out stronger on the other side. It gives you very good reasons for having Friends to keep by your side. A story the reader can definitely connect with.Another great story by Susan Mallery
4By RybecbensmomYou cannot go wrong picking up a book by Susan Mallery. This book is part of her women's lit series centered in Mischief Bay and focuses on the friendship and "real lives" of 3 women at different points of their life's journey. Chances are you will be able to relate to one character or another.The Friends We Keep
5By CdstanoI absolutely love this story. It is a story of 3 friends and their daily life. The stories are very real in our modern day world. Gabby ia housewife and Mom and is anxious to go back to work. She has no privacy. Hayley is a friend who depserately want a baby but has not been able to fulfill her dread and lastly Nicole is divorced and has a son. They are always there for support. Gabby is trying to balance twin daughters, 15 yr old stepdaughter who is pregnant and a husband that wants her to stay home and not go back to work. Hayley has her own trials and tribulations with having a baby at any cost and her health. Nicole has a great business and a son. Her ex husband does not come around and a new man enters her life. Gabby, Hayley and Nicole are always there for each other. They listen and help no questions asked. There struggles whether dealing with a 15 yr old stepdaughter that gets pregnant and going back to work and not like working at all. Being able to have a baby and trying to remain healthy and connected with her husbanc. Niold is successful but is afraid of getting hurt and letting Jairus into her life. This is a fantastic story and I could not put this down. I enjoy Susan Mallery books and loof forward to the next one.Fantastic!!!!
5By AngieMac4398Susan is well known (and loved) for her Fool's Gold series--which is phenomenal if you haven't read any of them yet. Now, she's traveled to a new town called Mischief Bay. Unlike the Fool's Gold books, this series focuses on more than one couple per book. And quite honestly is more women's lit than romance, though there is quite a bit of focus on each woman's romantic life. However, these books contain so much more! There are friendships and family. Romance and relationships between siblings, parents, kids and step-kids. It shows the love, support and friendship between these three women friends. And these are REAL. So real, you're going to need a hanky at times. Sometimes it will be for laughter. And sometimes it will be for the FEELS. Oh, the FEELS. You'll get to know each woman intimately. If you're an older woman, you'll recognize certain stages of your life, events you went through and the Learning Curves of Life. At times, I wanted to reach into the book and smack someone. At times I wanted to reach into the book and hug someone. Always, there were feelings. On each and every page. And that is what made me keep turning the page and yet not wanting to reach the end. I can't wait to read about more of the women in this town!Another great book by Susan Mallery
5By PattimurtAnother great book by Susan Mallery! In The Friends We Keep, we get to really think about friendship, and how as woman we may be at very different stages of life but friendship overrides the differences. In this book we are in the town of Mischief Bay, a pretty nice place almost as great as Fools Gold! The story is about 3 woman and their day to day real life issues. Nicole, is looking at her life after divorce, can she move out of the rut she is in. Hayley, wants to have a baby, her story will have you in tears and then cheering for her. Last is Gabby, just getting ready to make some changes to her life as a stay at home mom and life hands her a big surprise. Susan Mallery, makes you feel for the women in this story, their joys and struggles. You would want to be friends with these ladies! It's a great read, very enjoyable!The Friends We Keep
5By popcorn876This was the best !! It had me laughing and crying!! Hope this isn't the last of mischief bay!Life is tough but made a bit easier with great friends!
5By Cheryl SDSThe story is centered around three friends, Haley, Gabby and Nicole. Each of these three friends go through their own crisis and some are worse than others but through it all they have each other to talk to. Haley is married, Gabby is married with children and Nicole is divorced with a child. There is tremendous heartbreak, life altering events and several Aha! moments. These women and their families are real and have issues like the rest of us. It's knowing that those really great friends that we keep around are always there for us, that helps us get through some of life's tougher times. Great writing as always! Susan Mallery never disappoints. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. Received a copy in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed is my own.
