The Friendship List

by Susan Mallery

The hilarious and heartwarming new book from bestselling author Susan Mallery about friendship, love... and a list that will change your life!

'Join the girls for an adventure you won't forget in a hurry!' - Rebecca Raisin Author of Rosie's Travelling Tea Shop

One Summer can change your life...

As a single mum, Ellen Fox missed out on a lot, but she wouldn't change a thing. Then she overhears her son saying he can't leave home to go to college because she needs him too much. If she wants him to live his best life, she has to convince him she's living hers.

To help, Ellen's best friend Unity creates a list of challenges to push Ellen out of her comfort zone. Unity will complete the list, too. Only to support her friend, not because she needs to change. She's a perfectly fine thirty four year old widow, who socialises at an old people's home!

For both women, The Friendship List begins as a way to make others believe they're doing just fine. But somewhere between 'wear a bikini in public' and 'have sex with a gorgeous guy', Ellen and Unity discover that life is meant to be lived with joy and abandon, and filled with humour, heartache and perhaps the odd regrettable tattoo!

'What are you waiting for? Grab your bestie, and pen your very own friendship list!'

'The Friendship List by Susan Mallery is the type of book you'll be laughing and crying over with the gang at book club!'

Rebecca Raisin Bestselling author of Rosie's Travelling Teashop

• ISBN10: 1335136967
• ISBN13: 9781335136961
• Publish Date: 4 August 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Hqn
• Edition: Original ed.
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Linda]

*I received a free copy of The Friendship List. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review which is honest and unbiased.*

Oh wow! The Friendship List is a fantastic story about two women who have known each other their whole lives. Now, they are both on the cusp of a new life, but they’re not sure how to proceed.
For Unity, everything is hard, she’s been existing in a vacuum since her late husband was killed three years ago, and going through the motions just won’t do it anymore. She gets pushed by some of her friends to move forward, but she still kind of feels like she isn’t ready.
For Ellen, things are changing too. A single mom to a soon-to-be senior, she knows Cooper will leave soon to go to college. And she only wants what’s best for him. However, she’s not so sure what she’s going to do when he leaves home.
Thus Unity and Ellen make their friendship list - it’s kind of like a bucket-list, but different. Because they both need to challenge themselves to move forward and be the best they can be. And fully live.
I found it very interesting that Ellen was still living by her parents’ rules, even at 34. But at the same time, it was normal, as everything that happened when she was younger had made her parents very strict. And following the rules was the only way for her to hope to be able to keep her son, finish college and finally be independent.
Ellen had lived her whole adult life solely for her son, she had never dated, never done anything crazy. But now, with the list, she finally agrees to open her horizons a bit, and my goodness does she achieve a lot of good for herself!
For Unity, things are a bit more difficult, but she is still trying her very best - and that’s all we can do, right? Try our best to move forward, to live, to love, to find some joy...
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about female friendships, love, and how taking a risk can be so very scary, but also so very rewarding.