I’ve really been on a roll this spring with books that have been really striking a chord with me. Unfortunately, Friends like These was not one of them. Set in NYC in the 80’s, this book follows newspaper intern, Beth, as she adjust to life in the city and the hard working hours of her internship. Along the way, she meets the incredible Edie who’s friendship begins like a dream come true. There to show Beth the ropes, and taking her under her wing, she helps Beth to begin to blossom into city life.

I found the writing style just did not resonate with me. Though this book reads like a YA and is rated for 14 and up, it definitely deals with some more mature themes and would be better suited to a 16+ rating. I found Beth to be bland and boring, simply absorbing the personalities of the characters around her. The relationships she forms are incredibly toxic and there’s little learned or gained from her experience with these people. She isn’t particularly motivated or driven, aside from her interest to invest in her friendship and let that current carry her through her NYC experience. There is little action that truly impacts Beth. It’s almost entirely her observations, written in 3rd person narrative, that move the novel forward. She’s a character to whom the world just happens, not one who inspires action in her world.

For these reasons, I gave the book 3 stars on Goodreads, though my rating is likely more of a 2.5. It wasn’t for me.

ugh i did not enjoy this one at all. couldn't find myself to care about anything happening in it. i'm sorry, i know a lot of people loved it but i guess it was not for me? thank you for the arc.

It was not what I expected, I was hoping for more of a thriller or some type of mystery. Thank you for the early copy!

Friends Like These" is a novel by Meg Rosoff. In this book, the protagonist, Mila, finds herself grappling with feelings of isolation and loneliness after her best friend, Cat, abruptly cuts off contact with her. As Mila navigates the complexities of adolescence and friendship, she begins to uncover the truth behind Cat's actions and learns valuable lessons about loyalty, forgiveness, and the true meaning of friendship. With its poignant exploration of teenage emotions and relationships, "Friends Like These" is a compelling and heartfelt read that resonates with readers of all ages.

This was a fun one to put myself into the story line, as it felt so foreign to my own upbringing. I also felt like I really got to know each character well.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

I think I may have just not been the target audience for this book. I normally love coming of age tales, but I just couldn’t get into and sustain this one, unfortunately.

This coming-of-age story follows 18-year-old Beth in New York City as she interns for a journal while documenting her relationships with those around her.

I am not sure what kind of story I expected going into this novel but I was thoroughly surprised. I had seen some mixed reviews, prompting me to worry that I would not enjoy the story. However, for the most part, I did find myself flying through the book. I found the plot lacking, and found myself feeling as though this was a very character-driven book - with the friendship between Beth and Edie being the main focus - and while I do love a good character-driven book, it felt as though the author underdeveloped certain character points to try and strengthen the plot, when it should have just been left character focused. Even then, other than Beth, the characters felt very shallow and boring even.

I loved seeing the moments - both good and bad - between Beth and Edie as both are young Jewish women. They come from very different backgrounds despite having this in common and that identity meant something different to each of them in terms of experiences and socio-economic status.

My favourite part of this story, however, was the writing. Meg Rosoff encapsulates the summer atmosphere perfectly, and while I am a certified fall girly myself, I found myself wishing I could book a one-way ticket to New York or even travel back and experience NYC in the summer of the 1980s. Beth was also written as such a real character, it almost felt like I was reading someone's autobiography rather than a fiction novel.

Other than the aforementioned points that affected my reading experience, I did enjoy the novel and would be interested in exploring more of this author's works in the future.

Thank you Penguin Random House for a copy of 'Friends Like These' in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

Beth arrives in New York City for the summer after being awarded a competitive journalism internship, and the city is crueler and more wonderful than she could have imagined. She is 18 years old and ready to experience her first taste of freedom. At her internship, she meets the charismatic and wild Edie who takes Beth under her wing to give her the full taste of her native city. Their friendship is quick and all-consuming, and Beth begins to realize that Edie might not have been the person she assumed her to be.

This is a gritty and honest coming-of-age story set during the AIDS epidemic about a young girl trying to navigate her first experiences of freedom, danger, sex, drugs, trust, and the lessons that will shape her. For two decades, Meg Rosoff has given us young adult novels that don’t flinch away from tough subjects, and this novel is no different. The dialogue is sharp and authentic, and Beth is a self-aware and intelligent character whose mistakes make her even more believable. This is a short novel, but Rosoff has the remarkable ability to pack a lot of depth into very few words. I loved this story.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for this Ebook in exchange for an honest review.

intoxicating novel of unforgettable firsts

thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for this review copy.

Friends Like These is a coming of age story set in NY in the 1980s. It deals with themes of first time being away from home and complex female friendships.

I found this to be a pretty uneventful story of Beth's summer in New York as an intern, where she meets and is taken in by the glamorous Edie, who is not everything she appears to be. Beth learns a valuable life lesson as she navigates dank Village apartments, sweltering heat and boys. OK, but not very memorable.

Thank you Penguin for the opportunity to read an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, the chapters flew by very quickly. Edie and Beth’s friendship will throw you for a loop like a thriller! I wish there were parts of the story we got more of with Tom and Adam but overall a great read on friendship!

What drew me to Meg Rosoff's Friends Like These is its incredibly nostalgic cover and coming-of-age story vibes. These are some of my favorite books, so Friends Like These had the potential to be a literary love affair for me; however, while some parts of this short novel did captivate my interest, others just fell flat.

The book follows Beth, who has moved to New York circa 1983 for a summer internship, hoping to find herself along the way. I was all into the novel when it focused on small town girl Beth orienting herself to one of the most bustling cities of the world; however, once we are introduced to her soon-to-be best friend Edie, things fell sideways for me.

MILD SPOILERS AHEAD - Beth's new friend Edie is entirely insufferable, and I so upset that it took Beth until the end of this book to figure that out. I kept wanting to yell at Beth, "This girl is not your friend!"

Edie, who has no redeeming qualities, ruined this book for me. What could have been an insightful, hopeful novel, full of growth and introspection, turned into a dumpster fire thanks to the overwhelmingly awful Edie. After she entered the picture and started taking over, I no longer could find it in myself to care.

A sharp, engaging Coming of Age novella set in early 1980s New York City.

Meg Rosoff does a fantastic job capturing the intensity of friendship and the pitfalls of living on your own for the first time in Friends Like These, which follows thoughtful, introspective Beth and her magnetic but reckless and manipulative friend Edie as they spend the summer interning in New York before heading off to college.

Rosoff does an excellent job establishing a strong sense of place despite how short this book is, and though early 80s New York isn’t exactly new for a fiction setting, it feels fresh reading about it from her perspective.

So too does her interpretation of intense and competitive friendship between two young girls trying to navigate early adulthood. Edie is difficult to like (we’ve all known an Edie in some capacity) but her appeal is undeniable, especially for a wide-eyed type like Beth.

I appreciated the nuance given to Beth’s character. She’s just naive enough to miss the early warning signs about someone like Edie, and about life in the city at this age in general, but her observant nature and willingness to maintain her sense of individual purpose keeps her from coming off like the stereotypical hayseed who frequently helms poorer quality books like this.

Ok what I loved here: the characters and the setting. What I didn't love: the pace. That being said if you can deal with some peaks and dips in terms of how quick things move, I think you can enjoy this YA book. It really is atmospheric in that it transports you right back to a New York City of the 80s and what it was like to be a youth trying to work at that time. To sum it up, it's am decent summer read but nothing I will be thinking about for awhile.

If you like character-driven, coming-of-age novels set in NYC before the age of cell phones, this one's for you. Labeled as YA, I think late teens, young adults, and adults could appreciate this book. Adults will recognize Beth’s important realization that her socialized habit of being polite and not offending others is a danger to herself. Beth is a suburban 18-year-old meeting colleagues and roommates in New York City during her summer internship at a newspaper.

The summer between high school and college, Beth is living in a cockroach-infested apartment with no air conditioning. It’s Beth’s first time away from home on her own. It’s a summer of observations and experiences. The novel centers around Beth’s complex and intense friendship with Edie, a fellow intern who is from NYC and a wealthier social class. Edie reminded me of a younger Daisy Buchanan in the sense of rich people, in the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald, being “careless people…they smashed up things and creatures then retreated back into their money and vast carelessness…”

Beth’s perspective of a young adult in the early 1980s whose grandparents were all killed in the Holocaust and whose parents were children during the Holocaust provides a unique lens. Beth was raised knowing her parents survived but lost their own families to concentration camp gas chambers.

During her summer in New York, Beth finds herself in new and uncomfortable situations including exposure to unusual characters, drinking, drugs, sexual assault, and robbery at gunpoint. She also learns hard lessons in manipulation.

The overbearing summer heat in New York City feels like its own character.

During this character-driven novel, the reader sees Beth digest everything that happens during this short amount of time. In the end, it becomes a summer of gaining confidence and understanding of her small place in a big world.

Overall, I read this one a couple weeks ago and I have thought of it often, so that makes it a winner for me.

This review is posted on Instagram and Facebooks @beginandendwithbooks and on Goodreads @Michelle Beginandendwithbooks

Surprisingly, I kind of loved it. It explored the kind of friendships that I've seen and known. I question whether or not it should be labeled as a YA book since I'm 66 and I enjoyed it for the nostalgia and the times. I wonder what teenagers will think of this book and whether they will simply smirk at this portrayal of youth in the early 1980s.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It took me down memory lane!

This was a fascinating book, taking place in New York City during the eighties. The protagonist has moved to the city to do an internship at a newspaper, which makes her path cross with another intern's life whose much wealthier. The two girls serve as foils when it comes to their lives and backgrounds, which makes their dynamic more interesting, especially when Edie, the friend, is judgmental about things. Lots to uncover with their relationship, and I enjoyed reading the book overall.

Over ten stifling hot summer weeks in 1983 New York, suburban high school graduate Beth interns at a prestigious newspaper and moves from teenager to young adult.

Beth’s initial impressions of New York on a budget are not good: She’s subletting a roach-infested 5th floor walk-up, sharing with the perpetually combative Dawn and her oddly attractive boyfriend Tom. She doesn’t know anyone and has to walk everywhere.

The setting and era are very specifically evoked from the relentless heat and squalor of New York to the white male-dominated, both physically and attitudinally, newspaper. Women are just starting to flex their power and Beth is ready for it. However, this was also the era of the AIDS crisis and that doesn’t really get touched on.

Everything changes once Beth starts her job. There are four interns: Beth, preppy Oliver, ambitious Dan, and cool girl Edie. Beth and Edie immediately click into a joyous best friendship, spending all their time with each other, drinking margaritas, eating take-out, and talking talking talking. Beth is smart but naive and lets sophisticated Edie dictate the rules of their friendship while still feeling that they’re on equal footing. But betrayal is just around the corner and Beth will end her summer with a harder shell than the soft malleable girl she started as.

I loved the initial wonderful, funny, life-enhancing connection between Edie and Beth and how Beth soaks up so much from her friend in just a few short weeks. Edie’s oblivious privilege is initially very attractive to Beth but gradually she, and the reader, see her friend’s fragility and vulnerability. It is only towards the end of their summer that Beth realizes that Edie’s privilege also makes her entirely selfish and self-centered.

This is a slight and delicate novel that while not specifically intended for a YA audience will work very well for those on the cusp of adulthood as well as those who are looking back on it from a distance.

Thanks to Tundra and Netgalley for the digital review copy.