Jill Mansell was a recommended author for me based off of other books I typically read. This one quickly became a favorite. Mansell draws you in, making you feel like you are among the friend group, experiencing what they experience. Looking forward to reading more by Mansell.

This was such a fun read. I found myself totally engaged with the romp of a book. This book about three women coming together years after being in high school together was great. At times the characters could be unlikeable, but it only made the story more real. It was rather long, but thoroughly enjoyed watching these three women grow.

This book started out slowly and I almost stopped reading it but I'm glad I kept going. The plot picked up and the characters got more interesting as the book went on.

The book follows three school friends after they grow up and as their lives intersect again. Camilla is a stay at home mom, Roz is a TV host and Loulou is the owner of a wine bar. Their lives are messy and it's fun to watch how they change and grow over the years of the book. I ended up really enjoying this book and recommend it.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I first read a version of this book that came out in 1991, though I read it many years later. I read an e-copy of the new paperback. Only minor details have been updated for the new version (like mentioning Gordon Ramsay as a famous chef, instead of someone I'd never heard of in the original version), leaving the heartbreak, the joy, the sorrow, and the redemption that made me fall in love with the original version. This is/was not my first Mansell book (that honour goes to Good At Games) but it is my favourite. My favourite relationship in the books is the one between Lou Lou and Nico. ('Too late, they've already guessed.') I'd love to check in with the characters and see how they're doing now but for the time I'll content myself with diving back in and revisiting old friends in London as I enjoy my own spaghetti bolognese.

Camilla, Loulou and Roz became friends at boarding school. Now years later Camilla is married with two children, Loulou owns a very successful club and Roz is a TV personality currently seeing three different men.
When they meet up again Camilla invites them to a dinner party where she discovers her husband is one of Roz's men so she walks out. She is taken in by Loulou who helps her to make-over her life
Over the next few years the three women face challenges, highs and lows as they strive to find happiness.
This book had births, deaths, marriages it went from funny to sad. The characters were well written, I really liked Camilla and Loulou but disliked Roz immensely. I did find myself wanting to shake Camilla more than once over her treatment of Nico and her refusal to say how she really felt.

This is a re release of a older title by the author. I have read much of her work and always enjoy disappearing into her world for a afternoon. I received a ARC for review. My opinion is my own.

Camilla Stewart, Roz Vallender and Lou Marks were roommates in school and best friends during those school years. They have all mostly lost touch. When Camilla meets up with Roz they decide to visit Lou at her restaurant. Camilla invites them to a dinner party she is hosting which turns out to be a set up by Camilla it’s revealed by Camilla that Roz has been having an affair with Camilla’s husband. This leads to a explosion of hurt and anger that takes over the dinner party and destroy's their friendship.

i enjoyed this fast read and found it entertaining. It does have some steamy parts for those that do not like that you can fast forward on your digital reader. The charcters are enjoyable and likeable . .A fun read.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy from Sourcebooks Landmark for my unbiased opinion of the book. Jill hit it out of the park again. This is the first time reading this book even though it was originally released in 1991. Great stories stand the test of time like this one does! This story revolves around three high school roommates Camilla Stewart, Roz Vallender, and Loulou Marks reunite in the present and bond together to give Camilla the kick in the pants she needs to move forward and enjoy life more!!! I don't want to give it away but I couldn't put this book down. It is a must read in 2019!

First off, this book was actually first published in 1991 and has been re-published a few times since then. So there are certain scenes and reasonings that aren't very current with the times. Secondly, this book is long. It took me a few days to read the nearly 500 pages. There were many times that I wanted to skip pages, but it seemed like something was always happening with at least one character and I didn't want to miss something big. That should be the definition of a good book, but it was just so frustrating because all of these "happenings" could have been much more condensed and to the point.

The book revolves around three main characters, Camilla, Loulou, and Roz, but we also visit the lives of many of their acquaintances. By the end it was rather a jumble of characters and I wish the author would have kept things a bit more pared down. However, for the most part, each character was complete and whole with their own distinct personality.

I understood each character's thoughts and flaws, which is a big kudos to the author because some of the characters were just plain unlikeable and I didn't really want to waste my time reading about them and their negativity. But I persevered because....

...the story of Nico and Camilla NEEDED to go my way. And I knew that regardless of all the ups and downs in their relationship, everything would work out in the end. I do wish that there could have been about 50% less of the mixed messages and confusion, because reading about how their paths in life went off on tangents due to their actions became predictable and yes, quite aggravating.

So it was good; it checked all my boxes. I stayed up late two nights in a row to unravel the lives of these characters. But definitely do not start this book if you don't have patience and plenty of time.

I received and ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Fast Friends by Jill Mansell was originally published in 1991 but I think this rerelease has been updated as it was not until I was doing my review writing research that I found this out and the story did not feel dated at all. Camilla Stewart, Roz Vallender and LouLou Marks were roommates in school and in the present day have mostly lost touch. Camilla unexpectedly runs into Roz while shopping and they visit LouLou at her restaurant/bar. This leads to Camilla inviting them to a dinner party she is hosting which turns out to be an unmitigated disaster as at the party it’s revealed that Roz has been having an affair with Camilla’s husband. Their 3 stories continue to interact over the course of several years and no one tortures her heroines better than Jill Mansell before giving them a HEA. A very enjoyable read, quite steamy. Publishing Date January 1, 2019 #FastFriends #JillMansell #NetGalley #Sourcebooks

I didn't realise this was a re-release of an older title and it felt a little bit dated in places, nevertheless a good easy read as you'd expect from this author.

Fab read with great strong characters and storyline. Easy to read from the start and enjoyed every last page.

Jill Mansell's books are fun reads which u read in between my thrillers. I found this story of 3 friends Camilla, Roz, and Loulou. The big reveal of infidelity leads Camilla to let go and start living her life with excitement and zest and adventure and the story rolls on.
This was one of Jill's older books republished again. It was fun and sweet and I got a sense of deja vu till I realized I had read this book ages ago.
It was still a fun read and it was nice to remember those days when life was carefree.

This was a well-written, entertaining book. Three school friends meet up again later in life in unexpected ways. After reuniting all of their lives change in ways none of them had planned. I enjoyed this book and would read others by this author.

Not sure why I'm reviewing a book that had been previously published in 1991!?? I had not read before but I have read many others by this author. I think it's too long and could of used editing. However, the huge cast of characters keep us reading along wondering what they would get up to next.

I have read this book before so I was slightly disappointed as I thought Jill Mansell had bought a new one out. Nevertheless it is a good story and a typical Jill Mansell novel.

This was marketed as a fun, escapist read. I have read a few of Jill Mansell's books before, and I enjoy her style. This however, is not her usual quality.

This book focuses on Roz, Loulou, and Camilla, school girl friends who have grown up, grown apart, and are thrust together again after a chance meeting.

The book had love interests including rock stars, fashion photographers, sports celebrities, and some fantastic fashion that I enjoyed. The story moved at a crisp pace, and was told equally well from several perspectives.

That said, I did feel the book was very shallow, and I never really cared about any of the characters. The tragedies in the book were very lightly handled and forgotten very soon, and some of the men and women main characters were bizarrely horrible. Some, like Roz, had a story arc that included redemption, but others, were just awful for no reason. Children in the book were written more as props than responsibilities, and 150 pounds was seen as ridiculously plump for a woman.

I will definitely give the author another chance even with the problems due to the writing style and pace of the novel.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for my advanced copy.

I found the first half of this book to be a very slow read with little progression of the storyline. I was glad that the second half of the book got better. And I was pleasantly surprised by the ending and how the relationships turned out.

*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am leaving my review voluntarily.

I did enjoy this book, but do have a slight problem with it actually being a re-release of Jill's 5th novel. I thought Netgalley was for new books? Either way, it was still a good read and an interesting novel in the development of someone whom's now a top class author in her field.

I hate it when a publishing company tries to re-brand a book that has already been published. I hate it even more then it was a book I read 27 years ago and its trying to be passed off as new and current.

When I began reading Fast Friends by Jill Mansell, I did not realize it was a reprint of a book that was originally published in 1991. I kept wondering why it seemed so dated. Suddenly it made sense.

The story was cute, as all Jill Mansell books are, but it dragged on forever. “Cute” books should not be 500 pages. The characters were immature and kept repeating the same mistakes over and over again. The amount of alcohol consumed was stunning. I would like to think that in this day and age we would not celebrate in story a woman beyond hungover breastfeeding her child. Because I was given an ARC, I felt compelled to finish the book. Had I chosen it on my own, I would not have.

I think it is a mistake to reissue this book, yet again. Some stories are better left in the past.