Julia Summers loves being the envy of all her friends. She has a successful husband, a $5M apartment on the UES, a nanny, and two kids attending the best private school in NYC. However, when all her friends leaves for the Hamptons and she is stuck in the city for the summer, she decides to look for something that will bring her back on top. She decides to check out Flame, the new fitness craze and mests the spin class instructor, Tatum. She decides to transform Tatum into Manhattan socialite. As her pet project spirals out of control, her husband gets arrested for bribery and fraud, leaving her wondering who her real friends are.

Ok. So I think this book is well written but I didn’t find it funny unlike what other reviews have said. I love witty dialogue and I did not think this book had it. Also, the people in the story irritated me. Maybe because I work in Manhattan and can just see these UES privileged moms lol I just found myself saying “who cares?” to some of the struggles she was dealing with. Throwing money left and right just to maintain status is just not for me. But that’s just my opinion on the storyline. I thought the writing was good and it’s a quick beach read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

As soon as I read the premise of this book I knew I’d need to read it, and I was not disappointed! Seeing Julia and Tatum’s dynamic evolve over the course of the novel was an interesting journey. I love a good UES mom moment so some of the parental craziness was super fun to read. Oddly, it somewhat motivated me to get my ass in shape so I signed up for classes at my local spin studio. Don’t worry, I will NOT be trying to make a spin instructor a pawn in the social game!

This was a cute summer reading book! All the snark and drama of the Upper East Side socialites we love to hate, made this a fast read! What I'm still wanting to know is what is on Tatum and Julia's playlists? Thank you NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine Books for an arc of this title!

Thank you @randomhouse for the free copy of THAT’S WHAT FRENEMIES ARE FOR.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

The Upper East Side is full of drama. Isn’t that what Gossip Girl taught us? Well not all the drama is reserved for middle schoolers or high schoolers. Apparently full grown women are fully capable of being buttheads. When will we all stop caring what other people think of us? Wishful thinking I know.

When Julia is stranded in the city for the summer she decides she needs a new pet project and it’s her spin instructor Tatum. Julia has it all and is well aware that maintaining high social status comes with work. She’s hoping with a new hot body she can continue to be an influencer for her “friends”. It doesn’t take long for things to fall apart. What will it take for her to learn who her true friends are?

Smart and sassy this is one you will want in your beach bags. I give it 4 stars.

Mean Girls meets the Real Housewives of New York City meets Big Little Lies. It was hard to like anyone in this book except for Janet and Benilda, but the snark was spot on and the manipulation made me thankful I don’t exist in a world like this. I actually think this would do well as a movie.

I am not sure quite what I expected from this book, but it has been an interesting ride! That's What Frenemies Are For is a novel that follows one woman's view of life for the upper class. She is set to make her life out as perfect and will stop at nothing to keep it that way! She starts to learn her lessons as the story goes on, but the fun part is watching this train wreck like a fly on the wall. Catty women, backstabbing, all the makings of a good reality TV show are here, set to the backdrop of spin classes and mom life. I enjoyed reading this novel because it is so far removed from my life, it was the guilty pleasure that is perfect for beach reading or just relaxing outside. The characters all drove me nuts but I think that's why I kept reading!
If you're a reality TV fan, or enjoy reads where you don't know who to root for, this would be one for you. A fun ride with lots of messes that just make you want to close your eyes and cringe!

I am recommending this book to most of my friends this summer! In my opinion, I was able to discern the deeper meaning of the book while still being able to enjoy the drama and fluffier aspects of story. Julia, the protagonist, was flawed and frustrating, but i think that is MUCH more interesting than a perfect character you can't relate to at all. I live in Manhattan and have nannied in the city before and honestly, the culture is completely on point. I flew through this book. It's a great summer read, but it definitely offers more on the topic of friendships in the age of social media. The quote that stuck with me the most: "I try to stay away from the gossip because if someone will gossip to you, they'll gossip about you."
Is it a life changing memoir? No. Is it an enjoyable read? 100%. Loved it!

ARC received from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was SO fun. Full of sass, snark and cut-throat wit. I laughed a lot and cringed even more - I mean, do privileged women really act like this?! Yikes ... yet, sign me up for more because it makes for great entertainment. It’s a cautionary lesson on who to trust and that social media/opinions of others aren’t everything in life.

Fans of When Life Gives You Lululemons and Big Little Lies will love this one!

Four entertaining, rompy, laugh out loud stars to That’s What Frenemies Are For!⁣
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After a string of bad luck, socialite Julia is marooned in Manhattan while her friends and their families are off gallivanting in the Hamptons for the summer. Until she meets Tatum, a young girl trying to make a name for herself. The Manhattan socialite takes Tatum under her wings and attempts to turn her into a fitness superstar. Things slowly spiral out of control and Julia is left wondering...has she created a monster?⁣
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This book was such fun. It’s light, it’s witty, it’s the perfect beach read! The book flows nicely and the character development was nicely paced. The glimpse into Manhattan society and the lengths those go for their “friends” was eye opening. It’s always unnerving to go into a book that is co-written but the authors did a phenomenal job and the book flows nicely. For me, That’s What Frenemies Are For was ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars. Thank you @randomhouse for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

That’s What Frenemies Are For is the perfect beach read that I needed. The authors created a story that showcases the lives of women on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Julia Summer’s life takes a huge turn before summer and she is unable to vacation in the Hamptons. Stuck in the city, Julia looks for a “project” that will put her back at the top of the hierarchy of UES moms… Julia finds a cool new spin studio with an instructor who seems naive enough to go along with Julia’s plan. But is Tatum as innocent as she seems? Or does she have ambitions of her own?

I loved the easy flow of this novel. I enjoyed the banter between women, the Upper East Side dynamics gave it a Gossip Girl feel while also incorporating Odd Mom Out vibes (a BRAVO TV Favorite of mine!)

I had never read anything by either of these authors, but was thrilled with this work! Julia was not to complacent with her friends and really stuck to what she believed in at the end! Overall, I’m giving That’s What Frenemies Are For a 5-star rating!

This book was a fun and entertaining read. Mean girls grow up, get rich and are still competing and trying to outdo each other. But Julia learns that family is more important than what her friends think.

Ouch...this book took so long to get through. I had high hopes for this book as I really enjoy most chick-lit books. But this book read like a Real Housewives episode (or season...this book felt SO long) and every single character was so unlikeable. The other moms at the school were just catty and AWFUL. There's a reason why I don't watch Real Housewives, and I almost didn't even make it through this good to be able to give it a review.

This is an easy summer read. It was entertaining but I felt it really dragged on at parts and I did not like any of the characters. Overall, just an okay book.

I read several reviews that referred to this story as "hilarious". I didn't find any humor, myself; I thought it was a very emotional read. Sometimes one simply does not truly know who his/her friends really are until he/she is hurt. I was engrossed enough to read it straight through and, except for quite a few language issues (especially from the husband), I would recommend it.

I wanted to like this book so much and it started off ok, but then it really just went on forever and I pretty much wanted to smack all of the characters. Our “heroine” is so catty and shallow, I just can’t get behind her. I liked the ending, but wish she had learned from her experience and was a little less catty.

This was a fun, light novel that gave some insight (whether true or false) into the societal pressures of SAHM life in New York. I liked seeing Tatum’s evolution from struggling actress to spin goddess, and especially liked how social media was included as part of the story. I really enjoyed this and found myself eager to keep reading!

I just finished reading That’s What Frenemies Are For by Littlefield and Gershell. I was concerned that having two authors would lead to a choppy story, but that didn’t happen. The characters were well drawn, the pacing good, story well written. I just really didn’t like the main character, Julia. Julia is an upper Manhattan mother who is very concerned about staying on top of the social heap. She “discovers” a spin instructor that she decides will be her lastest project and will give her social cache, instead she creates a monster. As Julia’s careful plans spin out of control she hardly notices that the important things in her life are also in jeopardy.

Another great summer read for you, with a snarky humor that literally made me LOL! A NY socialite mom, Julia (great name, am I right?!), starts a summer of fitness with spin classes where she befriends and mentors an instructor. As you can imagine, drama ensues and she finds out who are her frenemies and who are real friends!!

Julia definitely has some issues -- she wants to be respected and admired as an edgy tastemaker among her wealthy circle of New York "friends." Out of desperation, she decides to put her money and influence behind a young, unpolished fitness instructor, with somewhat disastrous results. This is a fun read, but there are serious themes as well.

I did not love this book. On the positive side, I thought Tatum and Julia were well-drawn as characters and the story was inventive (particularly in the social media age). However, in general the plot and topic of the book were so catty and manipulative that I did not enjoy it at all. I wasn’t rooting for any of the characters and found reading frustrating.