So fun! It was tough to put this one down, and I understand all of the reviewers who said they didn't -- that they read it in a day. So much to love about this drop-in to Manhattan society and status warfare, mixed with the dialed-up ridiculous 'religion' of Soul Cycle. It's a well-dressed animal kingdom, with 'if they'll gossip to you, they'll gossip about you' truth that hooks us. Genius plotting and page, and characters you will just love to be near, even if you hate the Mean Girls vibe (which I really, really do!). Such fabulous electricity in this one. Bring it to the beach!
Thank you, NetGalley for treating me to this much fun!

I loved this book! It was so easy to read and the story just flowed. I read this book within a week I loved it so much!

I hate when too much given away in the summary of a book and 90% of the story is in the description. Regardless, this book just wasn’t for me. I expected a humorous story about wealthy moms in NYC. But there are a lot of heavy topics in this book and the moms in this book are INSANE. Julia is completely controlled by status and what others think of her. Tragically, Julia is stranded in Manhattan for the summer while the rest of her friends escape to the Hamptons. What is one to do in New York for the summer except find a cycling studio and a young instructor scraping by and use that instructor to further oneself? Then Julia is surprised when after trying to make the instructor, Tatum, in her image and repeatedly using her that Tatum turns her game on Julia. Shocking. Honestly, it’s a sad story about a woman that has a loving husband, two wonderful children and wealth but has zero happiness unless she is the envy of every woman on the Upper East Side.

The characters in this book can be a little irritating after a while. I found their cattiness wearing. Having said that, there were a few laugh out loud moments. Overall, an uneven read.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

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.

I loved this book and it actually made me laugh out loud. It is great for a beach read. The story did make me appreciate the life and the friends that I have!
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Reading this book, I was immersed in the chic, social climbing, Upper East Side world of Julia. Julia’s life work is to stay relevant, as the consummate trend setter among her group of friends. When she meets spin instructor, Tatum, a new project is born: to take credit for transforming the small town girl into New York’s most fashionable fitness guru. When Julia suddenly finds herself in both social and personal crises, she must figure out what is most important in her formerly perfect world.

That’s What Frenemies Are For is a sharp, witty and fun peek into a world of privilege and cutting edge trends. Beyond that, it is a look at what matters most and a cautionary tale of who to trust and what is left when the Instagram likes and retweets dry up. I fully enjoyed this book, the satire and snark! This will make for a perfect summer beach read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the free eGalley of this fantastic novel.

Think of this as the Manhattan version of Big Little Lies. Julia is a wealthy mom living on the Upper East Side of New York City, who is constantly thinking of ways to impress her fancy friends and reach the upper echelon of her rarefied social circle. And she’s sure that she has found her ticket when she meets, Tatum, a fresh, young, Spin instructor at a new gym in the neighborhood. She soon takes Tatum under her wing, polishing her image, buying her fancy clothes, and building her “brand” as the Spin instructor du jour of the Upper East Side. But turns out, Julia is perhaps too good of a teacher. Before long, Tatum is extremely popular, quite conniving, and not nearly as naïve as she first appears. Suddenly, Tatum seems to be distancing Julia from her friends and pushing her out of the social circle she held so dear. This book is the definition of a beach read—fun, light, and an irresistible guilty pleasure. Anyone who has ever lived on the Upper East Side—or summered in the Hamptons—will recognize characteristics of many of the outrageous women portrayed in the book. It’s laugh-out-loud funny in parts, it’s painfully accurate about New York society, and above all, it’s just plain fun.

It's really hard for me to rate this book because while I did find it immensely readable I pretty much wanted to smack everyone from Julia to her husband to Tatum to Brooke... you get the drift. Almost every single character is annoying. Maybe it's because I don't live in that world but I was quickly over the catty and calculating Julia and she really didn't improve for me during the novel.

This is a fast paced read that doesn't require a lot of deep thought and would be perfect for a girls trip or on the poolside.

I'm sure many will love this book but for me it wasn't a winner.

Thank you to NetGalley and RandomHouse for an eARC copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review.

A deliciously funny, behind-the-scenes look at the loves and lives of Upper East Side families, That's What Friends Are For is an out and out entertainer for lovers of smart, sassy fiction.

This delightful book demonstrates how quickly we can fall from what we believe are safe and secure positions in society’s false hierarchy.

The heroine thinks she has it all: perfect husband, perfect car, perfect children, perfect clothing and shoes and hats and bags and wraps. When she meets a young Spin instructor, she makes it her personal mission to recreate what she believes is her own, personal, Pygmalion. But, as we know from the story of Pygmalion, sometimes protégés turn on their mentors, and when that happens in this book, we are all left wondering how we can be so gullible - ignoring all the hints that something is a little bit off.

And something is a LOT off, not only with the protege, but with the entire foundation upon which our heroine’s life has been erected.

I initially thought this was going to be a fun, light read. Surely there are elements of that. But there’s a lot in this book that reminds us all that we just might live in an insubstantial house of straw - one that the Big Bad Wolf, who is never that far away, can blow over in one big whoosh.

Highly recommended. I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

This book is the definition of a fun summer read! The dialogue is clever and the story well paced ad plotted. Yes, it was a little predictable, but that was what I wanted at the moment as I read it by the pool. I'll keep an eye on these authors in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced reader copy.

This book was so cute! A perfect summer beach, especially for anyone trying to escape Manhattan for the summer! I love the “soul cycle” like vibe of Flame and the cattiness is the other mom’s was just enough. This was a very fun read

A solid 3.5 ... not quite a 4, but this was an “unputdownable” novel that was like the grown up version of Mean Girls. While our main character was truly unlikeable, and I often found myself cringing about her spending habits, the tension between her, other socialite moms and her manipulative pet project Tatum was addictive and written so well. I loved the drama of the Upper East Side elite. Great summer read!

I loved this book! It was so much fun to read. I devoured it in two single afternoons. I wasn't sure at first how I was going to feel about the main character, Julia. Julia is a Manhattan socialite living the life of finer things. While looking for a new way to impress her friends after an unfortunate turn of events with their vacation home in the Hamptons, Julia finds a new fitness gym. With the discovery of her new hobby, Julia meets Tatum, a young instructor from the Midwest trying to figure out her way in the city. Julia takes Tatum under her wing, grooming her to introduce her to her society as her new "find." However, the story doesn't exactly turn up the way Julia had planned. I found Julia very relatable as she became humbled by the turn of events that unraveled as Tatum became the new "it girl" in town. It was fun watching her grow after being knocked down in so many different ways. As a southerner who loves all things New York City, this was SUCH a fun read! It felt very Gossipgirlesque?! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very entertaining and delightful novel of the trials and tribulations of the New York city wealthy hausefrau. Very engaging and eye-opening. Great summer read!

A book about New York snobs and the battle to be on top. A fun read, Ive heard it before and nothing like a revenge book with a happy ending

You know you are in for a ride on a train wreck just by reading the description of the book. How many different ways can Julia’s plans for acceptance and trying to get the upper hand with some crazy high society moms go wrong?? When you have a book that feels a little out of touch with reality you have to have characters that can keep their feet on the ground. Usually it is one of the main characters that are grounded but this book had some surprising secondary characters that played that role. It was an easy book to read that kept a pretty fast pace. I did want to close my eyes because you knew social disaster was on its way.

I loved this book! It was the perfect light summer read. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick escape. I devoured it in two days!

This novel is a fun new take on the “My Fair Lady” tale. Julia, a well-to-do wife and mother who competes in the private school mommy scene, plucks an eager and unknown woman from a cycling studio to turn her from trashy to classy. A pet project to get Julia through the summer, Tatum’s star rises and Julia’s falls as their entwines lives become more complicated.

This was the perfect summer story to reinvigorate me! Set in Manhattan, full of backstabbing mommies and complete with an underdog story, That’s What Frenemies Are For” should be added to everyone’s beach read list!