My first by Susan Mallery and I liked it! It was a good read that was engaging. I loved the friendships

"Do you think that one day you'll wake up and simply know it's time to be yourself again? Are you waiting for an epiphany? It doesn't work like that. You have to have faith that it's going to be okay and start challenging yourself to take a little step forward."

Mallery's overall message with THE FRIENDSHIP LIST is great. I loved seeing the growth that both Ellen and Unity underwent, and I was cheering for them to find their respective happy endings throughout the entire novel. There were moments that made me laugh out loud, but also times where I could feel the emotion as they worked to overcome their past, particularly Unity. Dagmar was my easily my favorite character, and I found myself wishing that I could sit down with her and listen to her stories about life. The light nature of the novel made it the perfect read for spring or summer.

"It came down to a simple question: Did she stay where she was - living a half-life because Stuart was gone - or did she accept the pain of his passing, know that she would love him forever and then admit that her heart had room for someone else? The choice was hers. Only it wasn't a choice. She refused to stay stuck any longer."

Unfortunately, I had a few big issues with the novel. Ellen consistently shares details regarding self pleasure and sex with Keith, even though he implores her several times to stop talking about it. While I understand that his reasoning may have been to prevent himself from viewing Ellen in any context other than friendship, I found it to be incredibly uncomfortable as a reader, and furthermore, had the genders been reversed, it would automatically be perceived as sexual harassment. Also, I found Keith's approach to his daughter's sex life disconcerting and at times, off putting. In the beginning of the novel, he's borderline controlling regarding her birth control, forcing her to "prove" that she's been taking them, even though she is still a virgin. After she has sex for the first time, he discusses with her not once, but TWICE, the importance of female pleasure. I appreciated the message that was being sent with that, but I found the conversations to be incredibly uncomfortable and a bit jarring considering his extreme stance in the beginning of the book. Finally, I felt that both Unity and Ellen lacked the emotional maturity expected for their age.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but due to the aforementioned issues, I couldn't give THE FRIENDSHIP LIST more than three stars. Thank you to Harlequin - Romance for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Ah, Susan Mallery. She has been a comfort author for me for years and years and this book was such a perfect read for a weekend of recuperating from the past week and resting up for the week ahead. I so enjoyed sinking into this world and knowing that eventually Mallery would give me a happy ending - as she always does!

Fun. Fast. Typical Susan Mallery, and honestly, just what I needed to read.

I love how this author creates characters and friendships and relationships. Makes you wish you could live amongst the book, be a part of their story.

Susan Mallery is my go to author. She never disappoints. The romance was heavy and steamy in this novel- not like her normal books. I WAS TOTALLY OKAY WITH IT. Only complaint- the cover doesn't fit the book at all.

This was a light-hearted, fun novel that made me ready for the beach. It was light or unbelieving on plot but the characters, Ellen and Unity are sweet friends. Their relationship is based on a similar lack of romantic relationships. This was a fun and quick read that portrayed the beauty in female friendships. Recommended to anyone looking for a fun summery beach read.
#TheFriendshipList #NetGalley #HarlequinRomance

Thank you for giving me a chance to read and review this book. I apologize for not getting this to you sooner.

This was a fun and light read. This book was about two women who haven't been dating or had sex in a few years because of something that happened in each of their pasts. They are great friends and they decide it's time to start living life again. Together they create a to-do list / a dare list to show themselves and the world that they can be happy. While doing these things on the list they discover new sides of themselves and grow as people along the way.
I like the way Susan Mallery describes her characters especially her main characters Ellen and Unity they are very detailed and likable and it was fun following along on their quest for finding love and a new future. The men in their lives were great as well and I found myself rooting for their happiness.
By the end of the book, I really wanted to make my own To-do list and go on my own adventure it was that inspiring!

This is a fun book that makes for a great beach read. The characters are so relatable -- the female friendship at the center of the book is everything! Sure the plot is a bit ridiculous but it's an enjoyable read especially if you are a Susan Mallery fan.

It took me a little bit to get into the story. The two main characters, Ellen and Unity, made me feel like they were in their late 40's to early 50's, but then I realized they are the same age as me. I couldn't connect with them at first, it was about 8-9 chapters in that I got invested into their story. Once I figured out everyone's place in the story a little better, then I really enjoyed it! The relationship development seemed to happen pretty naturally. The struggles I had with the beginning started to make sense. I love the push that these women foster to live outside their comfort zones they have gotten so stuck in. I would recommend this book to women in their 30's or older.

This was such a warm hearted women's fiction novel by a true storyteller, Great characters wonderful settings and fantastic costars equals a win win

I couldn't put this down once I started. This book is so full of real life emotions. One minute you are laughing and the next you are sad.

I really enjoyed this book. It was heart warming and a fantastic read.

Thank you netgalley and harlequin for allowing me to read this title for an honest review

Ellen Fox is a single mom whose son is about to finish high school. When Ellen overhears her son telling a friend that he can’t leave his mother and go away for college, she knows it’s because he feels responsible for her. Unity Leandre is stuck in the past. After becoming a widow 3 years ago, she finds herself sleeping in his childhood home. She hasn’t been able to move on from losing her husband. These two best friends need to make a change and the current issues in their lives are enough to make them start dating again. This is where Unity creates “The Friendship List”.

The Friendship List is an engaging story between friendship and romance. This novel was definitely more steamy than other Susan Mallery novels that I’ve read. There is no way that this a bad thing in my opinion because I thought it was written really well. The steam almost takes the front seat of this novel which was surprising, but the friendship and overcoming tragedy parts were truly uplifting.

The main characters are Ellen and Unity, but we learn a lot about the other characters. Keith, Thaddeus, Cooper, Lisa and Dagmar are all important characters in this story. I’m not usually someone that likes that many characters because I find it hard to keep up with all of the information of each individual, but Susan Mallery did a great job with making sure every character had their own things to make them stand out. Also, if you’re looking for your next book boyfriend, it’s definitely Thaddeus.

Overall, this book was a quick, cozy read despite the summer vibes this book gives off. I really liked the story behind it all and I liked the steam as well. It was definitely unexpected but in a good way. I would recommend this book to romance lovers who like a slow burn with sultry tones.

Another home run from Mallery in this one. This one focuses on the friendship of Unity and Ellen first and foremost. They both have challenges that they need to overcome, and they rely on each other for support and friendship to do just that. There is plenty of romance, sexy fun and drama included within that main storylines. It's a story with hope, friendship and a deeply satisfying ending.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

The Friendship List by Susan Mallery is a wonderfully crafted story of two friends, helping each other move forward in their lives by way of a “to-do” list created for the summer. The story begins with single mother Ellen Fox and her son (whom she had when she was 17) and the fact that Ellen overheard her son telling a friend that he can’t go away to college because his mom needs him. Well, that certainly was a shock to Ellen that her son thought this. So Ellen decided that she would “show” her son that she had a life and could get along just fine if he were to go away to college. Upon discussing this plan with her bestie – Unity Leandre (a grieving young widow) – Unity decided to do the same, create a “to-do” list to support her bestie and show she was “living” her life following the death of her husband three years ago.

Ellen and Unity provide many chuckle worthy moments throughout this delightful read, though don’t get me wrong, there are some very serious, gut wrenching moments as well. The cast for the romantic counterparts to Ellen and Unity are good looking, smart men that certainly had more patience than I thought possible.

Ellen and Couch Keith Kinne have had friendship for a while, but one gets the sense that the couch would like more. However, Ellen is clueless. I liked the fact that she was clueless because her dating experience essentially started and ended after her brief encounter with Cooper’s dad – Jeremy when she was a teenager. Ellen and Keith’s friendship was put to the limit when they were the chaperone’s for the school trip taking senior students to various colleges/universities. In fact….well…you will read all about it. Suffice it to say, relationships morph over time and this relationship was interesting to follow.

Thaddeus Roarke is a definite swoon worthy gentleman and I think perfect for Unity. He does retreat from their potential relationship when Unity backs away, and I thought that move made their growing relationship so much more real. I enjoyed the fact that Thaddeus was related to the always effervescent senior Dagmar – with whom Unity had a close friendship with prior to meeting Thaddeus. Thaddeus has had an interesting dating life, with his best friend’s wife trying to be his matchmaker (not very successfully I might add) – hooking him up with a workaholic who never got off the phone the entire date and in the end called him Theodore. Or lets not forget the married woman or the inappropriately much older woman. So once Lela gave up her match making – Thaddeus seemed to do fine on his own.

While the journey through the to-do lists was entertaining, there was a lot of personal growth for both of these woman and at times, it was very emotional and gut-wrenching to experience these changes. But life is all about accepting things we cannot change and embracing what life has in store for us. The characters were relatable, flawed and all around like an average person. I was totally engaged and entertained throughout the entire book.

This is the second book of Susan Mallery’s that I have read and I am totally smitten with her work. I can’t wait to read another one of her titles.

This was the perfect book to start reading on the day I wanted to escape into my own bubble. The book was about friendship… Duh… The title did say that… It was warmth and love wrapped in tears and laughter. It was real and beautiful. It was everything I wanted in that moment of time.

When Ellen overheard her son not wanting to go to college because his mum needed him, she vowed to start living. Unity was still living with memories of her dead husband. So the list started. The list of things they would want to do and some of them out of their comfort zones.

I liked Ellen more than Unity as she had more warmth to her and drew me in with her vulnerabilities and fears. Unity had her own story to reveal. The characters were well developed and they spoke to me.

The story moved at a gentle pace in its emotions, but the pages turned fast. I enjoyed every moment of getting to know Ellen and Unity and their lives. Interspersed between the things in their list was the romance which had its own heat.

Susan Mallery’s brought home my memories of the yester year when I would forget the world and have fun with my best friend. We did that until life and responsibilities shook us to opposite corners of the earth. There were so many moments of joy in the book, a smile was permanently etched on my face.

Best friends, smooth writing, romantic heat, twisted challenges, sparkly banter made me love this book a bit more.

This book is a treasure! Friendship turns to love in this novel that was both witty and hilarious, as well as steamy! The author had me in stitches at times. This was a great read and has sealed the deal in my becoming a true Susan Mallery fan.

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed getting to know them.

I could never quite get into this one. It had all the things I love in a beach read, but just fell flat for me.

The Friendship List is one of the more romantic Mallery novels, so no surprise that it's one of my favorites.

Of course, it's Mallery, so it's very much also about the friendship between the two heroines and the way they encourage each other to change. Ellen's gotten stuck in the rut of habit. She's spent so much time focused on being a single mom, but now she's realized that he's afraid to go away to college, because she has nothing but him. Meanwhile, her best female friend, Unity, is three years into mourning the death of her husband but still hasn't really processed everything, though she says she has.

Realizing that they need a change (or at least that other people think they do, in Unity's case), they make lists of challenges for one another, things like getting tattoos, going skydiving, and having sex with a hoy guy. There's a friendly competition to compete them first, but really it's just about having that motivation to try something new and scary, to make a change out of routine. For both it's an emotional journey, one about letting go of repressed hang ups they hadn't really even realized they had. It's nice how it's not the romances that change them but their friendship above all.

Both ships are very, very fun, and I was invested from the very start. Though the romances follow very standard, predictable emotional arcs, it works in Mallery's trademark style. What a joy this one is!

Friendship, romance and moving beyond your comfort zone describe this book pretty well. Best friends Ellen and Unity challenge each other with a list of items to complete over the summer. Some are simple things, like getting a phone that has texting capabilities, while others are a little more complicated in the relationship world. Follow along as they succeed together.

If you like books about friendships and the support women give each other, this book is for you. The characters are relatable and I was rooting for them the whole time. It is so rewarding to see how a lifetime of friendship through ups and downs should be cherished.