I tried to get into this book but it, unfortunately, was not for me. I look forward to reading other books by Lauryn Chamberlain in the future!

I'd start by saying that Friends from Home is NOT part of my normal genre. I tend to read non-fiction, and usually don't care for stories regarding romance, women, friendships etc.

That being said this book blew me away. From the relatable themes to the delicate, yet tangible way things are described, I felt that I had visited both NY and Alabama, and have never once been to either place in my life.

I honestly could not put this down, this is the fastest I have read something in a long time.

What I love most about this book, aside from the style of writing, is the way the lessons learned by the main character can be re-applied to my own life. Some of the quotes from this book I will take with me not only as pieces of something I truly enjoyed, but as mantras for life, love, and work.

The way the author weaves relevant, of the moment issues with emotions that I am sure have been felt by more than just individuals who have directly experienced similar issues was something truly special. The gravity of situations involved, combined with light hearted flashbacks to simpler times, and a sense of grieving as lives change created a book I think many will enjoy.

And remember: "Somewhere - everywhere actually - someone thinks you're doing it wrong."

This was like tucking in with a cup of tea. I really enjoyed this book. It had all the elements that I enjoy in a good novel. Build up and great characters. I definitely look forward to seeing more of what this author will do in the future. Great book and I definitely will recommend.

It took me a few days to ponder over Friends From Home, because while it is a story about friendship, we all know true friendships that last years, can have some heavy issues along the way. There are also growing pains that the friends need to go through. I’ll be honest, when I first finished it, I was like, okay, this was a good book. But, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, and for me y’all, that is the sign of a GREAT book!

Michelle and Jules could not be more different. But that is what makes them “the best best friends.” They have known each other since the third grade and are now in their mid twenties (remember those? 😂💕); Michelle is getting married and Jules’s career is just starting to take off. Michelle asks Jules to be her maid of honor and all sorts of fissures in their once inseparable relationship arise. They find they have different priorities, not one better than the other. But it takes them time to realize that.

I was definitely a Michelle growing up. But more of a Jules after law school, with a bit of Michelle hanging on in the background. I mean who doesn’t love a monogram? 😉💕I am forever grateful for my girlfriends from my childhood and teen years whom I don’t talk to nearly enough, but love dearly.

I am going to end this review with this quote which I think is perfection:

“To love someone without the hope of changing them is the only way you can love them.” Lauryn Chamberlain, 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘮𝘦

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Lauryn Chamberlain and Dutton for an early copy of this book, for an honest review,

What a great story about long term friendships and the pain points that come with those friendships. Not only just friendships, but a friendship between 2 different people that have lasted a very long time.

I enjoyed the characters, how the author brought them both to life, and the emotions that you felt for both.

Thanks for the great book!

Well this was definitely a relatable story of friendship. Once bff's in childhood, doesn't necessarily mean you will or can stay friends for life. People change, circumstances change. I thought this was a really well written character driven book. 


 Jules and Michelle have been best friends since third grade. Now they're in their 20s, and don't live in the same town anymore. They keep in touch through phone calls still, and meet up sometimes. When Michelle gets engaged, Jules accepts to be her maid of honor. Well as the wedding is being planned, and they are together more often, they realize how much they have actually changed. You get flashbacks into significant times throughout their friendship and see how these things sway a relationship one way or another.

This book really had me thinking about my own past friendships. I think you can find yourself in either of these characters. I thought the problems they faced were very real, and handled great by the author.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own!

This was a quick and fun read! It made me think about how people grown and change over the years. I moved a lot growing up and while there are people from my younger years that I see on FB, I really don’t have that amazing friend like the girls in this story. It was kind of fun to see how they interact with each other and how their differences make their friendship even stronger in some ways.

It was a good book overall, for a change up from my usual

I almost added this book to my “did not finish” pile but I really held out strong for some redemption and character growth for Jules that never came. Never ever have I read a character so incredibly selfish whose only change throughout the book is treating those closest to her like crap and accepting it and being mad at them if they don’t. Like seriously!! It was so bad.

For starters, the way she treated Michelle the entire time. Who cares how you found out about your best friends engagement…that’s a huge life event that’s NOT about you. Get over yourself and call her to congratulate her instead of throwing a pity party for yourself. Not to mention the non stop shade she threw at Michelle for *gasp* wanting to get married. Just because you can’t connect with a goddamn soul doesn’t mean that others are pathetic and settling. Finally, that article. At its heart, I can see it was sweet EXCEPT she was basically breaking up with her best friend via an article. Like what?! Imagine that’s how Mark found out they broke up? I doubt he would take her back so why the heck did Mich?! Mich deserved so much better then the worlds most selfish and negative friend.

I have thoughts on her ending the relationship with Mark. And everything with her mom. But I just hated it. Those two relationships I could’ve really related to if Jules was relatable at all and had any heart or feelings or sympathy besides her wah wah no ones ME AND WHAT I WANT. I hated this book.

I was looking forward to a book about long lasting childhood friendship, but this one just missed the mark for me. Jules left Alabama for college in Ithaca, and moved into NYC. Her best friend from childhood, Michelle, still lived in Alabama and was engaged. Jules was the independent city type, almost stereotypical, while Michelle was the popular one. Realizing that they have both changed,will they be able to hold on to a friendship that was as close as sisters? Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Strains and Rewards in a Long Term Friendship

When Jules and her single mother moved to the small Alabama town where Michelle’s family had lived for generations, the two third graders became instant best friends. The closeness lased until after high school graduation. For college, Jules went to New York City where she hoped to pursue a career in publishing while Michelle stayed home and became the consummate sorority girl.

Now Michelle is getting married to the man of her dreams. Jules is chagrined to learn about the engagement first from Instagram, but when Michelle asks her to be the maid of honor, she agrees. This is the beginning of a year the will test their friendship and bring individual challenges that help them grow.

This is a sensitive and well written book. Anyone who has a best friend from childhood will enjoy this book. Both Michelle and Jules are well defined characters. Their problems are real and the way they deal with them, while not always perfect, reminds us of their own trials as a twenty somethings.

The story is quite emotional. This is not a sugar coated friendship, but you’ll remember the characters, and their struggles, and probably think of your own best friend.

I received this book from Dutton for this review

If you lived your childhood in a small town, have experienced outgrowing yourself and others, this book will resonate with you.

Making your own family of friends, learning how to depend on others (or not), questioning your current values against what you knew back then; realizing you are on the road you want, even if it's unpaved and full of potholes sometimes, this book is that beautiful journey.

While reading Friends from Home the idiom 'you can't go home again' stayed ever-present in my mind. When Jules O'Brien and Michelle Davis met in third grade, they became closer than sisters, best best friends, and imagined being friends forever. Adults now, they are not only separated by miles, but also by the worlds they live in. Michelle is getting married and she and Jules begin spending a lot of time together as wedding preparations begin. However, the more time Jules spends with Michelle, the more she realizes how different they have become and is often beset with feelings of sadness and loneliness.

Jules has other serious issues. A difficult relationship with her single mother and completely estranged from her father. Also, money meant completely different things to them as children and even now as adults. Jules always struggled, and Michelle had everything Jules ever wanted. She is in a good relationship with boyfriend Mark but when Jules is around Michelle she does get those sad feelings. The more time they spend together the more they drift apart. In fact, everything they knew as children did not carry into their adulthood.

Friends from Home is a highly emotive read, one which kept my heart in a vice from the beginning. In fact, I couldn't help but think of the different relationships I have had in my life and pondered what has happened with different friendships. I think the way this book was penned gave rise to those thoughts within me. The balance of reminiscing about the past while exploring current changes was something that was seen throughout Jules eyes in this story. Michelle was wrapped up in her loving relationship and impending marriage.

This was a wonderful book that did include a very sensitive subject, so sensitive that it might prove to the catalyst for Jules and Michelle losing everything they once had. Lauryn Chamberlain's debut novel will keep me thinking for a long while and will no doubt resonate in the hearts of many. I have heaed throough the grapevine that Ms. Chamberlain has signed a two-book deal, so I am more than eager to see where this emotional and contemplative story goes from here.

Many thanks to Dutton Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

What if home is not a place, but a person? And what if they are changing in ways you can’t quantify, address, or perceive, because they are not a part of your everyday, but instead are a part of your DNA? Your memory of them is static, and when they visit you, they bring home to you like a slice of steaming apple pie. But when there’s nothing left but the crumbs, you wonder if the recipe has changed. Something feels different, and you’re not sure if it’s the pie or your taste buds. You are not sure if you can accept this new slice, the *now* version of it, or if you would rather preserve the past.
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Friends from Home explores these questions and more in Lauryn’s debut novel. Told from the perspective of Jules, we learn about her drive to succeed in NYC. We also learn about Jules’ past, when she was practically raised in Michelle’s home because of her fraught home life. Back then, they promised to always be each other’s person. Now in their 20’s, Michelle keeps good on her childhood promise and asks Jules to be her MOH. Yet, the pressure of the wedding exposes their diverging politics and personalities, raising questions if their friendship is meant to be a relic of the past?
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This is a book that feels like a hug. I came into the novel unsure of how I would relate to the characters, who are from the American South and white. But Lauryn’s tender approach to writing her characters instantly endeared me to them, and I realized most of us know a Jules or Michelle. You might even BE a Jules or Michelle. I found it hard to tear myself away from the page, there are big-hearted characters and relatable drama. I am excited that Lauryn has one more book coming out, can’t wait.

Friends from Home
by Lauryn Chamberlain

“History had a strange power over friendships. Maybe it was simply the process of watching someone change slowly, almost imperceptibly, until one day you finally noticed how different they’d become.”

Julia and Michelle have been best friends since 3rd grade in their small town of Langham, Alabama. They grow up, and as Julia “Jules” goes to Cornell University and eventually on to her publishing career in NYC, and Michelle attends Auburn and remains in Langham, they stay in touch but their lives are changing. When Michelle asks Jules to be her maid of honor, Jules must return home, revisit the clique from high school (aka the bridesmaids) and realize how vastly different their views of life have become. This is such an engrossing journey of a read. It’s so engaging and authentic, I’m definitely a fan of Lauryn Chamberlain and her debut novel! It explores the dynamics of friendship and what that truly means.

I love Jules. I love her strength of character and her ability to look at the big picture. I want to stand up and give her a big round of applause.

Jules’ friend, Dana is the best, too. Maybe a little snarky, maybe a little brash, but truly the epitome of a mature and honestly caring friend. I feel that Jules and Dana’s friendship is one that would endure. Oooh! How about a sequel?!!

“The thing about memories: How you remember them and how they actually happened are usually different. And so the way you remember becomes the memory itself, taking on a life that the truth of it never could.”

Thank you to @netgalley and @duttonbooks for the e ARC in exchange for my review.

I thought this book would be a fun read and a complex one about friendships and how they can splinter and taper off as you move away and grow older. I could not find myself liking either of the characters. Jules O’Brien was the girl from the dysfunctional family that only had one parent. Actually, her mother was only there half the time because she was searching for a man to take care of them, but she was having no luck. Michelle Davis was a spoiled princess from the family in the country club setting and she seemed to always get it all. Jules goes to college away and moves even further, but still keeps somewhat in contact with the bestie.
However, issues come up when Michelle is getting married and the two start disagreeing especially when Jules is going to do something Michelle is truly upset about!

Both chateau are selfish and have no clue about life or how friendships work. I just personally think the author misses the mark with this one because neither character is even likable. I think if you can’t relate to a character or the storyline then you can’t find the book enjoyable.

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

Friends from Home had an interesting premise about lifelong friendship, I just found that I couldn't totally connect with the characters and plotline. I actually really enjoyed Chamberlains writing style but struggled with feeling invested with the storyline. I found myself wishing for the characters to be a bit more layered and would have liked for more of the plot themes to be flushed out. This would make for a great lighter beach read, I think I was just in the space of wanting a bit more overall.

Thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley & Lauryn Chamberlain for my copy of Friends from Home, for an honest review. The writing is good and the story was good. I just didn’t connect with the main character, Jules. I appreciated the writing about a life long friendship and the need to keep working it at different stages of our lives. Jules, to me came off as very whiny and judgmental. Her friends old and new were there for her and she went on and on about how alone she felt and how judged she felt. I guess this book just wasn’t for me. I really like Chamberlain’s style of writing and the subject matter. It is a great first novel and she is very talented. I look forward to reading her next book. This was a 3 star read for me.

I absolutely love a strong debut and a good friendship story. When they come together, it's like magic, and that's exactly how I felt about Lauryn Chamberlain's Friends from Home. The characters are real and relatable, and I'm so excited to see what Lauryn writes next!

I don’t normally go for contemporary fiction so I’m not sure exactly what compelled me to request this but I have no regrets.
Friends From Home was heavier than I was expecting. If you’re looking for fun, light-hearted, traditional happily ever after this isn’t it.

But if you’re looking for real, and relatable and raw and emotional, and important this is for you. I’d say it’s Gilmore Girls meets Firefly Lane. It’s an examination of relationships and how we move, grow, change and find our place in the world within (and out of) those relationships.

Julie grew up in a small town in Alabama and is now a 20 something living in NYC. Her best friend from childhood, Michelle, still living in Alabama asks her to be maid of honor at her upcoming wedding. We follow Julie present day navigating just how much her and Michelle have both changed and we have flashbacks of pivotal moments in their relationship.

I’ll be thinking about this book long into the future. Whether you’re a Michelle dreaming of a spouse and kids or a Julie dreaming of being a published author and traveling, I think you’ll find something to love about this story.

Do you remember your best childhood friend? Do you still keep in touch? Are you still BFFs? Bravo if you are. I only keep in touch with a small handful of my old friends, my friends from home. This makes me a little sad, and regretful that I haven’t made more of an effort. After reading this debut, I thought long and hard about some friendships that I let drift away, and then started making excuses: I moved to another country, our political views clashed, we were in different stages of life, we just naturally grew apart, etc. You get the idea. Honestly, though? I didn’t try hard enough, and that’s unfortunate. Everyone changes, right? We grow, we learn, we move on. Friends from Home explores this progression in the best way possible. Jules and Michelle have been friends since the third grade, are now in their mid-twenties, living miles apart, and are miraculously still involved in each other’s lives. As they get older, and move further into adulthood, it becomes apparent that things have changed. They both want different things in life, their political views cause tension between them, and they’re basically walking in opposite directions. Can their friendship survive this fracture? That’s the million dollar question, and for you to find out. If you enjoy reading stories about female friendships, or just complex relationships in general, this is the perfect book for you. You may find pieces of yourself in each of these characters, and also rethink some of your past behavior. I sure did. It really made me think of the type of friend I truly am, and what I need to work on. It really opened my eyes. 4/5 thought-provoking stars for Friends from Home!