I received an ARC of this short story from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Two women meet and become instant friends. One is hiding a secret. Life happens.

I've always enjoyed Jane Green's women's fiction, as she typically excels at capturing the intricacies of relationships and emotions, but this one fell short for me. The premise—that female friendships can be harder to recover from than romantic breakups—is compelling, but the story didn’t dive as deeply into those layers as I hoped. It felt rushed, with the emotional process of friendship loss barely explored. The main character seeks therapy, but there’s no meaningful insight or progress shown—just a quick leap to a year after the breakup, which left me feeling unsatisfied and unresolved.

The friendship dynamic itself was hard to believe, especially with the significant age gap between the main characters. The fact that she wasn’t accepted by her peers but suddenly found validation through this younger person felt forced and underdeveloped.

Additionally, there were odd, unresolved plot threads, like the shoplifting element. Was she also stealing from her workplace? This subplot was introduced but never fully explained, leaving more questions than answers.

Overall, this novel lacked Jane Green’s usual depth, and the characters didn’t get the space they needed to feel fully formed. Loose ends and a rushed resolution left me wanting more substance, and I struggled to find the friendship at the heart of the story truly believable.

This was a great short story on who can you really call your friend. 2 women meet and become fast friends. One seems to regard the friendship as stronger than the other one does, and in the end, it all becomes clear as to why. Enjoyable read.

When Lucy meets Elle they’re best friends instantly. But can Lucy trust Elle?

This book was way too short for the premise it was going for. People way overreacted on both sides, then wham💥a slap in your face then it’s over.

Thank you so much Amazon Original Stories, Jane Green, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and honestly review this book.

Cute short story about finding your voice. Love how strong the protagonist emerged after a divorce and consuming friendship.

When We Were Friends by Jane Green was a lovely short story and a great quick read if you need to get away from everything. This book was a solid story with a great lesson about life, self worth, and friendship with others.

A real lift up book.

I love Janes books, she always writes from the heart and this book was no different. I loved it. Shame is wasn't longer.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon.com for my ARC

When recently divorced Lucy meets Elle they realize that they have so much in common and form an instant friendship. The younger woman fills a hole in her life, becoming a new best friend and the little sister that she never had. Jane Green wrote an engrossing story about an intense friendship that seems to good to be true.

I love books by Jane Green, and this short story about how friendships can be toxic and how you can extricate yourself from that was very short and to the point. 3/5 stars.

I don’t want to say too much about the plot as this is a short story and a synopsis might spoil the book. I read this story in one sitting and enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was truly a gut-wrenching story, for all that was packed into these 40-some pages. The ground literally fell out from under Lucy, not to mention the readers (ie. me), in that scene towards the end. My heart just dropped, I felt so sorry about the whole situation and ultimately, for Lucy. Ultimately, I agree with Lucy, in her conversation at the end. Elle chose her actions and continued on that path. Then, to expect forgiveness just because she apologized was what got me. If she truly cared, if the apology were sincere, if she were, she would have told Lucy sometime in their friendship. Overall, I felt this was a good book on female empowerment and resilience.

Thank you for this ARC!! It was a cute, short story that lifted my spirits. If you enjoy books about friendship, this is a great read.

This is an Amazon short.

The story follows a friendship between two women and it begins well. As the relationship develops there are undertones of something being amiss and eventually it all collapses dramatically. The last part of the book was a little preachy for me.

This was a quick easy read with some good moments. Three stars.

Short story, fast read, just 44 pages. Finding new friends after a divorce can be daunting. This story details a new friendship that goes from 0 to 100, then predictably crashes and burns. This was a nice break between novels, but nothing spectacular.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon First Reads for this short story. This is my honest opinion.

Jane Green writes the feelings of women in one of the most relatable ways I’ve read. Read this in one sitting and loved it! I hope she writes more novellas as this was perfect! And it inspired me to look over her backlist titles on the chance that maybe I’ve missed one. I hope to attend an author event of hers in the future!

Fast paced, beautifully written story about a friendship between two adult women. Even though both women are initially happy with their relationship, one is keeping a secret that could destroy the whole thing.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The premise of this short story was intriguing, but it was not executed well.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style, which didn’t help.

I know it was a short story, but even so it was very rushed. It never really explained why Elle was so rude to Lucy’s friends at the flip of a switch. I guess it just goes to show that you can’t always trust the personalities people show you.

I liked the message behind the short story, but it wasn’t long enough for us to appreciate Lucy’s character or her development. Her and Elle had a quickly blooming friendship, and it was ended just as quickly.

It is a very quick read, so you’re not really wasting a lot of time reading it if you decide to pick it up. I do not recommend it unfortunately.

Almost put this away as a DNF. Characters were irritating, & plot was unrealistic. E en though I’m not the right audience for this book, I think it still has a good message. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I really enjoyed the fast pace of the book right from the start. It brought laughter and tears and heartbreak as well. My only complaint was that it ended too soon

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance reader copy of this novella.

Although the story was predictable, I found it to be an enjoyable read. While I appreciated the quick pace, I would have preferred a longer narrative to allow for more character development and a more impactful climax. The author's exploration of the complexities of relationships was thought-provoking, highlighting the profound effects that both romantic and platonic connections can have on our lives.

Great fast read that could have been longer. Characters were developed quickly so it felt very rushed. Relative to the time of dating and how relationships evolve and end. Good story and recommend.