The Friendship List: A Novel

by Susan Mallery

Overview

“Sparkling… A sure hit with women’s fiction fans.” —Publishers Weekly

• Dance till dawn
• Go skydiving
• Wear a bikini in public
• Start living

Two best friends jump-start their lives in a summer that will change them forever…

Single mom Ellen Fox couldn’t be more content—until she overhears her son saying he can’t go to his dream college because she needs him too much. If she wants him to live his best life, she has to convince him she’s living hers.

So Unity Leandre, her best friend since forever, creates a list of challenges to push Ellen out of her comfort zone. Unity will complete the list, too, but not because she needs to change. What’s wrong with a thirtysomething widow still sleeping in her late husband’s childhood bed?

The Friendship List begins as a way to make others believe they’re just fine. But somewhere between “wear three-inch heels” and “have sex with a gorgeous guy,” Ellen and Unity discover that life is meant to be lived with joy and abandon, in a story filled with humor, heartache and regrettable tattoos.
 
Don't miss The Boardwalk Bookshop by Susan Mallery! A heartfelt tale of friendship between three women brought together by chance who open a bookshop together on the boardwalk of the California beaches.


 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781488055959
Publisher:	Harlequin
Publication date:	08/04/2020
Sold by:	HARLEQUIN
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	5,242
File size:	590 KB

About the Author

#1 NYT bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming, humorous novels about the relationships that define our lives—family, friendship, romance. She's known for putting nuanced characters in emotional situations that surprise readers to laughter. Beloved by millions, her books have been translated into 28 languages. Susan lives in Washington with her husband, two cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Visit her at SusanMallery.com.

Editorial Reviews

06/01/2020

Mallery (Sisters by Choice) entices with this summery standalone about best friends choosing to go outside their comfort zones. Lifelong friends Unity Leandre and Ellen Fox have supported one another through thick and thin. Now Ellen fears that her son, Cooper, won’t go away to college because he knows she depends on him and Unity worries she’ll never break free of grief for her husband, Stuart, who died three years earlier. To break out of their ruts, the women challenge one another with summer to-do lists. Ellen’s list includes getting a tattoo and ending her sexual dry spell, while Unity focuses on expanding her social circle and moving her business to an office. When Ellen agrees to chaperone a college trip for Cooper and his classmates, sparks fly between her and her fellow chaperone, high school coach Keith Kinne—but Keith wants more than just casual sex. Meanwhile, Unity meets handsome, successful Thaddeus, but she isn’t convinced she can have a relationship with him without betraying her love for Stuart. Mallery’s authentic characters and their refreshing summer escapades are sure to resonate. The emphasis on the power of friendship and the joy of new romance make this sparkling novel a sure hit with women’s fiction fans. Agent: Annelise Robey, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"The perfect end-of-summer read." —Bookbub

"Best Book of August 2020."—CNN.com on The Friendship List

“The Friendship List is a sassy, sensuous tale about two women who discover their femininity for the first time." —New York Journal of Books


“The Friendship List is a must. Susan Mallery is at the top of her game."—Fresh Fiction

"Mallery beautifully illustrates the power of female friendship and the importance of reaching for one's dreams. This irresistible, heartfelt story will appeal to romance readers and women's fiction fans alike."—Publishers Weekly


“Fans of ReaAnne Thayne and Robyn Carr will enjoy how prolific women's fiction master Mallery orchestrates community connections, friendships, and fulfilling romances.”—Booklist


"This engaging story explores the power that lifelong friendship and unconditional love have to help us through life's challenges. Told with a style as authentic as it is entertaining, this book is for the author's many fans as well as those who enjoy Debbie Macomber and Susan Wiggs." —Library Journal

“Absolutely perfect for summer reading… uplifting, hilarious, and heartfelt… a complete joy to read.” —Harlequin Junkie


"The Friendship List by Susan Mallery is the type of book you’ll be laughing and crying over with the gang at book club! A heartwarming and hilarious story."—Rebecca Raisin, author of The Little Bookshop on the Seine

"Witty, heartwarming, memorable, and thought-provoking."—Linda's Book Obsession

From the Publisher

04/03/2020

Everyone knows that Unity needs to move on. Three years have passed since her husband's death, and she is still going to a grief group and sleeping in his childhood bed. After a fight with her best friend, Ellen, Unity creates a list of new things she'd like to try to help her make a fresh start. It turns out Ellen is in a rut herself. She was a teenage mother, and now her son is looking at colleges—she's ready for a life of her own. Both women enthusiastically start doing the unexpected. But when they each find serious love interests, only time will tell how truly determined they are to make lasting changes in their lives. VERDICT This engaging story explores the power that lifelong friendship and unconditional love have to help us through life's challenges. Told with a style as authentic as it is entertaining, this book is for the author's many fans as well as those who enjoy Debbie Macomber and Susan Wiggs.—Karen Core, Detroit P.L.

Library Journal