Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - Friends Like These

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Friends Like These by Meg Rosoff

4 reviews

isb_'s review

emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

A great book to bring with you to the beach or on a long journey, as not much happens and it's doesn't require a heap of focus to understand what's going on.

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natalie_j's review

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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alaynacp's review

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dark emotional informative reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I enjoyed this book. I read it in one sitting this morning. Meg Rosoff does a fantastic job of evoking 1983 NYC: the heat is unbearable, crime is rampant, the AIDS epidemic is sweeping the city, and Beth is amongst it all having her first taste of independence. It’s a coming of age story about Beth, a young girl just graduated from high school, living in New York City for an internship in the summer before college. She’s living on her own for the first time, meeting new people and making new friends, including Edie, a girl who instantly takes Beth under her wing. The story slowly turns dark with lies and betrayal. By the end of the summer, Beth will be a different person, no longer as naive and innocent. CW: there is sexual content, including sexual assault, as well a lot of drinking and drug use.

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snowwhitehatesapples's review

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reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Review can also be found at Snow White Hates Apples.

Summer in 1983, New York City is the place and time where not-city-raised Beth starts a new chapter in her life: a journalism internship at a prestigious company. There, she will have a lot of firsts and some of those firsts involve another intern named Edie whom she will have an all-consuming friendship that leans more toward toxic than healthy codependency. Unashamedly, I admit that reading about toxic relationships are a guilty pleasure of mine, especially when they’re written brilliantly with lots of emotional turmoil, self-discovery / self-clarity, and psychological explorations.

However, I’m sad to write that Friends Like These doesn’t deliver more than the foundation of what would’ve been a remarkable coming-of-age story. My primary issue with this book is the succinct narrative that’s all telling, telling, telling. Although it helped with the pacing of the story, this type of narrative reduced the impact of emotional moments, resulting in a shallow read with choppy flow.

Moreover, it didn’t help that the characters are all typical and flat. This wouldn’t have mattered had they felt more human as there’s no way any character (as with any person) can be wholly unique. But, sadly, every single one of them is just a pale imitation. There’s no complexity, no layers or depth—which yes, applies to Beth too despite her growth resultant from her experiences.

Everything considered, Friends Like These has potential to be more than what it currently is, but it fell short. Nevertheless, I thought it was a good book to read in between of heavier ones as it kept my momentum for reading going.

Thank you so much Pansing for sending me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review! Friends Like These by Meg Rosoff is available at all good bookstores.

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