Best Friends Forever: A Novel
Posted on July 27th, 2009
From Buy Books Online & Literature & Fiction & Women’s Fiction
Best Friends Forever: A Novel
By Jennifer Weiner
Average customer review: 
Some bonds can never be broken…
Addie Downs and Valerie Adler will be best friends forever. That’s what Addie believes after Valerie moves across the street when they’re both nine years old. But in the wake of betrayal during their teenage years, Val is swept into the popular crowd, while mousy, sullen Addie becomes her school’s scapegoat.
Flash-forward fifteen years. Valerie Adler has found a measure of fame and fortune working as the weathergirl at the local TV station. Addie Downs lives alone in her parents’ house in their small hometown of Pleasant Ridge, Illinois, caring for a troubled brother and trying to meet Prince Charming on the Internet. She’s just returned from Bad Date #6 when she opens her door to find her long-gone best friend standing there, a terrified look on her face and blood on the sleeve of her coat. “Something horrible has happened,” Val tells Addie, “and you’re the only one who can help.” Best Friends Forever is a grand, hilarious, edge-of-your-seat adventure; a story about betrayal and loyalty, family history and small-town secrets. It’s about living through tragedy, finding love where you least expect it, and the ties that keep best friends together.
Review “This beach read will win readers over with its wit and wisdom. A clever, sad and sweet turn on Thelma and Louise [with] what may be the funniest not-quite-heist ever pulled off …”– Publishers Weekly “Warmly and realistically drawn… Weiner, creator of widely popular female characters, injects an element of suspense into her latest, Best Friends Forever. This book begins on an unexpected note of violence, but the friendship of the title is at its heart. Two estranged onetime high-school chums — one now a television weathergirl and the other one of Ms. Weiner’s lovable, snack-obsessed frumps — are thrown together to find out what happened in that opening scene and to hash out old grievances. Weiner writes comfortably about the real world.” — Janet Maslin, The New York Times “Jennifer Weiner is a master of the modern-day fairytale. In best-selling chick-lit romps like In Her Shoes, her heroines look just like us: self-deprecating, plagued by those few extra pounds – and ready for Prince Charming only once they’ve embraced their quirks. Weiner’s latest effort is no exception, this time following a pair of friends – one fat, one thin – over two decades.”– Marie Claire “The must-have beach read… In popular chick-lit-with-a-pulse author Jennifer Weiner’s newest novel, Best Friends Forever, two childhood gal pals suffer a teenage-falling-out but reunite for an unexpected female-bonding adventure.”– Elle magazine “A hilarious caper… resplendent in charm and poignancy…Weiner handles sorrow with a deft touch, blossoms in beautifully descriptive passages, and keeps readers glued to the page with curiosity and delight.” — Booklist, starred review “Addie Downs – the Everygirl at the center of Jennifer Weiner’s latest novel – just could turn out to be one of our favorite heroines of the summer…Weiner, beloved for spinning stories about imperfect women (like us), is dishing up another delightful story…Best Friends Forever is a frothy treat. It’s another superlative novel by Weiner, about a big girl with a bigger heart, that will have women and men of all sizes cheering.” — USA Today “The many fans of Jennifer Weiner…will be delighted by her latest book. In Best Friends Forever, Weiner again employs her trademark characters…but gives them new pizazz, more complexity and fresh insight. It’s a winning combination…Best Friends Forever combines comedy and poignancy…It makes a very satisfying read.” –The Hartford Courant Review “This beach read will win readers over with its wit and wisdom. A clever, sad and sweet turn on Thelma and Louise [with] what may be the funniest not-quite-heist ever pulled off …”– Publishers Weekly “Warmly and realistically drawn… Weiner, creator of widely popular female characters, injects an element of suspense into her latest, Best Friends Forever. This book begins on an unexpected note of violence, but the friendship of the title is at its heart. Two estranged onetime high-school chums — one now a television weathergirl and the other one of Ms. Weiner’s lovable, snack-obsessed frumps — are thrown together to find out what happened in that opening scene and to hash out old grievances. Weiner writes comfortably about the real world.” — Janet Maslin, The New York Times “Jennifer Weiner is a master of the modern-day fairytale. In best-selling chick-lit romps like In Her Shoes, her heroines look just like us: self-deprecating, plagued by those few extra pounds – and ready for Prince Charming only once they’ve embraced their quirks. Weiner’s latest effort is no exception, this time following a pair of friends – one fat, one thin – over two decades.”– Marie Claire “The must-have beach read… In popular chick-lit-with-a-pulse author Jennifer Weiner’s newest novel, Best Friends Forever, two childhood gal pals suffer a teenage-falling-out but reunite for an unexpected female-bonding adventure.”– Elle magazine “A hilarious caper… resplendent in charm and poignancy…Weiner handles sorrow with a deft touch, blossoms in beautifully descriptive passages, and keeps readers glued to the page with curiosity and delight.” — Booklist, starred review “Addie Downs – the Everygirl at the center of Jennifer Weiner’s latest novel – just could turn out to be one of our favorite heroines of the summer…Weiner, beloved for spinning stories about imperfect women (like us), is dishing up another delightful story…Best Friends Forever is a frothy treat. It’s another superlative novel by Weiner, about a big girl with a bigger heart, that will have women and men of all sizes cheering.” — USA Today “The many fans of Jennifer Weiner…will be delighted by her latest book. In Best Friends Forever, Weiner again employs her trademark characters…but gives them new pizazz, more complexity and fresh insight. It’s a winning combination…Best Friends Forever combines comedy and poignancy…It makes a very satisfying read.” — The Hartford Courant About the Author
Funny and poignant I think this just made tops as my favorite summer read…it has it all! Best Friends Forever is a story of suspense, friendship, adventure and secrets and is told via 1st person and 3rd person from two different characters and also weaves tales of the past into the present via flashbacks. Where these elements could be awkward if not done well, it actually not only flows perfectly, but adds great interest for the reader. In spite of having read several great books recently I hadn’t realized that the range of emotion (humor, suspense, love, tears, revenge…) within “Best Friends Forever” was just what I needed til I read it. The character development is so deep that I felt certain the author must “know” pieces of these characters somehow in real life or experienced some of what she described within her own–Great depths to their personalities and interactions. You truly read into their souls and she captures details in her words that make for deep insight. I also felt I was taken from childhood to adulthood in great detail (some will feel as though they are right back in highschool with her descriptions. ) and I both cried and laughed…it’s actually a very deep story and nothing felt forced or contrived to me. You’ll want to go through the adventure of Addie and Val so much that you may need to grab your booklight for this one…I found it to be a true “page turner”. I felt empathy for Addie’s struggles and adored Jordan and was captured by a roller coaster of emotions for Valerie. And…I’m typically not a person you can surprise with a twist at the end of a book; I always see it coming it seems. But this one was a surprise. To wrap up a tale and include such a range of emotion…suspense, heartbreak, humor, romance, and surprise all intertwined made for a truly great summer read. Afterall, what more is left?! Conclusion: excellent read…includes great characters, descriptions, adventure and a range of emotions spliced with some humor. A+ I miss the charm of the first book Best Friends Forever is the newest book by Weiner and features Addie and Valerie who were best friends in primary school and ended up at opposite ends of the popularity chain in high school, which pretty much separated them until they meet up again as adults. Although they haven’t kept in touch at all, Valerie will show up on the other’s doorstep, in full bloom trouble – asking for help in this whoddunnit type of mini-mystery, intertwined with the two women trying to find themselves and each other throughout the storyline. There is a message here – which basically is that you never know what will happen in your life and looks and appearance can be deceiving and that, in your life, friendship and support are extremely important and worth fighting for. While there are some cute episodes and some actually touching moments, I did not find this book all that interesting. The premise is kind of usual and I feel as though I have read this story, in different installments, throughout the years. The main characters are okay and the writing is fine, but I just did not find myself getting all involved and committed to this book and I certainly would not qualify this one as chick litty at all. Currently Best Friends Forever: A Novel is ON SALE @ Amazon.com US: Buy cheap book online & Best Friends Forever: A NovelProduct Details
Editorial Reviews
“Former mousy types, rejoice! In Weiner’s delicious latest, a popular girl hits trouble long after high school and only the geeky pal she once shunned can help.” — People
“Former mousy types, rejoice! In Weiner’s delicious latest, a popular girl hits trouble long after high school and only the geeky pal she once shunned can help.” — People
Jennifer Weiner is the author of six novels: Good in Bed, In Her Shoes, which was made into a major motion picture, Little Earthquakes, Goodnight Nobody, Certain Girls, and Best Friends Forever, as well as the short story collection, The Guy Not Taken. A graduate of Princeton University, she lives in Philadelphia with her family. Visit her website at www.jenniferweiner.com. Customer Reviews
I finished the novel last night and really enjoyed it. Jen Weiner has such a lot of range. She can go from poignant to laugh-out-loud in just a few sentences. The novel is about a friendship that goes sour and then is resurrected and often has a madcap, Thelma and Louise-feel, especially when the two friends are “on the lam.” Weiner fleshes out minor characters –her self-assured brother who meets with tragedy is particularly memorable–and keeps the pacing brisk, serving up a bit of a twist at the end.
My favorite part of the novel was the flashbacks to the girls’ childhoods. Jen brilliantly captures what it feels like to be ten and to have a very best friend with whom you share everything.
When Addie and Valerie became neighbors as children, Addie was certain they would remain BFFs forever. However a negative high school incident left Addie (the overweight and loyal friend) hurt–and tore the two into two directions where they remained until, 15 years later, Valerie (high school cheerleader, now weather girl) entered Addie’s life again…and with blood on her sleeve and in need of help.
I have been a fan of Jennifer Weiner since her first book. However, in the last few years, I have felt as though she has walked away from her “chick lit” writing and has created more contemporary fiction for women and although I have seen Best Friends Forever referred to as chick lit, I would have to disagree.
UK: Bestseller Books & Reviews (UK) & Best Friends Forever: A Novel
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