Old Friends

By: Felicity Everett

Narrated by: Lizzie Hopley

The latest gripping domestic drama from the author of The Move and The People at Number 9…Moving in together. What could go wrong?

‘Sharp, dark and brilliantly twisty’ OK!

Two couples, best friends for half a lifetime, move in together. What could possibly go wrong…?

Harriet and Mark have it all: successful careers, a lovely house in a leafy London suburb, twin boys on the cusp of leaving home. Yvette and Gary share a smaller place with their two daughters in a shabbier part of the same borough.

But when the stars align for a collective move north, it means a fresh start for them all. For Mark, it’s a chance to escape the rat race; for Harriet, a distraction from her unfulfilled dream of a late third child. Gary has decided to reboot the Madchester band that made him famous, while Yvette hopes it will give her daughters what she never had herself.

But as the reality of their new living arrangements slowly sinks in, the four friends face their own mid-life crises, and the dream becomes a nightmare…

Praise for Felicity Everett:

‘Sharp, dark and brilliantly twisty’ OK!

‘Brimming with insight, intrigue and emotional intensity, and with a slow drip of disturbing revelations, Everett’s masterful exploration of the pitfalls and pressures of twenty-first century life brutally exposes the perilous fault lines buried under the two seemingly happy marriages’ Lancashire Post

‘A dark and foreboding tale of a rural dream gone wrong; of what can happen when we try to paint over the cracks’ Sunday Post

‘Has the reader gripped when she explores unhealthy relationships based on insecurity and delusion’ Adele Parks, No. 1 bestselling author, in Platinum

‘Dark and gripping, this tale is perfect for snuggling up with by the fire with a glass or two of wine’ Closer

‘Clever, relentless and utterly recognisable. I absolutely loved it!’ Katie Fforde, No. 1 bestselling author

'A cautionary tale of what happens when you get caught up with the in-crowd . . . I gulped it down' Veronica Henry, bestselling author

©2022 Felicity Everett (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Confusing mess

I'm not sure why this book was written or published or recorded on audio. The narration was not great and there was no clear distinction among characters. The speech was often garbled.

When the book began, I felt like I had already missed part of the story. It was like being dropped into the middle of a conversation with no context.

The main characters are two married couples, along with their children/spouses/boyfriends. It took me a few hours into the book to figure out the main players. This was difficult because of the narration, abrupt movements forward and backward in time, and the author's choice to skip descriptions of key events. I think was all done on purpose but it was jarring, confusing, and generally frustrating. I really thought my audio was missing chapters.

In general, I'm not opposed to the idea of time jumps in a story IF it is done well and IF it makes the story better. Otherwise, I think this device is gimmicky and overdone. This story would be better if told in a linear fashion.

In the end, this was a head scratcher for me. There was nothing compelling, new, memorable, or interesting in this book. It was a bit of a confusing mess.