This is a great read from the "Richard & Judy" "Summer Reads" collection.

Kamryn is an independent, 32 year old woman, with a high-flying career and a good social life. Out of the blue on her birthday she receives a letter from her ex-best friend, Adele, who she hasn't seen in two years since finding out Adele slept with Kamryn's fiance Nate. Adele is dying and begs Kamryn to visit her so they can build new bridges. Against her better judgement Kamryn goes to visit Adele, only to find not only does she want forgiveness, she wants Kamryn to adopt her daughter - the result of her fling with Kamryn's fiance.

The story follows all the twists and turns of Kamryn's life from that point on, and I found it easy to get emotionally involved with the characters and the ups and downs of their lives. Some of the parts of the book nudge the realms of the unbelievable, but overall this is an excellent book and a great read.

This book is off on a BOOKRING! Current participants are:

* Flanners
* Lindyloumac
* Crosspatch

RELEASE NOTES:

Sent to Flanners to kick off this bookring

Looks a great read - thanks, Colanne.

I really liked the idea of this, thought it was a great premise, but I felt it degenerated into a standard chick-lit which-bloke-will-she-end-up with formula. The much more interesting issues raised by the adoption were only addressed in one brief scene in the supermarket. I felt there was a whole other book here, begging to be written.

And I hate to be churlish, but the five year old was completely unconvincing, [although in fairness that is a fault not confined to this type of fiction]; because of where her birthday fell, she would already have completed Reception Year at the time of her mother’s death, yet there was no mention of her former school, or the added grief of leaving friends and teachers behind; I got the impression, that as her mother was self-employed, Tegan was unused to carers outside the home, yet she went to full-time nursery and after-school club without a murmur of complaint about the strangeness of it or the long hours. Nor was she ever ill!

Overall, I found it a waste of a good idea. Such a pity.

I'll be posting this to Lindyloumac later this week.

Arrived today with thanks to Flanners for sending on to me and to Colanne for including me in this ring. I am surprised it is so short! Oh well it was on My Wishlist due to being recommended by Richard and Judy. Funnily enough I was looking at a copy in WHSmith at Gatwick on Monday afternoon and hoping the Bookring would reach me soon as it looks like a good read!
I have a book and a half to get through first but promise I will not be holding the ring up for long.

I am so glad that I decided to put Richard and Judy's Summer reads on My Wishlist otherwise I would never have signed up for this title. Now I have found a new author for when I want something easy to read and her other titles will be going on the wishlist straight away. Resist the urge though, at least until you have read her work to think that she is just another run of the mill 'chick lit author' as she is certainly better than the average writer of this genre.
My Best Friend's Girl does have a happy ending, but oh what a roller coaster to get there. You will certainly need a hanky at the ready for the tears of sorrow, but it will also make you laugh.
I do agree with Flanners though that some scenes lacked detail and could have been expanded on. However that may have been difficult as it runs to over 400 pages anyway. I will watch this author with interest, after all it is only her third novel and it appears to be a great success as it has had to be reprinted five times already this year! It touches at the heartstrings as it is in the most part a realistic possibility!

RELEASE NOTES:

I already have an address for cross-patch as she is a Bookcrossing buddy of mine. It will be posted on Monday and I hope she enjoys it as much as I did.

Arrived safely this morning - thank you Colanne and LindyLou Mac. This is another new author to me and I can't wait to get started.

I've just this moment finished the book! This was a quick read. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it, but I had trouble with the flow of the plot. It wasn’t the retrospective accounts of the collapse of Kamryn’s earlier relationships, because that is where the book came alive. I really suffered along with all of them. But her mixed emotions for Luke and Nate just didn’t ring true, so didn’t work for me. I don’t think it would have taken much editorship to bring it round though so I’m sure I’d read another novel by this author in the future. Thank you Colanne. I'll be sending it back to you as soon as I can get to the post - when this dreadful fog clears!!

I got to the post today, so it is on the way!!

Received back safe and sound. Thank you all for looking after my bookring!
:-)