Just a few months shy of her 30th birthday, Gus Curtis finally feels like she has it all: a strong career, great friends, and a wonderful boyfriend. But all of this comes crashing down when Gus discovers Nate, her "Mr. Right," hooking up behind her back with her so-called "friend" Helen. Soon it seems like the life Gus has worked to make so adult looks a lot like the one she already had as a teenager, and Gus is left with more questions than answers: Can she win Nate back before she turns 30 alone? (And if so, does she really want him?) Is Helen really as devious and manipulative as she seems, or, worse, is Gus more like her frenemy than she ever imagined? And is she ever going to grow up? With the clock ticking down to her birthday, Gus discovers that sometimes the best thing about best-laid plans is trashing them altogether.
Frenemies
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Augusta "Gus" Curtis is happy-she has one of the busiest social calendars in Boston, loves her job as a librarian, and is looking forward to turning 30-until she discovers that her boyfriend Nate is cheating on her with one of her oldest friends. Although angry with Nate, Gus feels even more betrayed by Helen, who doesn't seem to get Gus's indignation. The remainder of the novel is the minute-by-minute account of Gus's obsessive thoughts on the love triangle, which irritates her sidekicks, Amy Lee and Georgia, in all probability as much as it will the reader. Crane (English as a Second Language) tries to make a statement about the complications of mature relationships (whereby Gus must face the facts that maybe she hasn't been the best friend she could be, either), but ends up delivering a clunky story that's as shallow as its lead.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"Addictive, compelling...her best book yet!" -- --Johanna Edwards
"Brilliant...hugely enjoyable...It's romantic, funny, intelligent, believable, and gripping." -- --Marian Keyes
"Brilliant...hugely enjoyable...It's romantic, funny, intelligent, believable, and gripping." -- --Marian Keyes
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More About the Author
Megan Crane is a New Jersey native who had great plans to star on Broadway, preferably in Evita, just like Patti LuPone. Sadly, her inability to wow audiences with her singing voice required a back up plan. Accordingly, she graduated from Vassar College and got her MA and PhD in literature from the University of York in England. She wrote her doctoral dissertation on AIDS literature, mostly so she could wallow in her obsession with the remarkable multi-media artist David Wojnarowicz and her idol, the bitter and hilarious David Feinberg. After many years in the rain and subject to the whim of seasons, she followed the sun to Los Angeles, where she lives with a dog, a cat, two crazy kittens, and an artist named Jeff. She is still plotting her Broadway debut.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By KY Chickie
Format:Paperback
This book would be much more believable if the main characters were on the cusp of turning 20 instead of 30. Gus (the main character) & her friends spend all of their time chasing the wrong men & obsessing over every little thing they do. They create loud inappropriate scenes in public, start rumors about people they don't like, & spend an inordinate amount of time detailing the physical short comings of both themselves and others. These ladies are characterized as smart, educated women with meaningful careers, and yet their actions more closely resemble that of insecure, image conscious teenagers desperate to hang out with the cool kids. The author says she was inspired by the movie "Mean Girls", and I would assume wanted to show what happens when the "mean girls" reach the next stage of the life. The problem is that while there will always be some women who never grow out of the mean catty teenager phrase, most of us do. As an almost 30 year old adult, I have no problem avoiding the "mean girls;" its no longer high school & they no longer control the lunch table. This book is definitely chick lit at its worst; there is nothing funny or entertaining about it. Mostly it just makes me sad that anyone thinks this is how grown women act.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
FRENEMIES by Megan Crane
September 26, 2007
Rating: 4 Stars
FRENEMIES was a pleasant surprise for me. It's chick lit but one of the better ones I've read in the past few years, where a lot in this genre is starting to sound the same. The main character, Gus (Augusta) is about to turn 30 and she's not doing well in regards to a relationship that went sour. Her boyfriend has ended up with a college friend, and she feels betrayed. Since the breakup, Gus has begun to act up in public. In the opening chapter we will get a good idea how bad off Gus is, when she throws a tantrum in front of many of her friends in a public bar because Nate and ex-friend Helen have shown up as well. It doesn't help that they have mutual friends and have been friends since college.
The book is funny and smart, with a main character that is not one-dimensional as oftentimes happens in books of this genre. Even her friends are interesting, and have their own issues to deal with.I laughed a lot while I read this book, and can honestly say I enjoyed it. I definitely recommend FRENEMIES.
September 26, 2007
Rating: 4 Stars
FRENEMIES was a pleasant surprise for me. It's chick lit but one of the better ones I've read in the past few years, where a lot in this genre is starting to sound the same. The main character, Gus (Augusta) is about to turn 30 and she's not doing well in regards to a relationship that went sour. Her boyfriend has ended up with a college friend, and she feels betrayed. Since the breakup, Gus has begun to act up in public. In the opening chapter we will get a good idea how bad off Gus is, when she throws a tantrum in front of many of her friends in a public bar because Nate and ex-friend Helen have shown up as well. It doesn't help that they have mutual friends and have been friends since college.
The book is funny and smart, with a main character that is not one-dimensional as oftentimes happens in books of this genre. Even her friends are interesting, and have their own issues to deal with.I laughed a lot while I read this book, and can honestly say I enjoyed it. I definitely recommend FRENEMIES.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In the "About the Author" portion of the book, Megan Crane says that she was inspired to write this book after going to see Mean Girls with her boyfriend. Once I read that, the whole book made sense.
I think it is definitely worth writing a book about the ups and downs of friendships, especially between women, but Crane has written a book about the friendships of 30 year old women in the style of a movie written for teenagers (and don't get me wrong - I watched Mean Girls too!). I think there's a difference between the friendships and cattiness of high school cliques and the deep bonds of women who have known each other for a decade in adulthood.
The writing was strained. There were at least five different storylines going on, each of them painfully obvious, and Crane lacks the skill to turn words in the style of many of the better chick-lit authors.
The story - Augusta is a librarian who has two close friends, but has a large group of friends who always invite her to parties (never mind that these friends are nameless - they're just friends who host an engagement party or a Christmas party or something - she never mentions who those friends are!). She had been dating a guy she's known since college - he was the Hot Guy, and she dated him for four months when she caught him cheating on her with another one of their social set (a "that girl" who always has guys falling all over her).
So Gus gets mad at the girl, tries to get the guy back (why??) and has all these self-discoveries about adulthood, but this was another problem of mine with the writing - it was all so obvious! And plots and subplots just kind of appeared and disappeared during the whole book. Near the end we find out all kinds of things about Gus's boss, which is supposed to make us (and Gus) think about her fights with her friends, but it comes off all weird because the boss hasn't said a word for the entire book. Also, it seems like this book was written in stages. Like when Gus was having a heated conversation, she thought it felt like she was having a Tori Amos moment. And then, three pages later, one of her friends yells at another one for constantly living in a Tori Amos song. So I think maybe Little Earthquakes was on in the background as she was writing those pages???
Anyway, there are so many great books out there that cover areas like this - Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin, for example, is a much better choice.
I think it is definitely worth writing a book about the ups and downs of friendships, especially between women, but Crane has written a book about the friendships of 30 year old women in the style of a movie written for teenagers (and don't get me wrong - I watched Mean Girls too!). I think there's a difference between the friendships and cattiness of high school cliques and the deep bonds of women who have known each other for a decade in adulthood.
The writing was strained. There were at least five different storylines going on, each of them painfully obvious, and Crane lacks the skill to turn words in the style of many of the better chick-lit authors.
The story - Augusta is a librarian who has two close friends, but has a large group of friends who always invite her to parties (never mind that these friends are nameless - they're just friends who host an engagement party or a Christmas party or something - she never mentions who those friends are!). She had been dating a guy she's known since college - he was the Hot Guy, and she dated him for four months when she caught him cheating on her with another one of their social set (a "that girl" who always has guys falling all over her).
So Gus gets mad at the girl, tries to get the guy back (why??) and has all these self-discoveries about adulthood, but this was another problem of mine with the writing - it was all so obvious! And plots and subplots just kind of appeared and disappeared during the whole book. Near the end we find out all kinds of things about Gus's boss, which is supposed to make us (and Gus) think about her fights with her friends, but it comes off all weird because the boss hasn't said a word for the entire book. Also, it seems like this book was written in stages. Like when Gus was having a heated conversation, she thought it felt like she was having a Tori Amos moment. And then, three pages later, one of her friends yells at another one for constantly living in a Tori Amos song. So I think maybe Little Earthquakes was on in the background as she was writing those pages???
Anyway, there are so many great books out there that cover areas like this - Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin, for example, is a much better choice.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Frenemies
Another read from Megan Crane. Book arrived on time and in great condition, just haven't read it yet!
Published on June 1, 2010 by Karen J. Webster
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love Megan Crane's book
If the rest of Megan Crane's books are this good, I'm going back to read all her others.
FRENEMIES is a fast paced, very enjoyable read. Read more
FRENEMIES is a fast paced, very enjoyable read. Read more
Published on June 10, 2009 by Kimberly Adelman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finished it in one sitting!
I love Megan Crane's English as a Second Language so I decided to pick up Frenemies. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. Read more
Published on May 13, 2009 by Literary Junkie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hilarious quick read
Every now and then, you need a mindless read. Quick, entertaining, and you end it laughing and looking to the author for another of the same. You can't go wrong with Megan Crane. Read more
Published on May 11, 2009 by A. Lee
3.0 out of 5 stars
Just ok, somewhat disappointing
This book has been sitting on my nightstand for awhile now. I reached my renewal limit at the library and ended up returning it unread. Read more
Published on December 7, 2008 by Shon
5.0 out of 5 stars
Frenemies
A woman teetering on the brink of thirty, Augusta "Gus" Curtis has just stumbled over one of her friends making out with her boyfriend. Read more
Published on November 20, 2008 by M. Nix
2.0 out of 5 stars
I did not enjoy the book, but I liked the advice for reconciling after...
This was too chick lit for me, not enough romance. I did not find it funny or enjoyable. I wanted it to be over. I did not care for the way the three female friends acted. Read more
Published on September 24, 2008 by Jane
3.0 out of 5 stars
A solid three stars
Having read and loved "Names My Sisters Call Me" recently, I was eager to read the author's previous book. I enjoyed it. Read more
Published on September 23, 2008 by Reading Maniac
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasantly sweet
I'm all about my chick lit, so when I saw the title, I had to try it out. In the beginning it was hard to believe that the Gus character was so... Read more
Published on April 25, 2008 by Amy E. Hendershot
5.0 out of 5 stars
quick feel good read
My Best Friend sent me this book. She has a fast paced job in NY for a fortune 500 company, travels endlessly, and is in search of the perfect man in the city to move back south. Read more
Published on February 21, 2008 by J. Daniels
