Frenemies [Paperback]

Megan Crane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 20, 2007

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.

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.
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Review

"Addictive, compelling...her best book yet!" -- --Johanna Edwards

"Brilliant...hugely enjoyable...It's romantic, funny, intelligent, believable, and gripping." -- --Marian Keyes

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: 5 Spot (June 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446698555
• ISBN-13: 978-0446698559
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.9 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,094,969 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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:

4.0 out of 5 stars It was better than I had expected it to be, September 26, 2007

By 

Ratmammy "The Ratmammy" (Ratmammy's Town, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Frenemies (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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not all women are this pathetic., April 14, 2010

By 

KY Chickie (Kentucky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frenemies (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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Knows how to write that hunky male lead..., January 10, 2008

By 

LaMonita "PG" (Libya) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frenemies (Paperback)

but doesn't always get the female characters right. Not to say that I didn't love this book and think that Megan Crane is a excellent writer, her style is very casual and humorous, and boy does she know something about sexual tension. But I found Gus to be a little too self-indulgent, and she gave Helen such little value that it is a wonder they were ever friends to begin with. Don't people drop friends like that by the time they are 30? Or if they don't totally get rid of them, don't they minimize their contact with them? And I doubt that Helen would be so bold to assume that Gus would just get over the boyfriend stealing. However, I did like Henry quite a lot, and the relationships with her other friends, who at times also seemed like frenemies. Gus' evolution, while painful, did leave the reader with the hope that growing up may not be easy, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and sometimes you lose friends along the way.
I guess the final thought I had as I was finishing this book was about 20something/30something women and the maturation of friendship. Makes me reevaluate how I treat my own friends, as well myself. Because when it comes down to it, are you your own worst frenemy? Thanks again Megan, looking forward to another great book.