REVIEW: Fast Friends by Jill Mansell

In Fast Friends by Jill Mansell, Camilla Stewart has been quite certain for some time that her husband is not being honest with her. And it is unfortunately at a dinner party in front of their neighbors and even two of her former school chums when she finds out her instincts are right, that he’s been cheating on her. Worried about what their two children will think and how she will move on from such a betrayal, Camilla embarks on a new adventure. One that will find her immersed in London society and with a whole different outlook on life.

‘She found herself in that most difficult situation: being wildly in love, but at the same time chillingly aware that it was all going to end in tears.’

Camilla’s friends and new acquaintances are not without their own problems. From unrequited love to hidden secrets to personal and professional struggles, no one seems to be immune. It’s when they all begin to sort themselves out and learn to support one another that things begin to look up. And Camilla, Loulou, Roz, Nico, and Mac, among others, will have to get through the tough stuff before they find their happy endings.

‘He was playing the two women off against each other in his mind, he knew that. And unfairly, neither of them could win.’

Fast Friends was a racy reissue from Jill Mansell that had me laughing as often as it did yelling at the ensemble cast to get their act together and just give in to their real feelings. In other words, everything I would expect from Mansell’s entertaining books.

‘For the first time she learned not to question her right to such happiness.
It was hers. It wasn’t all a mistake or a dream that might disappear at any minute. She deserved it.’

Trigger warning: View Spoiler »Adultery. « Hide Spoiler

To start off, I believe this reissue–originally released in 1991–was Jill Mansell’s first published book. Where it was from the early 90s, it was a bit of a time warp, with some of the clothing, terminology, social issues and lack of technology making it quite fun to “reminisce”, at least for me. (lol) And I do have to mention that Fast Friends is a bit of an investment in time, being around five hundred pages long. Not that I minded any of the time spent with this crazy cast. What I was most happy about was that there was definitely that spark of witty dialogue and humorous over the top theatrics that I’ve come to love in Mansell’s work in abundance here. So even back at the beginning of her career, my favorite parts of her writing style were already evident.

I can’t really get into each character’s personality and issues they faced as there was a whole host of people we met in this novel. They were all tangled up in each other’s lives in one way or another and it was the equivalent of a sexy and hilarious literary soap opera. With lots of naughtiness going on. So the one-offs and some of the characters’ tendency to cheat on their significant others may not work for some readers, and honestly I was not too happy with their decisions a few times. By the end, though, most of the cast–even one heroine whom I didn’t think I’d *ever* like–redeemed themselves or at least had toned down their antics to the point that they were more relatable and had shown some personal growth. However it was not without some of them, particularly Camilla, getting knocked down numerous times first.

With some lovely, poignant moments interspersed with all the bed-hopping, Fast Friends was a reminder that true friends–the ones we know we can trust–can make our lives infinitely better and help us be our best selves.

Book Info:

Publication: January 1st 2019 (first published February 21st 1991) | Sourcebooks Landmark |

International bestseller Jill Mansell delivers an enchanting, feel-good tale about the power of friendship never before published in the U.S.

Isn’t life more fun in the fast lane?
When bored housewife and mother Camilla Stewart impulsively invites her old schoolfriends for dinner, she hardly imagines that the evening will shatter her comfortable existence. But Roz Vallender and Loulou Marks are no ordinary guests. Roz is a stunning and self-assured TV presenter, while the reckless Loulou owns Vampires, the trendiest wine bar in town.

When they reveal that Camilla’s husband Jack has been playing around, Camilla determines to make some changes. With a little help from her friends, she soon finds out that life in the fast lane is a lot more fun–and the future still holds plenty of surprises.