Fast Friends

by Jill Mansell

When the chips are down, who better to turn to then your oldest friends? When bored housewife and mother Camilla Stewart impulsively invites her old schoolchums for dinner she hardly imagines that the evening will shatter her comfortable existence. But Roz Vallender and Loulou Marks are no ordinary guests. Roz, stunning and self-assured, is notorious as a TV presenter and superbitch, whilst the reckless Loulou owns Vampires, the trendiest wine bar in town. Horrified to discover that 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.

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Womens Fiction, British Literature

600 pages, Paperback

First published February 21, 1991

About the author

Jill Mansell lives with her partner and children in Bristol, and writes full time. Actually that’s not true; she watches TV, eats fruit gums, admires the rugby players training in the sports field behind her house, and spends hours on the internet marvelling at how many other writers have blogs. Only when she’s completely run out of displacement activities does she write.

Jill Mansell's books have sold over ten million copies and her titles include: Making your Mind up, Fast Friends, Good at Games, Sheer Mischief and Solo, among many others.

Reviews

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars to zany Fast Friends! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ .5

It’s no secret I enjoy a fun, quirky Jill Mansell story for a book breather, and Fast Friends is a charmer!

Camilla Stewart is a stay-at-home mom with a self-described dull life when she invites her old friends over for dinner. They are quite vibrant and fancy. Roz is a television host, and Loulou owns a trendy wine bar.

Roz and Loulou reveal to Camilla that her husband is a big cheat, and in turn, Camilla decides to live life on the edge and experience adventure with the help of Roz and Loulou.

This is one of Jill Mansell’s first books now being published in the US by Sourcebooks. She has evolved as an author since then, and while I still found the humor and signature romp style of a Mansell, I could also tell the book was written in the 1990s. I hope Sourcebooks will continue to publish from her backlist because I’d love to read them all.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for the complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.

My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 35% -- I've read a few Jill Mansell books and found them light, fun, reading but the dated references (answering machines! shopping at Harrods in a non-tourist way!) gave me early Ab Fab flashbacks and it turns out that Fast Friends is very dated to that time indeed. It was originally published in 1991, back when large novels filled with shopping, sex, rock and roll, aka being "glamorous", and what we would now call at best dysfunctional--and most honest, toxic--female "friendships" was all the rage. As I was never a fan of the glitz novels when they were popular, reissuing this some almost 30 years (!) after its initial release didn't make me think I'd missed anything the first time around.

[Nila (digitalcreativepages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jill Mansell's books are fun reads which u read in between my thrillers. I found this story of 3 friends Camilla, Roz, and Loulou. The big reveal of infidelity leads Camilla to let go and start living her life with excitement and zest and adventure and the story rolls on.
This was one of Jill's older books republished again. It was fun and sweet and I got a sense of deja vu till I realized I had read this book ages ago.
It was still a fun read and it was nice to remember those days when life was carefree.

[Elusive · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually really like Jill Mansell’s books except for a few including ‘Fast Friends’ which was terribly repetitive, long-winded and tiring. As it’s one of her earlier books, that’s understandable but it doesn’t change the fact that it was so bad that I found it hard to believe it’s written by Jill at all. It took me months to complete whereas I usually take a few hours to finish reading her stories.

It tells the story of three ‘friends’, Camilla, Loulou and Roz. Camilla’s life falls apart when she finds out that her husband Jack is having an affair. Roz is gorgeous and knows what she wants and how to get it. Loulou is the typical attractive character who never fails to attract men. Now it wouldn’t have been so bad if it wasn’t pointlessly long (600 pages). It could have easily been reduced to half its length. From the start the ending is pretty obvious for each character – we know who’s going to end up with who, so it’s the journey that counts but the journey was disappointingly boring.

The characters repeat their mistakes and spend time with the wrong men despite having feelings for a specific someone. Another problem is, those who have feelings for each other never actually communicate honestly. No, it’s easier to assume and ‘move on’ rather than behave like intelligent beings and tell the other person how you feel. It’s pretty frustrating. A lot of unnecessary drama occurs, featuring miscarriages, deaths, affairs etc but none of those were remotely interesting. They were mentioned then the whole thing seems to be dismissed or treated lightly. Highly unrealistic.

I found it unconvincing how Camilla constantly attracted guys instantly. Attract in a physical way – sure, it’s natural to be attracted by someone good-looking but I’m talking about physical attraction combined with the instant desire to marry her or the instant falling-in-love nonsense. Camilla just doesn’t have that sort of personality or charisma to convince me. Roz was unlikeable though her confidence was admirable at times. Loulou was alright but she made pretty (obviously) bad choices when it came to men. The male love interests were boring to me – none of them stood out though I thought certain things were too convenient such as killing Matt off and turning Pier into a cheating husband)..

Overall, ‘Fast Friends’ was dull and definitely not worth reading.

[Jordan Theune · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was pretty disappointing. There was too much cheating, and Roz was the most unbearable character. This story felt so shallow, which is crazy since it was SO LONG. It’s chick lit… it’s not supposed to be this long. I didn’t like the Matt part of the story—it became really obvious what was going to happen to his character, and I thought that was quite disappointing. There was just so much that happened in this book, and most of it was pointless. I could go on, but I just don’t think I need to.

[lindabooklover · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was my 18th Jill Mansell book. I have loved all of them, except this one. This is one of her earlier books, thankfully I didn't start with this one, otherwise I probably would not have read as many as I have. I will continue to read her books, but I was very disappointed in this one. The characters are so shallow and what happens to them all is ridiculous. Sorry Ms. Mansell, I am glad your story telling has evolved, this book was traumatic.

[Taramom22 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have no idea why this book is rated so high. It seemed more like a over-the-top soap opera Danielle Steele book. I got about a third of the way through it and couldn't take it anymore. Skip to the end to figure out what happened and I could tell that all I had missed was a lot more soap opera like craziness. This is the worst Jill Mansell book I have ever read

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5-3 Stars...I LOVE Jill Mansell, but this is a re-release of a 1991 book and it really should have been edited to reflect the 27 year differences between publication dates because there were many things in the book that made it simply outdated and at times rather insulting. Phrases especially that are just not politically or socially acceptable, and I found to be rather insulting is one instance; for example, Mansell several times compared something horrible happening to the character like getting AIDS or had the character think they'd rather get AIDS than do such-and-such. Also, there was also quite a bit of fat shaming at the beginning of the book and it wasn't needed even if one of the characters was overweight, it could have been told that without hearing it repetitively and negatively after the first few times it was used for its effect. There was also a bit of implied racism that bothered me even if that was not the intent. I enjoyed the overall story and loved Camille especially and her growth throughout the (much too long) book, but the novel is definitely dated and not one of Mansell's best books, which is unfortunate since she is such a witty, fun writer.

Thank you Edelweiss and Sourcebooks Landmarks for the ARC to read in exchange for my fair and honest review.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

See the full review at HarlequinJunkie.com

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.

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. Read More

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a fun read (another freebie), good for beaches and public transportation, and touching in parts. But it's nearly as old as I am and, despite the edition I read being updated in 2002 to include references to mobiles and Eminem, it has troubling attitudes toward homosexuality and race.
So, I can't recommend it any more than I have, because I can't condone the odd uncomfortably homophobic or racially insensitive line. These bits could easily be edited out, and the book would be fine. Maybe they already have been in a subsequent edition. Just beware. There are other books out there like this that aren't offensive, better read a different one.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure why ARC Netgalley since book originally published in 1991. Nonetheless, it was wildly too long...needed editing badly but it was also fun, fun, fun!!! Loads of characters and meandering pov but it took concentration to keep up the shenanigans.

[Natalie]

Jill! This was bonkers! A total soap opera, every (short) chapter ends with a bonk, a pregnancy, an affair, a break-up, or a shocking secret. I am not complaining!!! Super enjoyable.

[Elisha W · Rating 1 out of 5]

(some spoilers!!!)
I can't express how happy I am to finally be done with this. It looks like Jill was tasked with taking three different books and making it one, finally regurgitating this book with too many unlikable characters and a crazy (but boring) plot. There were a couple of things that didn't sit right with me reading this, like how one of the protagonists, Camilla, suddenly becomes *so desirable* after being cheated on because her depressive state made her lose weight. And I guess her weight was the biggest problem because you'd get reminded of it constantly in the first half of the book until she finally lost it. While I don't think it's on purpose, surely there must've been a better way for her to undergo this big transformation? Without making it almost entirely appearance-based?
Another thing is just how naive all of these characters are. They see a man, they like him and fall in love in a matter of days before something ruins it and they get all sad and mopey. This happens several times to different characters. It got so repetitive, and after a while all I could do was roll my eyes and say 'Really?!!!'. Mind you, these are full grown, adult, working women.
I could go on about how this bad this book is, but I'll end it on some quotes from the book that didn't sit right with me :
'she was simply unaware that she was a beautiful, sexually very attractive woman. she had absolutely no idea.' and apparently this was what this man found 'so entirely irresistible'. Really?
A lot of derogatory terms: 'raving dyke', 'goddam fairy', 'freak-show faggot'.
One character is so upset he couldn't make Camilla orgasm that he feels he 'failed [her] in bed'. He then proceeds to sleep with multiple other women in order to prove to himself (for lack of a better phrase) that he is, indeed, good in bed. Aw, poor guy.

[Barbara Elsborg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book has everything - infidelity, love, jealousy, tears, violence, kids, misunderstandings, mistakes - every possible romantic twist you can think of - you'll find them here. That might have made it not a good book but I think it is. Yes, it went on a bit too long and I though - oh no not again - when a certain hero and heroine were wrenched apart - but I still liked it.
There's no sex - so it don't look to it for that, but if you like books that delve into several relationships at the same with a wide array of interesting characters - I think this book fits the bill. yes, it's silly at time, no it's not realistic - it's just good escapist fun.

[Bianca1977 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book in february, on holiday on Tenerife, from one of those bookswap-points in the hotel. I decided to save it for summer, because I have read quite a lot of Jill Mansell books and love them as no nonsense sunny beach reads Unfortunately, I didn’t like this one at all. Like many other reviews said, this is terribly dated (one of the characters is surprised her friend is dating a black guy (?), another character gets laughed at because she is pregnant unmarried... so oldfashioned). The three main characters are all a bit annoying. If you want to get to know Jill Mansells books, do NOT pick this one.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this on audio and finished it, but at several points, I almost quit. And I don’t usually quit books… this book was way longer than it needed to be. But I was still curious enough about the characters to finish.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Help From our Friends or our Frenemies: FAST FRIENDS
http://fangswandsandfairydust.com/201...

I listened to this audiobook about a month ago and then did a quick relisten to parts. The important bits, for me anyway, is what sticks with me when a little time has past.

I usually enjoy Jill Mansell’s books, and and at 21 hours, it’s a good value for a credit. And, it’s long because it spans many years in the lives of three friends who attended boarding school together. I thought of them as a mean wolf, a somewhat nicer wolf, and a lamb. Roz used people, a total frenemy, LouLou was just totally self-absorbed, and Camilla was a doormat. They each continue to behave like that until they cannot continue in that fashion and succeed.

As they grow up and leave school, where only a prologue occurs, they lose contact with each other. And at first, when they get back in touch it seems like it is going to be bad for Camilla, but it is a catalyst for each person, centering around the lamb, who now is propelled into adulthood or, to keep the analogy going, being a sheep. In this case the sheep has also developed some self-defense.

The book travels between the women’s three lives, although the way the book goes, you know Camilla will finally get her HEA and Roz and Lou Lou will be getting their comeuppance. Or, will they? Each has advances, and set backs, and Jill delves into new terrain as well as repeating some persistent themes involving tragic loss, parenting, and parentage.

Lucy Rayner is a good narrator for this piece; there are a lot of characters and diverse accents. She keeps them all straight, and for the most part, believable.

I was surprised by the length of the book, the complicated nature of the stories, and their interleaved nature. While at times the plot made me want to scream, to point out that Roz was a bitch but probably developed it as a defense mechanism against an overbearing mother.

I do not know the source of LouLou’s flakey, but persistent, nature; her insistence that what she wants is what will happen. Camilla is the good girl who becomes a door mat and then becomes something else. Her character shows you don’t have to be awful or mean to be successful at life. And she wouldn’t get where she ends up without her “friends.” The book had it’s predictable parts and also offered surprises. It was an interesting saga and I enjoyed most if it.

But, I would not consider the three women friends from school days. I think the title is misleading: it implies a constancy over time of the relationshiops, and it is not how it happens. I would have considered them the users and the used. They don’t really become friends until each is reduced to her essence. Camilla’s essence turns out to be stronger, and Roz and LouLou change because they suffer trials they can’t bully or charm their way through.

I think the power of friendship referred to in the description, is the power of the adult friendships that they develop as grown ups when all their posturing and power plays are gone.

The power of adult friendships are, in my mind, as strong as the friendships developed via the proximity of neighborhood or school. That’s where these friendships, and the story , derive their strength.

[Jen DeVercelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not one of those readers that needs an extensive list of trigger warning. But for a book that was marketed as a “feel good tale” boy, let me share some of the highlights..

•Opens with mean girls and a bout of infidelity.
•Calling the cheated on character HUGE then saying she’s actually 150lbs.
• Lies about paternity
• A SIDS death
• A second marriage where aforementioned HUGE girl gets remarried (after losing 20 lbs by being fed empty bowls by her buddy) She then loses her husband on her 6 month anniversary, thanks to a TBI from a car crash.
• Oh she was pregnant and about to tell him when he got home but didn’t get the chance and miscarries the baby to probable grief?
• Then after her mourning period she meets a nice enough guys who’s actually married and his wife comes to slash her 🔪 🩸
• but she ends up with the hot Italian rockstar that’s been pining over her the whole book so it must be a feel good tale 🤣


Does this sound happy to you!? 🥲

[Toni Harness · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Horrendous. I didn’t realise it was one of her earliest books from the 90’s or I’d have probably skipped it. This book is far far too long. The characters are so unlikeable it’s a joke. One of the lovely things about the authors usual books is the older vivacious characters who tie everyone together and the genuine likeableness of the main character that enables you to forgive their mistakes. There is none of that here.

The main character is so one dimensional and seems to forget she has children. The other female characters repeatedly make the same mistakes over and over and over. There is repeated size bashing, homophobic references and a lack of morals. Ugh. Would not recommend but that is not to say Jill Mansell is not a good author, definitely read her later stuff but stay far away from the earlier stuff that for some reason someone decided to reissue.

[Michelle Harding · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of Jill Mansell's best.

[Janita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun, touching and overall great book!

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was marketed as a fun, escapist read. I have read a few of Jill Mansell's books before, and I enjoy her style. This however, is not her usual quality.

This book focuses on Roz, Loulou, and Camilla, school girl friends who have grown up, grown apart, and are thrust together again after a chance meeting.

The book had love interests including rock stars, fashion photographers, sports celebrities, and some fantastic fashion that I enjoyed. The story moved at a crisp pace, and was told equally well from several perspectives.

That said, I did feel the book was very shallow, and I never really cared about any of the characters. The tragedies in the book were very lightly handled and forgotten very soon, and some of the men and women main characters were bizarrely horrible. Some, like Roz, had a story arc that included redemption, but others, were just awful for no reason. Children in the book were written more as props than responsibilities, and 150 pounds was seen as ridiculously plump for a woman.

I will definitely give the author another chance even with the problems due to the writing style and pace of the novel.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for my advanced copy.

[Angela Dobrilla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abandoning ship - I am relieved to see that this is a rerelease of a much earlier publication and not a recent Jill Mansell. She had been one of my fav authors, and I am just grateful that I am just now finding this book or I would have never read the others. After first thinking the characters were going to be intriguing and complex, and getting really excited by the story line in the first portion of the book, I have had to now acknowledge that this book has truly become a train wreck. Characters behave in silly, shallow ways. Serious life situations are treated trivially. And it feels like someone has tried to pack in a whole series of soap opera shows, regardless of the fit for the original characters. I’m out.

[Kfiscus · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can I give it less than one? This author usually writes cheesy novels that are good fun, like a Hallmark movie in book form. But this one was awful- for example: it’s direct line drawn from physical appearance and possessions to self worth when at one point the main character goes shopping to change her wardrobe and looks around at her new personality... what the what?!? And another point when the most popular women are simply shallow and cruel, but applauded for being “independent” and “straight talkers” Read this book only if you are looking for the worst of the worst in the portrayal of women, their thoughts, their relationships, and their personalities. What an utter disappointment.

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sigh. I guess it had to happen eventually, I’ve finally found a book by Jill Mansell that I really don’t care for. Usually the characters in her books are people that I start to care about and I really want good things to happen to them. This time around most of the characters were jealous, vindictive, and hard to like. And to top it all off, they kept making one horrible decision after another.

Hopefully, this is the only book of hers that lets me down. Because as a rule, I can’t wait to crack open the next adventure and let it carry me away to a world of nice, happy, and interesting characters that fall in love without all of the hateful things that this book contained.

[Sharon · Rating 1 out of 5]

No, no, no!

Sooo disappointing. I’ve enjoyed many Jill Mansell books, but, not this one. A good premise; three school friends meet again and when one of them discovers her husband is cheating, the other two rally round. However, the characters are very one dimensional and in the main unlikeable and the storyline seems to fade out halfway through and then go on to repeat.

I’m confused and surprised that so many seem to have enjoyed it and if you do, I’m happy for you. Confused, but, happy.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview this book.

[Scarlet · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as I love Jill Mansells novels, this one is exhausting. The first 300 pages were bearable, but then it begins to feel like a soap opera where there's a plot twist every 3 pages and it's tiring. The characters are likable and I carried on because I wanted to know what would happen to them. Also it's almost 30 years old and it shows, with phrases that insinuate racism, ableism, and body shaming, it does make you cringe. It's not god-awful, and to be fair it is very juicy and fun, but doesn't compare to Mansells more recent work ☺️

[Diane Saul · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the story of Camilla, Roz and LouLou, three friends from school who connect 15 years later. Roz is totally unlikable til the very end. LouLou is self destructive and wishy washy. Camilla starts out being a doormat before she finally grows a backbone. There are so many missed connections between the characters in this book that it got repetitive. Thank you to net galley for an early copy.

[Ellen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a Jill Mansell fan, but I believe this is a rerelease of one of her earliest books, and not one of her best. I was disappointed in the meanness of the characters, as well as the fat shaming if one of the main characters, Camilla. I did stick with it, even though the book was much too long. I will still read Mansell’s books, she is one of my favorites, but this one is a pass.

[Stacey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually got about 2/3 of the way through before DNFing. I just couldn’t with all of the ridiculous drama that just seemed to happen without truly affecting anyone. So many partner changes, deaths, etc. just became tiresome. I read Millie’s Fling and loved it so I thought I’d try another by Jill Mansell. Unfortunately, this was a disappointment.