Just Between Friends

by Sandra Steffen

Steffen returns to the small coastal town of Alcott, New Hampshire, with the intricately detailed and carefully plotted stories of three high-school girlfriends who have since gone their separate ways but who now find themselves encouraging, comforting, and supporting each other for the first time since graduation. Crushed when she is downsized rather than promoted, and upset by her husband's continuing infidelity and constant put-downs, Brooke heads home to regroup, using the excuse of her sister Eve's upcoming wedding to Carter McCall. Sara has finally scraped together the courage to leave her husband when she realizes the effect of his abuse on their son, and Claudia, who would seem to lead the perfect life, is unaccountably dissatisfied, impulsively deciding to return home for an extended visit when Brooke and Sara, reliving old memories, call late one night. Steffen masterfully coaxes the full range of emotions from the reader during the course of this heartwarming, occasionally bittersweet, and ultimately deeply satisfying sequel to Come Summer.

Genres: Romance

318 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Sandra Steffen is an award-winning, bestselling author of over thirty-seven novels, honored with the RITA Award, National Readers Choice Award, and The Wish Award. She balances writing with family life, having married her high-school sweetheart and raised four sons. Sandra enjoys reading, walking, laughing, connecting with friends, and, above all, writing.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book featured 3 women - friends - each with her own history and relationship problems. Brooke's husband cheated on her....again...and was struggling with the idea of getting a divorce. Sarah had just left an abusive relationship and was working to become independent. Claudia, successful and independent, doesn't usually let men get too close and won't admit that she loves the one she's with.

This was a sweet book that dealt with some serious issues. I absolutely loved the fact that the answer for all three women was not an HEA relationship. The last thing Sarah (the one whose husband hit her) needed was to fall straight into a new relationship. Her struggle, which was probably the most compelling of the three, was to find herself, which she'd lost in her marriage.

Brooke, meanwhile, meets a man and sparks fly, but she can't act on it while she's so unsure about her life and her own marriage. Part of me was thinking, screw him, he cheated, but especially as the story moved on, I knew that was too easy. She had to find her strength on her own before trusting another man.

Claudia's thread was a bit more amusing and not particularly deep, but it was a nice tension breaker. I loved the resolution to this one...no spoilers, but it was a lot of fun.

Even though everything came out ok in the end, this was not the usual HEA which I think of as romantic fantasy. It was more a glimpse of real life.

I recommend this book to those who like slice of life or romance.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a nice read. Not very realistic, because everything was easy, but nice.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. There were so many characters and I felt like I knew them. I felt like I was part of the community. I didn't want it to end.

[Barbara Gard]

ok only

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story with characters fully developed.