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Friends and Enemies #1
Sleeping with Friends
From the author of The Blondes comes a twisted, darkly humorous story about a woman’s attempted murder, her lost memories, and the old friends who try to put her back together—or finish her off for good.
When Mia Sinclair-Kroner wakes from a coma, all she can remember are the movies she’s known and loved. Her college friends quickly assemble for a weekend party, in an effort to help her remember. But with old friends come old wounds, and it soon becomes clear that Mia’s accident might not have been an accident at all.
Was it Agnes, driven by her unspoken resentments? Or Zoey, who covets everything Mia has? Have the years apart only fanned the extinguished flame between Ethan and Mia, compelling him to violence? Or did Victor, who moved away, return with an agenda? Or was it Martin, the wealthy husband, who put a country estate between Mia and her past?
As old tensions and new suspicions rise, these friends must wade through their film knowledge, shared history, and everything that’s kept them apart in order to figure out which one of them is trying to end things once and for all.
When Mia Sinclair-Kroner wakes from a coma, all she can remember are the movies she’s known and loved. Her college friends quickly assemble for a weekend party, in an effort to help her remember. But with old friends come old wounds, and it soon becomes clear that Mia’s accident might not have been an accident at all.
Was it Agnes, driven by her unspoken resentments? Or Zoey, who covets everything Mia has? Have the years apart only fanned the extinguished flame between Ethan and Mia, compelling him to violence? Or did Victor, who moved away, return with an agenda? Or was it Martin, the wealthy husband, who put a country estate between Mia and her past?
As old tensions and new suspicions rise, these friends must wade through their film knowledge, shared history, and everything that’s kept them apart in order to figure out which one of them is trying to end things once and for all.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 17, 2023
1572 people are currently reading
7046 people want to read
About the author
Emily Schultz
28 books259 followersEmily Schultz is the co-founder of Joyland Magazine. Her newest novel, Little Threats, is forthcoming from GP Putnam's Sons for November 2020. Her novel, The Blondes, released in the U.S. with St. Martin’s Press and Picador, in France with Editions Asphalte, and in Canada with Doubleday. It was named a Best Book of 2015 by NPR and Kirkus. The Blondes was produced as a scripted podcast starring Madeline Zima, which has also been translated into French.
Schultz's writing has appeared in Elle, Slate, Evergreen Review, Vice, Today's Parent, Hazlitt, Minola Review, Black Warrior Review, and Prairie Schooner. She lives in Brooklyn where she is a producer with the indie media company Heroic Collective.
Schultz's writing has appeared in Elle, Slate, Evergreen Review, Vice, Today's Parent, Hazlitt, Minola Review, Black Warrior Review, and Prairie Schooner. She lives in Brooklyn where she is a producer with the indie media company Heroic Collective.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 315 reviews
December 4, 2023
Glad its over
This book was terrible. It was so disjointed that I couldn't follow the plot and none of the characters were likeable. I still can't even explain what the heck happened. It just didn't make any sense.
This book was terrible. It was so disjointed that I couldn't follow the plot and none of the characters were likeable. I still can't even explain what the heck happened. It just didn't make any sense.
October 17, 2023
I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I loved Schultz' Little Threats. Unfortunately, this book did not deliver for me. Partially because I had a difficult time focusing but the most important thing is that the characters didn't seem like real people, and I didn't particularly care about the friend circle, who did what to whom, or even the primary mystery, who attacked Mia Sinclair.
The difficult part of trying to remember what happened in a book is when other characters pepper their inner dialogue with flashbacks. It messed up the pacing and flow, I think. I got to about 43% and then skimmed the last 3 chapters or so. Yes - I missed a few major events leading up to the end, but I honestly didn't care. I just wanted to finish so I could move forward with a different book. The pop culture references, at times obscure, would have been more interesting or useful if I was either a millennial (which I'm not) or studied film (I did not). This was a miss for me. How can a book the same length of the novella I read previously feel so long and drawn out?
Book release originally October 17, 2023 but Amazon shows January 1, 2024.
The difficult part of trying to remember what happened in a book is when other characters pepper their inner dialogue with flashbacks. It messed up the pacing and flow, I think. I got to about 43% and then skimmed the last 3 chapters or so. Yes - I missed a few major events leading up to the end, but I honestly didn't care. I just wanted to finish so I could move forward with a different book. The pop culture references, at times obscure, would have been more interesting or useful if I was either a millennial (which I'm not) or studied film (I did not). This was a miss for me. How can a book the same length of the novella I read previously feel so long and drawn out?
Book release originally October 17, 2023 but Amazon shows January 1, 2024.
July 11, 2024
je pense qu'il faut collectivement qu'on se mette d'accord dans la communauté des gens qui écrivent des livres pour arrêter d'écrire sur les gens hétéro qui ne communiquent pas et dont l'ensemble des problèmes pourraient être résolus par une unique conversation
December 5, 2023
okay plot, not okay writing
This was incredibly unbelievable. I continued reading because it was so short and I was curious whodunnit but it was a struggle. The different viewpoints aren’t done in a way that is conducive to easy reading; I had to go back several times and reread things to understand, and not in a mystery “what did they say about this earlier” way, but a “what on earth did I just read” way.
Also, SO unbelievable. Who in their right minds isn’t going to call the cops immediately when a body is found? Who’s gonna be like, no we need to figure this out on our own before we call the cops? NO. ONE. The basic plot for this was interesting, although not realistic, but the writing was confusing and awkward at best.
This was incredibly unbelievable. I continued reading because it was so short and I was curious whodunnit but it was a struggle. The different viewpoints aren’t done in a way that is conducive to easy reading; I had to go back several times and reread things to understand, and not in a mystery “what did they say about this earlier” way, but a “what on earth did I just read” way.
Also, SO unbelievable. Who in their right minds isn’t going to call the cops immediately when a body is found? Who’s gonna be like, no we need to figure this out on our own before we call the cops? NO. ONE. The basic plot for this was interesting, although not realistic, but the writing was confusing and awkward at best.
October 15, 2024
"Whoever did this, they’ll come for me again. She gripped her white robe tighter around her, closing it with one hand at her throat. There was burgundy all down one sleeve, like a tumble of cherry blossoms. But it wasn’t a pattern, just more blood." 🩸
2.95 ✨🩸🔪
2.95 ✨🩸🔪
December 10, 2023
This book took me awhile to get through and almost didn’t finish it. It was hard to follow and seemed disjointed with flash backs and so many movie references.
July 20, 2023
did not finish it. first chapter was horrible and at first I thought it might be because I haven't read this genre in a while. but the book has expressions like "MeToo'd" (i.e., someone is kicked out of a company for sexual harassment) and alludes to the "waste of sperm" of the 17-year-old kid of one of the characters. it was weird. I hate to be judgemental but these kinds of expressions just take me out of the book and leave me with no interest at all about the plot. also it took me like 15 days to even get halfway through the first chapter.
I received an ARC in exchange of an honest review.
I received an ARC in exchange of an honest review.
June 11, 2023
It is a captivating and darkly humorous novel that kept me engaged from start to finish. The protagonist, Mia Sinclair-Kroner, wakes from a coma with only memories of movies she loves, setting the stage for a thrilling exploration of her past and the people in her life. Schultz skillfully weaves a web of old tensions and new suspicions, immersing readers in a world of shared history and hidden agendas. The unique characters are well-developed, and their interactions add depth and intrigue to the story. As the plot unfolds, the author expertly blends elements of mystery and suspense with a touch of humor, making for an enjoyable and memorable read. I found myself rooting for Mia and eagerly turning the pages to uncover the truth behind her accident. Schultz's writing style is both realistic and captivating, drawing readers into the narrative and keeping them invested until the very end. This book is a highly recommended novel that will leave you wanting more.
December 22, 2023
I am sorry to say that this book was probably one of the worst, if not the worst books I’ve ever read.
There was not a single, likable character, and the story was so disjointed, half the time it didn’t make sense from one sentence to the next. I often felt like different people were sharing the writing, and that nobody read what the previous one had written.
It started with some potential, but once the characters gathered at Mia‘s house, the whole thing fell apart. Absolutely nothing happened, and none of the writing made sense to me.
I had to give up at 93% of the way through as I just couldn’t do it anymore.
There was not a single, likable character, and the story was so disjointed, half the time it didn’t make sense from one sentence to the next. I often felt like different people were sharing the writing, and that nobody read what the previous one had written.
It started with some potential, but once the characters gathered at Mia‘s house, the whole thing fell apart. Absolutely nothing happened, and none of the writing made sense to me.
I had to give up at 93% of the way through as I just couldn’t do it anymore.
February 29, 2024
The whole "Brunching with the devil" youtube thing got me. I wish there were more direct jokes, tho. Sometimes I wasn't sure whether I was reading a poor plot or a funny caricature of a movie scenario (that's probably on my own poor movie culture lol)
December 22, 2023
I only finished this book for book club, and mostly skimmed. It was terrible. Please don’t do it to yourself.
January 18, 2024
There were some plot choices that were certainly eyebrow-raisers in the sense that they were so unlikely. The characters constantly acted like characters and not humans...part of me thinks this is part of Schultz's thematic goal, since there is a constant mention of movies. But if so, it's not executed well. Some of the decisions made were simply not choices real people would make.
The big reveal of the villain at the end of the story doesn't quite give that gasp that you really want to elicit in a thriller. It's just kind of random and I don't think there's enough clues for the reader to be guided that way...
I will say that I would have scored this lower if not for the author's grasp of writing. I can see the talented writer beneath the sort of shoddy plot and that she might be very good at writing a literary novel, for example. I enjoyed some of the tongue in cheek bits and think she did a good job portraying the sort of struggles people in their 30s have.
The big reveal of the villain at the end of the story doesn't quite give that gasp that you really want to elicit in a thriller. It's just kind of random and I don't think there's enough clues for the reader to be guided that way...
I will say that I would have scored this lower if not for the author's grasp of writing. I can see the talented writer beneath the sort of shoddy plot and that she might be very good at writing a literary novel, for example. I enjoyed some of the tongue in cheek bits and think she did a good job portraying the sort of struggles people in their 30s have.
May 29, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this. A book that promised a lot, but which didn’t feel as if its delivery was quite right.
Our main character is Mia. She’s not long woken from a coma after appearing to have hit her head on her kitchen counter. Her friends have, with her husband’s help, decided to throw a remembering party to try and help her regain her memories.
The main focus of the book is on the party and revolves around Mia trying to get back her memories. What this actually involves is a lot of self-conscious talk about movies, some bizarre scenes where people act in increasingly odd ways and a murder.
Maybe the book was deliberately all over the place to mirror Mia’s sense of confusion. All that meant was most of the book was hard to follow and actions didn’t always make sense until we got a bit of explanation later as to why they may have done what they did.
Our main character is Mia. She’s not long woken from a coma after appearing to have hit her head on her kitchen counter. Her friends have, with her husband’s help, decided to throw a remembering party to try and help her regain her memories.
The main focus of the book is on the party and revolves around Mia trying to get back her memories. What this actually involves is a lot of self-conscious talk about movies, some bizarre scenes where people act in increasingly odd ways and a murder.
Maybe the book was deliberately all over the place to mirror Mia’s sense of confusion. All that meant was most of the book was hard to follow and actions didn’t always make sense until we got a bit of explanation later as to why they may have done what they did.
December 21, 2023
This book gets 2 stars because it is so bad I have to laugh about it. The characters are the worst people in the world. The writing is confusing and hard to follow, but somehow I knew who did it the whole time so I wasn’t even surprised by the end. I’m genuinely confused if this book was bad on purpose. It seems like it had to be a parody of clue or something. But considering all the repetitive platitudes about friendship (that often contradicted themselves), I think this book was written in all seriousness. Do not recommend but at least it gave me a little entertainment.
September 2, 2023
Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this book before its release. I really loved this one. I am a huge fan of murder mysteries/whodunnits and Sleeping With Friends had everything I love. The characters were well written and fleshed out. The twist was satisfying. It was quirky at times which I thought was done well. Overall, I would recommend it. Rounding up from 4.5 stars.
#SleepingwithFriends #NetGalley
#SleepingwithFriends #NetGalley
April 16, 2024
This was a fun quick read. The characters are not always truthful to themselves or their friends. some of the friendships are more toxic that healthy. The mystery has plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader invested in solving who was behind attacking Mia. I would recommend this book to others and will read more in this sesries. All thoughts and opinions are my own, I have not been influenced by anyone.
March 19, 2024
From the author of The Blondes comes a twisted, darkly humorous story about a woman’s attempted murder, her lost memories, and the old friends who try to put her back together—or finish her off for good.
When Mia Sinclair-Kroner wakes from a coma, all she can remember are the movies she’s known and loved. Her college friends quickly assemble for a weekend party, in an effort to help her remember. But with old friends come old wounds, and it soon becomes clear that Mia’s accident might not have been an accident at all.
Was it Agnes, driven by her unspoken resentments? Or Zoey, who covets everything Mia has? Have the years apart only fanned the extinguished flame between Ethan and Mia, compelling him to violence? Or did Victor, who moved away, return with an agenda? Or was it Martin, the wealthy husband, who put a country estate between Mia and her past?
As old tensions and new suspicions rise, these friends must wade through their film knowledge, shared history, and everything that’s kept them apart in order to figure out which one of them is trying to end things once and for all.
Really enjoyed this story. It had so many layers and complexities to it. Will recommend to others.
When Mia Sinclair-Kroner wakes from a coma, all she can remember are the movies she’s known and loved. Her college friends quickly assemble for a weekend party, in an effort to help her remember. But with old friends come old wounds, and it soon becomes clear that Mia’s accident might not have been an accident at all.
Was it Agnes, driven by her unspoken resentments? Or Zoey, who covets everything Mia has? Have the years apart only fanned the extinguished flame between Ethan and Mia, compelling him to violence? Or did Victor, who moved away, return with an agenda? Or was it Martin, the wealthy husband, who put a country estate between Mia and her past?
As old tensions and new suspicions rise, these friends must wade through their film knowledge, shared history, and everything that’s kept them apart in order to figure out which one of them is trying to end things once and for all.
Really enjoyed this story. It had so many layers and complexities to it. Will recommend to others.
February 28, 2024
This sucked so hard dude. The only reason I’m not giving it one star is because I think two characters are pretty interesting- it would have been nice if I could say the same for the rest of them, the plot, the writing OR the pacing. What was the point of this book?!? The murder mystery wasn’t even a murder mystery, the queerness was so forced just to end up being a plot hole. There are so many characters and they’re almost all insufferable, if I act like this when I’m 30 don’t let me out of my house. EMBARRASSING!!!
We’re following Mia’s friend group after she was in an “accident” told through the perspective of her friend that thinks she hates her but they’re ex lovers?!? Random characters come in and suddenly they’re all at Mia’s ex husband’s estate. A chapter in all the men are accused of attempted murder just for it to be the most obvious, painful reveal. The motive is stupid, half of this book has a saviour complex and the whole thing is so predictable.
Good try I guess?!? Will not be reading more mystery novels from this author.
We’re following Mia’s friend group after she was in an “accident” told through the perspective of her friend that thinks she hates her but they’re ex lovers?!? Random characters come in and suddenly they’re all at Mia’s ex husband’s estate. A chapter in all the men are accused of attempted murder just for it to be the most obvious, painful reveal. The motive is stupid, half of this book has a saviour complex and the whole thing is so predictable.
Good try I guess?!? Will not be reading more mystery novels from this author.
April 19, 2024
"Rich people had so many options but never seemed to make the right choices."
I should have trusted the reviews. I should have DNF'd this. Possibly the worst book I've read in a while and I cannot find any ounce of myself that would recommend this in any way. Plot is impossible to follow, characters introduced with 0 explanation, bouncing between timelines with no rhyme or reason. This was horrible.
Mia awakens from a coma after a traumatic incident without many memories, except those of her favorite movies. She can't remember any of her friends, but she can remember plots and characters. To try and help jog her memory (and figure out exactly what caused her to slip into a coma on that tragic night), her friends plan a party in Mia's husband's country house. But as the fingers start to point towards a few different people, it seems maybe Mia can't trust anyone she's close to after all.
The fact that this is listed as the first book in a series terrifies me, because I can't imagine sitting through this again (and I won't). This was an Amazon First Reads pick for me and confirms that none of those books are ever going to be wow-worthy.
Save yourself time and a headache, it's a no from me dawg.
I should have trusted the reviews. I should have DNF'd this. Possibly the worst book I've read in a while and I cannot find any ounce of myself that would recommend this in any way. Plot is impossible to follow, characters introduced with 0 explanation, bouncing between timelines with no rhyme or reason. This was horrible.
Mia awakens from a coma after a traumatic incident without many memories, except those of her favorite movies. She can't remember any of her friends, but she can remember plots and characters. To try and help jog her memory (and figure out exactly what caused her to slip into a coma on that tragic night), her friends plan a party in Mia's husband's country house. But as the fingers start to point towards a few different people, it seems maybe Mia can't trust anyone she's close to after all.
The fact that this is listed as the first book in a series terrifies me, because I can't imagine sitting through this again (and I won't). This was an Amazon First Reads pick for me and confirms that none of those books are ever going to be wow-worthy.
Save yourself time and a headache, it's a no from me dawg.
April 13, 2024
Hard to stay interested
This could have been a really good book if there had been back stories for each of the characters. The book was short compared to most, so it could have been done without making it too long. Maybe start a little from the time they all met and personalize each of them. Let the reader get to know who they are. Was unable to connect with the characters. Give them personalities and lives. There were just incidents, accidents, and a possible murder. Nothing personal. The story was good, but there weren't any emotional connections. I didn't have the opportunity to love or hate any of the characters. I like to feel like im there, living the story with the characters. This fell a little short.
This could have been a really good book if there had been back stories for each of the characters. The book was short compared to most, so it could have been done without making it too long. Maybe start a little from the time they all met and personalize each of them. Let the reader get to know who they are. Was unable to connect with the characters. Give them personalities and lives. There were just incidents, accidents, and a possible murder. Nothing personal. The story was good, but there weren't any emotional connections. I didn't have the opportunity to love or hate any of the characters. I like to feel like im there, living the story with the characters. This fell a little short.
January 10, 2024
Remember in school when there was pre-reading for classes? This book should have pre-watching for movies because I did not understand these movie / actor references as I am uncultured. I only finished this for a book club, but I enjoyed the second half once the group was all together and trying to solve the mystery. If this book had not continually referenced movies and actors I didn’t know, then it would be 3 stars for me.
July 29, 2024
This could have been a me problem, but this book was confusing. I felt pulled in for the first few chapters, but once the girls met at the house, I was lost. The girls voices melded together, I kept forgetting who was who and what they'd done. And I couldn't find anyone to root for, all of them felt like awful people. I wish I'd loved it.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
February 5, 2024
I was on board with the premise, and the story is decent. But everything is written with such disdain for people who grew up outside of NYC that it ruined the book for me. The character from the West Coast is written as being experienced/worldy enough, but really, you just can't get the depth of experience and culture there that you can in NYC. Even worse was the Midwesterner. Naive, the (gay) daughter of comically homophobic parents, plenty of racists in her extended family, of course. Because that's all there is in Michigan, right?
Meh.
Meh.
March 6, 2024
I really enjoying this book but it could be the fact that I was a film major! I also really enjoyed the movie and filming references. I don’t really like mystery so I was surprised i found the plot and characters interesting. I also enjoyed how Mia would often daydream like she was in a film. If you have a film background you may relate and enjoy this book more!
December 20, 2023
Took a bit to get into (everyone was obsessed with Mia), but it was a really cool Knives Out/Glass Onion-type book. If I was more of a cinephile, I might’ve understood more of the movie references, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
January 20, 2024
Very poorly written. The tense the author chose was also extremely confusing, since it wasn’t from a specific persons point of view, I think I got used to the writing about 80% through, but not worth reading in my opinion. It also ended up being pretty anti-climactic which didn’t help. Pass
April 19, 2024
Hard bloody work; man. The constant niche movie references made it hard to engage, the characters were frustrating and the constant “who did what, with the thing, in the where” did my head in. I switched to audio halfway through just to finish and lost focus more times than I can count. Also, why is everyone so obsessed with Mia? Pass.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2024
I couldn’t finish this book. It was so not believable & all of the movie references and flashbacks that you can’t tell if they are actually flashbacks are just too much. I made it 42% and had to stop.
February 23, 2024
I finished this book because I wanted to know what happened to Mia. This was like the poorest game of Clue with flat stereotypes as the characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 315 reviews