Book giveaway: Strictly Between Us by Jane Fallon

[UrsulaMumsnet]

Best friends Tamsin and Michelle have been inseparable since childhood but when a rumour involving Michelle's husband comes to light, the two friends become entwined in an intricate web of lies...

Penguin Books have asked us to find 50 Mumsnetters to read Strictly Between Us and tell us what they think about it on this discussion thread. Go to the giveaway page to find out more and apply for a free copy.

You don’t have to win a free copy to take part in the discussion. Anyone who has read Strictly Between Us can post their feedback here, and all who post before 29th February will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 Love to Shop voucher.

Don't worry if you haven’t finished reading. Feel free to drop in at whatever point you've got up to and give your fellow readers your first impressions about the story, characters, writing style.

This giveaway is sponsored by Penguin Books

I have finished the book only took me a couple of days couldn't put it down! Loved it !

I agree with SnapCackleFlop in that the book was a bit cringe worthy in places and the narrative of the first half was a little repetitive and somewhat irritating but I did feel compelled to read on and ended up enjoying the book. Not one of Fallon's best (I've read quite a few of her novels and the best for me was Getting Rid of Matthew) but very readable, especially good for passing the time whilst commuting. The second half was better than the first and the ending was not as saccharin as I thought it would be. Glad I read the book and would have even if I hadn't won a copy to review, as I like the author's previous work.

Thanks for all your brilliant feedback. It seems that most of you enjoyed it, even if you didn't get on entirely with the characters (madcapped I'm looking at you!). Also loved Snap's review, "If books were food this would be a bag of Malteasers"!

The winner of the £100 Love2Shop voucher is 2006greendragon. Congratulations!

Many thanks Mumsnet / Penguin Books for a copy of this book. It arrived really late, so proved impossible to post a review before the end of February, but we eventually got there (better late than never, I say). Must say, it proved quite a read.

I was not surprised to read that Jane Fallon was a producer on 'This Life'. Similar to that, this is a city slicker sitcom-come-soap opera full of utterly despicable characters, each with their own twisted agenda. In fact, Michelle, the character cheated on by her husband, and her best friend, and her best friend's PA, etc., is the only true innocent. Without revealing much more about the various twists and turns, this is a combustible concoction of betrayed friendship, infidelity, scheming revenge, and the ultimate secrets ... truly "strictly between us"!
Highly implausible at times, the scenarios nevertheless make for some cringe-worthy hilarious moments. The key thing is that the reader remains hooked, compelled to read on right until the end to discover how it all gets resolved. Have to admit, reading it felt like giving in to a guilty pleasure. But saying that, it is a smart, sassy book, intelligently constructed, with the author making use of her life and work experiences to good effect in developing the narrative setting and happenings.