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    Best Friends Forever
    Best Friends Forever
    Best Friends Forever
    Audiobook12 hours

    Best Friends Forever

    Written by Jennifer Weiner

    Narrated by James Colby and Nicole Poole

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner comes "a smart, witty fairy tale for grownups" (Maureen Corrigan, NPR).

    Addie Downs and Valerie Adler will be best friends forever. That’s what Addie believes after Valerie moves across the street when they’re both nine years old. But in the wake of betrayal during their teenage years, Val is swept into the popular crowd, while mousy, sullen Addie becomes her school’s scapegoat.

    Flash-forward fifteen years. Valerie Adler has found a measure of fame and fortune working as the weathergirl at the local TV station. Addie Downs lives alone in her parents’ house in their small hometown of Pleasant Ridge, Illinois, caring for a troubled brother and trying to meet Prince Charming on the Internet. She’s just returned from Bad Date #6 when she opens her door to find her long-gone best friend standing there, a terrified look on her face and blood on the sleeve of her coat. "Something horrible has happened," Val tells Addie, "and you’re the only one who can help."

    Best Friends Forever is a grand, hilarious, edge-of-your-seat adventure; a story about betrayal and loyalty, family history and small-town secrets. It’s about living through tragedy, finding love where you least expect it, and the ties that keep best friends together
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateJan 4, 2011
    ISBN9781442342415
    Best Friends Forever
    Author

    Jennifer Weiner

    Jennifer Weiner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-one books, including The Summer Place, That Summer, Big Summer, Mrs. Everything, In Her Shoes, Good in Bed, and a memoir in essays, Hungry Heart. She has appeared on many national television programs, including Today and Good Morning America, and her work has been published in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, among other newspapers and magazines. Jennifer lives with her family in Philadelphia. Visit her online at JenniferWeiner.com.

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    Reviews for Best Friends Forever

    4/5

    197 ratings58 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I enjoyed this book... maybe some of the characters were similar to people I know and love.. it kept me interested.. and I smiled when I was done
    • 4/5
      A story of loss, grief, friendship and hope. Addie and Val have been friends since they were little girls. In senior year their friendship ended. Years later after an accident they were reunited and discovered that they needed eachother all along. A great book to pack along on vaction this summer.
    • 4/5
      Jennifer Weiner's books always tend to provide a nice escape and this was no exception. It reminded me a bit of an earlier read this year, Firefly Lane, by Kirsten Hannah, with the hippie girl with a deadbeat mother moving in and befriending the slightly nerdy girl. Addie Downs, the slightly nerdy girl, is a sympathetic figure. The novel covers her relationship with Valerie Adler, the popular and pretty, neighbor. The story features both flashbacks and current time while covering all the ups and downs of friendship. A good read, but probably not Weiner's best.
    • 5/5
      Jenny does it again! Breaking my ? to put it back! ?
    • 3/5
      Definitely my least favorite book of hers, but still worth reading...
    • 1/5
      Definitely the worst Jennifer Weiner book I have ever read, for its flat, uninspiring characters and ridiculous plot. Poorly written, Weiner's latest lacks pretty much everything that makes her books great: a sassy, not-skinny-but-mostly-proud-of-it heroine, a developed romance, great dialogue, true friendships. Pass this one by.
    • 3/5
      Jennifer Weiner's new novel Best Friends Forever tells the story of two women who were inseparable childhood friends. In amongst some difficult high school events their friendship gets broken by betrayal. Years later, on the night of their high school reunion, a crime is committed that brings the two friends back together. Thus begins the outrageous adventure of Addie and Valerie running from the cops and restoring their lost friendship. The chapters skip between past and present to tell the story from the girls childhood, through to their present predicament.The story delves into a lot of the emotions that women experience as they interact with others, both good and bad. It explores the pain of jealousy, betrayal, loss and rejection. It also portrays the strength that comes when you have someone to belong to. Best Friends Forever is set in a small town in Illinois. Addie paints pictures for greeting cards and Val works as a weather girl on TV. Addie struggled with a weight problem for her teenage and 20's that leaves her lacking in self confidence and unable to find love. Val appears to have it all together but actually feels jealous of Addie's family and stability. It is while working through the crime problem together that Addie and Val come to a deeper understanding of each other and learn to forgive each others shortcomings.I found this book to be a mildly entertaining light read. The characters were easy to relate to and the crime aspect of the plot was far-fetched enough to provide a comic tone to the novel. Jennifer Weiner writes in a very straight-forward style that makes it easy to engage with the story. The story opens with the crime scene. It sets the stage for the plot that ties all the parts of the story together. The author aptly portrays modern American family life, the pain involved in growing up and the troubles of finding self-identity. It was not a book that I would read more than once but is an insightful light read that achieves an interesting mix of comedy as well as serious themes.
    • 4/5
      A thoroughly enjoyable book for winter and recuperation. When they were both nine years old, Valerie Adler moves across the street from Addie Downs and they become fast friends. In high school something drove the two apart and Addie went on to become at stay at home artist for a greeting card company and Valerie went out into the world and became a TV weather person. Fifteen years later Valerie is back in town for the high school reunion. And late in the evening she shows up at Addie's door seeking her help. The story was a delight to read except for one or two events that I know could not have happened without consequences and therefore were unbelievable.
    • 4/5
      Publishing industry professionals in this country declared the Chick Lit genre dead some years ago, forcing hordes of writers to reinvent themselves—at least on the surface. A novel written in Chick Lit’s distinctively snarky voice must now call itself women’s humorous contemporary fiction, or light women’s fiction, or any combination thereof, as long as the words “Chick Lit,” so offensively yesterday, are absent. First person point of view, intrinsic to the Chick Lit craze, is no longer acceptable in adult fiction. Unless you’re Jennifer Weiner.Which is a good thing. Just because the publishing industry begged for Chick Lit, got Chick Lit, got too much Chick Lit, and got sick of Chick Lit all within a decade or so, doesn’t mean there’s suddenly a shortage of women readers looking for the fluffy pink beach reads they’ve known and loved.Best Friends Forever (BFF) still has Weiner’s funny, everywoman’s voice, a plot that entertains like a cat zipping around the room after a laser pointer, and characters spiced with a finely balanced combination of angst-that-doesn’t-take-itself-too-seriously and plausible back-story.Fat Adelaide Downs and ditzy Valerie Alder are the products of normal American families, and by “normal,” I mean to say “highly dysfunctional.” As children, Addie and Val bond over their mutual, but unspoken, wish to belong to the other’s family. Addie is ashamed of her obese mother, who Val sees as the nurturing, supportive woman she is, and Val, with her filthy boys’ clothes, greasy hair and mossy teeth, somehow hides the fact that her mother is flat-out neglectful, while Addie sees her as glamorous and free-spirited.Was Ms. Weiner somehow privy to my own adolescence, or are there really that many former kids out there suppressing memories of a similar childhood? Stir the BFF characters’ early lives with an ugly stick, and you’ve got me and my best friend; we’ll call her Lesli, because that was her name. Les was a size-16 girl with a strikingly pretty face, whose mother was thin, polished, never-without-a-man, and drove a Trans Am. I was the neglected one with the obese mother, and alright, Les probably never wished she had my mom, but I sure wanted to exchange my hand-me-downs and thrift-store clothes, self-cut hair, and filthy apartment for her designer jeans, thick, waist-length brown hair and germ-free living conditions.I haven’t seen her in years, but if Les showed up on my doorstep tomorrow needing help because she thought she’d killed her high school date-rapist in a semi-deliberate hit-and-run, it’s unlikely I’d rob a bank and go on the lam with her, like Addie does for Val. Well, they don’t really rob a bank. Val just thinks they did, but I don’t want to pepper this review with too many spoilers. Suffice it to say, BFF won’t disappoint the majority of Ms. Weiner’s fans. Chick Lit may be D.O.A., but the void has been effectively filled with the exact same product, different name. (Review originally posted to Booksquawk)
    • 3/5
      I would consider this an easy summertime, beach read. Not very thought provoking and quite predictable. Not even a new story - high school friendship, betrayal, rediscovery of friendship. But a quick light read.
    • 3/5
      A gentle read focusing on two women who have grown up as best friends, then grew apart after a traumatic event in highschool. Now they are brought together again 10 years later, with one seeking the others help. I found this book kind of depressing; altho I suppose readers of this genre expect a bit of tear jerking to be included in the story. I didn't like Addie much either - we are meant to sympathize with her poor, beaten-down, overweight soul. However, myself being a person of size, I'm irritated by her lack of self esteem. It seems so many stories these days focus on the poor fat girl who makes no friends and can't get significant others. I reject this idea whole-heartedly. It has nothing to do with your size, it has to do with your personality. I sympathize with her shyness - not her size. Ok, end rant. Gentle read, happy ending, women's lives and relationships genre. I feel like maybe the author tried to include too many intertwining story lines here, instead of focusing on one subject. I feel that if she had focused more, she would have a more defined story, instead of the wandering tale she has given us. Overall - meh. Sweet, but unremarkable.
    • 3/5
      I finally finished this book. It took 2 tries but, I made it haha! : )
    • 3/5
      I liked this book. I wouldn’t say I loved it like I do some of Weiner’s other works, but it was enjoyable. Goodreads describes this novel as hilarious and I disagree with that statement. This book was about broken relationships and it was heavy and not humorous.Addie and Valerie are the best of friends until they are torn about by high school shenanigans. After not speaking to each other for over 15 years, the two reunite under interesting circumstances and try to see if the close relationship they once had can be repaired.The novel was very engaging and read quickly. I found it to be well-written and interesting. It did lack a bit of punch. I think that is why the ratings of this novel are so low. I had the sense of something being missing, but not to the point that it caused me to dislike the book.I would recommend it to Weiner fans.
    • 3/5
      As a girl, Addie is overweight and friendless...until Valerie moves in next door. Valerie is everything Addie is not; skinny, confident, and indifferent to what others think of her. They soon become great friends. In high school, Val becomes popular and they grow apart. An incident at a party during their senior year irrevocably breaks their friendship and they don't see each other until fifteen years later after a high school reunion.I enjoyed the character of Addie and felt for her. I found her to be quite believable. I also enjoyed Val who was the complete opposite from Addie. I just didn't find the story that interesting. I also felt the big search for Dan, Val, and Addie very strange considering there was never a dead body. What law enforcement member begins a murder investigation without a body, only with a belt and a little blood? Not my favorite Jennifer Weiner book.
    • 4/5
      Jennifer Weiner's 7th novel "Best Friends Forever" is set in a suburban town outside of Chicago. Addie Downs has been an outsider her whole life, and now in her early 30s she is single and friendless. That is until Addie's old best friend Val shows up one night on Addie's steps. Val quickly pulls Addie into her world, which forces Addie to reflect on why their friendship had dissolved 15 years earlier. As the two women come back together Addie is forced to examine her own life and wonders if her best friend might just help her find what she's been searching for. I'm a big Jennifer Weiner fan, and I was worried that Ms. Weiner might have lost some of her trademark wit and human touch after her last novel, Certain Girls. Well, I'm happy to report that Ms. Weiner is back in full force with Best Friends Forever! The novel's central heroine is a classic Weiner girl, but she's far enough away from her previous characters that you don't feel like you're reading the same story you've already read. There are parts of the novel that are among the most touching things I've read in Chick Lit--Addie caring for her dying mom, and her handicapped brother, to name a few. This is a super quick read with it's pseudo crime and chase plot, but it's a fun summer read. If you're looking for a carbon copy of Ms. Weiner's previous books, this isn't it. But if you're looking for something a little bit different that still has Ms. Weiner's signature flair, I would recommend this book.
    • 5/5
      I've been in book heaven lately, starting with Sookie Stackhouse books, moving on to the newest Sophie Kinsella, and now the newest Jennifer Weiner. I was literally jumping around my house when I got this in the mail (can you tell I'm a Jennifer Weiner fan?).What perhaps amazed me most about this book was that it felt very much like a memoir for a great majority, which attests to Weiner's writing style. The thoughts, feelings, and actions of Addie reflecting on her childhood had me enthralled.When Addie originally got herself into the 'situation' of the book (helping Val), I was initially very upset at her making that decision, but it did cause some self reflection - would I do what Addie had done? I almost certainly would have. My willingness to accept a character through their flaws and embrace them as they are made this a truly wonderful novel for me to read.At the time of this review, Best Friends Forever is #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List, and for this I'm not surprised. It's not every day you read a book with such complexity, emotion, and feeling - and I certainly don't always yearn for a sequel like I did in the closing chapters of this book. Don't let the classification of chick lit scare you off (if you're one that's easily scared) - this isn't the normal kind of plot that many expect when reading that genre. If you don't have a copy yet, get it. Really. Then come back and tell me how right I am (I'll allow it, just this once).
    • 4/5
      I didn't love this as much as I've loved some of Weiner's other books, and I'm not sure why. The story requires a little more suspending of the disbelief than I'm comfortable with, maybe, and I think I had some trouble identifying with a narrator who is as little interested in vengeance as Addie is, even after what she's been through. The book is still a lot of fun, though, and even if I didn't like it as well as I've liked others of her books, I really did enjoy it.
    • 5/5
      Jennifer Weiner delivers an entertaining story, fully satisfying if not the best novel ever written. It is everything it promises to be.
    • 3/5
      After ditching her class reunion to go on a blind date, Addie Downs isn't quite sure what to expect when she opens her front door after a knock later that night. There stands her former best friend since elementary school Valerie Adler, looking shaken. This reunion doesn't go as Addie thought it would, their friendship having been shattered during the end of high school, when Valerie sided with the popular crowd instead of Addie. The story switches between the beginning of their friendship and the present day pickle they're in, with some alternating chapters from the viewpoint of police chief Jordan Novick. I don't know if I was ever sold on how the girls friendship would have picked up like that after the high school betrayal. But, I guess it shows that Addie has a deep heart and with the loss of her parents and the incapcitation of her brother, this friendship is worth saving.
    • 3/5
      Addie Downs, like the protagonists in Weiner's other novels, is an overweight, 30 something brunette with a beautiful sidekick. While Addie has lost a good deal of weight when the book opens, she still struggles to reconcile her new body with the fat girl inside. Addie's high school BFF, Valerie, turns up on her doorstep after a violent incident outside their 15th high school reunion. Addie and Val then go on the lam while we learn about how Addie wished she was skinny and cute with a cool mom growing up and Val wished she had a functional family even though Addie and her mom were fat. I have read at least 4 of Weiner's books and I don't know why I keep reading them. I did quite enjoy Good in Bed back in 2003 but my enjoyment has diminished with each new release. The thing that I love most in Weiner's books is the Philadelphia setting and I would have squeaked out another half star to recognize my favorite Philly locations in this book.
    • 5/5
      Addie Downs is down but not outAt the age of 33, Addie Downs has survived more than her share of sadness and tragedy. But she's come through it stronger. While she lives a largely solitary life, she's made the most of the gifts she's been given and is taking positive steps to improve her lot in life. Then the doorbell rings. Addie is almost not surprised to see Valerie Adler, her childhood best (and only) friend, whom she hasn't seen in more than a decade. It was as if she'd always known this day would come: Valerie needs her help. It's the night of their high school reunion. A plan for casual revenge gets a little out of control, and Valerie may have hit an old nemesis with her car. She needs Addie to come with her for moral support as she returns to the scene of the crime. So begins an odyssey into the past and into a new future for these two best friends forever. It's a Thelma and Louise-esqe road trip of laughter and discovery, and I defy you not to smile as you read it. Author Jennifer Weiner has struggled with the "chick lit" label for her entire career. Such dismissiveness doesn't acknowledge the way she brings her characters to life. Within pages, she's created wonderful, sympathetic, relatable characters. Sure the plot's a little outlandish, but Weiner's humor (infused in her creations) is irrepressible. At the end of the day, there's nothing wrong with reading something that simply makes you feel good.
    • 1/5
      Trite and trivial. Poorly developed, unbelievable and with an unlikely ending. On my list as a reminder not to read anything else by this author.
    • 4/5
      I think this is my favorite Jennifer Weiner book so far. It was funny and perfect for reading on a sunny summer day.
    • 3/5
      A typical Weiner, nice, entertaining, flat characters and utterly predictable. I liked it! (Although I kept wondering why the police would want to spend so much time on a vague crime no one cares about...)
    • 3/5
      I really enjoyed the backstory and character development, but I thought the overall story was a bit weak and unrealistic. Love Weiner's books and her writing style, but this was just an okay one for me.
    • 2/5
      To sum it up in one word. "Boring." This book was so unmemorable...all I can remember was that I was trying hard to finish it...there was no "depth" to the book- it was a little to unbelievable to me...not realistic at all, and not entertaining...perhaps a good read for the beach or light summer reading, but not something that would keep your interest for very long. I was very disappointed since I LOVED the film "In Her Shoes," which is based on one of her works, so I had high hopes for this book, but it just kinda fell flat.
    • 3/5
      Good fun read but predictable.
    • 4/5
      I enjoy reading novels about women’s friendships. When I read the synopsis for Best Friends Forever, prior to its release, I immediately added my name to the wait list at my library. I’ve never read any of Ms. Weiner’s previous novels, and thought this would be a good place to start.Val and Addie were best friends growing up. One summer day, Val and her mother moved in the house across from Addie and her family. Val immediately introduced herself to Addie and like they say, the rest was history. They remained close throughout high school until an event tore their friendship apart. Years later, and past hurts buried, but not yet forgotten, Val returns to Addie’s door step asking her for help.The history of their friendship is narrated by Addie. Here’s where the book fell flat for me. I would have preferred to read Val’s back story in Val’s own voice instead of Addie’s perspective. Throughout the novel, Val mentioned her jealousy towards Addie and her sadness about her parents’ divorce which resulted in her mother becoming more of friend and less of a parent. Also, Val was an awkward child growing up. As an adult, she turned into a beautiful, successful woman, while still carrying her childhood insecurities. Because I felt the story was one-sided, I didn’t feel connected to Val and questioned her motive regarding her friendship with Addie. Often times, I questioned their “BFF” status.I expected more from this book and was somewhat disappointed. The tragic event during high school is predictable as well as the man Addie eventually falls for. Despite feeling letdown, I will read another of Ms. Weiner’s books.
    • 4/5
      At first I wasn't sure what to make Addie and Val. Addie has such a rich interior life and Val seems so shallow. As the book went along I couldn't help but realize it's brilliant. Addie's metamorphosis from a woman who lets her life be decided by easy decisions to one who celebrates life is breathtaking.
    • 3/5
      Though this was not my favorite of Jennifer Weiner's books, it delivers that same tender, yet sometime funny, coming of age tale within the larger picture of a present day dilemma. The story of how two women lives reconnect after years of leftover drama and trauma starts with a crime, hooking the reader at the first page even when the "crime" slowly dissolves into just that, a beginning hook and not much more. Though Val's character is very 2 dimensional and their friendship frustrating, Addie is painted perfectly, I wish I could meet her in real life and have coffee. Her story is impeccably told and I wanted to know so much more about her life. Another hit for Weiner, I can't wait to see what she does next. (if she did a follow up to Addie a la Certain Girls style, I would be first in line!)