It’s early 2008 and the credit crunch is starting to bite. Sam and Laura Diamond - and their friends - are circling forty and all feeling a lot less certain about life than when they first met in their twenties. Laura wants to work part-time and have a third child - an appalling prospect for her husband Sam, whose secret ambition is to give up his job as a struggling scriptwriter and have a vasectomy.
Life’s no more straightforward for wild child turned corporate lawyer Janey Dart. Having finally given up on Patrick, the love of her life, she finds herself unexpectedly pregnant and hastily married to a wealthy hedge fund manager who loathes her friends.
And Sam’s oldest friend, trendy restaurant owner Jonathan Sleet, is about to hit the big time with a TV series and cookbook, but can’t control his roving eye. So it’s no surprise that back on their organic farm in Suffolk, his once glamorous wife Hannah is finding distractions of her own.
Determined to reunite the group, Jonathan brings everyone together for a holiday to celebrate his fortieth birthday. But six friends, two decades of tangled fortunes and a complicated secret from the past make for an explosive week.
"I love it when a new title comes out from an author I’ve bonded with. The enjoyment I derived from Fiona Neill’s The Secret Life of a Slummy Mummy inspired me to pick up her latest, Friends, Lovers and Other Indiscretions…in the second half the tale crescendos to a heart-racing finale. Her turn of phrase is clever and perceptive…this book was my devoted pal. Can’t wait for the next one!"
Now
"If, like us, you fancy a change from the tried-and-tested tales of sweeping love affairs and tanned torsos, this novel from the author of The Secret Life of a Slummy Mummy is most certainly worth a read... You’ll be desperate to know who’s after who, who’s had who and who’s actually telling the truth. Without any frills or need for tall tales, Fiona’s cracking new novel gives the feeling that it’s all real enough to be happening right under your own nose in your own circle of friends."
Heat
"[A] thoughtful meditation on how friendships change through time as a group of former university chums with a tangled sexual history deal with parenthood, success, fidelity, secrets and failure."
Ham & High
"Funny, farcical and a damn good read, Neill proves, once again, that she’s a witty literary force to be reckoned with."
Your Choice Magazine
"Fiona Neill won’t disappoint her readers with her latest novel: a delicious cocktail of scandals, deceit and friendship... The twists in the characters’ lives make for a gripping read... .If you choose to read this book on a bus or train, be careful you don’t miss your stop! Intelligent, funny and easy to relate to, Neill’s new book captures the essence of friendships and contemporary family life to perfection."
Eastern Daily Press
"This is a high-end chick lit at its best: so well-written, with such believable and engaging characters, it was an absolute joy to read."
Daily Mail
"Spiky wit and intelligence [in a] tale of six disaffected late thirty-something friends…Neill’s reflections on parenthood with induce wry winces of recognition, although even the footloose and fancy-free will savour this hilarious romp through the complications of relationships and friendships."
Easy Living
"Neill had a huge hit with The Secret Life of a Slummy Mummy, her hilarious take on modern motherhood. This is every bit as funny, and packed with observations of wince-making accuracy... Superb entertainment."
The Times
