Sunday, July 11, 2010

Bad Friends by Claire Seeber


I bought Bad Friends by Claire Seeber somehow thinking it was YA. I had even placed it on my YA-shelf, and when I picked it up last week to read, I was also sure it was YA. Until a few pages in when the drinks began to flow and the cigarettes were smoked. Then I checked the back, and no, it's not YA. Don't know where I got that idea, but I blame Amazon, putting it in one of their: If you liked [insert YA-title here] you may also like Bad Friends.

Anyway, its a psychological thriller and it is not half bad. It also has a good deal of chick lit in it, and all in all I found it to be a nice, light read. Once I got used to the fact that it was not YA.

Maggie leaves her boyfriend, the hard drinking Alex with a troublesome father, in a parkinglot, and goes back to London in a huff and with a broken heart. The bus she is on is involved in a horrible accident, and after Maggie's recovery, she goes back to work to find out that there are certain things she is deliberately blocking from her memory. She does not really suffer from amnesia, because early on the reader detect that Maggie is aware of all the "secrets" being referred to, but we are not told. This annoyed me, but on the other hand it also made me read more, because I wanted to find out what it was Maggie had done that was so terrible, giving her boss the right to demand that she stays in her job, which she hates.

Maggie also meets a new "friend", another girl involved in the accident. This girl, Fay, keeps turning up at the most weird times, and she gives Maggie the creeps. Pretty soon it becomes clear that someone is stalking Maggie, sending her funeral flowers and creepy texts, and Maggie's life spirals out of control. Furthermore she has to deal with Alex, her ex, and with a new love interest. And her father, and the death of her mother many years ago and much more.

Bad Friends is an easy read, and fine for a quick summer read.

4 comments:

Dorte H said...

It sounds interesting, and the cover is fine.

Louise said...

Yes, the cover is actually quite good. To be honest, though, I don't think you'd be too overwhelmed with this book. Judging from the lit you usually read, I think you'll find this one rather boring. It was light and easy and as such a good book, but the plotlines were shaky, and I did figure out some of the mysteries along the way...

Dorte H said...

Don´t worry; I am not rushing off to *buy* it - it doesn´t sound very scary - I just liked your review of it :D

Beth F said...

Good for a summer read. Glad you found something to enjoy even if it wasn't what you expected. I'll likely pass on this title though.