When We Were Friends by Samantha Tonge Published by Boldwood Books on October 4, 2023
Genres: Women's Fiction
Buy on Amazon/Barnes & Noble
Find the Author: Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, BookBubFour friends, one big secret... and the journey of a lifetime.
It’s nineteen years since they stopped speaking to each other, but now Morgan needs to contact her three best friends from school: Paige, Emily and Tiff.
Her teenage son wants to meet his dad and Morgan can’t ignore his requests any longer. And Paige, Emily and Tiff all knew what actually happened back then. Even if that was what led to their friendship group falling apart, they’re the only people Morgan can think of who might be able help her find the man who disappeared without a trace before she could tell him she was pregnant.
Can Morgan persuade her old friends to go on a road trip to track him down? As adults – with marriages, children and a whole bucket-load of their own problems – will they be able to work together to solve the mystery? And if so – just when forgiveness for the past looks like it might be possible – how will they cope with the biggest shock of all?
My Thoughts
Samantha Tonge’s “When We Were Friends” left a lasting impression on me. The story follows four childhood friends, Morgan, Paige, Emily, and Tiff, who reunite after many years apart. The reader is led on an emotional trip as they navigate their past and present lives, highlighting the strength of friendship and the intricacies of life.
Samantha does an excellent job of conveying the ups and downs of friendship and the obstacles it can bring. I appreciated the well-developed characters and fascinating narrative; the writing was excellent.
Anyone who appreciates a decent story about friendship and life should read this book. It’s a story that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading it.
Thank you to Boldwood Books for the invitation to read and review this ARC.
About Samantha Tonge
Samantha Tonge lives in Manchester UK with her husband and children. She studied German and French at university and has worked abroad, including a stint at Disneyland Paris. She has travelled widely.
When not writing she passes her days cycling, baking and drinking coffee. Samantha has sold many dozens of short stories to women’s magazines.
She is represented by the Darley Anderson literary agency. In 2013, she landed a publishing deal for romantic comedy fiction with HQDigital at HarperCollins. In 2015 her summer novel, Game of Scones, hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Love Stories Awards Best Romantic Ebook category. In 2018 Forgive Me Not, heralded a new direction into darker women’s fiction with publisher Canelo and in 2020 her novel Knowing You won the RNA’s Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award.
