Friday 5ive- July 31, 2020

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly blog post about five things that caught my attention this week. It's so hard to believe that this is the last day of July. The days go by so slowly, but the weeks go by too fast. Does that make sense?

1)  Our animal photo this week is a dog on a plaque. While walking in downtown Bronxville, my friend Barb and saw this woman touching this plaque on a wall of one of the buildings. On the plaque is a rendering of Jake, known as "The Prince of Pondfield". You are supposed to pet him and make a wish.  I think I know what most people are wishing for.

2) While in Bronxville, we stopped into the local bookstore, Womrath Books, and I picked up a few books to continue my quest to support indie bookstores. I bought Sue Monk Kidd's new novel, The Book of Longings, a fictionalized tale of the wife of Jesus, and then something to make me laugh, Selina Meyer's "autobiography", A Woman First.  Fans of HBO's Veep will recognize the book. I hope it has lots of cursing in it.

Womrath Books

3) I passed by The Beach Cafe today and I think they have the cutest outdoor seating decor I've seen yet, with a teal lifeguard chair and beach balls outside. 

4) The heat was too much for me this week, so I caught up on some TV. I finally finished the last season of Schitt's Creek, and it was everything I hoped it would be. I really stretched it out because I didn't want to finish it. Dan Levy and company created such a lovely show, and the timing for it couldn't be better. The world needs to see that people can grow and be better people, like the Rose family. Bravo to all, and congratulations on their 15 Emmy nominations this week. This show will stand the test of time. 

I also started Apple TV+'s The Morning Show. The first two hours are gripping television, and Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carrell, Mark Duplass and Billy Crudup deserve their Emmy nominations this week. Anyone who likes morning TV shows will love this one, and I like how they really hit the zeitgeist of the moment. I can't wait to dive back into this one. 

5)  I only read two books this week. Susan Mallery's The Friendship List is about two female friends who try to get out of their comfort zone by making a list of new things to do- skydiving, getting a tattoo, and having sex with a hot guy. It's the last one that has long lasting consequences for both women. It's funny, sweet, and sometimes a little heartbreaking. My full review is here.

Caroline Leavitt's new novel, With Or Without You, about a woman who comes out of a coma with a different personality and artistic ability, is Leavitt's best book yet. She excels at writing about people who face a crisis, usually not of their own creation, and she engenders such empathy for her characters. It's heartbreaking and very moving. My full review publishes Tuesday, but spoiler alert, I adored it. I can't get Stella and Simon out of my mind.  

Bring on August! Stay safe and socially distant everyone, wear a mask and wash your hands. We're all in this together.

The Friendship List by Susan Mallery

The Friendship Listby Susan Mallery

Published by Harlequin Books ISBN 9781335136961

Hardcover, 426.99, 384 pages

From the title of Susan Mallery's new novel, The Friendship List, you would assume that a friendship plays the major role in the book. And while Ellen and her best friend Unity's friendship is important, there are some very sexy scenes that will have readers reaching for a cold drink to cool down.

Ellen is a high school English teacher and single mom to Cooper, 17 years old and a football player. For all their lives, it's just been Ellen and Cooper, as Ellen got pregnant in high school and never had a relationship with Cooper's father beyond the one night.

Her best friend since childhood is Unity, who lost her parents in a car accident when she was a teenager. Unity married her high school boyfriend whose career in the military meant they moved around a lot. When he was killed in action three years ago, Unity's life fell apart and she has yet to recover.

Both Ellen and Unity don't have a lot of experience with dating, and their friendship has been the cornerstone of the life. It's also kept them from experiences that many adult women have had.

When Ellen discovers that Cooper is reluctant to go away to college as they had planned, it is because he is fearful of leaving his mom alone. She overhears him tell a friend that he believes she depends on him for everything, and he just can't go.

This spurs Ellen to join with Unity and create the Friendship List. On this list are things the women plan to do to expand their horizons. There are things like skydiving, rock climbing, getting a tattoo, and having sex with a hot guy on the list. The first one to complete the list gets treated to a spa day by the other one.

Ellen's other good friend is Keith, the high school football coach. They have dinner together frequently, and have never thought of each other as anything more than friends. Ellen is traveling with Keith, Cooper and some football players on a college tour trip. She decides that it will be the perfect time to show her son that she has a life of her own.

She gets a tattoo, and buys a sexy outfit to wear to dinner with Keith. Ellen's lack of experience does not dampen her enthusiasm for sex, and the scenes where she inadvertently tortures poor Keith are amusing and sexy. The dialogue between the two is witty, even laugh-out-loud funny.

Meanwhile, Unity's older friend Dagmar sets her up on a date with her nephew Thaddeus. Thaddeus is a wealthy entrepreneur and former stripper (how is that for a double whammy?) who is tired of the dating scene and looking for "the one".

But Unity cannot  move on with her life after the death of her husband three years prior. She works as a handywoman, with a large clientele at the local senior living complex. For fun she plays in the senior pickleball league (even though she is only 34), and she still attends a weekly grief support group.

Can Ellen and Unity shed their fears and move forward with life? You'll have to read this delightful story, The Friendship List, to find out. I read it in one day, and it moved me (Unity's heartbreaking sadness)

and made me smile (Ellen's curiosity about sex) in equal measures. 

If you are looking for a terrific story that has female friendship and steamy sex scenes, put The Frienship List on your TBR list. It's a great summer read.

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on Susan Mallery's blog tour.