Review - Four Friends by Robyn Carr

Book Summary

Robyn Carr comes the story of four friends determined to find their stride. Ultimately, they'll discover what it means to be a wife, mother, lover, friend…and most important: your true self.

Gerri can't decide what's more devastating: learning her rock-solid marriage has big cracks, or the anger she feels as she tries to repair them. Always the anchor for friends and her three angst-ridden teenagers, it's time to look carefully at herself. The journey is more than revealing—it's transforming.

Andy doesn't have a great track record with men, and she's come to believe that a lasting love is out of reach. When she finds herself attracted to her down-to-earth contractor—a man without any of the qualities that usually appeal to her—she questions everything she thought she wanted in life.

Sonja's lifelong pursuit of balance is shattered when her husband declares he's through with her New Age nonsense and walks out. There's no herbal tonic or cleansing ritual that can restore her serenity—or her sanity.


Miraculously, it's BJ, the reserved newcomer to Mill Valley, who steps into their circle and changes everything. The woman with dark secrets opens up to her neighbors, and together they get each other back on track, stronger as individuals and unfaltering as friends.



My Review 4 1/2


This was a great friendship story, highly recommend if you have a book club of close friends or want a reminder to appreciate the friends you have.  I enjoyed each character and following their lives, they all had a special voice, all very different which we made it easy to follow.  Robyn Carr's writing style reminded me of a favourite author, Kristin Hannah.  This wasn't emotionally painful, just genuine female heartache with family, career and friend life. I didn't identify with any but would have been friends with them.

Sonja made me laugh the most.  She had an emotional break which I hate to say had me laughing and crying in buckets, she seriously had a meltdown but it was the funniest scenes to me.  Before she had the meltdown I was laughing saying 'she is hot mess, totally a nut'.  The thing is her friends thought this also, but it was why they loved her, it was sad to see her break but I loved how Robyn dealt with her husband, friends and the new Sonja's outlook on it, brilliant.

One thing about love and life I have found is that it is never as perfect as it may seem and you should just enjoy the moments.  The emotional wrecks the friends had to deal with, mainly marriage problems was real and most had the rug pulled from under them issues.  The story made me say enjoy life, each moment and to face the uncomfortable conversations as they may save your marriage and happiness.

Being a parent is highly overrated to me, lol, there is no damn handbook that can ever help you with the crap that you have to face but we have to learn how to do it with love.  I appreciated all the avenues Robyn Carr took to reveal the journey the women faced. Parenting, spousal commitments, adultery, abandonment, gay marriage and children, destructive behaviour and overall decisions in order not to lose yourself throughout the madness of life.

The best part was this book is for the women in their 30's pushing 40, I loved to read about women my age, the reality was more genuine and realistic to me.  I have also been really blessed with my friendships.  Two friends have been in my life since nursery school and we all go 38 this year, our friendship continues to grow, very fortunate.

I was surprised I was asked to review this as I usually go for the mystery, gory crime books but it was perfect timing, my mood called for this and I loved it.  My first introduction to Robyn Carr, I will definitely read her books again.



A favourite quote

....grandmother used to say, 'Your kids don't belong to you - they're only on loan for you to raise.  They have their own lives, their own destinies.  So you better get out of the way.'  Kindle at 70%


Can you recommend any women's fiction novels with over 30 or 40 year old women?