When We Were Friends

*An earlier version of this novel was published under the title A SERPENTINE AFFAIR* The addictive new novel from Tina Seskis, author of One Step Too Far. It had always been the six of us. Since we met at university twenty-five years ago, we'd faced everything together. Break-ups and marriages, motherhood and death. We were closer than sisters; the edges of our lives bled into each other. But that was before the night of the reunion. The night of exposed secrets and jagged accusations. The night when everything changed. And then we were five. Praise for When We Were Friends 'There's a poignant air of nostalgia about the sections set in the women's younger day, and you'll warm to the sharply-drawn characters. Astute and witty.' Sunday Mirror 'Clever, intriguing, chilling - and utterly impossible to put down. Tina Seskis is proving herself to be master of the twist' Grazia 'Six friends, one reunion, one gigantic mess. One of the best books to read this April' Red Online 'A chilling tale of university friends 25 years later . . . the tragic fallout of a summer reunion will make you wish you could read that bit faster' Stylist 'One of the world's leading experts at pulling the wool over readers' eyes until the very end' Sophie Hannah 'This dark whodunit explores just how complex friendships can be' Woman Magazine Praise for Tina Seskis 'Taut, compelling... a storming read' The Bookseller Books of the Year 2013 on One Step Too Far 'One Step Too Far is a genius tale with a twist' Stylist 'A whip-smart thriller that keeps you guessing right up until the final shocking twist' Mirror on One Step Too Far

A boy describes his friendship with Matt, whose autism spectrum disorder causes him to behave strangely at times, and how he make things easier for Matt at school and in their neighborhood.

For fans of Nina LaCour's We Are Okay and Adam Silvera's History Is All You Left Me, this heartfelt and ultimately uplifting novel follows one sixteen-year-old girl's friend breakup through two concurrent timelines--ultimately proving that even endings can lead to new beginnings. "Stunning." --Nic Stone, bestselling author of Dear Martin and Odd One Out You can't rewrite the past, but you can always choose to start again. It's been twenty-seven days since Cleo and Layla's friendship imploded. Nearly a month since Cleo realized they'll never be besties again. Now Cleo wants to erase every memory, good or bad, that tethers her to her ex-best friend. But pretending Layla doesn't exist isn't as easy as Cleo hoped, especially after she's assigned to be Layla's tutor. Despite budding friendships with other classmates--and a raging crush on a gorgeous boy named Dom--Cleo's turbulent past with Layla comes back to haunt them both. Alternating between time lines of Then and Now, When You Were Everything blends past and present into an emotional story about the beauty of self-forgiveness, the promise of new beginnings, and the courage it takes to remain open to love. "Breathtakingly beautiful....Woodfolk has a way of making words sing and burst with light." --Tiffany D. Jackson, award-winning author of Monday's Not Coming and Let Me Hear A Rhyme

A Bantam Books trade paperback original.

Four 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? A story about love, families and how the people who know you best are the ones you will always need in your life. Totally heartbreaking, brilliant, uplifting fiction for fans of Jill Mansell, Paige Toon and Sheila O’Flanagan. Readers love When We Were Friends: ‘The story of Morgan, Paige, Emily and Tiff’s up and down lives since their school days will resonate with anyone who’s ever had a friend and then lost them. Their sometimes painful, often funny and intensely heart-warming journey towards a better understanding of what went wrong is a joy to read. Sparkling with witty dialogue and full of wise words... a masterpiece of storytelling.’ Celia Anderson, author ‘This book just pulled me in. The story pulled at my heart as I read on and on and on. I couldn’t stop reading as I had to know what the ending was going to be!... I’m still thinking about this story. It made me think back to my teenage years and things that had happened. A beautiful story about friendship that I highly recommend.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘WOW this is one book that will keep readers flicking page after page. I loved the story... The author once again captures real life dramas... Takes you on a journey... Fabulous!’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This book is great on the nuances of both teenage and adult friendships, and what it takes to transform one into the other. I was really rooting for these women.’ Laura Pearson, author ‘Wow I couldn't get enough of this, from the incredibly intriguing opening chapter, to the fact that there seemed to be some many secrets to be revealed – including some that truly shocked me... I absolutely loved it.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘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.. fascinating narrative; the writing was excellent... A story that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading it.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

They were best friends. Sisters of the heart. Partners in crime. Until they got caught… Five years ago, Frannie Willets committed grand larceny to help her best friend, Lexi Maddox, escape an awful situation. Now paroled and prospectless, Frannie needs to disappear from her dead-end life. To do so, she’ll need her share of the stolen money that Lexi has been hiding all these years. But Lexi has other plans. By all appearances, Lexi is thriving, but in truth, nothing in her life is going according to plan. She can’t carry a pregnancy to term, her sweet stepdaughter hates her, and even the family’s new rescue dog knows she’s a failure. Lexi’s only path to happiness is making amends with the friend she dearly misses. But the only thing Frannie wants from Lexi is cash. Out of desperation, Lexi offers Frannie all the money, with one catch: Frannie must stick around for one month. Stranded in their suffocating small town, Frannie gets tangled up in Lexi’s issues, her mother’s questionable dating life, a lonely kid’s desperate attempts to find friends, and a high-school crush’s fantasies about what could have been. Suddenly, leaving doesn’t look as easy as it once did. But when an old enemy surfaces, Frannie realizes her staying endangers everyone she loves. And even though she might have found her heart’s true home, there’s no guarantee she can keep it.

Lainey Carson and Sydney Beaumont were the closest of friends—until they reached high school and Sydney’s burgeoning popularity made it easy for her to leave the contemplative, ungainly Lainey behind. Eighteen years later, Lainey, who lives at home caring for her mother, is an artist who’s never found the courage to live her dreams. When Sydney shows up on her doorstep with her infant daughter, insisting that Lainey is the only friend she can trust, Lainey reluctantly agrees to take temporary custody of the baby to protect her from an abusive father. But that very night, Sydney appears on the evening news—claiming that her daughter has been kidnapped. Unsure of whom she can trust, Lainey is forced to go on the run with a child who is not her own—but whose bond with her grows stronger every day they spend together. In search of a safe place to stay, Lainey befriends a man who, concerned for their welfare, offers them a home. But as the two grow closer she starts to realize that he may be harboring his own secrets. An utterly riveting story that will keep you turning the pages, When We Were Friends asks how we define motherhood and family, whether we ever truly overcome our pasts, and what friendship really means.

Lotti Coates lives in the shadow of a genius: her father George is a brilliant and celebrated Australian painter. When Lotti meets the outcast waif Kyla at a suburban Canberra school, two worlds are set to collide. Slowly Kyla is drawn into the orbit of the Coates family. Or is it the other way around? As Lotti and Kyla navigate their way towards adulthood, dark secrets start to unravel, with devastating consequences … We Were Never Friends is a story of friendship, the pursuit of a creative life and the legacies we leave behind. Praise for We Were Never Friends by Margaret Bearman ‘This intelligent, subtle novel is a complex study of family dynamics, class divides, adolescent pecking orders, and the murky moral landscapes of artistic practice and inspiration.’ —Kerryn Goldsworthy, The Sydney Morning Herald ‘Margaret Bearman’s intimate, unsettling novel of family dysfunction perfectly captures the ambivalent passions of girlhood while offering an incisive critique of the cult of artistic genius. Sharp and subtle at the same time, refusing any easy certainties, We Were Never Friends is a haunting portrait of the human capacity for cruelty and love in equal measure.’ —Kirsten Tranter, bestselling author of The Legacy ‘A compelling and authentic journey into the heart of an Australian family. What is art? What’s true courage? I could not put it down.’ —Melissa Ashley, bestselling author of The Birdman’s Wife