Girl Friends – Holly Bourne

I’ve just spent the morning finishing Girl Friends because I could not put it down. Admittedly, it’s the first Holly Bourne book that I’ve read, but I’ll be adding her back catalogue to my Christmas list 😉

Firstly, I feel a trigger warning ❗️ is needed with this book- it delves into mental health, suicide, self harm, rape, misogyny… please look after yourself when you’re reading it.

Girl Friends explores the theme of female friendships, from those forged in our teenage years to those we rely on in our 30s. The novel centres Fern and her friendship with Jessica. The flashbacks to the early 00s are filled with so much more than teenage angst- it’s filled with the realities of what it was like for girls growing up in a culture of enforced body issues, rape jokes and no ideas about consent.

Fern and Jessica in modern day are in their 30s and are reconnecting after more than a decade apart. Even as successful, well adjusted adults, their traumas from their teenage years are just under the surface, ready to explode their lives once again.

Bourne writes with erudition around society and gender roles, and how problematic so much of what we have normalised can be. The novel is thought provoking and engaging at once. It’s definitely not a fluff piece and the importance of friends.

Please, please, please get yourself a copy of Girl Friends. It’s eye-opening and full of moments that make you think “Wow, it wasn’t just me”! And it’s full of 00s nostalgia too 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

A definite ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!