The Story of Our Lives by Helen Warner – Published by Harper Collins, 2018

I’d be the first to admit I’m no fan of chick-lit so this book was never going to be in my top ten must-reads. So, what can I say? Well, if you like books with sentences like

“…her dark eyes clouding as her shoulder-length, raven-coloured hair swished from side to side …” then this is probably the book for you. 

Described as “A fascinating exploration of friendship”, it’s the story of four women, friends since university, who meet each year for a weekend away. Naturally they’re all beautiful, all different (there’s a tall, hard working one, still with her first love; a single mother who’s never revealed the name of her child’s father; the quiet, rich one; and the gorgeous, flighty one).

The action takes place over 20 years with brief, but (to me) gratuitous references to world events eg the Bill Clinton sex scandal and the Princess Of Wales’ death.

It’s described as an exploration of female friendship; all I can say is thank you to my wonderful friends (you know who you are) for not being remotely like Amy, Emily, Melissa or Sophie.

As to the story, there were so many references to champagne and prosecco, I began to feel slightly tipsy myself. On a more positive note, I’m happy to echo Sophie’s toast “To best friends for ever”.