My Best Friend's Girl

I was recommended to read this book by my cousin, who lent it to me.
The first part of the book had me crying because it described Adele's condition before she died. It reminded me a lot of my mum. Every detail, right down to how her skin felt, was so similar.
As the book progressed, I found that it was pretty fast-paced, unlike most "chick-lit" that I've read. It was touching to read about how this Kamryn character took on the responsibility of taking care of her best friend's daughter with no hesitation. There were a lot of heavy emotions described in the book, and I was most drawn to how the characters came to accept Adele's death, their grieving process and how they overcame that grief to start living "normally" again.
Pretty heavy show more stuff, but a good read. show less

Other than being a tad too long, My Best Friend’s Girl by Dorothy Koomson was a very satisfactory romantic read. Kamryn and Adele were best friends until Kamryn discovers that her best friend’s daughter was fathered by her fiance, Nate. She immediately ends her engagement, moves to Leeds and ends all contact with her friend, Adele. Then two years later comes the sad news that Adele is dying from leukemia and that she wants Kamryn to be the one to take care of her daughter, Tegan.

Kamryn and Tegan are in the beginning stages of bonding when Luke enters their lives. Luke falls for both the girls and life is looking pretty sweet, when Kamryn discovers not only has her ex-fiance moved to Leeds as well, she also has to contact him and show more obtain his permission to adopt Tegan. This, of course, brings Nate back into her life, and he make it pretty obvious that he still loves Kamryn. A touching story about heartbreak, grief, friendship and responsibility, My Best Friend’s Girl keeps the reader guessing as to how these people are going to resolve their feelings. Tegan, being the glue that holds the story together was a little to “precious” to be entirely believable but the story was intriguing and keeps the reader guessing as to the final outcome. show less

Last word first: Heartbreaking and sweet, if a little predictable in some ways. Recommended reading.

Synopsis: Kamryn and Adele were best friends for years, right up to the day Kamryn found out Adele had slept with Kamryn's fiance. Broken-hearted, Kamryn ditches her friend, her fiance and her former life and does her best to forget. And she thinks she's succeeded, when Adele's dying request for Kamryn to adopt her daughter brings it all back to the surface. Tegan isn't just Adele's daughter... she's also the daughter of Kamryn's former fiance, though he is unaware of it.

My thoughts: There are two things that just make me fall apart - dying mothers and abused children. (That's actually a lie. There are many things in books I find tough to show more deal with, but those are biggies.) This book serves up both within the first 80 pages.

You'll have guessed already what happens, so I don't really feel like I'm giving you a spoiler when I say that Kamryn (Ryn) decides to adopt Tegan, Adele's daughter. Adele passes away fairly early in the story, though her presence continues to be felt throughout. Ryn has been adamant that she never wants children, so it's both funny and sweet to watch her trying to be mummy to a heartbroken five year old.

Precocious Tegan adds to the fledgling family by adopting Ryn's boss, Luke. The one problem is that Luke really doesn't like Kamryn very much. And in order to finalize the adoption process, Kamryn has to contact Tegan's biological father. Also known as Nate, the man who broke her heart that she hasn't seen since.

I want to emphasize that while there is definitely a strong romance component to this book, the story is more about the relationship between Ryn and Tegan. And to a lesser extent, about Kamryn coming to terms with herself and her past. The story didn't have a whole lot of surprises (though I didn't expect it to end exactly the way it did), but it was highly enjoyable. show less

This novel is related by Kamryn, a young business woman who has become estranged both from her closest friend Adele, and her former fiancé Nate. The story opens on her 32nd birthday. Amidst the cards she opens - by mistake - an envelope in Adele's handwriting, and finds a note asking her to visit her friend in hospital...

The novel is character-based, with developing relationships through painful, sometimes tragic circumstances. It's a very good read which I found uplifting and encouraging. Kamryn is a likeable young woman, who takes her responsibilities seriously. Adele's daughter Tegan is the 'best friend's girl' of the title; we meet her first when she is a scared, hurting five-year-old, terrified even to speak lest she get into show more trouble. One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was seeing Tegan's gradual transformation.

Some bad language, thought perhaps not over-done, and thankfully no detailed bedroom scenes.All in all, a very thought-provoking and powerful book.

Latest longer review: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2026/05/my-best-friends-girl-by-dorothy-koo... show less

This author reminds me of Elizabeth Noble, which is a good thing. The story was much better than I thought it would be. Good book with underlying themes on interracial dating/families, body image, and work ethics.

I decided to look at this because I read a more recent short story by this author. It's not my usual cup of tea, but the twists and turns kept me interested, if a little frustrated with the characters' inability to understand one another.

Count me as one of the readers who thought this would be lighter, and shallower, than it was. The other cover is much better, imo. The ending was kinda abrupt, but overall it was def. an enjoyable and provocative read, and I will be looking at more in this imprint (is that the right word?) and by this author.