What you see isn’t always what you get.

Take Ainsley. The gorgeous mother of two lives a picture-perfect life with her husband, Ben—aspiring politician and heir to a candy fortune—in suburban Washington, DC. But in reality, Ainsley has no idea what she’s doing and is terrified someone will figure out who she really is and where she came from.

Nikki’s fighting to keep afloat as a stay-at-home mother of four, subsisting on chicken nuggets and very little sleep. She’s a mess on the outside, and inside yearns for the validation—and the paycheck—of the television news career she left behind.

When a dangerous figure from Ainsley’s past becomes a coach at her kids’ school, she fears the worst and confides in Nikki, spilling every detail of her former life.

Together, they devise a plan to expose the coach and safeguard their kids. But can they protect their own lives—and their new friendship—in the process?
I really enjoyed the story. I thought it was carefully crafted and well-written.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I am not a huge fan of books about motherhood so when this book started with a woman debating formula for her newborn, I just knew the book was not for me. I am a mother of small kids so this was just hitting a bit close to home and I don't like reading books like that when I am going through it. That is totally just a preference for me and was not the fault of the books.

This book was definitely not a bad book or anything, it is just not for me.

I hope others love it.

Didn't really grab me, but was competently written nonetheless.

(I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

Ainsley and Nikki could not be more different. Ainsley is the perfectly coiffed, expensively dressed wife of the uber wealthy candy bar heir who is running for Governor. Nikki is a disorganized, recently fired TV anchor, mother of four children five and under, looking for freelance work. This and some bonding over their children’s school experiences puts her in Ainsley’s living room as her media coach. The two form an unlikely friendship which leads to Ainsley sharing some secrets from her past that she is desperate to keep hidden. That’s all I can say without spoilers. Friends with Secrets is a book you won’t be able to put down and the subjects it covers will remain with you long after you have finished the final page. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Christine Gunderson for this ARC.

4.5 ⭐️ rounding up.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book! I got it late and am a bit delayed in getting to this review but I LOVED THIS BOOK

This was a thriller I wasn’t expecting to love as it deviates from my usual genre but omg I WAS the audience.

As a busy mom with a career she loves always feeling behind, Nikki was my spirit animal.

The friendship between Ainsley and Nikki and the mystery of what they were trying to uncover… I just loved it. Looking forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

The book is good, especially when it shows the social expectations and demands that mothers constantly need to meet despite being exhausted. I recommend reading!

The book started all really strong and I loved the friendship that developed between the two women. Ainsley’s story was particularly interesting and had a level of dimension I wish that Nikki’s did. While I definitely enjoyed the book, I was surprised that everything was revealed so quickly and then we still had 30% of the book to go. Good book from a first time author though!

The theme of this debut novel by Christine Gunderson is the strength of female friendships and the struggles of motherhood. It's well-written, but there were a few holes in the storyline that made me lean more toward 3 stars than 4 stars. I can't really go into the holes without spoilers. Ainsley seems to have the perfect life - she's smart and beautiful, has a loving, wealthy husband and happy, healthy children, and everything money can buy. But Ainsley has a dark secret from her past and the new basketball coach at her children's school could potentially expose it. Nikki is a former TV news anchor who's now faced with all the challenges of being a stay-at-home mom. With their children at the same school, Ainsley and Nikki become fast friends who support each other in many ways. Ainsley confides her secrets to Nikki and they build on each other's strengths to keep Ainsley out of danger and get Nikki's life back on track. Thanks to #netgalley and #lakeunionpublishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved the way the author wove themes of friendship and the complexity of relationships into a twisty mystery. Secrets emerge and are revealed deftly. A compelling read!

I really enjoyed the friendship between Nikki and Ainsley in this story. These two strong women combine their efforts to take on the new coach at their kid's school. Of course, just by looking at the title, there are secrets. I really enjoyed this book. I think anyone who ever tried to protect others from harm will love this novel. I did.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.

Friends with Secrets* by *Christine Gunderson* is a riveting exploration of the hidden lives behind suburban facades, where what you see isn’t always what you get. Gunderson takes us into the world of Ainsley and Nikki, two mothers struggling with their own insecurities while trying to maintain a veneer of perfection.

Ainsley’s life seems idyllic: a beautiful home, two children, and a husband, Ben, who is an aspiring politician and heir to a candy empire. But beneath this perfect exterior lies a woman haunted by her past, constantly terrified that someone will discover the truth about who she really is and where she came from. Gunderson masterfully conveys Ainsley’s anxiety and the pressure she feels to maintain her image, making her a relatable and sympathetic character.

Nikki, on the other hand, presents as a chaotic mess—a stay-at-home mother of four, barely keeping it together on a diet of chicken nuggets and minimal sleep. Yet, beneath the surface, Nikki longs for the validation and purpose she once had in her television news career. Her struggle to reconcile her past ambitions with her current reality is both poignant and relatable, capturing the challenges many women face in balancing personal fulfillment with family responsibilities.

The story takes a thrilling turn when a dangerous figure from Ainsley’s past reappears as a coach at her children’s school. The tension escalates as Ainsley confides in Nikki, and the two women team up to expose this threat and protect their children. Their plan brings them closer together, forging a deep bond that is tested as they navigate the dangers of their shared secret.

Gunderson weaves a narrative that is both suspenseful and emotionally charged, exploring themes of friendship, identity, and the lengths mothers will go to protect their children. The novel expertly balances the suspense of the unfolding mystery with the emotional depth of the characters’ personal struggles, making it a compelling read from start to finish.

*Friends with Secrets* is more than just a thriller; it’s a story about the complexities of friendship and the power of women supporting each other through life’s darkest moments. Gunderson’s sharp writing and keen insight into her characters’ lives make this book a must-read for anyone who enjoys a suspenseful tale with heart. As Ainsley and Nikki confront their fears and pasts, readers will find themselves deeply invested in their journey, eager to see how their plan unfolds and whether their friendship can withstand the secrets that threaten to unravel it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for an advanced copy to review.

Enjoyed this book, however I did find some parts a bit slow and I would lose interest. It did pick up a bit as we got on with the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was a decent women's fiction novel.I enjoyed the characters. Some parts of the story were a little slow, but I sometimes lose interest in a book halfway. However. I make sure to finish all of my NetGalley books. I would recommend this book! I also plan on checking out more books by Christine Gunderson in the future!


Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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A satisfying tale of an unlikely pair of friends who work together to catch a predator. Nice to see some redemption and true married love. Thanks to net galley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a great thriller for the summer when you want to set down your romance books and try something new. I always enjoy reading a dual POV and getting inside their head. I really resonated with these women regarding motherhood and how it can be difficult to juggle it all. I felt that they were relatable throughout the story and enjoyed their friendship together. My only issue was that I feel it could have been cut down. There were a few times where I found myself skimming through some pages because there was a little too much filler. Overall, I still considered it an enjoyable read.

I loved this book! Nikki and Ainsley are an unlikely duo at first but watching their friendship grow was so great! The plot was interesting and the suspense was just right!

This one was a bit darker than I was expecting.I was fully entertained with the mystery, and there were parts that were funny which was nice. There is plenty of suspense too. I liked how these two moms came together to handle the situation at hand. It also explored the difficulties they experienced as mothers. I think the characters were relatable and well developed too. This was a good debut and I'll definitely check out more by this author in the future.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

In her debut, Friends with Secrets, Christine Gunderson has created a page turner about women, their relationships, and the important and difficult aspects of their lives.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, Friends with Secrets was not for me. The premise sounded good, but the execution fell flat. Two women from seemingly completely opposite backgrounds find each other in the school drop off line. They bond over secrets and come together to fight back against a dangerous man working at their children's school. I figured that there would be more secrets in the story, but there's really only one and it's revealed quite early on in the book. I also had issues with the ways the characters behaved. Nikki was supposedly a star reporter on tv, but when she decided to become a stay at home mom to her four kids after being fired, she's suddenly falling apart and can't seem to do anything right. Also her husband is completely useless and never called out for it. First he's in Moldova looking at wood samples when they have an infant at home and three other kids, then the weekend Nikki tries to go away his tummy hurts and the kids are throwing up everywhere, so Nikki has to rush back home only to later find out that he wasn't even sick. And then later on he says he could maybe do more to help. Ainsley and her husband were just rich and perfect, except for Ainsley's big secret that wasn't all that surprising. The villain had some almost comical lines that sounded like something out of a kid's cartoon. The word G-string is also thrown around way too many times for my liking. It felt like all the different parts of the books kind of went together, but also didn't necessarily have to be there and overall the book was just too long.