Book description
A stand-alone novella from the author of Manipulated Lives
A perfect friend … or a perfect impostor?
Alexa is an energetic and charismatic professional and the new member of a Parisian PR company where she quickly befriends her colleagues Rosie and Jack. She brings a much-needed breath of fresh air into the office and ambitiously throws herself into her new job and friendships.
But is Alexa all she claims to be?
As her life intertwines with Rosie and Jack’s, they must all decide what separates truth from fiction. Will the stories that unfold unite or divide them? Can first impressions ever be trusted?
In this original novella, H.A. Leuschel evokes the powerful hold of appearances and what a person is prepared to do to keep up the facade. If you like thought-provoking and compelling reads with intriguing characters, My Sweet Friend is for you.
I’m not a huge fan of novella’s if I’m honest and I’m going to state the obvious here and admit I find them too short! I like a book I can sink my teeth into, I like to immerse myself in the plot and it’s characters, but with a novella it’s difficult to fit such detail in to such a short read. Although every now and again I will pick one as I do feel they showcase an author’s writing so you can get a feel for their work. I read Manipulated Lies earlier this year, which I really enjoyed, so when H.A. Leauschel asked me if I would like to read My Sweet Friend a novella I was more than happy to give it ago.
A “true” friendship is built on trust and loyalty or I would hope so! My Sweet Friend is very much a character study of Alexa who starts out being the “perfect friend” to Rosie, but it’s not long before the lies begin and the truth is distorted in fact it soon become apparent that Alexa is a pathological liar. It was interesting to see how Rosie’s personality changed once she became friends with Alexa, it’s obvious their relationship is having a negative impact on her, and you can’t help hoping Rosie will see through Alexa and end their toxic relationship.
It’s obvious from H.A. Leauschel writing she is well versed in the workings of the humans mind, Alexa makes for a very credible character, after all I’m sure we have all come across someone who lies, distorts the truth or deceives us without feeling any remorse. Although a Novella I felt this short story packed a lot in and it certainly made for an intriguing read. If I had one small criticism I think I would have liked this story to have been a full length book, as I would like to have read more about the changes and shift in power between the two friends, never the less I would recommend My Sweet Friend if you are looking for a quick and intriguing read.
Manipulated Lives is a very different read to my usual crime/thriller reads but never the less I was intrigued by the book description. Here’s the thing after spending years working in mental health I’ve always been intrigued by the human psyche and behaviour so the concept for Manipulated Lies fascinated me . What makes someone become a manipulator and more importantly how does someone find themselves caught up and damaged by a Manipulative individual?
The book review café 