Review: The Best of Enemies by Jen Lancaster

The Best of Enemies

by Jen Lancaster

Publisher: NAL

Pages: 320

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Jacqueline Jordan knows conflict. A fearless journalist, she’s spent the past decade embedded in the world’s hot spots, writing about the fall of nations and the rise of despots. But if you were to inquire about who topped Jack’s enemy list, she’d not hesitate to answer: Kitty Carricoe.

Kitty reigns supreme over the world of carpools and minivans. A SAHM, she spends her days caring for her dentist husband and three towheaded children, running the PTA, and hiding vegetables in deceptively delicious packed lunches.

Kitty and Jack haven’t a single thing in common—except for Sarabeth Chandler, their mutual bestie. Sarabeth and Jack can be tomboys with the best of them, while Sarabeth can get her girly-girl on with Kitty. In fact, the three of them were college friends until the notorious frat party incident, when Jack accidentally hooked up with Kitty’s boyfriend…

Yet both women drop everything and rush to Sarabeth’s side when they get the call that her fabulously wealthy husband has perished in a suspicious boating accident. To solve the mystery surrounding his death, Jack and Kitty must bury the hatchet and hit the road for a trip that just may bring them together—if it doesn’t kill them first.


Kritters Thoughts:  Three is a crowd and these three women have never been able to be a threesome.  They work in sets of two, but these three women have never been able to be friends.  Sarabeth is the common denominator in the group between Jack and Kitty.  Jack is the childhood friend and they went to college together.  Kitty is the college friend who has easily transferred into adult life with many commonalities.  

In this book, Kitty and Jack take turns telling the story.  They tell stories from the past when they met Sarabeth and stories that center around their pasts and then the current time as they are dealing with the death of Sarabeth's husband.  I love multiple characters telling the story; it always makes my day so I loved that both best friends had a chance to tell their sides.  

I loved the idea that we can be best friends with different people and be a part of ourselves with each person, but still the same person.  (confused?  sorry)  But I loved that Sarabeth had two best friends one very tom boyish and adventure and out there and Kitty who is very feminine and stay at home mom and Sarabeth still fit in both of their worlds and could still be best friends with both and still her authentic self.

There is an interesting little twist at the end which was good, but a little quirky.  The twist made me want to stop and reread the book to see if I could have picked up on the clues, but I really felt like it came out of left field.     

If you tend to stay away from Jen Lancaster's snarky memoirs, don't avoid this one, it is different and such a great read.


Rating: absolutely love it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley NAL.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.