Friends with Secrets Audiobook By Christine Gunderson cover art

Friends with Secrets

A Novel

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Friends with Secrets

By: Christine Gunderson
Narrated by: Sarah Naughton, Andi Arndt
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $30.09

Buy for $30.09

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

In a funny and suspenseful debut, Christine Gunderson explores the myth of the perfect mother, the bonds of female friendship, and the haunting impact of secrets.

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?

©2024 by Christine Gunderson. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
Family Life Friendship Genre Fiction Women's Fiction Funny

Critic reviews

“With a particularly impressive blending of humor and suspense…effectively [showcasing] author Christine Gunderson’s natural and distinctive storytelling style that has created an original and fun read from cover to cover.” —Midwest Book Review

“Funny and poignant, Friends with Secrets is a feel-good book about balancing motherhood, friendship, and career.”—Liz Talley, USA Today bestselling author of Deconstructed

Friends with Secrets is a sparkling debut novel about an unlikely friendship between two mothers who are just trying to make it through the day. A thoroughly enjoyable read full of voice and humor and a suspenseful storyline that makes it impossible to put down. Be prepared for a book hangover. Totally worth it.”—Sharon M. Peterson, author of The Do-Over

What listeners say about Friends with Secrets

Highly rated for:

Multilayered Story Exciting Thriller Plotlines Excellent Narration Relatable Domestic Elements Conveying Nuances
Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    165
  • 4 Stars
    91
  • 3 Stars
    30
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    195
  • 4 Stars
    64
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    154
  • 4 Stars
    79
  • 3 Stars
    34
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    5

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Was easy to listen to

This was a fun book, had humor, mystery and friendships. It kept my interest the whole time which is hard

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

interesting, relatively clean, and a unique storyline

I appreciated the engaging story without all of the foul language and graphic sceens that can be so common in these kind of novels.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Don’t want it to end!!

I loved everything about this book!! The characters, the story, the narration. The only thing that I did not like was that it had to end. I feel like this could be a great series of books. Give us more of Nikki and Ainsley!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

What a great surprise! And it was free with KU

Very well written, funny, great characters. I'm not a mother and could care less about kids, but the way Gunderson wrote Nikki, it was touching, funny, interesting, etc. Also a great exploration of female friendship with women ostensibly from two different socioeconomic groups. The mystery, for me, was the backdrop to a story about relationships. And fantastic audio performances.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Intriguing plus likable characters!

This was an interesting multilayered story but ultimately it’s about the unlikely friendship that slowly develops between two different but fierce women. I liked how after meeting Ainsley and Nicky slowly allowed their defenses to drop and realize they wanted and needed to trust each other. A bit heavy content but also good humor. Ben & Josh are perfect spouses for these women. Anytime an author can incorporate small children humor it’s a win for the story.

Narration was really good. Each provided a unique voice and nuances to really convey their character’s story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Loved the different points of view

Love the different people and forever friends. I can so relate to the disorganized mother, where things are all from the hip

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I liked the alternating characters focused on in alternating chapters.

fast paced.Suspense throughout. I recommend this for all mystery lovers. I couldn't wait to listen to more of it on my daily walks.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

This was such a good book!

Ainsley and Nikki are different but have so much in common and were a hoot. I was upset at Ainsley for not telling her husband from the beginning about her past. Had that happened, though, there wouldn't have been much of a book. Also, I enjoyed how their friendship came together. They were exactly what each other needed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great characters

Perfect book about friends, motherhood, mystery. Great characters, easy to follow. Definitely would recommend! Narration was great too.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A really well written book by a really talented author.

This is the greatest book I have ever read and I really recommend it. You can really tell that the author is a great mom when you listen to it. The story makes sense and the characters are really likable. It almost makes me wish that Christine Gunderson was my own mom. It really seems like she put her heart and soul into this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful