Rating: 
Summary: Love Her!
Review: Amy and Tara have been best friends ( or so they say) since they were younger back in highschool. One day as Amy is walking to work she bumps into Tara, the one who "stole" her fiance, Stuart three weeks prior to their wedding. After many years of theraphy
Amy acts very cordial and tries to put it behind her that they saw each other. After telling Tara that her life is wonderful and that she is getting married in 6 months, Amy is convenced that she won't every see Tara again. To her surprise, Tara is on her way to the very publishing company that Amy works for and her boss, has assigned Amy to makes Tara's new book a best-seller. The book gets better as Tara tries to have her and Amy friends again, and wants to meet her "fiance". Amy "conives" the best selling author Tony Stilles to be her date for dinner at Tara's. He is thinking he is going their to work on Tara's new book. A terrible storm hits them and strands them at the
house of Amy's ex-finance, exbest-friend, and her "new" finance and the lies that she is trying to make and cover up. The author writes the same plot in first person from "both" sides of the story, first Amy's where you "feel sorry" for her, and then from Tara's where you realize her life wasn't always such a bed of roses and Amy thought. I loved it and I recommend it to everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Keeping up appearances is hard work.
Review: Amy Sherman and Tara Messer are "Best Enemies," in Jane Heller's new novel. As children, Tara always took the spotlight and Amy basked in Tara's glow. Tara was always gorgeous and popular, and Amy was thrilled just to be around someone who was vivacious and garnered so much attention. Amy's and Tara's relationship nosedives, however, when Tara steals Amy's boyfriend, Stuart, just weeks before their wedding. Tara sets up housekeeping in grand style with Stuart, while Amy pursues a career as a publicist. The two women run into one another four years later, and Amy is so devastated by Tara's obvious success and happiness, and so angry at Tara's patronizing manner, that she lies to her former friend and pretends that she is engaged to a smart and hunky guy. To make matters worse, Tara writes a potentially successful book about living the beautiful life and sells it to Amy's publisher. Amy is forced to work as Tara's publicist, although the very thought of seeing Tara frequently makes Amy sick to her stomach. In addition, Amy needs to find a guy who is willing to play the part of her fiancé. "Best Enemies" is very funny, but it has some serious elements, as well. Heller perfectly captures the importance of female friendships. Although women can sometimes be petty and jealous, they also share their most private thoughts with their friends, and they rely upon one another for advice and support. Although Amy and Tara are now at each other's throats, they cannot forget that for many years they meant a great deal to one another. Heller cleverly splits the book between Amy's and Tara's points of view. We learn that each woman has her imperfections, her insecurities, and her secrets, and that they both share the blame for keeping their enmity alive. "Best Enemies" is funny, romantic, and even giddy at times, with many farcical elements that keep the book from becoming too serious. Amy's wisecracks and Tara's overblown opinion of herself are the stuff that comedy is made of, and there are plenty of laughs and even a few thought-provoking moments in this entertaining book.
Rating:
Summary: A great read
Review: Amy Sherman and Tara Messer are "Best Enemies," in Jane Heller's new novel. As children, Tara always took the spotlight and Amy basked in Tara's glow. Tara was always gorgeous and popular, and Amy was thrilled just to be around someone who was vivacious and garnered so much attention. Amy's and Tara's relationship nosedives, however, when Tara steals Amy's boyfriend, Stuart, just weeks before their wedding. Tara sets up housekeeping in grand style with Stuart, while Amy pursues a career as a publicist. The two women run into one another four years later, and Amy is so devastated by Tara's obvious success and happiness, and so angry at Tara's patronizing manner, that she lies to her former friend and pretends that she is engaged to a smart and hunky guy. To make matters worse, Tara writes a potentially successful book about living the beautiful life and sells it to Amy's publisher. Amy is forced to work as Tara's publicist, although the very thought of seeing Tara frequently makes Amy sick to her stomach. In addition, Amy needs to find a guy who is willing to play the part of her fiancé. "Best Enemies" is very funny, but it has some serious elements, as well. Heller perfectly captures the importance of female friendships. Although women can sometimes be petty and jealous, they also share their most private thoughts with their friends, and they rely upon one another for advice and support. Although Amy and Tara are now at each other's throats, they cannot forget that for many years they meant a great deal to one another. Heller cleverly splits the book between Amy's and Tara's points of view. We learn that each woman has her imperfections, her insecurities, and her secrets, and that they both share the blame for keeping their enmity alive. "Best Enemies" is funny, romantic, and even giddy at times, with many farcical elements that keep the book from becoming too serious. Amy's wisecracks and Tara's overblown opinion of herself are the stuff that comedy is made of, and there are plenty of laughs and even a few thought-provoking moments in this entertaining book.
Rating:
Summary: Keeping up appearances is hard work.
Review: Amy Sherman and Tara Messer are "Best Enemies," in Jane Heller's new novel. As children, Tara always took the spotlight and Amy basked in Tara's glow. Tara was always gorgeous and popular, and Amy was thrilled just to be around someone who was vivacious and garnered so much attention. Amy's and Tara's relationship nosedives, however, when Tara steals Amy's boyfriend, Stuart, just weeks before their wedding. Tara sets up housekeeping in grand style with Stuart, while Amy pursues a career as a publicist. The two women run into one another four years later, and Amy is so devastated by Tara's obvious success and happiness, and so angry at Tara's patronizing manner, that she lies to her former friend and pretends that she is engaged to a smart and hunky guy. To make matters worse, Tara writes a potentially successful book about living the beautiful life and sells it to Amy's publisher. Amy is forced to work as Tara's publicist, although the very thought of seeing Tara frequently makes Amy sick to her stomach. In addition, Amy needs to find a guy who is willing to play the part of her fiancé. "Best Enemies" is very funny, but it has some serious elements, as well. Heller perfectly captures the importance of female friendships. Although women can sometimes be petty and jealous, they also share their most private thoughts with their friends, and they rely upon one another for advice and support. Although Amy and Tara are now at each other's throats, they cannot forget that for many years they meant a great deal to one another. Heller cleverly splits the book between Amy's and Tara's points of view. We learn that each woman has her imperfections, her insecurities, and her secrets, and that they both share the blame for keeping their enmity alive. "Best Enemies" is funny, romantic, and even giddy at times, with many farcical elements that keep the book from becoming too serious. Amy's wisecracks and Tara's overblown opinion of herself are the stuff that comedy is made of, and there are plenty of laughs and even a few thought-provoking moments in this entertaining book.
Rating:
Summary: terrific character study
Review: Amy Sherman and Tara Messer were friends and rivals for a long time though the latter always triumphed. The final contest between the two focused on Stuart Lasher. The odds favored Amy as she was engaged to Stuart. However, Amy found Tara and Stuart naked in bed together. The engagement ended. Tara and Stuart married. Four years later, Amy works as publicity director at Manhattan's Lowry and Trammell. Her worse nightmare happens when she learns that her publishing company has picked up a lifestyle of the rich and famous book called Simply Beautiful written by Tara about Tara. Lowry and Trammell plan to make Tara the new Martha Stewart with Amy to lead the publicity beat. Amusing absolutely as Jane Heller fans would expect from this author. However, the key to the tale is the BEST ENEMIES. Readers will commiserate with Amy even as she trumps up a lover just to save face with her rival. However, the surprise and what ultimately makes the tale superb is the audience will also feel empathy towards Tara who provides a different perspective than Amy does on the same event. Tara believes Amy owes her for absconding with the womanizing perfidious loser Stuart; surprisingly readers will ultimately agree. Ms. Heller takes a trite plot and turns it into a terrific character study that is part humor and part relationship drama. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Not you average chick lit
Review: I like this book for several reasons. 1 - it did not follow the typical chick lit ending. Ie. it was predictable in the first chapters. 2 - It gave propectives on multiple accounts. Not your typical "This is my story and my story alone". 3- There were several unexpected twists in the book that the usual doesn't give. I recommned this to anyone who is a fan on chick lit and wants a little something different.
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed Feelings About This One. 3-plus stars.
Review: I think it has taken me longer to contemplate the review of this book than it took to read. It's without a doubt, a breezy read--good summer fare that is mindless and juicy. And in some cases, especially with the voice of the main character, Amy, very funny. But . . . there's something about it that bothered me. The characters, particularly the satellite characters, are banal (the gay assistant, the well-heeled boss, the fast-talking editor--even the stud-muffin mystery writer), and the plot is contrived and often predictable. I stayed with it because I loved the voice of Amy. She was honest-in spite of being a first class liar-but she lets the readers in on all her secrets and this makes her endearing. While it seems other reviewers liked the switching perspectives between the two friends/enemies, Amy and Tara, so much more time is dedicated to Amy that she is the true voice of the book and Tara remains a caricature. Tara's sections are like a tribute to equal time, rather than equal time. And she is as repulsive as she's meant to be. Can't understand why Amy would want to be friends with her at all, let alone "best friends." Overall, I give it three and half stars and recommend the book as fun entertainment. Thank you Jane Heller. I look forward to reading your other work as I think you're a gifted, spirited writer. From the author of "I'm Living Your Dream Life" and "The Things I Wish I'd Said," McKenna Publishing Group.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely up to Jane Heller's usual standards!
Review: Jane Heller is one of my favorite authors. She never disappoints, and this wonderful novel is proof. Amy and Tara were best friends for years until one act of betrayal rips them apart, and then makes them both pretend to be people that they aren't, and have things they don't really have in order to impress each other. Anyone who has a best friend will see a little bit of themselves here, as Jane Heller explores the underlying competetiveness in all relationships with her usual humor and skill. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely up to Jane Heller's usual standards!
Review: Jane Heller is one of my favorite authors. She never disappoints, and this wonderful novel is proof. Amy and Tara were best friends for years until one act of betrayal rips them apart, and then makes them both pretend to be people that they aren't, and have things they don't really have in order to impress each other. Anyone who has a best friend will see a little bit of themselves here, as Jane Heller explores the underlying competetiveness in all relationships with her usual humor and skill. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: 3.5
Review: Jane Heller wrote an easy to read, fun and funny tale of two ex-best friends Amy and Tara whose friendship came to an end when Tara the "prom queen" slept with Amy the "second fiddle" `s fiancé just two weeks before the blessed event. Quite obviously Amy and Tara haven't spoken since. But Amy has heard about Tara's beautiful and secluded Hawaiian wedding to Stuart her ex-fiancé, she has also heard all about the beautiful long island mansion that she and Stuart share, their frequent spur of the moment trips and their wonderfully blissful existence, blah, blah, blah!! But what Amy hadn't heard was that Tara has written a book on how to live a Simply Beautiful existence, which the publishing company that Amy works for has agreed to publish, and guess who is in charge of promoting it? You guessed it, Amy!
Amy has been pretty pleased with her life post-Tara, she has a nice apartment in the city, she is the head of publicity in her department and she has her freedom. Translation...she is completely and utterly single, which never bothered her until she came face to face with Tara, where one little white lie about her having a fiancé turned into a huge life-altering lie. `BEST ENIMIES' is a very engaging novel and while I loved the concept of having it narrated by both Amy and Tara, I felt that whereas the passages narrated by Amy are very witty, the passages narrated by Tara were too few and far between. Moreover, while the plot did take a twist that trough me for a loop, I found the ending of the book to be a little unbelievable...ok, a lot unbelievable! I felt as though Heller would have rather wrap the book up in a nice neat little package than be realistic. Overall, I found Heller's `BEST ENIMIES' to be a quick and delightful read so that's three and a HALF stars for me! =)
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