My Hot Friend By Sophie White

I’m kicking off 2024 in style with the latest book by Sophie White called ‘My Hot Friend’.

Lexi is on top of the world, the podcast she co-hosts with her ride-or-die bestie is going stratospheric. But will all this fame and success cost them their friendship?Joanne’s just had a baby
But her pals keep forgetting that she’s no longer available for tequila-fuelled nights out. She loves her son and her boyfriend but the loneliness is killing her. Claire is feeling left out The Whatsapp chat with her old school friends is ominously quiet these days, which can only mean one thing: a side group without her. Can she convince them to give her another chance, or is it time to move on and seek out new BFFs? Fate brings Claire, Joanne and Lexi together as they navigate the knotty, joyful and occasionally toxic swamp that is female friendship. But how will they each decide which friendships to fight for, and which to let go forever?

It’s been a while since I’ve a read a book by Sophie White, so I treated myself to a copy of the award-winning ‘My Hot Friend’ and spent every spare minute over Christmas reading this fantastic story.

The story is seen from the perspective of three women who are all going through different hurdles and milestones in their lives but are randomly brought together one day. Lexi is part of the successful duo behind ‘My Hot Friend’ podcast which is going from strength to strength unlike her friendship with her best friend Amanda. The podcast is quite similar to ‘My Therapist Ghosted Me’ with Vogue Williams and Joanne McNally but a much bitchier version, Amanda is incredibly whereas Lexi is more mindful of others. Claire is feeling left out and alone now that her best friend Aifric is engaged and planning her wedding without her and Joanne has just had a baby and although she loves the little bundle of joy, she feels a resentment towards her partner Bert and the fact that her life has been put on hold and everyone is partying without her.

This is an absolute stunner of a book that struck so many chords for me, it’s relatable, witty, heartwarming and also heartbreaking. The three women are amazing, their strong, independent and face life’s challenges face on, in some cases it’s in the public eye to get the ratings up and other times it’s battling with emotions and mental health.

It’s no wonder that the book has won Popular Irish Fiction Book of the Year at the 2023 Irish Book Awards, this book ticks all the boxes to make it a compelling story. A story that really tackles the toxicity and dynamics of female relationships, the hardship of mental health as well as the isolation and loneliness of motherhood. This book had my emotions in turmoil one minute I was laughing at Joanne’s outbursts to quietly sobbing at Clare’s struggles.

‘My Hot Friend’ is a beautiful story that is written from the heart, packed with humour, drama and most importantly hope, this book was impossible to put down. I cannot recommend this book enough!

You can buy ‘My Hot Friend’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.