Friends with Secrets

August 21, 2024August 21, 2024 by onemoreexclamation

I’m so excited! I went to Amazon to leave my review and saw that Friends with Secrets is now #1 Best Seller! It couldn’t be more deserved!

About the Book

Title: Friends with Secrets

Author: Christine Gunderson

Release Date:July 16, 2024

Genre: Political and Friendship Fiction

Find it: Amazon

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 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?

About The Author

Christine Gunderson grew up on a fourth-generation family farm in rural North Dakota where she read Laura Ingalls Wilder books in her very own little house on the prairie.

She’s a former television anchor and reporter and former Capitol Hill aide. She currently lives in the Washington D.C. suburbs with her three children, Star the Wonder Dog, and a very patient husband.

When not writing, she’s sailing the Chesapeake Bay with her family, playing Star Wars monopoly, re-reading Jane Austen novels in the school pick-up line or unloading the dishwasher.

She loves to hear feedback and ideas from readers. You can contact her at or sign up for her newsletter, Notes on Love and Laundry.

We bsite – Instagram – Facebook – Substack

Friends with Secrets Reviews

Funny and poignant. 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 Peterson, author of The Do Over

My Thoughts

This book grabbed me from the beginning and didn’t let go. Nikki is that “inadequate” (in her mind) mom of four children. We start in the grocery store which turns into the crapshow any mother knows. Been there, done that. Missing her job but grateful for the time with her kids, she gets a breath of fresh air with a new purpose. Sound familiar? Nikki’s story is a completely relatable situation.

Ainsley, on the other hand, is the “perfect” mom (in everyone else’s mind). She’s so wrapped up in perfectionism, that she’s ready to lose her mind.

Add a good mystery and these two moms come together for battle. This book is probably more for mothers and wives (or in a committed relationship). It’s a serious book delivered with humor and relatability. The way the book wraps up is a slow burn – and I’m talking about tension and more tension. Great debut!