Reunion

by Elise Juska

From the beloved author of the “uniquely poignant” (Entertainment Weekly) novel The Blessings comes an enthralling story about three friends in their forties forced to reckon with their lives during a college reunion in coastal Maine.

It’s June 2021, and three old college friends are heading to New England and the twenty-fifth reunion that was delayed the year before. Hope, a stay-at-home mom, is desperate for a return to her beloved campus, a reprieve from her tense marriage, and the stresses of pandemic parenting. Adam is hesitant to leave his bucolic but secluded life with his wife and their young sons. Single mother Polly hasn’t been back to campus in more than twenty years and has no interest in returning—but changes her mind when her struggling teenage son suggests a road trip.

But the reunion isn’t what any of them had envisioned. Hope, always upbeat, is no longer able to downplay the pressures of life at home or the cracks in her longstanding friendships. Adam finds himself energized by the memory of his carefree, reckless younger self—which only reminds him how much has changed since those halcyon days. Polly cannot ignore the ghosts of her college years, including a closely guarded secret. When the weekend takes a startling turn, all three find themselves reckoning with the past—and how it will bear on the future.

Beautifully observed and insightful, Reunion is a page-turning novel about the highs and lows of friendship from a writer at the height of her powers.

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary, Adult, Novels, Literary Fiction, Friendship

304 pages, Hardcover

First published May 7, 2024

About the author

Elise Juska's new novel, Reunion, was released by HarperCollins in May 2024 and named one of People Magazine's "Best New Books." Her previous novels include If We Had Known and The Blessings, which was selected for Barnes & Noble's Discover Great New Writers series, featured on Entertainment Weekly's "Must List," and named one of the Philadelphia Inquirer's Best Books of the Year.

Juska's short fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Ploughshares, The Gettysburg Review, The Missouri Review, Electric Literature, The Hudson Review and elsewhere. She was awarded the Alice Hoffman Prize for Fiction from Ploughshares and her work has been cited by the Best American Short Stories and Pushcart Prize anthologies. She teaches creative writing at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

Reviews

[Shannon (The Book Club Mom) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhh, yes. Reunion by Elise Juska is just the type of novel that speaks to my old soul. There’s so much that I loved about this intriguing story. Here’s a few things that really stood out for me, and checked a lot of boxes:

- Mature characters (in late 40s)
- Solid longtime friendship
- Multiple POVs
- Themes of parenthood, marriage, and friendship
- Mid-90s college life
- Complex relationships
- Mental health representation
- Pandemic fiction
- Character-driven
- Gorgeous Maine setting
- Insight on raising teenagers

I feel like I was the exact target audience for this book. I loved learning about these characters, what they were like in college, what shaped them, and how their experiences impacted them as adults. The reflections on life soon after Covid were perfect. You all know that I love my pandemic stories! LOL. Everything was so spot on, and felt very familiar and relatable. If you love slow-moving, quiet, and tender stories about adulthood, parenthood, friendship, or just life in general, then Reunion is just the book for you. I’ll definitely read more from the author in the future. 4/5 stars for Reunion! It’s out now!

[Carla Black · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Well I can say the book was well written. It's a short book I read in one night. The topic however was uninteresting. Adam, Hope, and Polly are some of the most boring characters I've read about this year. The book got slightly interesting in the last 3 chapters when Polly's undisciplined brat of a teenager disappeared. If the book had one plot twist, or any scene at all that was action packed it could have been a good book. It's about a 25th year college reunion happening after the aftermath of Covid isolation. I don't care about my own college reunion let alone some fictional characters. I found the book very disappointing. I do not recommend this book. Save your reading time for something better.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing. Just dull.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must assume a huge Bowdoin graduate bias likely impacted my reading of this book in the weeks before returning to campus for my own 25th reunion, but this was a satisfying yet easy read for the weeks of Mayhem/Maycember. It was a bonus pleasure to hear the author speak about her writing (and Bowdoin) experience as part of our reunion programming, too!

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated that this book took on this specific, socially confusing time period - re-emerging during covid and at a reunions - are both, understandably, awkward

[Jeane McCans · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down. I didn’t love the characters the first few chapters, but they grew on me. It wasn’t a particularly noteworthy story, but the portrayal of old friendships felt really genuine to me.

[Seawitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably 2.5 stars for me. Not nearly as good as The Blessings which I really liked.

This had a lot of promise as a book exploring midlife, marriage, decisions made in our 20s that have ramifications for many years later. Set in Maine and at the “coming out of the pandemic” 25th college reunion that brings three friends back together.

Unfortunately, it got a bit tedious at times and the characters seemed a bit one dimensional - cool kid, mothering kid, chill kid - all grown up and still playing the roles of those inner children.

My 50 year high school reunion is in a few years (I’ve never attended any before) and I’ve considered attending, but this book kind of talked me out of it.

[Mikayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won’t deny my bias toward Ellie Juska, a former professor of mine, but there’s no denying her ability to weave warmth and grief and nostalgia and relief in soft, familiar details. The kind that pulls you forward in the narrative with empathy and solidarity for her characters. I didn’t expect to relate to these characters, but there’s something so unifying about this time and this friendship that is crafted so well.

The era of the pandemic still feels so current in many ways. But after reading Reunion, it’s finally starting to feel like the past. I never thought I’d be ready to look back on it. And I didn’t want to — much like the characters in the book. I’ll admit I’ve been resistant to Covid-centered literature, but Reunion reminded me of the importance and necessity of looking back in order to move forward.

I’m grateful that Ellie documented this time and beautifully crafted three characters with their own complete complexities. I will be sitting with this one for a while.

[Esj · Rating 1 out of 5]

I felt like I was standing around at a class reunion at a school I didn’t graduate from with people I don’t care about listening to boring stories about their kids.

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper for this advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. Reunion tells the story of three college friends heading to their 25th (actually, 26th, due to Covid-postponement) reunion at their college in a small town in Maine. The three were surprisingly close in college - given their varied personalities and backgrounds - and have grown apart as they've gotten older. One pines for college, one hates it (understandable given what happened to her there) and reluctantly agrees to go because it is near her son's camp friend and he'll visit. I really liked reading about their adult lives and how they connect back to school. It took a weird turn, though, and I didn't really love that. I also thought a lot of the chapters ended very abruptly/bizarrely. Overall, a good read but not great.

[Victoria Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper for this advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. Reunion tells us the story of three friends who are coming together for the first time, following the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, for their belated 25th college reunion. We get to see behind closed doors to see the ways the pandemic has affected each friend and also the effect of the time and distance, since even before the pandemic, on their friendship. Secrets are dredged up and lots of emotions, as this group comes back together.

All in all, I thought this was a good read. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and empathized with a lot of their emotions surrounding their experiences during the pandemic and in a post-COVID world. I think this book really captures the essence of “a slice of life”, as we go along for the ride with these characters at a very particular (and still relatable) point in time. I think this in itself was what made the book enjoyable for me. However, I did feel unsatisfied by the ending and was waiting for some part of the book to really hit home or just wow me and ultimately, I think it just fell a little flat for me.

Overall, it was still a good read and I’d recommend to anyone looking for contemporary (very contemporary) character driven fiction.

[Sidnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who loves my alma mater but also feels a lot of fraught and mixed emotions as more and more reunions pass, I was really intrigued by this book. Also, the book takes place directly after the pandemic, when we were just starting to emerge and were hungry for human interaction and connection, but also very out of practice. More than grappling with their alumni connection, this book really focused on the effects of the pandemic on our marriages, parenting, and friendships. I also thought that a compelling theme of the novel is how a common experience, especially in our youth, can bring us together as friends even when we don't have all that much in common, especially as years pass. the question the author poses is that, if after years and a pandemic apart with time and secrets, can we come back to that common bond, or is it specific to the time and place? I found the exploration of these question with this single reunion weekend as the setting to be compelling as a read.

[LLJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, #NetGalley & #HarperCollins, THANK YOU for the chance to read Elisa Juska's newest novel #Reunion in exchange for a review. This was a beautifully crafted, multi-POV story told from the perspectives of the three main characters: Hope, Polly, and Adam. These three shared an unexpected and deep friendship during their UG college at Walthrop (located in Maine), smaintained, and strengthened again on Zoom during the pandemic in 2020.
The novel begins on the occasion of their 25th reunion (Class of 1995) which was supposed to have taken place the prior summer but the pandemic delayed it by one year. So 26 years after graduation, we meet these characters (both in the present day and in flashback). The book was so incredibly well crafted, thought out, and executed that each section/character informs crucial aspects of the others--as these three individuals begin to take on increased depth and dimension throughout the book.
I loved this novel. Hope and Polly's "complicated" friendship as roommates really hit home -- the ways we unintentionally hurt one another by keeping secrets and holding grudges--the fear of being vulnerable and imperfect. Adam's easygoing role as the third amigo in the trio, and how character traits endure and become deeply embedded as life goes on and each of them have families of their own. The impact of the pandemic on these characters and on the bigger world is brilliantly and authentically written as well. There are moments of insight, real consequences reentering the world post-pandemic, and in growing up in general, In being vulnerable and getting honest (with one another and with oneself). Brava to Elise Juska. This is a gem!!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably more like a 3.5 for me, but I rounded up.

As a graduate of a small, liberal arts school not unlike the one described in this book, whose 25th reunion came and went (unattended) during the recent pandemic years, there was so much I could relate to here that I had college-related dreams last night. However, the particular story of these friends didn’t grab me as much as I’d have liked. In part, that could be because I was able to put myself into the setting so completely that since these characters were not exact replicas of people I knew in school I felt disconnected from them. Another reason, I’m sure, is actually one of the book’s significant strengths: the author captured just what it felt like for me (a middle-aged, middle class white woman) to attempt to re-enter social situations after having been locked down for a year. The dialogue, both external and internal, are spot-on. The new scripts we learned, the reactions we had, the self-conscious and somewhat giddy/too chatty and entirely exhausting way of being in public. That awkwardness is all very well observed, a perfect snapshot in time (especially for people in their 40s), but for me it felt a bit too soon to revisit. I need more distance.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I misplaced the book I was reading "After Annie" and began this book, a book written by the niece of my oldest brother's closest college friend, who is still a friend. My brother told me about the book and the author...and she came to visit a book store in my neighborhood. I heard her talk about the book and then got it, read it...and for a long while wasn't sure. I felt overwhelmed by the number of characters...three are central to the story: two women and a man who became very very close during their college experience in Maine. These three, and their families central, but the Covid Pandemic and the the crisis of environmental dangers are also key to the story. For too long I felt overwhelmed...wished I had had a character list (sometimes I create one) but tried to stay focused on these three. Their families and former friends and teachers asked for my attention...and gradually, I was able to parcel out my attention in a way that worked. The ending is brilliant. Maybe it's the kind of book someone should read once and then reread, because the rewards are there, for certain, particularly for those affected by covid. I was, and still feel the effects.

The relationships of these three main protagonists and their children, and in two cases, their partners, is complicated and heartbreaking and very real. That's why I gave it four stars.

[Janet Fiorentino · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tend to alternate the types of books that I read and “Reunion” by Elisa Juska appeared at just the right time for me because I’d been reading a variety of fast-paced thrillers and was happy for a chance to slow down and spend some time with relatable characters.

I have lost touch with all but a few people I went to college with, but often wonder what it’d be like to see one another (especially after—shudder—twenty-five years have passed). That’s what happens to Hope, Polly and Adam who reunite during the Summer 2021, which was a time we were all feeling the pandemic blues. I tend to avoid a lot of fiction that focuses on the pandemic simply because its memories seem to fragile (I lost a very close friend due to Covid). Hence, I stopped reading a couple of times because of that fact. But really what I enjoyed about this story was reading about the characters’ struggles. Do not expect a lot of plot, but there is plenty of character growth. Further, I always appreciate fiction that forces the reader to reflect on her own life, even if parts of that reflection is somewhat painful.

Four out of five stars.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a chance to read and review this poignant tale.

[Svetlana Petrova · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a beautifully written book about complex people and their past and current friendships. The description of the pandemic and how different characters dealt with it was relatable and entertaining. It's a short book, and, at least for me, it was very engaging. It never felt dull or boring. I enjoyed reading it and would definitely recommend it.

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title should have prepared me for a classic college reunion tale with old regrets and old relationships revisited, too much booze, and women who are weirdly obsessed with makeup. But it also had a thread of real friendship, a sharing of hardships, and post pandemic realities that only true friends can share. I read it in one afternoon - a perfect Sunday of Labor Day wknd read.

[Nate Hawthorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the plot had good historical insight based in a mostly believable narrative. Some things were right turns for no apparent reason, but I could relate because of the generational connection. Covid, kids, marriages, college nostalgia: it is all there for me.

[DeAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great character study of college friends and how friendships evolve over time. Themes of parenthood, expectations, image, marriage, and teenage angst. Excellent on audio.

[Rebecca Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am predisposed to love books by Elise Juska, because I am quite fond of her as a person.

That said, this book is a stunner. It brilliantly articulates the WTF-ness of stepping tentatively back into life post-Covid, the ache and confusion that still arises 2ish years in. That would be plenty for any book to tackle, but Juska layers on the weirdness of facing the fact that our college selves are both 25 years behind us *and* deeply embedded in who we are now. (I say we/us because my 25th reunion was this spring, and I lived being me/echoes of me described so beautifully here.)

The best of reads.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just an okay read for me. There was a large cast of alternating POVs and the story kind of went all over the place which I found a bit confusing. What I did like about this book were the bits about living through lockdown in the pandemic and being forced to spend unprecedented time with children and spouses and how difficult that was on everyone. Good on audio. I would probably read this author again but this wasn't a must read in my opinion.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Downright bland and dull. It took a lot to power through this boring plot. I didn’t not feel a connection with the vapid characters. Wasted reading time. 1/5

[Amanda Mithun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book . A reunion taking place in 2021 - a 26th not 25th - brings to mind the emotions and fears of the time. Three friends must face the past to embrace the future in order to move on.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you ever felt insecure about your life during college, wondering how things got to where they are 25 years later (ok, 26, due to COVID), this might not be the book for you. Whether you felt like Adam, Polly or Hope, this will bring up all those feelings. You may even avoid your next reunion!

What made this two-stars wasn't that it brought back all that late teens/early twenties angst and questioning of whether I fit in and where I was going with my life, or even that this was a thinly veiled Bowdoin College (really, can't authors create a college setting without revisiting the one they went to??), but that it was so predictable. If there had been one decent twist, one unexpected outcome...

eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.

[Greg Cantrell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just can't relive this book by writing very much about it.

Every reunion cliche imaginable combined with 1990s nostalgia and a COVID-19 time frame (lockdown and after) was just a bit too much for me. I wanted to like this because the characters are only a year older than I am -- but I'd never attend a reunion (college or otherwise, including family!) and these people were cringey and uninteresting.

It wasn't for me and so I feel like 2* is probably about 1.5* too generous -- but I digress.

[Laura Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on May 11th, 2024.

June 2021 — Three friends anticipate a Covid postponed college reunion at the Maine campus. Hope — a stay at home mom with an increasingly distant husband — is desperate to return to what she remembers as her happiest time; Adam looks forward to reconnecting but feels guilt at leaving his perpetually sad wife with the twins in the house that she hasn’t left in a very long time; and NYC based single-mom Polly who doesn’t share her friends fond memories, but is persuaded to attend by her reclusive son who wants to visit a nearby friend.

This character-driven novel explores friendships and personal growth against the backdrop of lockdown parenting and recovery alongside some pretty intense environmental anxiety. With every relationship comes inevitable clashes and this story covers quite a few. I particularly “enjoyed” the generational clashes — some familiar and some brand new to me as successive generations bear less and less in common with my own. Well written probes into the evolution of friendships
— what connects people with little in common and what decisions can impact the closeness over time. I really liked that the ending for all of our protagonists had a closure that was more about understanding the nature of their issues, thereby clarifying a path towards closure, rather than any kind of quick solution to the problem itself — because there really are no quick solutions to relationship issues…

One kind of funny (to me) quote as Hope thinks about her teenage daughter Izzy: “Meanwhile, Izzy was skeptical of all things where Hope was concerned. Her Spotify list. Her low-carb bread. Her Facebook posts — too frequent, too obviously curated — why was she even on Facebook? Her overuse of exclamation points. Her leather tote. Sometimes Hope secretly wondered if Izzy had become a vegan primarily to get on her nerves.”

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars | I wish I could remember where I initially saw this book recommended because I know I was excited by it when I first heard about it. The setting of this novel stood out to me the most. It’s about three friends attending their 25th college reunion at a small liberal arts school in Maine. Living in Maine and being familiar with the town that the fictional college is based on, it was so fun to read about all the places these characters go. However, this is a pandemic novel. There is lots of pandemic talk in it, and the plot took a strange turn at the 70% mark, bringing it to an ending I was confused by. In hindsight, I should have DNFed this book, but c'est la vie.

[Kelly Peterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh - maybe I’m too old to identify with these characters? This was a lot of whining about how sad each character was after the pandemic and then they run into old besties at the reunion and start sharing their sad but none of them seem to grow. Strange build to a big event toward the end and then they all leave.
Several big reveals throughout but there is no substance to these plot lines. This book is very little dialogue and mostly each of the three main characters talking to themselves in their own heads.

[Joanna Bell-merriam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure why I hated this book so much. Wealthy people talking about their Covid experiences, small liberal arts college reunion. They just felt a little whiny