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Among Friends
The announcement of a major literary debut: What begins as a celebration takes a sudden turn when a shocking betrayal shatters the trust between families.
It’s an autumn weekend at a comfortable New York country house where two deeply intertwined families have gathered to mark the host’s fifty-second birthday.
Together, the group forms an enviable portrait of middle age. The wives and husbands have been friends for over thirty years, their teenage daughters have grown up together, and the drinks, dinners, rituals, and games that form their days all reflect the rich bonds between them.
This weekend, however, something is different. An unforeseen curdling of envy and resentment will erupt into an unspeakable act, the ramifications of which are enormous. Accusations, denials, and shattered illusions follow, driving wedges between friends, spouses, children and parents, and exposing the treacherous fault lines on which these families have dwelt.
Written with hypnotic elegance and molten precision, and announcing the arrival of a major literary talent, Hal Ebbott’s Among Friends examines the aftermath of betrayal within the sanctuary of a defining relationship. It explores themes of class, marriage, friendship, and power, as well as the things we tell ourselves to preserve our finely made worlds.
It’s an autumn weekend at a comfortable New York country house where two deeply intertwined families have gathered to mark the host’s fifty-second birthday.
Together, the group forms an enviable portrait of middle age. The wives and husbands have been friends for over thirty years, their teenage daughters have grown up together, and the drinks, dinners, rituals, and games that form their days all reflect the rich bonds between them.
This weekend, however, something is different. An unforeseen curdling of envy and resentment will erupt into an unspeakable act, the ramifications of which are enormous. Accusations, denials, and shattered illusions follow, driving wedges between friends, spouses, children and parents, and exposing the treacherous fault lines on which these families have dwelt.
Written with hypnotic elegance and molten precision, and announcing the arrival of a major literary talent, Hal Ebbott’s Among Friends examines the aftermath of betrayal within the sanctuary of a defining relationship. It explores themes of class, marriage, friendship, and power, as well as the things we tell ourselves to preserve our finely made worlds.
309 pages, Hardcover
First published June 24, 2025
1535 people are currently reading
29575 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,723 reviews
May 4, 2025
Arguably the whitest book I’ve ever read, this one lives and dies by the subtle and complex thoughts of its characters. All six are so thoroughly realized that we know precisely how and why each ticks, but over 300 pages, the volume of this interiority begins to feel like telling and not showing. Hal Ebbott has a beautiful command of language and sensitivity to the words of our thoughts, but I was just a little bored.
This one earns its spot in the literary canon of novels about a crisis easily averted if the two dudes involved just admitted they wanted to fuck each other.
This one earns its spot in the literary canon of novels about a crisis easily averted if the two dudes involved just admitted they wanted to fuck each other.
June 20, 2025
Immediately upon starting this novel I was confused. The writing was disjointed and full of so many similes it was hard to grasp any sort of narrative. It felt very contrived and pretentious and meant I had a hard time getting to know any of the characters.
Then, suddenly, the "big event" happens and the pacing becomes more manageable as the paragraphs and chapters lengthen and offer a deeper look at the thoughts and motivations of the characters. It was incredibly uncomfortable reading certain descriptions of Anna's maturation and her own mother's take on the sexualisation of a teenage girl. There is absolutely no world in which I can imagine a woman ever thinking in such a way and the fact that this comes from a male author makes it all the more abhorrent.
The only characters I felt were trustworthy were in fact the two teenage daughters. Anna and Sophie were depicted realistically as being caught up in their own worlds; this is crystal clear in the last interaction we see between them where both girls are worrying what the other is thinking about them and Sophie chooses to walk away rather than confront her own hurt.
My hopes were raised when Amos intervened on his daughter's behalf but the final chapter implies that he didn't take a proper stand for her after all. Retsy and Emerson were strange characters seemingly devoid of emotion and only interested in themselves. Claire seemed far too concerned about social standing and not wanting to tip the applecart rather than being there for her daughter in a time of need.
This was just an uncomfortable read on so many levels - the writing style didn't engage me, the characters were vapid and two dimensional and I was incredibly put off by some of the views expressed on teenage girls and sexualisation.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Then, suddenly, the "big event" happens and the pacing becomes more manageable as the paragraphs and chapters lengthen and offer a deeper look at the thoughts and motivations of the characters. It was incredibly uncomfortable reading certain descriptions of Anna's maturation and her own mother's take on the sexualisation of a teenage girl. There is absolutely no world in which I can imagine a woman ever thinking in such a way and the fact that this comes from a male author makes it all the more abhorrent.
The only characters I felt were trustworthy were in fact the two teenage daughters. Anna and Sophie were depicted realistically as being caught up in their own worlds; this is crystal clear in the last interaction we see between them where both girls are worrying what the other is thinking about them and Sophie chooses to walk away rather than confront her own hurt.
My hopes were raised when Amos intervened on his daughter's behalf but the final chapter implies that he didn't take a proper stand for her after all. Retsy and Emerson were strange characters seemingly devoid of emotion and only interested in themselves. Claire seemed far too concerned about social standing and not wanting to tip the applecart rather than being there for her daughter in a time of need.
This was just an uncomfortable read on so many levels - the writing style didn't engage me, the characters were vapid and two dimensional and I was incredibly put off by some of the views expressed on teenage girls and sexualisation.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
November 29, 2025
I have the Ick.
The prose is undeniably gorgeous.
The structure holds.
The bones of a powerful story are there.
But what’s built on them left me gutted in all the wrong ways.
Because here’s the truth: a girl is harmed, and no one, not the narrative, not the tone, not even the mother, fully honors that reality.
The mother doubts her.
Thinks she’s making it up.
The father arrives in a cloud of controlled rage.
He believes her, and there's something steadying in that, but even his fury is restrained, polite.
And the mother?
She’s grieving the loss of her life, her friendships, her place in the world.
It all reads like a quiet, literary reenactment of patriarchy: exquisite in form, but hollow at its core.
A story where men mourn each other and their unraveling, while the girl, the one who’s actually been violated, is made peripheral.
Symbolic.
Small.
I’m exhausted by this. By the erasure. By the way her pain becomes texture rather than truth.
I am done with stories that treat females as collateral damage in the emotional growth of men.
I am done with mothers who choose denial over devotion.
I am done with pain wrapped in poetic language that asks me to admire its beauty instead of name its brutality.
The prose is undeniably gorgeous.
The structure holds.
The bones of a powerful story are there.
But what’s built on them left me gutted in all the wrong ways.
Because here’s the truth: a girl is harmed, and no one, not the narrative, not the tone, not even the mother, fully honors that reality.
The mother doubts her.
Thinks she’s making it up.
The father arrives in a cloud of controlled rage.
He believes her, and there's something steadying in that, but even his fury is restrained, polite.
And the mother?
She’s grieving the loss of her life, her friendships, her place in the world.
It all reads like a quiet, literary reenactment of patriarchy: exquisite in form, but hollow at its core.
A story where men mourn each other and their unraveling, while the girl, the one who’s actually been violated, is made peripheral.
Symbolic.
Small.
I’m exhausted by this. By the erasure. By the way her pain becomes texture rather than truth.
I am done with stories that treat females as collateral damage in the emotional growth of men.
I am done with mothers who choose denial over devotion.
I am done with pain wrapped in poetic language that asks me to admire its beauty instead of name its brutality.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2025
4-4.5⭐️ When two families reunite for a birthday celebration weekend, a shocking event will rock these long-held friendships, and marriages, to the core.
Right off the bat, this book reminded me quite a bit of The Heart of Winter by Jonathan Evison, both in content and format. And then..it veered. While The Heart of Winter is hopeful and romantic, Among Friends is gritty and biting. It’s slow and evocative, but before you know it, there are twists and turns that will have you on the edge of your seat— something not at all common in a work of literary fiction. It is simultaneously beautiful and uncomfortable, steeped in eloquent prose and set in the most picturesque of places. A quick read, with very short chapters, you will find yourself unable to put this one down— at least I couldn’t.
🎧 The audiobook is narrated by one of my faves, Rebecca Lowman, and is absolute perfection. I recommend both formats, but if you enjoy reading via audio, this is for sure the way to go.
Read if you like:
friendship fiction
character-driven stories
dual timelines and POVs
debut novels
Thank you Riverhead Books and PRH Audio for the advanced copies.
Right off the bat, this book reminded me quite a bit of The Heart of Winter by Jonathan Evison, both in content and format. And then..it veered. While The Heart of Winter is hopeful and romantic, Among Friends is gritty and biting. It’s slow and evocative, but before you know it, there are twists and turns that will have you on the edge of your seat— something not at all common in a work of literary fiction. It is simultaneously beautiful and uncomfortable, steeped in eloquent prose and set in the most picturesque of places. A quick read, with very short chapters, you will find yourself unable to put this one down— at least I couldn’t.
🎧 The audiobook is narrated by one of my faves, Rebecca Lowman, and is absolute perfection. I recommend both formats, but if you enjoy reading via audio, this is for sure the way to go.
Read if you like:
friendship fiction
character-driven stories
dual timelines and POVs
debut novels
Thank you Riverhead Books and PRH Audio for the advanced copies.
July 11, 2025
The “unspeakable act” mentioned in the synopsis is a sexual assault between an adult man and a teenage girl. Yes, this is a spoiler, but I feel it’s important to make this point clear because the author did not handle this subject with any sensitivity.
It’s not that I think we shouldn’t portray sexual violence in literature. It’s not that characters in literature can’t have poor, misogynistic reactions to sexual assault. But I feel that the author’s depiction of this trauma and its consequences have offered no interrogation, insight, or revelations. What is the point of (shallowly) fictionalizing this narrative when it already so vividly exists in real life? The book focuses more on the perpetrator’s big feelings about being a shitty person than the victim’s arc and interiority. Again, why do we need fiction to bring focus to terrible men? Nothing subversive or innovative here.
If the larger narrative is not worth reading, there is also nothing redeemable on a sentence level. There is no art for art’s sake, in my opinion. The sentences are awkward and clumsy, clearly overwrought with the desire to impress fellow ivory tower MFA-ers. Every other simile is followed by a colon: the reader needs everything explained. I have a high tolerance for flowery, pretentious prose, and I couldn’t stand the self-indulgence in these pages.
It’s not that I think we shouldn’t portray sexual violence in literature. It’s not that characters in literature can’t have poor, misogynistic reactions to sexual assault. But I feel that the author’s depiction of this trauma and its consequences have offered no interrogation, insight, or revelations. What is the point of (shallowly) fictionalizing this narrative when it already so vividly exists in real life? The book focuses more on the perpetrator’s big feelings about being a shitty person than the victim’s arc and interiority. Again, why do we need fiction to bring focus to terrible men? Nothing subversive or innovative here.
If the larger narrative is not worth reading, there is also nothing redeemable on a sentence level. There is no art for art’s sake, in my opinion. The sentences are awkward and clumsy, clearly overwrought with the desire to impress fellow ivory tower MFA-ers. Every other simile is followed by a colon: the reader needs everything explained. I have a high tolerance for flowery, pretentious prose, and I couldn’t stand the self-indulgence in these pages.
June 30, 2025
Absolute travesty that poses as literature. Pathetic verse coupled with disjointed narrative with a layer of awful and hollow characters and plot that goes nowhere. One of weakest, most useless novels I'd had the misfortune of reading in ages. Avoid at all costs.
July 4, 2025
What the hell did I just read? Unlikable characters and just left a very bad taste in my mouth. Pretentious and characters more concerned with their social standing and "friendships" than their own daughter. The way Claire treated her daughter was painful - this whole book was painful and I wished I had not read it.
March 9, 2025
An absolutely exquisite novel, with the most sublime writing I've come across in some time. Undoubtedly a contender for my book of the year! I haven't stopped raving about it since the first page, and it's not even out until June...
Among Friends follows Emerson and Amos who have been friends for over thirty years since meeting in college. Their wives are friends, their daughters have grown up together. They want for nothing, languishing in their New York City wealth.
When the two families meet for one weekend to celebrate Emerson's birthday, a shocking act is committed that forces them each of them to question the foundations of their relationships, whether they even really know each other at all, and if the stone cold truth and all it entails is really worth upending their entire lives for.
On the surface, this sounds like it will be another domestic drama perfect for fans of Ann Patchett, Anne Tyler et al. But Hal Ebbott's writing elevates it to something else. It's the kind of writing that I'm sure will irritate some, but personally, I loved so many sentences I had to make a note of them or take a photo on my phone! Hal writes with uncomfortable honesty in a way I haven't felt since reading Elizabeth Strout. He captures so much atmosphere and truth in short, concise sentences that it left me stunned. With its 4 page chapters and compelling storyline, I could've lapped this novel up in no time, but instead, I savoured it.
Some of my favourite lines -
"For a mind given to buzzing, anxious distraction, a clear sense of desire was like the edge of a pool, a thing off which she could push."
"The thing no one seemed willing to understand or admit was that you could love your children; you did love your children; you would sacrifice for them, go without if need be - but that didn't mean you loved them more than your own life. It wasn't a question of wanting or not, you just couldn't. Because even they didn't get in all the way. There was still part of you - unalterable, perhaps; inaccessible to be sure - that was the core, the dark knot, the place that would never care about anyone else."
It is a hard book to really review without spoiling too much, but it is a novel that undoubtedly gets under your skin - the kind you need to discuss with anyone who will listen. It deals with some hardhitting subject matters and raises some interesting moralistic questions. It's fair to say it's dark and has some fairly unlikeable characters.
I'd recommend Among Friends to anyone who has enjoyed Hanya Yanagihara, Donna Tartt, Lionel Shriver, and Elizabeth Strout.
Already praised by Richard Ford, John Irving, and Claire Lombardo....I see a bright future ahead for Hal Ebbott and I really look forward to seeing what he does next!
Among Friends follows Emerson and Amos who have been friends for over thirty years since meeting in college. Their wives are friends, their daughters have grown up together. They want for nothing, languishing in their New York City wealth.
When the two families meet for one weekend to celebrate Emerson's birthday, a shocking act is committed that forces them each of them to question the foundations of their relationships, whether they even really know each other at all, and if the stone cold truth and all it entails is really worth upending their entire lives for.
On the surface, this sounds like it will be another domestic drama perfect for fans of Ann Patchett, Anne Tyler et al. But Hal Ebbott's writing elevates it to something else. It's the kind of writing that I'm sure will irritate some, but personally, I loved so many sentences I had to make a note of them or take a photo on my phone! Hal writes with uncomfortable honesty in a way I haven't felt since reading Elizabeth Strout. He captures so much atmosphere and truth in short, concise sentences that it left me stunned. With its 4 page chapters and compelling storyline, I could've lapped this novel up in no time, but instead, I savoured it.
Some of my favourite lines -
"For a mind given to buzzing, anxious distraction, a clear sense of desire was like the edge of a pool, a thing off which she could push."
"The thing no one seemed willing to understand or admit was that you could love your children; you did love your children; you would sacrifice for them, go without if need be - but that didn't mean you loved them more than your own life. It wasn't a question of wanting or not, you just couldn't. Because even they didn't get in all the way. There was still part of you - unalterable, perhaps; inaccessible to be sure - that was the core, the dark knot, the place that would never care about anyone else."
It is a hard book to really review without spoiling too much, but it is a novel that undoubtedly gets under your skin - the kind you need to discuss with anyone who will listen. It deals with some hardhitting subject matters and raises some interesting moralistic questions. It's fair to say it's dark and has some fairly unlikeable characters.
I'd recommend Among Friends to anyone who has enjoyed Hanya Yanagihara, Donna Tartt, Lionel Shriver, and Elizabeth Strout.
Already praised by Richard Ford, John Irving, and Claire Lombardo....I see a bright future ahead for Hal Ebbott and I really look forward to seeing what he does next!
May 27, 2025
This was just fine and sad. I’m tired of reading about women being assaulted and wealthy white men being absolved.
July 8, 2025
DNF at 33 pages
The writing style repulsed me. This reads like someone just picked random words out of a hat or just disjointed phrases.
Some examples of the absolutely bizarre sentences:
“They were standing in the kitchen, the women.”
“A basin sink, porcelain, deep enough to wash fruit.”
I could pick many more. There’s a strange structure to practically every sentence which dilutes any meaning.
I might have pushed on past the writing style but then came blatant misogyny.
In a conversation between the two wives in the story, we come to a point that seems to be the opposite of passing the bechdel test. Implying there’s nothing women could really have a conversation about if not a man.
“Yes, this man. They both knew him; about him they could speak.”
It’s so weird that these two wives supposedly long term friends through their husbands and with daughters of a similar age are struggling to come up with anything to talk about.
Also why the fuck is this woman proud about firing someone? Who thinks first that firing someone might be a good conversation topic before deciding: no, the only thing two women can talk about is men.
If that was bad enough we go to imply that the only purpose of women is children.
On the subject of her daughter, the one wife thinks, “because they existed, she made sense.”
And to continue the theme, why not go on and just say that women are stupid and not great at stem.
By immediately having the daughter say “I’m bad at math” when asked about school.
The daughters go on to have a conversation at school taking about you guessed it, boys.
I also think this going to be a story that turns close male friendship into a gay romance which I think is a harmful stereotype.
I didn’t get far in but this might be the worst thing I read this year.
The writing style repulsed me. This reads like someone just picked random words out of a hat or just disjointed phrases.
Some examples of the absolutely bizarre sentences:
“They were standing in the kitchen, the women.”
“A basin sink, porcelain, deep enough to wash fruit.”
I could pick many more. There’s a strange structure to practically every sentence which dilutes any meaning.
I might have pushed on past the writing style but then came blatant misogyny.
In a conversation between the two wives in the story, we come to a point that seems to be the opposite of passing the bechdel test. Implying there’s nothing women could really have a conversation about if not a man.
“Yes, this man. They both knew him; about him they could speak.”
It’s so weird that these two wives supposedly long term friends through their husbands and with daughters of a similar age are struggling to come up with anything to talk about.
Also why the fuck is this woman proud about firing someone? Who thinks first that firing someone might be a good conversation topic before deciding: no, the only thing two women can talk about is men.
If that was bad enough we go to imply that the only purpose of women is children.
On the subject of her daughter, the one wife thinks, “because they existed, she made sense.”
And to continue the theme, why not go on and just say that women are stupid and not great at stem.
By immediately having the daughter say “I’m bad at math” when asked about school.
The daughters go on to have a conversation at school taking about you guessed it, boys.
I also think this going to be a story that turns close male friendship into a gay romance which I think is a harmful stereotype.
I didn’t get far in but this might be the worst thing I read this year.
July 7, 2025
The prose itself is exquisite and exemplary of what litfic is supposed to be. The storyline, however, is upsetting without real reason or purpose. I don’t think men need to continue writing about teenaged girls being raped. The way the adult women characters in this book thought and talked and acted oscillated between being wildly stereotypical and wildly inaccurate. The hatred the narrative seems to perpetuate towards teenage girls is so wildly upsetting. The assault itself seems to occur only to characterize the rapist. I want to avoid spoilers, but the final pages completely ruined what work the novel had done to redeem itself. Without the final twist, I think this would have been a 3 star read for the pretty prose and the fact that the story demanded my attention. I would also like to note that there is constant head hopping and very little voice differentiation, so it’s often difficult to tell which character is thinking and speaking.
I want to add that I see the thematic reasons for the twist (re: money being the root of all evil, etc.) but I don’t think they’re strong enough to justify it. Does anyone really need another story about horrible things happening to young women?
I want to add that I see the thematic reasons for the twist (re: money being the root of all evil, etc.) but I don’t think they’re strong enough to justify it. Does anyone really need another story about horrible things happening to young women?
July 9, 2025
I think this is the worst book I've ever read. The writing is extremely pretentious, the sentences are extremely convoluted and most are grammatically incorrect. I'm assuming this is for sake of seeming smart but it completely took away from the story. The characters are all bad people with disturbing thoughts, and nothing in this book made me feel assured that these aren't that actual thoughts of the author. The story is slow with one significant thing happening in 300 pages. This is a dark and serious story that has no business being written by a man, and it is glaringly obvious that it was written by a man, because it wasn't handled with any of the care that should be taken when writing about these topics. I feel this story could have been salvageable if it were written only in the POVs of the two men best friends. But it wasn't. I really don't know what the point of this book was or why the author decided to write about this. Maybe someone can explain it to me. The cherry on top for me is that there were no acknowledgments in the back of the book. Who writes a book with no acknowledgments????? Anyway I hated this so much ew
July 3, 2025
When I had to put this down, I thought about it. When I picked it up to read, it was a page-turner. I was pulling for a good resolution for Anna, as if she were real. I was annoyed and put off by all the adults here, as if they were real, when their motivations were murky or starkly clear. I highlit some lovely prose along the way. And the last paragraph absolutely ticked me off. Because it felt infuriatingly true. Given all that came before with these characters, how could it have been any different?
All of this is to say it was a four-star read for me. I don't need to read about likable characters, but I do need to care what happens, and I very much cared here. From start to finish, I cared where everyone ended up. This was worth reading, and I am glad I did. This definitely felt like a summertime book, but I wouldn't say it was a relaxing read. Not the sort I'd like to read lazing about on vacation. But to spend reading time as long sunny days spiral out, definitely a good one.
Recommended.
All of this is to say it was a four-star read for me. I don't need to read about likable characters, but I do need to care what happens, and I very much cared here. From start to finish, I cared where everyone ended up. This was worth reading, and I am glad I did. This definitely felt like a summertime book, but I wouldn't say it was a relaxing read. Not the sort I'd like to read lazing about on vacation. But to spend reading time as long sunny days spiral out, definitely a good one.
Recommended.
June 26, 2025
While I’m a fan of a slow, literary read, I’m sick of male authors using sexual assault as a plot device. The characters were also insufferable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2025
The writing is decent but there's far too little story for a novel here. Everything is too drawn out and a bit predictable. Not for me.
July 24, 2025
I wish I could unread this.
The pacing drags under the weight of its own vocabulary and excessive introspection. While it clearly aims for something profound, it mostly delivers discomfort without justice or atonement. I kept waiting for it to redeem itself, but it never did.
A disappointing and exhausting read.
The pacing drags under the weight of its own vocabulary and excessive introspection. While it clearly aims for something profound, it mostly delivers discomfort without justice or atonement. I kept waiting for it to redeem itself, but it never did.
A disappointing and exhausting read.
June 25, 2025
I received an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan, Picador, and the author Hal Ebbott.
I'm afraid I can't give this more than 2 stars as I found the writing too pretentious at times.
It feels as though it is written to impress colleagues or a seminar of literature students, and the excessive hyperbole and flowery language detracts from the story.
Despite the obvious skill and effort put into the writing, the characters felt two dimensional and hard to sympathise with. I'm afraid I did not enjoy it at all. Not for me, 2 stars.
I'm afraid I can't give this more than 2 stars as I found the writing too pretentious at times.
It feels as though it is written to impress colleagues or a seminar of literature students, and the excessive hyperbole and flowery language detracts from the story.
Despite the obvious skill and effort put into the writing, the characters felt two dimensional and hard to sympathise with. I'm afraid I did not enjoy it at all. Not for me, 2 stars.
February 16, 2025
You may, like me, begin reading this book expecting a straightforward story about two dysfunctional families and their middle-class lives. I anticipated an Ann Patchett/Anne Tyler-style novel, filled with relatable yet mildly troubled family dynamics. But this book goes beyond that initial impression.
Initially, it does present a cozy, "we have it all but we screw it up" narrative. However, something happens that left me so shocked I had to reread the same few pages multiple times. This jaw-dropping moment elevated the entire experience for me.
Before this unexpected twist, the book was already superb. It offers an alternative perspective on men's relationships, exploring themes like middle-aged male friendships, jealousy, competition, and insecurities. These elements are depicted with such depth and authenticity that I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it before.
Overall, "Among Friends" is an excellent read that goes beyond typical family drama to offer profound insights into male relationships. It's a unique and captivating novel that I highly recommend.
Initially, it does present a cozy, "we have it all but we screw it up" narrative. However, something happens that left me so shocked I had to reread the same few pages multiple times. This jaw-dropping moment elevated the entire experience for me.
Before this unexpected twist, the book was already superb. It offers an alternative perspective on men's relationships, exploring themes like middle-aged male friendships, jealousy, competition, and insecurities. These elements are depicted with such depth and authenticity that I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it before.
Overall, "Among Friends" is an excellent read that goes beyond typical family drama to offer profound insights into male relationships. It's a unique and captivating novel that I highly recommend.
July 11, 2025
There is probably a more boring book than this one out there. It’s just that I don’t know what it is.
October 3, 2025
I’ve talked so much about this book and could talk about it forever but also never want to talk about it again
October 27, 2025
I can’t remember what audiobook I was listening to when the statement “he was a writer of sentences” was said. But that’s the first thing that came to mind when I was reading Among Friends. I’m no wordsmith myself, but I do appreciate when I accidentally stumble upon what I find to be “good” writing. I also give credit where credit is due when I get tricked and what I believe was going to be the storyline turns out to be nothing like what I had been assuming all along. I thought this was going to culminate in an affair by two closeted BFFs that simply couldn’t hide their true feelings for each other any longer. It . . . was not. I’m not going to tell you the plot twist, but just know that isn’t it and maybe go read other reviews or find yourself some spoilsies if you can’t handle uncomfortable subject matter.
3.5 Stars
3.5 Stars
July 28, 2025
This is the worst book I’ve read in recent memory. The author’s writing style is rambling, detached, and incredibly pretentious, and the characters are insufferable. There is absolutely no reason or logic behind the “shocking act” which serves as the catalyst to this story and it just reaffirms my belief that men have no business writing female viewpoints of sexual assault.
This was a BOTM pick and it had me seriously considering cancelling my membership because it was so bad. I read this on vacation and considered tossing this book into the sea, BUT I don’t believe in littering. Might serve as nice kindling for my next bonfire.
Absolute garbage book.
This was a BOTM pick and it had me seriously considering cancelling my membership because it was so bad. I read this on vacation and considered tossing this book into the sea, BUT I don’t believe in littering. Might serve as nice kindling for my next bonfire.
Absolute garbage book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2025
A blistering domestic drama that makes you wonder why any of these two families remained friends in the first place. A lesson: It’s fine to admit that you’ve outgrown your friends.
Amos and Emerson have been best friends since childhood. From this bond, their spouses are friends, and their daughters are friends. On the surface things look great and sound marvellous. But we quickly start to see that perhaps these friendships are merely a product of duty and familiarity. We witness examples of jealousies. resentments, disappointments, and bitterness; these stains cropping up as characters question certain actions and second-guess threads of conversation. Yet everyone’s trying so damn hard to keep these nagging feelings in check. They love each other; they’re family, aren’t they?
One explosive betrayal takes place at a weekend get-together which causes everyone to finally face up to who they truly are; a symbolic dropping of the masks. Bitter rivalries and lingering resentments are forced to come to light.
Ebbott really made me despise these characters; two in particular —there’s a rationale that’s made in this book by a certain someone that made me furious —like how you can go around thinking this? An example of being blinded/conditioned by the past. These are frustrating, anger-inducing characters. Ebbott doesn’t make anyone into true monsters, but their deeds are monstrous just the same. Amos was the character who is the heart of the story, and Ebbott did a great job fleshing him out into a truly complex character, a man torn between loyalty and accountability.
I can’t quite put my finger on why, but this novel was missing that extra spark. It’s written well and the potency of the story are there, but I think it could’ve gone even deeper with the material —really went for the jugular. Perhaps it played it a little safe with some of the exploration. Regardless, it was an engrossing work of fiction.
Amos and Emerson have been best friends since childhood. From this bond, their spouses are friends, and their daughters are friends. On the surface things look great and sound marvellous. But we quickly start to see that perhaps these friendships are merely a product of duty and familiarity. We witness examples of jealousies. resentments, disappointments, and bitterness; these stains cropping up as characters question certain actions and second-guess threads of conversation. Yet everyone’s trying so damn hard to keep these nagging feelings in check. They love each other; they’re family, aren’t they?
One explosive betrayal takes place at a weekend get-together which causes everyone to finally face up to who they truly are; a symbolic dropping of the masks. Bitter rivalries and lingering resentments are forced to come to light.
Ebbott really made me despise these characters; two in particular —there’s a rationale that’s made in this book by a certain someone that made me furious —like how you can go around thinking this? An example of being blinded/conditioned by the past. These are frustrating, anger-inducing characters. Ebbott doesn’t make anyone into true monsters, but their deeds are monstrous just the same. Amos was the character who is the heart of the story, and Ebbott did a great job fleshing him out into a truly complex character, a man torn between loyalty and accountability.
I can’t quite put my finger on why, but this novel was missing that extra spark. It’s written well and the potency of the story are there, but I think it could’ve gone even deeper with the material —really went for the jugular. Perhaps it played it a little safe with some of the exploration. Regardless, it was an engrossing work of fiction.
July 10, 2025
What the actual heck was this? This was the most confusing and weirdly written book I've ever read. The characters were all awful people and I hated every single one of them and not in a good way where it contributes to the story. I was lost for 98% of this book.
March 12, 2025
Overwrought and pretentious.
I’m not sure which trigger warnings to list here, as there are many.
Not a book for me.
I’m not sure which trigger warnings to list here, as there are many.
Not a book for me.
July 3, 2025
All the pretentiousness necessary for high brow, none of the substance necessary to be enjoyable. I feel like more time was spent crafting perfectly awkward sentences...time that would have been better spent on character development. I am super happy I did NOT spend money on this one...I almost bought it as a BOTM choice, but borrowed from our awesome library instead. So that's what I am happy about with this book...
February 23, 2025
Among Friends is a powerful work of literary fiction, spanning the lives of two families of lifelong friends. It is beautifully written, shocking without using shock-value, and the plot is completely engaging (if slightly slow and a little disjointed to get started). I felt completely frustrated and disappointed by the end, which is a compliment to the writing; it is an ambiguous ending which actually works in this book. Overall, this is a very elegant and immersive novel.
Thank you to the publishers for the advanced proof copy for review.
Thank you to the publishers for the advanced proof copy for review.
August 2, 2025
Wow. A 10/10 read for me. The writing, being in everyone’s heads, the jaw-dropping moments, the heartbreak and heartache. Ugh I loved (and hated) it so much.
July 10, 2025
This is way overwritten. I have seen reviewers praise this for being "beautifully" written but that just suggests a terribly sad grading on a curve that is probably an overreaction to the amount of AI-assisted dreadful prose we are surrounded with these days. Ebbott's writing is laden with ponderous similes and allusions. I'd say about 40% of them land, 20% are perhaps debatable, and 40% of them are laughable (a cobblestone street is likened to a "rumpled bed"? Why? How? Huh? Sharp words are said to "rain down like banknotes"? Where are we? A strip club? And why are they 'banknotes'? Are we in a Victorian strip club?). There were so many more, but if you listen to this on audio, you will be torn between being bored by all the frippery and those WTF moments. Oh well, maybe 40% is good for a debut novelist.
That said, it's neatly plotted, and for a novel that is largely devoid of a sense of place(it's nominally set in NYC but is really almost entirely interior set pieces) and that only has four and a 1/2 characters, it somehow manages to avoid claustrophobia and get you invested in the outcome. (I say it only has 4 and 1/2 characters because Emerson's wife and daughter never really come to life. I was waiting forever to find out why his wife was named Retsina, which of course is a particular Greek drink (an acquired taste, IMHO), but not much of a name, but this was never explained. Also, weirdly, at one point we learn completely out of the blue that Retsy has ouzo on her shopping list (we never learn why and no other shopping list items are discussed). Is all this random alcohol a lazy way of making the character Greek? Or an inside joke between Ebbott and Ebbott?)
In sum, a perfectly decent, even good, and well-plotted debut novel. Just nothing like the 2nd-coming Booker-hopeful book of the summer it's been cracked up to be!
That said, it's neatly plotted, and for a novel that is largely devoid of a sense of place(it's nominally set in NYC but is really almost entirely interior set pieces) and that only has four and a 1/2 characters, it somehow manages to avoid claustrophobia and get you invested in the outcome. (I say it only has 4 and 1/2 characters because Emerson's wife and daughter never really come to life. I was waiting forever to find out why his wife was named Retsina, which of course is a particular Greek drink (an acquired taste, IMHO), but not much of a name, but this was never explained. Also, weirdly, at one point we learn completely out of the blue that Retsy has ouzo on her shopping list (we never learn why and no other shopping list items are discussed). Is all this random alcohol a lazy way of making the character Greek? Or an inside joke between Ebbott and Ebbott?)
In sum, a perfectly decent, even good, and well-plotted debut novel. Just nothing like the 2nd-coming Booker-hopeful book of the summer it's been cracked up to be!
July 8, 2025
This shit straight pissed me off.
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