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Long Story
Two best friends, one old flame … It’s a long story
Tara is a famous movie star, known for her leading roles in beloved rom-coms. When her husband shows up on set one day to tell her he’s leaving her for his much younger action movie co-star, her life is turned upside down.
Alex is a powerhouse podcast host and writer, covering all things celebrity and pop culture. But she’s less of a girlboss when it comes to her love life, which has never quite recovered after an old flame left her heartbroken.
As youngsters as the same stage school, they swore off a boy for life, promising to always put their friendship first. But now the two BFFs' friendship is tested when rockstar Sean Sweeney’s memoir is published, revealing his past relationships with them both, unveiling secrets from the past and plunging their friendship into crisis.
Set between Ireland and the US, in the glamorous and high-energy world of celebrities, online influencers and social media, this is a pacy and fun novel about female friendships with a lot of heart.
Tara is a famous movie star, known for her leading roles in beloved rom-coms. When her husband shows up on set one day to tell her he’s leaving her for his much younger action movie co-star, her life is turned upside down.
Alex is a powerhouse podcast host and writer, covering all things celebrity and pop culture. But she’s less of a girlboss when it comes to her love life, which has never quite recovered after an old flame left her heartbroken.
As youngsters as the same stage school, they swore off a boy for life, promising to always put their friendship first. But now the two BFFs' friendship is tested when rockstar Sean Sweeney’s memoir is published, revealing his past relationships with them both, unveiling secrets from the past and plunging their friendship into crisis.
Set between Ireland and the US, in the glamorous and high-energy world of celebrities, online influencers and social media, this is a pacy and fun novel about female friendships with a lot of heart.
345 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 29, 2025
32 people are currently reading
275 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
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June 3, 2025#Gifted
Happy publication day to Long Story, Vicki Notaro’s second novel, following on from the success of Reality Check, a book I really enjoyed. The good news is, this is another banger!
Tara and Alex met as teenagers in Dublin back in the 90’s, and became instant best friends. Twenty years later they’re still very close, emotionally if not physically as both find themselves busy and jetsetting around the world.
Alex is now a successful podcaster and journalist while Tara is a Hollywood actress living in New York, who rarely gets home to Dublin.
All is going well until Tara’s husband leaves her for a younger woman, imploding her private life and public persona all at once.
Meanwhile, Alex is reeling after an old flame, and possibly the love of her life, publishes a memoir that reveals some shocking secrets that could destroy Alex and Tara’s friendship forever.
Can these best pals survive the tumult of celebrity scandals, hidden secrets and burning resentments? Well, you’ll have to read to find out 😅
I really love that friendship was at the heart of this story; it’s something we can all relate to and made it a really engaging read.
The depictions of stardom are so glamorous, but are still grounded in Irish humour and pop culture references, and I think that’s the key ingredient that makes Vicki’s books work so well.
I’m a Real Housewives fan, and similarly to Reality Check, some of the Ladies of NY etc get mentioned here too. I loved that there was some intermingling of the worlds of both books; they exist in the same universe so there’s some crossover, which fans of Reality Check will be happy to hear.
On a more grounded level, we have characters like Deirdre, Alex’s mammy, a midwife and voice of reason. I found her so comforting (and a very accurate portrayal of a midwife 😅) and I really loved any time she popped up; between her and Alex, a good balance is created with the more OTT characters in the book, who are so much fun but in small measures, as would be true in real life 😅
This is a fun read that deals with some tougher topics really well too. A perfect holiday read; I can see it being packed in lots of carry ons this year!
Recommend!
Happy publication day to Long Story, Vicki Notaro’s second novel, following on from the success of Reality Check, a book I really enjoyed. The good news is, this is another banger!
Tara and Alex met as teenagers in Dublin back in the 90’s, and became instant best friends. Twenty years later they’re still very close, emotionally if not physically as both find themselves busy and jetsetting around the world.
Alex is now a successful podcaster and journalist while Tara is a Hollywood actress living in New York, who rarely gets home to Dublin.
All is going well until Tara’s husband leaves her for a younger woman, imploding her private life and public persona all at once.
Meanwhile, Alex is reeling after an old flame, and possibly the love of her life, publishes a memoir that reveals some shocking secrets that could destroy Alex and Tara’s friendship forever.
Can these best pals survive the tumult of celebrity scandals, hidden secrets and burning resentments? Well, you’ll have to read to find out 😅
I really love that friendship was at the heart of this story; it’s something we can all relate to and made it a really engaging read.
The depictions of stardom are so glamorous, but are still grounded in Irish humour and pop culture references, and I think that’s the key ingredient that makes Vicki’s books work so well.
I’m a Real Housewives fan, and similarly to Reality Check, some of the Ladies of NY etc get mentioned here too. I loved that there was some intermingling of the worlds of both books; they exist in the same universe so there’s some crossover, which fans of Reality Check will be happy to hear.
On a more grounded level, we have characters like Deirdre, Alex’s mammy, a midwife and voice of reason. I found her so comforting (and a very accurate portrayal of a midwife 😅) and I really loved any time she popped up; between her and Alex, a good balance is created with the more OTT characters in the book, who are so much fun but in small measures, as would be true in real life 😅
This is a fun read that deals with some tougher topics really well too. A perfect holiday read; I can see it being packed in lots of carry ons this year!
Recommend!
July 6, 2025
Finished this book in less than two days. The perfect holiday read that kept me gripped from start to finish ⭐️
July 29, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Long Story by Vicki Notaro
Long Story is a fun and heartfelt look at friendship, love, and the tangled web of miscommunications that come with both. Tara and Alex’s decades-long bond, starting in 90s Dublin, feels real and grounded, and the nostalgia hits just right. I especially appreciated the crossover with Reality Check - fans will enjoy seeing the shared universe and familiar faces pop up.
As a Real Housewives fan, I loved the subtle references and pop culture nods. The female friendships were a highlight, but the frequent miscommunications between characters became frustrating after a while and took away from the emotional payoff.
This was an enjoyable, character-driven read with a great sense of humour and heart. A little more clarity in the plot and less drama-by-misunderstanding would’ve made it stronger. Still, a solid 4 star read.
Long Story by Vicki Notaro
Long Story is a fun and heartfelt look at friendship, love, and the tangled web of miscommunications that come with both. Tara and Alex’s decades-long bond, starting in 90s Dublin, feels real and grounded, and the nostalgia hits just right. I especially appreciated the crossover with Reality Check - fans will enjoy seeing the shared universe and familiar faces pop up.
As a Real Housewives fan, I loved the subtle references and pop culture nods. The female friendships were a highlight, but the frequent miscommunications between characters became frustrating after a while and took away from the emotional payoff.
This was an enjoyable, character-driven read with a great sense of humour and heart. A little more clarity in the plot and less drama-by-misunderstanding would’ve made it stronger. Still, a solid 4 star read.
September 18, 2025
There's something very cliché and over-played about the writing for me. I also cringe at some of the language used as it tries to make everything "glam". It's like the author Googled "what do rich people wear? What do rich people do in their spare time?" and then included it. I thought the same of Reality Check. The characters feel like caricatures. The narrative often reads like a checklist of dramatic beats rather than genuine emotional arcs. This book copies and pastes its structure, voice, and tired tropes from Reality Check. Every page is crammed with lines that feel written for Instagram captions hashtag-ready at all times. We get try-hard one-liners and inner monologues so over-the-top they made me wince. This isn’t dialogue that sounds like real people, and the characters are as surface level as they get. I keep wanting to like her writing as I am hoping for something that is never delivered!
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August 28, 2025Long Story blends celebrity scandal with the complexities of long-term friendship, following actress Tara and podcaster Alex as their lives are shaken by an explosive memoir.
The novel moves between Ireland and the US, layering in the messiness of adult relationships.
While the premise is engaging and Notaro captures the push-pull of female friendship well, the pacing sometimes drags, and the emotional beats don't always hit the depth they’re aiming for.
Overall, it’s a fun, easy read with flashes of wit and heart, but it doesn’t fully deliver on its potential.
I read this book as part of my bookclub and it's not my usual genre so I don't think its fair to give a star rating.
The novel moves between Ireland and the US, layering in the messiness of adult relationships.
While the premise is engaging and Notaro captures the push-pull of female friendship well, the pacing sometimes drags, and the emotional beats don't always hit the depth they’re aiming for.
Overall, it’s a fun, easy read with flashes of wit and heart, but it doesn’t fully deliver on its potential.
I read this book as part of my bookclub and it's not my usual genre so I don't think its fair to give a star rating.
September 3, 2025
Sadly, this was very meh for me. And, to be honest, if it wasn’t for the last third of the book, it would have been a two star. Rather than focusing on the negative, I’ll tell you what I did like. In some ways, I felt like it was a realistic portrayal of female friendship. Considering Tara was so high profile, there could have been so many dramatic turns regarding her friendship with Alex. However, it chose to focus on loyalty, jealousy, support, and the longevity of a teenage grudge. This kept the book grounded and relatable; there wasn’t much else that could for me.
August 5, 2025
I couldn’t put this book down! I loved the exploration of complex friendships, complex family structures, the pop culture references, the Irish humour, the fact one of the characters was from Crumlin, where I grew up was a nice addition to top it off, a lovely read, so many likeable characters and personalities!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2025
Flew through this one! (Maybe because I was waiting for something to happen). The 2 main female characters were absolute melters and out of touch with reality - added to the ridiculous drama of it which isn’t a bad thing. l enjoyed it, an easy read. Wouldn’t be reaching for it again in a hurry but happy to have read it!
September 2, 2025
Loved love loved another brilliant read by Vicki 🧡 such an honest and relatable depiction of female friendship. I laughed and cried and was so glad I saved it for my holidays so I could give it the undivided beach attention it required paired with a bottle of the palest Rosé and I inhaled it in two days🍷🏖️🌞
June 14, 2025
This is the perfect summer read. I was utterly grasped by the worlds of Tara O Toole & best friend Alex and couldn’t put the book down. It was great to be back in the same universe as Dessie from Reality Check! Please keep writing more of the same 💜
June 23, 2025
It grew on me , great parallel and loved the female friendships.
July 7, 2025
I liked this book. A easy , relaxing , quirky read 📚
August 2, 2025
Really enjoyed. Clever, fun and an insightful exploration of female friendships. 👌🏻
November 25, 2025
Tara was insufferable but it was an interesting read about female friendship
August 28, 2025
Wasn’t my cup of tea but I did think the second half was better than the first. I felt Alex’s ‘big reveal’ was very obvious and the fact it took so long to come out kind of annoyed me.
September 9, 2025
Long Story by Vicki Notaro is an ideal beach read, full of messy friendships and group dynamics and showbiz glamour, much like her first novel Reality Check. This novel is about two best friends, an actress and a podcaster, and the only man who has ever managed to come between them. As with Reality Check, the audiobook narrator Stephanie Dufrayne really brings the gossipy, humorous tone to life.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews