Go Gentle: The joyful new novel from the author of Where’d You Go Bernadette

by Maria Semple

⭐ The new novel from the bestselling author of Where'd You Go Bernadette ⭐

'Smart, funny and devastating in a great way' Jennette McCurdy
'I felt both cleverer and sillier after finishing this book' Guardian
'Loaded with Maria Semple's signature wit' Bonnie Garmus

Adora Hazzard has it all figured out.

A contented divorcée, she relishes her teenage daughter, her job as a moral tutor for an old-money family and the bliss of finally being solo.

Alone but far from lonely, she's also quietly assembling a 'coven' of like-minded single women on the sixth floor of the legendary Ansonia building on New York's Upper West Side. Together, they share groceries, dog walkers - and one dirty little despite their age, they're only just getting started.

Adora's life philosophy is want only what you already have. But could a chance encounter with a charming stranger threaten her joyfully curated life and leave Adora suddenly wanting more - even if she must risk everything to get it?

Go Gentle is a thrilling story of one woman's mid-life transformation, a romance with wit and a globe-trotting mother-daughter story, all wrapped in a mystery with a socko twist.

'A wild ride' The Times
'I adored this novel and it made me very happy' Nina Stibbe
'Maria Semple is a treasure' Los Angeles Times
'Funny and clever and sexy and uplifting' Francesca Segal
'Adora Hazzard is a heroine for the ages' Rufi Thorpe

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Mystery, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Art, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published April 14, 2026

About the author

Maria Semple's first novel, This One is Mine, was set in Los Angeles, where she also wrote for television shows including Arrested Development, Mad About You, and Ellen.

Semple was born in Santa Monica, California. Her family moved to Spain soon after she was born. There her father, the screenwriter Lorenzo Semple, Jr., wrote the pilot for the television series Batman. The family moved to Los Angeles and then to Aspen, Colorado. Semple attended boarding school at Choate Rosemary Hall, then received a BA in English from Barnard College in 1986.

Reviews

[emma]

i don't know if literary romance is a genre, but if it is it's my favorite

(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)

[Ron Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oprah's New Book Club Pick:

Chances are good that Maria Semple’s Go Gentle will be the only zany comedy about Stoic philosophy published all year.

We haven’t heard from Semple, the celebrated author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette, in a decade, but we haven’t heard from Marcus Aurelius since A.D. 180, which puts her absence in perspective.

In any event, they’re both back now and raring to go.

Semple confesses in a note to readers that she recently went through a divorce and moved to New York while mothering “a fiery teenage girl.” Feeling “all ajumble” but creatively energized, she finally figured out how to write a thriller she’d started and abandoned many times before.

Go Gentle is that thriller, complete with international terrorists, arms deals, and glamorous spies, but it’s also a goofy romantic comedy, so it sometimes sounds like an episode of Sex and the City written by Dan Brown.

The narrator is Adora Hazzard, whose allegorical name is the first clue that this woman loves danger no matter what she claims about craving serenity. Indeed, spending a few days with this character may be the most exhilarating thing you can do for yourself this summer. Every morning she opens her eyes and tells the universe, “Surprise me.”

It obliges....

Read my full review for free here:
https://roncharles.substack.com/p/wom...

[Dee (in the Desert) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. No, it isn't "Bernadette" but I did really enjoy this book quite a lot. The mid-life main character and philosopher, Adora Hazzard, is a complex woman with an interesting life, job and living situation, and this one's also a madcap journey, both through the MC's past and also with an absurd situation in the present that's almost a farce. I also learned a lot about stoicism and the old philosophers. Recommend for women needing an escape - especially those "of a certain age"!

[Kelsey reviews•books · Rating 4 out of 5]

▹TL;DR Review: At times this felt like a fever dream—and I didn’t hate it. This has a bit of everything: philosophy, politics, feminism, white-collar crime, mystery, and romance.

▹My ⭐ Rating: ★★★.75 out of 5
▹Format: 📱 eReader
Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for an advanced e-copy of this book. These opinions are my own. Go Gentle comes out April 21, 2026.
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○★○ What to Expect from This Book: ○★○

– About: Adora Hazzard is a stoic philosopher and recent divorcee living on New York City’s Upper West Side, confident she’s mastered the art of wanting only what she already has. She tutors the twin sons of an old-money family, has a coven of like-minded women in her building, and relishes her solo life—until a chance encounter with a handsome stranger upends her orderly world. Suddenly black-market art deals, secret rendezvous, and buried pasts come crashing in, forcing Adora to risk everything to discover what she really wants.
– Location: New York City, NY / LA / Paris
– POV: Single third-person
– Spice: A open and closed-door scenes (not overly explicit, but could make some uncomfortable)
– Tropes: midlife changes, philosophical quest, Stoicism, Amor Fati, art world antics, single mom, romance subplot
– Content warning: (POSSIBLE SPOILERS) suicide attempt, terrorist attempts, body image issues, divorce, infidelity, sexual misconduct in a workplace, class tension, art-world black-market, existential crisis, US politics in the last 10 years, being stalked, narcissistic parent
– Representation: women supporting women, mid-life FMC, #metoo

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↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺ 1:00 ──ㅇ────── 4:12

Now Playing: Que Sera, Sera by Doris Day

╰┈➤ ❝Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be; The future's not ours to see; Que sera, sera❞

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★○ If You Like the Following, You Might Like This Book ○★

➼ Books that lean into the philosophical, like The Stranger by Albert Camus, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin, and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
➼ Modern stories that include recent political and social events, from the 2016 US Presidential Election to the #metoo movement to mentions of the Kardashians and Pharrell
➼ Creating a coven of women who support each other

─────────────────────────

⍟»This or That«⍟

Character Driven—————✧——————Plot Driven
Fast Burn————————✧———Slow Burn
Sweet—————✧——————Spicy
Light/Fluffy———————✧————Heavy/Emotional

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🎯 My Thoughts:

I’ll admit it—I picked up this book for the cover first and the description second. A coven of like-minded women in NYC? Sign me up. As a pretentious New Yorker who has never actually lived there (Midwest born and raised), I loved living vicariously through Adora and her fellow Manhattanites. But this story goes far beyond its aesthetic or setting.

Adora put me through an entire emotional spectrum: annoyance, anger, camaraderie, intrigue, pity, reflection. She’s a woman shaped by a narcissistic parent, who becomes a comedy-writer-turned-philosophy-convert after trauma, then becomes a mother navigating an era of political chaos, and a tutor teaching wealthy New York boys how to think. Following her life sometimes felt like a fever dream, but Maria Semple weaves these threads together into a surprisingly cohesive tapestry—one many readers will recognize pieces of. And honestly? She may have converted me to Stoicism.

One of my favorite elements was the way pop-culture references were juxtaposed with philosophy. I’m sure plenty of nuance flew over my head, but I loved the delightful clash of arts, humanities, relationships, crime, politics—and the romance subplot didn’t hurt, either.

Would I Recommend?: Not to everyone. But if you enjoy following a complex woman juggling motherhood, marriage, vocation, and identity—only to have it all upended by a white-collar art crime—this is absolutely worth your time. It’s different from my usual picks, but I’d happily read more from this author.

[Angie Miale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is chaotic- with bizarre structure and pacing, it seems to break all the rules of contemporary fiction writing, and yet I loved it. The main character Adora refuses to be categorized, much like the genre. Plenty of twists, time jumps and character building at random.

Adora is an “in house philosopher” for a generational wealthy Manhattan elite family. She is a divorced woman who has lived through different “lifetimes” and is forever changed by the American landscape and the traumas she has overcome. I related to her on a visceral level- and my highlighter got a workout as I kept underlining and writing “THIS” in the margin.

My guess is it will be a Book of the Month selection.

This book won’t be universally loved, but please read it, especially if you meet the following;

-a lady over 40
-feminist
-interested is philosophy
-would like to be in a coven
-like reading about modern Manhattan

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC. Book to be published April 13, 2026.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was as if the author had three different ideas for a book and couldn't decide which one to write about, so she smushed them all into a single book. The plot that starts out the book with the main character trying to create a "coven" of older women living on the same floor of an apartment building and supporting each other as they grow older together just pretty much disappears and is not really relevant to the rest of the book. The other two main plots eventually tie into each other even though it all seems kind of ridiculous. If the author had settled on one story to pursue this book could have been a lot better than it actually was. It felt way too disjointed as written.

[abby :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you read the synopsis for this book and think you'll be prepared for what's to come, i promise you won't...

this author is very, very popular because of where'd you go bernadette, but i've never read that so i had no idea what to expect from this book. honestly requesting the arc feels like a very strange decision on my part but i will never read something like this again so it was worth it. from just the first ten percent, i was hooked on the uniqueness of semple's writing. her prose is so individual and i was glued to the page because i truly had no idea what was coming. i am 100% sure i did not read the synopsis because the words "arms deal" hit the page and i was gobsmacked.

at its core, this book is about adora and all the insane things she gets up to at her insane job as an in-house philosopher. we also learn about the coven she is creating, a bunch of single women in their 40s-60s living in an apartment building together and splitting costs, her relationship with her daughter, her past, and digby. what shocked me the most wasn't the black market, art history of it all, it was the chapters of adora as a comedy writer. that section of the novel felt completely separate from the rest and i don't totally know how to feel about some of the reveals we get about people from that time. i am looking at one nda lawyer specifically... i will never be able to form a solid opinion on him.

i will however, be thinking about this book forever. this may be because i genuinely cannot feel like i understood what i read, even as we got answers i was just so shocked at the overall plot that i couldn't focus on what was being told to me. this review feels weird because its so vague but if you're looking for a fiction novel that takes you on an insane ride, while also updating your knowledge on stoicism, this is your book. also reliving 2016 politics was not fun and did bring my stomach to my throat, the friend that told adora she would've divorced hal immediately for his joke, me too girl. adora inviting hal to the event in the end honestly threw me, get his weird ass outta here.

*thank you putnam and netgalley for the copy!*

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding! Intrigue, mystery, humor, philosophy and huge art deals.

Basics: New York City
The Ansonia
Former comedy writer
Current Philosopher (professor and moral tutor for young twin boys of wealthy family.
Divorced and not looking for a mate.
Sex is naturally acceptable with a willing partner.

Adora Hazzard works for the wealthy Lockwood family in NYC as a moral tutor to their twin sons and at their Lockwood Museum. Layla and Lionel are old money New Yorkers trying to do their part for the art world on the Upper West Side.

Lionel was seriously injured in a climbing accident and is in a wheelchair with limited mobility. Layla tries to do everything possible to make her husband’s life more interesting. That includes a total remodel of their townhouse into a glass structure complete with elevators and a tunnel under the street to their museum.

Layla has plans to purchase and ship an ancient statue from France to their home in the US. Suspicions are aroused by this unknown statue and the French woman they’re purchasing it from. She is on the Board of the Louvre plus her father was instrumental in getting art pieces back from the trove of art stolen by the Nazis.

Adora somehow meets a man at the ballet that might be involved in this deal and has a night of wild, wonderful sex with him. Ravi, a curator for the museum is the most suspicious.

The story moves quickly with characters involved in many aspects of the art world and fabulous quotes by ancient philosophers. No one is who they appear to be. Fun! Kept me guessing to the last sentence.


Thanks Edelweiss and Atria.

[Kerrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

review to come

[Christopher Febles · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author of the cult favorite Where'd You Go, Bernadette returns to form with a twisty, philosophical thriller/romance/retrospective/find-yourself tale.

As you see from the tagline, I have no idea how to categorize this thing. But if you loved that banger in Bernadette, you were waiting with bated breath for this one.

Adora Hazzard has a weird job: family philosopher. She teaches Stoicism et al to the Lockwood twins. They’re the twelve-year-old heirs to the Lockwood fortune, the holders of the famous Lockwood Library and priceless artifacts in a palatial estate on Fifth Avenue, or what they call “The Museum Mile.” A recent divorcee, she lives just across Central Park in a classic apartment building, on a floor where three women support each other financially and spiritually, a setting she calls “The Coven.” She has a past that includes a comedy-writing career that was cut short by a disgusting #metoo-inspired incident and a lucrative NDA. Philosophy was the happy pivot from that turbulent life.



One day, waiting in line for the ballet, a mysterious, “gorg” stranger buys her extra ticket. One thing leads to another which leads to a hot and steamy romance. But Mr. TD&H turns out to be some sort of agent involved in a dangerous scandal with her employers, one that threatens precious artifacts…and lives.

Adora might be Semple’s best-written character yet. Yes, the backstory has its own chapter and takes us away from the riveting plot, but it’s a good one. Her monologue is chock-full of wonderful quotes from the classic thinkers, snippets of wisdom that’ll have you nodding and agreeing. She’ll make Stoicism clearer than ever (and yes, the title comes from the famous Dylan Thomas poem). She’s brilliant, tough, and both an underdog and an everywoman. I thought some aspects of her life connected less with the plot than others, but I liked her nonetheless. And her superpower is making sense of the insane and taking life’s slings and arrows with grace and strength.

Thus, she’s a terrific protagonist for this wild, crazy caper. The challenge Adora faces is scaffolded around high fashion, eight-figure philanthropy, and how ancient statues are acquired. All topics of which I have little knowledge, and hence I found following the clues to the mystery a little difficult.

That said, the golden goose chase is as fun and globe-trotting as Bernadette’s. Looks to me like Adora and her 21st Century teen daughter Viv stayed in the same place I did on my trip to Paris! Her banter with love interest Digby is snappy and intelligent, just as you’d expect. Her encounters seem random at first, but later fit perfectly in the plot jigsaw puzzle. The later chapters have some exciting reveals, one after another, that build a big crescendo. Sure, the denouement is a little Scooby-Doo: everything pulls together at a big fancy party, but it’s a nice reward for a likeable MC.

Of course, the snarky, witty, sarcastic, absurdist tone from Semple’s earlier work is there, and maybe better than ever. It’s not the slapstick humor you find in the Stephanie Plum series, but it warms the action and will get a wry grin out of you.

Hey, looks like our buddy with the Bernadette fame is back! Go Gentle is a sharp, pithy, dizzying ride into a contemplative and intriguing world.

Thanks to Putnam Books and NetGalley for a free advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Publication date for Go Gentle by Maria Semple is April 14, 2026.

[Monica Hills · Rating 4 out of 5]

From philosophy to romance to politics to mystery, this was a story that grew on me. At first all of the philosophy talk and Adora's job made the book drag a little for me. However as I kept reading I was drawn in as I learned about Adora's past and what she went through. As the book progressed to the end, I did not want to stop reading to find out what was going to happen.

When we first meet Adora she is a philosopher working for a prominent New York City family. She likes her life and when she meets a man at the ballet things slowly take a turn. The novel flashes to the past where we learn about Adora's time as a screen writer. This is where the book really hooked me. The book returns to the present where we learn of a possible conspiracy and art theft. Adora also has the possibility of a new romance on the line.

There were not really chapters in this book but it was written in parts. I did not mind this style and it did make sense when I think about the story as a whole. Adora was an interesting character who went through a lot. There were some wise quotes and I actually enjoyed learning a little more about philosophy. The ending is what made this book. It is definitely hard to classify exactly what this books is but I can say that it is a good story.

Thank you to G. P. Putnam's Sons/Penguin Random House and NetGalley for this ARC.

[Michael Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding Too Many Paths

“Go Gentle” follows Adora Hazzard, a divorcée and Stoic philosopher whose carefully ordered life in New York is upended by a handsome stranger, romance, and international intrigue.

While Maria Semple's novel is bursting with her trademark wit and funny lines, its greatest flaw is a wildly scattered plot that incorporates too many disparate ideas. The book is a blend of a philosophical treatise on Stoicism, a goofy mid-life romantic comedy, a story about a "coven" of middle-aged women in Manhattan, and an international art heist thriller.

The narrative is marred by frustratingly erratic shifts between its various plotlines, suggesting the author pursued too many competing directions. Early on, the story of Adora forming a "coven" is quite compelling, yet it eventually fades away, overshadowed by a screwball mystery that clashes awkwardly with a dense, 80-page flashback about a serious past trauma. This lack of focus often left me bewildered, questioning if I was even reading the same book I had begun.

In the end, the book feels like a chaotic three-ring circus. Although I thoroughly enjoyed large portions of the narrative—often laughing out loud at Semple’s biting, eccentric wit—the dizzying journey makes it difficult for the story to truly come together, despite a clever resolution to the main plot.

Thank you to G. P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #GoGentle #NetGalley

[Athena A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I thought this was a silly story about middle-aged, upper-middle-class women creating community in NYC (part 1, strong start). And then I read that the author went to Barnard (as did I) and it even made MORE sense! And then it got wild and thrilling (part 2). And then it got upsetting and horrible and biographic (part 3) but still darkly funny at times. Some skippable sections.

Overall, we’re living in the brain of a philosopher barreling into the chaos of a transnational scheme… I felt like this book took on a lot and could have consistently leaned more into mystery/romance or weird girl lit fic or focused on the femme relationships better. Does this even pass the Bechdel test?

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for this ARC.

[Holden Wunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hit 100 pages and the first thing I did was text my mother that Maria Semple is back and to watch out for April 14th and I will gladly tell my book friends as well.

Typically, I’m not super attached to literature where the protagonist is much older than me as I don’t find a lot relatable yet. Perhaps in another ten years that would be different, different phases in life call for different books. But there is something special about Semple and her writing style that allows you to relate no matter the time and space you’re currently in.

I was so enamored with Where’d You Go Bernadette that I’ve been on the look out for more since and I’m so pleased with the outcome.

Go Gentle is filled with so much that makes the genre so unique. There is thrilling aspects, romance, witchy coven vibes, all dressed up in a literary bow. Not only does the cover art encapsulate the book in the aesthetic but also the writing and plot. I am attached to these characters and will wish nothing but they best for them in the future, like they old friends that they are.

[Book Riot Community]

Book Riot’s Most Anticipated Books of 2026:

Adora is a single mom and stoic philosopher employed by an eccentric billionaire. She’s given up on dating and, instead, is trying to create a coven of divorced women who support each other in her New York Upper West Side apartment building. But a chance encounter with a handsome man pulls her into a romance she never expected and a high-stakes mystery that puts everything in her life at stake. The way every single highly specific, highly bizarre detail fits together by the end is nothing short of a masterpiece. Seriously, if you want to read a book about #MeToo, art repatriation, stoic philosophy, middle age, and motherhood, this is the book for you. —Alison Doherty

[Dallas Strawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really have no idea what the actual crap I just read. This is like a blend of four books smooshed together. The first plot was pretty interesting. I was into it. She abandoned it. There’s a new plot. I got bored. There was a time jump into the past I got really interested and then I just got totally lost. Do not recommend whatsoever.

I still believe her to be a fantastic writer stylistically. And I love her culture references. But this was just a mess.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Where’d You Go Bernadette’ was good because it was funny, serious and sad. ‘Go Gentle’ is all that, but it is also silly and all over the place. It was a bit too much for me to be honest.
Thank you Penguin US and Edelweiss for the ARC.

[britta ⋆˙⟡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Covens, you can’t afford not to!”

I had such a good time reading this! Maria Semple wrote Where’d you go, Bernadette?, which I also thoroughly enjoyed. Her writing is very singular; simultaneously quirky, funny, deep and relatable. This story has it all: eccentric apple billionaires, art terrorism, a middle aged single lady condo coven, Paris, peonies, a lip-reading dog walking teenager, a philosopher queen, the Grateful Dead, a mystery to be solved and lots more. Adora the FMC is so totally loveable and there’s a wonderful cast of characters and a little romance too. I loved the philosophy bits.

“Adora is trying to find someone to blame because she hasn’t won her Oscar.”
“My Oscar?” I said with a jerk.
“We all thought she’d have an Oscar by now,” my mother explained to the therapist. “But she’s stuck writing for television shows none of us have ever heard of.”
My therapist recognized narcissism when she saw it, and this was god-tier. I half expected her to throw the Ali-G hand sign and say, “Respect.”

Many thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Content warnings: Narcissistic parent, suicide attempt, sexual assault (in flashbacks)

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Maria Semple, author of my favorite Where’d You Go Bernadette, brings us another richly crafted, character-drawn tale. This follows Adora Hazzard who is living her best life on her own terms, or so she thinks! Adora lives in NYC’s Upper West Side in the Ansonia building, where she’s created her own “coven” of older women whom are each other’s ride or die support as they navigate through life.

Enter the mysterious man with his slick, suavé international charm.. and black market art that can only spell TROUBLE! Then time jumps back to a younger Adora as a comedic writer.. then moves forward to where she is now. I loved this! It’s unpredictable, and is constantly moving in different directions. I admire how Semple can so easily capture a character's thought process in such a realistic way. There’s mystery, intrigue + secrecy, hot romantic suspense, philosophy and feminism. It is quirky and weird in the best possible way that Semple writes so well. Without a doubt, one heck of a wild ride. Pub. 4/14/26

Thank you to Putnam via NetGalley for the advanced reading copy. All opinions are my own.

[Angie Miles · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was kinda just too all over the place for me. I wasn’t really invested in any of it, and I found myself quite impatient as I waited for it to be over. 😭 The writing was decent, I just couldn’t get immersed in the story itself.

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an enjoyable book. I loved Adora’s character as she is extremely relatable. I was entertained at how she handles life and loved the mix of themes in this book - from mid-life and love to secrets and silliness. I was lost in the pages as I gasped and giggled. This book is lighthearted for the reader while delving deep enough into Adora’s life to keep you guessing what could happen next.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jaclyn]

It’s like Maria Semple took every rule about pacing, structure and character development and said, nah not today. This book has some weird shifts (tonal, temporal, tangential) and I kind of loved all of them. There is something so playful about this book. It’s a complete caper and I loved its every turn. The stoics being the grounding force to it all worked so well. This one will be fun to talk about with Bri.

[Seawitch · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple but I struggled with Go Gentle.

If you like zany stories that move around a lot and have unique charicature-y characters and lots of references to popular culture and just a lot going on, then this book might be for you.

(My popular culture knowledge is limited and some of that whooshed right over my head.)

This felt like a few different stories rolled into one - including a “mystery-like” plot. There is also time spent on a comedy show as a writer by the protagonist.

There is a marriage that falls apart and a teenaged daughter who also gives the protagonist a run for her money - I found the domestic bits more interesting than the instructions on philosophy and how to be a Stoic.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Alex Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witty, entertaining, unexpected twists. Scratches a philosophical itch I didn’t know I had.

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so f’n much. Adora is so smart and funny, sometimes to her detriment. The celery/bread scene cracked me up. I love her and her coven of badass women and the few good men in her life.

[Kelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book felt kind of like a fever dream that could have been broken out into 3 or 4 separate books. For me, the plot took a while to get into and the slang felt slightly out of place.

The different parts in itself were written in a more clunky fashion compared to some of the other parts, and the topics jumped all over the place. There were discussions of philosophy, love, politics, feminism and white-collar crime.

I’m usually a fan of quirky characters but this felt like it pushed the boundary a little too far. Perhaps I read this at the wrong time, and hopefully others will enjoy this even though this wasn’t for me. With this, though, I will definitely look to try other books from this author in the future!

[Nicole D. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was painful for me, OMG. The ending .... UGGHHHHH. Many people will love the end, it's just not my kind of book, which is every kind of book imaginable rolled into one. Is "chick lit" still a thing? This qualifies.

I'm irritated writing this review. It's #metoo, and philosophy, and maybe thriller/cozy mystery with an improbable detective? romance, mother/daughter/teen angst, art ... Convenient. Contrived. Nonsense. Let me throw in a deaf lip reader kid who is great with animals, a man in a wheelchair who feels sorry for himself, a quirky old lady with a secret, a mysterious stranger who keeps showing up, a narcissistic mother who constantly criticizes and a "woke" teen always on her phone, both vapid and spouting pearls of wisdom ...

There were a parts I enjoyed, but when looked at as a whole it's an absolute mess of a book.

[Marisa Thalberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was excited to get an ARC of Maria Semple’s new novel ahead of its upcoming pub date in 2026, having adored “Where Did You Go, Bernadette” many years ago.

I enjoyed this - though admit I’m not entirely sure how to summarize it (and looking at some other early reviews, that is part of its charm to some, part of its frustration to others). What I did love: main character Adora Hazzard (a one time “SNL”-type comedy writer as we learn about in a big flashback section… turned Stoic philosopher and tutor to the wealthy Lockwood children). A divorced mom with teenage daughter Viv, they live in the Ansonia, one of my favorite buildings on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, and she has formed a “coven” of similarly middle aged single women neighbors (a plot line that seems more important than it proves to be).

I quite liked the peppering of “greatest philosophy hits” from Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus, who believed happiness comes from managing emotions. Does that leave room for… love?

This of course becomes an underlying theme when Adora meets dashing Digby when he buys her spare ticket to the ballet. Their instant romance seems too fortuitous - because it is.

How this all turns into a mystery involving stolen / reclaimed art is a little hard to explain!

If you can accept it as a mixed bag of interesting characters and some quite outlandish plot lines and character developments, you’ll enjoy it. Thanks to Netgalley for the preview read.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

What started off as a humorous and cozy mystery turned into a book that surprised me in a lot of different ways. Adora works as a moral tutor for a rich family in NYC and lives in an apartment building where she's trying to recruit single women to move in on the same floor and care for each other. One night, she meets an intriguing stranger who makes her question her life choices.

I was literally on the edge of my seat reading some of these chapters. I loved learning about philosophy while going on this fun adventure with Adora and the quirky cast of characters around her. Maria Semple is great at writing in a way that pulls you in and keeps you hooked.

[T'Jae Freeman · Rating 2 out of 5]

i wanted to love this but ultimately i didn’t. just okay. a lot of times the plot felt very looney tunes-y and it lost me with the lack of seriousness. some parts of the plot were okay but only okay.