Friends and Family

by Natalie Baszile

From the author of Queen Sugar, a piercing examination of friendship and loyalty as two best friends find themselves at odds over their beliefs on race, identity and allyship, especially when it comes to their teenage children

Babs and Nora became friends thanks to their kids. Now, the desire to protect their children might tear them apart.

Babs and Nora have spent a decade’s worth of morning walks sharing family secrets, local drama, and advice—everything from tips on lingerie choices to Babs’s suggestions to Nora, a white woman, on how to raise Nathan, her adopted Black son.

But their worlds are turned upside down when the cops are called on their kids while they’re home alone, leading to a traumatic police encounter for Nathan. In the aftermath, Babs and Nora find themselves divided as never before, and Nathan looks for refuge with Babs and her family, where, unlike in his own home, race, identity, and culture are always up for discussion. Babs can see that Nathan is a young Black man without community trying to find himself. Torn between respecting Nora’s boundaries and embodying the values so important to her own family, Babs will make a choice that will shape their lives forever.

Set in a tight-knit enclave in the Bay Area, Friends and Family is an eye-opening exploration of friendship and privilege, race and community, and what it means to truly be a good friend and ally.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Race, Literary Fiction, Family, Friendship, Adult Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 2026

About the author

Natalie has a M.A. in Afro-American Studies from UCLA, and is a graduate of Warren Wilson College’s MFA Program for Writers where she was a Holden Minority Scholar. An early version of Queen Sugar won the Hurston Wright College Writer’s Award, was a co-runner up in the Faulkner Pirate’s Alley Novel-in-Progress competition, and excerpts were published in Cairn and ZYZZYVA. She has had residencies at the Ragdale Foundation where she was awarded the Sylvia Clare Brown fellowship, Virginia Center for the Arts, and Hedgebrook. Her non-fiction work has appeared in The Rumpus.net, Mission at Tenth, and in The Best Women’s Travel Writing Volume 9. She is a former fiction editor at The Cortland Review, and is a member of the San Francisco Writers’ Grotto. Natalie grew up in Southern California and lives in San Francisco with her family.

Reviews

[emma]

gotta be two of my favorite kinds of people

(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)

[₊ ˚ ale ࿓ ♡ ⋆｡˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

‎ ‎ ‎ ⌗‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ──🍋‍🟩🐈‍⬛ᝰ .ᐟ pre-read.
i saw many great reviews about this book and i was so excited when i got the arc, hehe, i practically devoured it!

thanks to netgalley and the author for an arc in exchange of an honest review.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friends and Family is a solid story about friendships, but not the easy, feel good kind. However, the book is truly about how race can play into the mix into day to day interactions.
For me, reading this felt like experiencing two stories in one.

The first is a complex portrait of a bond between two friends: Babs, who is Black, and Nora, who is white. Babs daughter Reese and Nora's adopted son Nathan have been best friends since they were just kids.It serves as a stark reminder that life altering situations will really show you what a friendship is made of and not always in a good way.

The second story is an exploration of race and privilege, centered on Nora’s complex experience as she navigates life with Nathan.

Throughout the book, there lies Babs and her husband Galen's complex marriage, perfect descriptions of San Francisco (not many writers can navigate the city streets correctly and Baszile does it well), and the contradictions between rich versus the comfortable middle class.

Through Nathan’s character, the book also dives into the terrifying and specific reality of how Black men are perceived and treated by the police. It highlights the anxiety that comes with raising a Black son in a world where a simple encounter can turn life threatening. This particular layer of the story shows how privilege isn't just about what you have, but about what you don't have to fear.

It’s clear that Baszile wasn't interested in shying away from uncomfortable conversations, and I truly appreciated that boldness.

I devoured this book in two days and can’t wait to see how readers react to this exploration of race, and what friendships truly mean when put to the ultimate test.

Thank you Viking and Pamela Dorman for the advanced copy!

[C. Sinclair · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

He'd started to pack his invisible suitcase and would forever feel the weight of it.

4.5/5

Friends and Family is an unflinching examination of the relationships that shape us — the ones we choose, the ones we're born into, and the ones that force us to confront who we believe ourselves to be. Natalie Baszile's exploration of race, cultural identity, privilege, and the many forms of bias embedded in American life is courageously raw without ever becoming reductive. This is a book that refuses to whitewash difficult experiences into something more comfortable for the reader, while equally refusing to manufacture easy answers to questions that simply do not have them. That honesty is one of its greatest strengths. Stepping into the perspectives of these characters is at times profoundly uncomfortable, but it is also deeply illuminating, because Baszile trusts the reader to sit with that discomfort rather than resolving it for them.

The character work is exceptional. These people are unapologetically themselves — strong and vulnerable, defensive and generous, flawed and evolving, painfully and gorgeously human. Baszile's narrative voice is particularly adept at exposing the mental acrobatics required to navigate a world in which race and identity are never simply background characteristics, but forces that shape how a person moves through nearly every interaction. The portrayals of harm and its aftermath are equally impressive, particularly in the examination of allyship. Intentions are not results, and good intentions do not neutralize the consequences of careless or uninformed behavior. The novel understands that genuine allyship requires more than identifying oneself as an ally; it requires listening, accountability, humility, and a willingness to confront the possibility that the person trying to help may itself be contributing to the harm.

Friends and Family is the kind of novel that made me reconsider how I understand the relationships between individual good intentions and collective harm. It is a remarkably human story about navigating identity, friendship, family, privilege, and the biases that continue to shape American life, and it does so without reducing any of its characters to representatives of an argument. I genuinely believe this is a book worth reading widely, but especially for anyone who considers themselves an ally to the BIPOC community. There is something invaluable in being asked to step outside your own assumptions and witness, however briefly, the calculations another person has to make simply to move through the world. This is an important, challenging, and deeply memorable novel — the kind of book that doesn't hand you the answers because its greatest gift is making you understand why there aren't easy ones.

Thank you sincerely to Pamela Dorman Books for sending me an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. It was a privilege to read and review this remarkable novel, and I look forward to the next opportunity.

[Courtney Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the years, between morning walks in the Bay Area and raising their kids, Babs and Nora have formed a deep friendship. But when an incident involving their teenaged children and the police occurs, the ties to their bond begin to fray. As Nathan, Nora's adopted Black son, struggles with the traumatic event, he seeks refuge and comfort within Babs's family while the two women find themselves at odds with each other over race and privilege.

With high potential to be a celebrity BC pick and begging to be a BC pick in general, 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 is a novel rife with hot button topics to dissect and discuss. Through complex characters, Baszile gives a piercing examination on race and allyship, and she does not shy away from having the uncomfortable conversations. It's hard-hitting, insightful, and extremely relevant in its timeliness.

My only slight hiccup is there's an infidelity thread revealed in the beginning that I ultimately think could have been cut; it feels more distracting from the scope of everything else this novel packs into its pages.

Navigating racism in America unfortunately remains a continual journey for both sides, and one thing Baszile does beautifully is showcase that no one has all the answers. We still have a lot of work to do, but that's doesn't mean we ever stop putting in the work or trying.

✨ Thank you Viking for the gifted ARC via NetGalley! [𝘗𝘶𝘣 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦: 10•6•2026]

[Merisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Viking and NetGalley for an advanced copy for an honest review.

Simply put, I loved this book.

This is my first read by Natalie Baszile, even though I am familiar with Queen Sugar. Like the book/show, this one packs a punch that calls for intense reflection during and after reading.

I was fortunate enough to read this with another group of readers who had ARCs. This was a diverse group of women, and the takeaways/conversations we were able to have while reading were what really made this read impactful.

Like Babs, I have had a Josie in my life. I am well-versed in the wounds that linger after having a friendship like that in childhood, especially one that ends because of circumstances beyond your own control--in this case, the color of your skin. Opening the book with that flashback really provided the reader with a foundation for understanding some of the racial dynamics that are present in the book, especially why Babs would befriend Nora.

I think this was an incredible character study, providing insights into what it is like to navigate the world as a Black person, but also what it feels like to navigate interracial friendships, specifically those between Black and white people. Like Mecca and Galin, both express to Babs, I understood Babs on the level in which it seemed like she was pandering to the white gaze, seeking validation from white people by overcompensating to make her Blackness more palatable. I understood the gravity of what it felt like to navigate white spaces as "one of the only" while trying to simply understand your place in the world.

Here's what I loved most:
-I loved the interiority of Babs' character, and at times, the thinking of Galin as well. I think this is an incredible way of showing the mental gymnastics that Black people face daily. I loved how it showcased their hopes, dreams, and fears, but also how it centered the ways in which they felt a sense of belonging in Black spaces.
-I loved the relationship between Babs/Galin and Reese and eventually Nathan. This parenting reminded me of the great parenting in the show, Forever, and I really appreciated how open and honest they were with the young people.
-I loved Mecca! I appreciated her viewpoints and her unapologetic Blackness. I think her character served as a great counter to Babs and really contributed to the "growth" that Babs experiences after the incident.
-I loved what this has to say about race and about the people who consider themselves allies. I think it provides a deeper level of understanding in the ways in which those who consider themselves allies still have blindspots/shortcomings. I think in a lot of ways, it shows how sometimes allyship feels performative, especially when someone considers themself to be "doing the work" and beyond reproach.
-I loved the way in which it demonstrated how harm can linger, and even after years, the wound is still raw.
-I loved the ending. I think it works well to show that situations such as this do not have "happy endings," and they don't allow those involved to move on without forgetting.

I think this is a book that everyone should read, but I think specifically those who consider themselves allies to Black people. It's an incredible portrait of navigating the world as a Black person and the casually violent ways in which "allies" can let. us down.

Read this book. Read it with others. Read it with your Black friends.

[Angie Miale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I guarantee this will be a celebrity book club pick. My moneys on Jenna, probably.

Set in the suburbs of San Francisco, Natalie Baszile tells the story of two longtime friends whose lives have become deeply intertwined. Babs is Black and the mother of a teenage daughter, Reese. Nora is white and the adoptive mother of a Black teenage son, Nathan. When the police are called while the teens are home alone, a traumatic encounter forces both families to confront the event—and everything that led up to it—from very different perspectives.

This is, first and foremost, a novel about friendship, but it’s equally a novel about race, privilege, parenting, and the ways our identities shape both how we move through the world and how the world responds to us. Baszile doesn’t offer easy answers or tidy resolutions. Instead, she invites readers into uncomfortable conversations that feel honest and deeply human.

As a middle-aged white woman, I want to read books like this. For far too long, much of publishing has presented stories about race in ways that allow white readers to remain comfortable. Fiction has the power to build empathy, challenge assumptions, and help us understand experiences beyond our own. That isn’t always an easy process, and this novel never pretends otherwise.

Despite the weight of its subject matter, the characters are what stayed with me. Babs and Nora are richly drawn, but it was the supporting cast that truly elevated the novel for me. Babs’s husband is one of my favorite characters I’ve read this year—steady, compassionate, and wonderfully written. The teenagers, especially Nathan, feel authentic in ways that many adult authors struggle to capture.

The writing reminded me of books like Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, while also carrying the issue-driven emotional weight of many of Jodi Picoult’s novels. It’s the kind of story that sparks conversation long after you’ve finished reading, making it an outstanding choice for book clubs.

Content warnings: racism, racial trauma, and a traumatic police encounter involving teenagers.

Rating: ★★★★¼ (4.25/5)

Expected publication: October 6, 2026.

Thank you to Pamela Dorman books for providing an advanced reading copy.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Friends and Family by Natalie Baszile in one day because I simply could not put it down. It’s a compelling story with interesting characters and a tight plot, even as it takes on some uncomfortable questions.

At its center is Babs, whose marriage is strained, and her best friend Nora, a white woman raising an adopted Black son. Their relationships give Baszile room to explore how race shapes everyday life and the things people may understand very differently, even when they love each other. I especially appreciated the idea of the “invisible suitcase” Black people carry. That image helped me understand the story more deeply, especially Galen and Nathan. It gave me a way to think about how experiences of racism accumulate and shape the way they move through the world, even when other people can’t see the weight of them.

San Francisco and the Napa Valley are vividly drawn, too. Baszile’s descriptions of the landscape and local landmarks made the story feel rooted in a real place.

I’ve seen reviews criticizing the book for focusing too much on racism, but I didn’t feel that way at all. That focus belongs to this story and these characters. I was absorbed from beginning to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Corina Sandu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt more like social commentary than literary fiction—and I don't mean that as a criticism.
Its biggest strength is the conversation it creates around race, privilege, identity, and belonging. At times, it reads almost like a guide meant to help readers better understand experiences different from their own, and there is real value in that.

The standout character for me was Nathan. A Black boy raised by white parents, his struggle to understand who he is and where he belongs was often painful to watch. I wanted to shake his mother because of how oblivious she could be, and I was furious with his father more than once. When Nathan finally finds a place where he feels understood and accepted, my heart ached for him. He was easily the most memorable character in the book.

Where the novel lost me was in some of the characterization. Many of the adults felt more like representatives of ideas than fully developed people, and several emotional journeys resolved a little too neatly for my taste. I kept wanting more messiness, more setbacks, and more complexity.

That said, this is very much a personal preference. Readers who enjoy fiction that puts social themes front and center may connect with this book far more than I did.
Overall, I found it thoughtful, worthwhile, and full of important conversations, even if I admired its message more than I connected with its storytelling.

Thank you to Viking and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I appreciated the opportunity to read and review this book before publication.

[Kristina Pauls (ARC Reviewer)]

***REVIEW COMING SOON***

PUBLISH DATE: Oct 6, 2026
BOOK TITLE: Friends and Family
AUTHOR: Natalie Baszile
PUBLISHER: Viking Penguin | Pamela Dorman Books
FORMAT: ebook
PAGES: 384
I received a complimentary digital ARC [Advanced Readers Copy] of this book via NetGalley. Thank you to the Publisher and the Author for the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication. As always, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[KDRBCK]

Friends and Family by new to me author Natalie Baszile is a stand alone novel.
I read the blurb and was intrigued. I started reading and soon it became clear, that isn't the book for me.
I couldn't for the life of me connect with the story or the characters and I really didn't like the writing.
2.5 stars bcause I'm in a generous mood.

[Tulip_OnTheTBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sit Back, Grab Your Snacks, and Watch the Chaos Unfold! 🍿📺

When a book gives you a colossal mess, you have to just sit back and watch the chaos unfold right before your eyes! The scenes were not only set, they grabbed me by the collar, drug me across the floor, and dropped me smack-dab in the middle of the room with these out-of-control characters. No wonder Hollywood wanted a piece of Natalie Baszile's past work; the way she built tension in this story had me flinching, gasping, and staring at the pages like, "Is this shit really happening right now?!" 🤯

In the eye of this storm was Nora and Babs, who tested every single nerve in my body! By the time I hit the 50% mark, I was exhausted by their antics, but did I close the book? Absolutely not. The shenanigans kept me glued or maybe it was my nosey ass refusing to put it down! Either way...🤭

Anywho, I loved how well the author navigated the intersections of class, race, and the politics governing our connections with other people. She really captured the truth behind the push-and-pull dynamics we experience in our relationships, although control is nothing more than an illusion. 🪄

Beyond all the drama, there was such an interesting layer of multi-generational goodness packed into this story! The kids brought such a lively, fresh energy to the plot. They weren't just sitting in the background like props; they were active, vital players contributing to the story in so many impactful ways. And watching the husbands get pulled into the fold made the whole family dynamic feel alive! 🫶🏾

As a new-to-me author, I was blown away by the power of Natalie Baszile's pen! Her writing style was impeccable, and her prose has a flow that made the book ridiculously easy to read. However, the timeline dragged in a few spots and the pacing slowed down, leading to a lukewarm ending that just didn't deliver the payoff I was waiting for. ✍🏾

The Aftermath 🌷
In the end, I really enjoyed this FOUR-STAR read! Friends and Family left me with a few lessons on how our cultural backgrounds impact the choices we make when relationships get testy and loyalty comes into question. Between the insightful takes on parenting, love, and friendship, plus the breathtaking San Francisco backdrop, this book delivered. Highly recommend picking this one up just for the mess alone; it was nerve-wracking but good! 💐

Publication Date: October 6, 2026

Thank you to Natalie Baszile, Pamela Dorman Books, and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Amy Sunshine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to #VikingPenguin and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #FriendsandFamily. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Could not put this book down. Had to know what was going to happen to all the characters. This is a book about what it means to belong - to family, friends and a community - and how relationships can survive hard things when people are true to themselves.

Set in contemporary San Francisco, the story revolves around the friendship of Babs and Nora. When one of their children is racially profiled by the police, the dynamic shifts and both women are forced to evaluate what's important to them and how they move forward.

This is a really well-written story about the complexity of relationships and hidden biases.

[Jules The Book Junkie Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished Family and Friends primarily because I had committed to reviewing an advance copy. While I appreciated the technically strong writing and the vivid descriptions of San Francisco’s neighborhoods, there wasn’t much else about the book that worked for me.

The story centers on an angry, flawed female protagonist who makes a series of poor choices, only to leave readers expected to sympathize with her in the aftermath. I don’t mind flawed characters—in fact, they can be some of the most interesting—but books centered on angry people with chips on their shoulders aren’t for me. Neither are books that feel derisive or intent on dividing their characters and readers.

The author tackles several worthwhile and thought-provoking topics, including interracial adoption, interracial friendship, self-segregation, and racial profiling. Unfortunately, the execution felt too heavy-handed and one-sided for my taste. I could appreciate the issues the book was trying to explore, but I ultimately found the approach more alienating than engaging.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. For more reading recommendations, visit Book Junkie Reviews at www.abookjunkiereviews.wordpress.com

[Mary Angel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really anxious to read Friends and Family after reading the synopsis. It tries to tackle some pretty serious issues, infidelity, transracial adoption, interracial friendships. I found that the infidelity issue kind of took over everything, and it just didn't feel believable to me how it was handled.

Babs is a mess. She made bad decision after bad decision. Few of the characters were likable except for her sister, Mecca, and friend, Logan. They felt the most realistic to me. Friends and Family just didn't land for me. Thanks to NetGalley and Pamela Dorman Books for the ARC.

[Judy Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the brilliant mind behind Queen Sugar (a favorite) comes an unforgettable, eye-opening novel about race, community, and maternal instinct. If you love contemporary fiction that challenges your perspectives and stays with you long after the final page, put this at the top of your reading list.

Intro
The fragile threads of interracial friendship and well-meaning allyship are pushed to their absolute breaking point in Friends and Family. Following up on her acclaimed debut Queen Sugar, Natalie Baszile returns with a deeply intimate, contemporary drama that fearlessly dissects the hidden fractures within a seemingly perfect bond.

The Hook
For a decade, Babs and Nora have been inseparable, sharing morning walks, parenting advice, and deep family secrets in their tight-knit Bay Area enclave. But when a terrifying police encounter occurs while their teenage kids are home alone, Nora's adopted Black son, Nathan, bears the brunt of the trauma, instantly shattering the comfortable dynamic between the two mothers.

Elevator Pitch
Think Little Fires Everywhere meets Small Great Things. An upper-middle-class enclave becomes the staging ground for a quiet but devastating clash over race, privilege, and identity. When a crisis forces a young man to look for refuge away from his own white mother, two families are forced to question everything they thought they understood about love and loyalty.

Setting
The story unfolds against the scenic, affluent backdrops of San Francisco and the Presidio Park walking trails. The deceptively peaceful, progressive environment serves as a stark contrast to the brewing emotional storm and deep-seated cultural divides.

Vibe
Intimate, urgent, and emotionally heavy. The narrative feels like a slow, meticulous unraveling of safety, where every casual conversation carries the weight of decades of unaddressed societal tension.

Genre
Contemporary Fiction / Social Drama.

Themes
~The Limits of Allyship: The vast gulf between theoretical progressive values and real-world execution during a crisis.
~Maternal Protection: How the raw instinct to defend a child can alienate the people closest to you.
~Identity and Enclaves: The isolation of a young Black man trying to find community while being raised in a space that avoids talking about race.

Standout Characters
~Babs: A fiercely protective Black woman wrestling with a past betrayal, a strained marriage, and an internal battle over how much of herself to sacrifice for her friend's son.
~Nathan: A seventeen-year-old caught between the world his mother built for him and the harsh realities of how society views him, desperately seeking a space where he can just heal.

Author Writing Standout
Natalie Baszile writes with incredible, surgical precision when exploring internal dialogue, building devastating momentum through the small shifts in body language, tense pauses, and the complex conversations shared between lifelong friends.

Takeaway
True allyship isn't built during comfortable morning walks; it is tested in the uncomfortable, boundary-testing aftermath of real-world trauma.

Title Significance
The title plays on the casual phrase "friends and family," highlighting how easily those categories blur when things are easy, and how violently they separate when a choice must be made between protecting your bloodline and protecting a bond.

Metaphor
The friendship functions like a beautiful glass sculpture with an invisible structural flaw. It looks flawless on display in the sunlight, but a single sharp blow reveals the stress lines that were always hidden beneath the surface.

Why You Should Read
This book is essential reading for book clubs and anyone who loves deeply character-driven stories. It doesn't offer easy answers or clean resolutions; instead, it forces the reader to look inward and examine their own boundaries, privileges, and assumptions.

My Thoughts
Two best friends share a decade of secrets, but one traumatic afternoon changes everything. After a police encounter disrupts their families' lives, Babs and Nora must confront the true limits of privilege and allyship. "Friends and Family" is a remarkable work of contemporary literature. The focus on Babs' internal perspective brings a profound and raw honesty to the story. Witnessing the erosion of trust between two women who genuinely care for one another is deeply heartbreaking. However, Baszile handles the subject matter with stunning empathy, nuance, and grace.

Verdict 5 / 5 Stars
"A piercing, masterfully written examination of friendship, privilege, and the delicate limits of interracial allyship. Natalie Baszile delivers a deeply resonant and emotionally fearless story that exposes the fractures that open when good intentions collide with harsh realities. An unforgettable, powerhouse novel that demands to be discussed."

Recs or Read Alikes
If you enjoyed Friends and Family by Natalie Baszile, you likely appreciate sharp, emotionally resonant contemporary fiction that explores complex female friendships, interracial dynamics, motherhood, and the heavy impact of systemic issues on personal relationships

~Queen Sugar (a favorite) by Natalie Baszile (To explore her brilliant roots in family and legacy)
~The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
~One Summer in Savannah by Terah Shelton Harris
~The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson

Special thanks to Pamela Dorman Books/Viking and NetGalley for sharing an advance reading copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Oct 6, 2026
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[Kasa Cotugno]

With this examination of friendship, family loyalty and inherent racism, Natalie Baszile hits this one out of the park, One aspect I appreciated was the locale. San Francisco, which she knows very well, is well used, surprisingly so since that city has a reputation for acceptance and tolerance. The fact that people of color can feel threatened there indicates that it can happen anywhere. The two major protagonists, Babs and Nora, lead upscale lives and yet are not exempt from the dangers of the streets. As I have had the good fortune to have lived in that city, settings were familiar, which is why some events were surprising.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Rae · Rating 2 out of 5]

Friends and Family deals with several really heavy societal themes (racism, class, relationships, policing, parenting) and I am probably not the target reader or even in the right demographic.

The writing did not flow naturally because the author was just telling me things rather than showing me through plot. The characters seemed to be stereotypes or caricatures of themselves. I was unable to connect with them inside what could have been a very compelling narrative.

Thank you to VikingPenguin and NetGalley for a digital copy in return for an honest review.

[LaKayla Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes situations will really show you what a friendship is made of, and not always in a good way, and that’s exactly what happens in Friends and Family.

Friends and Family is a story about friendship, but not the easy, feel good kind. This story shows how quickly things can shift when real-life situations come into play, especially when it involves family, race, and “protecting” your children. The book explores how friends with different perspectives in these areas can either grow closer or drift apart.

I’ve also always wondered about transracial adoptions, especially when families of other races adopt black children. Will the child be fully accepted and loved by the entire family? Will they feel like something is missing when it comes to their cultural identity? This book really shed light on those questions in a way that felt honest and real.

As you can see, shying away from uncomfortable conversations was not something Baszile did here, and I really appreciated that.

The pacing leaned more on the reflective side, which worked for the story, but I will say the ending felt a little abrupt. I found myself wanting just a bit more closure. An epilogue would have been a really nice addition to help the ending feel more complete.

Overall, this was an engaging read that made me think about friendship and family in a deeper way. If you enjoy stories that touch on real-life issues, this is definitely one to check out.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, Viking Penguin, and Pamela Dorman Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: Oct 6, 2026

#NetGalley #FriendsandFamily

[Nathalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a real book. I had to go back and check it was fiction and not a memoir because of how real the storytelling felt.
This book really addresses race, Transracial adoption, friendship, marriage. Basil’s shows how people can exist in the same world but have different perspectives and experiences and how that can affect friendships.

There is a lot of build up and explaining in this book to be able to understand and feel the full effect of this story.

I think this was a really good book that addressed a lot of important topics going on today.

[Sharlene N · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐

Friends and Family is an unflinching examination of friendship as two best friends find themselves at odds over their beliefs on race, identity and allyship, especially when it comes to their teenage children.  Babs, Black mother of Reese, and Nora, adopted mother of a black son Nathan, have been friends since the kids have been just barely toddlers. When Nathan finds himself targeted by policy in a scary situation, Nora and Babs have very different ways of how to support him and how to deal with the situation.

This one GOES DEEP on the racial issues that Babs and her family experience and live with on a daily basis Nora is not painted as a bad person or racist, but STILL she makes several serious missteps and gross mistakes in how she supports her son. As a Girl Who is White (one of Bab's terms), I found many of these interactions honestly very deeply uncomfortable but also very enlightening. Babs finally finds herself asking herself 'why is it up to me to explain to Nora why what she's doing is so painful?! Shouldn't she be the one to do the work to figure this out!?" Honestly this is a whole new level of thinking and I'm ashamed to realize that I identified with Nora many times. Baszile does not shy away from the tough stuff and I had several lightbulb moments.

Notwithstanding all of the above, the storytelling on this one is top-notch on it's own. As a former (north) Bar Area native, I have to add how much I loved the rich descriptions of SF and other areas in the Bay Area and how the setting really adds a richness to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pamela Dorman for access to this eARC.

[Sarah · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Friends and Family is a moving and complex story about friends, family and that sometimes blurry line in between. Babs and Nora have been friends since their children, Reese and Nathan, met in kindergarten. Babs, a Black woman, finds herself unexpectedly (for her) becoming best friends with Nora (a woman who is white according to how Babs describes her) who adopted her youngest, Nathan, a Black child. Closer than family, Babs and Nora have a deep, longstanding friendship. Set amongst the backdrop of San Francisco, Natalie Baszile depicts normal, everyday family and friend moments for the upper class set in the Bay area. There's an underlying current of race, which Babs does not shy away from and Baszile masterfully challenges readers to think beyond their own unconscious biases. When a mistaken police call is made and a traumatic incident occurs with Nathan, everything changes quickly. Nora and Babs are at odds more than ever and Nathan is struggling and looking for safety as well as his identity. Set over the course of a year, this is a powerful novel that is more relevant than ever. Baszile doesn't shy away from uncomfortable discussions or narratives or characters with flaws-it's the very human side of them that is appealing. I am so glad I read this novel-it's a story that will stay with readers a long time.

4.5 stars

[Sharon M · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley and Viking Penguin | Pamela Dorman Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the new release by Natalie Baszile. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.25 stars!

Babs and Nora have been friends since their children were small and they've spent the last decade sharing everything. Nora, a white woman, is the adopted mother of Nathan, who is Black, and Babs has always been a big support for Nora on the best ways to raise her son in today's world. But both of their worlds are turned upside down when the police are called on their teenagers while they're home alone, resulting in a traumatic police encounter for Nathan. Afterwards, Babs and Nora find themselves divided, and Nathan turns to Babs and her family for more support for his race and culture.

This would definitely make a good book club pick, because there's so much going on here with racism, classism, community, political issues, and more. It was an intriguing read but where it shines is that it forces the reader to think about perspectives other than their own, just like the characters were forced to expand their own views. It feels fraught with issues that are real and relevant, and it's definitely not a quick or easy read, which is precisely the point.

[CourtneyRenee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friends and Family is a book that opens up a discussion that will last for more then one conversation, its a bookclub book, a controversial topic book and maybe even a reevaluate your relationship book.

It touched on racism, interracial relationships/friendships, and how to navigate in a world where you thought your closest friend would never betray you. This book and it's characters might even piss you off with some of their choices but then you realize that this could be and probably be someone's reality.

We have Babs and Nora, both married with children and we are brought into their home and their everyday lives and what it looks like for a Black woman with a white best friend and a white woman with a Black son. The bounds of friendship are tested and at some point the line in the sand is clear, which side will these two women land on.

I absolutely loved this book. It brought up so much emotion and conviction I don't even think I had. I will be buying a physical copy of this book to annotate.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for this ARC.

[LiteraryMarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the author of Queen Sugar, comes a new novel of family dynamics, friendship and loyalty. Babs and Nora became friends through their kids. For over a decade, they've taken morning walks, shared family secrets and gossip. Most of all, Babs (a Black woman) has given suggestions to Nora (a white woman) on how to raise Nathan, her adopted Black son.

Their worlds are turned upside down and the dynamics of their friendship change when the kids have an unfortunate interaction with the police. The aftermath pushes Nathan closer to Babs' family where race, identity and culture is always a conversation. But Nora's boundaries are being pushed. The events that unfold makes readers' question what it means to be a loyal friend and ally.

Friends and Family explores themes on themes on themes: race, loyalty, perception, stereotypes, transracial adoption, police brutality, trust and friendship. It may sound overwhelming but the story was surprisingly not all over the place. In fact, it took a while to reach the climax. But when it does, the intensity of the plot builds and holds readers' tight until the end. Well done, Baszile.

I recommend Friends and Family to allies, parents and book clubs. It will spark good conversation on the themes referenced above.

Happy Pub Day to Natalie Baszile! Friends and Family is officially on shelves.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

[Sarah Slitine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wowwww I loved this book! It gave me SO much to think about and really broadened my perspective on race—what it means, looks like, and feels like to be Black in America, and how race touches pretty much every part of our lives. It also made me think about what being an ally actually requires of us. “White silence is white violence”—yes! That one stuck with me.

And Gaylon and Babs’s relationship! There was so much to unpack around fidelity, trust, commitment, and communication. I loved how complicated and human they felt. Their relationship gave me just as much to chew on as the bigger questions the book explores.

What really impressed me was how the author pulled ALL of this together through so many different scenarios. I kept having those “oh, I hadn’t thought about it that way” moments, which is one of my favorite things a book can do. So skillfully written, so much to discuss, and definitely one I’ll be thinking about for a while!

[cursedb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t what I expected based on the synopsis. I thought there would be a major event that would put the friendship at the center of the story. Technically, there was an event involving their friendship, but I think the book was less about what happened and more about the unspoken feelings, complicated thoughts, and underlying tensions surrounding it. The story mainly focuses on racism and the different backgrounds and experiences of Black and white people. I understand that the friendship serves as a way to explore these themes, and the events also contribute to the characters’ development. However, I don’t think the book focused on friendship in the way the synopsis and title led me to expect. Honestly, this disappointed me a little. To me, it was more a story about racism and how we perceive the world from our own windows than it was a story about friendship.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel of friendship that leans in hard on racism. Babs and Nora meet and become friends when their kids Nathan and Reese were in elementary school. All is well until it isn't, when a neighbor of Babs, who tells the story, calls the police on Nathan and no one knows how to help. Know that these are two privileged families, one with inherited wealth and one that has earned it. Babs has a lot to say and this leans in on racism and black women. There's a plot thread on infidelity that might lead you wrong on one mystery but which doesn't add a lot to the story except to (oddly) add to Galen's character. This is hard to review because it hits hard topics and it's unrelenting, especially with regard to Nora. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A thought provoking read.

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friends and Family touches on so many emotionally charged topics that it is very hard to write a review that will cover each of the characters and their deeply conflicted responses when trauma comes to the door. Two families live in a blended neighborhood, sharing their everyday interactions. But all it takes is one event to expose the prejudice that lives just around the corner. Natalie Baszile crafted an extremely well-told story; the characters become friends without limits until fate demands they choose between the life they have known for so many years and the life they will live after...