To Be Determined: A Novel

by Molly Bingham

Twenty-four-year-old Mallory feels trapped in her dead-end receptionist position and a revolving door of first dates. A budding connection with her work confidant, Max, is the lifeline she needs to endure the mind-numbing isolation. What starts as playful camaraderie soon takes the shape of a lopsided love triangle when her newly-minted friend and his wife disclose their open marriage–and their interest in Mallory.

As she navigates this unfamiliar territory, Mallory offers candid commentary on her mounting sexual frustrations, her desire for validation, and the paralyzing pressure to find her place in a world that threatens to leave her behind.

In the vein of Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney and Writers & Lovers by Lily King, To Be Determined is an engaging, intimate, and refreshingly honest take on what it’s like to be at odds with society’s expectations of you. Witty banter and observational humor take center stage as existential panic simmers beneath the surface.

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 31, 2026

About the author

Molly Bingham writes voice-driven contemporary fiction that examines the friction between a woman's private thoughts and her public life. Molly's debut novel, To Be Determined, explores the elusive nature of fulfilling intimacy and the lengths to which we’ll go to feel understood.

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the main character’s relatable, honest, and witty commentary about dating & finding your footing in your 20s. Makes you laugh and feel seen at the same time!

[RUTH GUCKIEAN · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is exactly my kind of book.

To Be Determined lives in that specific literary fiction space I love—where not much happens on the surface but everything is happening underneath. Mallory is twenty-four, stuck in a job that's slowly eroding her sense of self, cycling through first dates that go nowhere, and quietly panicking about whether she's falling behind some invisible timeline everyone else seems to understand.

Molly Bingham nails that particular flavor of millennial existential dread: the sense that you're supposed to be building something, becoming someone, but you can't quite figure out what or who.
The open marriage plot with Max and his wife could easily have become the entire focus, but Bingham uses it as a lens for something bigger—Mallory's desperate need for connection, her hunger for validation, her confusion about what she actually wants versus what she thinks she should want.

The Rooney comp is apt. This has that same quality of characters who are hyper-articulate about their feelings while simultaneously unable to act on them in any healthy way. The witty banter is sharp, the observational humor lands, and beneath it all there's a low hum of panic that feels achingly real.

If you like intimate, character-driven literary fiction about messy people trying to figure themselves out, this delivers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Kierra (readbykierra) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very lucky to be selected on NetGalley for this eARC.

3.75⭐️

"It's quite tedious, the expectation that I summarize my life for strangers' appraisal."

If you enjoy authors like Sally Rooney, Lily King and Claire Daverley...you MUST pick this up!

The Positives:
💄I love how this book tackled society's expectations on women.
💄It felt like a "coming of age" story about Mallory, a 24 year old woman who was trying to find her place in the world.
💄Mallory preached it how it really is out there in the world. There were lots of reference to it feeling like Groundhog Day everyday.
💄There were some hilarious moments throughout which I really enjoyed.
💄I loved that there were lots of references to the early 2000s and to my all time fave song when I was a teenager - I'll Be from A Cinderella Story.
💄There were some really awkward situations that just added to the realness of it all.
💄I couldn't help but love Max for most of the book, despite him being an ass in the end.

The Negatives (IMO):
🥀I found that because it was quite a short book (author's debut), it was hard to feel the depth the story could have had.
🥀I felt the ending was quite rushed and there was an abrupt ending.

I really do feel like Molly could be an author to watch though. This definitely got me out of the reading slump❤️

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

3.5 rounded up.

This was honest, witty, and very believable in the way it captured being 24 and trying to figure yourself out in work, dating, and life in general. Mallory’s search for connection lands her in all kinds of weird, cumbersome, interesting, and sometimes troubling situations and relationships, and that messiness felt pretty relatable.

I really enjoyed the pacing in the first part of the book, and the writing was funny without losing the emotional undercurrent. The banter and Mallory’s musings were some of my favorite parts. My main issue was that the ending felt rushed, and I wish we had gotten to stay with Mallory a little longer because it started to lose some depth toward the end. Especially with how things wrapped up, I wanted a little more from her arc. Still, I enjoyed Molly Bingham’s writing a lot and would definitely be interested in reading her later works

[Jamie Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an advance reader copy. It's the first book I've ever read in one day! I have ADHD but the short chapters and clear writing held my attention the entire time. The characters felt real, and the narration was introspective, honest, and funny. Just a head's up, there is a fair amount of profanity and musings about sex, but it's not gratuitous by any means, just realistic. I recommend this book to anyone who likes contemporary literary fiction - well, it takes place in 2016 - does that count as contemporary? Semi-contemporary literary fiction.

[Katarra C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was witty - I mean I actually spit out my drink and laughed out loud several times! It was also SO relatable for (I believe) most women in modern society. Most of us want to be heard, feel seen, and be loved and Mallory wants the same but can’t seem to find the right person, while also dealing with existential dread about her dead-end job. What a great commentary on the societal expectations for women in the modern world! The last 50 or so pages were like a punch to the gut, but I happen to be somebody who loves when books do that.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story had me pulled in from page one.

What I loved most was how beautifully the author captures that in-between stage of life—when nothing feels fully certain, but everything feels important. The emotions are expressed in such a relatable way that I couldn’t help but see pieces in myself throughout Mallory’s journey. Even though it’s fiction it was nice to know I’m not alone on this journey of life.

I can’t wait to see what comes next from Molly Bingham!

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun. Witty. Real. Spicy. And even insane at parts.

I’d say Gilmore Girls wit meets insane realness of Lena Dunham’s Girls. It’s a slice of life. It felt like sitting down and watching a comfort sit com. Or like sitting down with your single bestie as they tell you about their messy sex life. I so enjoyed reading it! And hope to see more from this author!!

[Eliza · Rating 5 out of 5]

To Be Determined is an exceptional debut novel by a promising new talent. A fast and delightfully entertaining read about a young woman navigating the ups and downs of dating in ones 20s and all the anxieties and surprises that accompany it. Brimming with millennial pop culture references and witty banter à la Gilmore Girls, this book is a satisfying and laugh-out-loud read from start to finish.