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Other People's Fun
Ruth is alone, unnoticed and at a loss: her marriage has ended, her daughter is leaving home and her job is leading nowhere.
But luckily Sookie is back in her life - vivid, self-assured Sookie, who never spared the time for Ruth when they were teenagers, but who now seems to want to be friends. What could possibly go wrong?
As Ruth becomes caught up in Sookie's life, she sees that everything is not as simple and Instagrammable as Sookie would have you believe. But what has that got to do with Ruth - and what can she do about it?
But luckily Sookie is back in her life - vivid, self-assured Sookie, who never spared the time for Ruth when they were teenagers, but who now seems to want to be friends. What could possibly go wrong?
As Ruth becomes caught up in Sookie's life, she sees that everything is not as simple and Instagrammable as Sookie would have you believe. But what has that got to do with Ruth - and what can she do about it?
280 pages, Hardcover
First published November 4, 2025
120 people are currently reading
5549 people want to read
About the author
Harriet Lane
8 books159 followersHarriet Lane has worked as an editor and staff writer at Tatler and the Observer. She has also written for Vogue, the Guardian and the New York Times. She lives in north London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
October 30, 2025
‘It’s important to feign ignorance. People would be uncomfortable if I seemed too familiar with the details of their lives.’
I am so thrilled Harriet Lane has returned to writing fiction after such a long break, and this is everything I could have hoped for. I read it greedily when I first got the review copy in April. A few months later, I reread Lane's previous novels, 2012’s Alys, Always and 2014’s Her, then came back to it – reading slowly this time, as I know Lane’s work rewards close attention. What to expect: a quietly obsessive narrator; a sharp-eyed study of everyday life; tension that builds slowly; hundreds of keen observations.
Ruth is a woman wrestling with the challenges of middle age, and struggling to come out on top. Recently divorced, trying to sell the flat she shared with her husband, taking increasingly mind-numbing work to pay the bills, her future seems to hang in the balance. A school reunion leads her to reconnect with the beautiful, flighty Sookie, a former classmate she hasn’t seen for decades. The reunion also reminds Ruth of a youthful obsession with her music teacher, Ian Waxham; although it never went any further than infatuation, she’s never quite forgotten him. And in due course, it turns out Sookie has her own dubious connection to Waxham.
Like the antiheroines of Lane’s previous novels, Ruth is a complex character – simultaneously naive and predatory, open and conniving. She’s drawn to Sookie because she’s friendly yet seems lonely and unmoored, finding this ‘quite a compelling combination’. She tells white lies, steals small items (only ever what she can easily get away with). She knows she has value as a passive audience member, and professes to be happy with her role as ‘a footnote in someone else’s story’.
Yet, for all that, the reader senses she’s fooling herself. It’s clear Ruth is still in thrall to Sookie, not quite able to move beyond their teenage roles: the outsider pathetically grateful for the attention of the cool, popular girl. (When she talks about how crushes can last a lifetime, one wonders if she’s talking about Sookie as much as Waxham.) Repeatedly, she’s certain she’ll be taken further into Sookie’s confidence, only to be brushed off. These small slights build up over the course of the novel, and when things don’t go Ruth’s way, she feels entitled to force the others’ hands. Her mantra – ‘here I am, I shall do it’ – illuminates Ruth’s two sides: servile and power-hungry.
Lane’s protagonists have always been inveterate watchers, and Ruth is no exception. She also has a very 2025 trait: she’s glued to social media – specifically Instagram – where she uses a drab profile to keep track of everyone she’s met over the years, silently taking note of all that ‘other people’s fun’.
Lane’s descriptions are dense with cultural markers, specific references, brand names. I’m not always a fan of this kind of thing, which can make a story feel dated quickly, and it’s tempting to dismiss some of it as superfluous. But these details tell us crucial things about the characters: where they are in life, what matters to them. The exact subset of their generation and social class. Using Instagram as such a pivotal ingredient is a great example of this. That it’s passé, that hashtags (used liberally by Ruth’s peers) are virtually obsolete, is of course the whole point; this is all precisely correct for this cohort of wealthy, urban Gen Xers.
Like this book, Alys, Always and Her are thoughtful character studies replete with domestic detail, and the older novels (especially Her) suffered from being marketed as psychological thrillers. At the time I read them I knew this wasn’t right, but I struggled to know how to place them. Now, I see them as existing in the tradition of writers like Anita Brookner, Elizabeth Taylor and Barbara Pym. At first, I bristled to see Other People’s Fun labelled as ‘women’s fiction’, a category that’s sometimes used dismissively, but does it have to be that way? Doesn’t this phrase also describe the work of some of our literary giants, and doesn’t the book fit into exactly that niche? Lane is a chronicler of women’s lives; hers are novels of society, relationships, psychological nuance.
Despite all her close watching, Ruth gets things wrong, gives herself away. Lane is fantastic at subtly undermining her own narrator with hints that she just hasn’t quite managed to get it. Right up to the end, Ruth’s neediness hasn’t been completely dispelled; she’s still hoping to prove herself indispensable to Sookie and by extension, in some alchemical way, Waxham. It’s not dramatic until, suddenly, it is. The storm breaks; the final sequence left me breathless.
I received an advance review copy of Other People’s Fun from the publisher through Edelweiss.
I am so thrilled Harriet Lane has returned to writing fiction after such a long break, and this is everything I could have hoped for. I read it greedily when I first got the review copy in April. A few months later, I reread Lane's previous novels, 2012’s Alys, Always and 2014’s Her, then came back to it – reading slowly this time, as I know Lane’s work rewards close attention. What to expect: a quietly obsessive narrator; a sharp-eyed study of everyday life; tension that builds slowly; hundreds of keen observations.
Ruth is a woman wrestling with the challenges of middle age, and struggling to come out on top. Recently divorced, trying to sell the flat she shared with her husband, taking increasingly mind-numbing work to pay the bills, her future seems to hang in the balance. A school reunion leads her to reconnect with the beautiful, flighty Sookie, a former classmate she hasn’t seen for decades. The reunion also reminds Ruth of a youthful obsession with her music teacher, Ian Waxham; although it never went any further than infatuation, she’s never quite forgotten him. And in due course, it turns out Sookie has her own dubious connection to Waxham.
Like the antiheroines of Lane’s previous novels, Ruth is a complex character – simultaneously naive and predatory, open and conniving. She’s drawn to Sookie because she’s friendly yet seems lonely and unmoored, finding this ‘quite a compelling combination’. She tells white lies, steals small items (only ever what she can easily get away with). She knows she has value as a passive audience member, and professes to be happy with her role as ‘a footnote in someone else’s story’.
‘It’s no hardship. I am used to asking the questions. Curiosity is sanctuary, camouflage, an open sesame. You ask, and their cheeks flush with the excitement and pleasure of talking about themselves. Even if you already know the answers, or have little interest in them, questions unlock other useful things: good will, breathing space, possibly a little power.’
Yet, for all that, the reader senses she’s fooling herself. It’s clear Ruth is still in thrall to Sookie, not quite able to move beyond their teenage roles: the outsider pathetically grateful for the attention of the cool, popular girl. (When she talks about how crushes can last a lifetime, one wonders if she’s talking about Sookie as much as Waxham.) Repeatedly, she’s certain she’ll be taken further into Sookie’s confidence, only to be brushed off. These small slights build up over the course of the novel, and when things don’t go Ruth’s way, she feels entitled to force the others’ hands. Her mantra – ‘here I am, I shall do it’ – illuminates Ruth’s two sides: servile and power-hungry.
Lane’s protagonists have always been inveterate watchers, and Ruth is no exception. She also has a very 2025 trait: she’s glued to social media – specifically Instagram – where she uses a drab profile to keep track of everyone she’s met over the years, silently taking note of all that ‘other people’s fun’.
‘I look. I can’t stop looking. Are they spilling over with guile, or entirely lacking it? I am never sure. There they are, ceaselessly insisting on the fact of their existence, imagining someone might give a fuck… I do give a fuck, of course; but the wrong sort, not the kind they expect to solicit. Too bad. Beggars can’t be choosers. No, I never post. I lurk. I am the audience, transfixed, eyes shining in the darkness. After all, if someone wants to be seen, someone else must watch. These people with their brunches and sunsets: they are nothing without me. That’s the way it works.’
Lane’s descriptions are dense with cultural markers, specific references, brand names. I’m not always a fan of this kind of thing, which can make a story feel dated quickly, and it’s tempting to dismiss some of it as superfluous. But these details tell us crucial things about the characters: where they are in life, what matters to them. The exact subset of their generation and social class. Using Instagram as such a pivotal ingredient is a great example of this. That it’s passé, that hashtags (used liberally by Ruth’s peers) are virtually obsolete, is of course the whole point; this is all precisely correct for this cohort of wealthy, urban Gen Xers.
Like this book, Alys, Always and Her are thoughtful character studies replete with domestic detail, and the older novels (especially Her) suffered from being marketed as psychological thrillers. At the time I read them I knew this wasn’t right, but I struggled to know how to place them. Now, I see them as existing in the tradition of writers like Anita Brookner, Elizabeth Taylor and Barbara Pym. At first, I bristled to see Other People’s Fun labelled as ‘women’s fiction’, a category that’s sometimes used dismissively, but does it have to be that way? Doesn’t this phrase also describe the work of some of our literary giants, and doesn’t the book fit into exactly that niche? Lane is a chronicler of women’s lives; hers are novels of society, relationships, psychological nuance.
Despite all her close watching, Ruth gets things wrong, gives herself away. Lane is fantastic at subtly undermining her own narrator with hints that she just hasn’t quite managed to get it. Right up to the end, Ruth’s neediness hasn’t been completely dispelled; she’s still hoping to prove herself indispensable to Sookie and by extension, in some alchemical way, Waxham. It’s not dramatic until, suddenly, it is. The storm breaks; the final sequence left me breathless.
I received an advance review copy of Other People’s Fun from the publisher through Edelweiss.
October 15, 2025
Usually I take the blame and gladly offer myself on the altar of wrongreading, but I refuse to do it this time around. I actually took a gander at the premise here since this was an early copy and when I saw this was supposed to be about a woman who sees past the carefully curated social media veneer of an old schoolmate that was touted as “darkly funny” as well as thrilling, I expected at least ONE of those things to be true. Plus the cover and title were fun enough to grab my attention. Don’t bait and switch me offering a book that is supposed to be “thrilling,” “unputdownable” and “spiky” and then have it be the most boring effing thing I’ve read of late which only served to waste two days of my life when I could have been reading something else.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 22, 2025
This book swallowed me whole. Such a relatable theme for our current times with the way we make ourselves come off on social media and even to those we know with little white lies. There was a lot of suspense in every chapter and I was so drawn in to what would happen next. An amazing cast of characters, fantastic plot, great twists - this one had it all. I related to both Ruth and Sookie at different times. Both women were fascinating in their own ways.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 6, 2025
Other People's Fun is a story about Ruth, a woman at a tough spot in her life. Her marriage is ending, her daughter's about to leave home, and she's never liked her job. To make things more interesting, Ruth reconnects with Sookie, a woman from her past who used to ignore her, but now wants to be friends.
What starts as a weird friendship then shows some serious problems. Ruth is drawn to Sookie's flashy social media life, but soon realizes things aren't as great as they seem. Ruth has to figure out her own life while dealing with the changing dynamics of her friendships, all while trying to reconcile what's real versus what people expect.
It's a touching story about Ruth's life, especially as she reinvents herself after feeling lonely. Her friendship with Sookie makes her question who she is and what she wants. Sookie’s sure of herself and sort of mysterious. Plus, she pushes Ruth to see beyond the surface. Lane paints Ruth's inner thoughts, her doubts, regrets, and hopes, really well. The side characters add depth, showing a modern world full of tricky, unspoken feelings.
This book fits right in with today's world as it explores how fake images rarely match reality, especially on social media, where fun is edited but doesn't always hit hard. It gets into the stress of keeping up a perfect online life and how anxious it makes people. Themes like worrying about getting older, how shaky friendships can be, and lying to yourself appear throughout the story, reflecting what society thinks about being real.
Harriet Lane's writing is sharp and observant, and she balances humor and discomfort well. The mood changes between normal and unsettling, just like Ruth's thoughts. While you mostly see things from Ruth's perspective, you get Sookie’s view every now and then. The story is slow-paced, letting psychological elements grow naturally instead of huge revelations. It urges readers to really observe small moments of discomfort and exploration.
Other People's Fun feels empathetic, adding a certain distance. The narrative asks us to look at the curated lives we observe online and the masks we wear. To expose the underbelly is the promise of loneliness, whilst pondering on friendships among adults and the question of self-identity is quite the issue. The feeling hangs in familiarity, but a scarcely audible tension keeps the reader connected.
Other People's Fun is great at mixing normal life with a strange sense of unease, creating a familiar yet uncomfortable vibe. Some readers might find the pacing slow and the ambiguity difficult. The book doesn't have a clear ending or exciting conclusion, which might disappoint those who want a clear resolution and speed. Still, this ambiguity makes the book special; it represents the ignorance and subtle ways we deal with trust and truth in this relationship.
Overall, Other People's Fun maps out identity, friendship, and the gap between image and reality with insight and care. It asks its readers to really think about their own social world and maybe recognize some uncomfortable truths behind what they see every day.
What starts as a weird friendship then shows some serious problems. Ruth is drawn to Sookie's flashy social media life, but soon realizes things aren't as great as they seem. Ruth has to figure out her own life while dealing with the changing dynamics of her friendships, all while trying to reconcile what's real versus what people expect.
It's a touching story about Ruth's life, especially as she reinvents herself after feeling lonely. Her friendship with Sookie makes her question who she is and what she wants. Sookie’s sure of herself and sort of mysterious. Plus, she pushes Ruth to see beyond the surface. Lane paints Ruth's inner thoughts, her doubts, regrets, and hopes, really well. The side characters add depth, showing a modern world full of tricky, unspoken feelings.
This book fits right in with today's world as it explores how fake images rarely match reality, especially on social media, where fun is edited but doesn't always hit hard. It gets into the stress of keeping up a perfect online life and how anxious it makes people. Themes like worrying about getting older, how shaky friendships can be, and lying to yourself appear throughout the story, reflecting what society thinks about being real.
Harriet Lane's writing is sharp and observant, and she balances humor and discomfort well. The mood changes between normal and unsettling, just like Ruth's thoughts. While you mostly see things from Ruth's perspective, you get Sookie’s view every now and then. The story is slow-paced, letting psychological elements grow naturally instead of huge revelations. It urges readers to really observe small moments of discomfort and exploration.
Other People's Fun feels empathetic, adding a certain distance. The narrative asks us to look at the curated lives we observe online and the masks we wear. To expose the underbelly is the promise of loneliness, whilst pondering on friendships among adults and the question of self-identity is quite the issue. The feeling hangs in familiarity, but a scarcely audible tension keeps the reader connected.
Other People's Fun is great at mixing normal life with a strange sense of unease, creating a familiar yet uncomfortable vibe. Some readers might find the pacing slow and the ambiguity difficult. The book doesn't have a clear ending or exciting conclusion, which might disappoint those who want a clear resolution and speed. Still, this ambiguity makes the book special; it represents the ignorance and subtle ways we deal with trust and truth in this relationship.
Overall, Other People's Fun maps out identity, friendship, and the gap between image and reality with insight and care. It asks its readers to really think about their own social world and maybe recognize some uncomfortable truths behind what they see every day.
November 16, 2025
The book is 200 pages, written in one chapter, starts at a reunion & gets gritty from there. The protagonist is a wall flower, the popular girl is suddenly noticing her. The title refers to social media and how the people posting need an audience for ‘other people’s fun’ but that it’s all a facade, life is far from the perfect post. The ending was vicious- I loved it!!!!
November 17, 2025
Unputdownable and spiky WHERE??! This was so DULL!
October 24, 2025
Thank you Little, Brown and Company for the ARC of this book!
I was so excited to read this one, but it truly fell flat for me. It wasn’t “thrilling” or “spiky” as promised on the back cover. The main character Ruth was largely unlikable, as was Sookie. Characters were introduced haphazardly with little explanation as to who they were or their purpose in the story. This book was marketed as a page turner, but in reality was meandering. I’m not quite sure what point was trying to be made with the book at the end of the day.
I was so excited to read this one, but it truly fell flat for me. It wasn’t “thrilling” or “spiky” as promised on the back cover. The main character Ruth was largely unlikable, as was Sookie. Characters were introduced haphazardly with little explanation as to who they were or their purpose in the story. This book was marketed as a page turner, but in reality was meandering. I’m not quite sure what point was trying to be made with the book at the end of the day.
November 6, 2025
Taut and elegant, a triumph. Sharply observed, beautifully written, and quietly devastating. Harriet Lane has a gift for getting under the skin of her characters, and here she builds a subtle, spiraling tension that never lets up. Ruth’s vulnerability and Sookie’s performative confidence are rendered with chilling precision, and the way their dynamic shifts - slowly, then all at once - makes for an intensely compelling read. Every page hums with unease, and Lane’s prose is precise and cutting. A brilliant, tightly coiled novel about image, insecurity, and the invisible lines between admiration and resentment.
November 24, 2025
I read it in two days—so there is something good in the writing, otherwise I would have abandoned it before finishing. However, I never came to like or empathize with the main character. She is dull, depressed, and seems to be jealous of everyone around her. She’s going through a difficult time because her husband has left her and her daughter is away at university, but we learn almost nothing about either of these relationships. Instead, we learn the most about the girl she was jealous of in high school, whom the story revolves around. I didn’t like her either. Basically, there is no one who is likable in this story.
December 28, 2025
I liked this book much more than I thought I would. It really captured the toxicity of social media in a way that I can relate to. I loved the characters inner monologue. She was catty in a way I think we all can be. It's weird that the first word in the blurb though is THRILLING. I don't think that's what this book is, and the misdirect does it a disservice.
November 22, 2025
had promise, but didn't find it really went anywhere interesting. unlikeable narrator with I guess a twist at the end for no real reason.
July 10, 2025
Having loved Harriet Lane's first book, "Alys, Always," I was excited to read "Other People's Fun." Unfortunately it didn't quite gel for me. Lane is great at creating an air of foreboding, but atmosphere can satisfy me only so much. I grew impatient waiting for the denouement, and the fact that I didn't enjoy spending time with the characters didn't really help.
Thank you, NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company, for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you, NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company, for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 19, 2025
I was absolutely delighted when I discovered that Harriet Lane had written a new book. Her first two novels; Alys Always (2012) and Her (2014) are two of my all time favourite books. I was convinced that we wouldn't get another story from her, but here we are, over ten years later and I am thrilled to say that Other People's Fun is excellent. The author delivers something that is both familiar and uneasy: a novel that asks quietly discomforting questions about who we are, how we present ourselves, and what we believe about the people we think we know.
Ruth is at a point in life when things feel unsteady: her marriage has ended, her daughter is leaving home, and work isn’t giving her much satisfaction. The novel opens as she attends a school reunion and Sookie re-enters her life. Sookie, was one of those people in school who seemed to have everything, but who never made much effort with Ruth back then. Sookie is vibrant, sure of herself, and seems, in many ways, enviable.
But as the story progresses, what looks like glamour begins to seem more fragile, more constructed. The life Sookie shows Ruth, and the rest of the world has huge gaps. As Ruth becomes drawn into Sookie’s world, the lies, the omissions, the performance of a life lived to the full start to peel away.
The author's strength here is the creeping tension. The book is not in your face dramatic but quietly so with a creeping tension. The reader feels that something is not quite right, it is unsettling and so satisfying to read.
The character creation is fine and precise. Ruth is well drawn, she is sympathetic, flawed, someone you want to suceed. . Sookie’s charisma is intoxicating, and the contrast between what Sookie shows and what she hides in a way that feels believable.
Other People’s Fun is, in so many ways, what this author does best: incisive prose, morally ambiguous characters, and a sense that ordinary life has its own kind of horror. It’s not a comforting read, but it’s a compelling and worthy one. It made me think about how easily we can slide into comparing ourselves, how fragile our façades are, and how often we see others as more complete, more enviable, than we feel we are ourselves
Sharp, well observed and darkly witty, this is a fabulous read. Highly recommended.
Ruth is at a point in life when things feel unsteady: her marriage has ended, her daughter is leaving home, and work isn’t giving her much satisfaction. The novel opens as she attends a school reunion and Sookie re-enters her life. Sookie, was one of those people in school who seemed to have everything, but who never made much effort with Ruth back then. Sookie is vibrant, sure of herself, and seems, in many ways, enviable.
But as the story progresses, what looks like glamour begins to seem more fragile, more constructed. The life Sookie shows Ruth, and the rest of the world has huge gaps. As Ruth becomes drawn into Sookie’s world, the lies, the omissions, the performance of a life lived to the full start to peel away.
The author's strength here is the creeping tension. The book is not in your face dramatic but quietly so with a creeping tension. The reader feels that something is not quite right, it is unsettling and so satisfying to read.
The character creation is fine and precise. Ruth is well drawn, she is sympathetic, flawed, someone you want to suceed. . Sookie’s charisma is intoxicating, and the contrast between what Sookie shows and what she hides in a way that feels believable.
Other People’s Fun is, in so many ways, what this author does best: incisive prose, morally ambiguous characters, and a sense that ordinary life has its own kind of horror. It’s not a comforting read, but it’s a compelling and worthy one. It made me think about how easily we can slide into comparing ourselves, how fragile our façades are, and how often we see others as more complete, more enviable, than we feel we are ourselves
Sharp, well observed and darkly witty, this is a fabulous read. Highly recommended.
September 28, 2025
This was my first taste of Harriet Lane’s writing, and I was incredibly impressed. I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to think of this book, but Lane’s ability to create such an atmospheric story was highly affecting. While it took me a minute to really get fully immersed in the story, there’s a layer of biting, dark humor the entire time. It makes you feel like you’re constantly on edge, wondering what’s going to happen next.
I didn’t feel a crazy amount of connection to the characters themselves, but I loved the underlying meanings and themes incorporated in the story. Lane has a magnificent ability to capture the tiny frictions of social interaction— the small slights, the little envies we pretend not to feel towards others. I think I would have preferred a touch more emotional payoff at the end, and I am not always the biggest fan of ambiguous endings, but I didn’t seem to mind as much with this book.
I think if you go into this with an appreciation for nuance rather than big plot twists, and you are okay with endings that aren’t necessarily clear or overly exciting, you will really enjoy this. Lane’s prose is compelling but subtle, and her novel’s atmosphere is sharp and deeply engrossing.
Can’t wait to see what others think when this releases November 4th! Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the eARC!
I didn’t feel a crazy amount of connection to the characters themselves, but I loved the underlying meanings and themes incorporated in the story. Lane has a magnificent ability to capture the tiny frictions of social interaction— the small slights, the little envies we pretend not to feel towards others. I think I would have preferred a touch more emotional payoff at the end, and I am not always the biggest fan of ambiguous endings, but I didn’t seem to mind as much with this book.
I think if you go into this with an appreciation for nuance rather than big plot twists, and you are okay with endings that aren’t necessarily clear or overly exciting, you will really enjoy this. Lane’s prose is compelling but subtle, and her novel’s atmosphere is sharp and deeply engrossing.
Can’t wait to see what others think when this releases November 4th! Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the eARC!
August 9, 2025
Ruth is a woman in limbo. She’s at a crossroads in life after her marriage ending and her daughter moving out.
After attending a school reunion she finds herself getting to know Sookie, an old classmate. The two characters are from very different worlds. Sookie is self-absorbed, and Ruth, seemingly uninteresting, is a willing participant in her show.
Perhaps to deflect and avoid her own problems, Ruth continues to be at Sookie’s beck and call. However, she seems equally repulsed and obsessed with Sookie in equal measure. We are people watching from Ruth’s mind and witnessing her true thoughts.
An insightful and observational read that explores the concept of what we see of people’s lives on social media, versus the reality behind closed doors.
This is a slow, descriptive read but I loved it. We see the characters opened up, warts and all. Prepare to feel uncomfortable. Prepare to cringe. There’s an undercurrent of dark humour and it’s so well written.
The book explores modern society and the masks we often wear to others. Full of secrets, lies and pretence, self-discovery, obsession, revenge, compulsion, destruction and sabotage.
Ruth seems willing to listen but will she show her darker side…
After attending a school reunion she finds herself getting to know Sookie, an old classmate. The two characters are from very different worlds. Sookie is self-absorbed, and Ruth, seemingly uninteresting, is a willing participant in her show.
Perhaps to deflect and avoid her own problems, Ruth continues to be at Sookie’s beck and call. However, she seems equally repulsed and obsessed with Sookie in equal measure. We are people watching from Ruth’s mind and witnessing her true thoughts.
An insightful and observational read that explores the concept of what we see of people’s lives on social media, versus the reality behind closed doors.
This is a slow, descriptive read but I loved it. We see the characters opened up, warts and all. Prepare to feel uncomfortable. Prepare to cringe. There’s an undercurrent of dark humour and it’s so well written.
The book explores modern society and the masks we often wear to others. Full of secrets, lies and pretence, self-discovery, obsession, revenge, compulsion, destruction and sabotage.
Ruth seems willing to listen but will she show her darker side…
December 22, 2025
🤳 O T H E R P E O P L E ‘ S F U N
Does it make me a mean girl that I really loved this book?
This novel is about a woman named Ruth who meets up with an old “friend,” Sookie, at a class reunion many years later. Sookie was the kind of girl you would have loved to hate in high school: snobby, inconsiderate, self-absorbed. But now, she is even worse. Her “one way” personality is broadcast all over social media through vapid, disingenuous posts.
Ruth was a wall-flower type, and seeing Sookie again reignites feelings of inadequacy. However, these two women strike up a vague “friendship”, and Ruth feels a sick validation awarded by an Instagram follower request.
In contrast to Sookie, Ruth is in a bad place in her life: her marriage has ended, she’s bored with her job, and she has nothing flashy to post on her socials. But Ruth now feels empowered and skilled at social interactions; she is seeking a sort of revenge. She is smarter and more manipulative, and Sookie is her victim.
This book explores the meaning of authenticity and power and what is seen and what is watched and why we watch it. Even though Ruth is a mean girl, so is Sookie, and I had fun reading it! Harriet Lane is also a fantastic writer—the way she captures characters is so detailed and precise. Also, it’s nice and short—only 200 pages.
#bookreview #bookrecs #booksbooksbooks #bookrecommendations 📚
Does it make me a mean girl that I really loved this book?
This novel is about a woman named Ruth who meets up with an old “friend,” Sookie, at a class reunion many years later. Sookie was the kind of girl you would have loved to hate in high school: snobby, inconsiderate, self-absorbed. But now, she is even worse. Her “one way” personality is broadcast all over social media through vapid, disingenuous posts.
Ruth was a wall-flower type, and seeing Sookie again reignites feelings of inadequacy. However, these two women strike up a vague “friendship”, and Ruth feels a sick validation awarded by an Instagram follower request.
In contrast to Sookie, Ruth is in a bad place in her life: her marriage has ended, she’s bored with her job, and she has nothing flashy to post on her socials. But Ruth now feels empowered and skilled at social interactions; she is seeking a sort of revenge. She is smarter and more manipulative, and Sookie is her victim.
This book explores the meaning of authenticity and power and what is seen and what is watched and why we watch it. Even though Ruth is a mean girl, so is Sookie, and I had fun reading it! Harriet Lane is also a fantastic writer—the way she captures characters is so detailed and precise. Also, it’s nice and short—only 200 pages.
#bookreview #bookrecs #booksbooksbooks #bookrecommendations 📚
December 31, 2025
For a title with "fun" in the cover, this wasn't any. I picked it up as a quick & easy audiobook when I needed something to accompany unpacking and cleaning this week. However, there wasn't a single character I'd want to know or spend time with - all pathetic sad people. The book had a lot of talk without much action - but inane gossip kind of talk, not meaningful reflections/observations on human behavior. The ending pleasantly surprised me though, but a good ending cannot redeem the rest of it. [a note on the audiobook - the narrator made the inexplicable and seemingly independent decision to give the 'cool girl' character a bit of a lisp??? which didn't suit at all.]
July 29, 2025
Thank you, Little, Brown and Company for providing the copy of Other People’s Fun by Harriet Lane. I didn’t know what to expect from this book, because this is a new author for me. Unfortunately, it was almost a DNF. I finished it because I kept hoping something would happen, but Ruth was a character that I never got interested in reading about. If you don’t mind a slow book, you would love this one, because the reason it wasn’t for me was that I enjoy thrillers and mysteries with more action instead of character studies. 3 stars
December 8, 2025
Dense. Lots of information thrown at you, none of it interesting. The narrator for the audiobook sounded very senior, I felt like I was listening to The Thursday Murder Club. Cast of dull characters from the main character's schooldays, shoved in reader's face one after the next after the next. None of them are interesting, nor is the main character. DNF'd at 10%. I loved Alys Always, so much, but Her was a big disappointment and so is this. Time to accept that Lane is a one trick pony. I won't be checking out any more of her work.
December 13, 2025
I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I really wanted to like this book but could never get into it. I just kept thinkin "so what?" While the theme of the book is good, what we see people post online, isn't always the truth of what is going on in their lives, this just felt weird.
Ruth is newly divorced and reconnects with a former classmate, Sookie. Everything is all about Sookie and her life. Sookie has a secret and gets Ruth involved even though Ruth doesn't really want to be part of it.
I really wanted to like this book but could never get into it. I just kept thinkin "so what?" While the theme of the book is good, what we see people post online, isn't always the truth of what is going on in their lives, this just felt weird.
Ruth is newly divorced and reconnects with a former classmate, Sookie. Everything is all about Sookie and her life. Sookie has a secret and gets Ruth involved even though Ruth doesn't really want to be part of it.
December 28, 2025
If Anita Brookner were alive and writing in the 2020s, she might have written this book. Ruth, the protagonist, is so like a Brookner character that I found it uncanny.
Ruth is a recently divorced woman in middle age who reconnects with an old high school classmate at a school event. The classmate, Sookie, is a wealthy narcissist who confides her secrets in Ruth. The relationship between them feels off-balance from chapter one and the wobble accelerates as the story develops.
Makes me want to go back and reread some Brookner!
Ruth is a recently divorced woman in middle age who reconnects with an old high school classmate at a school event. The classmate, Sookie, is a wealthy narcissist who confides her secrets in Ruth. The relationship between them feels off-balance from chapter one and the wobble accelerates as the story develops.
Makes me want to go back and reread some Brookner!
August 1, 2025
This reminded me a lot of Art of the Scandal in that the main characters were very similar. I do love an unreliable narrator, and am always here for how social media does not show us the real story.
I thought more would be revealed about the relationship between Ruth and the teacher whose name escapes me but it didn't seem too insidious? Same with Ruth's marriage. I wanted more of Ruth's backstory, the motives behind her actions.
The revenge play at the end was pretty clever.
I thought more would be revealed about the relationship between Ruth and the teacher whose name escapes me but it didn't seem too insidious? Same with Ruth's marriage. I wanted more of Ruth's backstory, the motives behind her actions.
The revenge play at the end was pretty clever.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2025
I'm a Harriet Lane fan, so if you like slow boiling psychological thrillers about nondescript, secretly raging women who weasel their way into the privileged life of a falsely modest, ungrateful someone (could be a shallow female friend, could be an arrogant boyfriend) and wrecks havoc, then you will like this one and all of Lane's other splendidly subversive works. Big thanks to Netgalley for the advance review copy.
November 9, 2025
Another gut twisting tale of envy and frenemy tension set against a backdrop of social media fakery when two former schoolmates at a progressive school meet up at a reunion.
Harriet Lane always knows exactly when and how to drive the metaphorical knife in.
It also has moments of excellent, waspish humour such as a description of a crush on one character as a 'corduroy phantom'.
I hope it doesn't take 10 years before the next one appears.
Harriet Lane always knows exactly when and how to drive the metaphorical knife in.
It also has moments of excellent, waspish humour such as a description of a crush on one character as a 'corduroy phantom'.
I hope it doesn't take 10 years before the next one appears.
November 12, 2025
Ruth’s life is kind of falling apart. Her marriage is over, her daughter’s moving out, and her job’s going nowhere. Then Sookie, her confident, picture-perfect old friend, suddenly reappears wanting to reconnect. At first, Ruth is drawn into Sookie’s glossy, Instagram-ready world, but it doesn’t take long to realize things aren’t as perfect as they look. Other People’s Fun is a smart look at the little lies we tell and the messy truths hiding behind the filters. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
December 2, 2025
3.5 stars
When two old classmates run into each other a couple of decades on at a school reunion, the stage is set for a slow-burn story of envy and revenge. Talk about a toxic “friendship”! Will the gloriously perfect life of the very fortunate Sookie, as featured on Instagram, survive her friendship with the casually disregarded Ruth? Hints of Highsmith here, appropriate from the author of Her and Alys, Always.
When two old classmates run into each other a couple of decades on at a school reunion, the stage is set for a slow-burn story of envy and revenge. Talk about a toxic “friendship”! Will the gloriously perfect life of the very fortunate Sookie, as featured on Instagram, survive her friendship with the casually disregarded Ruth? Hints of Highsmith here, appropriate from the author of Her and Alys, Always.
December 3, 2025
I have mixed feelings about this. Initially it drags. Ruth, recently divorced, is alone and suffers from feeling invisible in others’ eyes. She likes to troll people on social media. She reconnects with a boarding school friend, Sookie, who is a solipsist and confirms Ruth’s self opinion. The story has an clever use of social media and a humdinger of an ending. I found it poignant yet don’t think I will read any other of the author’s books.
December 11, 2025
Ruth is an interesting character, but not terribly exciting or interesting enough for any of the other characters in the book to notice her or really want to spend time with her. It’s supposedly a “sly novel exploring power” but this book didn’t live up to its claim. Ruth became plainly tedious and none of the other characters are worth a second glance. I’m giving it 3 stars because certain passages were well written. However, overall I think it’s a very average read.
November 4, 2025
This was not the novel I expected. I had high hopes for a novel about mid-life change complete with all the social media drama. Instead. I found the bathos of Jean irritating. I saw Sookie's story all too familiar to people from my own life. The story has legs but it just wasn't for me.
Thank you to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 26, 2025
This book is filled with venom. I like that it’s a relatively compact book, as maybe Ruth would have worn out her welcome with me. For a book filled with largely unlikable characters, I enjoyed the world that was created for them. Lots of bitterness, resentment, selfishness and FOMO.
I read this over a few days over Xmas. Great holiday read.
I read this over a few days over Xmas. Great holiday read.
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