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How Could She
An assured and savagely funny novel about three old friends as they navigate careers, husbands, an ex-fiancé, new suitors, and, most importantly, their relationships with one another
After a devastating break-up with her fiancé, Geraldine is struggling to get her life back on track in Toronto. Her two old friends, Sunny and Rachel, left ages ago for New York, where they've landed good jobs, handsome husbands, and unfairly glamorous lives (or at least so it appears to Geraldine). Sick of watching from the sidelines, Geraldine decides to force the universe to give her the big break she knows she deserves, and moves to New York City.
As she zigzags her way through the downtown art scene and rooftop party circuit, she discovers how hard it is to find her footing in a world of influencers and media darlings. Meanwhile, Sunny's life as an It Girl watercolorist is not nearly as charmed as it seemed to Geraldine from Toronto. And Rachel is trying to keep it together as a new mom, writer, and wife--how is it that she was more confident and successful at twenty-five than in her mid-thirties? Perhaps worst of all, why are Sunny and Rachel--who've always been suspicious of each other--suddenly hanging out without Geraldine?
Hilarious and fiercely observed, How Could She is an essential novel of female friendship, an insider's look into the cutthroat world of New York media--from print to podcasting--and a witty exploration of the ways we can and cannot escape our pasts.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published June 25, 2019
746 people are currently reading
11411 people want to read
About the author
Lauren Mechling
2 books94 followersHello there! I'm the author of many novels — and not only that but many kinds of novels, from a YA detective series and a proper literary novel about the ups and downs of female friendship to an interactive vampire thriller that ran as a serialization in an online magazine that the New York Times called “brilliant.” Not sure about that, but it was definitely bananas. I am especially fond of my latest work, The Memo, co-written with my dear friend Rachel Dodes. It’s a book about a woman who has a crushing sense that she never got the memo—and it turns out she is right. There was a memo she didn’t get. Literally. When Jenny shows up at her 15th college reunion, her old career counselor tracks her down and hands over the magic set of instructions and gives her a chance to do over her past mistakes.
What can I say? It’s a personal fantasy. I have always been plagued with indecision and a sense of “what if?” I’d hand over all my worldly possessions to have a guardian angel (or, in this case, bespoke document) to tell me what invitations to say yes to or what books not to bother reading (since it knows I’ll end up not finishing them) or what to serve myself from the buffet at the office Christmas party (how was I to know the cod fritters would make me sick?). My memo would have told 22 year old me to figure out a way to borrow money and buy an abandoned Brooklyn parking lot whose value would skyrocket and that I could eventually sell to a real estate developer for a fortune. It would have told 37 year old me to call in sick on the day a friend and I had lunch and got into the blowout fight that ended our relationship (I still miss her!). It definitely would have mandated that I get Beyonce’s phone number when I interviewed her for a newspaper story zillions of years ago (too many years ago for my memo to tell me to take a selfie with an iPhone).
It probably would have had less to say about my career choices, as I have had a very rewarding work life. I spent the year after college as an “editorial assistant” which was late-90s speak for sitting around Manhattan offices and answering men’s telephones. I was restless and really wanted to be a writer, so I wrote a letter to an upstart newspaper in Canada, and offered my services. I was offered an internship that turned into a job, and I spent three glorious years as a newspaper reporter in Toronto, reviewing movies and hanging out for very short periods of time (seven minutes was the typical allowance) with the likes of Lionel Richie, one of the Rolling Stones, and Beyonce along with the two other members of Destiny’s Child. It was the best, but I missed New York, where I grew up, so I came back with a portfolio of clips (that’s industry speak for published stories) and I started working at local newspapers. One of my assignments was to interview the author of a scandalous book called Gossip Girl, and it got me thinking: Maybe I could write a funny and fast-paced book for young readers? I floated this idea by my friend, the brilliant Laura Moser, and we began the draft of what would become The Rise and Fall of a 10th Grade Social Climber.
Writing is an addictive habit, and I kept at it. As I got older, the themes that colored my young adult books (friendship, ambition, the bonds of love) made their way to material for people who felt a little more age-appropriate. If you ask me how I'd describe my books I'd say I want them to delight, occasionally shock, and and make you feel like somebody is reading your mind and has said the thing you never dared put into words. Speaking of words, I’d be happy to hear from you! I’m on the platform formerly known as Twitter as @laurenmechling and on Instagram at @laurenomics (I made that up when Freakonomics came out, and here we are a century later). Take care, and happy reading, Lauren x
What can I say? It’s a personal fantasy. I have always been plagued with indecision and a sense of “what if?” I’d hand over all my worldly possessions to have a guardian angel (or, in this case, bespoke document) to tell me what invitations to say yes to or what books not to bother reading (since it knows I’ll end up not finishing them) or what to serve myself from the buffet at the office Christmas party (how was I to know the cod fritters would make me sick?). My memo would have told 22 year old me to figure out a way to borrow money and buy an abandoned Brooklyn parking lot whose value would skyrocket and that I could eventually sell to a real estate developer for a fortune. It would have told 37 year old me to call in sick on the day a friend and I had lunch and got into the blowout fight that ended our relationship (I still miss her!). It definitely would have mandated that I get Beyonce’s phone number when I interviewed her for a newspaper story zillions of years ago (too many years ago for my memo to tell me to take a selfie with an iPhone).
It probably would have had less to say about my career choices, as I have had a very rewarding work life. I spent the year after college as an “editorial assistant” which was late-90s speak for sitting around Manhattan offices and answering men’s telephones. I was restless and really wanted to be a writer, so I wrote a letter to an upstart newspaper in Canada, and offered my services. I was offered an internship that turned into a job, and I spent three glorious years as a newspaper reporter in Toronto, reviewing movies and hanging out for very short periods of time (seven minutes was the typical allowance) with the likes of Lionel Richie, one of the Rolling Stones, and Beyonce along with the two other members of Destiny’s Child. It was the best, but I missed New York, where I grew up, so I came back with a portfolio of clips (that’s industry speak for published stories) and I started working at local newspapers. One of my assignments was to interview the author of a scandalous book called Gossip Girl, and it got me thinking: Maybe I could write a funny and fast-paced book for young readers? I floated this idea by my friend, the brilliant Laura Moser, and we began the draft of what would become The Rise and Fall of a 10th Grade Social Climber.
Writing is an addictive habit, and I kept at it. As I got older, the themes that colored my young adult books (friendship, ambition, the bonds of love) made their way to material for people who felt a little more age-appropriate. If you ask me how I'd describe my books I'd say I want them to delight, occasionally shock, and and make you feel like somebody is reading your mind and has said the thing you never dared put into words. Speaking of words, I’d be happy to hear from you! I’m on the platform formerly known as Twitter as @laurenmechling and on Instagram at @laurenomics (I made that up when Freakonomics came out, and here we are a century later). Take care, and happy reading, Lauren x
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 457 reviews
May 29, 2019
2.75*
A contemporary novel about three women navigating their lives through their friendships, careers and the complexities of each of their relationships.
From the start, I had difficulty connecting with this book. The principal characters Geraldine, Sunny and Rachel were all somewhat interchangeable, leaving me unable to really become vested in any of their lives.
Not sure if it was the book or just not a good fit for me.🤷🏻♀️
There are some great reviews out there, so if this one’s on your radar I hope you enjoy.
Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways, Penguin Publishing Group-Viking and Lauren Mechling for an ARC to read and review.
A contemporary novel about three women navigating their lives through their friendships, careers and the complexities of each of their relationships.
From the start, I had difficulty connecting with this book. The principal characters Geraldine, Sunny and Rachel were all somewhat interchangeable, leaving me unable to really become vested in any of their lives.
Not sure if it was the book or just not a good fit for me.🤷🏻♀️
There are some great reviews out there, so if this one’s on your radar I hope you enjoy.
Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways, Penguin Publishing Group-Viking and Lauren Mechling for an ARC to read and review.
June 14, 2019
Here’s the thing...I can enjoy a book with unlikeable characters as long as it has an engaging plot. And I can enjoy a book where not much happens when it is a fascinating character study. What I apparently can’t abide is a book where the characters are shallow, unlikeable and interchangeable...and nothing happens. Well, I shouldn’t say NOTHING happens...one of the characters moves at one point. Other than that, the book is just essentially the three main characters standing around talking and arguing at restaurants and parties. I couldn’t finish this book fast enough.
July 2, 2019
Somewhere between 2 and 2.5 stars....rounding down partly because who TF edited this book? There was a "here" instead of "hear." Characters' names got mixed up (e.g., Geraldine was thinking about her friends Sunny and Geraldine). Jesse - was he 34 or 33? Etc. Sloppy.
As far as the actual plot and characters: regarding the former, not too much happened, and regarding the latter, eeks, what a bunch of self-centered prigs. Geraldine was the most tolerable. Rachel and Sunny spent much of the time pitying her, ignoring her, envying her....and so on.
This got a lot of high ratings here (not "hear") and its praises have been sung. Meh. It didn't feel satirical to me, there was nobody here I wanted to be that friend who says whatever. Oddly, the characters I liked the best were Jesse and Matt (Rachel's brother and husband, respectively), which is ironic considering this was a novel about female friendships.
As far as the actual plot and characters: regarding the former, not too much happened, and regarding the latter, eeks, what a bunch of self-centered prigs. Geraldine was the most tolerable. Rachel and Sunny spent much of the time pitying her, ignoring her, envying her....and so on.
This got a lot of high ratings here (not "hear") and its praises have been sung. Meh. It didn't feel satirical to me, there was nobody here I wanted to be that friend who says whatever. Oddly, the characters I liked the best were Jesse and Matt (Rachel's brother and husband, respectively), which is ironic considering this was a novel about female friendships.
December 26, 2018
I ate this novel up and didn't want it to end. It's a comedy of manners/ social satire about friendship— and also about the absurdity/perils of making art in the age of influence. How Could She has that rare combination of a generous heart + an enviably cool eye, and it's hilarious to boot. I put it alongside my Edith Wharton, Evelyn Waugh and Mary McCarthy— one of my favorite novels in a very long while.
July 31, 2019
I almost stopped reading this book. In fact, I tried to stop about halfway through. I had checked it out from one of my library's audiobook apps, and I had loaded up a different audiobook on another app to listen to in the car on my way home. But, as is my way with technology, this one played instead, so I figured I was meant to finish it.
The reason I was willing to set aside this book was because the three main characters were all unlikeable and pretty much the same petty, jealous, oblivious to her privilege and prone to political ranting woman. If that was one of the three main characters, fine. But, it was all three. All the time. This did not improve.
I actually had to write a "cheat sheet" to keep track of which was the whining and jealous woman with the baby and the job as a writer whose professor husband studied fish brains vs. which was the whining and neurotic woman whose fiance had dumped her and she was trying to find a job so she could relocate from Toronto to NYC vs. which was the whining and entitled woman who made "art" and whose husband, I couldn't even tell what he did, he was so non-descript.
I'm not sure why I finished, other than I'm usually a book finisher, especially audiobooks from the library because I keep I checklist with all their due dates. Yes, I am a list person. And, a "work a real job" person who gets up and drives to an office every day, not hanging out at some overpriced coffee shop collaborating on something artistic and fullfilling, but rather something that pays the bills. That is a concept that wouldn't register with any of these clueless gals.
I'm not this book's target audience. Maybe for the 1%ers who dedicated half their mind space whining about politics, this book is funny. I thought it was interesting but irritating.
The reason I was willing to set aside this book was because the three main characters were all unlikeable and pretty much the same petty, jealous, oblivious to her privilege and prone to political ranting woman. If that was one of the three main characters, fine. But, it was all three. All the time. This did not improve.
I actually had to write a "cheat sheet" to keep track of which was the whining and jealous woman with the baby and the job as a writer whose professor husband studied fish brains vs. which was the whining and neurotic woman whose fiance had dumped her and she was trying to find a job so she could relocate from Toronto to NYC vs. which was the whining and entitled woman who made "art" and whose husband, I couldn't even tell what he did, he was so non-descript.
I'm not sure why I finished, other than I'm usually a book finisher, especially audiobooks from the library because I keep I checklist with all their due dates. Yes, I am a list person. And, a "work a real job" person who gets up and drives to an office every day, not hanging out at some overpriced coffee shop collaborating on something artistic and fullfilling, but rather something that pays the bills. That is a concept that wouldn't register with any of these clueless gals.
I'm not this book's target audience. Maybe for the 1%ers who dedicated half their mind space whining about politics, this book is funny. I thought it was interesting but irritating.
June 28, 2019
Thanks you to Penguin Random House Canada for a free copy of this book to review. To be honest I struggled with this book in the beginning. There seemed to be a lot of characters to keep straight with so many acquaintances of the three main characters mentioned. Once I got past this and deeper into the story I was hooked. Geraldine, Sunny, and Rachel have known each other for years. Rachel and Sunny have made the move from Toronto to NYC and Geraldine is determined to move there too. They have all worked in the news/media industry in some form and they are now facing the rapidly changing times in media. Geraldine reinvents herself to adapt for the type of work she can get in media and this causes the two other women some envy. More importantly we learn about the different types and forms of friendship the women have with one another. This is extremely powerful as we learn the depths and feelings of each of the women’s characters and thoughts toward each other. I found their feelings to be so truthful and so real in many friendships among women. As one character bemoans - why can’t women just be? Why do we tear each other down? This was such a true statement and summed up the book for me. I loved the writing and grew to have empathy for each of the women. Overall a great read!
March 5, 2019
This was one of those books where you kind of just get plopped down in the middle of a story that's already begun and you spend half the book just figuring out what's going on. It reminded me of Allison Pearson's books in that way (which is not a criticism, just an observation). I never really felt like I got a good handle on these characters, but that's just me. But I love a good city book, and this was definitely one of them.
Thank you to NetGalley and Viking for the advanced copy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Viking for the advanced copy.
May 11, 2019
im not gonna write a long review just because it honestly wasn't a great book for me. it wasnt bad though maybe in a few years it will be more enjoyable.
February 7, 2019
This book was like sex and the city, but better. And you can't beat sex and the city.
How could she is a coming age book about three friends that are all going through challenges in their life with each one hanging on just barely at times. I found Geraldine and Rachel to be the most likeable characters because their storyline were so relatable. Geraldine with her breakup, and again trying to find her footing and Rachel a struggling writer trying adjust to motherhood. Those themes alone are immensely relatable to all coming of age women and new moms alike.
Reading this book you see yourself and your friends in these women. The friendship theme makes it a great book to reach a really big audience because as women, our friendships are such a core part of our lives.
You are sure to identify with one of these ladies.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.
How could she is a coming age book about three friends that are all going through challenges in their life with each one hanging on just barely at times. I found Geraldine and Rachel to be the most likeable characters because their storyline were so relatable. Geraldine with her breakup, and again trying to find her footing and Rachel a struggling writer trying adjust to motherhood. Those themes alone are immensely relatable to all coming of age women and new moms alike.
Reading this book you see yourself and your friends in these women. The friendship theme makes it a great book to reach a really big audience because as women, our friendships are such a core part of our lives.
You are sure to identify with one of these ladies.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.
May 31, 2019
How Could She is a modern day story of the ever changing lives of three friends in an ever changing world that takes place between Toronto and New York City and how these changes affect each other. Three women, Geraldine, Rachel and Sunny, must come to terms with the changes in their careers, their relationship struggles, their living situations and how all of these dynamics affect their friendship with each other. During tough times, they support each other yet they also must deal with each others' dark sides when secrets come out involving a bit of backstabbing. Personalities get in the way but true friendship eventually prevails.
Lauren Mechling knows how to twist up some splendid written text though sometimes that word buzz doesn't always carry through as well as her wonderful ability to entertain us with her playful and imaginative use of sentences. She can be quite funny and amazingly creative with how she chooses to describe situations. Unfortunately, there were times I felt that she should have devoted a little bit more writing early on in regard to nurturing her characters. It all too easily got confusing as to who the quickly changing cast of characters were. Spending a bit more time enriching their personalities and other aspects about them would have solidified them much more in the reader's mind which would have made for an easier flow.
Similar things can be said about the two cities, Toronto and New York City. Occasionally, it was confusing as to where any given scene was taking place, especially since she often had to switch gears mid-stream because of having to refer to past history. Sometimes I just felt that I had lost my bearings for a moment and wasn't sure where we were. There was a distinct lack of mis en scene between the two cities. They could have been anywhere. I would have loved more local flavor for each to set the two apart which was actually an important part of the story. Early on in the book, the first time we visit Jeremy's loft, the characters are looking out a window watching the sunset over the Hudson. That was one of the few times I felt that we got a taste of what that particular city was like. New York City started to come alive for me there. I just wish there was more of that life of the city itself on display within the book. It would have created an anchor point so that we would have truly felt that we were reading about two completely different locations.
The story is very relevant in today's period of time with it's emphasis on podcasting and the state of flux within the publishing industry, each of which are a major part of the story. The year 2017 is noted which gives it an exact time frame if you can't figure it out on your own by some of the other current historical references. The one point of serious contention that I did have with the book was that I believe that Mechling went too far with some of her political commentary. The first couple were okay because they were more place cards within time. After that, she just went too far to the point of it being detrimental to the book because of a few ridiculously trite and absurdly uncalled for slights that were totally unnecessary. They should have been left out of the book altogether as they provided nothing to legitimize the story as a whole.
The seeds of the story and the plot line were captivating and the changes everyone goes through had some interesting juxtapositions. Even though there were a few minor aspects, as noted above, that I believe could have enhanced the story, Mechling is a true wordsmith. The passages of words and phrases between the various story points were delightful to read and I had more than a few laughs along the way. You don't have to be a city girl or involved in the Arts to find something in this novel to relate to. You just have to look back at your own loves, careers and, most importantly, friendships to find a piece of you in all three friends.
Lauren Mechling knows how to twist up some splendid written text though sometimes that word buzz doesn't always carry through as well as her wonderful ability to entertain us with her playful and imaginative use of sentences. She can be quite funny and amazingly creative with how she chooses to describe situations. Unfortunately, there were times I felt that she should have devoted a little bit more writing early on in regard to nurturing her characters. It all too easily got confusing as to who the quickly changing cast of characters were. Spending a bit more time enriching their personalities and other aspects about them would have solidified them much more in the reader's mind which would have made for an easier flow.
Similar things can be said about the two cities, Toronto and New York City. Occasionally, it was confusing as to where any given scene was taking place, especially since she often had to switch gears mid-stream because of having to refer to past history. Sometimes I just felt that I had lost my bearings for a moment and wasn't sure where we were. There was a distinct lack of mis en scene between the two cities. They could have been anywhere. I would have loved more local flavor for each to set the two apart which was actually an important part of the story. Early on in the book, the first time we visit Jeremy's loft, the characters are looking out a window watching the sunset over the Hudson. That was one of the few times I felt that we got a taste of what that particular city was like. New York City started to come alive for me there. I just wish there was more of that life of the city itself on display within the book. It would have created an anchor point so that we would have truly felt that we were reading about two completely different locations.
The story is very relevant in today's period of time with it's emphasis on podcasting and the state of flux within the publishing industry, each of which are a major part of the story. The year 2017 is noted which gives it an exact time frame if you can't figure it out on your own by some of the other current historical references. The one point of serious contention that I did have with the book was that I believe that Mechling went too far with some of her political commentary. The first couple were okay because they were more place cards within time. After that, she just went too far to the point of it being detrimental to the book because of a few ridiculously trite and absurdly uncalled for slights that were totally unnecessary. They should have been left out of the book altogether as they provided nothing to legitimize the story as a whole.
The seeds of the story and the plot line were captivating and the changes everyone goes through had some interesting juxtapositions. Even though there were a few minor aspects, as noted above, that I believe could have enhanced the story, Mechling is a true wordsmith. The passages of words and phrases between the various story points were delightful to read and I had more than a few laughs along the way. You don't have to be a city girl or involved in the Arts to find something in this novel to relate to. You just have to look back at your own loves, careers and, most importantly, friendships to find a piece of you in all three friends.
August 22, 2019
What a complete waste of my time. Who pulled the collective shade over the entire publishing world to think that this is a good book? This is the literary equivalent of a Ed Sheeran video -- the same thing over and over again with a hint of butter. Buuuutt-urrrr.
No, really. Who read this and thought it was good? Is it because Lauren Mechling has been a columnist for renown publications for years? Is she the Sunny character? WAIT. Errmegawd. She is probably all three characters. Right? Like, SO GROUND-BREAKING. I just vomited. I work in and around publishing, and I know who she is talking about. And this book is still not funny.
What I find downright offensive is that this is categorized anywhere near satire. What Mechling has written is an elongated, cheap parody of her Vogue column. Yes, parody can be considered a form of satire, but again - Ed Sheeran has GRAMMY awards. Plural. How did that happen?
Publishing gives the same awards for naval gazing, and their embrace of this book would be a great pinnacle. Biggest takeaway: Mechling and company have spent way too much time with petty, passive aggressive, pretentious assholes in their lives. So they think making fun of them is fun? Maybe in a short story? Cause this book gets old. It's not funny. I don't care enough about these characters to think the situations they are in are interesting enough to be funny.
So if you actually have healthy adult relationships with women, men, and people who don't happen to be white and rich, bypass this book. Want something similar: I recommend Luckiest Girl Alive You get the same basic character (in one!) AND you get a plot!
BUTTTTTTTT-URRRR, Natalia.
No, really. Who read this and thought it was good? Is it because Lauren Mechling has been a columnist for renown publications for years? Is she the Sunny character? WAIT. Errmegawd. She is probably all three characters. Right? Like, SO GROUND-BREAKING. I just vomited. I work in and around publishing, and I know who she is talking about. And this book is still not funny.
What I find downright offensive is that this is categorized anywhere near satire. What Mechling has written is an elongated, cheap parody of her Vogue column. Yes, parody can be considered a form of satire, but again - Ed Sheeran has GRAMMY awards. Plural. How did that happen?
Publishing gives the same awards for naval gazing, and their embrace of this book would be a great pinnacle. Biggest takeaway: Mechling and company have spent way too much time with petty, passive aggressive, pretentious assholes in their lives. So they think making fun of them is fun? Maybe in a short story? Cause this book gets old. It's not funny. I don't care enough about these characters to think the situations they are in are interesting enough to be funny.
So if you actually have healthy adult relationships with women, men, and people who don't happen to be white and rich, bypass this book. Want something similar: I recommend Luckiest Girl Alive You get the same basic character (in one!) AND you get a plot!
BUTTTTTTTT-URRRR, Natalia.
May 24, 2019
A very compelling and very realistic tale of three friends (frenemies?) whose fortunes rise and fall throughout the course of the book. Loved the insidery publishing details; I gasped when one character stole another's story idea. I would love to know what each of the characters does next, even though the ending was satisfying. Liked the author's breezy writing style and completely related to the competitive female friendships depicted.
July 2, 2019
Not for me and a bit surprised to see all of the hype and endorsements around this one. I felt like none of the characters were well developed and like the author just threw you into the story without much context. It didn’t work for me as I wasn’t invested in any of the cast of characters but liked the plot!
April 19, 2020
I never wanna see the name Geraldine again. What a HEADACHE.
November 19, 2019
In theory I love the idea of a book about a creative friend group of women, the dysfunction in the ways they relate to each other - especially as it pertains to success. But How Could She managed to be both light on plot and too lacking in structure, as I occasionally struggled to maintain an ordered timeline of events or to recall more minor characters. Typically I find myself intrigued by prickly women or complicated relationships. This one is a little too muted.
June 3, 2019
Great summer read. Friends who are navigating their changing relationships in the publishing/art world.
Recommended for readers who like novels that explore friendships between women, who like New York stories, fans of the TV show Girls (this would probably annoy me as an author, but I kept getting wisps of Hannah and Marnie).
Recommended for readers who like novels that explore friendships between women, who like New York stories, fans of the TV show Girls (this would probably annoy me as an author, but I kept getting wisps of Hannah and Marnie).
June 1, 2019
Fantastic characters! I loved it!
April 7, 2019
This is a very fun book. I had the privilege of receiving an advanced copy which was a real treat. Sunny, Rachel and Geraldine are great characters, all complete with flaws and unique personalities, but this made me love them more. As a woman in her (almost) mid-30s, I also enjoyed that all three characters were relatable and although fictional, they were perfect examples of how we are all navigating the game of life. This book made me feel like I might just figure it all out one day.
Highly recommend!
Highly recommend!
April 29, 2019
This one of those book that picture the world around us in a satiric way and they do it in the right way.
A great read, engaging, entertaining, well written, and full of food for thought.
A book that won't be easily be forgotten.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
A great read, engaging, entertaining, well written, and full of food for thought.
A book that won't be easily be forgotten.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
June 15, 2019
So I finally finished this book and OMG.
Things happen but it’s so interesting to truly look at what lies beneath the surface of a friendship. This is some of the best character development that I have ever seen. The novel centers around three women in media in various stages of their lives, though about the same age, their careers, and loves have taken them to different places. This is the story of what happened when they find themselves in the same city for the first time in a while.
The novel starts out with a letter from Sunny. The woman who can be hailed a success from the outside, with her husband and art career. Geraldine is still in Toronto, nursing old wounds from a fiance who left her or rather made her leave him through his inaction. She is subletting Sunny’s place and this is the first hint that we get that the relationship, once equal, is now quite skewed. Rachel lives in New York City with her scientist husband and their two-year-old child, Cleo. She writes young adult fiction and still works for the same magazine that employs Sunny.
As you read on, you start to see the cracks in their seemingly perfect lives.
As for the writing, holy biscuits. I annotated this book because I found myself itching to underline so many beautifully written passages. There is something wonderfully calculating with every choice of word. I had my Merriam-Webster handy because I was constantly looking up certain words. I felt like I learned so much and I found a golden nugget on every page. I learned so much about these women. So complex and well-rounded and I just wanted to know more about what happens to them because Mechling made me care.
5/5 stars.
Things happen but it’s so interesting to truly look at what lies beneath the surface of a friendship. This is some of the best character development that I have ever seen. The novel centers around three women in media in various stages of their lives, though about the same age, their careers, and loves have taken them to different places. This is the story of what happened when they find themselves in the same city for the first time in a while.
The novel starts out with a letter from Sunny. The woman who can be hailed a success from the outside, with her husband and art career. Geraldine is still in Toronto, nursing old wounds from a fiance who left her or rather made her leave him through his inaction. She is subletting Sunny’s place and this is the first hint that we get that the relationship, once equal, is now quite skewed. Rachel lives in New York City with her scientist husband and their two-year-old child, Cleo. She writes young adult fiction and still works for the same magazine that employs Sunny.
As you read on, you start to see the cracks in their seemingly perfect lives.
As for the writing, holy biscuits. I annotated this book because I found myself itching to underline so many beautifully written passages. There is something wonderfully calculating with every choice of word. I had my Merriam-Webster handy because I was constantly looking up certain words. I felt like I learned so much and I found a golden nugget on every page. I learned so much about these women. So complex and well-rounded and I just wanted to know more about what happens to them because Mechling made me care.
5/5 stars.
January 4, 2020
Bleh. This is the story of 3 friends - Geraldine, Rachel, and Sunny - in their early 30s whose various friendships are tested over the course of a year of life in NYC. Unfortunately, all 3 are superficial, self-obsessed, uninteresting, and ultimately 1-dmensional and thinly-written characters, so there's literally nothing to care about here.
The theme of female friendship has been better treated in countless other books, but for some reason this book got a lot of pre-publication buzz and received good reviews early on. I can't for the life of me figure out why! The writing was uneven - some passages were briefly interesting and tightly paced, and then others were so clunky with such bad similes that they were the only times I laughed during this dull read. Oh, let's not forget the weirdly detailed descriptions of life in Toronto - the 3 women meet while living there - and comparisons of that city to randomly chosen Manhattan and Brooklyn neighborhoods. I'd hoped this would be a light, funny, carefree read, but in the end it was essentially a complete waste of time. It's been a long time since I've read a book that I was as disappointed by as this one, and I'm not entirely sure how something like this got published...
The theme of female friendship has been better treated in countless other books, but for some reason this book got a lot of pre-publication buzz and received good reviews early on. I can't for the life of me figure out why! The writing was uneven - some passages were briefly interesting and tightly paced, and then others were so clunky with such bad similes that they were the only times I laughed during this dull read. Oh, let's not forget the weirdly detailed descriptions of life in Toronto - the 3 women meet while living there - and comparisons of that city to randomly chosen Manhattan and Brooklyn neighborhoods. I'd hoped this would be a light, funny, carefree read, but in the end it was essentially a complete waste of time. It's been a long time since I've read a book that I was as disappointed by as this one, and I'm not entirely sure how something like this got published...
March 30, 2020
Hmmm. I enjoyed this book while reading it, but I’m not actually sure why. The strength that the three women at the center of the non-story were engaging despite being totally unsurprising. The occasionally-more-than-glancing commentary on contemporary women’s friendships and rivalries held my attention but could have been developed more and maybe with fewer cliches - wrestling with sex, babies, rotten ex boyfriends. misogyny in the workplace - there’s more to us, no? The book calls out the patriarchal tropes of jealous and insecure mean girls, but that is also the crux of the whole story. Was that an intentional paradox?
Related: I’ve just noticed Goodreads files this under their “Chick Lit” category. Good lord. Talk about sexist tropes..
Related: I’ve just noticed Goodreads files this under their “Chick Lit” category. Good lord. Talk about sexist tropes..
June 17, 2019
Mechling writes about friendships, but the side of them that makes many of us squeamish: when they fade or end completely. She does this beautifully and gracefully, using her three main characters to take us through how this can happen and why it often does. For me, reading this book brought up my own lost friendships and reminded me both of how fragile and how wonderful women's bonds can be. I loved this book.
June 15, 2019
A little slow going for my tastes. The characters were interesting but never fully fleshed out. Lots of random actions with no real motivation or explanation. Not a terrible book but not the best by far.
October 31, 2019
I don’t remember why I wanted to read this, but I should not have.
June 29, 2023
I did not want to finish… so 10 days after my start days, 55% of the way in, having listened to 5 hours and 14 minutes with 4 hours and 14 minutes to go, I finally decided not to.
May 17, 2019
This book about three women navigating their twenties and thirties blew me away. And I’m in my late 50s... It starts funny and gets deeper and a little uncomfortable— in a way that I admired. Reminded me of Kingsolver and Ephron.
July 28, 2019
This book was promising, yet fell far short of what it could have been if the characters had more depth or there were more compelling plot lines.
Geraldine, Rachel and Sunny all worked together in media in Canada. However, Rachel and Sunny both moved to NYC and found success and created families there. Geraldine has recently been left at the altar and is looking to follow in the footsteps of her successful friends by creating her own NYC dream life.
However, Rachel and Sunny are not really friends with each other, and as it turns out not super friendly with Geraldine either. Although they call each other best friends, a reveal of their inner thoughts shows competition, resentment, cheating and unfriendliness toward each other. None of these women are real friends to each other, and I found that very disappointing.
The story placed much focus on the careers of these women, however frequently glossed over details of what it meant to be a successful artist or writer, and how they came to be respected. Especially how Geraldine went from being told how hot podcasts are becoming, to herself producing a highly successful podcast in seemingly no time at all.
This book was superficial in characters and story. Although things did happen, it seemed like there was no action. I won this book from First Reads.
Geraldine, Rachel and Sunny all worked together in media in Canada. However, Rachel and Sunny both moved to NYC and found success and created families there. Geraldine has recently been left at the altar and is looking to follow in the footsteps of her successful friends by creating her own NYC dream life.
However, Rachel and Sunny are not really friends with each other, and as it turns out not super friendly with Geraldine either. Although they call each other best friends, a reveal of their inner thoughts shows competition, resentment, cheating and unfriendliness toward each other. None of these women are real friends to each other, and I found that very disappointing.
The story placed much focus on the careers of these women, however frequently glossed over details of what it meant to be a successful artist or writer, and how they came to be respected. Especially how Geraldine went from being told how hot podcasts are becoming, to herself producing a highly successful podcast in seemingly no time at all.
This book was superficial in characters and story. Although things did happen, it seemed like there was no action. I won this book from First Reads.
May 6, 2019
Loved, loved this book. Getting it for all my friends to read this summer. Can’t wait for Mechling’s next one!
July 10, 2019
I re-read the first 2 chapters 3 nights in a row, because whenever I picked the book back up, I couldn’t remember what was going on or who these people were. I thought this was due to being especially tired, but it turns out the characters just were not at all memorable. I kept reading, waiting for the point where there would be some redemption for any character, but it never arrived. It’s a book about horribly self centered people, and their shallow, competitive “friendships”. I hope no one actually spends their time and energy on people like Rachel, Sunny or Geraldine. The plot goes exactly where you guess it will. It doesn’t get better.
Sure wish I remembered who or where this book was recommended so I could make sure to never read another recommendation of theirs again. If I wasn’t behind on my reading goal I would have quit this book. But I need to inflate my numbers, so here I am.
Sure wish I remembered who or where this book was recommended so I could make sure to never read another recommendation of theirs again. If I wasn’t behind on my reading goal I would have quit this book. But I need to inflate my numbers, so here I am.
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