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Social Engagement
A bitingly sharp and darkly humorous debut novel exploring millennial wedding culture, class, and relationships, all filtered through the ever-present lens of social media.
In an opulent honeymoon suite in Watch Hill, Rhode Island’s most desirable wedding venue, 29-year-old Callie Holt is spending her wedding night lying in a bathtub shoveling down a pizza; her expensive white dress now splattered with sauce and her groom passed out in the next room. With her seven-hour-old marriage already imploded, Callie turns to the place of record – her phone – sifting through the photographic evidence of the past year to pinpoint where it all went wrong.
Could it have started when Callie moved in with her best friend, Virginia Murphy, in the swanky Upper East Side pied-à-terre for which Virginia’s parents foot the bill? Or when Virginia’s irritatingly attractive cousin (and Callie’s secret ex) Ollie returned from pursuing his photography career abroad, throwing a wrench in Callie’s relationship with her kind (if a bit dim) finance bro boyfriend, Whit? Or was the true turning point when Callie stumbled upon a dark secret lurking in the Murphys’ well-heeled past, one with the potential to upend everything Callie knows about the people she considers her second family?
Over the course of one wedding-filled year, all these long-simmering secrets and resentments will come bubbling to the surface, leading to a reckoning that will strip Callie and everyone around her down to their most gruesomely real, filter-free selves. As Callie attends wedding after wedding, getting tagged in post after post, she begins to contemplate—and actualize through her own art—the gulf between the true selves of the people around her and the selves they present on their screens.
In an opulent honeymoon suite in Watch Hill, Rhode Island’s most desirable wedding venue, 29-year-old Callie Holt is spending her wedding night lying in a bathtub shoveling down a pizza; her expensive white dress now splattered with sauce and her groom passed out in the next room. With her seven-hour-old marriage already imploded, Callie turns to the place of record – her phone – sifting through the photographic evidence of the past year to pinpoint where it all went wrong.
Could it have started when Callie moved in with her best friend, Virginia Murphy, in the swanky Upper East Side pied-à-terre for which Virginia’s parents foot the bill? Or when Virginia’s irritatingly attractive cousin (and Callie’s secret ex) Ollie returned from pursuing his photography career abroad, throwing a wrench in Callie’s relationship with her kind (if a bit dim) finance bro boyfriend, Whit? Or was the true turning point when Callie stumbled upon a dark secret lurking in the Murphys’ well-heeled past, one with the potential to upend everything Callie knows about the people she considers her second family?
Over the course of one wedding-filled year, all these long-simmering secrets and resentments will come bubbling to the surface, leading to a reckoning that will strip Callie and everyone around her down to their most gruesomely real, filter-free selves. As Callie attends wedding after wedding, getting tagged in post after post, she begins to contemplate—and actualize through her own art—the gulf between the true selves of the people around her and the selves they present on their screens.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published May 23, 2023
260 people are currently reading
16771 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 384 reviews
May 7, 2023
I may be biased but I love this book 🤍🙃
I wrote Social Engagement to explore the discrepancy between our outer projections and inner selves, millennial wedding culture, and family (both the ones we’re born into and the people who stick to our ribs regardless of shared DNA). I hope you enjoy reading!!
I wrote Social Engagement to explore the discrepancy between our outer projections and inner selves, millennial wedding culture, and family (both the ones we’re born into and the people who stick to our ribs regardless of shared DNA). I hope you enjoy reading!!
August 10, 2023
Doldrums. Reading this one was so tedious. I see now that The Skimm may have simply been promoting their own when they listed this as a top beach read; Forrey is their Managing Editor.
Forrey’s incorporation of social media addiction and its toxicity is fantastic. But the protagonist, Callie, is off putting. Between living in the shadow of the 1%, her obsession with a toxic relationship (that she willingly sacrifices herself for), and her fixation on body image and shaming (which results in an eating disorder), it’s hard to get in her corner. The plot wasn’t well-constructed enough to be a captivating story, even though much of the writing is clever enough.
I stuck with this one due to a mild curiosity as to how things fell apart on her wedding day - which is teed up in the first chapter, but… there are so many good books out there, that I question my choice. 😉
Book reco: The Skimm
Forrey’s incorporation of social media addiction and its toxicity is fantastic. But the protagonist, Callie, is off putting. Between living in the shadow of the 1%, her obsession with a toxic relationship (that she willingly sacrifices herself for), and her fixation on body image and shaming (which results in an eating disorder), it’s hard to get in her corner. The plot wasn’t well-constructed enough to be a captivating story, even though much of the writing is clever enough.
I stuck with this one due to a mild curiosity as to how things fell apart on her wedding day - which is teed up in the first chapter, but… there are so many good books out there, that I question my choice. 😉
Book reco: The Skimm
February 18, 2023
**Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review**
I enjoyed this book (I flew through it in two days!) but it ultimately wasn't the best fit for me. I really liked the author's writing style--it felt very authentic to the character. However, I think this book is better for people who don't mind unfinished/unsettled endings. Also, I had no sympathy for the main character, and the Cal/Ollie plotline reminded me too much of Tell Me Lies (which I hated), so I think that made it hard for me to root for her. But if you enjoy slightly moody, slightly depressing, very well-written books about thirty-somethings in NYC, this is the book for you.
I enjoyed this book (I flew through it in two days!) but it ultimately wasn't the best fit for me. I really liked the author's writing style--it felt very authentic to the character. However, I think this book is better for people who don't mind unfinished/unsettled endings. Also, I had no sympathy for the main character, and the Cal/Ollie plotline reminded me too much of Tell Me Lies (which I hated), so I think that made it hard for me to root for her. But if you enjoy slightly moody, slightly depressing, very well-written books about thirty-somethings in NYC, this is the book for you.
May 22, 2023
Unputdownable and razor-sharp, Social Engagement is an addictive ride through the ultra-relatable highs and lows of a woman navigating millennial wedding culture and her own path to love and meaning in a screen-filled world. Forrey's is a fresh new voice in fiction that that effuses wit and heart in equal measure; I joyfully devoured her stunning debut.
This is my favorite kind of book: a page-turner/beach read with substance and gorgeous writing. Highly, highly recommend.
This is my favorite kind of book: a page-turner/beach read with substance and gorgeous writing. Highly, highly recommend.
June 12, 2023
I am genuinely sorry – it's been a while since I've read anything disgracefully labeled chick lit, so maybe it's my unfamiliarity with the genre, but I didn't get this, nor anything out of what was promised on the blurb.
The thing with Social Engagement is, that when you read about it, it sounds like it'd be a social commentary of contemporary wedding culture, which I'd totally be down for. When we meet the 29-year old Callie Holt, her wedding has just taken place and is already going down the drain. Over the course of the novel we backtrack, piecing together the pieces to figure out where it all went wrong.
This is unrelatable in a draining sort of way. I generally don't mind unlikeable protagonists, otherwise I wouldn't be reading either Ottessa Moshfegh nor Sally Rooney, but Callie feels way more like a character taken from a gossipy Sex and the City episode than a mirror reflecting social structures or pitfalls. There's a whole storyline about her and her friend's attractive cousin Ollie (who is equally unlikeable) that just made me want to pull my hair out (I'm going to not say more about their dynamic in order not to spoil anything for future readers).
Those who find eating disorders triggering should stay clear of this. Callie struggles with her body and keeps taking shit about herself. It's a strangely present subject in this novel and while that sort of self-hate probably ties together well with the critical self-examination she's doing over the course of the story, it's the fact that I didn't care much about her which made me feel like I was being forced to listen to some stranger's problems for hours. And lines like: “Of course he didn’t want to be with me. There was too much of me.” I just really don't need to encounter in my spare time.
I guess it's a lesson in how we can be too caught up in our own problems. That's sort of what I got out of it at least. I've looked at other reviews and have seen that a lot of people are having a great time with this, so I assume it really was just me that doesn't like to listen to people's issues who I can't empathise with. I think the cover is gorgeous, though!
The thing with Social Engagement is, that when you read about it, it sounds like it'd be a social commentary of contemporary wedding culture, which I'd totally be down for. When we meet the 29-year old Callie Holt, her wedding has just taken place and is already going down the drain. Over the course of the novel we backtrack, piecing together the pieces to figure out where it all went wrong.
This is unrelatable in a draining sort of way. I generally don't mind unlikeable protagonists, otherwise I wouldn't be reading either Ottessa Moshfegh nor Sally Rooney, but Callie feels way more like a character taken from a gossipy Sex and the City episode than a mirror reflecting social structures or pitfalls. There's a whole storyline about her and her friend's attractive cousin Ollie (who is equally unlikeable) that just made me want to pull my hair out (I'm going to not say more about their dynamic in order not to spoil anything for future readers).
Those who find eating disorders triggering should stay clear of this. Callie struggles with her body and keeps taking shit about herself. It's a strangely present subject in this novel and while that sort of self-hate probably ties together well with the critical self-examination she's doing over the course of the story, it's the fact that I didn't care much about her which made me feel like I was being forced to listen to some stranger's problems for hours. And lines like: “Of course he didn’t want to be with me. There was too much of me.” I just really don't need to encounter in my spare time.
I guess it's a lesson in how we can be too caught up in our own problems. That's sort of what I got out of it at least. I've looked at other reviews and have seen that a lot of people are having a great time with this, so I assume it really was just me that doesn't like to listen to people's issues who I can't empathise with. I think the cover is gorgeous, though!
June 16, 2023
From the quirky cover to the subtly of the synopsis, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Social Engagement by debut author Avery Carpenter Forrey, and I hate to say it but I'm pretty sure this book went completely over my head. All in all, not much happens, and it is definitely a very character-driven novel overall. It is basically a conundrum for me because on one hand, I actually really enjoyed the writing style, but something was lacking for me in the plot itself. I'm not entirely sure what the point of the book was, other than a look into Callie's life, and the various things she has to deal with which includes a marriage that is most surely over all because of her own actions. We don't really get much closure, but the open end does fit the story very well.
The audiobook is a winner in and of itself, and I loved Eileen Stevens as the narrator. Even though I wasn't sure where Social Engagement was going to lead me, I was happy to let Stevens take me there. It may have been beneficial to read the book as opposed to listening to the audio since it does jump around between past and present quite a bit. This is labeled (for the most part) but it still left me feeling a bit confused about what time period I was in, and I think it could have been done in a way that provided me a more distinct picture of what was going on. And did anyone know the author is the Managing Editor of theSkimm?! I love theSkimm and I can see that being a reason I loved her writing style. All in all, this is a debut that makes you think, and I am planning on reading whatever she writes next.
I received an advanced listening copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The audiobook is a winner in and of itself, and I loved Eileen Stevens as the narrator. Even though I wasn't sure where Social Engagement was going to lead me, I was happy to let Stevens take me there. It may have been beneficial to read the book as opposed to listening to the audio since it does jump around between past and present quite a bit. This is labeled (for the most part) but it still left me feeling a bit confused about what time period I was in, and I think it could have been done in a way that provided me a more distinct picture of what was going on. And did anyone know the author is the Managing Editor of theSkimm?! I love theSkimm and I can see that being a reason I loved her writing style. All in all, this is a debut that makes you think, and I am planning on reading whatever she writes next.
I received an advanced listening copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
May 16, 2023
This was a struggle for me to get through. Even with the hybrid of physical and audio copies, I just couldn’t get into the story. Between unlikable characters, an abundance of fat shaming (more on that in a minute), and an abrupt ending, I wouldn’t even know who to recommend this to. It started out promising, the opening scene hours after the main character Callie’s wedding, marriage already having failed. But from there it just went downhill for me. Callie has extreme body dysmorphia and bulimia, with her purges graphically described on page frequently. Although she is generally referring to herself, the brazen body shaming was triggering to me. Sadly, I wish I had DNFed this.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy to review.
February 8, 2024
LOOK. If a book STARTS with a woman in a bathtub on her wedding night, eating pizza alone in her wedding gown after her marriage blew up, then I need the book that follows to DELIVER.
This book delivered like UberEats, which is to say: it overpromised, took too long to arrive, and left me disappointed, feeling empty inside, and leaving a 1-star review.
This book delivered like UberEats, which is to say: it overpromised, took too long to arrive, and left me disappointed, feeling empty inside, and leaving a 1-star review.
May 27, 2023
I got this book in exchange for an honest review. To be short, I only finished this book because I wanted to find out why the marriage was doomed on the wedding night.
I can see the outline of this book being great, but I feel like too much time was spent on the social media piece and not enough was spent on relationship and character development. I legitimately don’t understand why Callie suffered enough inertia to marry Whit when he is written in a way that I don’t even get why they went on a second date. There are very few points when I even see her liking him. The relationship between Virginia and Callie is just missing any warmth that they clearly are supposed to have with each other. When Callie was sitting in the bathroom while Virginia was showering, the relationship up to that point did not show any of that intimacy between friends. I get that there was some strain in the relationship, but, again, it was difficult to see that they were even friends and then suddenly they are in the bathroom with each other while getting ready for a party?
There are pieces of this book that had the potential to be super relatable…Callie is in a weird time in life where childhood relationships change, things with older adults/parental figures change and you feel like you should be taking certain steps. I feel like they were being referenced, but we weren’t actually taken there. As someone who is past that time of life and lived to tell the tale, I would have loved a book that took me there.
I can see the outline of this book being great, but I feel like too much time was spent on the social media piece and not enough was spent on relationship and character development. I legitimately don’t understand why Callie suffered enough inertia to marry Whit when he is written in a way that I don’t even get why they went on a second date. There are very few points when I even see her liking him. The relationship between Virginia and Callie is just missing any warmth that they clearly are supposed to have with each other. When Callie was sitting in the bathroom while Virginia was showering, the relationship up to that point did not show any of that intimacy between friends. I get that there was some strain in the relationship, but, again, it was difficult to see that they were even friends and then suddenly they are in the bathroom with each other while getting ready for a party?
There are pieces of this book that had the potential to be super relatable…Callie is in a weird time in life where childhood relationships change, things with older adults/parental figures change and you feel like you should be taking certain steps. I feel like they were being referenced, but we weren’t actually taken there. As someone who is past that time of life and lived to tell the tale, I would have loved a book that took me there.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2023
”My feed beckons with distractions, curated moments that serve as a portal to the mess your memories. People say, the past is out of our grasp and the future is in our hands, but that isn’t quite right. We project our futures with a tenuous, private filter—one that can be deleted swiftly due to external forces—while we’re able to edit our pasts, enhance or darken or saturate the narrative to fit our needs. No wonder so many of us live inside memories; it’s safer to reside in a place that can be reuploaded or excised.”
This is easily going to be a big summer read. Exploring the lives of the elite and centered on a Woman Behaving Badly (or at the very least not how she “should” be behaving) the self-aware style and insertion of a non-trust funded plebe at the center gave off whiffs of You’s Joe Goldberg.
Here though Callie wasn’t outright stalking the other people in her life, or (spoiler?) killing anyone, she just wanted to figure out more about her father and the unfinished manuscript he left behind after his death. She perhaps feels inadequate in comparison to the Murphys, the well-off family she grew up alongside, and most definitely has yet to get closure on the somewhat illicit relationship with the Murphy’s adopted son.
The complexities that surface, spawned from the inner turmoil Callie feels within, the writing is immense, playful & gorgeous, and a joy to read. I notated many passages, just engrossed in the perfect use of language and descriptions of social media in particular. 🙌🏻
This is easily going to be a big summer read. Exploring the lives of the elite and centered on a Woman Behaving Badly (or at the very least not how she “should” be behaving) the self-aware style and insertion of a non-trust funded plebe at the center gave off whiffs of You’s Joe Goldberg.
Here though Callie wasn’t outright stalking the other people in her life, or (spoiler?) killing anyone, she just wanted to figure out more about her father and the unfinished manuscript he left behind after his death. She perhaps feels inadequate in comparison to the Murphys, the well-off family she grew up alongside, and most definitely has yet to get closure on the somewhat illicit relationship with the Murphy’s adopted son.
The complexities that surface, spawned from the inner turmoil Callie feels within, the writing is immense, playful & gorgeous, and a joy to read. I notated many passages, just engrossed in the perfect use of language and descriptions of social media in particular. 🙌🏻
May 23, 2023
Avery Carpenter Forrey's debut novel, Social Engagement, is engrossing and engaging from start to finish. On a sentence level, I felt compelled to underline each word, how they tied together so elegantly, painting and capturing images my mind had never made. Avery is a brilliant writer, who will make incredible waves in fiction. It was a privilege to read her book! If you love to a book that races towards the conclusion and then stays in your mind for good, buy hers! I could not put it down for the last 30 pages and honestly, I couldn't put down the whole damn thing. I'm still thinking about it! I love this book!!!
December 2, 2023
This book is why boomers hate millennials (1.5 stars)
August 4, 2023
Social Engagement is about a bride whose marriage implodes on the night of her wedding. After this disastrous breakup, we find her in the honeymoon suite with an empty pizza box and a stained dress. When she tries to figure out what went wrong, she use her Instagram feed and photos to piece together what happened. There are fraught female friendships, class dynamics, and toxic ex-boyfriends. It's a bingeable read about a millennial wedding and how social media effects us all.
This book, Social Engagement, is written in first person and is very voice-y. I loved how the author structured it too. At the beginning of each chapter, she included something special, either a photo or a post—something that makes you want to dive right in and stay there.
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://www.momsdonthavetimetoreadboo...
This book, Social Engagement, is written in first person and is very voice-y. I loved how the author structured it too. At the beginning of each chapter, she included something special, either a photo or a post—something that makes you want to dive right in and stay there.
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://www.momsdonthavetimetoreadboo...
December 19, 2025
I thought I hated this book at first, but then I realized it just made me super uncomfortable because it touched upon my own insecurities and qualms. The book was well written, interweaving social commentary on various aspects while filling and furthering the plot. Sometimes the style/flow confused me and the ending seemed a bit rushed. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it as a beach or travel read! #giveaway
P.S. I absolutely loathe Ollie and wanted to scream at Callie to LEAVE and BLOCK, but also been there done that so another win for Ms. Avery!
P.S. I absolutely loathe Ollie and wanted to scream at Callie to LEAVE and BLOCK, but also been there done that so another win for Ms. Avery!
April 11, 2023
Dnf - not for me
January 25, 2025
Good but the ending wtf????
May 15, 2023
This was such a clever and unique debut with such an intriguing concept!
This one starts at the end with the night after Callie’s wedding where she begins to scroll through her Instagram reflecting on weddings and parties through the year as she try’s to unravel and pinpoint what and where it went wrong and ultimately connect the dots. It dives into our current social media phenomenon and essentially explores the general idea of missing out on the current reality and getting too caught up in ourselves, appearances and others.
It explores the ever evolving wedding culture and is incredibly reflective and observant! All in all, a quick delightful and insightful read!
This one starts at the end with the night after Callie’s wedding where she begins to scroll through her Instagram reflecting on weddings and parties through the year as she try’s to unravel and pinpoint what and where it went wrong and ultimately connect the dots. It dives into our current social media phenomenon and essentially explores the general idea of missing out on the current reality and getting too caught up in ourselves, appearances and others.
It explores the ever evolving wedding culture and is incredibly reflective and observant! All in all, a quick delightful and insightful read!
May 13, 2023
This was just meh for me. I listened to the audio book and finished it, but it just kinda fell flat. I never cared that much for the MC and found almost everyone unlikeable. With its jump back in time with flashback stories - leading up to the wedding night (where it started). Maybe just my mood but this was a miss for me.
July 12, 2023
Couldn’t finish the last 40 pages! I did not like this book. Has a lot of references to eating disorders and definitely has the possibility to be triggering. The middle part wasn’t that bad but the beginning and end were terrible.
July 13, 2023
I really enjoyed this darkly funny critique on the modern industrial wedding complex, millenial culture and the pressure to present/achieve the 'perfect' life. This debut starts with a wedding gone wrong and then flashes back a year to let us see just how things all turned to sh*t!
Both a coming of age story, a celebration of female friendship and an exploration of second chances as Callie spends the year planning her swanky summer wedding on her beloved childhood vacation spot of Watch Hill, Rhode Island.
It's so easy to get wrapped up in planning the 'best' wedding and Callie easily finds herself getting lost in the process as things spiral out of control. When her best friend's cousin (and her secret ex) shows up, she really begins to question what it is she wants and what will make her happy and maybe it's not her fiancé after all.
Good on audio and recommended for fans of Celia Laskey's So happy for you or Forever hold your peace by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!
Both a coming of age story, a celebration of female friendship and an exploration of second chances as Callie spends the year planning her swanky summer wedding on her beloved childhood vacation spot of Watch Hill, Rhode Island.
It's so easy to get wrapped up in planning the 'best' wedding and Callie easily finds herself getting lost in the process as things spiral out of control. When her best friend's cousin (and her secret ex) shows up, she really begins to question what it is she wants and what will make her happy and maybe it's not her fiancé after all.
Good on audio and recommended for fans of Celia Laskey's So happy for you or Forever hold your peace by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!
August 7, 2023
Was hoping for more dark wedding fun but this was a bit all over the place, and I didn’t feel I got much from it. TW: eating disorders
October 8, 2023
2.5 rounded up
May 3, 2023
I wanted to like it I really did, and I thought I would based solely on the writing style, it's literary nature. But I always have trouble when I can't grasp any likeability in the main character, in any of the characters really.
We meet Callie on the night of her wedding, her new husband asleep except she tells us her marriage is already over. She whips out her phone to scroll thru pictures of the past year, to think about where it all went wrong. The author chooses to hand us the pieces of the story in fragmented intervals, interrupting Callie's narration of the past (meeting her hubby and onward) to remind you of where she is in her present (which I found superfluous, I think it would've been more effective to start and end the book with her wedding, leave the meat to be read uninterrupted)- and then also cutting into the past to bring you back to a further past (her childhood, her dad, college years, her history with Ollie, etc. ).
We learn about Callie's best friendship with Virginia Murphy, practically born at the hip, their parents friends as well. When Callie's dad passes she becomes estranged from her own mom and essentially becomes a surrogate daughter melting into the Murphy clan, benefiting from scraps of their affluence thrown her way like a dog under a dining table, essentially shaping the trajectory of her life. We learn of her clandestine affair with Virginia's cousin Ollie, of her struggle with bulimia. This in particular was unnerving having been approached by the writer in such a flippant haphazard way. Oh and in between all this we get to read people's comments on the social media photos she's looking through that signify the moments she's telling us about. A cool idea in theory, here it just felt like it broke the fluidity of the read with no real purpose.
As a reader you are unwittingly choosing to be lead down the path of a story and I kept waiting for the purpose of this path. Waiting for some redemption anywhere, everywhere. It's okay when a story is a blip in time of a person's life, very effective even when done right, but still the reader is trusting to be made whole at the end, to understand the full circle or lack there of, to witness some kind of self actualization or complete destruction. I don't know where this one falls, neither? Both? I would've liked for some of the secondary characters, if not all of them, to be fully fleshed out as well but beggers can't be choosers :(
When I read fiction like this, I like ruminating about the strings of thoughts, the commentary the author makes within the story. I kept seeing potential for that, and I even found it once or twice in quotes such as "sometimes the world gives you a loophole to live out a secret in plain sight." Unfortunately overall I can't say that I got much out of it. I can't understand even a little bit what I was meant to gain from this read in it's entirety and I'm quite disappointed as the writing itself had given me high hopes.
We meet Callie on the night of her wedding, her new husband asleep except she tells us her marriage is already over. She whips out her phone to scroll thru pictures of the past year, to think about where it all went wrong. The author chooses to hand us the pieces of the story in fragmented intervals, interrupting Callie's narration of the past (meeting her hubby and onward) to remind you of where she is in her present (which I found superfluous, I think it would've been more effective to start and end the book with her wedding, leave the meat to be read uninterrupted)- and then also cutting into the past to bring you back to a further past (her childhood, her dad, college years, her history with Ollie, etc. ).
We learn about Callie's best friendship with Virginia Murphy, practically born at the hip, their parents friends as well. When Callie's dad passes she becomes estranged from her own mom and essentially becomes a surrogate daughter melting into the Murphy clan, benefiting from scraps of their affluence thrown her way like a dog under a dining table, essentially shaping the trajectory of her life. We learn of her clandestine affair with Virginia's cousin Ollie, of her struggle with bulimia. This in particular was unnerving having been approached by the writer in such a flippant haphazard way. Oh and in between all this we get to read people's comments on the social media photos she's looking through that signify the moments she's telling us about. A cool idea in theory, here it just felt like it broke the fluidity of the read with no real purpose.
As a reader you are unwittingly choosing to be lead down the path of a story and I kept waiting for the purpose of this path. Waiting for some redemption anywhere, everywhere. It's okay when a story is a blip in time of a person's life, very effective even when done right, but still the reader is trusting to be made whole at the end, to understand the full circle or lack there of, to witness some kind of self actualization or complete destruction. I don't know where this one falls, neither? Both? I would've liked for some of the secondary characters, if not all of them, to be fully fleshed out as well but beggers can't be choosers :(
When I read fiction like this, I like ruminating about the strings of thoughts, the commentary the author makes within the story. I kept seeing potential for that, and I even found it once or twice in quotes such as "sometimes the world gives you a loophole to live out a secret in plain sight." Unfortunately overall I can't say that I got much out of it. I can't understand even a little bit what I was meant to gain from this read in it's entirety and I'm quite disappointed as the writing itself had given me high hopes.
March 31, 2023
OUT MAY 23, 2023!
Forrey's debut is gripping from the first page. Delving into the social-media frenzy of modern weddings, this book explores friendship, relationships, class, and wealth with a piercing eye toward authenticity in a world governed by curation. As I read, I felt compelled to nod along or underline each word because Forrey's language often captured exactly how I think about various aspects of life as a late-twenties person navigating complex relationships that either aren't serving us or force self-reflection. I found it incredibly hard to put down because I felt so seen by it.
This book, in many ways, felt like a manifestation of a moment in an interview with Stephanie Danler where she said that life is a series of micro-movements that add up to a big moment(s) (paraphrasing here). From the opening scene, we know that Callie's marriage lasted mere hours and then we spend the novel scrolling through her camera roll as she tries to pinpoint where it went so wrong. I think this is a unique storytelling device but also speaks to something greater, which is the fact that many things don't happen in a vacuum, rather a series of steps and missteps get us from point A to point B and sometimes that means lost friendships, damaged friendships, broken trust, and broken relationships. When we lose someone, we wonder "how in the world did that happen?" And then we attempt to go back and connect the dots and make sense of the loss. But the thesis of this book seems to be, no matter how much we zoom in and dissect in hindsight, we often can't see it coming because we're too caught up in ourselves.
While this book felt distinct in its tone and outlook, I think fans of Jennifer Close will enjoy this one.
Forrey's debut is gripping from the first page. Delving into the social-media frenzy of modern weddings, this book explores friendship, relationships, class, and wealth with a piercing eye toward authenticity in a world governed by curation. As I read, I felt compelled to nod along or underline each word because Forrey's language often captured exactly how I think about various aspects of life as a late-twenties person navigating complex relationships that either aren't serving us or force self-reflection. I found it incredibly hard to put down because I felt so seen by it.
This book, in many ways, felt like a manifestation of a moment in an interview with Stephanie Danler where she said that life is a series of micro-movements that add up to a big moment(s) (paraphrasing here). From the opening scene, we know that Callie's marriage lasted mere hours and then we spend the novel scrolling through her camera roll as she tries to pinpoint where it went so wrong. I think this is a unique storytelling device but also speaks to something greater, which is the fact that many things don't happen in a vacuum, rather a series of steps and missteps get us from point A to point B and sometimes that means lost friendships, damaged friendships, broken trust, and broken relationships. When we lose someone, we wonder "how in the world did that happen?" And then we attempt to go back and connect the dots and make sense of the loss. But the thesis of this book seems to be, no matter how much we zoom in and dissect in hindsight, we often can't see it coming because we're too caught up in ourselves.
While this book felt distinct in its tone and outlook, I think fans of Jennifer Close will enjoy this one.
June 23, 2023
Callie Holt's marriage has fallen apart on her wedding night before it even began. Social Engagement is a review of the year leading up to this night.
I struggled through this one. There's a lot of weight talk and disordered eating, so know that going in if that's an issue for you. While it did help to explain some of Callie's motivations, I thought it was excessive and unnecessary. All of the characters were also highly unlikable, making it hard to relate to anyone.
Because we had the big reveal of her marriage falling apart up front, nothing really happened for the rest of the book. I kept waiting for something that never came. And there was no real resolution.
I struggled through this one. There's a lot of weight talk and disordered eating, so know that going in if that's an issue for you. While it did help to explain some of Callie's motivations, I thought it was excessive and unnecessary. All of the characters were also highly unlikable, making it hard to relate to anyone.
Because we had the big reveal of her marriage falling apart up front, nothing really happened for the rest of the book. I kept waiting for something that never came. And there was no real resolution.
April 14, 2023
clever, witty, and quick!!! A must read !!!
April 9, 2023
This book was truly a one of a kind read! You dive right in finding out that the main character's marriage only lasts a few hours. The majority of the book is spent trying to pin point where it all went wrong. I found this entire book to be incredibly relatable, honest, and real. All of these tiny moments end up making the bigger picture of our lives. Most of us are so caught up in ourselves that we don't appreciate or acknowledge all the good and bad. This book was a great and extremely thought provoking read! I loved it!
June 18, 2023
DNF
I got up to page 192 and I STILL had no idea what this book was about! I kept thinking it would get better but it just kept getting more confusing and straight-up dumber with the social media posts, different time jumps without explanation and events with zero context. If you paid me $10,000,000 to explain the plot of this novel I wouldn't be able to. That's how poorly this was written. And trust me, I really tried to get into this!!
Aside from that, the main character was SO annoying! She had no personality aside from the fact that she likes two guys and her father died. THAT'S. IT. Everything she said and did made me want to skip pages until I actually couldn't take it anymore and just stopped reading. I actually feel like I gained back a few brain cells by giving up :)
I got up to page 192 and I STILL had no idea what this book was about! I kept thinking it would get better but it just kept getting more confusing and straight-up dumber with the social media posts, different time jumps without explanation and events with zero context. If you paid me $10,000,000 to explain the plot of this novel I wouldn't be able to. That's how poorly this was written. And trust me, I really tried to get into this!!
Aside from that, the main character was SO annoying! She had no personality aside from the fact that she likes two guys and her father died. THAT'S. IT. Everything she said and did made me want to skip pages until I actually couldn't take it anymore and just stopped reading. I actually feel like I gained back a few brain cells by giving up :)
September 1, 2023
was an entertaining and engaging character study up until like. the last 50 pages. i don't need every book to have a cleanly wrapped-up ending, but i would have liked even the tiniest bit of clarity on the big dramatic secrets at play in this novel. an open ending can be great, but this open ending was so boring...didn't really say anything meaningful about the themes or exhibit any sort of character growth (or like. not even character growth but didn't show anything particularly intriguing or thought-provoking about our protagonist). overall, this was enjoyable and i did find the insight on contemporary wedding culture to be compelling, but the ending kind of dampened my enjoyment of the book overall.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
January 20, 2023
Our May 30, 2023 - thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for this ARC!
Cleverly told in retrospect as the lead character Callie flips through the past year of insta and her camera roll, the reader watches Callie sort of have a quarter-life/existential crisis, all the while attending the weddings and parties of her best friends and ultimately her own self.
I loved the voice of Callie; she felt so authentic and there were parts of her that really resonated with my younger self as well. I also loved the quirky side finsta and the plot line that forms around it because it was so clever and different from anything that I thought might happen. What a delightful read!
Cleverly told in retrospect as the lead character Callie flips through the past year of insta and her camera roll, the reader watches Callie sort of have a quarter-life/existential crisis, all the while attending the weddings and parties of her best friends and ultimately her own self.
I loved the voice of Callie; she felt so authentic and there were parts of her that really resonated with my younger self as well. I also loved the quirky side finsta and the plot line that forms around it because it was so clever and different from anything that I thought might happen. What a delightful read!
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