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okevamae's review
5.0
The Mutual Friend is clever and darkly funny with interesting characters that weave in and out of each other’s orbits. The main character – if the book can be said to have one – is Alice, a nanny who, floundering for purpose, decides to make good on a promise she made to her late mother to go to medical school. But it’s also about her roommate and her job, and her brother and his search for enlightenment, and her sister-in-law and her health issues, the guy her roommate dated once and his checkered romantic history, and another guy her brother did jury duty with and his ailing father, and so on, and all the tiny ways people’s lives connect and intersect. My only complaint is that most of the main characters are white (or if they are POC it's not stated outright.) The book also examines and skewers many of the trappings of modern life and internet culture like social media, smartphones, time-sucking mobile apps, trashy reality TV, internet addiction, and online public shaming, and gets philosophical about the reality or unreality of the world we experience through the internet and our phones.
It’s a slice-of-life story with a large cast of characters, so if you feel like you need heavy plot or action to find a book compelling, maybe skip this one. I found it to be sometimes funny, sometimes dark, sometimes profound, and overall, really quite beautiful. Five stars.
Representation: trans character, minor characters of color
CW: sexual harassment, slut shaming, bad drug trips, suicide
It’s a slice-of-life story with a large cast of characters, so if you feel like you need heavy plot or action to find a book compelling, maybe skip this one. I found it to be sometimes funny, sometimes dark, sometimes profound, and overall, really quite beautiful. Five stars.
Representation: trans character, minor characters of color
CW: sexual harassment, slut shaming, bad drug trips, suicide
kmblaney's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
literarycrushes's review
3.0
How I Met Your Mother is one of my top comfort shows (I’ve seen every episode at least five times), so I was excited when I saw that one of the show’s creators had written a novel. Like HIMYM, The Mutual Friend centers around a group of loosely connected young-ish people in New York City. It takes place in the summer of 2015, as each character is at a crossroads of some kind in their lives. At the center of the story is Alice, who, at twenty-eight, is floundering - working as a nanny while trying to force herself to study for MCATS but finding little success at either. Her brother Bill has made more money than he could ever spend after exiting a popular app but is searching for a new purpose while accidentally ignoring his wife. Her new roommate Roxy is teetering between being chaotic in a *fun* way and chaotic in a *blow your life up* kind of way. And then there is Bob (short for Bobert, duh!), a serial liar who is perhaps being punished too severely for his questionable actions.
As a huge HIMYM fan, it’s hard not to compare this book to the show. Both feature a cast of quirky but lovable characters you can’t help but root for. Bay’s writing style is also naturally script-y in terms of how he places his characters in settings & situations, often veering to the sidelines to offer the perspectives of others (like extras on a film set) and how even a minor action on their part has the potential to affect the lives of others without their noticing. Despite the somewhat daunting size of the book, it was really a very fun and easy read and would make a great beach read.
As a huge HIMYM fan, it’s hard not to compare this book to the show. Both feature a cast of quirky but lovable characters you can’t help but root for. Bay’s writing style is also naturally script-y in terms of how he places his characters in settings & situations, often veering to the sidelines to offer the perspectives of others (like extras on a film set) and how even a minor action on their part has the potential to affect the lives of others without their noticing. Despite the somewhat daunting size of the book, it was really a very fun and easy read and would make a great beach read.
mngwa's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
tmathews0330's review
3.0
The experimental narrative components (stream of consciousness that bounces across characters, random flashbacks to unknown characters, etc.) used in this book gave it an interesting tone and made it entertaining. However, at the end of it all, I'm not really sure I even like any of the characters, and there were some loose ends that were never really tied up. (I recognize this might be on purpose to contribute to the life-like component, but in a book, I want things tied up.) Additionally, the twist at the end felt a little out of place.
schinavare's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
vindi's review
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
woolardhe's review
4.0
this book was really weird. but it worked? I enjoyed the large cast of characters and how their stories mixed, and I found this book to be quite charming and funny. The chapters were extremely long though
samstillreading's review
4.0
The Mutual Friend is an all-encompassing novel spread over a group of family and friends in New York City one summer. There are many characters, all quirkily fascinating and a range of events occurring all over the city. It’s like reading a limited TV series, and once I thought of the book in those terms (rather than traditional one main character etc) I loved it.
The one person all these characters eventually lead back to is Alice. She’s made a decision to study for the exam to enter medicine after a late-night Facebook post several years ago. Why she posted that is gradually revealed over the course of the novel. Alice has decided that the summer will be her study period, but a number of friends and family will make sure that there are heaps of distractions. First, there is Alice’s new flatmate Roxy. Not only does their kitchen have a blue tree in it, but Roxy is just as chaotic and spontaneous. This throws the pair into the path of Bobert Smith, who gets his own narrative and redemption involving early internet chat and a model train enthusiast. Alice’s brother, toast of the town due to his app, also makes some lifechanging decisions that throws his marriage with Pitterpat off course. Holding all these characters together are phones and social media. There’s a lot of texting and Facebook messaging, as well as Instagram pics, internet outrage and the problems of dating apps. Social media could also be considered another character in this novel – perhaps even the mutual friend – as it’s involved in so many of the plot points. But overall, this is a character driven novel and from the very first page, the reader is thrown into the deep end. It’s a bit difficult to understand at first, but Bobert and the trains had me sucked in to keep reading. Ultimately the novel is rewarding, for the growth of the characters and what happens to them, good and bad. There are some hilariously funny moments and some ‘I’m sorry but this is funny even though it’s shocking for the character’ moments.
Carter Bays knows just when to switch focus to another character as you’re thinking about them, or bring in an intricately interesting backstory, or scandal. It’s like an episode cliff-hanger every now and then, made more mysterious by the ambiguous narrator. Who are they and how do they know all these things? Once the answer is revealed, it was a bit weird for me but it really kept in with the themes of the novel. Initially I was annoyed that Every. Single. Character. was always on their phones or social media instead of talking to people (including famous ones!) who happened to be in the room. I’m still not sure if it was toned down, or if I just got used to it (or it just made me feel guilty about my own phone use). The way of telling Alice and the other characters’ stories is a little unconventional, but it worked in the end as I couldn’t put the book down. I want to know more about all of them – Roxy, PItterpat, Bobert’s former girlfriend, LEO, Bill’s next obsession and how Pitterpat moves forward. Finally, it goes without saying that there’s enough scandal, drama and quirks for The Mutual Friend to make a great TV series!
Thank you to Hachette for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
The one person all these characters eventually lead back to is Alice. She’s made a decision to study for the exam to enter medicine after a late-night Facebook post several years ago. Why she posted that is gradually revealed over the course of the novel. Alice has decided that the summer will be her study period, but a number of friends and family will make sure that there are heaps of distractions. First, there is Alice’s new flatmate Roxy. Not only does their kitchen have a blue tree in it, but Roxy is just as chaotic and spontaneous. This throws the pair into the path of Bobert Smith, who gets his own narrative and redemption involving early internet chat and a model train enthusiast. Alice’s brother, toast of the town due to his app, also makes some lifechanging decisions that throws his marriage with Pitterpat off course. Holding all these characters together are phones and social media. There’s a lot of texting and Facebook messaging, as well as Instagram pics, internet outrage and the problems of dating apps. Social media could also be considered another character in this novel – perhaps even the mutual friend – as it’s involved in so many of the plot points. But overall, this is a character driven novel and from the very first page, the reader is thrown into the deep end. It’s a bit difficult to understand at first, but Bobert and the trains had me sucked in to keep reading. Ultimately the novel is rewarding, for the growth of the characters and what happens to them, good and bad. There are some hilariously funny moments and some ‘I’m sorry but this is funny even though it’s shocking for the character’ moments.
Carter Bays knows just when to switch focus to another character as you’re thinking about them, or bring in an intricately interesting backstory, or scandal. It’s like an episode cliff-hanger every now and then, made more mysterious by the ambiguous narrator. Who are they and how do they know all these things? Once the answer is revealed, it was a bit weird for me but it really kept in with the themes of the novel. Initially I was annoyed that Every. Single. Character. was always on their phones or social media instead of talking to people (including famous ones!) who happened to be in the room. I’m still not sure if it was toned down, or if I just got used to it (or it just made me feel guilty about my own phone use). The way of telling Alice and the other characters’ stories is a little unconventional, but it worked in the end as I couldn’t put the book down. I want to know more about all of them – Roxy, PItterpat, Bobert’s former girlfriend, LEO, Bill’s next obsession and how Pitterpat moves forward. Finally, it goes without saying that there’s enough scandal, drama and quirks for The Mutual Friend to make a great TV series!
Thank you to Hachette for the copy of this book. My review is honest.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
ceedy's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement and Cancer
Moderate: Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Vomit