A review by tessa_talks_books
Early Thirties by Josh Duboff

3.0

I wanted to love this one… but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.

📍 The story shines when it focuses on Zoey & Victor, two best friends navigating the messiness of adulthood. But with too many extra characters (who honestly felt more like narcissistic acquaintances than real friends) and shifting POVs that made it hard to stay engaged, I struggled to connect.

📍 And let’s just say—there were a few moments where you could tell the FMC was written by a man. Yikes.

That said… this book does capture something raw and real about life in your thirties:

✨ Friendships that get messy

✨ Dreams that don’t always pan out

✨ The unglamorous side of figuring things out

At times, I wanted to shake the characters, but their flaws made them human. Even when they were pitiful (and sometimes straight-up awful), they were real.

📖 Final thoughts? Not my vibe, but if you love brutally honest takes on adulthood & complicated friendships, this might be for you!