I actually regret how quickly I raced through this beautifully written novel. An exceptionally human, slow-paced and fragile read which manages to still be accessible and so easily readable. It highlights privilege, inequality, motherhood, social class, friendship and first love - I’ve highlighted dozens of lines that I know I’ll keep going back to. I want to carry on reading about Sam and Elisabeth and their lives forever and I just never wanted it to end. Beautiful. Thank you so much to Net Galley for the ARC; I can’t wait to seek out everything else written by J Courtney Sullivan.

I loved the author’s novel Maine and think she’s a very good writer but sadly after a strong start, this felt underwhelming and overfamiliar to me. It didn’t help that nothing about Sam’s British boyfriend Clive rang true (not even his name) and so I couldn’t invest in their relationship at all. It didn’t stop me reading to the end and it wouldn’t put me off trying another novel.

J Courtney Sullivan returns to the present day for her latest novel. She’s writing about the domestic but manages to cover issues many people have had to deal with in their lives.

Elisabeth and Andrew have relocated to the town where he grew up and his parents still live. Their new baby isn’t sleeping and Elisabeth spends too much time on a Facebook group for rich Brooklyn mothers, most of whom seem to have first-world ‘non-problems’. Her writing career has stalled and she takes on Sam, a student at the local college, to look after her child. Pretty quickly the two become friends; Sam is absorbed into Elisabeth and Andrew’s Sunday night dinners and the intimacy between Sam and Elisabeth blooms. But there’s still plenty not being said, not least the issue of Elisabeth’s privilege. Elisabeth thinks of herself as poor – she’s given her marriage ‘nest egg’ to her flighty influencer sister, who’s never likely to pay it back, so the financial support propping up the marriage is missing. Sam, meanwhile is relatively poor. Even so, she’s not really – she’s at college, she works two jobs and compared with the women she works with she’s well off with excellent prospects.
The novel explores the imbalance of power in several ways. Sam and Elisabeth are young and older, whilst Elisabeth and Andrew are young compared with his parents. Elisabeth and her husband are adrift in their new suburban life. The novel explores what’s left unsaid in a relationship and how that eventually corrodes what is good and pure. The exploration of friendship will resonate with many people. The pace of the novel gives the friendship time to develop although it’s a portrait of the very intense friendship that people can have at a particular point in their life – short-lived and almost passionate, so that it burns itself out. Ultimately, though, it leaves both women richer for their experience.

Thanks to Netgalley & publishers for a review copy.

Having read other books by the author, I was keen to read her next novel. Unfortunately, whilst I liked this book however I wasn't blown away by it.

The story centered around two females, both at different times in their life. Sam, a university/college student, and Elisabeth who had recently moved from Brooklyn to a small town university. Sam met Elisabeth when she went to work as a babysitter for Elisabeth's young son.

We follow their lives as they interconnect and become close friends, perhaps even crossing the boundary of employee/employer friendships. Sam has a relationship with an older ("creepy") man and Elisabeth offers advice - (I loved the fact he was British; some of the comments and descriptions made me smile - have to say I've not met a Clive who is in his early 30s but maybe I'm just not posh enough - ha ha!). Elisabeth had her son via IVF and has struggled with life in a new town, without the support network she's used to and is also experiencing her own family struggles. The story revolves around their intertwined worlds, however there is also an underlying story of corporate greed. I get that it gave a focus and explanation for certain behaviours but I'm just not sure it quite worked for me.

Overall I was engaged throughout the storyline, it was well written and the characters were well developed, however I found the ending a bit disappointing and a little sudden. Some matters were addressed in the epilogue but it left me with quite a few questions.

Not my cup of tea, nevertheless an enjoyable read. It deals with new motherhood and the struggle to have it all, something a lot of young women all over the world are familiar with.

I really enjoyed this. New motherhood, trying to have it all, getting lost in the mist that is babycare one on one, loneliness, friendship, and ultimately betrayal- all themes that run through this book. A great read.

An interesting one and I’m not totally sure if I loved it, but I did enjoy it! The characters were interesting and well developed but left wanting a little more

This was my second Sullivan book and after having loved the previous one I was hoping this would be as good .
I read a few negative reviews however for me it didn't disappoint although I admit in places it did feel a bit drawn out. Many issues are discussed in the book such as motherhood, relationships, education and social media so there is plenty of depth. It's a very character driven book which I like and I became fully invested in both of the lead characters., I would love to see a Netflix series as anything set in suburban America is always a winner for me!
Thank you Netgalley for this e ARC.

Friends and Strangers follows the lives and friendship of two women, Elizabeth and Sam, over the course of one year. Both women are at crucial stages in their lives although the difference in their ages means they are facing very different struggles. The disparity in their circumstances suggests theirs is an unlikely friendship but as this storyline reveals friendships can still blossom regardless of barriers such as age, class, wealth or race. The crucial question is whether or not they can last. Will these two women remain friends once Sam graduates and is no longer babysitting baby Gil or will they inevitably become strangers, their lives following separate paths?

Elizabeth, a published author and her husband Andrew, a would be inventor, have moved to a small college town, leaving behind city life in Brooklyn. Now parents themselves and living close to Andrew’s parents Faye and George, Elizabeth is like a fish out of water. Alone all day with her baby and friendless, it’s as if she’s left her heart back in Brooklyn, unable to settle into motherhood and this new way of living. Her own troubled relationships with her aloof mother, adulterous father and freeloading younger sister means she really does feel cast adrift. That is until she meets Sam, a senior in her final year at college whom she hires as a babysitter for Gil. They quickly forge a relationship that goes beyond the bounds of employee/employer but is it really a friendship given the disparity in age, financial status and personal circumstances? Having a wealthy father who prefers to throw money at his daughters in a bid to keep their love and a mother who has yet to meet her grandson, Elizabeth looks to Sam as someone lucky enough to be part of a normal loving family. Thus she embraces this friendship with relief, thankful to find one true friend in this place she is reluctant to call home.

Sam, on the other hand wishes to emulate Elizabeth, believing her to be settled and happy in her status as wife and mother, living in comfortable surroundings and with no apparent financial worries. Sam isn’t the product of a wealthy privileged family unlike her college roommate Isabella, so is financially constrained, working hard to support herself. Her relationship status is one that also causes her stress; engaged to an older man Clive whom she meets on a trip to London courtesy of Isabella, Sam is at a crossroads as to where her life should lead. Here in America pursuing her love of art or across the pond in London with Clive? However compared to the women employed in the college dining hall where Sam also works, she’s very fortunate. Her education will afford her more opportunities than the likes of Maria and Gaby can ever hope for yet a friendship of sorts springs up between them also, albeit one that is tentative and in time is put to the test.

This is a novel in which the author intricately examines the imbalance in these friendships and also the imbalances that exist between husband and wife especially once children come along and/or when trust is abused or taken for granted. None of these friendships are built upon a level playing field so you constantly question their validity since their foundations are fragile and trust between these women can easily be broken, as evidenced by events that transpire throughout the course of the year. However, both Elizabeth and Sam’s actions are well meaning, if misguided and the kind of troubles they face and the experiences that shape them are highly relatable.

Out of everyone, George is easily my favourite character. I loved him for seizing any opportunity to espouse his hollow tree theory, his arguments valid if somewhat idealistic. George and the dining hall women (Maria, Gaby and Delmi) are perfect examples of this theory which in many ways is a sad reflection of a capitalist society today where the rich become richer the poor become poorer and much of the workforce is exploited by big companies with small businesses squeezed out of the marketplace. I wouldn’t have minded a trip in George’s Lincoln, discussing his theories and putting the world to rights!

Although this is well written it’s quite serious and weighty in tone. It is slow paced and whilst I enjoyed reading this novel it did feel rather drawn out in places. This is one of those novels that require contemplation and reflection long after you’ve turned the final page, to allow the author’s musings on the subjects of motherhood, friendship and privilege to truly sink in. I was left pondering how easy it is for so called friends to become strangers but wondered whether when that happens the friendship is demeaned in value or whether it’s something that is naturally part of the ebb and flow of life ,that people come and go with few remaining for the duration. Certainly Friends and Strangers forces you to become introspective, examining your own personal friendships past and present, maybe even mourning some you’ve lost over the years so for that reason there’s a sadness to this storyline that for me is inescapable. Unfortunately it did leave me feeling rather gloomy about life in general and since I neither liked nor disliked the characters (apart from George who is a breath of fresh air) I was left feeling rather ambivalent about the book as a whole. My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice, easy story about friendship, life, love, relationships and privilege. I flew through the first 100 pages but it then became a bit too slow and samey. Whilst I loved the writing, the storyline felt a bit too unrealistic and try hard.
Overall, I'd still recommend this book if you're looking for something easy to read.

On relationships, marriage and power

„The bond between parent and child was all-consuming, and yet its power was not cumulative. It had to be remade again and again throughout the course of a lifetime. A mother could do everything right early on, and still, if she failed to renegotiate the terms, all would be lost.”

Journalist Elisabeth is struggling to adjust to life with a newborn after having just moved to Upstate New York from the city. She is meeting new people only slowly, her husband is preoccupied by work most of the time, and she cannot manage to find time to write. She decides to hire a nanny. Sam, a student at the local college applies for the job. The two women get along quite well and develop somewhat of a friendship. Sam envies Elisabeth’s lifestyle and sees her as a role model in the beginning, but eventually sees behind the façade.

This was my third novel by J. Courtney Sullivan. I once again loved her writing. However, I really did not like Elisabeth’s character. She was selfish and self-centered, and remained so throughout the book. There was a hint at growth as she helped Sam get her dream job, but the way she went about it negated everything good behind the thought. There was a lot of focus on “the hollow tree”, which I found to be redundant. I did appreciate the novel touching on different kinds of privilege, but I am not sure Elisabeth was ever aware of her own privilege, even in the very end.

Elisabeth is a journalist and a new mother who has just moved to a small town with her husband. She has lived for many years in New York and is missing it. She spends hours on a Facebook page for local new Mums and also her sister's Instagram pages.
Sam is a senior at a local college and is hired by Elisabeth to babysit. They come from different ends of society but strike up a friendship.
Sam then begins a friendship with Elisabeth's father-in-law whose has some radical ideas and it soon opens up the differences between the two women with consequences neither could have predicted.

This is a very thoughtful read about new mum Elisabeth and her college student babysitter Sam and how you can be friends through circumstance yet have nothing in common and not really know each other at all. Elisabeth is struggling to adjust to living in a new home and new neighbourhood near to her in-laws who are having issues of their own. Sam is trying to maintain a long distance relationship with her boyfriend and balance her friendships with rich classmates and poor former workmates. Both are very strong characters with very different issues but in the time their lives overlap they have an intriguing impact in each other in a book that raises a number of thought provoking points.

Elizabeth starts a new life in the suburbs with her husband and baby boy after reluctantly agreeing to leave New York. Struggling with motherhood and difficulties with both sets of parents, and missing her city lifestyle, she forms an intense friendship with Sam, the babysitter she hires part-time so she can go back to her successful writing career. Sam, a student, has her own problems and is unsure about her future- should she move to England after graduation to be with her older boyfriend, or pursue her dream career in art? Their relationship will affect them both and each will face life- changing decisions during their time together. I loved this book! The characters seemed very real, with all their strengths and flaws, and events and experiences that have shaped them are revealed gradually so that we really come to understand and feel empathy for them. The author explores the things that can make or break a marriage or a friendship, how families can both support and harm us, how the past can taint the present and the differences between those who have money and those who don’t. Sullivan writes like a dream, and her portrayal of student life was particularly vivid. Gorgeous read.

Friends and Strangers by J Courtney Sullivan

Elizabeth moves out of New York to a university town with her husband and new baby. In order to continue her work as a writer she hires Sam, a university student in her final year, as a babysitter. There follows the story of their intersecting lives over the course of the next year.

I loved this story and the way it dealt with so many issues - relationships, friendships, infertility, privilege, education, community, social media and many more. I found it very thought provoking as these issues were dealt with in an intelligent way, but always entertaining. The author reminded me of Meg Wolitzer or Anne Tyler in her extraordinary ability to make you wholly invested in female characters' lives, even if you may not like them! Very highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I received an advanced reading copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, John Murray Press, and the author J. Courtney Sullivan.
I really enjoyed this novel, and so am quite surprised by the negative reviews and DNFs.
It's true that it is classic modern American fiction, slow paced and character driven, covering the extraordinary events in ordinary lives, but it was very involving and well developed. I would definitely recommend it.
I'll be looking into the author's other novels as I particularly enjoyed her writing style.

Elisabeth is struggling to cope with life in a new town and has problems finding new friends, until she meets Sam whom she employs as a baby sitter. Highlights the problems starting a new life can bring and how difficult it is to overcome them.

Hmmm this was definitely an interesting book & I’ll probably have to think on it a bit more but I think the main thing was that so much happened but nothing really happened.
I know that’s meant to be the beauty of a book like this but the writing style just didn’t snag my attention. I also wasn’t really into Sam or Elizabeth – I saw myself vaguely in each of them but overall I made no real connection.

I'm still thinking about some of the topics discussed in the book & I'm not 100% sure I agree with how they were represented...
Overall I’m not sure what the point of the book was meant to be & I really just am not sure what to take away.

To be fair though, I read this too sporadically & at too hectic a time in my life to pass any real judgement but it just missed the mark for me I guess.

I enjoyed this. The writing is assured and the characters believable.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Without a real plot this reads more like a journalling exercise or a string of stream-of-consciousness musings on contemporary life in a small American college town than a novel. There is little direct speech and it's impossible to gain a proper impression of what any of the characters are like or what makes them tick. The whole narrative has the feeling of being two-dimensional and unfinished as though it's an early draft rather than a published ms.

My thanks to Netgalley and Two Roads Books for the ARC