I found this an involving read about friendship and betrayal. You find yourself on the side of Martin fighting against Ben who inhabits a world of privilege.

This is a great story about wealthy, entitled people who use their money to make mistakes go away. I don’t think the writer has looked far from recent MPs for inspiration for some characters! The story is told by several characters, and I liked how this gave different perspectives. I thought Cosima was particularly well-drawn, and the book gave insight into how the environmental campaign is run. I strongly recommend this book.

Through well drawn and very different characters, Elizabeth Day takes us deep into the ills of modern society. Misuse of power would be an example. There is humour, laugh out loud moments, positivity, (and note, explicit sex if that is a sensitivity) but sadness too. Especially for one character who is loneliness itself. Wealth is not the answer to everything.
Because it is so close to reality - references to people and events - it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction but the flow of the book, the phrases which make you stop and think, it is a 5 star! And there might be a sequel.

So as the Spill says Matin was Ben friend till things turned at Ben's 40th birthday but what happened and what's happening now?

This is an excellent storyteller weaving you through events from the views of a few people, Martin, Costa whose Ben's Wife and we get to delve into a few others including Ben's eldest daughter Cozzie. A high achievement family "or rather very rich! And Martin the outsider befriended by Ben hated (or just lothed) by Andew now Ben's backer as he rises truth the ranks of the party. Ben seems to have no scruples just focused on the end goal and it costs.

So is this stars well yes as I said a great storyteller is at work and she's done an incredible job of providing proof of this here in "One of Us". There are not of twists and feeling in the storyline and the characters as you get to known them. I doing my feels change with some and see human nature at play in this extraordinary novel where passions of life run high as hurt and love unfold and events unfold. This is a highly recommended read in my opinion.

Art lecturer Martin Gilmour is forced to attend therapy sessions for his inadvertent use of a word deemed unacceptable by one of his students. He’s not happy about it and makes that abundantly clear, in fact, he’s a bubbling cauldron of fury, resentment, jealousy – you name it. Some of Martin’s many issues emanate from Ben Fitzmaurice, an old school friend for whom he does a massive favour years ago and then is unceremoniously dropped from the inner sanctum at Ben’s 40th birthday party. To his great surprise, seven years on, he receives an invitation from the Fitzmaurice clan which may provide an opportunity for revenge, to put a spoke in the wheel of Ben’s meteoric rise through the political ranks. Then there’s aristocratic Serena, Ben‘s wife, who is slipping into the menopause with increasing disillusion about pretty much everything. Their eldest daughter, 17 year old Cosima is an environmental activist with which her troubled Aunt Fliss sympathises but her parents less so. Finally, there’s disgraced MP Richard Take whose desire/need for a comeback takes him into less than salubrious territory but it’s fair to say he requires a reinvention. Their stories intertwine as their lives dramatically unravel as buried secrets come to the surface while ‘flexible truths’ reveal their actual truth. Each story blends and melds seamlessly. It’s a day of reckoning with multiple onlookers.

Witty, hilarious, juicy, salacious, delicious, ambitious, obnoxious, treacherous and perhaps forgiveness? I just love the tone that Elizabeth Day strikes in her novels and it’s just so cleverly simple. The insertion of maybe a couple of words and you have irony, humour, devastating wit or perception but frequently humour and it’s the sending up kind with nails hit firmly on heads. The end result is highly entertaining with a frequent chuckle or a nod in agreement.

This is a novel about privilege, the “ruling classes”, it’s about power and greed and what that can mean and lead to, it’s about climbing the greasy pole of politics and about betrayal and revenge. It’s impressive and powerful, fantastically observed with pinpoint characterisation though few are likeable. Martin is a complex man and hard to weigh up, is he a yes man or an avenging angel? I grow to like him and also Cosima whose heart is in the right place even if her tactics aren’t. It’s perfectly pitched and paced, extremely insightful and with moments of tension. I really like the ending as everything comes at a price.

Overall, it’s a highly entertaining read from beginning to end and one I can recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to 4th Estate for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.

Elizabeth Day delivers a layered and slow-burning psychological drama that unravels the dark secrets at the heart of a powerful British family—and the one man who returns to expose them.

For me, I can sum this book up as "not very nice people doing not very nice things"
But in a good way.
I enjoyed the writing a lot, even when I wasn't enjoying the people.
As with others, it's only later I realised it was a sequel. Definitely works as a stand alone.
Entertaining, with some familiar story lines.

I didn’t actually realise until I read this books that this was a sequel, but it’s still okay to read as a standalone!
I really loved all the characters in this novel. The novel was told from multiple perspectives, following Martin and Ben (who were friends for decades but a tragedy forced them apart), Serena (Ben’s wife who had become dissatisfied with her life as a trophy), their daughter Cosima (a climate activist disgruntled at her father’s Tory position) and Richard (a disgraced politician). These characters are complex, and it was interesting to see everyone’s conceited and diverging attitudes on a singular event.
The book is extremely contemporary, referencing things that happened within the last 5 years. This usually deters me, but I found Elizabeth Day’s writing style to be so fresh and engaging that I didn’t mind it at all! She is quick and funny in her prose, exploring the complexities of class in Britain, the unethical lawlessness of the wealthy who use corruption, bribery, and even prove to abuse their power to hide their own secrets and (possible) guilt.
As my introductory novel with Day, I was impressed and hope to pick up more of her novels! This novel will be released on 25th September so make sure to set your reminders! Thank you to Elizabeth Day, Fourth Estate and NetGalley for giving me a copy in exchange for a review!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. One of Us by Elizabeth Day is a gripping literary thriller and social drama that revisits characters from her earlier novel The Party, though it can be read as a standalone. The story centres on Martin, once part of the elite Fitzmaurice family's inner circle, until a dramatic fallout at Ben Fitzmaurice’s 40th birthday pushed him out. Years later, Martin is drawn back into their world—Ben is now a rising political star—seeking both answers and revenge. The novel delves into power, privilege, betrayal, and the cost of loyalty, highlighting the contradictions and moral compromises of Britain’s political elite. It also explores identity, social hierarchy, and generational conflict. This story contains multiple viewpoints and slow burning tension to layer the story. Well worth a read!

Review of ‘One of Us’ by Elizabeth Day, due to be published on 25 September 2025 by 4th Estate.

A sequel to ‘The Party’ this sequel is told over alternating chapters, the story focuses on three former school friends, one of whom, Ben, is touted to be the next Prime Minister.

Anyone familiar with politics for the last decade will recognise the striking resemblances in the book, and the morally grey characters within the establishment.

Although this is a sequel, it can be read as a standalone, you quickly get into who everyone is without the knowledge of the former book.

A recommended read.

This book was SO interesting. Not what I was expecting from ED after only reading the Magpie of hers, but I really enjoyed it.

There were enough twists and turns and it had a great pace. The world felt recognisable and relatable, it could have been playing out on the news and I’d believe it!

Some absolutely gorgeous complex characters, my fave!!!!

A twisting novel born of personal betrayal and love. Tracks the fates of three school friends in their middle age, as one runs to be prime minister.

Set in a contemporary era with the policies largely an amalgam of modern monsters and villains. Charts the lengths some will go to for power and for others to burn the house down…

Elizabeth Day’s One of Us is a gripping and psychologically rich novel that explores privilege, power, and the secrets we keep. From the very first chapter, I was hooked—Day’s storytelling is compelling, and I found it genuinely difficult to put the book down.

One of the standout aspects for me was the use of multiple narrative voices. Each perspective added depth and intrigue, offering fresh insights into the characters and the unfolding mystery. Day masterfully balances the pacing and tension, revealing just enough at the right moments to keep you guessing.

While the plot is dark and thought-provoking, it’s the complex characters and the shifting viewpoints that really elevate the novel. It’s a book that makes you question appearances and dig beneath the surface of seemingly perfect lives.

It’s an intelligent, addictive read that I’d definitely recommend.

One of Us is quite a hard book to review and even harder to rate, in some respects this is a 5 star read and in others a 2. There is not a single likeable character in this novel (not a deal breaker) which makes it difficult to relate or get behind any of the characters.

Each story line comes with its own POV and if you’ve been aware of any UK politics in the last 10 years then a lot of this will seem familiar with some of the plot points being almost lifted from reality. I sometimes found this a little jarring and it would bring me out of the novel thinking back to the original story.

It took a while to get into the book and the pacing is mixed in some areas but overall I enjoyed this. I still think I prefer Day’s non fiction but if you like The Party then I think you will enjoy this.

I will also say that this novel should have a number of content warnings and should be treated with caution for those who need it.

Containing many unlikeable characters carrying out despicable acts it is hard to dismiss this book. It deals with how of privilege, both in family background and education, gives a veneer of entitlement and knowing better. Many of the characters feel like they have been modelled on recent politicians and people and seem realistic. The ending is bit twee but overall it is a good read.

I absolutely loved Magpie by Elizabeth so was delighted to get the chance to read and review this new novel of hers.

I must admit that the English upper classes with their private schools and politicians do not make for my usual reading material, but I persevered because the story headed in such an interesting direction.

Ben, current Energy Secretary, is hopeful of being PM. His wife Serena supports this but would quite like him to stop sleeping around. The eldest of their four children, Cosima, wants her dad to think about global warming and saving the world.
And then there’s Martin, who the book opens with. Formerly Ben’s best friend, confidante and secret keeper, until the night of Ben’s 40th when their friendship is abruptly ended.

The book recounts the past, the present and ends in the future - an ending that left me wanting more.

This is an interesting book, which covers many aspects of 21st century concerns. It includes a range of well drawn characters, with their own doubts, insecurities and convictions. Martin, a lecturer who has never fully come to terms with his sexuality. Ben an ambitious and privileged politician. His sister, Jess, abused as a child and as an adult. Serena, trying to be the perfect, and thin, wife. Jarvis, a wealthy and obnoxious businessman man. Richard Tate, a flawed man, but possibly a reasonably honourable politician. Then there is Cosima, a passionate and honest teenager, who is angry about the way previous generations have neglected and threatened the environment. There are some wonderfully humorous passages, scathing political insights, pithy descriptions of modern day attitudes as well as reflective analyses of confused emotions. A very well constructed novel and a social portrait of life in the UK in 2025.

An unsettling start to this novel, and not until I’m a few chapters in that I begin to get the gist of what I’m actually reading. It’s the ‘old boys club- cum school bullies’ in a more mature setting of politics. The story unfolds bringing in a family dominated by the father. Ben a politician whose obsession to rise within the ranks to become Prime Minister, will ruthlessly bend the rules to suit his purpose. One wayward sister’s death is covered up, and his daughter Cosima, an activist strikes out. In the background we have Martin who over the years attempts to be accepted as ‘one of us’ despite his background and sexual orientation. Family love overcomes all bitterness, lies and wrongdoings. An interesting take on power hungry politicians .

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC .

Thanks to Elizabeth and NetGalley for allowing me to read One of Us before the publication date.
This is the first of the author’s books which I have read and I enjoyed it.
Most of the characters were difficult to like and some were down right despicable. Without giving away any spoilers, Andrew Jarvis was positively stomach churning.
There are some events which are similar to recent events in political circles and I did wonder whether the décor in Tipworth Priory was red.

I love a book about privileged people doing bad things, and I loved the premise of One Of Us. It is shocking, about people at the heart of the establishment using their power and money to get what they want, and what happens when people who feel betrayed and let down have had enough, but it is so much more than that. It's about family and friendship, the sometimes almost unbearable divide between looking after the people you love and doing the right thing, and it's so much about identity too.

Despite everything that happens, there is only one character I felt absolutely no sympathy for. Everyone is so nuanced, their decisions so complicated, and I found myself warming to people who, at the beginning, I had thought were awful. It's satisfying on so many levels, there is darkness and scandal and comeuppance, but there are so many layers, a whole lot of tenderness too. A satisfying, scathing look at privilege and power in the UK establishment, and a sensitive, sometimes heartbreaking look at a family falling apart. It's a really powerful book, and I loved it.