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“How had she become so old, so young? … It was as if she had taken over the body of another character – and now was expected to play its part.”

A book I absolutely didn’t want to end, (definitely topping the list of favorites read this year), this is a searing and heartfelt look at friendship, at love, at growing up, and making choices — while time ticks on, a backdrop to our every experience (whether we are aware of it, or not).

Centering on a group of eight friends, — roommates, couples and confidants — the story unfolds across time, focusing on five get-togethers, from 2007 to 2024, told in the third-person voice of almost every main protagonist, as they pass through the years post college to their early forties, taking us along with them on their combined journey.

Remarkably, for a book with so many main characters, the author paints each so precisely and uniquely that this reader felt like she knew, and recognized each one of them, completely. Even over time, watching them evolve (or in some cases, devolve), one could not help but find this as authentic (and absorbing) a character progression as any story could hope for.

While each protagonist is vulnerable and human in their own individual way, the resulting narrative is a brilliantly painted palette of interlocking stories. Through their loves and hates and heartaches, we watch them pair up, break up, and grow up (as painful as that process may be), unmistakably changing through their life experiences, and its ripple through their relationships with each other.

Without giving too much away, this book broke my heart, and warmed me, too, with its picture perfect reminder of the ribbon time weaves through our lives — and the inevitability of its passing.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.