First published 2018
A mother in suburbia watches her former friend build a wellness empire and dreams of exposing the lies beneath the perfect facade. She studies social media posts and public appearances, searching for cracks in the wholesome image. Meanwhile, a successful lawyer encounters her high school tormentor during what should be a peaceful honeymoon, forcing her to confront buried trauma. An introverted student at an elite university discovers that her seemingly perfect classmate harbors dark secrets behind the enviable exterior. These women navigate a world where appearances deceive and old wounds refuse to heal. Each story reveals the gap between public personas and private truths. Sittenfeld captures the petty jealousies, class anxieties, and gender expectations that shape modern American life. Her characters make questionable choices and face unexpected consequences in a society that feels increasingly fractured.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, contemporary-romance
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: America, Suburbia
Period: 21st-Century
Audio CD · Random House Audio
Content warnings: anxiety, depression, mental-illness