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The Most Likely Club by Elyssa Friedland
Contemporary fiction

The Most Likely Club

by Elyssa Friedland

Quick take

In your yearbook, this novel would be nominated for Most Likely to Warm Your Heart and Give You Major Nostalgia.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_FemaleFriendship

    Female friendships

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_MamaDrama

    Mama drama

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_Tech

    Tech world

  • Illustrated icon, Icon_90s

    90s

Synopsis

In 1997, grunge is king, Titanic is a blockbuster (and Blockbuster still exists), and Thursday nights are for Friends. In Bellport, Connecticut, four best friends and high school seniors are ready to light the world on fire. Melissa Levin, Priya Chowdury, Tara Taylor, and Suki Hammer are going places. Their yearbook superlatives confirm it: Most Likely to Win the White House, Cure Cancer, Open a Michelin-Starred Restaurant, and Join the Forbes 400.

Fast forward twenty-five years and nothing has gone according to plan as the women regroup at their dreaded high school reunion. When a forgotten classmate emerges at the reunion with a surprising announcement, the friends dig out the yearbook and rethink their younger selves. Is it too late to make their dreams come true? Fueled by nostalgia and one too many drinks, they form a pact to push through their middle-aged angst to bring their teenage aspirations to fruition, dubbing themselves the “Most Likely Girls.”

Through the ensuing highs and lows, they are reminded of the enduring bonds of friendship, the ways our childhood dreams both sustain and surprise us—and why it’s deeply uncool to peak in high school.

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Free sample

Get an early look from the first pages of The Most Likely Club.

Why I love it

Elyssa Friedland has a unique ability to get inside women’s lives and minds and bring us with her so that we can vividly experience their friendships, career aspirations, romantic relationships, family dynamics, and parenting journeys. This is why I have been a longtime fan of her work.

In her latest book, The Most Likely Club, all of her authorial gifts are on display. Here we meet four old high school friends, Melissa, Priya, Tara, and Suki, who face their upcoming class reunion and the yearbook superlatives that captured their hopes and wishes. The women find themselves reflecting on aspirations not realized. They ask themselves whether those are still their dreams as they navigate the modern-day demands of being a spouse, parent, daughter, sister, and friend. And they must do so as secrets of the past emerge and risk upending their lives.

The Most Likely Club is an entertaining and thought-provoking book, with themes of second chances and the road not taken. You will laugh and root for these women while reflecting on your own challenges, choices, and aspirations not-yet-realized. You will see yourself in one (or more!) of these women and their stories will inspire you in your own journey. This is a book for you, your mom, your best friend, and your book club to savor.

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Member ratings (4,170)

  • Shalane H.

    Hayward, CA

    Great characters! Resonated since I’m about the same age & have 3 close friends from hs. Fun to think about it not being too late to change things in your life! Love the positivity & friendships ❤️

  • Shannon B.

    Mountain Ranch , CA

    I could not put this book down. As someone who just passed the 20 year HS reunion mark, this book felt so relatable. What happens to all those big dreams and why not go after them? Perfect summer read

  • Brittany G.

    Toledo, OH

    A sweet book about friendship and growing up. I really enjoyed it, though I truly disliked the character of Suki and wish she wouldn’t have turned. The other 3 were adorable, real, and fun to read.

  • Sarah K.

    Mount Rainier, MD

    Super fun and lighthearted, while shining a light on the societal inconsistencies that remain for women in basically every area of life. It also will quench your thirst for all things 90s nostalgia.

  • Cayla B.

    Niles, OH

    I really enjoyed this book! I liked reading the perspectives of the different friends. Life now definitely isn’t what we thought it would be as high schoolers, but that isn’t always a bad thing!