Book Review for Good Company by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
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“The Nest” by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney immediately became one of my most loved and most often recommended books when I finished it, and I was ecstatic to see that she was publishing a second book. And she did NOT disappoint. Some of the most relatable characters and storylines I’ve ever read, “Good Company” somehow finds the humor and lightheartedness in the face of a heartbreaking discovery and a painful decision.

Flora and Julian have been married for years, and have a teenaged daughter. But when Flora discovers Julian’s wedding ring that he claims to have lost a decade ago, she has more questions than answers, both for him, and for her best friend Margot, who may or may not have known the truth this whole time.

Set against the backdrop of Hollywood and theatrical New York City, this is the story of a non-traditional family, and the challenges they face. You’re never too old to grow up, or to change your life.

I highly recommend this book.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I was very excited to receive this book as I loved The Nest which was written by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney. I thought the book was good - not great. At times, I wasn't sure I wanted to finish it as it was a bit slow for me. I will say I was glad to get to the end and realize it was a good story. When friends ask me for good reads, I am not sure this will be at the top of my list.

I read an advance copy from NetGalley, overall I enjoyed the book. It was incredibly readable and all of the characters were interesting. Not particularly plot driven but I didn’t mind. I didn’t love the ending scenes and occasionally the shift in which character was the focus could be confusing, but I loved reading a book set in the theater world.

Great read! I really enjoyed the characters and the complex relationship between Flora, Margot and Julian. Examination of how deception tests the bonds of marriage and friendship. What will the outcome be? Choose forgiveness or sever ties?

Good Company is a thought provoking and interesting novel that delves deeply into marriage, parenthood and friendship. Theatre life and New York City play the backdrop for this novel that takes us back and forth from the present to the past and back again.

Sometimes the people you trust most are the ones that can hurt you the most. Through multiple points of view we are told this clever story. Flora and Julian had been married for more than 20 years, theirs was the kind of marriage that everyone thought of as “the real deal” giving Flora a false sense of security. Finally at a point in their lives where they were comfortable, not too many financial difficulties and teenage daughter is just getting ready to leave home for college, Flora finds Julian's wedding ring that he had supposedly lost years ago tucked in the back of a cabinet drawer. Flora begins to understand that not all in her marriage was as perfect as she believed. Margot and David are the best friends. Ruby is Julian and Flora’s only daughter. In a winding tale we are given an intimate gaze into the thoughts of these 5 characters. Sometimes friends sometimes keep the truth from you, is it right, is it wrong? That’s a tough call and through the author’s writings we come to understand that nothing is cut and dry in marriage and in friendship and Flora needs to work out for herself how to move forward with her new knowledge.

I liked this story and felt that the characters, flaws and all could be very real. It was a read that kept me interested and wondering right to the end how the story would conclude.
Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins for an Arc of this thought provoking book in exchange for my honest review.

GOOD COMPANY by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney is an absorbing novel about Flora and her relationships with her husband, daughter and best friend. This book was definitely engaging as I read it quite quickly in two days but in the end I guess I was expecting more either from the plot or more profound change from the characters. It was all very one note and none of the dramatic parts were very high or low. I would still be interested to continue reading books by this author as I enjoyed The Nest.
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Thank you to Ecco Books via NetGalley for my advance review copy!

This book reminded me a little of the relationships in the book Firefly Lane. The theater aspects weren't interesting to me, but the other aspects were well written. Exploring relationships and how a secret can affect multiple people.

Good Company, a theatrical troupe, is performing Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard this summer. The play’s characters face a major social upheaval, reflecting the changes occurring in the lives of this work’s principal characters, a family of five: three actors, a doctor and a college freshman. The reappearance of an alleged lost wedding ring has brought about potential break-ups and a dying tree seems symbolic of the tenuous family bonds. Relationships are being evaluated; careers are being altered and decisions are being made. Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s characters take themselves too seriously, expecting much more from life than what they’ve experienced. Despite their self-absorption, they work through themes of loyalty, friendship and, lastly, family, coming to terms with who truly provides the “good company” most of us seek.

I enjoyed Good Company! It has been a few years since I read The Nest, so who knows, maybe I would like it better now? It seems like most people are the other way around, but I liked Good Company more.

This book was really a deep look at relationships, especially romantic ones, and what happens when something that was taken for granted is maybe not as solid as it appeared. Flora’s relationship turns into something entirely unexpected when she finds her husband’s “lost” right, clearly not lost. She deals with a lot of “what now?” kind of questions about her family and her marriage.

Meanwhile, Flora’s best friend, Margot, is facing a different kind of marriage question. Her husband suffered an early stroke, turning him into a man she’s not sure she recognizes anymore.

I thought this was a wonderful deep dive into relationships, parenthood, family, and friendships. If you like a lot of action happening in your books, this one might not be for you. If you enjoy largely character-driven stories about love and marriage, you’ll probably like Good Company.

The book had some great insight into love and relationships and how they evolve that I enjoyed, so I gave it a solid 3.5 (rounded up to 4) stars.

A story that is character driven. This is not a deep book, but one that is meant to be enjoyed for what it is; a notch above a beach read. I liked the narrator, which is hugely important for an audiobook. If you liked “The Nest”, you will enjoy this. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. I received both the kindle and audio versions.

I read the Nest from this author as well and enjoyed both of these novels thoroughly. Her writing is impeccable and you get so caught up in the families that you feel like you know them. I cannot wait to read her next novel!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Good Company gives you an in-depth view of friends and their relationship over the years, the theater world, and how to handle hidden infidelity found out years after it happened. It all starts when Flora finds her husbands wedding ring, that was lost many years ago. This story follows Flora and her husband and their best friends navigating life. Flora must come to terms with her feelings about infidelity. There was a lot of character development in this book, which really brought the characters to life for me. I was very invested in what happened to each of them. This was a good read! This will be released on April 6, 2021!

The cover of this book is gorgeous and I hate to say I judge a book by its cover, but that is definitely what intrigued me about this book. I read The Nest and wasn’t the biggest fan, but I wanted to give this a try. I just don’t think I’m a fit for D’Aprix Sweeney’s books because I ended up not finishing this book at 25% in because I could not connect with it. Though it wasn’t for me, I can definitely see others enjoying it.

What would you do if you discovered your husband cheated on you years ago and kept the truth hidden from you for years? That is the question that faces Flora.

There is a pull of sadness through the storyline, both with Flora and her best friend Margot as they delve into the past, but the sadness never makes it to full-on hardcore grief (which is fine--you don't always need hardcore grief in a book).

I enjoyed the characters and would say this would make a great beach read.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was the first book I read from this author so did not have any preconceived notions of her storytelling ability. The book did capture my interest, the characters were likeable for the most part. The story was just OK, however. It isn’t one I’d read again or recommend if asked for a book recommend to a friend.
The story is told from multiple points of view and covers the lives of two actor families – Flora and Julian with their daughter Ruby, and Margot and David. Although Margot and David play a part, the book centers on the lives of Flora, Julian, and Ruby. Flora has been happily married to Julian forever and feels superior to her friends whose marriages have fallen apart until she finds Julian’s wedding ring stuffed in an envelope at the back of a filing cabinet on the eve of Ruby’s high school graduation – a ring he supposedly lost in a pond 13 years ago. Flora’s world suddenly falls apart.
I imagine finding out a spouse has cheated on you would be devastating. But Flora’s reaction seems a bit melodramatic. Her reaction and how it played out in the rest of the book felt somewhat trite, cliched and overdone.

Well, the title of this book may be Good Company, but I'm pretty sure most of the characters in the book wouldn't be. One of the main characters, Flora, is not, which turns into a reckoning for her when she realizes that two of the most important people in her life are, and have been keeping a secret from her for years. The whole story unspools from this, circling around and around. It's not exactly coherent in doing so though, which does nothing to improve the appeal of the book. While mostly told in the current time between Flora and her best friend Margot, it occasionally meanders to another character's point of view or of past experiences between the two women, their spouses, and Flora and Julian's daughter Ruby. With Flora, Julian and Margot all being actors, it isn't quite normal life for the average person, but the personal issues aren't that unusual. That being said, the "how can I make this work out best for me" approach of so many of the characters is off-putting, even if it may be realistic. Maybe this storyline would work better if the characters were were characters in a play or a show (ironically like their characters) but as a book many of the characters come off one-dimensional in a dimension that isn't overly flattering in a story that's clearly intended to be a character study more than being plot driven.

I’ve heard so much about this author and The Nest so I was so excited to give this book a read. It follows Flora and Julian and their friends Margot and David - you get different POV and some back and forth in the timeline.

I really liked Flora and could connect with her on an emotional level - I feel like I’m all her situations I would have reacted the same way.

This book is full of theater talk as 3/4 of them are actors, and this part of the story didn’t really grab me as I have no knowledge or interest in this type of work.

I pushed through but never had a moment of “wow!” I definitely think others might enjoy it if they like a good character build and the theater background in the book, but it just wasn’t for me.

Secrets kept backfire in this story of marriage, friendship and theater. The author delivers an entertaining perceptive read: we learn that actors' lives are not all about glamour, and a recipe for a happy family life sometimes demands forgiveness and sacrifice.

This was ok. I didn’t love it. I think I ruined it for myself by waiting for something major to happen, and it’s just not that sort of book. This is a somewhat meandering exploration of relationships as they evolve throughout a lifetime. From carefree students and on again off again relationships to adults with adult kids and all that happens in between. It particularly focuses on the power dynamics between husband and wife and how those vary as a function of career trajectories and illness, this was quite an interesting and unusual take on the classic relationship drama. The narration in the audiobook was great. Despite this I found it a little difficult to follow what was going on because the timeline jumps around quite a bit. Perhaps in the print version there is some stylistic landmark that lets the reader know where they are in time, past or present. This was lacking in the audio book. Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the free copy!