This book begs the question if a question of withholding the truth can lead to the complete demise of a friendship. Both couples are fully enmeshed in the theater industry whether it be Margot in Cedar, Flora in voiceovers or Julian in Good Company and it leads me to wonder if they are so caught up in the facade of appearances that they forget to be real. It is only through the exposure to the situation with the Jensens and the stroke suffered that Margot's relationship was truly tested. Sydney was nothing more than a pawn to stroke an ego. Ruby was the glue that held everyone together. An interesting exposure to the theater industry.

Very good! My first from this author, and I was not disappointed. I was pulled in, and couldn’t put it down. Very impressed

Another good read from Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney; I enjoyed “The Nest” because of the excellent character development, and “Good Company” was equally well written. The premise of the story - infidelity and all that happens when it is discovered - is a simple one, but I liked the way the author took us through the process. As in real life, at the time that this happens, it can seem like the most monumental and crushing experience, and really we have two choices. We can walk away in anger or try to deal with it and forgive. I wasn’t sure which way this story was going to pan out, but I enjoyed the ride as we learned why Julian and Margot made the choices they did. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends.

On a separate note, does Ms Sweeney have a special connection to someone named Theo? There was a Theo in her first book, and a different Theo pops up in this book as well.

Two couples, one teenager, NY, and LA, and off we go with an enticing contemporary novel. Flora, Julian, and Ruby moved west when Ruby was still very young. Flora began to get work as a voice-over actor, and they were close to their best friends, Margot and David, who moved earlier because of severe health issues. Their profiles seemed perfect until Flora found Julian's wedding ring hidden in a file cabinet.

The novel examines the slow unraveling of perfect lives hard fought for, cherished, and protected. Life for these four talented adults seemed so easy and desirable for those of us who have fewer opportunities. This novel was riveting, and the characters were mostly quite likable. Even teenager Ruby wasn't too difficult to tolerate (so tired of nasty teenagers in books, TV, and movies). I became emotionally involved with the two families and wanted them to overcome the obstacles threatening their happy existence.

Good Company is a lesson in love and trust. It shows that an only child can grow up happy, and adult lovers can adapt to new versions of themselves later in life. I applaud CDS for a well written first novel!

Thank you to ECCO and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

Good Company is a definite page-turner — once I started, I couldn’t put it down. All four characters, Flora, Julian, Margot and David are connected through their love of theater or love for their loved ones involved in theater. This was a different character profile than what I’m used to reading and it was a refreshing change to dive into the ins and outs of theater and acting.

Throughout the book, themes of love, infidelity and friendship carry the story and draw you in to the story of two couples brought together through theater, friendship and a child named Ruby, but an underlying secret amongst them can either tear them apart or put them on a journey to find a deeper understanding of each other and change the course of their friendship forever.

Good Company is a must-read and I look forward to reading more of Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney’s novels.

What happens when you bring four lives together amidst a background of theater and watch as the relationships develop, grow together, and slowly drift apart? Good Company follows Flora, Julian, Margot, and David from their early beginnings in New York, across the country to LA, and back again. I loved how the book intertwined the relationships between the couples and their relationships with each individual and questions who orbits who and how circumstances and secrets can knock things dramatically out of those orbits.

If you enjoy multiple character points-of-view and novels examining relationships, this book fits the (play)bill.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.

One of my GR friends made an astute comment earlier this week. She opined that the proof of a great author is not their first book, but their second or third. So, Good Company was my chance to put that idea to the test. I loved The Nest, Sweeney’s debut book.
The story here covers the Fletcher family - the parents, Flora and Julian, both actors, and their daughter, Ruby, along with their close friends Margot and David. The story wanders all over the place. Flashbacks to when the adults were young, present day in LA after they have achieved various degrees of success.
The supposed flashpoint of the story is Flora’s discovery of Julian’s original wedding ring hidden in a file cabinet, a ring supposedly lost in a pond years earlier. The story covers a variety of topics - marriage, parenthood, the acting life, friendship, success, adultery. It’s life in all it’s messiness. Unfortunately, what it’s not is riveting. It’s sweet, the characters are realistic, but it’s just ok. I just couldn’t get engaged in their lives.
My thanks to netgalley and Ecco Books for an advance copy of this book.

Ms. Sweeney managed to make some very self obsessed characters likeable. Not sure how she did that, but she did. The book also gave a look at the world of theater and TV,

I really enjoyed reading about this seemingly idyllic family. The characters were flushed out and the author did a good job of taking you on their journey with them. I don't do spoilers, but will.say that this felt real and not sugarcoat ed. I will definitely recommend to others.

I am sure others would enjoy this novel. I read through many chapters and could not get interested in the characters at all. In order to enjoy a book, I must find some empathy with them.

I received this book as an ARC with the promise of a review. This story is filled with interesting characters that experience love, honesty and heartache. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books about families and relationships.

GOOD COMPANY is a sophisticated character study and if you're in the mood for a slow burn literary story, you'll probably enjoy it. I am unable to rate the novel higher because I had a hard time getting into it. While Flora was interesting enough, I wasn't as invested in Margot or Ruby's story lines. And let's be clear: very little happens in the present day. This is a story immersed in the past. Know that going in and be prepared for digressions left and right. Don't get me wrong; the digressions are well written and mostly entertaining, but it's best not to expect a lot of action or forward momentum.

There's quite a bit about acting -- theater, TV, voice over work -- so readers with this interest should be pleased for this "insider look."

This book explores, friendship, marriage, motherhood, infidelity and so much more. The story of two families and their relationships with each other, Flora and Julian, Margot and David. Written with great passion and insight. These relationship both hurt and bind all parties involved.

Twenty years into their marriage, actors Flora and Julian seem to have finally reached a level of comfort, career-wise. Flora finally has a regular voice-acting role on an animated TV series, while Julian's star is rising as he's been promoted to series regular on his police procedural role. Their daughter, Ruby, is getting ready to graduate and begin college. But when Flora finds Julian's long-lost wedding ring — and nowhere near the pond where he claims to have lost it — she begins reevaluating their relationship.

Told in chapters that bounce back and forth between the early days of their relationship and their current situation, as well as between Flora and their close friend Margot (a much more successful actress), this sophomore effort from Sweeney offers up a nuanced look at the evolution of relationships, both romantic and platonic. I loved this book and I can't wait for others to read it!

*This book is scheduled for publication April 6, 2021.

This book is about theatre, actors, television production, not a genre I've read about before. I was not familiar with some of the terminology, and it wasn't explained in the book. The theme mostly about trust, infidelity, friendship, marriage, life. I was engaged enough to want to finish, to see how it ended, to learn if there was forgiveness. The characters were interesting, some of the sentence structure needed editing, way too long. I would not read again, not because it was bad, just not my interest. Minor spelling issues: "Julia" instead of "Julian".

I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley. It is the author's second novel, following the highly successful debut, The Nest.

I had very high expectations for this book, though I didn't know what it would be about. I just remember how well the author created characters in The Nest. That is also what Good Company does. Good Company is a study of characters, two married couples, one without children and the other with an only child, a daughter.

There is very little plot in this story about these people, their marriages and their friendships. What plot does exist revolves around the rediscovery of a lost wedding band that one of the men claimed to have lost while swimming. What was the real story?

The book is set in New York and Los Angeles and the author goes back and forth in time over about a twenty year span, from the couples met through the time the only daughter prepares to go to college. The challenges and complexities within marriages and friendships are well-illustrated by the author.

An enjoyable read if you allow yourself to just enjoy good character studies.

I sped through this book in about 8 hours. Wonderfully paced, smart, likable characters, no stereotypes or tropes. I loved the inside look at Hollywood and the entertainment business. I especially loved the LA and New York comparisons and competition.

“Good Company” is a book about two couples, Flora and Julian, and Margot and David, who met in New York, where everyone except David was an actor. The three met David, at the time a surgical resident, when he stepped up on the stage at a Shakespeare in the Park production to save the life of an actor suffering a heart attack. The four eventually move to Los Angeles, where the three pursue their acting careers and David becomes a consultant in his family’s practice. The book starts when Flora is searching for an old photo of her and Julian’s daughter, Ruby, to frame as a high school graduation present for Ruby. While searching for the photo, she finds Julian’s wedding ring that he claimed to have lost in a pond in upstate New York years ago. The rest of the book is a long rambling digression supposedly regarding the relationships of the two couples and the significance of the found ring.

At least 80% of the book details the inner thoughts of the various characters, primarily reminiscing about the past, in a non-chronological fashion. During the first 25% of the book, I tolerated these digressions thinking that it was being used to set up the characters. Unfortunately, this blathering style continued throughout the novel. On the rare occasions when there was actual dialog and character interaction, the book was good as it did an excellent job of developing the character’s personalities and motivations. However, the 20% of the novel that was good did not save it from being an absolute torture to read because of the 80% that was narrative fluff. I gave this book three stars, which was being generous.

An engaging follow-up to THE NEST, this book was wrought with fully-formed, flawed characters, an interesting, though common dilemma, and lovely language. I was riveted learning about the lives these characters had built over the course of their acting careers.

Cynthia D’Apix Sweeney, author of the wonderful novel, ‘The Nest’, unleashes a collision of universal forces: love, sex, marriage, parenting, friendships, ambition, jealousy, desire, infidelity, careers, social chronicles of turbulence, economic rivals and seductive pursuits, in “Good Company”.

It’s a story about grownups and growing up...from New York to California.
Page turning - women’s fiction - the story deals tenderly and honestly about adult life - shifting dynamics and tensions between two couples....and one daughter.
Flora is a voice over actress. Her husband Julian started his own Theater Company called ‘The Good Company’.
Margot plays a physician on a popular soap opera series. Her husband, David ‘is’ a physician (pediatric surgeon).

The characters are all seriously real.
When unexpected adversity descends upon Flora....she must navigate a discovered secret and betrayal.
The fragility of marriage— complicated by friendships— and parenting is profoundly humane.....reflecting the unease that life can be....

Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney imbues human flaws with generosity of spirit
and observed intelligence. She’s a natural storyteller....but where ‘The Nest’ is more animated in scope—‘Good Company’ warrants a more quiet introspective contemplation.

.....A moment of peaceful beauty....(a simple ‘excerpt’ I experience at my house, too):
“When Flora walked outside into her yard, which always left her breathless....
she loved the smell of “the bitter morning air perfumed with eucalyptus, saw the hummingbirds darting in and out of the flowering bougainvillea and the tiny yellow finches eating seeds from the wild rosemary”.

Thank you Netgalley, Ecco, and Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney