Good Company tells the story of two friends – Margot and Flora. As the synopsis says, this novel begins with Flora finding her husband’s old wedding ring – the one he told her he lost a the bottom of a lake many years ago. This revelation has Flora realizing that maybe her picture-perfect marriage wasn’t as flawless as she had once thought, and makes her question if their past was as rose-tinted as she remembers it.

…And that’s about it. Honestly, my biggest critic of this novel is that nothing really happens in it. Things go exactly as you expect, there’s no surprise, hardly any drama, and no real resolution at the end either.

The best part of this novel was definitely the writing. D’Aprix Sweeney is obviously a talented writer, and the story itself is very well written, but I was left at the end scratching my head and wondering what the point of this novel was.

Nevertheless, all the characters in this story felt full and believable. Unfortunately, however, it also felt as if most of the characters stayed stagnant throughout the novel. Nobody really grew or changed that much. They ended up ruminating on their past more than they actually dealt with the conflicts happening in their present.

And the flashbacks themselves, woven throughout the novel, were stellar. They were so enjoyable to read, brimming with life and conflict and growth – they wound up overshadowing the present tense this story was set around.

I know I’ve been complaining a lot, but really, this story wasn’t a complete letdown! I think this story would have dragged a lot more and had a lot less going for it if a different author wrote it. But because the characters felt real – even if annoyingly so at some times – and had writing that infused so many small moments of revelation and heart into this novel, Good Company was still was an enjoyable read overall (despite its hiccups).

Thank you to the publisher, Ecco/HarperCollins, and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Loved this book, about two couples who are friends and an unearthed secret. The author (just as she did in The Nest) is so good at writing all the everyday details of life that make each character so human and relatable.

After thoroughly enjoying the author's debut novel, THE NEST, I was eager to try her follow up release. While the writing was good, I found it difficult to stay engaged with the story and thought it was much slower-paced and harder to follow than her previous novel. For me, it may have been a case of overly inflated expectations but I was definitely hoping for more.

This book is a great example of why you should not always follow what celebrities recommend. Or judge a book by its cover. It’s beautiful though, right?

This book was one I chose because it was a Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick. I should have known better considering I often don’t like the books she chooses. I have also learned over the past few months that I really don’t care for character driven books. Of course I want a well developed character, but I also like to have a great plot.

I have been convinced of a few things:
1. Actors are superficial
2. If they aren’t famous, they want to be
3. Actors or actresses often have affairs with costars
4. I would not want to live in a shoebox apartment in NYC

Overall, the novel did not show any growth of characters through the years and it was quite depressing.

I do appreciate giving a chance at reading this. Thanks to Ecco publishing!

3.5 stars. This was a quick and mostly interesting read. It explores the effect of a secret from long ago has on both a marriage and a tight circle of friends. While I found the story compelling, I didn't find many of the characters very likable and wasn't very invested in their successes. Readers of Meg Wolitzer and Maria Semple will likely want to try this one!

I went into this book thinking I would find the snarkiness of The Nest (which worked well), but Good Company isn't that story. The characters are earnest and real, plagued by not terribly exciting dramas and secrets -- which isn't so much a complaint as an observation. There were real moments of charm in the storytelling, and the book made its impact in a quiet way.

I thought the premise of this book sounded interesting, however I was thoroughly bored with the ins and outs of suburban life. I felt like not much happened in the book..

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. As someone who is involved in the entertainment industry, I was interested to read about the acting world from the perspective of the characters. The mystery of the lost ring held my interest as well. I felt compelled to keep reading. This is definitely more of a character-centered book as opposed to a plot-driven one. I did like the characters, and I thought that the dynamic between them was unique from other stories I have read. Overall,I would say that this is a good, solid read.

Like many fans of this author, I absolutely loved The Nest and long anticipated what Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney would publish nexts. I went into this one with high expectations, and absolutely did enjoy many parts of this novel.

D'Aprix Sweeney is talented at crafting nuanced and multifaceted characters...which is a good thing because this book is most certainly a character driven novel. Not a lot happens, which may cause some readers to find it...boring?

As a fan of this type of storyline, I really enjoyed unfolding these people, their family, relationships and overall dynamics. It isn't a page turner and at some points it did feel a bit long winded, but that might have just been the timing for me.

This wasn't The Nest but I also try to remember that reading anything during 2021 was a bit harder for a lot of us. I have found myself more drawn to plot-driven novels because they just kept my attention better overall. This book is masterfully crafted and reminded me how much I love diving into the complicated and imperfect realities of being human. 4/5 stars.

I was a fan of The Nest and was kinda disappointed with this one. I think it was a ‘me’ thing though. I think my expectations were too high and I couldn’t really connect with any of the characters in this story. I also found it slow, and I’m an impatient reader. So I did find myself skimming in some spots. Otherwise, it wasn’t a bad read..just not as good as The Nest in my opinion.

Good Company by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney is a story about real life relationships but one that I was unable to fully get immersed into (maybe due to all of the theater related information which I felt was a bit much).

Flora and Julian have been married for more than twenty years. Flora uncovers a secret and she not sure that her marriage or oldest friendship will survive this revelation. Flora has to do some serious soul searching to decide how she goes forward and what her life is going to look like in the future. This was an enjoyable read. The characters were well developed and relatable.

I was very excited to get Good Company after thoroughly enjoying The Nest several years back. That being said, reading about marital strife and affairs just isn’t my bag anymore. It makes me a nervous wreck.

Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney is back with Good Company and I am in love with this cover. This is a character-driven story about two couples, a theater company, and a once-lost wedding ring. I love character-driven stories without and found this one to be compelling. Hoping Cynthia doesn't wait so long to release her third novel. Thank you to Ecco and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Good Company is a family drama with the additional character of the theater group, Good Company, While the story was moving and kept my attention, there wasn't anything overly memorable long term. The cover is amazing and what sticks in my mind more than the actual storyline.

Mystery, intrigue, relationship troubles, and theatre in upstate. This has a lot of elements that appeal to me, but I found it really frustrating to read because most of the book I wanted to shake some of characters. I loved the introduction of a voice actor who is the real breadwinner of the family, despite being looked down on by the actors (who make hardly a dime) on the stage. I loved the theater parts of this most, and found the relationship segments tedious to agonizing. But the prose is gorgeous and overall this is a four-star read for me.

I’m really glad this book got attention and was a popular new book! It is much deserving of the hype and I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to more from this author.

Thank you publishers and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review. I read The Nest years ago and enjoyed the dynamic between some toxic family members! In Good Company I was reminded at how much I love Sweeney! Our protagonist Flora makes some surprising discoveries and what she thought she knew of her life turns inside out. I feel like we got to hold Floras hand through a journey of discovering herself again and finding answers in her life. I typically do not enjoy character driven novels as I tend to get bored but I really enjoyed each character's story lines.

This was a well written story. The characters were developed and pretty likeable. The story kept me engaged the whole time I was reading.

This one was hard for me. I didnt get interested until over halfway through the book. I'm not familiar with theater talk so maybe thats why. It was an interesting read. I do plan on giving this author another try and reading, The Nest.