I loved this! I was also a big fan of The Nest and she's back again with a solid domestic drama. This was a quieter,
very realistic story- I could easily see couples in my real life go through something like this. I think it would be good for book club- there's quite a bit readers can debate over. I liked the ending- brought things full circle for me. I think anyone with a background in theater would appreciate this even more!

Meet Flora and her husband Julian. They have a daughter, graduating high school named Ruby. Flora and Julian have always been part of the acting scene, whether it be plays or voice work. Preparing for Ruby's graduation party, Flora stumbles across Julian's wedding ring, one that has been missing since Ruby was five years old. Julian had told everyone that he lost in the lake, one summer at Stoneham. One comes next is a story of how our relationships whether with partners or friends make us and break us.

I really liked how each character had a piece in the story and it was told through different character's views, but not necessarily a first person viewpoint for them. There were flashes between time as well, which created a nice picture for the characters and how they got to where they are now. Definitely use of a nonlinear timeline throughout, which worked for the book style. I also found the acting situations to be easy to understand for those readers that are not familiar with the acting world. The best part was how this was totally relatable to people. Often we make blanket statements and threats/promises for how we'd handle something if it ever happened to us. However when we are throw into the situation, who knows how we will really react. It was very real and relatable, which made it that much more enjoyable. The non-linear timeline was a little bit confusing at first, but it worked.

I loved the author's previous book, The Nest, so I was really looking forward to diving into this book. I am a fan of stories surrounding familiar drama and I enjoyed how the author wove the characters together in this book. I felt bad for some characters but not for others. The selfishness of some of the character was palpable and infuriating at times - which is a credit to the author's ability to tell a good story and her good character development. I would recommend this book.

I admit I'm struggling with my review of this family drama, a story involving two households (four adults, two of them parents to one only child beloved by the full quartet) whose tightly integrated friendship spans 3 decades and 2 coastal moves. Theatre buffs will appreciate that 3 of the 4 adults - glamorous, talented Margot; the also talented but more subdued and steady best friend, Flora; and the charismatic, conflicted Julian, Flora's spouse - hold long careers in the arts, allowing the author to skillfully convey the life, sets, struggles, and passion of being an "actor" while revealing the story. You may have also guessed that the eponymous theatre group co-founded by Julian, the actors' virtual home for years, is paid homage through the book's title.

Alongside the adults, we witness Flora and Julian's daughter, Ruby, grow from a shy middle schooler to an independent college-bound young woman (if an utterly self-involved one, due to being an only child also surrounded by her doting surrogate Aunt Margot and Uncle David). Her closeness to Margo seemingly tests the limits of her mother Flora's patience but never overtly offends. More central to the story are how Flora and Julian's relationship flourished, withered, flourished again and is on the verge of withering a final time as Flora uncovers a decades old secret. Margot and David's own marriage has its run of tribulations but the path to where they wind up is murky and (for me) the ending they were given feels unfinished.

As for the struggle I mention at the start of the review, I WANTED to like this book. It has elements that usually tick all the boxes (family drama, decent banter and wit, good pace where I did not want to put the book down, and even "bonus" material for this theatre buff of all the acting references) but...It fell short. The issue for me is that despite the decades, the secrets, and intrigue, nothing major really happens. The ending was deeply unsatisfying, and while I did not want to put it down while reading, I quickly shelved it and di not ruminate after reaching the conclusion. On track to be a 2.5 star read rounded up to 3, I'm rounding down, mainly because of the ending.

I appreciate the chance to read this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you to #NetGalley, #Ecco Publishing, and the author, Ms. D'Aprix Sweeney, for the opportunity.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers at Ecco for the ARC digital copy of Good Company. All opinions are my own.

I’ve never read a book by this author before, but the cover was gorgeous and the book sounded intriguing to me. I’ll have to admit this though - it was very difficult for me to immerse myself into the storyline. I was often thrown off balance by the way the author constantly changed viewpoints. The chapter would begin with Flora, or Margot, or Ruby, but change viewpoints several times. When it changed from woman to woman, I often found myself wondering who said what. This caused a lot of unneeded confusion. I’m hoping it’ll be cleaned up by the final copy.

Besides the confusing viewpoints, the main storyline that follows actors wasn’t really my forte. I never did theater in high school or college, and I didn’t hang out with the kids who did. Still, it was interesting to learn about this field as I knew very little beforehand. This was a definite positive as I appreciate a book where I can learn something new!

The overall story and plot line fell a bit flat for me. The summary stood out to me, but it just didn’t deliver in the way I had hoped. I also didn’t love the fact that most of the story took place in the past tense. I kept wanting to be in the here and now. My favorite part was definitely the ending. I felt like the author did a great job with bringing everything to a close, even if nothing was truly set in stone.

Overall, 3.5 stars.

The funny, yet serious look at two long-married couples is sure to please many readers. For those who enjoyed The Nest, this will be another popular title!

Loved being dropped into these characters lives for a little while. Only complaint I felt like the friendship back story was not developed enough

Good read. Very enjoyable

I received this novel as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley. This was an enjoyable read that explored in depth the complexities of friendship and marriage and what happens when secrets are kept. I recommend this novel.

This is a big hearted novel that will tug on your heart strings, make you smile, and you will fly through pretty quickly. This book covers a lot in a way that I think most readers will find something they can connect to in the story, but not too much where Sweeney can't go deep. Bring this book to the beach with you this summer!

I fell in love with the Fletchers in Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney's debut novel, THE NEST. She humorously captured four siblings all hoping to inherit money from the family nest egg, only to find out ... no spoilers here! Her sophomore effort, GOOD COMPANY (Ecco/HarperCollins) has high aspirations and delivers. It's about two showbiz couples who have know each other since the beginning of their careers decades ago. The novel shifts points of view, but the one we mostly tap into is Flora's.

Flora has been happily married to Julian for twenty years. But her marriage and relationship with her best friend Margot is turned upside down when she finds his wedding ring that he said he lost fifteen years ago. Flora finds herself immersed in lies and betrayals and questioning her marriage and friendships. GOOD COMPANY is a exploration of sex, love, marriage, infidelity, friendships and careers, all told in Sweeney's off-beat way.

I was expecting a more humorous novel, but I found myself sad. That's no reflection on the author. It's her job to make me feel something and she did. GOOD COMPANY is character driven with well written personalities. The plot lines are a little blurry, so stick with the characters. It will have you reflecting on any friendships you may have.

Thoroughly enjoyable read...thank you to NetGalley for the advance e-copy. I enjoyed reading about a marriage over the course of many years and from different perspectives. Will definitely be recommending this title to library patrons.

QUICK TAKE: fair warning, I'm a bit biased as I am a huge fan of the author's previous book, THE NEST. And I love a good, messy family drama. And sure enough D'Aprix Sweeney delivers again with GOOD COMPANY, this time the story of a complicated marriage on the rocks when the wife discovers her husband's missing wedding ring, a sign that he might have strayed in the relationship at some point. The book is complex and soapy, with interesting characters and a story that kept me guessing where it was going. It does read a bit rarified and "white people problems", but ultimately I really enjoyed this one and recommend it to anyone who enjoyed THE NEST.

I’m not really sure what to make of this one. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it because I did, especially the parts that described the inner workings of the theater, which I thought was quite fascinating. The title of the book, Good Company, is actually the name of the theater company that is owned by Julian Fletcher, the husband of the main character Flora Mancini. At first, I thought this theater company would be the main focus of the story, however it turned out to be more of a backdrop, an element of the characters’ pasts back when they lived in New York City prior to moving to Los Angeles. Rather, the story focuses on the aftermath of one very simple action — while looking for a photo to give to her daughter for her graduation, Flora stumbles across an envelope that she opens to find her husband’s wedding ring, which he claimed to have lost in a pond many years ago. This triggers a reckoning for Flora that threatens to upend not just her marriage and her family, but also her relationship with her best friend Margot.

To me, this story actually had a lot of potential, but the execution didn’t work too well. The main problem is that the story meandered and jumped around way too much. While I understand the necessity of incorporating the various characters’ backstories, it was done in a way that was distracting, as the details were often inserted in the middle of a scene or thought, basically going off on a different tangent and interrupting what was happening at the moment — by the time it got back to the current scene, I had already forgotten what had happened earlier. The plot felt like it was all over the place, which made the story overall difficult to follow. Also, I thought some of the plot points felt a bit forced and unnecessary — such as the encounter between Flora and her therapist Maude, for example — and didn’t do much for the story except drag it out more than necessary.

In terms of the characters, I actually didn’t care for any of them, for some reason. I’m not sure if perhaps the structure of the story affected my ability to connect with the characters or maybe I just didn’t find any aspects of their thoughts or actions relatable to my own — all I know is that I had a hard time rooting for any of the characters.

I haven’t read this author’s debut novel The Nest yet so I don’t have a comparison point, but I have heard good things about that one, so I still intend to read it at some point. As for Good Company, I feel it’s worth a read, especially if you liked this author’s previous work — it just wasn’t really for me.

Received ARC from Ecco (HarperCollins) via NetGalley.

Julian and Flora seem like the perfect couple but secrets enter their marriage and the plot shifts to if they can recover. Their best friend tv star Margot is married to a real life heart surgeon. The story interplays between various characters which can seem abrupt but a solid theme prevails. Ruby the daughter and the therapist were probably my favorite characters and the most stable. The flashbacks to tell the love stories are a bit uneven and flash with the present day state of affairs.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

If you have ever wondered how a theatrical company works this is the novel for you.Each character has their own reason for this particular season to succeed . A tried and true story of actors happy in their craft,with Julian working to keep his small penniless theatre troop alive. A move to Los Angeles invigorates their careers and offers each a chance to breathe financially for the first time. Flora happens upon Julians wedding ring , one that he claimed was lost years ago. Into this complicated scene enters Margot,also living in Los Angeles and thriving. This trio relives that time when Ruby was five and all was possible. Is it a time for atonement or consequences.

This book was just ok for me. I had high hopes after enjoying The Nest, but this book just didn’t grip me. The beginning was full of too much backstory, & I didn’t find the characters likeable.

Flora Fletcher, actress, and die hard New Yorker, has settled comfortably into her new life in #LA: doing voice over acting, and reuniting with best friends Margot & David (couple). This move was instigated by her husband, Julian, who sold “Good Company”, his beloved summer theater troupe, for a change over into television work. Their precocious daughter Ruby, is graduating HS, & is off to uni, in the fall.

So, the book starts when, Flora, finds Julian’s long “lost wedding ring”. According to Julian, it had fallen off in the lake. But, Flora actually finds it in an envelope, at the bottom of drawer full of junk! Suddenly, Flora begins to second guess everything she believes about her marriage to Julian. What will the appearance of this ring, do to their marriage, to their relationship with their best friends, and, to their relationship with their college bound daughter? ....

“Good Company is a big hearted story of the lifelong relationships that both wound and heal us.”

“Good Company is an engaging tale about #friendship, #marriage, #parenthood and #betrayal”

'Lies from the past come unearthed that can destroy the very foundation that they all stand upon."

Good Company is Flora Fletcher’s #comingofagestory (into middle age).

These quotes really summarize what @cynthiadsweeney’s, #GoodCompany is about. It is the @readwithjenna April book pick, and also, one of the #mostanticapated books for this spring. You can’t go wrong. I listened to the #audiobook, narrated by @marinireland, which was incredibly done. ⭐️❤️⭐️❤️

#womensfiction #comingofage #bestseller @jennabhager @audible_ca

Good Company by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney is a novel of love, love between a husband and wife, between parents and children and between friends, and about how fragile the strands of love that bind us are. Flora has been married, quite happily for 20 years when she finds her husband's wedding ring. which he had lost many years before, hidden in their family filing cabinet. After years of struggling and a move from NY to CA, they are finally in a financially stable place...but what will happen now? And what could possibly be the explanation for his ring being hidden?

As the story unravels, it affects all of their relationships, especially that with Flora and Julian's daughter Ruby and her friendship with her best friend Margot. Will her marriage crumble under the weight of the lies and secrecy? Or are twenty years enough to try to fight for what they have? A beautifully written novel, I was completely immersed in the world of acting, voice overs, small NY apartments and Hollywood sprawl from the moment I read the first page. Grab a cuppa, but don't be surprised if it goes cold while you're reading...you won't want to put Good Company down!

Thank you to the author, Ecco and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Flora, happily married to Julian for 20 years, is lucky. She’s watched other marriages disintegrate but her marriage is strong and stable. Sure they’ve had challenges and ups and downs, but it only made them stronger. You never know what truly goes on behind closed doors, but Flora knew what went on behind HER door.

Until she finds Julian’s wedding ring hidden away in a file cabinet (not a spoiler, the book opens here). The ring he claimed to have lost years ago. What had truly happened all those years ago? Suddenly, everything she thought she knew about her life and marriage is in question.

From here we go back in time and explore how Flora and Julian met, their careers, the theater life, parenting their daughter, and the close friendship Flora has with Margot. Margot, unlike Flora, has wealth and privilege that complicated the dynamics of their friendship, but they remain best friends.
Margot has challenges of her own, an incident which left her husband David so very different than the man she had married.

“It was stupid, she now understood, to think that privilege translated to protection. To mistake privilege for grace.”

I loved how this novel explores the ups and downs of marriage and friendship. Life is messy, and never goes as planned. Bad things happen. How do we move forward when life as you thought you knew it is turned upside down? When there’s a betrayal from those you trusted most? Do you forgive? Are some things unforgivable?

“forgiveness is a choice. It doesn’t arrive on fairy wings; it doesn’t descend from the sky for you to take or leave. Forgiveness is an action.”

If this sounds like the same old plot you’ve read many times, I assure you it isn’t. From the synopsis, if you think you know what happened with the wedding ring, you are wrong. The truth is more complicated.

It required a bit of patience in the beginning but by the 30-50% mark, the story is riveting, because I enjoy introspective novels that delve into complicated relationships. The author writes beautifully with depth and nuance. She gets people, their inner lives, and what makes them tick. It’s a book that makes one think, a book that begs to be discussed. The kind of book I love most.

A picture truly is worth a thousand words. Picture a photo of the same people, taken years apart. The same people, yet not the same. They’ve been broken, damaged, and evolved. How they navigate the in-between years was a thoughtful exploration of complicated lives.

I found the author’s first book, The Nest, an ok read, but loved this one. It made a terrific read, with many issues and themes to ponder and discuss.

I really enjoyed this novel. Exploring the depths of the characters minds is not something you always get to do and it was done so well here. Even though the timeline jumps around a lot, it was very easy to follow where you were. The characters felt so real across the board, which was refreshing.