The description of the Most Likely Club appealed to me due to the fact that I am also a member of the high school class of 1997 and 43 years old. The similarities between me and the main characters of this book end there. The four friends that this novel focuses on, Melissa, Priya, Tara and Suki who, in high school, are all obsessed with the superlative given to them in their yearbook. When their 25th reunion rolls around and they haven’t achieved it, they are driven to make changes in their lives to try and finally achieve the potential that their classmates saw in them in a 25 year old popularity contest.
The book is okay, but I have come to the conclusion that Friedland’s writing is not for me. Her characters are ones that all lack redeeming qualities…the ladies of The Most Likely Club are more likeable than those of The Floating Feldmans, but not quite as likeable as those in Last Summer at the Golden…they tend to lack dimension, be obsessive and narcissistic and in character driven novels, if you don’t like the characters, it’s hard to like the books.
If reminiscing/obsessing about high school is your interest you might enjoy this book, otherwise I can’t think of anyone that I would suggest must read this book.

Thank you to @berkleypub, @netgalley and @letstalkbookspromo for the #gifted copy of the book.

Four high school friends, Melissa, Suki, Priya and Tara, are gearing up for their 25th high school reunion. As they reflect on their life, they realize it didn't turn out the way they expected or the way those senior superlatives thought they would. It’s a reminder that high school doesn't define who you are and that sometimes success comes with a steep price.

I loved that this book was set in the 1990s and pretty close to the year that I graduated. I loved the 90's references. It made me think about what high school was like for me and how I had changed.

Thank you to @netgalley @berkleypub and @berkleyromance for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @prhaudio for a free download of the audiobook. And thank you to @berittalksbooks and @dg_reads for including me on this buddy read.

My high school did not have superlatives listed in the yearbook, but I know it’s a common trend for most high schools. Coming up on their 25th high school reunion, 4 friends reflect on theirs and what they have and have not accomplished. They make a pact to reach these superlative goals with some modifications.

I loved that these women graduated in the mid-90s, as I was able to relate and reminisce with them. The throwback to the 90s theme for their high school reunion was on point! This book had a fun premise, and I loved the strong relationships that held on all these years for this group of friends. It reminds me of my husband and his guys. The downside was I just wasn’t as engaged with this book as I thought I would be. There are segments that felt drawn out. I was glad to have the audio to keep me going as I feel I may have put the book down midway through.

3.5 stars – Rounding to 4 stars for Goodreads

I’m so happy I got to read an early copy of this book! It’s gotten a lot of hype on Instagram and definitely lived up to it! I really liked this book! 💖The characters were interesting and I was loving all the 90’s memories that the book brought to mind. I dug out all my old yearbooks 📖 for reminiscing. If you remember the 90’s you have to read this book! (And if you didn’t live through the 90’s, read it to see what you missed out on!) Such a fun read!! 😄

Melissa, Tara, Priya and Suki graduated high school in 1997. They were best friends and determined to make their high school superlatives a reality.

Melissa: Most Likely to Win the White House, Tara: Open a Michelin-Starred Restaurant, Priya: Cure Cancer and Suki: Join the Forbes 400.

It’s twenty-five years later and Melissa is organizing their high school reunion. None of the four friends have achieved the goals they wanted to accomplish. The friends come together for the reunion and reflect back on their lives and make a new pact to make their dreams come true.

My favorite part of the book was all the nineties’ throwbacks – the songs, Titanic, CK One and so many more. It brought back so many memories!

It was a fun premise. I loved how all the women had a strong friendship and still played an important role in each other’s lives after so many years. My big complaint was that it was a little too drawn out. I felt a lot of times nothing was happening and I struggled to pick it up.

Thank you to Berkely and NetGalley for an advand copy in exchange for my honest review.

If you ever painted your nails with hard candy, wished you had a closet like Cher in #clueless or was scared out of your mind at the theater watching #scream this book is for you.
If you ever sang at the top of your lungs to #alanis, saw #Titanic at the theater multiple times , wore #Ckone or #Juicy this book is for you.
Basically if you graduated in the 90s this book is for you, but even if you didn’t and you went to high school this book is for you! This book captures the nostalgia of high school perfectly and the years that transpire after high school into adulthood. When life doesn’t go exactly as planned is it never too late to turn your life in a new direction.
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Out of four high school best friends only one successfully accomplished what she said out to accomplish, or did she? This book is just pure fun. My only complaint is I wanted more at the end! I would love a book from their 30 year reunion to check back in with them!
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

As their 25th high school reunion approaches, four best friends from the Class of 1997 look back at their past hopes and dreams and look ahead to what changes they might make to live up to their "most likely to" superlatives. Melissa Levin is divorced with one daughter. Ex-husband Josh, her high school sweetheart, has a new and younger wife. Tara Taylor has been unable to achieve her dream of becoming a star chef because of a horrible event that ruined her reputation. Priya Chowdhury is a doctor who has had to deal with all that comes with being a successful woman of color, juggling a career and family. And Suki Hammer appears to be the woman who has it all. But looks can be deceiving.

Not only Gen Xers and Millennials will delight in the 1990s nostalgic references. Author Elyssa Friedland has created an enjoyable story that anyone should be able to relate to as who doesn't look back at their high school years with mixed emotions? The Most Likely Club is lighthearted and witty yet also deals with some serious issues. It shows that life is a journey and we all can get a chance for a second act, especially if we have good friends to support us.

Thank you @berkleypub and @letstalkbookpromo for the advanced copy and the opportunity to buddy read The Most Likely Club! #berkelywritesstrongwomen #berkleybuddyreads

Melissa Levin is a single mother whose high school sweetheart left her for a younger model.

Priya Chowdury is a physician/mother who carries the bulk of the child-related tasks even though she earns as much as her husband.

Tara Taylor relies on her parents’ credit cards to keep her kid cooking business afloat, all while hiding her relationship with her girlfriend from her parents.

Sukki Hammer is the CEO of a Forbes 400 company and is always on the go.

The women get together for their 25th high school reunion (sans Sukki, she’s busy) and make a pact to take risks and reach of their goals (from high school) no matter how out of the norm they may be. Sukki gets into some trouble and becomes a part of “The Most Likely Club”.

I enjoyed the book, but some of it dragged and there was not enough 90s nostalgia

What if you could achieve everything you dreamed for yourself when you were in high school? As this group of friends approach their 25th high school reunion, they look back on their life and wonder if it is ever too late to be the best you.

This is a great throwback to the 90s with all kinds of pop culture and music references that will leave you all warm and fuzzy. There is a quartet of four very different women examine what they’ve become and measuring if it lives up the their expectations of yesteryear.

I can relate having moments of reflection while not actually identifying directly with any of the characters. Anyone that still talks to their high school friends, misses the 90s or just enjoys a book about a great group of friends should enjoy this one.

In high school, Melissa, Priya, Tara, and Suki were the best of friends with successful lives ahead of them. They were each voted for an impressive superlative: Most Likely to Win the White House, Cure Cancer, Open a Michelin-Starred Restaurant, and Join the Forbes 400. Fast forward 25 years, only one of the friends (Suki) has achieved her dreams. At their 25th reunion, the other 3 band together and declare they are going to achieve their goals, forming the most likely club. But when Suki’s life starts to fall apart in a very public way, the friends all come together to rally around their friend.

I love a story about strong female friendships and thought this was such a fun premise. I loved seeing this group of friends still supporting each other even years after high school. It was also cool to see how they and their dreams changed as they got older. Add in all the 90s references, and this book was so much fun!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the advance copy and thank you to @berittalksbooks and @dg_reads for hosting a great buddy read!

I was expecting this to be kind of rompy and fun, and to have the nostalgia of the 90's but with the sensibilities of 2022. Out of those expectations, it did have the nostalgia factor, but it was more morose and depressing than rompy and fun, and I would place its sensibilities in firm 90's territory. It was a little hard for me to believe that a book written this year used words like "metrosexual" and extremely negative descriptions of thin-bodied women and girls. The narrative voices - especially Melissa's - were shockingly petty and snide. It felt like no one emotionally progressed beyond their high school days.

I don't want to give too much away, but the overall theme of the story seemed to be an unrealistically karmic, one-size-fits-all moral that people who are mean or successful in high school will have terrible lives later on and people who are shy or who think of themselves as nice in high school (though our Most Likely girls did not seem particularly nice to me) will go on to succeed. There was also a fair amount of looks correlating to goodness? Like I said, very 90's, but not one of the parts of the 90's I'd like to keep.

The Most Likely Club is the story of a group of high school friends who decide, after attending their reunion, that they want to make their senior superlatives come true. They are all at various stages of motherhood, careers and relationships and while their high school bond has kept them afloat, each of them is in a rut and needs a nudge. Let me just say, I LOVED THIS BOOK. SO MUCH. These women were so relatable, flawed, likable and entertaining. I laughed out so many times. I cried. I had a dorky grin on my face. I found myself talking to the book because I just wanted to be in their friend group. The storylines were realistic and I felt like I was reliving their high school memories with them - the storytelling was that on point with its attention to detail and realistic (and snarky) dialogue. There was so much nostalgia from the 1990s that was on point and just so fun to read. At this point I will read a grocery list written by @elyssafriedland because I have loved every book she has written.

I adore how Elyssa Friedland writes. She has a way of fully wrapping the reader in a specific time and place. The 1990s hold many great memories, and this book really took me back. The solid female friendships make this book a winner as well. Being supported with family and life goals, these women encourage each other to pursue happiness.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the eArc. This is my honest review.

The Most Likely Club follows a group of high school best friends who faced with their 25th reunion come to the realization that their lives haven’t turned out how they expected them to back when they were seniors in 1997. During the reunion, they make a pact to reignite their teenage aspirations and live up to their senior superlatives. Told from multiple perspectives, The Most Likely Club is a quick, light, nostalgic read about the bonds of friendship and reminds that it’s never too late to go after your dreams.

Back in high school, their friendship of four was quite strong. It is twenty-five years later and time for a class reunion. They consider the superlatives that were written in their high school yearbook. Who would be Most Likely to Win in the White House, Cure Cancer, Open a Michelin-Starred Restaurant and join the Forbes 400? The four friends are Melissa Levin, Priya Chowdury, Tara Taylor and Suki Hammer. How did the four of them do over the past quarter of a century?

Sadly, all of their high school superlatives were not met. The four of them decide to change the course of their lives, and to leave the things that are not bringing them joy. Taking control of their lives and now calling themselves The Most Likely, Club. For starters, we have Melissa, whose marriage to Josh did not last, but she is striving to be the best example to her teenage daughter, all while struggling to decide her future. Priya might be a doctor, but this is not the end all to success in her life, and she often feels unnoticed at work and at home.

Then we have Tara, who while having a successful business and is in a good relationship, is someone who wants more in life, to take her talents and change her life's direction. Lastly, we have Suki, the most successful of them all, fame, business, finance, yet all is not rosy in her life. Powered on by determination and liquid courage, the four friends set goals that each of them plan on working hard to achieve.

This was a wonderful story of friendship, and also a story of finding oneself, and not allowing these characters to stay in the ruts each of them have fallen into. This book was a very good women's fiction novel and the story flowed quite smoothly as each woman regained footing in life. With the '90s being the decade the four friends graduated from high school, there was a wonderful nostalgic feel to this enjoyable read by Elyssa Friedland.

Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my following YouTube video - https://youtu.be/JU22mkhLEVo

Such a heartwarming story about friendship, life choices and sisterhood!!! I can't lie this book is so different from all stories I read lately, but I enjoyed so very much of this unexpected ride.

The Most Likely Club is my first book from this author, and starting it, I was a little afraid, if I will be able to dive into as much as I would love to.... After few first chapters, I knew I needed so much book like this one. I felt captivated, literally and I couldn't put this book down. Author created amazing story line with addictive characters and emotions, that surprised me. Friendship and second chances are leading themes, but at the same time, I would say that the story it's all about growing up. Every single decision we made thru our adult life, gave certain impacts, that's why is important to have valuable people around us.

The Most Likely Club might be one book about 4 frinds, but if You'll look closer ... You have 4 beautiful stories that had connected into one amazing story where friendship, love and compassion are the highest value.

Highly recommend this title!

I read the synopsis for “The Most Likely Club” and the word “grunge” caught my attention. I had already finished high school and was well into the grunge music scene in the early 1990s. For the characters - Melissa, Suki, Tara and Priya – they were in high school in the late 1990s when grunge had peaked. This however was the only blast-from-the-past connection for me. This book revolves around a 25-year reunion where these four friends reflect on what was, and what could have been, and what can be, especially reflecting on their yearbook superlatives.

The four friends were likeable but they were not overtly memorable: they all had their own dilemmas and dramas to face, and a key factor in all of them was the way in which gender played a key factor in their successes or in their ability to navigate success. Some of the actions and directions were a little over the top, but others seemed to fit right into the core strengths of the story. I love the idea of Melissa running for Mayor, but her obsession with her weight possibly could have been explored differently in line with her daughter who was also in high school).

The idea of nostalgia was strong in this book, and a few humourous moments, centred around the relationships of the four friends were a nice touch. Their reuniting and determination to push through, look out for each other, and use all their influence and expertise to support each other’s dreams was a nice touch. They were each the most likely to suffer from not meeting their own expectations, and they were the most likely to make an impact in the things that mattered to them most, and they were the most likely to support each other because of the way in which they regarded each other with respect, opposite what they were facing by employers, husbands, partners and family members.

Four friends graduate in 1997 have their 25th high school reunion and revisit their superlatives from their high school yearbook (Most Likely to...). It's a fun multi-point of view story of friendship where the characters reflect on their lives and their past and present. This book publishes right amidst back-to-school season where many people are probably reflecting on the same things. It's a pretty quick and easy read if you enjoy contemporary fiction.

This brought back memories, good and bad, of high school and reunions, but is was a nice read. I feel like it dragged in a bit long, but the ending was satisfying.

The Most Likely Club follows four (4) friends from their 90's youth to their 25th reunion. These lifelong friends are labeled by their graduating class to:

Most Likely to Win the White House
Most Likely to Cure Cancer
Most Likely to Open a Michelin Starred Restaurant
Most Likely to Join Forbes 400

Life happens over the 25 years but they ladies remain steadfast in their friendship. This is a light-hearted look at friendships, marriage, life-choices, second-chances and finding new paths to forge. The 90's nostalgia littered throughout the story made me reminisce about my 20's. The audiobook is simply fantastic, and I found rallying for each women. The Most Likely Club is a great addition to Women's Fiction genre.

Thank you Berkley Publishing for the #gifted copy of this novel.