This is a deeply heartwarming story about growing up and coming to terms with the fact that life doesn’t always unfold as you expect. The writing is refreshingly realistic, balancing moments of humor with the deeper, often bittersweet truths about love and life. I remember how chaotic life was in my 20’s and I could relate on some levels. It was almost as if I were reading someone’s life story shared through a third-party lens. The love between the two main characters feels utterly genuine and authentic, never contrived, which is something I truly appreciated. I wish it was more of a love romantic story, but it was well-written and I would recommend it. Thank you netgalley for the ARC.

DNF at 46%

When the majority of the description of the book says it's about two best friends growing up in New York City, coming into their adulthoods, and then compared to Gabrielle Zevin and Dolly Alderton, I expected to be captivated by the characters and the story. However, I was sorely disappointed by the other POVs that loosely tied in with Zoey and Victor, the vapid conversations, the overuse of pop culture references, and the general lack of depth in the study of these characters.

I wanted to be swept away in their friendship, especially with a line like, "Sometimes friendship can be its own love story." I believe that, but I didn't find it almost halfway through this book. Did Zoey and Victor even care for each other? I'm not sure. I never felt a true connection between them...

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This title publishes March 18, 2025.

Two best friends, Zoey and Victor, are growing up - moving from their late 20s to their 30s. As its want to do, the friendship changes, moving from wild nights, to deadlines and more important decisions.

Did I recognize these sorts of themes? Absolutely. However, I'm now in my mid-40s so I felt like screaming at both to just....grow up.

Its a good story, but this reads more new adult than regular fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

"Early Thirties" is a painfully honest account of a particular time in life that is rarely glamorized or sexified for TV. And in fact the lives of Zoey and Victor are remarkably unglamorous. Instead they are fraught with tension, strife, and missed opportunities. At times the reader finds themselves nothing but grateful that their life has taken a different trajectory to these characters'. The characters were disgusting and pitiful at times; well-written, indeed.

I found the multiple POV's interesting and a fun way to break up what could have otherwise been a remarkably long and tedious story where the lives of the main characters rarely take flight. Duboff did well to balance a purposeful, plotted novel with the "no thoughts just vibes" literature that is what many thirty-somethings feel they should read. I found myself at times wondering where the story was going, while at other times I was deeply invested in Victor's self-loathing thoughts.

I think this book is going to hit home for a large chunk of audience that is largely ignored by media. Reading this book was like listening to a Lorde album that was made at the same age you were. Someone else has an eerily accurate view of what life is like at this particular stage in life; the result is unsettling and unputdownable.

I think this book was just not for me. Partially because it was deeply oversold as being for fans of Gabrielle Zevin and Dolly Alderton, who I adore. The characters in this book were unlikeable without anything endearing about them, the plot wasn't enough to keep me interested given the flawed characters, and there wasn't much of a lesson or redemption at all. The structure was confusing- not sure why we got random POVs at random times. Idk, this one just really didn't work for me.

this one started strongly enough, but it's one of the cases in which it couldnt hold my attention long enough for me to like it. i kept putting it down and finding each chapter far too boring--not for its lack of heart, and but possibly for its lack of focus. it is ultimately a story about friendship, though, which i loved, so if you're looking to read something comforting featuring characters growing alongside each other through their thirties, u might like this one, especially if youre patient enough/can afford enough attention to find its heart. if ure impatient like me u might find it very meh, as i had.

thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I felt like this book was similar in theme to movies like Love actually where you have all the characters somehow meeting each other and stories overlapping. However, I found this very hard to follow in written form as there were a lot of characters who were only partially developed and you never heard more about them (Hannah). In fact every part with Hannah just felt odd and out of place within the rest of the book. Additionally, the narration I found odd as some was in third person, some was in first person and it was clear in some chapters who was the focus because the name was up front but in others it wasn’t and you’d just have to read to find out. But it was very inconsistent where this happened. Overall interesting idea of documenting a bunch of people in their early thirties but I wish it was a shorter book with less characters and more focus around the main ones.

I enjoyed this book, Josh Duboff gave an insightful look at the challenges of moving from one’s late twenties into one's early thirties through the stories of Zoey and Victor. Many parts of the book about how friendships can change, and ebb and flow in this period of our lives resonated with me, as someone approaching my thirties. I wasn’t expecting the additional narratives from secondary characters, but I appreciated the world that Duboff built with his storytelling. Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the relatability and the aspects of self-discovery in this well-paced, relatable book. I loved the friendship between the characters and thoroughly enjoyed this book. This was intense, heartbreaking, intimidating, and brilliant.

I typically really enjoy books about this stage of life and New York milieu, and this one was pretty good. However, I thought that some of the forays into side characters felt muddled and uninteresting, and ultimately I wish it had kept a tighter focus on Victor and Zoey.

Quite a well-paced, relatable read! I sometimes find myself gravitating toward contemporary fiction that deals with the heartaches of early adulthood, and this did not disappoint.

Loved this contemporary romance. It's relatable and a fun read for any millennial. This story goes the hardships, and ups of going into your 30s. while telling a great love story.

This story isn't the kind I typically gravitate towards but I really enjoyed it! The characters are relatable, their issues are relatable. and it was a very validating read!

As someone in the same age range as these characters, I appreciated the relatability and the elements of finding oneself. I fully enjoyed this book and loved the characters' friendship. Adulthood is certainly not for the faint of heart!

While it started off strong, Early Thirties ultimately fell flat for me. I found the jumping timeline and shifting perspectives created a disjointed reading experience that made it hard to feel connected to anything going on. There were too many characters, events, etc, that our protagonists Victor and Zoey got lost in the mix. Zoey especially is framed as a dueteragonist by the description, but is not given nearly the page time she deserves— her marriage and its dissolution seems to come as an afterthought, a missed opportunity to really dig in. I also found the hint of a frame narrative at the end confusing at best: are we supposed to assume Victor wrote the book? Or Caroline? Or no one at all?
Despite the engaging writing and the well-done humor, I found Early Thirties to be a bit too disconnected for my tastes.

Advantageous debut, but parts of it fell a bit flat to me. I’d suggest Juno Loves Legs as a pairing, which was far superior. Neither of these characters resonated with me like I wanted them to.

Victor and Zoey have been best friends since college. Now in their early 30s, they think they will remain best friends forever. But after a tragic event initially brings them closer together, they soon discover their lives drifting apart. Both deeply enmeshed in their work, they find they have less in common in their personal lives--and are less interested in hearing about the other's ups and downs. Does adulthood mean a friendship like theirs can't last? Or will Zoey and Victor find a way to grow together?

This is a well-written and insightful exploration of a very specific time in people's lives. The author effectively portrays what it is like when one finds their life going in surprising directions, and how that impacts not just one's sense of self but their closest relationships.

Highly recommended!

In my (very) late 20s, living in NYC, dating, and navigating my career so I see myself in this debut novel and really enjoyed it. It pulls off the differing perspectives of Victor/Zoey and a cast of compelling secondary characters. Romantic relationships do have a major role but I most appreciated that a long-term friendship was the focus!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

For fans of: Frances Ha (2012), Beautiful World Where Are You by Sally Rooney

I didn't go into this book with any expectations and actually only requested it because I liked the cover, but this story is one that I have found myself thinking about often in the couple of weeks since I read this book. Victor and Zoey's friendship felt real, as did the growing pains it faced and the way that it evolved over the course of the novel. As a girl in this 2020s world with many decades long friendships, this book resonated with me, and I would recommend it! I hope it gets the buzzy release it deserves.

I am turning 30 in February and I felt kismet when I saw this for the first time. This was brilliant, daunting, heartbreaking, passionate and just wow. I am going to shove this book down every single person I see.