This book is so funny and compelling. I love the characters, I want them to succeed, I love the tone, I would live inside this book

*Mutual Interest* by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith is a captivating historical fiction novel set in the early 20th century. The story revolves around three main characters: Vivian Lesperance, Oscar Schmidt, and Squire Clancey. Vivian, determined to escape her provincial life in Utica, New York, moves to Manhattan and marries Oscar, a soap company manager. Together with Squire, an eccentric heir to a fortune, they form Clancey & Schmidt, a personal care company that rises to astronomical success.

The novel explores themes of ambition, power, and secrecy, as the three founders navigate their unconventional partnership. Vivian runs the company with an iron fist while pursuing affairs with women, Oscar grapples with his fear of his sexuality being discovered, and Squire, who is likely on the autism spectrum, finds solace in his hyperfixation on candles.

Wolfgang-Smith's writing is witty and engaging, with vivid, melodramatic scenes that read like a dishy soap opera. The omniscient narrator provides access to the characters' thoughts and feelings, but the story remains focused on the building of a commercial empire and the consequences of personal choices.

Mutual Interest is an unconventional saga about the cost of ambition, the relentless American thirst for success, and the invisible truths that lurk behind the public facades of people with power. It's a must-read for fans of historical fiction and anyone interested in exploring the complexities of human relationships and societal norms.

An immense, arch, late-Victorian epic with dominant gay themes. Wolfgang-Smith writes with wit, aplomb and an unceasing affection for detail and digression. She can be a delightful and transporting narrator with a light and original touch. She can also be insufferably long winded and unaware of the need to stop.
In other words, there is much to enjoy here, but also just too darned much of a book. The front half works well, the second starts to sag. I nevertheless applaud the intention and the effort.

Omg, the DRAMA! Felt like a Great Gatsby meets reality tv, so much juiciness going on. Characters were well done, relatable and at times frustrating.

It took me a while to get used to the writing style, but once it clicked, I really enjoyed this novel. There wasn’t a lot of substance and I didn’t feel invested in the characters or the plot. In my opinion, it’s a very hit or miss book, you either love it or it doesn’t work at all.

Mutual Interest is about 3 members of the LGBTQIA+ community trying to survive in turn of the century (19th to 20th) NY. It is told in the third person by a narrator frequently breaking the 4th wall and commenting on situations with a distinct lack of empathy and a lot of parenthesis. The narrative style is make or break for this novel. I had to push myself to get through it as I did not enjoy the tone or perspective. The cover is beautiful; the concept is interesting. The comparisons to Trust were really in setting only: a mix of old and new money NY pre-stock market crash. Mutual Interest stakes so much of it's story on the characters and their relationships, but when it comes to it, left me wanting with both. I don't know Vivian well at all but the end of this novel. I don't understand how the romance between Squire and Oscar flourished. One day, they were not, and then suddenly they had been together for years. I needed more from the characters and the narrator.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA for this ARC!

One of my favourite books of 2025 (yes, already!). Delighted to include this title in the February edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national lifestyle and culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

Oh, I have such mixed feelings about this one!

For the first 40% or so, I kinda hated it. I felt like I was simultaneously reading a very long news article while also having absolutely no idea what the plot of the story was going to be. I was confused by the omniscient narration at first, but then slowly leaned into it throughout the book - think of it as Edith Wharton meets Lady Whistledown. Fun in theory, but as other reviewers have noted, in practice, it did limit the novel's emotion.

Part II was much better, and I finished that rather quickly (though if it was due to jet lag or the fact that the story was more compelling is up in the air). I thought the topics of 20th-century queerness in Manhattan, industry, labor, and business were all interesting, but they didn't make for a compelling novel.

One issue I had was that everything felt very light. These are serious topics, and I kind of doubt that two gay dudes could just live together and be seen together 24/7 without any repercussions? "Oh they're just eccentric business partners, so happy and blissful." That seemed far-fetched and took me out of the story a bit.

I did admire W-S's clear interest in the topic and the fact that she based the story off of Procter & Gamble. The end did tear at my heart a bit, and it left me thinking about it for the morning afterward, so it wasn't a total flop, but I think it's got a niche readership in the end.

I wouldn't say I've read many books set in the late industrial/Progressive Era in the United States and I was fascinated by that setting alone. Also Vivian, Oscar, and especially Squire were characters that I enjoyed getting to know and was cheering for throughout the book. Vivian's need for control over her situation and for stability certainly drove her to some dark places throughout the book that were compelling to read about. One of my favorite parts of the book was how it showed the reality of queer love and 'hook-up culture' at that time. I always like to read a book that shows that queer people always have and always will exist!

My disappointment with the book was largely in the disjointed and at times painfully slow storytelling. I'm still puzzled over the frequent returns to the eruption of Mt. Tambora and the year without summer. Additionally, the narrator was a humorous storyteller but at times clearly biased and considering their casual rapport with the reader, I was frustrated to never discover who precisely they were.

Historical fiction at its best ,I fell in love with this novel set in the Guilded age of New York.A story set in the world the lives of queer New Yorkers so engaging characters that come alive so involving.Olivia Wolfgang-smith has written another beautiful novel.#netgalley #bloomsbury

At the turn of the 20th century, Vivian escapes her upstate NY home and loveless parents for the excitement of NYC. After a few liaisons with women, she meets Oscar who runs a personal care division of a company and is down on his luck. Oscar is gay and secretly meets men in a variety of seedy settings. Then there's Squire, a neurodiverse (likely autistic) son of a wealthy, prominent NYC family whose candle business is stealing Oscar's suppliers.

It's Vivian who finds a way to bring the 3 of them together and create a new personal care business that ends up making them all very rich.

This unusual book uses an omniscient narrator who essentially looks down at these characters from above, rendering opinions and providing detailed backstory. This narration style lends the book its sense of being old fashioned and set in its time period. But it takes away from a more up close engagement with these characters based on emotion, not facts.

Vivian is portrayed as manipulative and a brilliant ice queen businesswoman, who only cares about surface connections, until, late in the book, it all comes crashing down on her. Oscar and Squire fall in love, but we miss the entire early part of their relationship that transitions from business rivals to lovers.

Then there's the ending, which I won't describe except to say that it doesn't effectively complete Vivian's character arc and we are instead left with a mystery.

My thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley.

I understand and admire the core ambition here, but ultimately I think this novel doesn't work. In terms of taste it's definitely too cute for me, but I think the problem goes beyond that -- because the actual emotional material here is shallow and flat, the conceit of the narrator and turn-of-the-century style is never going to feel like anything other than a kind of sophisticated literary roleplay. Why does it work for Forster and Flaubert and whoever else is mentioned in the publisher's (frankly ridiculous, sorry) blurb to write like that? Because underneath the formal neatness of their prose, they are bursting with sensitivity and emotional precision. The characters in this book are held at arm's length for 330 pages -- I never felt that either Wolfgang-Smith or I had gained access to their actual hearts.

One reason for this is that the novel is really short on scenes. I realized, reading through the final 50 pages or so, that I was witnessing the three primary characters speak to each other on the page for possibly the first time in the entire book. There's all this language about Vivian's husbands and the beauty of this tripartite marriage/business arrangement, and clearly Wolfgang-Smith delighted in her creation, but there's very little dialogue, chemistry, or character work to back that up. Part of the problem is that the conceit of the narrator gets in the way there -- telling us that Vivian and Squire like to play cards together and therefore love each other isn't going to make me feel it.

I won't say much more because it's not really helpful or nice -- and I like Wolfgang-Smith! I want people to write historical novels! -- but the other huge issue here is obviously the plot/lack thereof. I support the plotless novel and I think the biographical scope can be effective and compelling -- the real problem in this case, I think, is that the book has been put together sloppily. The climactic scene in the novel, which is interesting but not convincing, takes place because of a sort of sexual tradition that the three primary characters engage in, and which we are first told about only a few chapters before it becomes pivotal. Sorry! I can see your revision notes!

I'm sorry this book wasn't better, and I'm sorry to be writing critically and at such length. Three stars because I massively prefer being somewhat disappointed by a clumsy and over-stylized queer historical drama to whatever deep soul damage I take when reading the vast majority of contemporary novels. Olivia Wolfgang-Smith, I will read whatever you write.

I'm deeply obsessed with this queer historical fiction set in Gilded Age New York! Oscar has the skills make high-quality soaps. Squire has out-of-the-box ideas — and the family wealth to fund a new business idea. Vivian has the foresight and social savvy to bring them together. As an unlikely team, they build an empire while a world of queer love and heartbreak swirls behind closed doors. The protagonists of Mutual Interest are deliciously layered and messy and endearing. I especially love the cheeky narrative voice. Olivia Wolfgang-Smith is a remarkably talented writer and one of my new favorites!

Determined to break free of her unloving parents in underwhelming Utica, NY, Vivian flees to NYC and quickly marries Oscar, a moldable man who can help her achieve the life she wants. Enigmatic Oscar Schmidt is the face of a personal care company, peddling fragrances and soaps. Vivian is anxious to get involved in the business, but not with Oscar. Conveniently, Oscar is more interested in their business partner, Squire Clancey, leaving Vivian to pursue her own affairs with women. A glimpse into society expectations in the Gilded Age and the length women and queer folks had to go to just to live their truth.

I absolutely hated this book. Hear me out, I love the premise & the writing was beautiful. But all of the characters were so damn unlikeable. And parts of it were just so damn unnecessary. I understand why the parents were an important piece for all of the characters, but I don't think it needed to be so expansive. And don't even get me started on the narrator -- so completely annoying. I truly almost didn't finish, and once I got to the end I didn't understand why I bothered. I went through all that for THAT...a non-ending!? I wish I had more positive things to say about it, but it simply wasn't for me.

While the book was intellectually engaging at nearly all points, there was a distancing effect created by the supreme authority of the narrative voice. That voice presumed to know what the reader was thinking, what judgment the reader was passing, which pinned both the reader and the voice to a time significantly later than the present of the book, and which thrust the reader out of the story far too often. The voice held tight control over the three main characters in a way that maintained an emotional gulf between the characters' purported relationships and the reader's experience, resulting in a paper-doll feel to what otherwise might have been a deeply poignant story of collective care.

Being queer in turn-of-the-20th-century is no joke. Vivian escapes her repressive hometown of Utica, NY, for Gilded Age New York City, where she can disappear into the anonymous crowds and secret gay bars. But she also is utterly driven to escape dependency on others, and so finds a gay man, Oscar, marries him, and takes over his soap business to build an empire. She also then literally shoves Oscar into the path of a "competitor," Squire.... who also happens to be gay. Falling into each other's arms, Squire and Oscar leave Vivian to build her business empire....but at what personal cost? With the omniscient narrator making catty comments the whole way, this novel is about the ways queer folk have manipulated and navigated life and power while being in the closet.

Mutual Interest by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith is a captivating and beautifully written novel that effortlessly immerses the reader in its historical setting. The prose is both lyrical and precise, drawing the reader into the world of its characters with a quiet intensity. What stands out most is the depth of the character development; each person feels fully realized, with their own motivations, vulnerabilities, and complexities. Wolfgang-Smith has a remarkable ability to craft relationships that feel authentic and compelling, making the emotional stakes of the story resonate deeply. Moreover, the novel’s setting is richly depicted, with the time period coming alive through subtle details that enhance the narrative without overshadowing it. The sense of place and time feels integral to the characters’ journeys, grounding the novel in a way that makes it as much about the world as it is about the people navigating it. As a delightful bonus, sometimes Wolfgang-Smith writes to the reader and that portions add so much to the novel. Overall, this was an unforgettable read that I won't soon forget.

An enjoyable read. You will fall in love with Vivian. The story is slow moving at times. Beautifully written.

This frisky and smart novel pits three underdogs against the powerful of Gilded Age New York. Vivian has been chafing against the restraints of her unloving, provincial family. She escapes by attaching herself to other women who prefer women. She can't climb up far enough to find the stability, challenge, and upward mobility she craves . . . until she meets Oscar Schmidt, who represents a line of soaps and scents. She offers him the opportunity to have a respectable front while pursuing the men he wants. She can also help him make a success of his business, since he is nearly mute in most situations and only comes to life in the bedroom. But one piece of Vivian's plan is missing; someone with the big bucks. For this she discovers Squire Clancey, a deeply closeted oddball who, you guessed it, falls in love with Oscar. They are happy and Vivian is free to run the business and have a number of close women friends.

Olivia Wolfgang-Smith's writing is witty and bright, and her characters are delightfully off-beat. It's a treat to see queer characters find a way, even though if Vivian weren't part of the triangle Oscar and Squire's stories would be very different. A smart treat.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital review copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Mutual Interest is literary fiction starting from the turn of 20th century onwards in NYC. It’s structured around the birth of a personal hygiene empire with three main protagonists, all of whom unhappily sit within the expectations society has of them. The main relationship for the first half of the book is the birth and development of the marriage of convenience between Vivian (exclusively attracted to women) and Oscar (exclusively attracted to men) and how their professional rival, Squire - becomes an integral part of both their professional and personal lives.

Clearly a lot of extensive research went into this book, as it packs in a lot of detail about life in NYC whether that’s on the different experiences of queer women and queer men, being from a small town and moving to a big city, or the experiences of different social classes. The plot takes you through the tension of keeping vital parts of yourselves hidden from your families, abelism (one of the main characters gives very strong neurodivergent vibes) and sexism. The style comes across as nearly being non-fiction at points and although it took me a little while to properly get into it, I ended up racing through it once all three key players were established and settled in the roles they played to each other. I did sometimes wish that there was a bit more about the trio’s domestic arrangements, rather than a 10 year time skip between the first and second parts of the book though.

Overall, a fascinating and engaging portrait of the queer and complicated connections behind the founding of a company in turn of the century NYC.