Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing this book, with my honest review below.

I found Plays Well with Others to be the most surprising book I’ve picked up yet in 2025, and I do mean that in the sense that it went far wider and deeper than I expected - the best way possible.

Jake has gone infamously viral after saying the worst things possible about babies with cleft lips and palates in an email to her best friend - seemingly caught up in her fury at said friend after Jake discovered her affair with her husband. In reality, Jake’s email was doctored by said supposed friend, and Jake was also mourning the death of her unborn baby with said husband. The cards fell where they will, though, and the world thinks of Jake as a monster with no input from her exposing what’s occurred, Jake quietly retreating to a new home post divorce to watch a bit too closely as her husband and her ex best friend play house.

I was sure from this opening that the mystery and thriller element would be Jake joining forces with another women to take her exes down, going too far. And I wasn’t wrong in some ways, but this is so much more. We learn about Jake’s upbringing and why she’s not advocated for herself through this trauma and how that’s colored by her experience with past trauma. We also learn about her friend, Mabel’s, own skeletons. And finally, at times sweetly but unexpectedly, we have a third mystery with the kids in Jake’s new neighborhood, all having dealt with or dealing with their own forms of trauma. All of these plot lines marry together well, never getting to be too much but all making sense in the broader scheme. And for those that expect it given how Jake’s been wronged, there’s also some healthy and unhealthy revenge at play, though it’s secondary to the larger drivers in the story.

As mentioned, I was incredibly surprised by the robust story I ended up completely absorbed in. This is more than a mystery thriller, with plenty of heart and anger but, really, all the emotions across the spectrum. Recommended for all, this book has something for everyone.

Wow, this books was AND wasn't what I expected, if that makes sense. First of all, there were parts of it that were genuinely sad- especially the parts concerning the children, Billy and Wendell. I so badly wanted everything to turn out well for them, and there were times I considered not finishing the book because I was afraid things would turn out the absolute opposite of "well". It was heartbreaking to see how adults behaving badly hurt the children in the story so deeply. Aside from all of that, though, this book was actually much better than I had expected. I cannot think of a genuine complaint, unless you consider what I wrote about the trauma the children went through a complaint. (I don't). The story was richly layered and well-written; characters were fully fleshed out; aside from a few sad parts, the characters who deserved karma were served their karmic retribution, and the characters who deserved their happy ending seemed on their way to having one. There wasn't really a thing that I didn't like about this book, and although it is my first time reading anything written by Lauren Myracle, it certainly will not be my last! I'll definitely be recommending this to our customers and my friends and family alike, of course. It's 100% a must-read!

4.25 stars

This was an excellent debut (if I’m not mistaken). I was completely captivated and couldn’t put this one down. Every time I thought I could take a break I needed to know more. I ended up reading it over the course of a day. And wow is all I can say. The tension was perfect and the characters, lol, all troublesome but in the best of ways.
I can’t wait to read more by Myracle

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I was really really impressed with what I think was Myracle’s adult debut?? Read it in two sittings. After Jake is publicly humiliated by a social media scandal involving her ex-husband and her former best friend, she just wants to lay low with a new group of neighbors who have no idea of her history. But she just can’t help seeking revenge on those who have wronged her, spurred on by new friend Mabel. Also part of the cast of characters are neighbors Billy and his horrible awful mother and siblings Delilah and Wendell, who end up with their aunt after a horrible accident. I was confused for a while about what the point was of sharing all these different storylines, but they dovetailed so perfectly. Juicy and suspenseful!