The Most Likely Club by Elyssa Friedland: Book Review

In The Most Likely Club, a group of friends attend their twenty-fifth high school reunion and reflect on their life’s achievements so far. I found it to be an interesting read!

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From The Publisher:

At their milestone high school reunion, a group of friends make a pact to finally achieve their high school superlatives one way or another, in the lively new novel from the acclaimed author of Last Summer at the Golden Hotel.

In 1997, grunge is king, Titanic is a blockbuster (and Blockbuster still exists), and Thursday nights are for Friends. In Bellport, Connecticut, four best friends and high school seniors are ready to light the world on fire. Melissa Levin, Priya Chowdury, Tara Taylor, and Suki Hammer are going places. Their yearbook superlatives confirm it: Most Likely to Win the White House, Cure Cancer, Open a Michelin-Starred Restaurant, and Join the Forbes 400.

Fast forward twenty-five years and nothing has gone according to plan as the women regroup at their dreaded high school reunion. When a forgotten classmate emerges at the reunion with a surprising announcement, the friends dig out the yearbook and rethink their younger selves. Is it too late to make their dreams come true? Fueled by nostalgia and one too many drinks, they form a pact to push through their middle-aged angst to bring their teenage aspirations to fruition, dubbing themselves the “Most Likely Girls.”

Through the ensuing highs and lows, they are reminded of the enduring bonds of friendship, the ways our childhood dreams both sustain and surprise us — and why it’s deeply uncool to peak in high school.

My Thoughts:

This book was a fun throwback to 1997. Told in dual timelines, it was entertaining to revisit the high school days of four women. Did Melissa, Priya, Tara and Suki live up to their high school superlatives?

In 1997 the four hard-working students were set to make a big impact on the world: Most Likely to Win the White House, Most Likely to Cure Cancer, Most Likely to Open a Michelin-starred Restaurant and Most likely to Join the Forbes 400.

Fast forward to the present, the women are celebrating their twenty-fifth high school reunion. Three of the women are in attendance and marvel at the success of the fourth. They find inspiration from her achievements and determine they now need to go after the goals set by their high school superlative.

What they don’t realize is not everything is as they perceive it.

The book speaks about the lives of four busy women each successful in their own right. The key message here is that success is personally defined. I enjoyed the backstory for each of the characters and the weekend spent at the reunion. The 1990s nostalgia took me back in time and there were some funny moments.

I listened to the audiobook version of The Most Likely Club which was narrated by Kristen Sieh who gives a good performance. I appreciated her articulation and expression which made the audiobook easy to listen to.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy Women’s Fiction.

What I Liked:

• The 1990s nostalgia
• The key messaging in the book
• The personal strength of the four protagonists

Acknowledgments:

I used an Audible credit to listen to The Most Likely Club.

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