Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really liked Pineapple Street and watched Fleishman and enjoyed the show but didn't read the book. I also read When We Were Bright and Beautiful and really liked it until the turn it took at the end and then I hated it, so just a heads up if that comes up in your searches because I thought it was going to be like Pineapple Street.

Agree completely about When We Were Bright and Beautiful. And I've read several books this year that include this same X (not going to spoil it) that it felt gimmicky and cheap to me, like it's a hot thing in publishing.

SPOILER

Can someone reveal X ?
I’d love to know if this book/X, is a hard pass for me?

The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really liked Pineapple Street and watched Fleishman and enjoyed the show but didn't read the book. I also read When We Were Bright and Beautiful and really liked it until the turn it took at the end and then I hated it, so just a heads up if that comes up in your searches because I thought it was going to be like Pineapple Street.

Agree completely about When We Were Bright and Beautiful. And I've read several books this year that include this same X (not going to spoil it) that it felt gimmicky and cheap to me, like it's a hot thing in publishing.

Agreed!

The Last Applicant was another book with a stupid weird twist. Similar to but not exactly the same as When We Were Bright and Beautiful. It's too bad because I think both of those authors showed promise, but then it's like they couldn't figure out where to go so they went with a stupid trope.

These two take place in the DC suburbs. Different genres, but I liked both:

What the Neighbors Saw, by Melissa Adelman
Perfect Happiness, by Krysten Kusek Lewis

I’m currently reading The Second Ending, by Michelle Hoffman. Not sure it fits your request, but I’m really enjoying it so far. The protagonist definitely has a bit of zaniness - a la Where’d You Go Bernadette and Today Will Be Different, which are two books I thought were both thought-provoking and hilarious!

Anonymous wrote:The Startup by Doree Shafrir (there's no way she isn't DCUM adjacent)
Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan (I love all of her books but this is the most like what you're asking for)

I also love J. Courtney Sullivan!

Anonymous wrote:I really liked Pineapple Street and watched Fleishman and enjoyed the show but didn't read the book. I also read When We Were Bright and Beautiful and really liked it until the turn it took at the end and then I hated it, so just a heads up if that comes up in your searches because I thought it was going to be like Pineapple Street.

Agree completely about When We Were Bright and Beautiful. And I've read several books this year that include this same X (not going to spoil it) that it felt gimmicky and cheap to me, like it's a hot thing in publishing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo. All Adults Here by Emma Straub. All of Laurie Colwin’s books.

Are you me? Those are some of my very favorites!

I am not you but would love to hear some of your other favorites!

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller—the posh New England version. Where’d You Go, Bernadette—a classic of the genre!

Anonymous wrote:The Startup by Doree Shafrir (there's no way she isn't DCUM adjacent)
Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan (I love all of her books but this is the most like what you're asking for)

Yes, Friends and Strangers hits the spot 100%.

The Startup by Doree Shafrir (there's no way she isn't DCUM adjacent)
Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan (I love all of her books but this is the most like what you're asking for)

Some Jennifer Weiner books have really rich characters. Usually more of a mix and not centered on a single family, but if you have read Elin Hilderbrand you may like Jennifer Weiner (I generally like her books more).

I really liked Pineapple Street and watched Fleishman and enjoyed the show but didn't read the book. I also read When We Were Bright and Beautiful and really liked it until the turn it took at the end and then I hated it, so just a heads up if that comes up in your searches because I thought it was going to be like Pineapple Street.

Thanks for indulging me in this. I guess it is more of a genre than I realized. I have read and enjoyed some of these: The Dutch House (agree that they are more self-aware than DCUM haha), Prep (love that this Prep becomes DCUM adults), All Adults Here, and Small Admissions. I will check out some of the ones listed.

I also remembered I liked White Ivy by Susie Yang and The Interesting by Meg Wolitzer too, since it seems to be several of us that like this genre.

Expensive people by joyce carol oates

Anonymous wrote:Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo. All Adults Here by Emma Straub. All of Laurie Colwin’s books.

Are you me? Those are some of my very favorites!