REVIEW: The Most Likely Club by Elyssa Friedland

The Most Likely Club by Elyssa Friedland: As their High School Reunion nears, Tara, Melissa, Priya and Suki take stock of the last 25 years, their achievements, their losses and use it as a pivot point to change things in their lives desperately in need of change. As we travel through each chapter, capturing a different character voice and perspective, we learn of some of the key moments in their lives that have brought the 4 women to this point – Melissa, married, divorced, one daughter Cameron who is 17, Suki, a multi-million dollar entrepreneurial success, Tara sharing a business with Rachel her partner running a cooking school for kids and Priya mother of three and successful doctor. Sadly for our incredibly accomplished women, their success aren’t measured on how much they have achieved, but whether they can do literally everything and still have their sanity intact.

On the night of their reunion, Tara, Melissa and Priya commit to making their year book superlatives a reality, as a way of reconciling both their pasts and shaping their futures. And as each set about achieving their teenage dreams, they acknowledge that life has invariably stretched them thin and the fantasy ideal of having it all is likely a trap for all women when expectations run to the ridiculous across all spaces.

Exploring a combination of mother-hood guilt, gender politics, and relationship power balance, The Most Likely Club successfully highlights that whilst we can achieve our childhood dreams the details of the journey are essentially the only parts that really matter, including the loving friendships we have to buoy us. And for most, each character and her journey will resonate as each struggle with feeling an ever-present emptiness from seemingly having it all yet not feeling truly content. In this sense, despite its privileged nature, it speaks volumes of coming to terms with 21st century expectations and the ridiculous idea that as a woman, you can be everything and still somehow maintain a sense of self.

For the majority, this was a very entertaining read and by narrating from all four women, it was abundantly clear that despite their differences the pressure they placed on themselves was precisely the same. I highly recommend, particularly for those who are struggling to live the dream and feel euphoric about it.

Book Info:

Publication: 6th September 2022 | Berkley Books |

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.”