Reunion: A Novel

I found the premise behind the Reunion to be very interesting—three college best friends set off to their twenty-fifth reunion right after the world had opened back up after the pandemic. Hope is married to Ethan and they have two children. Polly has a teenage son. And Adam is married to Andrea and they have twin six-year-old boys.

Readers soon discover that not one of these people is happy. The book became so depressing that I found it emotionally draining. Hope’s husband is very detached from their family. Polly has regrets and finds the negative aspect in everything which is exactly the opposite of Hope’s character. Her son, Jonah, is very judgmental of everything around him and is quite annoying as he complains about materialism and climate change. Adam is worried about Andrea because, since the pandemic, she hasn’t wanted to leave the house.

Overall, the story starts with promise but quickly falls apart. None of the characters are particularly likable. If I were to do it over again, I’d sit this one out.