"This is a rare thing: an original, intelligent novel that’s not just a perfect summer beach read, but one that deserves serious awards consideration as well. Put down your phone and pick it up… A major accomplishment.”
—Kirkus (starred)
From the co-creator of How I Met Your Mother, a hilarious and thought-provoking debut novel set in New York City, following a sprawling cast of characters as they navigate life, love, loss, ambition, and spirituality—without ever looking up from their phones.
It’s the summer of 2015, and Alice Quick needs to get to work. She’s twenty-eight years old, grieving her mother, barely scraping by as a nanny, and freshly kicked out of her apartment. If she can just get her act together and sign up for the MCAT, she can start chasing her dream of becoming a doctor . . . but in the Age of Distraction, the distractions are so distracting. There’s her tech millionaire brother’s religious awakening. His picture-perfect wife’s emotional breakdown. Her chaotic new roommate’s thirst for adventure. And, of course, there’s the biggest distraction of all: Love.
From within the story of one summer in one woman’s life, an epic tale is unearthed, spanning continents and featuring a tapestry of characters tied to one another by threads both seen and unseen. Filled with all the warmth, humor, and heart that gained How I Met Your Mother its cult following, The Mutual Friend captures in sparkling detail the chaos of contemporary life, a life lived simultaneously in two different worlds—the physical one and the one behind our screens—and reveals how connected we all truly are.
Genre: Romance
—Kirkus (starred)
From the co-creator of How I Met Your Mother, a hilarious and thought-provoking debut novel set in New York City, following a sprawling cast of characters as they navigate life, love, loss, ambition, and spirituality—without ever looking up from their phones.
It’s the summer of 2015, and Alice Quick needs to get to work. She’s twenty-eight years old, grieving her mother, barely scraping by as a nanny, and freshly kicked out of her apartment. If she can just get her act together and sign up for the MCAT, she can start chasing her dream of becoming a doctor . . . but in the Age of Distraction, the distractions are so distracting. There’s her tech millionaire brother’s religious awakening. His picture-perfect wife’s emotional breakdown. Her chaotic new roommate’s thirst for adventure. And, of course, there’s the biggest distraction of all: Love.
From within the story of one summer in one woman’s life, an epic tale is unearthed, spanning continents and featuring a tapestry of characters tied to one another by threads both seen and unseen. Filled with all the warmth, humor, and heart that gained How I Met Your Mother its cult following, The Mutual Friend captures in sparkling detail the chaos of contemporary life, a life lived simultaneously in two different worlds—the physical one and the one behind our screens—and reveals how connected we all truly are.
Genre: Romance
Praise for this book
"Through his tapestry of characters, Carter Bays beautifully and hilariously captures the connection and isolation at the heart of being a human being, now. This book is like a modern-day War and Peace, without all the boring war parts." - Raphael Bob-Waksberg
"Sharply observed, smartly-written, and with a captivating cast of characters, The Mutual Friend is the funniest, cleverest, most original novel I've read in years." - Matt Dunn
"A completely unique and addictive read with a captivating cast of characters, The Mutual Friend is a memorable, clever novel about connection and love and all the things that make us human. Charming and unforgettable, this story left an impression on my heart." - Holly Miller
"The most extraordinary and beguiling novel I've read in years. Carter Bays weaves together a huge, eclectic cast of messy, imperfect and bewitching characters . . . As soon as I put the book down, I wanted to start reading it all over again." - Clare Pooley
"The Mutual Friend is GREAT. Carter Bays is one of the funniest people I know. More importantly though, he always finds the heart and truth in all of his humour. I just loved it. Put down the phones. Unless you're reading The Mutual Friend on it." - Jason Segel
"A hugely clever and thoroughly entertaining magic trick of a novel that shows the ways in which we're all connected, both virtually and in real life. This book - with all its wisdom and humor, its detours and surprises - was a total delight. I loved it!" - Jennifer E Smith
"A thoroughly modern and entirely captivating exploration of what it means to be alive in the world today. Funny, sad, romantic, perfect. I finished it and told all my friends to go read it immediately." - Marissa Stapley
"Sharply observed, smartly-written, and with a captivating cast of characters, The Mutual Friend is the funniest, cleverest, most original novel I've read in years." - Matt Dunn
"A completely unique and addictive read with a captivating cast of characters, The Mutual Friend is a memorable, clever novel about connection and love and all the things that make us human. Charming and unforgettable, this story left an impression on my heart." - Holly Miller
"The most extraordinary and beguiling novel I've read in years. Carter Bays weaves together a huge, eclectic cast of messy, imperfect and bewitching characters . . . As soon as I put the book down, I wanted to start reading it all over again." - Clare Pooley
"The Mutual Friend is GREAT. Carter Bays is one of the funniest people I know. More importantly though, he always finds the heart and truth in all of his humour. I just loved it. Put down the phones. Unless you're reading The Mutual Friend on it." - Jason Segel
"A hugely clever and thoroughly entertaining magic trick of a novel that shows the ways in which we're all connected, both virtually and in real life. This book - with all its wisdom and humor, its detours and surprises - was a total delight. I loved it!" - Jennifer E Smith
"A thoroughly modern and entirely captivating exploration of what it means to be alive in the world today. Funny, sad, romantic, perfect. I finished it and told all my friends to go read it immediately." - Marissa Stapley
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