Lauren Appelbaum's debut novel, Rachel Weiss's Group Chat, is a delightfully witty and modern take on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with a dollop of Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary for added measure.
Throughout her 20s, Rachel Weiss enthusiastically embraced her millennial, single-in-Seattle, Wash., lifestyle. She partied often, wore fabulous shoes and clothes, and hooked up with handsome guys--and felt nary a scintilla of regret. But now her 30th birthday is looming, her best friends (with whom she shares a group chat) are pairing up and settling down, and her mother's complaints about her lack of a serious relationship are growing louder. Rachel is beginning to wonder if there might be more to life than her current breezy approach to it. Then her matchmaking mother tricks her into meeting the neighbors' handsome, slightly nerdy, millionaire son, and Rachel is irritated when he clearly assumes she's a nonserious person. How dare he? Just because she enjoys her life without the encumbrance of a boyfriend and isn't passionate about her career doesn't mean he has the right to judge her. He's clearly wrong--and not her type--and it's annoying that she keeps running into him and heeding his dating advice.
Sometimes lighthearted, frequently hilarious, Rachel's evolution from carefree millennial to a more mature version of herself seems to catch her by surprise, as she ponders her view of the world and what she wants to contribute to society. Readers are sure to love this absorbing and wonderfully thought-provoking novel. --Lois Faye Dyer, writer and reviewer