Reunion by Elise Juska is the story of three college friends returning for their college reunion. I just struggled getting into this story with the setups of all three characters and their home lives. By the time that was finished, I just wasn't that interested in them or their reunion. This is a slice-of-life novel and typically I enjoy that type of thing and the post-Covid setting is also interesting but again I didn't care about the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

We are not the same people we were yesterday. We are definitely not the same people we were in college. Reunion by Elise Juska looks at three college friends, now in their 40s, to meet to try to celebrate their (delayed) 25th reunion.

This is a story of change, growth and friendship. This is how people grow and change, just like friendships.

Elise Juska is a wonderful writer and I'm looking forward to what's next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is definitely a relatable realistic novel about three close friends attending their 25th (really 26th, but delayed because of the pandemic) College reunion. The story is told mostly in the present, 2021, by Polly, Adam and Hope. Vastly different people who formed a close friendship 30 years earlier at their Liberal Arts College in Maine. They have stayed close friends regardless of the differences. But it’s obvious they don’t talk about the hard things in their lives, which is very clear at their reunion. By the end of the year, secrets come out and they grow closer because of it. This is my first book by the author, I look forward to reading more.

The year of isolation has ended and three long time friends are preparing to attend their twenty fifth year reunion, really the twenty sixth because of Covid. Polly, Adam and Hope are ready to present their best selves, the people they thought they would be when they graduated. This means that Polly, who drops off her son Jonah at his friend’s house nearby, will maintain her version of becoming a single mother. It means that Adam , an environmental lawyer who gave it up to move to a rural town with his wife and twin sons, will not tell his friends what really worries him and that Hope, married to a college dean, will continue to polish her image as a happily married mother of two. At the reunion, they share memories and slowly realize that not everything happened the way they thought it did.

Reunion is a character driven novel about friendship and forgiveness. During reunion weekend, Polly, Adam and Hope try to be the people they want others to see. Then during an unexpected crisis, they share long hidden secrets reveal their true selves. Reunion is beautifully written with characters you want to learn more about. The reunion is a perfect setting for introspection. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper and Elise Juska for this ARC.

Oh, #NetGalley & #HarperCollins, THANK YOU for the chance to read Elisa Juska's newest novel -- #Reunion in exchange for a review.. This was a beautifully crafted multi-POV story told from the perspectives of the three main characters: Hope, Polly, and Adam. These three shared an unexpected and deep friendship during their UG college at Walthrop (located in Maine), maintained, and strengthened again on Zoom during the pandemic in 2020.
The novel begins on the occasion of their 25th reunion (Class of 1995) which was supposed to have taken place the prior summer but the pandemic delayed it by one year. So 26 years after graduation, we meet these characters (both in the present day and in flashback). The book was so incredibly well crafted, thought out, and executed that each section/character informs crucial aspects of the others--as these three individuals begin to take on increased depth and dimension throughout the book.
I loved this novel. Hope and Polly's "complicated" friendship as roommates really hit home -- the ways we unintentionally hurt one another by keeping secrets and holding grudges, The fear of being vulnerable and imperfect. Adam's easygoing role as the third amigo in the trio, and how character traits endure and become deeply embedded as life goes on and each of them have families of their own. The impact of the pandemic on these characters and on the bigger world is brilliantly and authentically written as well. There are moments of insight, real consequences reentering the world post-pandemic, and in growing up in general, In being vulnerable and getting honest (with one another and with oneself). Brava to Elise Juska. This is a gem!!

This is the story of three adults going back for their college reunion weekend. They used to be best friends in college but are not as close anymore. Each of them has their own struggles that they are not sharing with the others.

I thought the characters were interesting and well-drawn. They were three dimensional and their feelings around the reunion weekend were juxtaposed well with the struggles they are each experiencing in their lives at the same time. I loved the wide array of personal struggles they each had and I liked the depiction of the reunion weekend, albeit a little stereotypical.

There is an emergency that ends up taking them out of the reunion and inadvertently forces each of them to face what they're not dealing with in their own lives. I loved this part, too.

I think, in the end, I didn't give it a higher rating because I felt like I was watching these characters from afar instead of embodying their struggles and that gave the book a distance that is usually not what I prefer in stories like these. I still really enjoyed my time with this novel and it made me think.


with gratitude to netgalley and Harper for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper for this advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. Reunion tells us the story of three friends who are coming together for the first time, following the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, for their belated 25th college reunion. We get to see behind closed doors to see the ways the pandemic has affected each friend and also the effect of the time and distance, since even before the pandemic, on their friendship. Secrets are dredged up and lots of emotions, as this group comes back together.

All in all, I thought this was a good read. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and empathized with a lot of their emotions surrounding their experiences during the pandemic and in a post-COVID world. I think this book really captures the essence of “a slice of life”, as we go along for the ride with these characters at a very particular (and still relatable) point in time. I think this in itself was what made the book enjoyable for me. However, I did feel unsatisfied by the ending and was waiting for some part of the book to really hit home or just wow me and ultimately, I think it just fell a little flat for me.

Overall, it was still a good read and I’d recommend to anyone looking for contemporary (very contemporary) character driven fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. Reunion is slowly-paced, insightful and reminded me a little of the movie The Big Chill. Three friends travel back to college for what is technically their 25th reunion but was pushed back a year due to the pandemic. Polly is a single mom of a teenaged son, Adam lives remotely with his wife and two young sons and Hope, as her name implies, always tries to see the best of any situation, even as there are cracks in her home life. The story is a slice-of-life and the characters are every day people. Its a drama, post-Covid and may not be for everyone due to the quieter pace.

As someone approaching middle age, I've been contemplative recently, and that has influenced my choice of reading. A mystery that focuses on efforts to escape the past despite being defined by it, and how Covid affected all of us. A good book, but for sure one that's of a specific time.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Harper for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on May 7, 2024.

A reunion is a reminiscent of the past of which classmates are encouraged to discuss the positive events and memories and inadvertently forget those that were harmful and hurtful at the time. As much as Hope wanted this to be some of the best days she has had in a significant amount of time, she quickly realized that that kind of joy was simply a facade as she herself is deeply unhappy. She had to take the rose colored glasses off to examine the load she takes on with respect to her family. She, Polly and Adam were not as close as Hope wanted as each kept tremendous secrets from each other that really defined where they were in life. Polly had a hard time admitting to whom Jonah's father is and the direction he wanted to take in real life. Adam was not confronting his marriage and her refusal to truly live. The author accurately portrays how covid affected each individual and family and how hard it was to change behaviors that transpired during that time.

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review on my blog. I found the story to be difficult to read and not enjoyable. Thank you for your consideration.

I tend to alternate the types of books that I read and “Reunion” by Elisa Juska appeared at just the right time for me because I’d been reading a variety of fast-paced thrillers and was happy for a chance to slow down and spend some time with relatable characters.

I have lost touch with all but a few people I went to college with, but often wonder what it’d be like to see one another (especially after—shudder—twenty-five years have passed). That’s what happens to Hope, Polly and Adam who reunite during the Summer 2021, which was a time we were all feeling the pandemic blues. I tend to avoid a lot of fiction that focuses on the pandemic simply because its memories seem to fragile (I lost a very close friend due to Covid). Hence, I stopped reading a couple of times because of that fact. But really what I enjoyed about this story was reading about the characters’ struggles. Do not expect a lot of plot, but there is plenty of character growth. Further, I always appreciate fiction that forces the reader to reflect on her own life, even if parts of that reflection is somewhat painful.

Four out of five stars.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a chance to read and review this poignant tale.

Great book . A reunion taking place in 2021 - a 26th not 25th - brings to mind the emotions and fears of the time. Three friends must face the past to embrace the future in order to move on.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book early. I truly enjoyed this book. Reunion by Elise Juska is poignantly written, her descriptions so vivid and characters so well fleshed out. I really appreciated this take on post-pandemic life and the effect COVID had on people of all ages and walks of life. I love books with multiple POVs as long as they’re well-written, and Juska pulled it off. Each character has a distinct voice and the story is easy to follow. I’d definitely recommend giving this book a read!

Thank you NetGalley & Harper for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review can also be found on Goodreads.

It is June 2021, and readers meet three friends who are gearing up for their 25 year reunion at their alma matter in Maine. Being just over a year out from the onset of the pandemic, the college best friends are all struggling with their own problems and pandemic blues.

Hope is a stay at home mother, and she is struggling to accept the fact that she is deeply unhappy. Her husband is drifting from her, and she is consistently feeling like she isn't doing enough for her children.

Adam's wife has slipped into an increasingly alarming anxious state since the pandemic started. She refuses to leave the house, and her newly formed habits are wearing on Adam as he struggles to keep their 5 year old twins in a routine with the pandemic.

Polly's son Jonah is on the cusp of adulthood and moving to art school, but like everyone else during the pandemic, he is facing his own troubles. And Polly has been harboring a secret about her son's father for almost nineteen years, and it has started to eating her alive as she prepares to attend the college reunion.

The friends reunite at college, each with their own hopes for what the weekend will bring. While it is not what they expect, everyone leaves the weekend with a deeper understanding of what they need moving forward.

The plot is very character driven, and I found the themes of friendship and reflecting on the past very relatable. I really enjoyed the development for each character, and while I didn't love the unexpected twist, it did add to the story and offered reflection as a reader.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper for the opportunity to read Reunion by Elise Juska. A very introspective novel written with respect of the pandemic lockdown and how it affected our lives.

WELCOME BACK ALUMNI
CLASS OF 1995

“New friends may be poems, but old friends are alphabets. Do not forget alphabets, because you will need them to read the poems”.
—attributed to William Shakespeare

“It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with”.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The older you get, the more you need people who knew you when you were young”.
— the masses . . . in other words…. all of us.

…..I have so much love for this book. I related to every character….and every issue. “Reunion” is deliciously easy to sink our teeth into.
And although it’s a page-turner (we get hooked immediately)….its also a book to savor and ponder.
…..The strength of the characters’ depiction are so vivid - so human - I felt like I knew them.
…..Subtly, but not terribly subtly, Elise Juska’s nuances invites us to look at long term friendships, marriages, parenting, social changes, and the effects the pandemic has had on our lives and our children’s future.
Family dynamics are examined realistically. Splendors and complexities are scrutinized equally.

We’re introduced to three intelligent characters who were very close friends during their twenties in college at Walthrop - in Maine.
Now in their forties, Adam Dalton, Polly Gesauldi, and Hope Richardson have stayed in contact through emails and texts - all live in different states - each married with kids - will be re-connecting in person at their 25th/26th college reunion. There was a rescheduled year due to the lockdown.
The past and present are *consanguineous* (like that word?)….
Haha….me too. I just learned it when looking for a word to describe ‘related’ …or ‘cut-from-the-same-cloth’ ….or basically a powerful word to express the experience of ‘connection’…..underlining the fact that the ‘past-and-present’ are genetically linked.

This is such an enjoyable book with storytelling flair. The supporting characters …..spouses, children, other classmates, old roommates, background family issues, other characters we meet, the campus environment, Ledgemere Island (mountains and lakes nearby the college), details of each of characters personal lives ….all add richness.
But what’s really a surprise is the tension that slowly elevates towards the end ….. when an unexpected situation occurs.
I was hanging on by a thread —

A few small excerpts I’d like to share that spoke to me:
“Sitting at the end of the island, the world seemed majestic and mysterious, and lifted whatever unspoken tension had been building up inside him”.

“I just don’t want to spend two-thirds of my waking hours doing something that doesn’t add any value to the world. I don’t want to be a passive person”.

“Polly had always prioritized Jonah over everything else, trying to make up for what she hadn’t gotten from her own mother, what he wouldn’t get from his missing father. She supported his decisions, encouraged him to talk to her about anything, loved him exactly as he was. But it hadn’t been enough”.

“Our lives have just become totally different . . . “.

From this Elyse to Elise Juska > THANK YOU! This book felt very personal to me ….as a wife, mother, college graduate, a friend, a person who lost loved ones from covid and feel the change from the pandemic…. I loved this story and your writing.
I’m hooked at the hip now — and plan to read more of your books.

Highly recommended …..wisdom oozes throughout!

I enjoy college reunions as a setting for books, but this one fell a little flat and seemed forced. But I'm glad Juska chose to set it in 2021 and made the pandemic such an important focus. Four years later, it seems almost unreal and we shouldn't be forgetting the effect it had on all of us. If the author wanted a cloud of doom to hang over the whole book and paint it gray, then she succeeded. I found that irritating though. Your mileage may vary.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. Not my cup of tea, but I bet others will enjoy it!

Reunion is a retrospective and current-life reunion story that brings college friends together after living through the harrowing Covid years. The narrative is relatable but somewhat predictable and at times stale. Perhaps best for those who enjoy reading college and family dramas.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper for the opportunity to read this ARC.