Mutual Interest by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith is a captivating and beautifully written novel that effortlessly immerses the reader in its historical setting. The prose is both lyrical and precise, drawing the reader into the world of its characters with a quiet intensity. What stands out most is the depth of the character development; each person feels fully realized, with their own motivations, vulnerabilities, and complexities. Wolfgang-Smith has a remarkable ability to craft relationships that feel authentic and compelling, making the emotional stakes of the story resonate deeply. Moreover, the novel’s setting is richly depicted, with the time period coming alive through subtle details that enhance the narrative without overshadowing it. The sense of place and time feels integral to the characters’ journeys, grounding the novel in a way that makes it as much about the world as it is about the people navigating it. As a delightful bonus, sometimes Wolfgang-Smith writes to the reader and that portions add so much to the novel. Overall, this was an unforgettable read that I won't soon forget.

An enjoyable read. You will fall in love with Vivian. The story is slow moving at times. Beautifully written.

This frisky and smart novel pits three underdogs against the powerful of Gilded Age New York. Vivian has been chafing against the restraints of her unloving, provincial family. She escapes by attaching herself to other women who prefer women. She can't climb up far enough to find the stability, challenge, and upward mobility she craves . . . until she meets Oscar Schmidt, who represents a line of soaps and scents. She offers him the opportunity to have a respectable front while pursuing the men he wants. She can also help him make a success of his business, since he is nearly mute in most situations and only comes to life in the bedroom. But one piece of Vivian's plan is missing; someone with the big bucks. For this she discovers Squire Clancey, a deeply closeted oddball who, you guessed it, falls in love with Oscar. They are happy and Vivian is free to run the business and have a number of close women friends.

Olivia Wolfgang-Smith's writing is witty and bright, and her characters are delightfully off-beat. It's a treat to see queer characters find a way, even though if Vivian weren't part of the triangle Oscar and Squire's stories would be very different. A smart treat.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital review copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Mutual Interest is literary fiction starting from the turn of 20th century onwards in NYC. It’s structured around the birth of a personal hygiene empire with three main protagonists, all of whom unhappily sit within the expectations society has of them. The main relationship for the first half of the book is the birth and development of the marriage of convenience between Vivian (exclusively attracted to women) and Oscar (exclusively attracted to men) and how their professional rival, Squire - becomes an integral part of both their professional and personal lives.

Clearly a lot of extensive research went into this book, as it packs in a lot of detail about life in NYC whether that’s on the different experiences of queer women and queer men, being from a small town and moving to a big city, or the experiences of different social classes. The plot takes you through the tension of keeping vital parts of yourselves hidden from your families, abelism (one of the main characters gives very strong neurodivergent vibes) and sexism. The style comes across as nearly being non-fiction at points and although it took me a little while to properly get into it, I ended up racing through it once all three key players were established and settled in the roles they played to each other. I did sometimes wish that there was a bit more about the trio’s domestic arrangements, rather than a 10 year time skip between the first and second parts of the book though.

Overall, a fascinating and engaging portrait of the queer and complicated connections behind the founding of a company in turn of the century NYC.

Beautifully and immersive constructed historical fiction. I loved the characters and the story and plot, as well as, of course, 1900s NYC. The voice however was not really for me, and the ending left quite a bit to be desired. But I did enjoy the ride while it lasted!

An utter delight. "Mutual Interest" tackles the turn of the twentieth century with a wink and a nod. Some scenes and lines made me snort with laughter while others expressed such all-encompassing loneliness, it was a wonder that they fit in the same book at all. I enjoyed Wolfgang-Smith's writing in her debut novel, "Glassworks," but her talents truly shine here. Between the cheeky all-knowing narrator and the rambling asides that shouldn't work but do, "Mutual Interest" will be a book that I will continue to think about past the last page of this story.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*

What a fun book to kick off 2025! Mutual Interest is a delightfully queer historic novel about three outsiders whose entanglement builds a capitalist empire in the early 20th century. The unique third-person omniscient narrator was well-executed and brought a winking playfulness to the whole story. I thoroughly enjoyed following Vivian, Oscar and Squire from their first meetings to their incredible successes and greatest failures. I think fans of plucky heroines ahead of their time will love and cheer for Vivian, in all her complicated messiness.

In so many 'Gilden Age" novels, the romance is very...straight. Straighforward and just....hetro. Mutal Interest from Olivia Wolfgang-Smith takes the fun and familiar time and turns it upside-down with this innovative queer romance.

Vivian is trapped by her parents in Utica, New York. She moves herself to New York City and starts to live the way she's always wanted. This includes multiple female lovers. Soon, she meets Oscar Schmidt, a manager at a soap manufacturer, she sees a familiar. Oscar lives his life full of secrets (i.e. relationships with men).

Finding that she and Oscar can start their own business with funding from Squire Clancey, an old money New Yorker, Vivian, Oscar and Squire live together in a complicated but open and free home.
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All three characters are amazing in their own way, but Vivian is the star of this story. The pursuit of happiness is key and Vivian will do anything to find it.

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

A literary historical fiction with a strong, cheeky voice following the intertwined lives of an unusual marriage: an ambitious capitalist lesbian, a gay man and his rivalry turned love with an autistic queer heir where they take over their respective industry in this early 20th century New York.

While the story is in theory about the three of them, it's clear that Vivian is the main character. She's the type of shrewd lesbian I like to see. She runs the company, is unapologetically manipulative and ambitious, a convinced capitalist who sleeps with younger leftist girls, always so hungry for more.

The summary mentions the threat of exposure of their unconventional relationship likely as a way to stoke drama but i was pleasantly surprised that it's a minor part of the book towards the end that's resolved quite quickly. I do not like narratives where the secret of being queer overpowers any larger plot as it's not the most interesting.

I must once again compliment the voice in this one, a good narrator perfectly in line with the time that made me feel like I had opened a book much older than this one.

Thanks to NetGalley, Olivia Wolfgang-Smith and the publisher for this ARC!

This historical fiction about a marriage of convenience between queer characters at the turn of the century seemed really interesting to me and I had high expectations going into this book.

While I liked the setting and concept, there are a few things that fell flat for me. The style of narration is a bit difficult to follow, and personally don’t love an omniscient narrator. The story is definitely a slower, and the end didn’t fully justify the pace for me.

One redeeming aspect for me the dynamic between the three main characters and was excited for a story to explore queer platonic love. However, I do feel like Vivian lacked strong character development and I was a little disappointed with how her story ended.

I adored this book! I was so invested in the characters and I found the prose to be as lyrical and poignant as Glassworks! Olive is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors!

This is an ambitious novel. A period piece written in the style of the period, both wrenching and wryly funny, and with a broad scope that includes not just the human experience of its main characters but the time and place in which they live. It's a slow-moving story, though, and the omniscient voice holds us at a distance us from Vivian, Oscar, and Squire. I really struggled with these factors, despite appreciating the novel for what it is and what it's attempting to do. Ultimately a beautifully written book for which I'm probably not the right audience. I read it closely for over two hundred pages, but skimmed the last third.