I genuinely do not know how I feel about this book, so I’m not even sure how to rate this yet (for now 3 stars feels safe because it’s in the middle of the spectrum).

I will say that this reading experience is not for the faint of heart, so if you’re hoping for an easy read that you can just sort of fall into, I advise you to look elsewhere.

The story is set over the course of twenty-four hours, as each member of a New York museum’s staff prepares for an upcoming gala and their own personal struggles.

The first time I sat down to read, I didn’t get very far, and it quickly became evident that I would have to be intentional with my approach the book in order to get acclimated to the style. McGowan subscribes to the group of writers that don’t use quotations for dialogue, which I normally have no issue with, but this novel was like nothing I had ever experienced before. The entire book is formatted like a bulleted list, each dedicated to the person speaking. I acknowledge that the format is used to immerse you in the rapidity of each moment—it felt like a chaotic conference meeting you might see on TV with the camera quick-panning between the characters as they jump in and talk over each other, or an episode of The Bear. It was jarring for the first few pages but once I got into it, I was able to really appreciate what the author was attempting.

I considered DNF-ing this multiple times but my experience felt like watching a car crash: I wanted to stop but at the same time was so curious about how it would all turn out. I typically love slow books that really dig into the minuscule details and complexities of the human experience, so I expected to love this one. I am glad I finished it because I found the ending to be really satisfying, but I am still unclear on my overall feelings.

I feel like I need to take a step back and let the story ruminate in my brain for a bit. I think, maybe, now just wasn’t the right time or season for this and I wasn’t in the right headspace, so a re-read might be in order when the weather turns back to that of the gloomy and cold variety.

Thank you for this e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

I came across this book by a booktoker and I thought it was an intersting premise. This is my first experience with reading Heather McGowan, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It was a weird lit book that was recommended. So, this felt very much like a "White Lotus" experience but in book form and more condensed (this takes place over the course of 24 hours). It was an interesting read at times, but for the most part, personally, it wasn't. Though, I like to give a book at least two chances before I really make a final decision. So, I'll let you know! But, thanks, NetGalley, for the eARC!

I got sucked into the cover of this book. Just look at it, it is simply amazing. The format of the story was great, but I sadly couldn’t get into the book, there were so many characters and I never was able to connect. Sadly I DNF-ed the book at around 40%.

Thank you NetGalley and Washington Square Press.

I wanted to like this book so bad. The premise sounded fun! However, the writing style of the time ticking by every few minutes and shifting to new characters was clunky and hard to follow. There were too many stories happening and it was difficult to become invested in any of the characters, and honestly it was difficult to tell them apart.

Maybe this one was just too complicated for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I wanted to love this story so much but I found the pages dragging. I struggled to connect with any of the characters and had a hard time following the story. I DNFed at 13% and am still giving 2 starts because it very much could have been a me problem. I may definitely give this book another chance at a later time.

This thing is dense. And contains some of the most tricky to follow dialogue I’ve ever read. This is a niche kind of story that I don’t fall in to, but I really tried. I just can’t do 500 pages of struggling to comprehend it. I’d probably recommend it to those who like a challenge in their reads.

This was a really gripping read from the outset! It takes place over the course of 24h and there is no hour that is quiet, no moment left untouched by McGowan's prose. The dialogue and the description combine to illuminate and shroud in mystery at the same time. Only so much context is offered, so much explanation given. We are swept up in the lives of the protagonists, and there are many, from the first pages or moments of their day and are with them right through until the end!

It did take me a bit to get used to no quotation marks and the blending of description and dialogue but looking back over the text as a whole it feels right and works.

Unfortunately, I did not like this book.

Taking place over the course of one day, we follow several employees of a museum in New York leading up to their annual Gala. There's not a whole lot more to the plot than that.

On paper, this seems exactly like the kind of novel I would like. Dark academia, weird LitFic, it's right up my alley. I'm sad to say this fell short. The writing itself it fine, but it drags on much too long with not a lot going on. My biggest complaint has to be that the cast of characters is SO large we never spend enough time with any of them. I didn't care about a single one. Ultimately, this novel just did not work for me.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book! Unfortunately, I read about 21% percent of this book before deciding to DNF. While I was super excited about the premise of the story, there were a couple of things that kept me from connecting with it. First was the formatting. With so many characters, not having a clear indication of who was speaking or even what was necessarily dialogue made it extremely cumbersome to even grasp what was happening in each scene. Second was the actual number of characters. While I assume that they eventually would have all had some importance and connected, they felt shallow and hard to differentiate (especially given the aforementioned formatting issue). Overall, I did my best to get into the story, but ultimately found it was just too much effort to parse things out of each scene.

The formatting of this one was really weird and felt clunky to me, and I will say that that took a lot of my interest away. Slightly too many characters and too much going on, but potentially a case of right-book-wrong-time!

Admittedly I was swept up by the pretty cover and the Mona Awad blurb when I requested this one, but my curiousity was deepened when the very polarizing reviews started coming in. Where I landed with this one was very middle of the road. As someone who loves books that feature numerous threads and interconnected POVs, I loved the idea of the story being set during a one day period following numerous people with the museum's annual gala on the horizon. This is not an easy read, not only is it a long book about a short amount of time, there's no spoon feeding the reader and there are many difficult topics discussed. However, I found these topics to be handled deftly, and the clear characterization of all the different players allowed me to follow (though it did admittedly take some getting used to.) I loved the calamitous sense of dread that pervades the tragicomedy as it unfolds and the writing is sharp. While it wasn't the most memorable of debuts for me, I am absolutely interested to see what Heather McGowan does next!

Based on the cover and summary of Friends of the Museum, I was interested to dive into what seemed like a good fit for me: museum setting with lots of characters, but unique in taking place over just 24 hours. Unfortunately, I got less than 10% of the way into the book and had to put it down. I found it completed unreadable because of the lack of quotation marks, and overall clarity of who was speaking. I am fine with investing time and effort into a book so the plot can get going, but I just could not get my feet under me for this one.

There are TWO many characters in this story. Full stop. Clocking in at an overwhelming 46, it is impossible to connect to or care for people on such a broad scale. I applaud the author for the breadth of their creativity, but I really could not engage with so many perspectives at once. I really struggled with the prose, which is heavy on dialogue and light on description. Overall, this book had a really cool premise, but the execution tripped over itself and lost me about half way through. Also, TW for fatphobia :(

Really disappointing. Didn't like the tone, couldn't care about the characters or the story and it felt way too long

I loved so much about this cast of characters and their various mishaps. I did find it hard to keep track of everyone at first, but once I was in the groove of things I just fell in love with the story.

Publication date: April 15,2025

Friends of the Museum is a beautifully written and introspective novel with poetic prose and a deep exploration of art, memory, and human connection. Heather McGowan crafts a quiet yet powerful story that lingers long after reading.

Thank you netgalley and Atria Books

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Engaging story. Was pulled in from the beginning. Relatable characters. Would definitely pick up other works by this author!

3.75 Stars

Friends of the Museum is a slice of life following 24 hours in the lives of employees of a museum. In a minute-by-minute play of the day, we learn of the personal and professional struggles of these employees as they attempt to host their annual fundraising gala.

Based on the Goodreads description of this book mentioning "in the morning someone will be dead", I expected this to be a more mystery/thriller plot driven novel than it actually was. Instead, Friends of the Museum is a character study of the various ways one may be unsatisfied in the personal or professional life and how their perspectives can shift over a 24 hour period. The characters are the strength of the novel, as each was written so distinctly and realistically. The unique format of a minute-by-minute day led to an incredible flowing pace, making the character and setting seem interconnected.

While I had different expectations for this book, I think it was masterfully written and will be a great fit for fans of Fredrick Backman and Sally Rooney.

This book had so much promise. I started reading this and got confused. I could not keep track of who was who. DNF.

This book was not for me. I didn’t realize there was going to be so many different points of view. The synopsis sounded so interesting, but unfortunately I just couldn’t connect with the handful of characters. I liked that the story takes place in a museum. The museum setting gave off this dark and moody vibe, but I didn’t like where the storyline ended up going. I wanted to love it but I was too distracted by this messy dark comedy.