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.

This book caught my eye because I saw Mona Awad had reviewed it, and unfortunately this one wasn’t quite what I was expecting! It was also a lot more disturbing than I thought it would be and there are definitely some trigger warnings to keep in mind. I did not mind this book but will probably forget about it.

I was unable to finish this and thus will not be posting a full review. I wasn't engaged and this book just wasn't for me. I was so confused by how the dialog was written and it gave me a headache. Thank you for the opportunity.

First of all I have to commend the author for creating this book and effectively telling a story that involved a large cast of characters, a very live action feeling timeline and a lot of plot points that interwove with one another. There was a lot going on in this book and a lot of characters to keep track of but I do think that it was a very interesting sort of literary fiction. Because it followed nearly every minute of a day at a New York City museum it almost felt like you were in the moment living it in live action which was really interesting. Also I have to say that I love the cover and think that that dichotomy of harsh classical art mixed with the modern bright font really captures the heart of the book.

Friends of the Museum is an almost minute-by-minute tale of 24 hours at an art museum in New York City. As the museum is on the verge of collapse, we meet a massive cast of characters, all with their jobs, secrets, a case of rampant food poisoning, and personal turmoils.

What Heather McGowan has done could be considered a massive undertaking. All of the moving parts, keeping various character voices consistent, as well as the multi-storylines, weaving them in and around each other, is masterful. This is a bit difficult to read if you aren't paying close attention. Internal thoughts and feelings are not separated from outside conversations. Multiple characters can be talking and thinking at the same time. However, this is the natural way of life, isn't it? We are all having conversations, while thinking about a million other things, with people we are loosely connected to who are also connected to others.

While the overall plots of stolen artifacts, budgets, death, relationships, and the future all combine, it's genuinely the people - Diane, Shay, Henry, Chad, everyone - that make this a readable story.

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

The description of this book was up my alley. I was very excited to read this. However, I couldn’t get through past 30%. This book was written in a way that had me confused. The dialogue between people was not clear, I couldn’t tell what was inner monologue or what was spoken by who.
I do appreciate being chosen for my first ARC but this one was not for me.

If the first season of The White Lotus were set in a fading New York City museum, it would look a lot like Friends of the Museum. This darkly funny, chaotic novel drops readers into a single extraordinary day, weaving together the stories of an ensemble cast as they hurtle toward an inevitable disaster.

I’ll admit, it took me a few starts and stops to find my rhythm with this one. The sheer number of characters—while well-drawn and compelling—can be a lot to juggle. (Thankfully, the book provides a handy reference list at the beginning!) But once I settled into the groove, I found myself captivated by the way the narrative continuously unfolds, rather than following a traditional chapter-by-chapter structure. The novel starts at 4:30 a.m. and keeps moving forward in real time, layering perspectives and tension as the museum’s annual gala looms ever closer.

While this won’t be a book for everyone, I think some of the harsher reviews have been unfair. If the premise intrigues you, I’d encourage you to give it time—this is a novel that rewards patience. It’s a hefty read, but one best approached the way you would your favorite Sunday night drama: sit back, settle in, and let the chaos unfold.

I was initially drawn to Friends of the Museum because of its stunning cover (guilty) and the premise—I love both The White Lotus and art museums. But what really sold me was the five-star endorsement from Mona Awad. If an author known for writing brilliantly unhinged characters loved this, I knew I was in for a treat.

Final Verdict: A sharp, ambitious tragicomedy that might not be for everyone but is absolutely worth the ride for those who enjoy messy, character-driven stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books | Washington Square Press for the eARC.