A mordant and well-observed novel about office jobs and gay relationships in your 20s. It reminded me of Rufi Thorpe, Jen Beagin, GREEN DOT by Madeleine Gray, and WORRY by Alexandra Tanner.

Quick and enjoyable, matter-of-fact rather than overly emotional, and more like the TV show GIRLS than the movie THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA.

When I saw this compared to devil wears Prada I thought it would be a fun rom com vibe in the fashion world and it was not. Every single person in this book is insufferable and learns absolutely nothing at all. They all need therapy immediately. I marked it as fast paced because technically the mc is ping ponging around doing various things quickly but actually plot wise nothing happens at all. The depiction of the queer nyc scene was very negative and made everyone seem like vapid assholes. I never had a good time and wasted 3 hours trying to find something enjoyable in this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Funny, fast-paced, and insightful. Jane is a charming narrator, and you want to root for her despite her flaws. I had a great time reading this and could’ve stayed in this world longer. My only critique is that the book moves so fast, I wanted it to slow down at times and have some room to breathe. There are also so many names and positions in this book, and I confess I couldn’t keep them straight (lol) even by the end. But all these people are secondary anyway—it’s really Jane’s story.

Emily Austen meets Jen Beagin in a lit-fic novel about Jane, a girl working a 9-5 in a job she hates while also juggling two relationships. She is meeting a girl names Madeline, who is afraid of labels and free-spirited and a girl named Addy, who is romantic and ready to settle into a committed relationship.

Like I said, reminded me of Austen and Beagin. Austen's stream of consciousness type writing meets Beagin's dry-humored, insufferable characters. I had so much fun with this. The dialogue was hilarious, brimming with sarcasm and dry humor that had me laughing out loud. Jane was also the perfect main character for this type of book. She was funny, cringy, relatable, the worst person ever... the perfect kind of character for lit-fic lol.

An extraordinarily strong debut. I am excited to follow Erica Peplin's career!

Work Nights follows Jane as she navigates being a 9-5 worker in a mundane job and her crushes on a straight girl and queer girl. This was a very stream of consciousness novel looking at ~7 months of Jane's life. I had a little trouble following the writing style as it felt very journal like.

Seeing Jane's conflict between Addy and Madeline felt like a quintessential queer person experience. Falling for a straight person who isn't able to commit but also having the option of a queer person who is ready to have a relationship with you. Because of the writing style being so new to me, I had trouble enjoying the book as it was basically just a laundry list of what happened to Jane. 3.5/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

4.5 stars but I can't do half stars on this website. Reading this felt like listening to a MUNA song. Initially I found this a little bit of a hard read because I didn't like any of the characters and so didn't see how I could become invested in their lives. However, Peplin did a brilliant job at revealing parts about them as the storyline progressed and now I love how complex and authentic the characters are. I especially loved Jane's growing friendships with the people at her job and I loved Erin. Another character that I really appreciated the growth of was Madeline, she didn't necessarily change massively over the course of the novel but my perception of her did and I think this author is very skilled at creating detailed characters. On the other hand, I also loved how we were given little details about certain side characters (for example some of Jane's friends/ people she knew) and we were left to fill in the blanks ourselves. The description of setting was really immersive as well, I've never been to New York so I can't comment on how realistic it is but I really enjoyed the descriptions of Jane and Addy's neighbourhoods and the clubs and bars they went to. Thank you Simon& Schuster and NetGalley an most importantly Nina from Sapphlit for letting me read this ARC!!

Like eavesdropping on a reticent friend who’s secretly anxious and poetically hilarious, “Surrounded by fog and music and people with herpes”

This premise sounded amazing, but it fell a little flat for me. While it was a fun read at times, it did seem that it was trying too hard to be funny, which made it really difficult for me to stick with!

Bisexual books are all the rage for 2025 and I’m eating up each one that shows up on netgally. It was polished to perfection. Delightful read.

WORK NIGHTS is THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA meets BIG SWISS. Jane’s unrequited obsession with intern Madeline is a central focus of this book against the backdrop of New York City. Super atmospheric read that makes you feel like you are also slogging through a workweek in the publishing industry and wandering aimlessly through nightlife, living a life almost completely void of human connection.

Messy, gripping, and overall a wild ride. This book was one that I needed. It was witty, emotional, and the characters took me as the reader on so many twists and turns that I loved every second of it.

If you're a fan of messy protagonists, you'll enjoy this novel by Erica Peplin. Readers who appreciate the works of Swan Huntley, Anna Dorn, Miranda July, and Jen Beagin may find this book particularly appealing.

The story follows a young queer woman living in New York City. As she navigates her chaotic relationships and her job, we watch her and her circle of friends grapple with issues related to sex, dating, and work.

The narrative is filled with snarky humor and candid reflections, making it both relatable and entertaining. However, it's important for readers to note that the novel focuses more on character experiences than on a traditional plot-driven storyline.

I recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing the ARC.