"Young Fools" by Liza Palmer is a captivating novel that follows the lives of Helen Hicks and Cherry Stewart, two aspiring writers who meet at the prestigious Hayward Writing Intensive. Their friendship blossoms under the pressure of showcasing their potential in the literary world, shaped by their diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Young Fools by Liza Palmer

Aspiring writers Helen Hicks and Cherry Stewart attend the famous Hayward Writing Intensive and become friends despite their very different backgrounds. Helen is the daughter of professors and has degrees and an MFA from prestigious universities, whereas Cherry has not been to university and is from a deprived background. The book is the story of their friendship and writing lives following the week they spend at the residential.

Wow what an amazing book! I loved everything about it - the characters, the story, the twists and turns, the setting.... everything! It's different to everything else I've read in such a long time and really fresh, funny and compelling. Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I thoroughly and wholeheartedly enjoyed reading this book! Bravo, Liza Palmer!

We meet the socially inept Helen Hicks (what a cringe-worthy name, for sure!) and the irrepressible Cherry Stewart as they arrive at the prestigious and much coveted Hayward Writing Intensive competition.

Helen has a degree from a prestigious college and an MFA to boot. She's attended just about every literary retreat and workshop she could get into and this time, after years of fruitless struggle, she is frantically determined to claim the literary flag that she believes is rightfully hers.

Cherry Stewart, born in the slums of L.A., is the epitome of everyone's zaniest wild child friend. Her high-volume, way-out-there personality keeps her on the fringes of all the literary action. She has the talent and the desire, but her writing needs more polish and depth.

I was glued to every page as we are exposed to the trials and tribulations of these struggling unpublished group of writers. For those of us who ever dared to to hope or dream of publishing a novel during our misguided youth, <u>Young Fools</u> is proof that talent, perseverance and willpower may not be enough to get the job done. The competition is fierce and the chances of getting an agent to give you the time of day are dismally low... not to say non-existent.

Potential Spoiler Alert: I've read a few reviews here on GoodReads that state outright that the first half of the novel was actually "a novel within a novel." Maybe it's me, but I just don't see that at all. I <i> did</i> notice that there was a time leap - and a CHANGE OF POINT OF VIEW around the half-way mark of this novel.

The point of view shifts to the other central figure in this novel: we now experience the action from the eyes of an older, slightly wiser Cherry Stewart who has, almost two decades later, published several thrillers and whose books have spawned a televised series or two. Go, Cherry!

Cherry is incensed that her former BFF, Helen, has finally managed to publish a book that shamelessly lampoons the entire gang of wannabe writers at that fateful Hayward Writing Intensive. The last portion of this novel contained so many well timed literary explosives that I was starting to cower at the end of each chapter. What could possibly happen next?

Well, I have to say: that ending was positively heart-warmingly perfect. (I invariably root for the underdog!)

Very well done, Liza Palmer!!! I have read just about every one of her books - and loved them all. (I'm also happy that she has recovered from her own cancer diagnosis - if Helen is to be believed!) This was an engrossing and highly entertaining glimpse into the professional writer's world and it deserves all the stars!!!

My thanks to the author, Liza Palmer, her publishers, and NetGalley for an ARC of this brilliant novel (potentially within another novel - <i>heck, what do I know?!?!</i>) in exchange for an honest review!! 5 out of 5 enthusiastic stars! Highly recommended!

Young Fools by Liza Palmer follows Helen Hicks and Cherry Stewart, two young writers who meet at the prestigious, week-long Hayward Writing Intensive. Their friendship is forged under the mounting pressure of trying to demonstrate potential in the literary world. They both have disparate backgrounds and experiences, which impact the ways in which they approach the workshop, people, writing, and life generally.

After that week, the story follows the two writers’ lives at various points during their careers and the events that unfold. Despite plans and aspirations, their trajectories are anything but straightforward. Can their friendship, and who they believe themselves to be, stand the test of time?

Liza Palmer deftly crafted the personalities and histories of both women. Even in the most imperfect actions and trying choices, I couldn’t help but hope for the best for the characters. Each character (including side characters) was decidedly human, at times unlikable, but gripping in a way that made me keep turning the pages and wanting to know more.

If you love bookish books, strong female main characters, ambition-driven action, and stories following friendships, this one’s for you.  Young Fools will be published on September 9, 2025, by Lake Union Publishing.  Liza Palmer is also the author of Family Reservations, The Nobodies, The F Word, and Nowhere but Home.

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Young Fools is a lovely exploration of what friendship means. And, what it doesn’t. And, what someone will do if desperate to have just one friend, and how it feels to be overlooked as just a blob in the landscape.

The characters in this book are very real and watching the evolution and dissolution of the friendship between the two female protagonists over decades is fascinating to watch. There are twists and turns and surprises along the way that I didn’t see coming, which is for me the hallmark of a terrific book. The character development and descriptive language allowed me to feel that not only was a fly on the wall with these women, but practically in each of their heads as I read. I could not put this one down.

I look forward to reading more from Liza Palmer. She is a talented writer with keen insight into the human condition.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book as an advance reader’s copy.

Thank you to #NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

If “fiction books about writing fiction books” was a genre, I’d read nothing else. Books that make me fall in love with writing all over again have a very special place in my heart.

At the core of this book lies friendship and ambition. Sometimes working to bolster each other, but often butting heads and creating ultimatums for the characters. It’s a book you’ll want to dissect while also (if you’ve ever considered yourself to be a writer) making you feel like you’re the one under the scalpel.

The way this book approaches friendship is beyond beautiful and in the same instance utterly devastating. Even with the jumps in time, I felt like I grew up with Helen and Cherry, watching their characters mature while staying true to their fundamental quirks.

One of my favourite passages: “It’s not that what Tess said was particularly groundbreaking; on the contrary, it was quite simple—childlike, even. She related every writer in attendance at Hayho to a little kid running around in a Spider-Man Halloween costume, earnestly fwipping webs as if they’re finally able to fully embody their whole self. And for a roomful of writers who’d like the story of themselves to be far more erudite and complicated, that one little anecdote enabled Tess Bayard to pierce through all their well-trained haughtiness and unmask them as just little kids with dreams of a life beyond their four walls.”

Young Fools is a heartfelt exploration of ambition, creativity, and the intricate ties that define us. Liza Palmer skillfully weaves a narrative that is both emotionally resonant and intellectually engaging. Her prose is imbued with warmth and wit, offering profound insights into the journey of self-discovery and the complexities of relationships. Palmer's characters leap off the page with authenticity, their dialogues vibrant and true-to-life. Themes of mentorship and personal growth are expertly explored, striking a chord with anyone navigating the path between who they are and who they aspire to be. This book is a must-read for fans of contemporary fiction that delves deep into the human experience, blending heart and humor seamlessly. Highly recommended for those who understand the struggle of taking uncertain yet courageous steps toward understanding oneself and the world.

I enjoy books by Liza Palmer. Her latest, Young Fools was a great book. It's available this fall. Don't skip it.

Thank you so much for the review copy, I appreciate it so much. I did enjoy this book to an extent but it would have to be a DNF at 30 percent for me. While I appreciate that this is women’s fiction, it was so difficult for me to understand how the plot played with what happened in the book while I read it and I do appreciate why people will like it and still recommend this book to a lot of people but it was just not me sadly.

I absolutely loved this book! Even though I finished it in a couple of days, I felt like I had been reading it forever, but in a good way - by the end of the novel, I felt so connected to the characters and felt like I had been through a rollercoaster with them.

I should start by saying this book is not what you think it’s going to be. About 75% of the way through, it flips itself on its head in a wonderfully surprising way. One of my notes before 75% was ‘why are both women on the cover blonde?!’ - post 75%, it’s clear why, and it absolutely delighted me that I could look at this note again and laugh. What a genius move!

Although Helen is a deeply unlikeable character in many ways, I also couldn’t help but relate to her. I felt like she reflected the worst parts of myself back to me, in a way that was almost uncomfortable to read. I think many readers will relate to this and see themselves in Helen. Cherry was a delight - her backstory and her character arc were lovely to read and were an excellent balance to Helen’s more difficult story. That said, I also really liked Helen’s character arc, and I think the novel ended perfectly.

I really loved this book, far more than I thought I would which is always a lovely surprise. I think there are some loose comparisons to Yellow Face, but it is also so different. This has definitely showed me that I love a book set in a literary/publishing world - who knew there was so much drama!

I was thrilled with a chance to read and review “Young Fools” by Liza Palmer. Like the two main characters, Helen and Cherry, I’m a novelist, and so, a lot of this story I immediately related to.

Helen, a daughter of two professors, attends a writer’s conference, desperate to obtain a fellowship so she doesn’t have to follow in her parents’ footsteps and teach. There, she meets Cherry who, though lacks Helen’s pedigree, can still tell a story. The friendship turns rivalry takes the twosome through the next few decades. Both become published writers, but at what costs?

I found Helen utterly obnoxious but in a delightful way. She walks in to the conference knowing she is going to secure the fellowship and it doesn’t matter who she hurts in the process. It is laughable that the one item she publishes in the ten years that follow is a (most likely) pretentious short story. However, when Cherry finishes her novel (and finds both an agent and publisher), Helen continues to find ways to cut her friend down. Yet, you don’t have to like Helen to enjoy this story. I went through fiction workshops as both an undergrad and graduate and Palmer’s scenes of writers interacting rings true in a way that surprised me. I read this novel in a handful of days because I enjoyed it so much. Palmer also provides a couple of unexpected twists. (Remember the unreliable narrator).

Four and a half out of five stars.

Thanks to Liza Palmer, the publisher, and Net Galley for a chance to read and review this novel.

Thank you netgalley for this E-Arc

This was such an entertaining read with moments that had me laughing. Seeing the complexities within the friendships and betrayal were wrote beautifully and truly had me hating Helen the majority of the time. The twists were surprising and I found myself feeling so shocked. Such a heartfelt and enjoyable read.

Young Fools is a smart, emotionally honest story about ambition, creativity, and the complicated relationships that shape us. Liza Palmer writes with warmth, wit, and insight, capturing that uncertain space between who we are and who we’re trying to become.

The characters feel real, the dialogue crackles, and the themes—especially around mentorship and self-discovery—hit just right. Perfect for fans of character-driven contemporary fiction with heart and humour.

Highly recommend if you’ve ever felt like you’re figuring it all out… one awkward, brave step at a time.

Young Fools

Starting off strong- the format of this book is absolutely terrible. It’s dual perspective, kind-of. Except not. It’s primarily Helen’s perspective, except then it randomly switches to Cherry’s near the end of the book, then goes back and forth randomly without much rhyme or reason. Definitely not back and forth with each chapter.

It’s also broken down into ten year blocks of time- 1995, 2005, 2015, and a few pages in 2025. This could be a big formatting focus, but it took me until the third “block” to click that there wasn’t a random jump of time. The pacing just didnt feel natural.

Finally, without spoiling it too much, the first half of the book is later revealed as actually being a book itself. But this doesn’t flow well either.

The writing in the first part, perhaps because it’s a book inside a book, was very elementary. Frequently I caught myself asking how a book about writing and how to become a good author was so poorly written. The character development was incredibly slow. Everyone was described at the surface level.

The little plot twist at the end was the only good part. It was the hero arc we needed to save us from such a terrible story line.

CAWPILE score: 31
2/5 stars

C 4/10
A 5/10
W 3/10
P 5/10
I 5/10
L 5/10
E 4/10
Total: 31/70

DNF.
Couldn't get into the story. The writing is too dense unnecessarily. The blurb sounded so cool and promising but the execution was so inefficiently done.

Helen Hicks is one of the mfc. The book starts off with readers learning more about Helen. Her small town, where she grew up in thought her whole family was weird, and she was labelled an outcast. Her bad attitude didn't help. She tried to think of herself as s character in a book, but nothing she did seemed to fix the loneliness she felt. Helen decides to sign up for a contest where the winner wins the Gelding Fellowship. Helen really, really wants to win because she wants her parents to be proud of her and see that she can be a successful writer.

Helen soon meets Cherry after she pointed out how Helen's hair dye stained the back of her shirt (I laughed so hard picturing this.) Helen believes that Cherry could be a literary genius after she spoke out in class. From there, their friendship blooms as they write notes back and forth to each other in class. As the story continues, Helen begins to get praised for her writing, even being told that one of her pieces was the most promising. Things happen that create a wedge between the two girls, and soon they start having a feud that lasts YEARS. Towards the end of the book, it just reminded me of how fast time flies and how much you can miss in someone else's life when you let something simmer negatively in your friendship.

This book was one that I enjoyed. Female friendships are one of my favourite types of fiction books to read about. I loved seeing each of the characters' growth in this book. 3rd person is not always my favourite writing style to read about, but it quickly grew on me in this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union for the opportunity to read Young Fools by Liza Palmer. I loved his book. Liza Palmer deftly and with great sensitivity peels back layers of a friendship to get to the very tender heart. How many of us have pushed back against thoughts and feelings about best friends because they felt disloyal - and because we were unable to face the root of those feelings? Bravo for Liza Palmer, Helen, and Cherry.