Young Fools by Liza Palmer is such an insightful book about being a writer and the creative process. Helen’s crippling self-doubt and inner critic, her hyper-awareness of not fitting in all while trying to remain aloof and act like she doesn’t care that she is an outcast…but also how she wants to write the perfect book and how these flaws prevent her from moving forward and finding success... All of these introspections were so painful and written with such brilliance and accuracy.

There is a snobbishness in the world of books, too, pitting literary fiction against any of the best-selling genres…a kind of backhanded attitude about writing ‘real’ books, which Liza Palmer also captures so well as Helen clings to her published short story and her almost academic approach to writing while putting down Cherry’s runaway achievements in writing popular thrillers.

But the most aching part of the story comes down to friendship and the jealousy that tears Helen and Cherry apart, each one feeling right and indignant about their positions in their dynamic. I admit, I didn’t always follow the narrative as Helen twists fact and fantasy and in this way the story lost me a little bit. However, it was such a good book that I was able to keep up well enough and savor this author’s deep and poignant writing.

Liza Palmer is one of my favorite authors and I always look forward to reading what’s new from her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The big plot twist 3/4 through brought the story alive for me.

With thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this e-ARC.

Great read, especially if you're a writer as it delves into the ups and downs of writing, the behind the scenes world and potential drama. I was totally shocked by the twist that Palmer drops in the book and found myself blissfully baffled by what I'd just read! We are taken on a friendship journey between two women who meet in their 20s and how that friendship and their writing careers twist and turn into their 40s. This book will have you looking at yourself and friendships wondering who you really are and how you see yourself.

Thank you to the publisher for kindly providing me with an advance reader copy of this book.
This novel is a slow burn in the truest sense—while the plot is genuinely intriguing, the pacing, particularly in the first third, feels weighed down by excessive scene-setting and introspective detail. The focus on Helen’s inner world, though intentional and clearly crafted to emphasize her unreliability, at times came across as overly self-indulgent, making it a bit difficult to stay fully engaged early on.

That said, the second half completely turned things around. The narrative gains momentum, emotional depth sharpens, and the psychological tension intensifies in really satisfying ways. Both main characters, Helen and Cherry, are written with complexity and nuance, and I found myself sympathizing with them more than I expected—especially Cherry, who I ended up loving. Even Helen, whose perspective initially grated on me, grew more compelling as the story unfolded.

Ultimately, this is a sharp and thoughtful examination of envy, insecurity, and the fragile dynamics that can exist within female friendships. While not perfect, it left a strong impression and gave me plenty to reflect on.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I adored Liza Palmer's earlier books. Young Fools is about friendship. friendship between the two main characters, Helen Hicks and Cherry Stewart.

The two meet at a writing workshop intensive nicknamed HayHo. Helen is really unbearable in the first part of this book, and I was close to putting it down a few times. Helen is maddening in that she thinks she's better than everyone else while having no real friends and being insecure, a hallmark of low self-esteem.

Cherry was a breath of fresh air, I really liked her a lot, despite what it seemed to be snobbish bias from Helen's point of view.
This book takes us from 1995, 2005, 2015, and finally 2025. A lot can happen in increments of 10 years.

The reveal towards the end had me questioning the obviously unreliable narrator and everything I had read. It was a very risky writing choice that made me debate whether it was a wise choice, to alienate, and betray the reader in such a way.

Nevertheless, this book is about friendship and not focused on romance. It's about writing as well. I would recommend borrowing from the library.

trigger warning for mental illness and suicide, drug addiction, not a main theme.

3/5☆

I really enjoyed this book, I read it over the weekend and I’m still thinking about it. I love reading about female friendships and how they grow and change. I highly recommend it

It is rare to get to read books about female friendship at this level, especially involving characters as socially awkward as Helen and Cherry. This book was introspective and made me cringe - in the best possible way. Some of the things that Helen or Cherry do or say - the second hand embarrassment was strong! As someone who can be awkward in social situations, sometimes it felt like the author was writing from inside my own head.

I really appreciated that this book didn't devolve into any kind of romance. We follow these women in 10 year increments (a story device I love) as they pursue their hearts' desire of becoming published authors and we never really stray from that premise which can sometimes happen in these books - one friend gives up because she's found a partner and decides her dream wasn't her real dream. Young Fools stays true to Helen and Cherry. And then! The third act 'twist' was so brilliant, I screamed when it was revealed.

I know that people familiar with publishing and writing are going to enjoy this book. It could be a great book for book clubs. I wonder if people outside of these worlds will appreciate the book in the same way. As I mentioned, it is very much an introspective book and that's not always what people are after.

I would definitely recommend this book to other readers though. Ones who appreciate a friendship story (seriously, they're rare!), those who love reading about the inner workings of publishing or a coming-of-age story. I'd also probably recommend it to those readers who appreciate more of a literary bend to their reading. I thought Young Fools was smart, sharp, emotional, so awkward (complimentary), and a great example of the coming-of-age novel.

I just closed Young Fools, and let me tell you—I was hooked from the very first workshop scene. Liza Palmer skillfully drops you into the chaotic, competitive heart of the Hayward Writing Intensive, where egos collide and ambitions flare. It’s a razor-sharp dive into the literary mindscape—and I was right there for all of it.

Friendships are beautiful relationships but then they can get tragic as well. Friendship breakups hurt a lot and this story shows so. But the entire lesson is that time is not fleeting and we shouldn't hold on to grudges.

Filled with passion and angst, this is a book tailor-made for anyone who has ever aspired to write - or rather, to be a “writer” — a seemingly innocuous label that, for those in the literary “know”, carries an inordinate amount of weight. A label that can invoke literary snobbery, a scholarly bent, brimming with judgement, pomposity, and erudition. All of which can turn a dream so ugly — leaving those who aspire to simply write something great, something deeply intrinsic and pure, struggling instead in the shallows.

Helen Hicks is a “weird and off-putting” aspiring writer. When she meets Cherry Stewart, a somewhat gauche young woman with writerly stars in her eyes, the two form an unlikely friendship. Both of them are hell-bent on writing— a masterpiece (for Helen) and a jolly good read (for less academically-inclined Cherry). As attendees who have earned a place at an elite writing workshop, the women are there to learn, to critique others and to grow their own writing skills. Immersed with their peers in an intensive program, only one attendee will win the coveted price - an industry award which will deliver authoring mentorship and a cash stipend (along with a boatload of enviable glory) — all of which will significantly advance the road to true, identity-defining writer-hood.

Written in the alternating voices of Helen and Cherry, this is an introspective character-driven book, a yearning and achingly vulnerable peek into unbridled youth and urgency, envy and torment. Clever and thoughtful, both voices are utterly engrossing, sometimes repelling, and always interesting. With more than one trick up her sleeve, the author delivers an absorbing read, one which includes a wry critique of the publishing world, and a nostalgic look at longing — along with an underlying warning to each of us that lifelong dreams, once attained, are never truly as imagined.

A wonderful book, I enjoyed this one cover to cover, and look forward to reading more from this newly-discovered (for this reader) author.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to rate this one, I spent the whole novel hating on Helen, the main character. She’s so brutal and an absolute narcissist!
But it sure made for a satisfying character arc.

I liked that this jumped ahead in 10 year blocks, starting with the beginning of Helen and Cherry’s friendship at Hayward for a week long writing workshop. And while I disliked Helen, I loved reading about Cherry and how she thrived following that workshop.

Without giving any little surprises away, there was a clever twist about half way through, that I loved, even though it confused me at first.

Among the many things I enjoyed about this book, was that it re-motivated me to get back to my own manuscript and start edits.

I highly recommend this, especially for writers at any stage in their hobby/career.

Thank you so much Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think we've all been there - we have that "friend" (or frenemy?) that we connected with because we had so much in common, but where is the line between similarity and competition? "Young Fools" follows the narrative of Helen and Cherry in alternating POVs across varying stages of life that show the development and change of their relationship over time. In some ways, the things that brought them together in the first place end up being the same things that force them apart.

Ooof. This brought back a lot of tender memories of my own college friend/roommate - we quickly grew attached at the hip being in the same major and having lots of similar hobbies, but when graduation arrived and we started our adult lives, those same things that connected us together turned into sources of resentment, jealousy, and competition. I saw a lot of my own situation in both Helen and Cherry and feel that a lot of other readers probably do as well. This book touched on so many important themes about identity and confidence that I wish I had learned much earlier in life. The ending felt a little flat compared to the emotional nature of the rest of the story, but I still enjoyed the book overall. Thank you so much for the ARC!

Young Fools follows two women, Helen and Cherry, over the course of a few decades. They are both novelists who meet at a prestigious writing workshop in 1995. I found Helen to be so delusional, obnoxious, and insufferable in, surprisingly, all the right ways. She is a person who is so clearly always in her head. Liza Palmer did a great job of putting us right there with her.

This book focused a lot on identity. Who are we, how do we present ourselves to the world, and how we're actually perceived. I enjoyed the themes of this book and loved how in depth and complex the characters. I do wish that we got more from the ending, but it was still touching.

Thank you to Liza Palmer, Lake Union Publishing, and Net Galley for this ARC!

A story of friendship and how it can fall apart if you allow it to!!! This was a very interesting story the characters came together like no other story I felt the words I loved the way everything came together in this book

Oh my God, this book is amazing! Why? Because it dares to be incredibly honest about how very petty friendships can be, even between so-called best friends. I squirmed all the way through the book at the things these characters were willing to say Out Loud to each other.
The first part of the book takes part at a writer's retreat, with a publishing deal at the end of it. Lifelong friendships and rivalries are made. Two people become best friends.
The story moves on with some stunningly awkward set-piece occasions which completely explode the friendship in the most awful and entertaining ways. A great read.

I found this to be really engaging and a fun read, with plenty to say about who we are vs who we present ourselves to be. I also really loved that it was a look at friendship rather than romance, and I loved all of the inside baseball about writing and publishing.

In the end I wasn’t super satisfied with the ending; I really enjoyed the 1995, 2005 and 2015 instalments, but felt it lost its way slightly with the 2025 segment. And I really hated the shoehorned queer character who appeared mere pages from the end.

But ultimately I enjoyed it and the themes it explored have definitely stayed with me.

Liza Palmer, you are a legend for writing this book.

I don’t even know how to describe how this book made me feel, but I’ll try :)

This is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read. And I don’t mean that lightly. I mean it. It felt like I was being cracked open and put back together with words.

I don’t know where to begin, but let’s start easy! This book is about two women: Helen and Cherry. One is controlled, ambitious, chasing literary greatness like her life depends on it. The other is free-spirited, unpredictable, and full of a kind of quiet fire. Their friendship starts as something creative and full of hope — and then, over years and heartbreak and secrets, it turns into something messy and complicated and incredibly <i>real.</i>

This book dives into what it means to be an artist, yes — but also what it means to be human. It’s about trying to make something of yourself, about how we define success, and what happens when we tie our self- worth to the dreams we’re too afraid to admit out loud. It’s about friendship, betrayal, jealousy, growing up, and holding on — and then letting go.

There are so many things this book talks about, ambition, friendship, aging, grief, art, love, and how we sometimes live as a <i>reaction</i> to life instead of living as ourselves. That hit me hard (Like truly hard, I was tearing up).

What I loved most, though, is how deeply human every character is. No one is perfect!!! No one is fully good or fully bad. Even the side characters — who only show up briefly — have so much depth and care put into them. You get this aching sense that every life in this book matters. Every relationship, every moment, every little heartbreak — it all matters.

Look, I really am not a crier over books, but <i>this</i> made <i>me</i> cry — not necessarily in a sad way — but still, it made me cry.

<b>Also, I just have to say — Liza Palmer did something so specific and so brilliant in this book, I genuinely don’t even have the words. She’s a genius. Truly. I’m still speechless.</b>

Anyway, I’m emotional atm.

<i>Thank you to Lake Union and NetGalley for the ARC. I’m so so grateful I got to read this early. And I can’t wait for the world to fall in love with it too.</i> #womensfiction #strongfmc #friendship #generalfiction #mentalhealthrep

Young Fools by Liza Palmer is biting, bold, and uncomfortably honest in all the best ways. From the very first workshop scene, I felt like I had been dropped right into the heart of a creative battlefield, where egos clash, friendships crack, and literary ambition pulses just under the skin. I was completely hooked.

The story follows Helen, the daughter of two academics, who arrives at a prestigious writing conference with a quiet sort of entitlement and a razor-sharp desire to win a fellowship and avoid the fate of becoming a professor like her parents. There, she meets Cherry, who doesn’t have the pedigree Helen boasts, but she can tell a story. What begins as an unexpected friendship spirals into a long, messy rivalry that unfolds over decades.

I’ll be honest: Helen made me cringe. Often. She’s smug, cutting, and frequently insufferable. But she’s also compelling as hell. I found myself rooting for her despite her worst instincts, and that’s a testament to Palmer’s skill in writing deeply flawed women with nuance and unflinching honesty. Palmer doesn’t shy away from showing the ugly side of ambition, envy, or even female friendship. And that’s what made this so refreshing.

The depiction of the writing world, especially the workshop dynamics, the subtle posturing, the unspoken power plays, was painfully real. If you’ve ever been in a writing program or surrounded by creatives in a competitive setting, this book will hit home in ways that are both nostalgic and deeply uncomfortable. Palmer captures it with surgical precision.

What really pushed this book over the edge for me was the twist. Without spoiling it, let’s just say Young Fools makes brilliant use of the unreliable narrator trope and delivers a punch you don’t see coming. The structure of the book is clever, and it constantly plays with your perception of who’s telling the truth and at what cost.

For readers who like:
-Stories about messy, complicated women
-Female friendship-to-rivalry arcs
-Academic and creative settings

Final Verdict
Young Fools is unlike anything I’ve read before. It’s a book that embraces discomfort, ugliness, and truth in equal measure. Helen is not easy to like but she’s impossible to look away from. I flew through this book in just a few sittings and found myself thinking about it long after I’d turned the last page. This was my first Liza Palmer novel, and now I’m eager to explore more of her work. If you enjoy darkly witty, introspective fiction about ambition, ego, and the blurred line between friend and foe, Young Fools is absolutely worth your time.

Grateful to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Liza Palmer for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the intensity of this book, the way it was written, discussing inner thoughts and anxieties resonated with me.
I could not believe how nonchalantly the winner of the award was woven into the text, I had to re-read that part and I imagined how Helen must have felt receiving the information.
Loved the twist with the characters Helen and Cherry, it spurred me on to read more!
A great read.

4.5 stars. Thank you Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC! Wow! I was initially drawn to request this book because of the description but I feel like this book is so much deeper than I thought it would be - which I LOVED! This book was so beautifully written - I highlighted so many lines.

During the first third of the book, I felt like I was at the workshop with these characters and I was really excited to see where the story would go. I loved that the focus of the story was female friendship and how the author did show ugly sides to the characters. The main character did things and said things that made me cringe but I still found myself rooting for her.

I also loved the twist. This book is unlike anything I have ever read before. This was the first book I've read by Liza Palmer and I am interested in checking out more of her work.