Other People’s Fun is a taut, elegant triumph: sharply observed, beautifully written, and quietly devastating. Harriet Lane has a gift for getting under the skin of her characters, and here she builds a subtle, spiralling tension that never lets up. Ruth’s vulnerability and Sookie’s performative confidence are rendered with chilling precision, and the way their dynamic shifts - slowly, then all at once - makes for an intensely compelling read. Every page hums with unease, and Lane’s prose is as precise and cutting as ever. A brilliant, tightly coiled novel about image, insecurity, and the invisible lines between admiration and resentment.

I’ve been waiting YEARS for Harriet Lane’s next novel, after I loved Alys, Always and was blow away by Her. Fortunately, Other People’s Fun showed me this novel was worth the wait! Land continues to show her truly outstanding abilities as a writer- few can match her skills for character development, plotting, and prose, especially in this genre. She is a master of the subtle, slow burn psychological thriller. Other People’s Fun delves into a chance meeting that the reader sees evolve into a truly toxic friendship. This is a must read!

This novel is a fantastic look at the house of cards we build for ourselves--and others in our own minds--and the realities that underpin the seeming fabulousness and glam of certain IG profiles.

I absolutely adored this dark, glittering gem of a novel! Lane is an astoundingly good writer, acutely observant and deliciously acerbic: a modern-day Patricia Highsmith. A darkly satisfying read about envy, performance, and the slips between the stories we tell ourselves and those we tell others.

This book swallowed me whole. Such a relatable theme for our current times with the way we make ourselves come off on social media and even to those we know with little white lies. There was a lot of suspense in every chapter and I was so drawn in to what would happen next. An amazing cast of characters, fantastic plot, great twists - this one had it all. I related to both Ruth and Sookie at different times. Both women were fascinating in their own ways.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Review will be posted on Instagram and Amazon on pub day and links added to NetGalley.

Oooof what a READ. We follow Ruth after her marriage crumbles but allows her to reconnect with Sookie - an old friend who never gave her the time of day. I'm typically used to more of the "popcorn", easy read thrillers, but this one goes so much deeper. First of all, Lane really has her style down, creating really impactful and powerful characters. While not the most likeable, Sookie and Ruth really force you to stop and think about the power (and sometimes toxicity!) that can come from adult, female friendships. Not to mention how what we saw and post online can follow us forever. But at the same time, it also made me laugh?

This was a really unique read that I highly recommend. It's not the typical easy-read thriller that keeps us at the edge of our seats like we normally expect, but this one really forces you to stop and think. Thanks for the ARC!

Ruth’s life is kind of falling apart. Her marriage is over, her daughter’s moving out, and her job’s going nowhere. Then Sookie, her confident, picture-perfect old friend, suddenly reappears wanting to reconnect. At first, Ruth is drawn into Sookie’s glossy, Instagram-ready world, but it doesn’t take long to realize things aren’t as perfect as they look. Other People’s Fun is a smart look at the little lies we tell and the messy truths hiding behind the filters. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

unique and interesting main character whos full of contradictions and interest and is supposedly happy to be a footnote in everyone else's story. great other chars. good plotting. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

A unique story that will have you thinking about the characters long after you finish it. This was the first book for me to read by this author but it won't be the last!

A quiet, obsessive narrator going through a divorce observes the mess that is the life of her self-assured, toxic, caller her a friend kind of person. Hard to put down, and an easy five! A must for all litfic and contemporary fans.

Harriet Lane’s “Other People’s Fun” (Little, Brown and Company, $29) is a taut, acid-tinged psychological novel looking at friendship in the age of social media.

Narrated by Ruth, a middle-aged woman whose life has dwindled to near-transparency, it examines how envy festers in the shadows of curated feeds and polished facades. When Ruth unexpectedly reconnects with Sookie, a former classmate whose life appears flawlessly charmed, their renewed acquaintance becomes a compelling, uneasy dance of longing, resentment and quiet obsession.

Lane excels at the slow burn. Instead of big twists, she builds tension through microscopic social humiliations, tiny cruelties and the way Ruth hovers just outside the frame; watching, wanting, calculating. The relationship between the two women is exquisitely uncomfortable, laced with black humor and the dread of knowing something will inevitably go wrong. And when Ruth finally asserts herself, the result is both inevitable and shockingly satisfying.

Elegant and spiky, “Other People’s Fun” is less a traditional thriller than a forensic portrait of toxic friendship and the fantasies we project online. It’s a quietly vicious story that will leave fans of psychological suspense deliciously unsettled.