Plays Well with Others

A Novel

By: Sophie Brickman

Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

In the vein of Where’d You Go, Bernadette and Fleishman Is in Trouble, a wickedly funny and incisive debut novel following a mother trapped in the rat race of NYC parenting as her life unravels.

"Funny, relatable fiction for anyone who thinks they're above the fray but still want to read all about it."—People

"Heavenly hilarity for readers."—Good Housekeeping

It takes a village...just not this one.

Annie Lewin is at the end of her rope. She’s a mother of three young children, her workaholic husband is never around, and the vicious competition for spots in New York City’s kindergartens is heating up. A New York Times journalist-turned-parenting-advice-columnist for an internet start-up, Annie can’t help but judge the insanity of it all—even as she finds herself going to impossible lengths to secure the best spot for her own son.

As Annie comes to terms with the infinitesimal odds of success, her intensifying rivalry with hotshot lawyer Belinda Brenner—a deliciously hateful nemesis, what with her perfectly curated bento box lunches and effortless Instagram chic—pushes her to the brink. Of course, this newly raw and unhinged version of Annie is great for the advice column: the more she spins out, the more clicks and comments she gets.

But when she commits a ghastly social faux pas that goes viral, she’s forced to confront the question: is she really any better than the cutthroat parents she always judged?

A shimmering epistolary novel incorporating emails, group texts, advice columns, newspaper profiles, and more, Plays Well with Others is a whip-smart, genuinely funny romp through the minefield of modern motherhood. But beneath its fast-paced, satirical veneer, Brickman gives us a fresh, open-hearted, all-too-real take on what it means to be a parent—fierce love, craziness, and all.

©2024 Sophie Brickman (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

Boring story

I struggled through this audio book. If I hadn’t used a credit for this book, I would’ve DNF after 100 pages. All it was about was the competition of getting your child in the best schools in kindergarten and what you have to go through to be accepted. Very boring 🥱

NOTHING

Zero character development. The only plot is how much smarter the main character is than anyone else in the book. The kids are whiny and weird. I was hoping for a fun, easy sort of scandalous listen, but nothing really happens.

What a bad book!!!! I can’t believe it got a good review

Confusing, ridiculous and insulting !! This book wanders around says nothing, and there are no redeeming qualities. Do not waste your time. Wow, horrible.

Wendy, Matrescence, group texts, modern parenting, game theory, etc.

Really loved it. Hilarious throughout, but also powerful at times about motherhood/parenthood.

I'd read her previous book Baby Unplugged right before having our first child, and it was both very entertaining and informative/thought provoking about how and when not to use technology. Now we have an infant and a toddler and the school years ahead (in NYC), and reading Plays Well With Others was a little scary, but is also a refreshing roast of NYC parents and schools.

A couple of things I thought really enriched the story and made it more than just a good comedy: (1) Wendy: A recurring metaphor/part of the story is the character of Wendy from Peter Pan, who is a child herself but is called on herself to suddenly become a mother figure. (2) Matrescence: The main character who is a blogger/ parent influencer had gained influence after writing an article based on recent research about how motherhood is not comprised of instinctual behaviors that suddenly kick in at child birth, but motherhood is a period of learning how to be a mother from scratch, which the researchers call matrescence (like a maternal adolescence). These two themes give context to the main character's struggles while seeking what's best for her children and what to do/how far to go to obtain it.

The use of group text chains, emojis, emails from a gen Z editor and her husband's jargon on business conference calls all add more funny voices and flavor to the satire. The world of the book seems so wild that you almost miss that it's the main character who is starting to lose it. The Undoing, Big Little Lies, and Fleishman is in Trouble came to mind at times.

For those who follow parenting ig pages (Dr. Becky, Big Little Feelings, etc.), there are great cameos of the big modern parenting schools of thought. Also, the book includes really nice use of game theory and the prisoner's dilemma with a twist.

I'd recommend for parents, and not just in New York or for those going through a school application process. I think any parent would enjoy (or anyone wanting to laugh at wealthy NYC private school parents).