Early Thirties

A Novel

By: Josh Duboff

Narrated by: Graham Halstead, Rachel F. Hirsch, Helen Laser, Jeremy Carlisle Parker, Emily Tremaine

Kaia Gerber’s Library Science March Book Club Pick • Best Books of 2025 List by Vogue • Most Anticipated Novels of 2025 List by Marie Claire • Best New Books of Spring 2025 List by Bustle • Must-Read Books of Spring 2025 List by Town & Country

“The year’s best coming-of-age novel is about adults.” —GQ

A hilarious and painfully relatable debut novel about two thirtysomething best friends’ messy search for connection and love in New York, perfect for fans of Rebecca Serle, Gabrielle Zevin, and Dolly Alderton.

Sometimes friendship can be its own love story.

Victor and Zoey are getting old, well older-er, and it’s beginning to be a real problem.

Best friends for a decade in New York City, they have supported each other through bad dates and office drama, late nights and hungover brunches.

As their wild twenties come to a close, though, the dynamic between the two is shifting. Coming off a tough breakup, Victor dedicates his energy towards building a career writing celebrity profiles for one of the last glossy magazines left, while Zoey navigates the terrain at her nascent fashion startup, questioning her future with her fiancé. The friends and acquaintances in their orbit—authors, influencers, “It girls”—are also searching for a sense of belonging amidst anxieties and self-doubt.

But when tragedy befalls Victor, his once unbreakable bond with Zoey really starts to crack. They find themselves ignoring their ongoing text thread and pushing away what might be the most meaningful relationship of their lives. An immersive, hilarious, and heartbreaking story, this is a debut novel about best friendship, finding yourself, and realizing growing up has as much to do with the person you were as it does with the person you are desperately trying to become.

A great listen!

A smart, enthralling, multi-point-of-view story that looks into how friendships - and one's sense of identity - shift in one's early 30s.  The multiple narrators do a wonderful job bringing the unique characters to life.

Representative of this period of life

Extremely representative of life and relationships in your thirties, with a diverse mix of personalities and challenges. A very enjoyable read.

Description doesn’t match story

This book was not what I thought it was going to be, the relationships didn’t work and honestly never did. The main character is hard to relate to, and seems narcissistic. They through random characters in that it was hard to keep up. Not a fan

Modestly Enjoyable

I’m a 29M and downloaded after reading in GQ. I actually liked the last few chapters of the book, but the majority of the book dragged on for me and I found the characters to be frustrating. But, I’m happy with how it all tied together in the end.