Three thirtysomething friends reckon with seemingly successful lives that aren’t living up to expectations, thanks to mediocre apartments, marital strife, and the gradual dissolution of their chosen industry, print media.' - Entertainment Weekly 'Mechling gives the time-honored moving-to-New York City novel a refreshing update: failure. A delectably uncomfortable time capsule of our post-aughts selves and the honest struggles that lurk inside the hearts of women everywhere.” - Vogue Catherine Lacey, author of Certain American States How Could She satirizes New York's cultural elite and tells a brutally honest story about the fluctuations of power between friends Lauren Mechling is an obvious heir to Nora Ephron.' Profound, radiantly alive, insightful, large-hearted, Lauren Mechling's How Could She goes a long way toward addressing this. 'There doesn't begin to be enough fiction centered on friendships, especially friendships among women. Rumaan Alam, author of Rich and Pretty and That Kind of Mother Witty but never too wicked, cutting but never too cruel, How Could She is a thoroughly modern comedy of manners.” “Lauren Mechling’s debut is at once a portrait of three very real women and a wry send up of the times in which we live. Emma Straub, New York Times bestselling author of The Vacationers Mechling's observations are vivid and fresh, and this book will win her many a fan.' 'Lauren Mechling's sophisticated new novel dives right into those stickiest parts of women's inner lives, their friendships with each other. Elif Batuman, author of Pulitzer Prize-finalist The Idiot 'What a hilarious, devastating, yet humane representation of a gratifyingly specific slice of New York life! How Could She is at once a compulsively readable catalogue of 'painfully curated' (Mechling's phrase) outfits, menus, emails, guest lists, and magazine assignments, a true-and mysterious-feeling portrayal of the way friends' relative statuses fluctuate over time, and as wise and unforgiving as a nineteenth-century French novel.' Stephanie Danler, bestselling author of Sweetbitter Very few writers can entertain and still reveal deep pathos-Mechling has done it flawlessly.'

I know these women I am these women: flawed, conspiring, neurotic, and loving.

“Lauren Mechling's portrait of the ramifications of female friendship is so razor-sharp and accurate I found myself wincing as I read.

The idiot elif batuman barnes and noble