Friends and Strangers Audiobook By J. Courtney Sullivan cover art

Friends and Strangers

A novel

Preview
Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Friends and Strangers

By: J. Courtney Sullivan
Narrated by: Kate Rudd
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $22.50

Buy for $22.50

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

A Today Show #ReadWithJenna Book Club Pick!

An insightful, hilarious, and compulsively enjoyable novel about a complicated friendship between two women who are at two very different stages in life, from the best-selling author of Maine and Saints for All Occasions (named one of the Washington Post's Ten Best Books of the Year and a New York Times Critics' Pick).

Elisabeth, an accomplished journalist and new mother, is struggling to adjust to life in a small town after nearly 20 years in New York City. Alone in the house with her infant son all day (and awake with him much of the night), she feels uneasy, adrift. She neglects her work, losing untold hours to her Brooklyn moms' Facebook group, her "influencer" sister's Instagram feed, and text messages with the best friend she never sees anymore.

Enter Sam, a senior at the local women's college, whom Elisabeth hires to babysit. Sam is struggling to decide between the path she's always planned on and a romantic entanglement that threatens her ambition. She's worried about student loan debt and what the future holds. In short order, they grow close. But when Sam finds an unlikely kindred spirit in Elisabeth's father-in-law, the true differences between the women's lives become starkly revealed and a betrayal has devastating consequences.

A masterful exploration of motherhood, power dynamics, and privilege in its many forms, Friends and Strangers reveals how a single year can shape the course of a life.

©2020 J. Courtney Sullivan (P)2020 Random House Audio
Coming of Age Family Life Genre Fiction Women's Fiction Witty
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup

Critic reviews

“Courtney Sullivan is a writer of extraordinary gifts, and this is her most affecting book yet, which I just wanted to keep reading and reading straight through to its climactic and emotional last pages, because its world felt completely realized, and completely real. Sullivan is a writer who offers up small human moments and large social ones, all within the frame of a truly good story. I loved it.” (Meg Wolitzer, New York Times best-selling author of The Interestings, The Uncoupling, The Ten-Year Nap, The Position, The Wife, and Sleepwalking)

All stars
Most relevant  
This was a nice book. Lots to talk about. I did not like the voice portrayal of the boyfriend. It was hard to listen to that. But I enjoyed the story and will recommend this book.

Light read, good for book club

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

It was a good read. Nice mindless diversion. It kept my interest. I liked how all the characters grew in substance.

Nice chick book diversion

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I found this story to be a bit boring, and I kept expecting something to happen. I didn’t think that the characters were very well developed were likable except maybe Sam. This was not my favorite read.

Fine read but not my favorite

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

In love with this book. Its so relateable the issues are real it shows the start of a relationship you really dont want the characters to lose.Literally could not stop listening. The ending feels unsettled, but befitting of the title.

Great Read Naturally Soothing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I loved every moment of this book. It’s painfully true in ways and familiar, and turns in ways I didn’t expect. Sullivan continues to be one of my favorites.

WONDERFUL

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The book is OK - not terribly interesting or provocative, but Kate Rudd was phenomenal. She morphed into each character seamlessly and with precise emotion.

Amazing narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

A perfect novel. Engrossing storyline with exceptional sub-storylines throughout. Well developed and defined characters. Wonderful narration. Perfect.

Perfect

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The writing is wonderful but there is no real story here. I kept waiting for some climax. I love character-driven books but I also like a little bit of plot!

Good characters, weak story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

It to me a minute to get into it, but I enjoyed this one. I cared about the characters.

slow start but a good book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I found it hard to stay interested in the story. I found myself having to rewind a lot. I feel the story just dropped off. No actually ending.

Ok

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews