Sometimes, writing one of these little reviews changes how I felt about a book. I found Hild even more intellectually interesting. Writing this, though, made me dislike the book even more.
The After Party would like us to believe that Joan and Cece are friends, despite us never really seeing what the connection is between them. There are friend-like moments, but Cece mainly worships Joan. It’s unclear why – the fact that Joan is blonde and wealthy isn’t a reason. These are two people who move in the same social circles and have their entire lives. They are “friends” because of propinquity. There is no real connection between the two.
(And let’s not get started on Joan “wanting more out of life” which ends up meaning… well, spoilers. But it’s not satisfying at all, and I actually didn’t find it to be “more.” It was just different.)
In short: I just couldn’t with this book.