Veterans of THP’s book team, rise up! If you’ve been rocking with us since our early years, then you’ll recognize the name Sophie Wan. She blew us away with her debut novel, Women of Good Fortune. It’s a book we still recommend to everyone we know, by the way.
Two years later, and we’ve finally gotten our hands on her sophomore novel, The Social Circle! This novel follows Maggie Tang and her estranged group of friends who created a social media platform in college during the early 2000s. After an explosive falling out and years of no contact, Maggie begrudgingly attends the company’s 10-year anniversary.
The reunion brings back memories of good times, team struggles, and bitter betrayals. Once more of the truth comes out, Maggie must decide if she wants to run away again or fight for her old friends. We’re proud to report that this book is everything we wanted it to be and more. Here are three reasons you should read The Social Circle by Sophie Wan!
Book Overview: The Social Circle
Content warnings: mentions of parent death and child abandonment, sexual harassment, sexism
Summary: When Maggie Tang arrives as a transfer-student at UC Berkeley in 2005, she has no idea how her life is about to change. In the hallway of her dingy apartment building, she meets Adam, Charles, and Hari, the friends with whom she’ll create Circle, the world’s first major social media platform. But navigating her ambitions alongside love and friendship isn’t so simple, and when they inevitably collide, Maggie exits Circle in dramatic fashion.
A decade later, Maggie is struggling with a new professional venture when she receives an invitation to celebrate Circle’s 10th anniversary on a private island in Norway, with the three people she has tried hardest to forget. While she’s still bitter about how things ended, her company desperately needs the publicity, and deep down, Maggie can’t resist the handwritten plea at the bottom—Come, please.
Between boat rides and adventurous hikes, bit by bit the reunion begins to feel like old times. But the journalist writing a retrospective on Circle is eager for a scoop, which means they can’t tiptoe around the past forever. And when a new truth is revealed about their fall-out all those years ago, Maggie will have to decide whether to run again or fight for a second chance with the people she once loved most.
The Coherent Dual-Narrative
For starters, we’re suckers for a dual-narrative story where every moment and detail click together by the end. The Social Circle takes place in the present timeline of 2015 and the past from 2005-2007. We alternate from Maggie’s time at Circle’s anniversary celebration to her last two years of college. Seeing the launch and growth of Circle connected us with the characters even better. As we get closer to the inevitable fall-out, more truths come to the surface. And the events of the past start to directly relate to current events, thus bringing everything full circle! (We couldn’t help ourselves.)
A Friendship That Sticks
The well-rounded friendship dynamics between Maggie, Adam, Charles, and Hari in The Social Circle were so enjoyable to read. From Maggie’s first day arriving at their run-down apartment to her first ideas for Circle, we could feel the sparks. Adam draws people in, and his reach helps spread the word for Circle. Charles has an eye for design and grounds the friend group. Hari handles the company’s finances and looks for more ways to expand. After a decade, it’s interesting to see how much has changed among these four friends. They’ve all grown up, yet a big part of them remains rooted in the past.
Maggie’s Personal Journey
Finally, we relate to Maggie’s journey and growth in The Social Circle like no other. Her transfer to UC Berkeley marked her shedding the social outcast label. With friends who pushed her and dreamed big alongside her, she could do anything. Now, she ran a company alone, keeping everyone else out for fear of losing control again. Maggie needed the reminder that she didn’t have to suffer alone. She needed to know that there were still people on her side, cheering her on. Circle’s anniversary celebration brought her the closure she needed to carry on the path that felt most like herself and let go of all the rest.
The Social Circle explores complex friendships, big dreams, and second chances. Sophie Wan’s sophomore novel is as brilliant and eye-opening as we hoped it would be.
The Social Circle by Sophie Wan comes out March 3rd, and you can order a copy of it here!
What are your thoughts on Sophie Wan’s new novel? Are you planning to read The Social Circle? Let us know in the comments below! You can also find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
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