So Old, So Young by Grant Ginder

Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026--San Antonio

So Old, So Young by Grant Ginder was a chore for me to get through.  Its characters are rather obnoxious most of the time.  Supposedly, they are friends for life after graduating from ("Not State" which their college shirts say to emphasize they are all so intelligent that they got into the University of Pennsylvania--an Ivy League school).  They all move to the "IT city" (New York) after graduation.  They pursue the "correct" career paths, try to impress each other with who have have met or seen in the city and by getting invited to the best parties, and by spending more money than they are making on the most trendy items at each moment in time.  The book covers them over the years as jobs change, as couples come together/break up, as marriages occur and children become centerpieces in their lives, as they observe or learn of cheating by their partners, as some leave the city to live elsewhere, and as each time they come together there are arguments and fall-outs among them.  By the end of the book, most of them have not been speaking to each other for some time.  Does any of that sound like a novel anyone would love to read?  Of course as the reader, I could see the mistakes happening as they occurred and could figure out the regrets that would develop over time.  And at the end, there are indications that some mistakes might be overcome, but the book stops there.  So the big question becomes, will they continue living their miserable lives as they have so far (failing at truly being friends or being happy) or will a few of them be able to make corrections in life and find happiness they might already have had for 25 years if they truly had been intelligent in the beginning.  I gave the book 3 stars out of 5.