3.5 out of 4 stars.

A light read that will be great for the summertime.

Imagine staying friends well into your 40s with the people you were in a college band with, so much so that you STILL live down the block from them! Welp, that is the concept of Emma Straub’s “Modern Lovers” book taking place in Brooklyn NY.

Andrew and Elizabeth ended up marrying while Zoe and her lesbian lover live a stone’s throw away. Lydia, the most rebellious one of the group unfortunately became part of the 27 club with Kurt Cobain and died at an early age. However, not before she could make the group famous for their one hit pop song that will follow them through life.

Unfortunately, those glory days are just a thing of the past. The group now deals with their own children falling in love and acting out while the band is just trying to stay remotely cool despite some embarrassing age-defining hiccups.

A large portion of the book talks about this young love (hence the title) but I wish they dug more into the Lydia dark history drama. Maybe that will always be my pick though; scandal and suspense over mushy love (!)

If you are looking for a dysfunctional family, I would pick up “The Nest” by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney instead. Similar to Modern Lovers, it is also one of the most anticipated 2016 reads but it is a little deeper and more mature. I may say this because a lot of “Modern Lovers” was filled with 17 years old making out. No thanks.

Overall, Emma Straub did a great job of making a quick and fresh read. I just wish she chose to dig deeper into one part of the plot rather than the other.