{"product_id":"the-mutual-friend-9780593186787","title":"The Mutual Friend","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"This is a rare thing: an original, intelligent novel that's not just a perfect summer beach read, but one that deserves serious awards consideration as well. Put down your phone and pick it up. . . . A major accomplishment.\"--\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom the co-creator of \u003ci\u003eHow I Met Your Mother\u003c\/i\u003e, a hilarious and thought-provoking debut novel set in New York City, following an unforgettable cast of characters as they navigate life, love, loss, ambition, and spirituality--without ever looking up from their phones \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIt's the summer of 2015, and Alice Quick needs to get to work. She's twenty-eight years old, grieving her mother, barely scraping by as a nanny, and freshly kicked out of her apartment. If she can just get her act together and sign up for the MCAT, she can start chasing her dream of becoming a doctor . . . but in the Age of Distraction, the distractions are so distracting. There's her tech millionaire brother's religious awakening. His picture-perfect wife's emotional breakdown. Her chaotic new roommate's thirst for adventure. And, of course, there's the biggest distraction of all: love. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e From within the story of one summer in one woman's life, a tapestry of characters is unearthed, tied to one another by threads both seen and unseen. Filled with all the warmth, humor, and heart that gained \u003ci\u003eHow I Met Your Mother\u003c\/i\u003e its cult following, \u003ci\u003eThe Mutual Friend\u003c\/i\u003e captures in sparkling detail the chaos of contemporary life--a life lived simultaneously in two different worlds, the physical one and the one behind our screens--and reveals how connected we all truly are.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCarter Bays \u003c\/b\u003eis the co-creator of the Emmy-winning series \u003ci\u003eHow I Met Your Mother\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003ci\u003eThe Mutual Friend\u003c\/i\u003e is his first novel.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Penguin Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50562853273874,"sku":"9780593186787","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_e63bbe24-2d6c-48e9-8106-32ff9454a3db.jpg?v=1731864213","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-mutual-friend-9780593186787","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}