City People
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- Create Date：2023-10-23 04:23:22
- Update Date：2025-09-14
- Status：finish
- Author：Elizabeth Topp
- ISBN：B0BHJNB48J
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Summary
From Perfectly Impossible author Elizabeth Topp comes an unforgettably searing novel about a band of mothers who are forced to reckon with themselves after the unexpected loss of one of their own。
When beautiful and successful Susan Harris jumps from the roof of her apartment building， she sets a tremor through her New York City mothers’ group that forces them all to look at one another with new cynicism: How could this have happened right under their noses？ To one of them？ Between her death and the harrowing private school admission season on the horizon， these women are forced to explore the hard truths about themselves。
Vic， a single mom with literary aspirations， is shocked and confused by the unexpected death of her best friend。
Bhavna， a makeup executive， tries to process Susan’s death while sacrificing everything to get her son into the school of his dreams。
Kara’s sister died by suicide years earlier， so she’s been down this road before—or so it seems。
Penelope and Amy are navigating a business deal when Susan dies， but is it worth the toll on their families？
And how will Chandice， battling cancer， come to terms with Susan’s death？
For these women， the loss of a fellow mother forces them to reexamine who they really are while the futures of their children hang in the balance。
When beautiful and successful Susan Harris jumps from the roof of her apartment building， she sets a tremor through her New York City mothers’ group that forces them all to look at one another with new cynicism: How could this have happened right under their noses？ To one of them？ Between her death and the harrowing private school admission season on the horizon， these women are forced to explore the hard truths about themselves。
Vic， a single mom with literary aspirations， is shocked and confused by the unexpected death of her best friend。
Bhavna， a makeup executive， tries to process Susan’s death while sacrificing everything to get her son into the school of his dreams。
Kara’s sister died by suicide years earlier， so she’s been down this road before—or so it seems。
Penelope and Amy are navigating a business deal when Susan dies， but is it worth the toll on their families？
And how will Chandice， battling cancer， come to terms with Susan’s death？
For these women， the loss of a fellow mother forces them to reexamine who they really are while the futures of their children hang in the balance。
Reviews
Rajal
，
This was fun。 Almost like reading a Liane Moriarty book。
Susan Duff
，
An interesting story on women lost on themselves。I really enjoyed reading this book。 It was an interesting concept on how easy it is to get lost in your own life and not notice or refuse to see how others are struggling。 I will definitely read more of her books。
Jackie
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A lot of losers trying to bee popular。
k mandra
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Told from the point of view of so many characters and it became tedious。 Seriously， six points of view is ridiculous--especially when the reader cannot even connect with a single one of them。 All of the characters were insipid and one dimensional without a single redeeming quality。 The reader is forced to follow the selfish thoughts of each character with no true plot to weave it all together。 I was so thankful to finally be done with this book！
Caroline Bauserman
，
Overall， I enjoyed this book。 Some of the characters were a bit frustrating and annoying at times。 3。5/5
Donna J。 Murphy
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ickWhen I purchase a book， I have this rule that it needs to be read。 Granted， sometimes I speed read to get through the darn thing。 But this one I read， even though I could think of 20 other things I’d rather be doing。 Despicable people， miserable existences。 Unfortunately， there was probably some semblance of truth in all this。 Usually I can find one person to care about in a book but in this novel……。。 nope。
Carole
，
I didn't think I'd like this one at all even after I started reading it， but it grew on me。I started worrying about the author at some point toward the end -- then I read the short bio and wondered if a mother at her prep school had jumped at some point in her life。I'll try to get ahold of the author's first book at some point and see what I think about the author -- this was a freebie of the month from Amazon for me -- I've been surprised that I've passed a couple nice afternoons reading my Ama I didn't think I'd like this one at all even after I started reading it， but it grew on me。I started worrying about the author at some point toward the end -- then I read the short bio and wondered if a mother at her prep school had jumped at some point in her life。I'll try to get ahold of the author's first book at some point and see what I think about the author -- this was a freebie of the month from Amazon for me -- I've been surprised that I've passed a couple nice afternoons reading my Amazon freebies。I admit it was a little difficult to feel sorry for these NYC mothers， but it was just another exercise in realizing that what we see isn't always what's really happening in people's lives。 。。。more
Bonnie
，
I’m so conflicted about this book！！！Likes:-couldn’t put it down -loved all the different POVs-appreciated the message re: the assumptions and judgments we make about others （and how we’re often wrong）-a great character study of several characters -incredible vocabulary！！ I had to look up several words 😂Dislikes:-so many primary characters that it was a bit hard to keep track if I wasn’t very mindful of who said what。。 you def want to read this book relatively quickly to keep track -not as much o I’m so conflicted about this book！！！Likes:-couldn’t put it down -loved all the different POVs-appreciated the message re: the assumptions and judgments we make about others （and how we’re often wrong）-a great character study of several characters -incredible vocabulary！！ I had to look up several words 😂Dislikes:-so many primary characters that it was a bit hard to keep track if I wasn’t very mindful of who said what。。 you def want to read this book relatively quickly to keep track -not as much of a plot with forward movement， but I surprisingly didn’t mind this much as I loved all the female perspectivesHates:-I wish I hadn’t read the epilogue。 The epilogue alone needs a HUGE trigger warning。 The book obviously centers around a suicide， but it wasn’t until the epilogue that I felt truly distressed。 I called a friend in tears。 On one hand， that means the writing was so strong and relatable that I cried。 On the other， give a woman a warning！！Would I recommend it to a friend？I don’t know！ Probably， but only in pretty specific circumstances。 It’s such a unique book！Do I want to read it again？Actually， yeah！ But I’d skip the epilogue next time。 。。。more
Andrea
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One of the free offerings from Prime Free this month。 Sorry to say it， but this book was SO bad。 I mean， really， really bad。 That's all。 One of the free offerings from Prime Free this month。 Sorry to say it， but this book was SO bad。 I mean， really， really bad。 That's all。 。。。more
Danielle
，
I’m still crying as I write this review。 First: trigger warnings- suicide and mental health are topics throughout this book。 Be aware。 Some may want to read this book with a close friend or avoid it altogether together。 This is the story of wildly successful women， a mommy group， and how they are all lacking。 You can see how loathsome they all are， and how this surface-level knowing of others affects themselves and others。 You go through this almost floating over each character and how these com I’m still crying as I write this review。 First: trigger warnings- suicide and mental health are topics throughout this book。 Be aware。 Some may want to read this book with a close friend or avoid it altogether together。 This is the story of wildly successful women， a mommy group， and how they are all lacking。 You can see how loathsome they all are， and how this surface-level knowing of others affects themselves and others。 You go through this almost floating over each character and how these common events and situations affect each differently。 Most of them are selfish and despicable。 Some grow and learn。 Some don’t。 This book is like many stab wounds to the heart。 It would make for a great discussion as you break down each character and their story。 My heart was truly broken at the end at how raw and sad life can be。 I hope this can ultimately encourage us as people to be there for each other in a way these characters were not。 One of the best books I’ve read all year， maybe longer。 。。。more
Ellen
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Could not relate to these status obsessed women。
Kelly
，
This was one of my two free selections for October from Amazon First Reads。 So disappointing。 A group of six miserably unlikeable characters each desperate to get their child accepted into an ultra elite hideously expensive and exclusive New York private school。 Lots of diversity boxes checked off with this group。 Lots of virtue signaling by the author。Interesting and timely with reference to the current educational environment， particularly the admissions process and the focus on diversity rath This was one of my two free selections for October from Amazon First Reads。 So disappointing。 A group of six miserably unlikeable characters each desperate to get their child accepted into an ultra elite hideously expensive and exclusive New York private school。 Lots of diversity boxes checked off with this group。 Lots of virtue signaling by the author。Interesting and timely with reference to the current educational environment， particularly the admissions process and the focus on diversity rather than merit， and the tendency to slap the label ‘racist’ on anything and everything。 It is my contention that to make ANY decision based on ANY criteria other than merit and qualification is wrong。 It is racist to decide based on skin color。 It is sexist to decide based on sex。 It is discrimination to decide based on gender or sexual orientation or sexual confusion or whatever else is used as a basis other than merit and qualification。 Anything else is demeaning to the applicant。 All of the 6 characters had stress and problems in their backgrounds。 All of them were real downers。 Right down to the first and last chapters which were solely descriptions of a character’s suicide。 Way too depressing and nothing to redeem it， in my opinion。 Skip this one。 。。。more
Marcia Sleeper
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Wasn't my kind of book 。 Wasn't my kind of book 。 。。。more
Shannon （The Book Club Mom）
，
If I had to use just one word to describe this novel， it would be JUICY。 There’s absolutely no shortage of drama in this book， friends。 City People by Elizabeth Topp follows five New York City moms who are all desperate for one thing—getting their preschoolers into one of the most prestigious private schools in the city。 I wouldn’t necessarily call these women a group of friends—acquaintances is probably a better word for their dynamic。 On the morning of the much-anticipated private school tour， If I had to use just one word to describe this novel， it would be JUICY。 There’s absolutely no shortage of drama in this book， friends。 City People by Elizabeth Topp follows five New York City moms who are all desperate for one thing—getting their preschoolers into one of the most prestigious private schools in the city。 I wouldn’t necessarily call these women a group of friends—acquaintances is probably a better word for their dynamic。 On the morning of the much-anticipated private school tour， tragedy strikes。 Susan， one of the moms does not attend the tour， and they later find out that she jumped to her death from the roof of her apartment building。 Sadness， shock， and confusion ripples through the group， and they start to second guess if they really knew Susan at all。 Did they miss any signs？I absolutely loved the format of this novel and the author’s writing style。 Two big events connect this group of women， yet on top of the stress regarding school admissions， and grieving the loss of their fellow mom， each woman is also dealing with their own personal issues behind closed doors。 As the chapters switch from one woman to the other， loads of secrets， lies， and harsh truths come to the surface。 This isn’t your typical light and fluffy #momlife story。 It tackles some serious topics like suicide， mental health， addiction， adultery， illness， financial issues， racism， and privilege。 It definitely felt a little dark and heavy at times。 The cast of characters was a tad large， yet they were all very well-developed， and I was consistently invested in each of their storylines。 Overall， I was extremely impressed by this novel and it entertained me from start to finish。 I’m excited to read more from Elizabeth Topp！ City People releases on November 1st， and it gets 4/5 stars from me！ 。。。more
Arla Freeman
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Not a favorite for meThis book was not a favorite for me。 I expected more from it。 I'm not sure what more but I know that I felt underwhelmed by it。 I had a hard time staying engaged and felt irritated by most of the characters。 I gave it two stars because some of it is relatable as a mother/woman。 Not a favorite for meThis book was not a favorite for me。 I expected more from it。 I'm not sure what more but I know that I felt underwhelmed by it。 I had a hard time staying engaged and felt irritated by most of the characters。 I gave it two stars because some of it is relatable as a mother/woman。 。。。more
Heather Evans
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This book follows the lives of about six different women， all of whom are trying to get their children into an elite New York private school。 With the exception of one， all of the women are very unlikeable which really took away from the book - snobby， don't care much about their kids， elitist。 Overall， it was depressing and made me feel that if people that live in that area are really like this， I'm very happy to live far away in the Midwest （but hopefully， it a misrepresentation of them）！ This book follows the lives of about six different women， all of whom are trying to get their children into an elite New York private school。 With the exception of one， all of the women are very unlikeable which really took away from the book - snobby， don't care much about their kids， elitist。 Overall， it was depressing and made me feel that if people that live in that area are really like this， I'm very happy to live far away in the Midwest （but hopefully， it a misrepresentation of them）！ 。。。more
Jess Lucot
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Almost didn’t finish this one。 Really didn’t enjoy any of the characters。 The shifting point of views were a little hard to follow， but great example of the assumptions we make about others。
Rebecca Stapleton
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Yawn。
Mary Clare
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Book obtained for free through Amazon FirstMost of the characters were irritating。Chandice was the only decent person in the book。Vic is an author with writer’s block who is running out of money and bemoans the possible need for a new career as a high school teacher or a waitress as if the two are interchangeable Penelope hands out klonopin like tic tacs and blames all of her unhappiness on her family and her inability to play a role in the family firm。 （Admittedly， Penelope does have a pretty a Book obtained for free through Amazon FirstMost of the characters were irritating。Chandice was the only decent person in the book。Vic is an author with writer’s block who is running out of money and bemoans the possible need for a new career as a high school teacher or a waitress as if the two are interchangeable Penelope hands out klonopin like tic tacs and blames all of her unhappiness on her family and her inability to play a role in the family firm。 （Admittedly， Penelope does have a pretty awful family） She seems to take more klonopin than she should be able to get her hands on given how tightly the DEA regulates benzos。 Got a problem， pop a klonopin…friends have problems， give them a klonopin。Amy cares more for her career than her child。Bhavna is all focused on career success and getting her child into KentKara in obsessed about Susan’s suicide and continuously spies on Susan’s husband and family after Susan’s suicide。Susan’s death is in the background to the women’s quest at all costs to get their children into the Kent school which will provide kids and their parents with the network necessary for future success。 Many of them are ignoring the fact that they don’t know how they will pay the tuition if their child does get admitted。I didn’t like that the quest for Kent seemed be mostly the moms’ aspirations when in real life both parents are probably equally focused on the goal。There are a few surprises with whose kids get into Kent， whose kids don’t， and who turns down the golden opportunity。 the turn down of the Kent acceptance almost redeemed the character。 。。。more
Dayna Krannawitter
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We all do it…judge other people by appearances， think because someone has all the right clothes， car， home， job， etc that they have it all and have no problems or should be happy all the time。 I could not put this book down as it peaked behind the curtain in the lives of elitist mothers vying for a spot in an exclusive school for their young children。 I thought it was riveting and captured the myriad ways we all pretend to be what we are not to fit in。
Lisa Caccamo
，
The characters in this book oddly resonated with me。 This book really but a lot of clarity on socio-economic challenges many of us face with regards to our kids and ultimately ourselves。 I enjoyed this book though it is out of my usual “thriller” genre。
Jenny Jordan
，
Topp has crafted an interesting story -- several moms are connected by their children's enrollment in a private pre-K and their desire for them to be accepted for a swanky private school next fall。 We dive into all of their stories -- Vic， Bhavna， Kara， Chandice， Amy， Penelope， and Susan。 We learn about what drives their desire to enroll their kids in Kent， their positions as moms， and their relationships with their children's fathers。 And as the story unfolds， we learn of their decisions for th Topp has crafted an interesting story -- several moms are connected by their children's enrollment in a private pre-K and their desire for them to be accepted for a swanky private school next fall。 We dive into all of their stories -- Vic， Bhavna， Kara， Chandice， Amy， Penelope， and Susan。 We learn about what drives their desire to enroll their kids in Kent， their positions as moms， and their relationships with their children's fathers。 And as the story unfolds， we learn of their decisions for their futures。The story is set in the backdrop of Susan's suicide and how each mom is impacted， although they were acquaintances at best。It's an interesting read on motivations and circumstances。 I found myself wanting both more and also wanting to move on and away from the city people， which， in some ways， is a good place to be left in a book。At times， though， I just wanted it to be over。 I was tired of the whiny about life， the infatuation with Susan's decision， and all the other monotony in the story。 And the end， really didn't close many loops at all except to let us see that Susan's last moments were very planned。A maybe read with some highs and some lows。 。。。more
Val Wilkerson
，
This is a story about a group of women who go to extremes to get their very young children into an elite private school。 One of them， Susan， jumps off the roof of her apartment complex leaving behind a husband and two small children。 Granted she did not to this as a means of getting her kids into the school but it causes the other women to gawk， gossip and try and figure out why she did it。 Some of these women cannot even afford this private school， but that doesn't stop them from trying to get This is a story about a group of women who go to extremes to get their very young children into an elite private school。 One of them， Susan， jumps off the roof of her apartment complex leaving behind a husband and two small children。 Granted she did not to this as a means of getting her kids into the school but it causes the other women to gawk， gossip and try and figure out why she did it。 Some of these women cannot even afford this private school， but that doesn't stop them from trying to get their little darlings accepted。 Some donate huge amounts of money to the school。 While it was an interesting story it was rather depressing to think there really are people like this in our world。 I find that a bit disturbing。 。。。more
Leanne
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 When you have SIX different points of view telling the story？ Yikes。 Waaaayyy too many characters to keep track of， especially in the beginning。 At least one of them （Bhavna） could have been completely eliminated and it wouldn’t have made a difference。 I saw reviews where people were upset about the characters calling Susan’s suicide selfish， but having just lost a mom in my small community to suicide， that’s realistic。 People DO think that， especially in communities where mental health isn’t di When you have SIX different points of view telling the story？ Yikes。 Waaaayyy too many characters to keep track of， especially in the beginning。 At least one of them （Bhavna） could have been completely eliminated and it wouldn’t have made a difference。 I saw reviews where people were upset about the characters calling Susan’s suicide selfish， but having just lost a mom in my small community to suicide， that’s realistic。 People DO think that， especially in communities where mental health isn’t discussed openly。 The story was predictable， dragged out， and most things were wrapped up in the final few chapters。 （Here is where some tiny spoilers come in to play。） We never got to the “or so it seems” part of Kara’s story in relation to the death of her sister。 I saw the affairs with Chandice’s husband coming from chapters away。 Same with Vic’s。 While I enjoy a good Manhattan Elite story， I thought this book was just boring。 。。。more
Beth
，
This became a struggle for me but had me curious enough to finish。
Larry H
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To a casual observer， Susan seemed to have it all: a successful career， marriage to a handsome banker， and two beautiful children。 Maybe she became a bit unhinged in her quest to get her children's private school to serve healthier food， and she was burnt when none of the mothers in her group supported her， but everyone has their pet peeves。 But everyone is absolutely stunned when Susan jumps to her death from the roof of her NYC apartment。 Should they have seen this coming？Susan was one of seve To a casual observer， Susan seemed to have it all: a successful career， marriage to a handsome banker， and two beautiful children。 Maybe she became a bit unhinged in her quest to get her children's private school to serve healthier food， and she was burnt when none of the mothers in her group supported her， but everyone has their pet peeves。 But everyone is absolutely stunned when Susan jumps to her death from the roof of her NYC apartment。 Should they have seen this coming？Susan was one of several mothers whose children were recommended for interviews at Kent， the most prestigious private school in New York。 The list of Kent alumni is truly impressive， and each of the mothers knows that their child's future might very well be set if they are accepted。 But beyond the pressure and machinations needed to try and tip the scales toward their child， each woman is dealing with her own issues as well。Vic， herself a Kent graduate， is a struggling single mother and author suffering from writer's block。 She also was Susan's best friend （or was she？） and she can't believe she never really saw that Susan was struggling。 While she hopes that her experience as an alum will help her daughter's case， she isn't quite sure how she's going to pay for school anyway。 And she can't seem to get her high school love out of her mind。。。Bhavna is a marketing executive for a cosmetics company， almost sure that her son will get accepted to Kent。 And once she lands a major campaign at work and her husband closes a big business deal， they can move to a better part of the city and finally live the life they have dreamed of。 How far is she willing to go to get what she wants？Penelope and Kara are best friends， and seem like clones of one another， until you look closely。 Penelope is the daughter of a wealthy family and is the president of the parents' association at the preschool。 She's determined to prove her own worth as a businesswoman， and believes that another mother， Amy， may be the key to her success。 Kara becomes obsessed with Susan's suicide and the suspicions around her death， in part because it reminds her of her own sister， who took her own life。Chandice， who left her law career upon the birth of her son， faces an uphill battle as she fights breast cancer。 The more she wants her son to get into Kent， the more she struggles with the other aspects of her life， like trying to go back to work。There were a lot of people to keep track of in this book， and after a while many of them seemed to blur into one another。 The book starts and ends with Susan's narration， and then shifts between all of the other mothers。 Some of the threads were more interesting than others， but overall I feel like the author was trying for a Big Little Lies feel but I don't think it hit that target。Thanks to Amazon First Reads and Little A for an advance copy of this book， which publishes 11/1。 。。。more
Jessica Houseman
，
I want to say thank you first and foremost for the physical arc that I received。 I was asked for an honest review， and here it goes。 I really hope this book reaches its people because I unfortunately struggled hard。 The first couple of pages do grab your attention。 I did have high hopes based on the very beginning。 Unfortunately， after reaching about 25%， I did DNF it because it was extremely boring for me personally。 I couldn't relate to the characters， and they were just depressing。 Due to thi I want to say thank you first and foremost for the physical arc that I received。 I was asked for an honest review， and here it goes。 I really hope this book reaches its people because I unfortunately struggled hard。 The first couple of pages do grab your attention。 I did have high hopes based on the very beginning。 Unfortunately， after reaching about 25%， I did DNF it because it was extremely boring for me personally。 I couldn't relate to the characters， and they were just depressing。 Due to this reason， I am not leaving a rating because I hope it finds its readers。 。。。more
Debora Burdick
，
DisappointingNot the best by a long shot。 Story dragged， I almost have up several times。 Go through， but it was definitely an effort。 Skip this one。
Mackey
，
It turns out that I really don't like city people if this is what they're like。 I barely finished the book and， honestly， wish I had stopped reading after we were introduced to all of the women。 I didn't like them， couldn't grow to care about them and didn't blame Susan for jumping。 I would have as well。 Done。 It turns out that I really don't like city people if this is what they're like。 I barely finished the book and， honestly， wish I had stopped reading after we were introduced to all of the women。 I didn't like them， couldn't grow to care about them and didn't blame Susan for jumping。 I would have as well。 Done。 。。。more
Jordan
，
It started off super good。 Then the middle to the end， it just became about these characters’ selfish obsessions with a prep school。 I have never understood the way people will absolutely obsess and plot over a preschool of all things， but then again， I have never raised children in NYC either。
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Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=City People
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=City People&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,City People&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0