Book Review: Young Fools
Young Fools by Liza Palmer was released on Sept 9, 2025. Helen and Cherry become fast friends at a writing retreat and later rivals as they fall deep into the envy and jealousy among the literati.
Helen Hicks has never felt like she had a true friend. She hopes that an exclusive writing retreat will help her feel at home in the world, for once. She might even meet “her people” and feel like a REAL writer. Helen is constantly seeking external validation, and she is a “writer’s writer” who knows how to play the game, critique scathingly in writing workshops, name-drop MFA programs, and write a polished literary short story. She is less accomplished in real life and relationships.
Enter Cherry, who seems more at home in the world and her true self than anyone Helen has ever met. They become friends at the writing intensive program, yet Helen is jealous of Cherry’s ease and ability to write easily. Cherry navigates growing up in poverty and feeling like a fish out of water among her literary peers at the workshop. Her natural talent shines, but she hasn’t attended college or learned to play the game..
As the years pass, Cherry and Helen live together in 1990s San Francisco, each of them navigating their own path as they struggle to live their idea of “the writing life” and eventually, publication. Cherry follows her heart and writes mysteries and Helen struggles with writer’s block, coasting on the same short story for years, afraid to try new things.
Their relationship develops from tense friendship to contentious rivalry when Cherry writes her debut novel (without telling Helen) and earns a book deal at auction. Then things turn dicey at a writing conference. The novel goes on to follow Cherry and Helen in 2005 and 2015, with a surprising twist you will not see coming!
If you’ve ever sat silently while a group of people critiques the hell out of your beloved short story, you will resonate with this book and characters!
My Thoughts
Young Fools dives deep into the world of ultra-literary writing workshops, literary snobbery, with clear-eyed analysis and reflection. Even at her most flawed and annoying, I found something to relate to in Helen Hicks’ character. We’ve all felt left out, weird, and insecure, and sought out validation where we can find it. I loved Cherry’s character, who seemed effortless and talented on the surface, but she was developed into a well-rounded, real-person of a character as well. Young Fools has a lot to say about the nature of friendship and what truly matters in life.
Writing in a Journal. Photo by Hannah Olinger on Unsplash
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read and review an eARC. You can find more of my book reviews on Goodreads, Instagram and TikTok @bookishbookjoy.
