Early Thirties - by Josh Duboff (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Sometimes friendship can be its own love story. Victor and Zoey are getting old. Well, old-er. And it's beginning to be a real problem. Best friends since college they have been through thick and thin, poor and poorer, drunk and drunker throughout their twenties in New York. Victor has built a successful career writing celebrity profiles for one of the last glossy magazines left standing, and Zoey is working for a fashion startup that is desperately trying to figure out how to monetize influencers, but has definitely figured out how to create a toxic work culture. But their wild twenties where mistakes can be forgiven, and hangovers last just until the first bacon egg and cheese sandwich is now replaced with responsibility, deadlines, and regrets a greasy breakfast can't cure. Victor and Zoey both want something more, and when tragedy befalls Victor their once unbreakable bond is starting to show cracks. As Victor and Zoey begin to leave each other "on read" in their constant text thread, and push away what they feel might be the only true love of their lives, Josh Duboff spins an immersive, hilarious, and heartbreaking story about coming of age, finding yourself and maybe realizing growing up has just as much to do with the person you were as it does with the person you are desperately trying to become"--

Book Synopsis

Kaia Gerber's Library Science March Book Club Pick - Most Anticipated Novels of 2025 List by Marie Claire - Best New Books of Spring 2025 List by Bustle - Must-Read Books of Spring 2025 List by Town & Country

A hilarious and painfully relatable debut novel about two thirtysomething best friends' messy search for connection and love in New York, perfect for fans of Rebecca Serle, Gabrielle Zevin, and Dolly Alderton.

Sometimes friendship can be its own love story.

Victor and Zoey are getting old, well old-er, and it's beginning to be a real problem.

Best friends for a decade, they have seen each other through bad dates and office drama, late nights and hungover brunches, during their years together in New York City.

As their wild twenties come to a close, though, the dynamic between the two is shifting. Coming off a tough breakup, Victor dedicates his energies toward building a career writing celebrity profiles for one of the last glossy magazines left, while Zoey navigates the terrain at her nascent fashion startup, questioning her future with her fiancé. The friends and acquaintances in their orbit--authors, influencers, "It girls"--are also searching for a sense of belonging, amidst anxieties and self-doubt.

But when tragedy befalls Victor, his once unbreakable bond with Zoey really starts to crack. They find themselves ignoring their ongoing text thread and pushing away what might be the most meaningful relationship of their lives. An immersive, hilarious, and heartbreaking story, this is a debut novel about best friendship, finding yourself, and realizing growing up has as much to do with the person you were as it does with the person you are desperately trying to become.

Review Quotes

"Early Thirties encapsulates the challenges of a long friendship with humor and poignancy, and reveals what it takes to grow together--or apart."-- "AirMail"

"Early Thirties zooms in on the push-pull friendship between Victor, a magazine journalist on the brink of opportunity, and Zoe, a fashion-start-up employee flirting with blowing up her life, as they weather calamities both personal and professional -- and discover that in the decade when you're supposed to have it all figured out, it's not too late for a little reinvention."-- "Bustle"

"In this smart, touching new novel Victor and Zoey struggle to stay connected amidst a world of shady celebrities, awful parties, seemingly glamorous jobs, toxic relationships, and cutthroat start-up CEOs. For all the Emerald City shimmer that the book depicts, though, it's ultimately about the importance of holding the people you love close whatever the cost."-- "Town & Country"

"I stayed up late finishing Early Thirties, drawn in by its delightful humor, only to be utterly floored by an expansive story of loneliness and connection. Josh Duboff is a wildly entertaining and prescient novelist who has written a page-turner that captures the singular tenderness of friendship."--Sanaë Lemoine, author of The Margot Affair

"In Early Thirties, Josh Duboff skillfully paints a vivid picture of what it's like to be on the old side of being young while navigating an existence spent more URL than IRL. Modern life has never looked so frustrating or funny in Duboff's hands. I'm obsessed. Seriously."--Ryan O'Connell, bestselling author of Just By Looking At Him and creator of Netflix series Special

"Josh Duboff perfectly describes how many of us felt in New York City during a pivotal time when things seemed to go from fun to serious. Deeply relatable, timely, and funny, Early Thirties made me smile and reflect on my own not-so-distant past. Finding yourself is a never-ending task. Hopefully, it gets easier with age."--Chris Black, co-host of How Long Gone

"As sweet and funny as anything you're going to read this year. That it harks back to the last golden age of the magazine business is simply an added bonus."--Graydon Carter, founder of Air Mail and award-winning former editor of Vanity Fair

"With a voice entirely its own, Early Thirties is a sharp, funny, hashtag-no-filter portrait of the pleasures and perils of youth in New York City--and what it's like to become an adult in our terminally online age. Josh Duboff has perfectly captured the anxieties and trepidations that exist beneath the shiny surfaces we present to the world."--Anna Pitoniak, author of The Helsinki Affair

"A brutally honest and spit-take funny novel, Early Thirties perfectly portrays the pain and power of the journey towards a true self and away from others who for so long defined you. I was at once comforted and challenged by Duboff's illumination of the shared loneliness of the stars, the masses, and the people who bring them together."--Lola Kirke, author of Wild West Village

"Josh Duboff's Early Thirties is a perfect depiction of growing up when you're a grown up. I loved it."--Jeffery Self, author of Self-Sabotage

About the Author

Josh Duboff is a novelist, journalist, and playwright. A former senior writer for Vanity Fair, Josh has written cover stories on Taylor Swift, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Gigi Hadid, among others, and contributed to The New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal Magazine, Harper's Bazaar, GQ, W Magazine, Town & Country, Bon Appétit, Air Mail, and more. A graduate of Yale University, he lives in New York City.