Necessary People by Anna Pitoniak
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Release Date: May 21, 2019
Length: 352 pages
Amazon

{A Bit of Backstory}

Single Sentence Summary

Two friends, one rich, the other poor, one free-spirited and aimless, the other ambitious, so what happens when the girl who seems to have it all begins to want even more?

From the Publisher

“One of them has it all. One of them wants it all. But they can’t both win.

Stella and Violet are best friends, and from the moment they met in college, they knew their roles. Beautiful, privileged, and reckless Stella lives in the spotlight. Hardworking, laser-focused Violet stays behind the scenes, always ready to clean up the mess that Stella inevitably leaves in her wake…Stella might be the one with the rich family and the right friends, but Violet isn’t giving up so easily…”

The Draw

• I was looking for something more light and fun to read over Labor Day.
• Over the summer, I saw more and more positive reviews.
• Stories of friends in competition often work for me.

{My Thoughts}

I picked up Necessary People at the perfect time. I’d been reading some pretty heavy September releases and wanted something fun to read over the last long summer weekend. I’d had a library copy of Necessary People sitting around for a couple weeks already and decided to finally give it a try. Smart decision! From the very first chapter I was all in on this rich girl/poor girl story.

Stella, the typical rich girl, got everything she wanted with no real effort or commitment on her part. As long as she had the upper hand, Stella thrived, making Violet the perfect friend. Violet’s troubled background and estrangement from her parents made her so grateful to Stella for including her in almost everything. Throughout college, the two couldn’t have been closer, but as they moved beyond, their lives veered in different direction. Stella put travel, fun and partying first, while Violet’s desire for success in her own right drove her to shine in her job with a cable news network. All seemed to be going well until Stella realized that Violet’s newfound career recognition was turning the spotlight away from her.

“But love has its limits. Kindness can’t fix everything. Trust is a gamble. Everything I’d worked for could be gone in an instant. So I shook my head and looked away from his gaze.”

Many have compared Necessary People to Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton, but while there are similarities, I liked Necessary People much more. I found Pitoniak’s story more plausible, the characters more relatable, and the ending so much more satisfying. I also liked that I often thought I saw where her story was going, but then I was wrong! Plus, don’t we all enjoy stories where the rich behave badly and characters are tested to see just how far they’re willing to go? I know I do, making Necessary People my final WOW! book of the summer Grade: A-

If you liked this book you might also enjoy:

• Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton – After mousy Louise is taken under vibrant Lavinia’s wing, everything about her life changes, and she never wants it to go back. (my review)
• Based on a True Story by Delphine de Vigan – A dark, twisty tale of a blocked writer and the “friend” that’s trying to help her. (my review)

Disclosure: There are Amazon Associate links included within this post.