Meg Wolitzer

Despite this ending up on its fair share of 2013 best-of lists, "The Interestings" isn't nearly as, well, interesting as you'd hope. The novel trails a group of friends - who dub themselves The Interestings when they meet as teens at an arts camp - as they age and their lives bloom and crumble at various times. Jules feels an outsider from the start, as if she's not worthy of having these fabulous friends, and she eventually forgoes her aspirations to act and settles instead into being a clinical social worker. She becomes closest with Ethan, the geek who finds fame by creating a "Simpsons"-like TV cartoon series, and Ash, the wealthy, delicately beautiful girl who weds Ethan. Part of the mix, too, are a pair of troubled guys - Goodman, Ash's brother, and Jonah, the son of a famous folk singer. The drama here feels muted, and the writing ordinary. What "The Interestings" does well is reflect how friendships morph over time - the bond that can deepen but also the distance that can grow and the jealousy that can lurk.

- KRISTINA DORSEY