The Messy Years, a Contemporary Fiction Review
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The Messy Years by Alexandra Slater is about three best friends — Maeve, Lizzie, and Hadley — navigating their thirties, the “messy” years of adulthood. A friendship formed in college, the trio each live different lives, but remain close, sharing every secret and struggle with one another.
The Friends
Maeve has a career in marketing, but after the sudden death of her husband a couple of years prior to the start of the novel, she becomes a workaholic. On the day that Maeve’s expecting her promotion, her boss instead hires Pope, who becomes Maeve’s work rival.
Lizzie is Hingham’s #1 Realtor and a mom of two boys. Divorced, she is now going after the man she should have married — Wade, the one who got away. However, her plan to get him back is complicated when she finds out that he’s in a relationship with her best friend, Hadley’s cousin.
Hadley tries to be the best Southern wife in the Boston area. Things are going to plan after her fairytale wedding to Jack, but the next step — having a baby — is more complicated than Hadley expected.
Trigger warning: a large part of Hadley’s narrative is a miscarriage experienced early in the novel, and the aftermath of it goes emotionally in-depth, which may be distressing for some readers.
Although I enjoyed reading through the lives of the three narrators, I adored Maeve’s sections the most, and I thought that she had the best development by the end of the novel compared to the other protagonists.
In regards to the writing, there are times where the characters and the relationship dynamics felt a bit flat, and when conflicts resolved too quickly. However, that did not take away from the entertainment of the story. The novel is structured by the months of the year, so it actually felt natural when some issues lasted longer than others.
The Town
Beyond the three narrators, there is a secret, additional character: Hingham, Massachusetts. The coastal Boston suburb is the backdrop of the novel, with the town at its center.
A Hingham local, Slater injects her story with references to real-life restaurants, bars, and neighborhoods. I’ve never heard of the town, nor have I ever visited the state, yet I found myself immersed in the setting from its detailed descriptions.
Published in October 2025 and Slater’s third novel, The Messy Years makes for a delightful read and even a great gift for your closest friends. It’s available for purchase on Amazon or at your favorite indie bookstore.
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Zina Mona
Zina Mona is a writer and student from Texas. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in the Trinity Review and 34 Orchard. She studies literature and economics, but in her free time, she loves watching Audrey Hepburn movies.
Visit her website to read more!
