People Are Talking - by Amanda Eisenberg (Paperback)

About the Book

"Mallory Shepard has her back against the wall. Her girlfriend dumped her, her landlord wants to evict her and her literary agent is about to drop her--unless she can come up with a compelling follow-up to her debut novel. A book deal would solve her problems, which is why she agrees to attend an estranged college friend's wedding in Texas. It'll be the first time she's seen that friend group since an incident tore them apart nine years earlier, and Mal intends to secretly squeeze her ex-friends for information. The plan is nearly foolproof, except that her still-raw hurt and righteous anger threatens to expose her agenda, as does her weakness for her college nemesis: Andrew Rosen. Danit Leibowitz is--was Mal's best friend. Together they transformed the Newts, a secret society, into a group that tracks alleged rapists long after they graduated from the prestigious halls of Weston College. Now a rising lefty political star, Dani is asked to come up with another plan to reinvent the Newts, which Gen Z deems out of touch amid ever-changing gender and sex politics. When she learns Mal will be there, Dani hatches a plan to appease the Newts and win back her friend, all in 72 hours. Crammed into an Austin rental for the weekend, the six friends seek to settle old scores and win back ex-friends and lovers. But when the Newts infiltrate the wedding, with deadly consequences, Mal and Dani are forced to consider whether they're willing to separate the personal from the political--even at the expense of protecting the people they love."--

Book Synopsis

A BUSTLE BEST NEW BOOK

"A notable addition to the dark academia shelf." -Publishers Weekly

Desperate to find a plot for her second novel, author Mallory Shepard attends her estranged best friend's wedding in Austin, where she and six friends try to settle old scores--with unexpected deadly consequences--in this debut for fans of Veronica Mars, Tara Isabella Burton, and Tana French.

In PEOPLE ARE TALKING, the debut novel by Amanda Eisenberg, Mallory Shepard has her back against the wall. Her girlfriend dumped her, her landlord wants to evict her and her literary agent is about to drop her--unless she can come up with a compelling follow-up to her debut novel. A book deal would solve her problems, which is why she agrees to attend an estranged college friend's wedding in Texas. It'll be the first time she's seen that friend group since an incident tore them apart nine years earlier, and Mal intends to secretly squeeze her ex-friends for information. The plan is nearly foolproof, except that her still-raw hurt and righteous anger threatens to expose her agenda, as does her weakness for her college nemesis: Andrew Rosen.

Danit Leibowitz is--was Mal's best friend. Together they transformed the Newts, a secret society, into a group that tracks alleged rapists long after they graduated from the prestigious halls of Weston College. Now a rising lefty political star, Dani is asked to come up with another plan to reinvent the Newts, which Gen Z deems out of touch amid ever-changing gender and sex politics. When she learns Mal will be there, Dani hatches a plan to appease the Newts and win back her friend, all in 72 hours.

Crammed into an Austin rental for the weekend, the six friends seek to settle old scores and win back ex-friends and lovers. But when the Newts infiltrate the wedding, with deadly consequences, Mal and Dani are forced to consider whether they're willing to separate the personal from the political--even at the expense of protecting the people they love.

Review Quotes

A BUSTLE BEST NEW BOOK FOR SPRING 2025

"Eisenberg holds the reader's attention with nuanced character work and tense depictions of the friends' reunion while keeping the reader guessing until the final act. It's a notable addition to the dark academia shelf." Publishers Weekly

"Amanda Eisenberg's debut novel delivers biting humor, sharp social commentary, and all the emotional chaos of a reunion gone horribly, horribly wrong." -Unpacked Magazine

"Complicated friendships, secret societies, a forced reunion, questions of consent--what more could you want in a book? Eisenberg is especially skilled at dissecting the small moments that occur between old friends, the way that jealousy, hurt, and devotion can be so easily mixed up. People Are Talking is a propulsive, entertaining and sharply observed novel." --Jennifer Close, best-selling author, Marrying the Ketchups

"Meet Dani and Mal who team up with other women in a secret society to take on campus sexual predators. When ten years later the college friends reunite for a wedding, old resentments and attractions flare and eventually explode in this romp through the pathways of American power--political, sexual, and familial. Anyone haunted by events in their past--and who's not?--will be riveted by People Are Talking." --Lucy Jane Bledsoe, author, No Stopping Us Now

"Funny and quippy but dealing with serious subject matter." (201) Magazine

"With a propulsive narrative and razor-sharp social commentary, People Are Talking boldly confronts the complexities of sexual assault and its aftermath. The expertly-crafted dual timelines and perspectives kept me hooked from start to finish. --Jordyn Taylor, award-winning author, The Revenge Game and Wicked Darlings

"People Are Talking tackles serious topics with biting humor. Eisenberg knows what she wants to say and how to say it. I even found myself snort-laughing at the banter." --Bookstagrammer Nikki DeGisi @asreadbyginger

"Compulsively readable and thought-provoking, Amanda Eisenberg's debut novel cleverly weaves the intrigue of a secret collegiate society with an essential post-#MeToo reckoning. Readers will relate to the audacious main characters Dani and Mal while appreciating their complex friendship and knife-sharp insights about relationships, ambition and consent." --Katy Stankevitz, content creator @katyisreading

About the Author

Amanda Eisenberg is a writer and adjunct professor based in Manhattan. An award-winning journalist, her writing has been featured in Politico, InStyle, and the Washington Post, among other outlets. She has written extensively about women's health issues, with a focus on health care access and sexual misconduct. Amanda grew up in Bergen County, New Jersey, and graduated from the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism. People Are Talking is her debut novel.