The Hopefuls (Vintage Contemporaries)

While The Hopefuls is set in the political world, it’s not a book about politics. Rather, it’s a book about marriage and friendship set against the backdrop of politics. Beth finds D.C. an odd and unwelcoming place until she and Matt meet the Dillons, another couple who will become their best friends. Beth is an accessible and relatable narrator and her witty commentary about the douche-y D.C. politicos had me chuckling. Maybe it was her pop culture references (including one about Friday Night Lights!) or her propensity to point out D.C. traits I would also find annoying or the fact that she and Matt’s time in NYC coincided with mine, but I felt like she was speaking my language. The Hopefuls also tackles themes that resonated with me: making new friends as adults (and navigating the boundaries of said friendships), the nosiness of small towns, and trying to find your footing in a new place."Here’s what I still hate about DC: the way that nothing is permanent, the feeling that everything and everyone you know, could (and does) wash away every four or eight years. All of these important people, so ingrained in the city—you can’t imagine that this place could exist without them. But one day they’re gone and everything keeps moving just the same. Who can get their footing in a place like this? It feels like quicksand to me."My only complaint was that the ending wrapped things up a little too nicely, yet didn’t. The question of where the characters end up was answered, but some large issues that figured prominently in the storyline and certainly should have impacted the outcome of the book were left unexplored. Despite the unsatisfying ending, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride (which, as I discussed here, is generally more important to me anyway) and highly recommend The Hopefuls as a light, relatable summer read.Check out my blog, Sarah's Book Shelves, for more reviews.

Since I am all of these things, I read this in two sittings and enjoyed the ride. However, this is not a great book. It has almost no plot and relies on the attractiveness of 4 main characters. The problem with that is that 3 of the characters become less like-able and less recognizable over time, so as a reader you are left feeling slightly betrayed. I liked the insider jokes, the references to favorite area restaurants (Old Ebbitts! Raku! Bethesda Bagel!) and the allusions to the Obama frat boys who all seem like Vineyard Vine-wearing grown up versions of high school classmates. I read A LOT, probably 2 books a week and read widely (last week's books were Joseph Ellis' Quartet, Ray Dalio's Principles) so for me, this light novel wasn't a waste. But, if I only had time to read a handful of books a year, I would keep searching for a more worthy pick!

While I understand the comments complaining that The Hopefuls doesn't have a plot, I still loved reading this book and highly recommend.The references to the Obama campaign were so interesting because it felt like you were actually getting a glimpse into how the campaign actually worked -- the author definitely did her homework. The stories of the hard and grueling campaign work was so well written and spot on.I would have appreciated a little more of a "tied up in a pretty bow" ending with respect to Jimmy and Beth -- they kind of just dropped off after the reader was invested in their future. Maybe for a follow-up book?Loved this book. It was smart and witty, and a breath of fresh air to read a light book about politics.

This book has some serious moments, but overall was a fairly light and quick read, told in a pretty authentic first-person style that was easy to engage with.This book had a lot that I could identify with: I interned in DC around the time the book begins, and I found the book to reasonably capture the environment of young strivers working to make it there (it also reinforced my distaste for endless networking, which is a big reason why i don't work there today). It also contains a reasonably accurate portrayal of the ups and downs of a relatively young marriage, and the impacts of uncertainty about careers and family and how that affects such a marriage.On the downside, some of the characters were a little one-dimensional, and the treatments of locations (DC, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin) all seemed a little stereotypical. This book instead depends on plot, and in the ways that situations impact people.

I picked the Hopefuls very intentionally. The political sphere is fascinating and the way that people act within the political sphere is even more fascinating! There's so much interest for me in the way that people are willing to change and act under the guise of "politics" and "government" and that is so intriguing for me. What I love about this book is that it really does delve deep into those concepts of ambition, political power, and just plain pretentiousness and what those things do to people, even close friends. The Hopefuls is vaguely like House of Cards or Scandal except in a much lighter fashion and on a more personal, individual level rather than a heavy macro-political level.Beth is hilarious in how much she does not enjoy or understand politics or Washington. "I had no idea what any of it meant, but I did my best to look impressed." What I love about Beth is that she's a very real character in her reactions to politics and campaigning and Washington as a person who doesn't care for any of it. The thing that I really detest about Beth is that she's so so passive. Honestly I should have seen this coming because in the first chapter she describes that she's so so so lucky to have her husband because he's kind because she once dated a guy who was not kind. And she just KNOWS that Matt is kind and loves her because he eats Indian food for her even though he doesn't love it. Wow. And it just progresses from there, she says something late in the book, "I don't know how it got to this point" and part of me just wants to scream because YES YOU DO! It's so clear how it got to this point!Overall though, The Hopefuls is fun and fascinating for the way it delves into a world that so many people find compelling. It describes Washington and politics from an outsiders perspective. What it really comes down to is that Washington and everything in it is an inside joke and from the outside, you might just never get it.

As a politics nerd anything set in Washington DC and revolving around Presidential campaigning is for me. I loved this book - it fell a little flat in places and wasn't the most exciting but the characters were really interesting. Having visited DC it is nice to picture the characters and their lives there.

The majority of the books plot kind of drags on. It never really makes you want to continue reading until the very last part. However, it is filled with accurate and funny observations, which will make you appreciate the writers style. Particularly the way characters are analyzed and described shows that the author has a gift for observing people, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

An interesting insight into the political process via thoroughly unlikable characters.

Great book