When Rachel Weiss’s mother told her that the house next door sold, she honestly couldn’t see why that mattered to her so much. And then she found out that the nice couple moving in next door have a son, who bought them that house. And he’s single. And now Rachel knows why her mother is so excited. Her older sister Jane has a boyfriend, and her younger twin sisters are still in high school. So naturally, their mother has focused her matchmaking energy on Rachel.

But Rachel has her own ideas about what she wants in a partner. She doesn’t want some tech bro who has millions to waste on hobbies or selfish pursuits. She wants someone with some gravitas, someone who can leave the planet better than it is now. Fortunately, she has her group chat to turn to for advice and encouragement. Rachel and her friends have been together for years, and while jobs and relationships have been distracting them through the years, they always have their group chat to touch base with each other and reconnect.

But when one of the friends drops out of the group chat, and then another one, Rachel can’t help but worry that life may be pulling them too far apart. Secrets and misunderstandings threaten to destroy the group chat, so Rachel has to step in and find out what’s come between the friends and see if the friendships can be saved.

Meanwhile, Rachel is unhappy with her tech customer service job and struggling in love. Her boyfriend broke up with her, the dating apps are failing her, and her mom won’t stop talking about Christopher, the son of the couple next door. But as she keeps running into Christopher around town, she starts to think that he might not be quite as evil as he first seemed. In fact, he might be smart and thoughtful and kind. And maybe she is the one who isn’t quite as nice as she could be. Does she have the grit to live up to her potential and maybe even win the boy (almost) next door?

Rachel Weiss’s Group Chat is a fun modern rom com with strong nods to Pride and Prejudice. Between Rachel’s Jewish family and her friends, she is surrounded by a large group of supporters (mostly), and she is willing to go to bat for those she cares about. She wants everyone to be happy and have fun, but when things turn serious, she can handle that too.

As I was reading this book, which I loved and devoured, I could see the nods to Austen. I also got some strong Bridget Jones vibes, which isn’t surprising, as it’s also a modern retelling of the classic. But it also reminded me of a series of young adult books that I have loved for so many years. Louise Rennison created a character named Georgia Nicolson, and Rachel and her friends reminded me of Georgia and her fabby crew, a little older and a tiny bit more mature but just as much fun and devoted. Imagine my surprise to get to the end of the book, where debut author Lauren Appelbaum said that was exactly what had inspired her book. Like I said, I loved this book, and while there is no Viking dance, there is still a lot to love in Rachel Weiss’s Group Chat.

Egalleys for Rachel Weiss’s Group Chat were provided by Forever through NetGalley, with many thanks.