August 23, 2021
The narrator of Mayer’s rambling debut, an unnamed 24-year-old Brooklyn woman, tries to escape the monotony of her job as a web producer for a women’s lifestyle website when her coworkers invite her to happy hour. As she dances at the bar, she recognizes the song playing is by famed pop star Adriana Argento and is immediately hooked. A newly hired coworker notices the narrator’s obsession with Adriana and invites her to join the Ivies, a group of women superfans who idolize the singer. Clearly not a normal fan club, the Ivies partake in cultlike rituals while listening to Adriana’s music. As the narrator spends more time with the Ivies, she sacrifices her healthy relationships with other friends, leading readers to wonder why she hangs out with such nutty people. The narrator’s discovery of a disturbing secret that ties the Ivies to a murder that took place at one of Adriana’s concerts raises the stakes as the action builds to an unsatisfyingly ambiguous conclusion. The narrator’s long-winded innermost thoughts don’t help. Hopefully, Mayer will do better next time. Agent: Maria Whelan, Inkwell Management.