CITY OF LIKES
City of Likes centers on Megan Chernoff, a talented but unemployed copywriter in an identity crisis after the birth of her second child. Seeking a fresh start, she and her family move to New York City, where she meets Daphne Cole—a gorgeous, stylish, well-known momfluencer. To Meg’s surprise and delight, Daphne shows an inordinate amount of interest in Meg, showering her with compliments, attention, gifts, and all the perks that come with having a massive digital platform. Before she knows it, Meg finds herself immersed in Daphne’s world—hobnobbing at exclusive power mama supper clubs, partaking in fancy wellness rituals, and reveling in the external validation she gets from her followers who grow daily by the thousands. Her friendship with Daphne, as well as the world she’s been granted access to, is intoxicating and all-consuming. But is it authentic? When Meg realizes she’s losing track of what matters most—her relationship with her sons and her husband—the deep cracks in Daphne’s carefully curated façade are finally exposed. It’s up to Meg to find her way back to her real life. But first she must determine what “real” even means.
Written with Jenny Mollen’s signature razor sharp wit, City of Likes is a compulsively entertaining and unforgettable satire of the seductive allure of social media, as well as an unsettling portrait of female relationships, motherhood, and our “pics or it didn’t happen” culture.
Everyone loves a “Clueless” makeover story when a wannabe gets taken under someone’s wing and turned into the best version of themselves. This happens in “City of Likes,” brilliant and hilarious author Jenny Mollen’s first novel.
— Good Morning America, new books to add to your reading list for June
In Jenny Mollen’s observant novel, the world of momfluencers is a dazzling and dangerous backdrop for a story about friendship, deceit, ambition, and how we choose to let the world see us.
— Town & Country Magazine, Must-Read Books of Summer 2022
Come see Jenny Mollen + Special Guests in a city near you for City of Likes, the tour!
NYC / June 14, 7pm (SOLD OUT)
City of Likes Release Party with Amanda Hirsch, Live from The Strand Bookstore in New York City!
Chicago / June 15, 6pm (SOLD OUT)
Join Jenny in Chicago with Hey Mama! Group to celebrate the release of City of Likes!
Nashville / June 16, 6:30pm (SOLD OUT)
Join Jenny in conversation with celebrity guest and local Nashvillian, Kimberly Williams Paisley, at Collective615 to celebrate the release of City of Likes!
Los Angeles / June 21, 7pm (SOLD OUT)
Join Jenny at The Grove in Los Angeles with her friend Chelsea Handler to talk everything City of Likes.
Phoenix / June 23, 7pm (SOLD OUT)
Jenny’s Dad, Dr. Mollen, Joins Her at Changing Hands Bookstore in Phoenix Arizona to Promote Her New Novel, City of Likes!
San Diego / June 24, 7pm (SOLD OUT)
Join Jenny in conversation with her mom, the moc, and her sister, Samantha for a book discussion and signing of City of Likes!
Austin / June 25, 1:30pm (SOLD OUT)
Join Jenny with Becca Tobin at Soho House in Austin, TX to celebrate her new novel, City of Likes!
Boston / June 27, 7pm (SOLD OUT)
Celebrate the release of City of Likes with Jenny, in conversation with Jason Biggs at the Trident!
New Jersey / June 28, 6pm
Join Jenny and husband, Jason Biggs, for a City of Likes book signing at Bookends in Ridgewood, NJ!
NYC / June 29, 12pm
Join Jenny at a FREE event at the Bryant Park Reading Room to celebrate her new novel, City of Likes!
Los Angeles / July 11, 7pm
Barnes & Noble The Grove welcomes author Jenny Mollen to discuss CITY OF LIKES with Chelsea Handler.
Jenny Mollen shares real life inspiration behind ‘City of Likes’
Jenny Mollen joins Hoda and Jenna to talk about the concept behind her new book “City of Likes,” as well as share the real life questions about social media and parenthood that inspired her to write it. “If you’re so busy curating parenthood for other people, how present are you in your real life with your real kids?,” she asks.
Jenny Mollen dishes on her new book ‘City of Likes’
The author tells “The View” about her book, which she describes as her simple truth, shares why she decided to put the story out into the world and brings out her husband Jason Biggs to say hello.
USA Today
What’s it like to be an influencer? Jenny Mollen dishes on free stuff — and all the strings attached
Free stuff, “blatant lies,” internet fame and strings attached: It’s all part of the job. Jenny Mollen’s novel “City of Likes,” (NacelleBooks, 266 pp., out now) chronicles the life of copywriter Meg Chernoff, whose world is flipped upside down and slapped with a blue check after she meets Daphne Cole, an It-girl mommy influencer who takes Meg under her wing and welcomes her to the wild, materialistic side of Instagram influencing. For Mollen, an actress and writer who has appeared in “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” “Girls” and “Buffy” spinoff “Angel,” “Likes” was born of her own experiences as a New York City influencer. Now, she’s spilling on the good, the bad and the ugly. Read more…
Thrive
How I Realized Social Media Only Tells Half the Story
I typed the letters slowly. “S-W-E…” Before I finished the word, Daphne’s face appeared, right under the Sweetgreen account. I felt a prick of excitement as her feed sprung to life: private beaches, presidential suites, and room-service trays spilling over with exotic fruits. There were charcuterie boards and paper mâché castles as tall as the ceiling and children’s bento boxes filled with gourmet desserts. There were carousels and costume balls, cold Champagne bottles, tricked-out cars, and oh, the clothing — capes and dresses and shoes and handbags. It was retail porn, lifestyle porn, vacation porn, and food porn with the occasional bathroom bikini selfie that teetered into the realm of porn-porn. Read more…
Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books™️ PODCAST
Jenny Mollen, CITY OF LIKES
Zibby is joined by actress and writer Jenny Mollen to discuss her first novel, City of Likes, which required a labor of love to publish. The two talk about how the story was inspired by the disconnect Jenny witnessed between mommy influencers’ on and offline lives, what her short-lived agent said that prompted her to try fiction instead of a third memoir, and when she knew writing was her niche. Jenny also shares details about her upcoming Dictator Lunches cookbook and why she is so honest on social media. Listen now…
Praise
“City of Likes has Jenny Mollen’s trademark lacerating humor and her ear for the outrageous, but this novel brings a new level of pathos to her writing. It’s a dark and engrossing satire of motherhood, wealth and friendship, laced with insight into the danger of remaking ourselves in the social media age. To be gulped down in one sitting.”
STEPHANIE DANLER
New York Times bestselling author of Stray and Sweetbitter
“Jenny Mollen tackles the novel with all the signature hilarity, insight and page-turning candor that she brings to her memoirs. A rollicking, joyful read that will make you want to put down the phone—and pick up a book.”
Rebecca Serle
New York Times bestselling author of One Italian Summer
“Jenny Mollen’s City of Likes is a propulsive story of motherhood, social media, and obsession—and the ways we can lose ourselves in each. A delightful blend of social commentary, dark humor, and good old-fashioned suspense that I devoured in two days.”
EMILY HENRY
#1 New York Times bestselling author of People We Meet on Vacation
“City of Likes is a hilarious take-down of what happens to people when they overdose on social media. It is an escape from social media while still reading about social media; a fantastic awakening to help clear your head and your addiction. And it’s hilarious. The greed, the lies, and the interminable desire to get more likes turns innocent people into horrifying versions of themselves. I couldn’t put it down.”
CHELSEA HANDLER
#1 New York Times bestselling author of Life Will Be the Death of Me
“First things first: I would pay good money to sit at a bar with Jenny Mollen and listen to her hilarious observations about the people around us. And I promise, once you read City of Likes, you would, too. Part comedy of manners, part social satire, Mollen’s debut novel is a pitch-perfect rendering of our current Instagrammable age. It’s viciously funny, and packed full of heart.”
GRANT GINDER
author of Let’s Not Do That Again and The People We Hate at the Wedding
“Loved this fun ride of a book, with sharp humor and a surprising depth of emotions. Filled with delightful takes on how social media affects all of us, City of Likes is a must-read.”
JESSE Q SUTANTO
author of The Obsession and Dial A for Aunties
ISBN-13: 9781737380115
Publisher: Nacelle Company, LLC
Publication date: 06/14/2022
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