Most Likely

This article first appeared on FutureFemaleLeader.com

In April, we launched the Future Female Leaders Book Club as a way to connect with our readers over a shared love of books and read some fascinating books featuring strong female protagonists! In April, we read American Royals by Katharine McGee. In May, we read American Princess, and in June, we are reading Most Likely by Sarah Watson. 

Watson created the hit Freeform show The Bold Type, and her debut novel, Most Likely, is perfect for readers who love books with interesting female characters and a little bit of a political tie-in! Part of the reason we were drawn to this book was because it features four unique female characters for different women to relate to, and there’s a little bit of a mystery: who is destined to be President of the United States?

Ava, CJ, Jordan, and Martha have been best friends since they were five years old and met playing at a local park. Now they’re high school seniors and trying to navigate friendship, relationships, the college admissions process, and local political issues.  Now that the park is scheduled to be demolished and replaced with an office building, the girls will get involved in politics in ways they never expected.  And one of them will end up Mrs. Diffenderfer, sworn in as the President of the United States in January 2049. Will it be Ava, the artistic friend battling mental health issues and trying to decide whether she wants to find her birth mom? Will it be CJ, the go-getter who works hard but is stressed about SAT scores and the nice guy she meets at her volunteer site? Or Jordan, the wannabe journalist who might get in a little above her pay grade in an attempt to find out what is going on with the park? And what about Martha, the poorest of the friends who is trying to find a way to pay for college, all while working to be a good friend, or more, to others. 

As this story unfolds, we follow these four friends through the turbulence of their senior year, battling all the absolute insane moments we all dealt with in high school as well as bigger issues affecting themselves and their communities. Each character is so unique and fascinating that every reader will find someone to connect with in their own way. All along, you’re playing a game to try and figure out which of these four women is destined to be president, and while you THINK there’s an obvious moment that will reveal it all, that moment gets subverted in a very very adorable way that may make you cry, so be warned. 

This book has strong friendships, real world issues, and shows how taking a charge for one thing in your local community can change everyone’s lives, and we are so excited to read and discuss it with you all this month! 

Follow us on Instagram @FFLBookClub and join the discussions in our Facebook group here. 

Purchase Most Likely by Sarah Watson wherever books are sold.