September 12, 2025
Provided Images/Allison Pense Photography/Penguin Random House
In 'Fun at Parties,' a new book by Jersey Shore author Jamie Harrow, a cycling instructor goes on a cross-country road trip after a public meltdown. Despite plans to spend time in nature, she ends up party-hopping in different cities.
In her new book "Fun at Parties," Manasquan author Jamie Harrow sends her main character on a cross-country road trip, but the events that unfold don't exactly go as planned.
"She thinks she's doing an 'Eat, Pray, Love' journey or a 'Wild' journey, but she's actually stuck in the in 'The Hangover,'" Harrow said.
"Fun at Parties," which will be released Tuesday, follows a digital cycling instructor named Quinn who has a public meltdown during a class after a breakup with a coworker. To cope, she goes on a road trip from Los Angeles to the Jersey Shore with the intention of spending time in nature and reflecting. Instead, she and her former crush, Nathan, follow a reality star friend as he party-hops across the country, stopping at a music festival in Kansas, a bachelorette party in Nashville and a baby shower in Denver, complete with a giant game of the Floor is Lava.
Along the way, Quinn also struggles with the fallout of her breakdown — which actually gained her followers on social media — and putting on a brave face for the public despite her inner turmoil. It's a trait she learned from her mother, who fell into bankruptcy after taking a job working for a multi-level marketing scheme.
Harrow said she spends a lot of time doing online workout classes on her Peloton, and it made her wonder how a career centered in motivation, such as a fitness instructor, might make someone struggle with toxic positivity.
"It just felt like a natural combination," Harrow said. "This character came to me, that she would have these issues with toxic positivity, would be very uncomfortable with negative feelings and (I thought), 'What would happen if I put her in a situation that basically drove her to her breaking point? How could I torture her across the country?'"
With her new popularity, Quinn is asked by her bosses to keep up appearances on social media, documenting her trip and acting as a role model for strong, single women. But on the inside, she's struggling to deal with her breakup and acknowledge the loneliness she feels in her life in Los Angeles. Harrow said she wanted to explore the idea that many people learn from what they see on Instagram and TikTok, but some of those people aren't really the experts they claim to be.
At the same time, Harrow said she also wanted to show her character moving past her toxic positivity and face the negative emotions she's afraid to feel. Quinn starts off as someone who'd rather change her mind than her circumstances, but learns over the course of the book that some of her problems are in the real world, not just in her head.
"What I want people to take away is the challenges, but also the value in being honest with yourself about your circumstances, your emotions," Harrow said. "I think it's clear from the book that that can be difficult to do, and I don't want to downplay that at all, but when you do admit the truth to yourself, a lot of growth can stem from that."
