MOST RECENT ARTICLES BY:

Emily Gould

Features Writer, New York Magazine

Emily Gould, a novelist and critic, is a features writer for New York Magazine. She writes the Making It newsletter. Her books include Friendship, Perfect Tunes, and The Heart Says Whatever.

  1. advice
    ‘I Can’t Stand My Husband’s Gross, Messy Family’No matter how weird they are, you should probably find a way to be present for their get-togethers.
  2. recommendations
    Beach Reads for Every MoodWhether you want to smooth out every wrinkle in your brain or embark on a new series.
  3. best of 2024
    The Best Books of 2024 (So Far)A sizzling, propulsive new novel from Miranda July, the introspective follow-up to There There, and a debut novel with a killer hook.
  4. advice
    ‘Will Ratting Out My Son’s Bully Make Things Worse?’There’s no guarantee it will stop, but at least you’ll know you’ve done everything in your power to try to help your kid.
  5. advice
    ‘The Economy Ruined My Relationship’Your boyfriend may feel as if his only option is to move somewhere cheaper, but he’s also choosing to walk away.
  6. books
    Juliet Escoria Isn’t Afraid of the DarkTalking with the author about her new story collection, addiction, and being honest about human nature.
  7. advice
    ‘Help! My Son’s Friend Doesn’t Know How to Use the Bathroom’If you need a crime-scene squad for post-playdate cleanup, you need to talk to his parents.
  8. books
    How I Fell For Monster Sex BooksMonster smut is the big new thing in publishing. It’s not just about the extra-long tongues.
  9. health
    Is Your Head Itchy?The lice are bad this year, and professional delousing services are not cheap.
  10. advice
    ‘Should I Warn My Family About the Sex Scenes in My Book?’Trust me: You might want to say something.
  11. advice
    ‘Why Won’t My Boyfriend of Three Years Introduce Me to His Friends?’This is what we in the advice-column business are forced to call a Red Flag.
  12. summer preview 2024
    22 Books We Can’t Wait to Read This SummerBooks that will transport you from the beach to a road trip with messy friends or a Round Table with Arthur’s knights.
  13. parenting
    Why Do So Many Celebs Write Children’s Books?It’s not because they’re easy. Here are 15 of them, reviewed from worst to least bad.
  14. advice
    ‘Should I Tell the Teacher That Boys Are Googling ‘Boobs’ in Class?’Since he told you this in confidence, you’ll need to weigh your options carefully.
  15. books
    The Most Aspirational Part of Miranda July’s New NovelIt’s not just the insatiable horniness or radical depiction of perimenopause.
  16. recommendations
    7 Books About Complicated Mother-Daughter RelationshipsSpend Mother’s Day reading instead of at brunch.
  17. advice
    ‘Help! Our DEI Trainer Won’t Stop Talking About Kink’You need to band together with your colleagues to demand something better.
  18. advice
    ‘My Boyfriend Still Shares a Bed With His Ex!’I’m going to tell you what your friends and therapist won’t.
  19. q&a
    A Memoir of Three Years in a Mental HospitalIn her new book Committed, Suzanne Scanlon writes about being institutionalized in her youth and how she eventually got out.
  20. parenting
    The Moms Who Smoke in SecretThey’ll do anything to hide it from their kids — except quit.
  21. advice
    ‘How Do I Find Child Care Without Losing My Mind?’The system needs to change, and while it’s our responsibility to work to change it, we don’t need to feel bad about ourselves in the process.
  22. advice
    ‘How Should I Handle My Co-worker’s Unhinged Rants?’Unless you work at some kind of serious law firm, you can probably just get real with them.
  23. books
    Why Does Every Famous Woman Have a Book Club Now?Dakota Johnson is the latest celebrity to pivot to bookfluencer.
  24. advice
    ‘Should I Let My Kid See His Weird Grandparents?’Assuming you want to maintain a relationship with them, I’m going to say yes. But you get to decide how and when that happens.
  25. profile
    Adelle Waldman Takes the Early ShiftWhy an author best known for skewering Brooklyn literati wrote a novel about working at a big-box store.
  26. culture
    Lucy Prebble’s Messy WomenThe playwright on Succession fan theories, her characters’ possible mental-health diagnoses, and if we’ll ever get another season of I Hate Suzie.
  27. books
    How Kelly Link Wrote a Very Good First NovelTalking with the veteran short-story writer about the romance genre, checking Twitter while she writes, and her fantastical new work The Book of Love.
  28. advice
    ‘I Think My Husband Is Trashing My Novel on Goodreads!’Introducing “Going Through It,” Emily Gould’s new advice column.
  29. decisions
    The Lure of DivorceSeven years into my marriage, I hit a breaking point. Since then, I’ve had to decide whether life would be better without my husband in it.
  30. encounter
    Rachel Bloom Is Reliving the Pandemic on Stage Every NightShe swears it’s good for you.
  31. culture
    Eileen Isn’t Weird EnoughI wanted the adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s novel to be as gross as the source material.
  32. reasons to love new york
    How This Lost Dog Got FoundIt’s Waylon, and he’s a good boy.
  33. home for the holidays
    Save a Seat For Barbra Streisand at ThanksgivingBring up these twelve tidbits from the star’s memoir to distract your relatives when they try to talk politics at the table.
  34. profile
    Park Slope Parents Is Old Enough to Order a DrinkSusan Fox wanted to build a community. She never expected to birth an archetype.
  35. making it
    Maria Bamford’s New York Fantasy CampTalking to the comedian about finances, the various various “cults” she’s belonged to, and her new memoir.
  36. parenting
    How Do I Talk to My Kids About Sex?All your awkward sex-education questions, answered.
  37. cut opinion pages
    No More GirliesMy one-woman crusade against the girlies probably won’t hasten its demise, but it’s good to be reminded that all trends always fade away.
  38. pablo-matic
    ‘I Wasn’t Prepared for How the Art World Treated Hannah’A conversation with the Brooklyn Museum’s director, Anne Pasternak, a few weeks after the debut of “It’s Pablo-Matic.”
  39. making it
    All the TV I Watched When I Was Chronically DepressedWhen I wasn’t watching TV, I could hear my brain, and my brain was the worst podcast in the world.
  40. canada wildfires
    It Was a Weird Day in New YorkThere’s a wild, chaotic feeling that comes over us as a city when it seems like no one is in charge.
  41. making it
    Clancy Martin Writes to Stay AliveThe author of How Not to Kill Yourself wants to share his hard-earned wisdom with those who are currently suffering in the way he once was.
  42. making it
    Clay Pigeon Is Happy to Be Awake and on the Air at 6 A.M.“Without my wife, I might not work at WFMU. I realized there’s tons of other guys with the same story in New York. Wives are the ones making bread.”
  43. making it
    The Vegan Chocolatier Who Wants to Turn Edible Butt Plugs Into a BusinessChocolatier Lagusta Yearwood of Lagusta’s Luscious applies a “ridiculous old-school punk-DIY aesthetic” to her sweets.
  44. making it
    My Tattoo Artist Ifé Toussaint Fetches the BoltcuttersHow a young stick-and-poke artist makes tattooing work financially — without the macho vibes.
  45. making it
    Jen Beagin’s Novel About Sex Therapy Sparked a Hollywood Bidding WarShe was a waitress at 47. Now, her book Big Swiss is being adapted by Jodie Comer for HBO.
  46. making it
    Sarah Thankam Mathews Wrote Her Hit Novel in Four Months“I felt very chewed up by New York by virtue of not making enough money. I felt desperate.”
  47. making it
    Casey Johnston Turned Bulking Up Into a BusinessThe unlikely weight-lifting coach is making a killing arguing that pumping iron can be for everyone (yes, even you).
  48. looking to settle
    4 Days to Find a Not-Horrible Apartment for a Family of FourThe search, at long last, concludes.
  49. looking to settle
    32 Days to Find a Not-Horrible Apartment for a Family of FourToo exhausted to go on, Emily hands the hunt over to her husband, Keith.
  50. looking to settle
    49 Days to Find a Not-Horrible Apartment For a Family of Four“Even if you could imagine this unit being clean, it still would have a general ambiance I can only describe as serial-killer-y.”
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