The Very Nice Box

'Laura Blackett and Eve Gleichman are linguistic magicians, and their sparkling debut manages to expose the hollowness of well-being jargon while exploring, with tender care and precision, how we dare to move on after unspeakable loss' - New York Times 

'A very funny debut - and perhaps the most original office satire of the year' - Washington Post

'Compelling, quirky, and different... In a darkly funny, thought-provoking, and twisty novel, readers will be entertained and root for Ava, and for a life where grief and hope can coexist' - Shondaland (5 Best Books of July)

'This nicely hard-to-define joint debut combines workplace satire, steamy romance, and genuine suspense... Gleichman and Blackett irresistibly and unpredictably entertain with surprising plot twists and lots of diverting scenery in the goings-on at STÄDA and its relatably droll office culture' - Booklist 

'The limits of self-preservation and the giddiness of new attraction collide in Blackett and Gleichman's sharp debut... Blending comedy, thriller, and romance to great and surprising effect, this should have wide appeal' - Publishers Weekly

'The Very Nice Box is highly readable, full of twists and irony-inspiring deep belly-laughs with every sentence' - BOMB

'In this bitingly funny thriller, a heartbroken woman takes a chance on love and gets more than she bargained for... This debut novel by the writing duo Eve Gleichman and Laura Blackett takes on hipster corporate culture with biting wit while also balancing breezy romance and pulse-pounding suspense' - Apple Books (Best Books of July 2021)

'A quirky, deeply satisfying, whip-smart debut that critiques corporate culture and male entitlement while also offering a heartfelt look at how to work through grief. Meticulously constructed and truly original-I inhaled it' - Jami Attenberg, author of All This Could Be Yours

'A fascinating look at the ways people choose to compartmentalize grief. The writing is sharp and dynamic, the plot wonderfully compelling. It's a very fun read, but it's also a timely one: how does toxic masculinity in corporate culture restructure and rebrand itself in order to appear innocuous? The Very Nice Box is a very nice book, and Blackett and Gleichman have created something stellar here' - Kirsten Arnett, author of With Teeth

'This debut has everything I crave in a novel: emotional intelligence, humor both subtle and satirical, pathos galore, and sentences that you could bounce a quarter off. Eve Gleichman and Laura Blackett have managed to write a literary page-turner that is full of heart and scathing social critique, not to mention a surprise ending to rival those of my favorite mysteries. I absolutely devoured it' - Melissa Febos, author of Girlhood

'A satire of contemporary corporate culture. An exploration of how vulnerable we become in grief. A surprising romance. A cautionary tale. Somehow The Very Nice Box manages to be all of the above. Eve Gleichman and Laura Blackett have a wicked sense of humor and a keen view on our current moment. This is a delightful and propulsive read' - Helen Phillips, author of The Need

'What kind of box is this book? Is it a giftbox, or a memory box, or a coffin? It's all of the above, a deftly packaged story that hinges on the way we organize our days, our work, and our love. I relished living in its perfect compartments. Gleichman and Blackett have engineered a narrative not only very nice, but exceptional' - Hilary Leichter, author of Temporary

'This sharp page-turner is as well-constructed and pleasing as the titular Box' - Emily Gould, author of Perfect Tunes

'The Very Nice Box is athrill ride, an enthralling tale of love and vengeance. It's a rare novel that both sparkles with humor and pulses with deep emotion. At once a transgressive love story and an exploration of how to bring back life's meaning after loss, the plot builds in twist after twist to a shocking ending' - Molly Dektar, author of The Ash Family

'Smart, witty, wonderfully queer, The Very Nice Box is a moving novel about love and grief, a satire on corporate culture and thriller with a brilliant twist, all at once. Utterly original, warm-hearted and addictive' - Kate Davies, author of In at the Deep End

'This book is fantastic... It's a heartbreaking novel about grief and trauma. It's a maddening look at male entitlement. It's an examination of love and sexuality... I absolutely loved it' - BookRiot

'The Very Nice Box is a gleeful satire of relationships and start-up culture, as well as an incisive examination of grief and male entitlement' - Public Libraries Online