It’s tough to find that book that you can simultaneously flaunt at the coffee shop and breeze through on the beach. J. Courtney Sullivan, however, anticipated this conundrum and appeals to both crowds in her spectacular debut Commencement (Knopf). It is a pitch-perfect portrayal of how friendships form and endure during and after liberal arts college; in this case, the all-girls’ school Smith. Sullivan is most interested in character nuances and studies: she focuses on the four very diverse friends, Celia, April, Bree, and Sally and accelerates the plot through their various point of views and backgrounds. As crazy as their choices become, the reader can relate, whether admittedly or not, and Sullivan has the astute ability to voice what the reader cannot.