Social network research is well-equipped to help life course scholars produce a deeper and more nuanced approach to the principle of “linked lives,” one of the cornerstones of the field. In this issue on Networked Lives, the contributions of nineteen authors present new theories, empirical findings and methodological applications at the intersection of the fields of social networks and life course research. In this article, we reflect on these advances, highlighting key findings and challenges that await scholars in building more robust synergy between the two fields. Social networks emerge as key structural forces in life courses, yet there is much to learn about the mechanisms through which their effects on people’s lives come about. There is a need to study further how networks evolve through the rhythm of life events, and to analyze broader and more complex networks that capture the roles and influences of relations beyond intimate or family ties. These papers also suggest that there is much to be gained in probing not only how we are linked to others, but also how we “unlink” from others through choice or circumstance, as well as carrying conceptual and methodological advances in social networks research over to life course research (and vice versa).