Books about the college admissions scandal are starting to arrive and in When The Grass is Greener, the author approaches it from both the adult and child perspectives. Once again, Weisberger combines her clever writing with interesting characters and observations about the upper class...and comes up with an entertaining book.
Peyton’s a star of morning news (think Jennifer Aniston of The Morning Show) and, as the book opens, a scandal unfolds: her husband, Isaac, is arrested for trying to bribe a college official to admit their daughter, Max, to Princeton.
We do get an opportunity to better understand Peyton’s motivation (although you may not necessarily agree with it) as the story takes us back to her upbringing with her single mother and sister, Skye, in Lancaster, PA. Skye and her family (husband, Gabe, and young daughter, Aurora) also round out the book as interesting characters/storylines. But my favorite character was Max. At times, she seemed like the most mature member of the family, but at others, you’re reminded that she’s just a 17 year old young woman.
The book was entertaining and another great example of the author’s witty writing style and ability to bring critical issues to the hearts and minds of readers. And, I’m still smiling about her characterization early in the book of the “blond woman with bass lips.”
I’m not a fan of the ending and look forward to learning more about the author’s motivation once the book is published!
Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for the opportunity to read Where the Grass is Greener in exchange for an honest review.

Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty is a "ripped from the headlines" take on a story of privilege and wealth. Ripped from the headlines… this book is full of scandal and privilege. Two sisters, Peyton and Skye find themselves in midlife, landing in places they never thought they'd be. In some ways, their poor choices have led to this conclusion, but in other ways their poor judgment helped them arrive. As is often the case, bad decisions are poison that filtrates to those around us. Peyton's daughter Max suffers from the fallout as do others in their immediate circle. It's a classic story of greed, jealousy, and entitlement.

The story was interesting but the characters lacked depth. There were a lot of superfluous details and unnecessary explanations. The theme of privilege and amount of vanity that carried through the book made it difficult to connect with the characters and left me wanting more (despite the excess of unnecessary details).
I wanted more story and less descriptions. The potential was great, but the execution fell flat to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ripped from the headlines… this book is full of scandal and privilege. Two sisters, Peyton and Skye, are both at midlife crossroads. Neither are where they expected to be at this point, and both have made grave misjudgments.

What I liked:
*Peyton’s daughter, Max, is smart, quirky, and knows exactly who she is and what she wants. She’s genuine and relatable. At 18, she also manages to overcome what the 40 year old adults do not. She’s a great reminder that we often discount the abilities of the young.
*The look at parenting and how hard we try to get it right, all the while misjudging and often failing.
*The easily relatable, a tad dysfunctional, yet completely committed relationship between sisters, Peyton and Skye
*A reminder that what we see on the outside is often very different from the reality of the inside
*The hideous highlight put on privilege and pretense


What didn’t work for me:
*Aside from Max, I didn’t find the other characters well designed or easy to connect with. It was especially hard to feel sorry for utterly vapid Peyton.
*The constant dialogue that anything can be excused or justified
*The lack of necessary commentary on privilege
*The depth of superfluous details: This book is awash in the unnecessary, and it does not add quality or connection to the story. If anything, the redundancy created a disconnect with the plot and me skip entire sections. As an example in one scene, Peyton visits her dermatologist. There was no corner of that office that did not get chronicled along with every inch of the dermatologist’s outfit and face (Her nose melted into her face like Michael Jackson’s.). The plot was completely derailed and for no value. Throughout the story, the author left no details to the imagination.
*While Weisberg gives a breadth of focus to the redundant and unnecessary, she completely left me wanting in areas that could have given depth to the characters and story. I desperately wanted more of Max’s life in Paradise where she finally finds friends that she connected with.

While the premise of this book had much potential, the execution fell flat to me. The depth of gratuitous details and lack of character development made the book feel like too much vanity and privilege with too little quality and heart.

Thank you Lauren Weisberger, Random House, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty. I haven't read anything else by Lauren Weisberger besides The Devil Wears Prada, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The story starts off very strong and ends with a fantastic surprise ending, but the middle portion kind of plods along. There are a lot of side plots that mostly come together in the end. I think the character of Max was by far the strongest character and very wise beyond her 17 years. I could have done without the excessive details about Botox and fashion and skin care regimens and if edited down, that would streamline the overall story. A lovely small feature was the creativity of the chapter names. They made me laugh. For those that are expecting a light and beachy read, this does NOT fit that bill. The plot about a college admissions scandal ties in nicely with current events. Other themes explored are adoption, depression, suburbia, helicopter parenting, motherhood, sisters, family/relationships.

MUCH better than some of Weisberger's other works! (Chasing Harry Winston, anyone?) This is a fictionalization of another college admissions scandal. This is fluffy--- but with heart! This will be a perfect beach read for the summer. Thank you to netgalley and Random House for the ARC!

Thank to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
I spotted this title in a librarian event online and thought I would broaden my horizons. I knew this would be title our library would receive.
I think there is readership for a book like this, especially those patrons who liked ‘Prada’. I can see this being optioned for a movie at some point. I think also this book would be delicious for someone who likes sister drama, gossip, and scandal, but for me as a reader, I couldn’t get into the book at all. I don’t really care for this type of drama and gossip I guess.
I’ll give it 3* for the writing, but I didn’t care for the book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

I absolutely adore The Devil Wears Prada, and while I have not read any of the other works by this author, I did hear a great review of it ahead of time and decided to pick it up. Weisberger is a queen when it comes to writing well-developed, fiesty femaie characters, and Peyton, Skye, and Max, in particular, are exactly that. Peyton is everyone's favorite news anchor on the morning news. When her own husband is arrested for a college admissions scandal, life as she knows it is turned upside down - affecting much more than her own family. The crisis is believable, and the author shows the human side behind the fame and fortune. Is this fantastic literature? No, but it was a solid, character-driven story on a relevant topic.

If you loved When Life Gives You Lululemons, you'll love the newest over-the-top novel from Weisberger. What starts off as a light & fluffy story becomes a touching tale of growing up, finding yourself, and embracing motherhood.

I've only read one other book by Weisberger, the iconic The Devil Wears Prada, and it looms large in my mind so I was excited to get the chance to read her most recent offering.

Weisberger's book is quite literally ripped from the headlines. Peyton Marcus is the IT news anchor, but what happens when the person reporting the news becomes the news itself. One moment Peyton is at the gym (her workout regime is very important to being camera-ready) and the next she is watching her husband be carted off by the FBI on television. The book also focuses on Peyton's sister Skye who despite a fancy Amherst education spends her days as a stay-at-home mom as well as CO-Girl Scout Leader among other positions. Skye wants more for herself but has her own demons to fight. And my favorite POV character is Peyton's daughter Max whose chapters were my favorite to read and who must now deal with the fallout from her parents seemingly ruining her life.

This book is very readable although it did take me a little while to get into it. I personally wasn't turned off by the brand name dropping, but sometimes it did hit a little too close to home. Weisberger does go out of her way to have her characters acknowledge their privilege but sometimes they behave in off-putting ways and it is hard to see what is intentional and what is the characters just being naive. I did think the end was satisfying although parts were wrapped up a little too nicely.

Ultimately I think if you like Weisberger's previous books you will enjoy this one (or the Apple+ television show The Morning Show).

Thank you very much to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Random House, and Lauren Weisberger for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Fans of Weisberger and Devil Wears Prada will find plenty to love in this fictional spin on the college admissions scandal, from the point of view of top morning show anchor Peyton, who is used to having it all, but has taken her privileges just a little too far this time. In counterpoint, Peyton's sister Skye has a fancy degree but spends her time as a suburban stay-at-home mom and longs for something more. Peyton's bad decision ends up having implications far beyond her own disgrace, and as she struggles to come to terms with how to move forward, the book explores the relatnionships throughout the family. Weisberger is skilled at treating real issues with humor and sensitivity, and the bond between sisters weaves warmth throughout. the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I plowed through it very quickly. It will be the perfect beach read. Peyton and Skye are sisters whose lives have taken very different path from what they expected. Skye was the high achieving straight A good girl while Peyton was the party girl, popular homecoming queen. Peyton become an anchor for a a well known national news network while Skye has not really utilized her elite undergraduate education and has become a stay at home mom in a very posh, elitist New York suburb. Peyton is extremely fixated on very superficial parts of her glamourous New York city life. She is extremely fixated on her daughter attending the "right" private school and then the "right" Ivy League college. Unfortunately, her obsession with these stakes of private elite colleges causes her to do some extremely foolish things. I enjoyed the story very much- especially the relationship between the sisters and how the mother daughter relationships develop in multiple generations. I do feel that many of the situations were somewhat contrived but I still enjoyed the book. I think it will be a hit and I look forward to more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book

Lauren is a successful tv anchor who was always jealous of her sister Skye's elite education. Lauren gets caught up in the frenzy of getting her daughter Max into an Ivy League school. Skye is living in an exclusive NYC suburb while with her husband and adopted daughter trying to start a home for underprivileged girls. Both Lauren and Skye have secrets that get them into trouble. Weisberger does an excellent job of tapping into the feelings of both mothers and daughters in this book. The characters are both likable and believable. Though some of the incidents may have been a bit over the top, I highly recommend it. I couldn't put it down. I thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I’ve loved Lauren Weisberger’s other books, and found them to generally be pretty fluffy (not a bad thing). This one was a bit meatier – while it had a good bit of “lifestyles of the rich and famous”, it really focused on the relationships between sisters Skye and Peyton, their mother, and Peyton’s daughter. Peyton is a news anchor who gets the family embroiled in a college admissions scandal, and while it’s first unclear whether she is meant to be Lori Loughlin, Loughlin is then mentioned later in the book and there are lots of other timely references that make this book feel very current. (No COVID though.) This wasn’t as light as I expected, and it took me a little while to get into the characters, but then it was a really enjoyable read that I stayed up to finish quickly.

Peyton Marcus has it all – she’s an anchor for a most-watched morning show, and has perfect hair, smooth skin, and a beautiful family. Her sister, Skye, lives in a New York suburb and, though she has a fancy degree, spends her time taking care of her family and dreaming of a life outside of the PTA. Max is Peyton’s daughter who is graduating from high school and about to enjoy her last summer at home before leaving for Princeton to pursue her dreams in film. All three of these woman are about to find out just how quickly all of their hard work can unravel. All it takes is one little lie…

Although there was a huge event that happens at the beginning of the book, the progression of the story is mostly character driven rather than plot driven. I actually enjoyed how this was set up because I loved that the characters were flawed, it made them really relatable. I found the main character, Peyton, to be a bit unlikeable at the beginning of the story so it was nice to see her more humanized by the end. I also really enjoyed how Weisberger was able to paint an intricate picture of the fabulous lives the characters lead in New York and the ridiculous lifestyle of the Paradise City moms. I found that reading from different points of view also really helped to give a full picture of how serious the aftermath of the scandal was. I loved the relationship dynamic between Skye and Peyton. Even though they were both so different, they were so close as sisters and really came through for each other no matter what. I wish there was more of a development in Skye’s story, it felt a bit unfinished at the end of the book and I felt as though I was left wondering what happened with her and her family.

Huge thank you the NetGalley and Penguin Random House for sending an ARC of this book!

Loved, loved, LOVED his book! Lauren Weisberger does not disappoint! This is a tale of sisters, mothers, friends, and family. A cautionary tale warming that what appears perfect is sometimes far from perfect.. A heartbreaking tale of a mother wanting the best for her daughter, but instead creating chaos in her life, and the lives of her daughter, her husband and her sister. I love these characters! Through all their shiny perfection, the flaws slowly are revealed. A great beach read! I can see Reese Witherspoon grabbing the screen rights to this gem! I am casting it in my head!

Thank you @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the ARC of this book!

After really enjoying When Life Gives You Lululemons and The Devil Wears Prada, I was super excited for Lauren Weisberger's newest release! In a "The Morning Show" meets "Admission" novel, we are told the story of Peyton Marcus, a famous news anchor for a popular news channel. When news breaks that he husband was involved in a similar college admission scandal, that she herself, covered on the news only a few years ago, her whole world comes tumbling down.

I really enjoy Weisberger's writing style, and the full imagery she gives of the unrelatable, yet fabulous life style of her Upper East Side Manhattan characters. I loved the twist on the college admission scandal, and appreciated the journey Peyton embarks on to correct her family's mistakes.

However, I do think there were several scenes that didn't really add anything to the plot and therefore made the story a little longer than it needed to be. I also felt like Peyton's sister, Skye's, side story was a little underdeveloped. There were lots of issues she faced in the story that I would have liked to have seen resolved.

Overall, this was certainly enjoyable and I would recommend to fans of Weisberger's other works!

FOUR OUT OF FIVE STARS for Lauren Weisberger's forthcoming novel, WHERE THE GRASS IS GREEN AND THE GIRLS ARE PRETTY.

This novel follows two sisters, Peyton and Skye, as they navigate their careers, families, successes, and failures. They seem to have everything they've ever wanted. But when a college admissions scandal comes to light, it has the power to threaten everything both families been working towards.

WHERE THE GRASS IS GREEN AND THE GIRLS ARE PRETTY is like The Morning Show meets Gossip Girl for the older set. No one can portray the New York Elite better than Lauren Weisberger. It's full of Weisberger's signature wit and satire that makes it relatable as hell and laugh out loud funny at times, but also has a lot of heart in it. While it has a storyline ripped from the headlines, it shows the power of sisterhoods and the unique bond that makes us love our sisters, even when we can't stand them.

WHERE THE GRASS IS GREEN AND THE GIRLS ARE PRETTY kept me engaged and turning the page. Extra points that Paradise City is my favorite Guns N' Roses song. This is a great summer read and I look forward to recommending this book to our blog audience and will keep it as a potential contender for a monthly book pick for our organization's book club. Thank you to RandomHouse and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

No book by Lauren Weisberger could ever be bad and this one will be the perfect summer read for those wanting to escape the lockdowns and restrictions. Hopefully they can read it by a pool or beach but lazing on the deck or couch works just as well!

This won't be listed in my top three Weisberger books. Although the plot was strong and the characters realistic and flawed, I struggled to really like Peyton and Skye. Especially Skye. At least Peyton owned her shallow, monetary obsessed life. Skye was dismissive and judgemental of the other parents of Paradise, yet she was living in that same lifestyle. She may have disliked the way she was living but she was still doing it and I am not sure she was ever planning on truly stopping her helicopter parenting and Shopping addiction. After all that work she had done on the home for underprivileged girls, it looked in the end as a way for her to justify buying stuff all the time. The book skirted over so many issues, shopping addictions, multi-race families, so much moral grayness. I did like the parrallel of the wives and husbands. Maybe it was Weisbergers way of telling us Skye and Peyton were fundamentally good, kind people because they had married good, kind men.

It is worth the read. I live in an affluent neighborhood and so many of the observations about privileged lives rang true (why can't men and women talk to each other at parties!!).

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

What a timely read! With the college admissions scandal still on everyone's mind, this book brought home the impact it must have had on everyone involved.
It was the story of two sisters with different approaches to leading their lives. The bond between the two was so beautifully portrayed and believable. It explores to what extent parents will go to for the benefit of their children or to what extent parents will do it for themselves. Well done!

I'm sure others enjoyed this book but I had a hard time believing that the main character, being who she was, would have been duped into what she did. I usually enjoy intricately described locations, situations and backstory, but to me it felt out of place in this book. I often found myself skimming large swaths of text because it just felt like it wasn't necessary. It was fine, but just like when I read When Life Give You Lululemons, I was disappointed.