I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

How far would you be willing to go to get your child into the college of your dreams? Meddlesome parents and a beloved child get caught up in the cheating for a space ivy league scandal.

I went into this book blindly and think it was leaning towards "The Morning Show" vibes when I first started it, but I was wrong. "Where the Grass is Green and the Girls Are Pretty" is truly a ripped from the story headlines regarding college admissions. I liked this book because it shook things up by having multiple POVs. I also felt this made it easier to bond with the characters and understand why they did the things they did. I really enjoyed the storyline between the two sisters, Skye and Peyton. They were both so different, but the author did a great job of highlighting their relationship throughout the book. This book was more emotional than Weisberger's other novels, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Taken from the headlines!

This book couldn’t have been more timely with the college admissions scandals now being reported in the news.

I’ve read / listened to a previous book by this author When Life Gives You LuLulemons and loved it. I was so anxious to get my hands on this book hoping for the same magic. Sadly I was very disappointed. Did not have the same feel at all and I was left struggling.

Perhaps because I had the printed version rather than the audio?🤷🏻‍♀️ Or maybe the storyline was just a bit too familiar with all that was going on every time I had the news turned on. Either way just wasn’t a good for me.
I will definitely try again with the next release by this author. Perhaps the 🎧 version.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC to read and review.

Unfortunately, I was not able to get into this book. I haven't read any of her other books. I've heard good things but maybe it's not for me. I love books about sisters but I felt that their dialogue had too much back and forth that wasn't interesting to me. I couldn't connect with any of the characters or find interest in the plot. It was a light read, so would be good for someone who wants a beachy light read.

OMG. I am obsessed with this book! Seriously I could not stop reading it. The characters are fantastic... I mean seriously it was as if you knew them personally. That’s how amazing of a writer Lauren is. The ending even surprised me as well! Such a great read.

This may actually be my favorite Weiserger book since The Devil Wears Prada (and yes, I've read them all). At some point over the past four years, I've strayed away from books about super rich housewives, for a few reasons. But I have trouble identifying with people who only care about staying pretty and buying the right clothes and being fabulous. People with fuzzy morals and no social conscience.

Starting the book with Skye, who doesn't care about most of that, was a stroke of genius, because she's infinitely more likable than her sister. (Although she seemed a bit too label-conscious for someone who supposedly didn't really care about any of it.) Peyton had some interesting layers, and I loved seeing how her actions affected her daughter.

I thought about the book when I wasn't reading, and it completely immersed me when it was. Truly excellent. With that said, a couple of things about the ending bugged me enough to give it four stars instead of five..

Review based on ARC.

Just in time for summer beach reading! Relationship fiction about two sisters and how a "next wave" of pay-for-admission college scandal creates havoc in their lives and their marriages. One a morning national news anchor, the other a stay-at-home former teacher, both are helicopter parents in different way. Through the course of one summer, they come to terms with their actions, grow in their marriages and family relationshipts, and discover their own personal flaws. A quick, enjoyable read for fans of the author, Elizabeth Berg, Elin Hilderbrand and similar writers.

Straight from the big discussion and debate about college admissions. I went into this book blind and I enjoyed it. I have never read anything by this author, but that will now change. I recommend this book !

This book was interesting but it wasn’t my favorite. The writing style felt forced, but I did love the multiple point of views!

I didn't know much about this book going in, but I've always enjoyed reading Weisbergers work before so I was excited to receive an advanced copy!! The story follows a family in the throughs of a college admissions scandal and the outward affect of this one action on everyone. The author set this story in modern day, even referencing the college admissions scandal from a few years ago with notable celebrities (there was also a TikTok reference so you know its current day).

Overall, I really enjoyed that this book was written in multiple POVs so the reader could get a fuller picture of the aftermath of the scandal. The end was left slightly open, which I liked in this case because it let me think the best of all the characters I had grown to like and care about.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy familial drama, drama of the wealthy, and who were sucked into the college admissions scandal when it broke a few years ago. This story was definitely a lighter read, but enjoyable!

3.5 rounded up

Thank you NetGalley, Lauren Weisberger and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of Where the Grass Is Green and the Girls Are Pretty. This is my personal review.
This story was right out of the headlines and it was done perfectly. The characters were written in such a way you got to know them and watched how things played out with the scandal! I like the spin that the author put on the story. The characters in the book made you either like the or not like them so much.
Having the story told from different angles was a plus for me.

Take me down to Paradise City... Lauren Weisberger has done it again! This book doesn't quite capture the magic of The Devil Wears Prada but it holds up on its own. Popular morning TV host Peyton becomes wrapped up in a college admissions scandal when her husband is arrested for bribery charges attempting to 'pay for a seat' to Princeton for their daughter, Max. Peyton and Max end up heading to her sister Skye's in suburban Paradise for a summer to let things back in NYC simmer down. The story weaves from Peyton, Max and Skye and the effect the scandal... and other secrets... play into their lives.

The novel is written in Weisberger's infamous satirical and witty tone with bits of humor scattered about. The scandal was very timely & relevant. I always enjoy Weisberger's novels and this was no exception. Peyton and Max were my favorite characters, and I enjoyed the scenes between them the most. This will definitely be one of the must-reads for the summer!

STRAIGHT FROM THE HEADLINES! I LOVED it! I could feel the drama just seeping from the pages! I love Weisberger's cleverness and her ability to make me laugh. Being that I do not have a sister, I love books about that relationship dynamic.

I choose this book without based on the fact that I have enjoyed other books by Lauren Weisberger, not to mention that the title (lyrics from the Guns 'n Roses song, Paradise City) suggested to me that it might have some throwback themes to lates 80s...maybe it did, I don't know...I couldn't finish the book. I got within 75 pages of the end of the book, but just couldn't read another page.

I guess I should have read what the book was about, or I wouldn't have bothered with it in the first place. I'm guessing the premise must have gotten the green light because of it's topical relevance with the recent admissions scandals in the US...but it's enough we have to read about it in the news, did we also need a fiction book about it?

Could I ever believe that Peyton (or anyone, for that matter) could "accidentally" get caught up in an admissions scandal? Was I supposed to sympathize with her or feel sorry for her? Did her sister Skye have the lamest mild-life crisis in the world, racking up thousands of dollars in credit card debt purchasing essentials for a school she was trying to open for under-privileged girls before she had secured the necessary financial backing?

The sky is the limit with a great fiction writer like Lauren Weisberger, but this was sadly not up to her usual standards. The writing is solid -- there's no question that Weisberger is an excellent writer -- it's just that this story was not engaging, fun, or humorous like some of her past works.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance reading copy for review.

I have read pretty much all of Lauren's books and they just keep getting better and better! Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty is based around two sisters. Famous news anchor, Peyton and her suburbs sister Skye. Peyton's life seems to be perfect. She is always perfectly dressed, has the perfect thing to say and is popular with her viewers. Her husband Isaac is just as perfect and handsome. Her only daughter Max (short for Mackenzie) is someone Peyton doesn't really understand. She loves Max, but has a hard time supporting the arstic lifestyle Max wants for herself. Max has never quite fit in anywhere and Peyton is positive that Princeton University is the place for Max to be.
Skye was a teacher in her previous life or rather, before she married Gabe. They have one daughter who they have adopted and Skye is wondering if she wants more. She's also working on the "deal" of a lifetime as she is set to open a school/boarding house in her town to help some less fortunate girls, take advantage of all the town has to offer.

Then the shoe drops. One day Peyton is covering a breaking story about the FBI arresting people who have paid for their children to be accepted into college (sound familiar?) Peyton is shocked when she sees the FBI going into her apartment complex and coming out with her husband handcuffed.

Now both sisters lives turn upside down. Max freezes Isaac out. Peyton is forced to take a leave from her job. The mother and daughter move to "Paradise" with Skye for the summer. However, all is not right with Skye either. She has accumulated a mountain of debt a she gets her boarding house ready. She knows that once her investor comes through, the debt will be gone. But then, her investor withdraws his support because of what her Brother in law has done.

I don't want to say anything else, other than the fact that once again, Lauren Weisberger has created characters that you just cant help but fall inlove with. My favorite FAVORITE part of the book is the relationship between the sisters. They are the perfect Ying and Yang and you can really feel the love betwee them. Max was the perfect teen to be honest. She wasn't too over the top and she wasn't all gloom and doom. She was portrayed wonderfully as a teen. She had the conflict of getting angry with her father, but also its clear as can be that she still loves him.

Thank you so much to #NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you so so

I was expecting this book to be more like The Devil Wears Prada or When Life Gives You Lululemons & there were some similarities but it was definitely not what I was expecting. It was a great story & more emotional than I thought it would be. I really enjoyed it!

This book was funny, has great female characters (each with their own drama) and light yet...it still made you think about the college scandal and how it affected all those involved. I had no idea how it was all going to pan out and could not stop reading it to find out. I'm definitely recommending to my friends. I also love the short chapter style, it made it easy to pick it up throughout the day.

Thank you NetGalley, Lauren Weisberger, and Random House for the ARC.

Author of The Devil Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger, takes on the college admissions scandal in her newest novel. Peyton Marcus, star of the news channel ANN, a takeoff on CNN, finds her world crumbling all around her when her dear husband Isaac gets arrested for getting their daughter into college by unexpectedly illegal means. Now Peyton and her daughter Max must deal with the fallout, which not only affects Peyton and her illustrious career but the burgeoning aspirations that Max holds. Peyton's sister Skye experiences the fallout, too, when her passion project of running a home for underprivileged girls appears to be in jeopardy.

Many of Weisberger's stories cover the rich, famous, and privileged. This does involve the upper crust of New York society and suburban wealth, but it also shows the dynamics in the family and how parents can get too wrapped up in the race to see whose child achieves more. I could relate, having teenagers, and also was excited to hear that an author I enjoy reading decided to write a story based on the college admissions scandal.

When the stories hit a few years ago in real life involving actress Lori Loughlin, among others, this seemed like a prime topic for a women's author to tackle, and I waited with bated breath to see who would do it. I feel that Weisberger handled it well and wrote an engaging story. I really liked this book and found it quick and entertaining even with a few of the items that I wasn't sure about.

I liked the characters although I was frustrated with Peyton almost the entire time. Her husband Isaac seemed a little bland, but this seemed to focus more on the relationship between Peyton and her daughter. Skye, Peyton's sister, was all right, but some of the pieces didn't match together with her character.

I felt that the title really didn't reflect the book enough, but that can easily be dismissed. I'm not sure that a Guns 'N Roses song really fit the book. Plus, I really could not imagine that either adult female character would listen to the band even as youths themselves.

The ending really got me, though. It's an amazing ending, and, in many ways, a shock. It really entails redemption and accountability at that point. I didn't even realize that it was the last chapter! So many endings fall flat, but this one was great.

It's almost....too soon to be reading books about college admission scandals.

I've always enjoyed Lauren Weisberger's books, but this one...just didn't take with me. It's entertaining and I wish I would have waited to read this when laying on the beach, but it's just not.....great.

I didn't see myself in these characters, and that's a personal thing. I'm not a mom - and this seemed to focus on the 'mother' aspect more than anything.

It's okay - but just not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

DNF around 27%. I was intrigued by the plot of this book and fairly familiar with the college scandals that inspired it. However, from the beginning, it failed to pull me in and I didn't like any of the characters. I wanted to like it but there was nothing that made me want to finish this.