Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC digital copy. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

I truly enjoyed reading this for the first 98% of the book. I found it quite interesting to know that the characters were tied together somehow and to discover the backstories that connected them.

Unfortunately, the ending was so poorly done that I won’t be recommending this book. The resolution didn’t actually resolve much. The ending felt more like packaging up some loose ends and leaving others’ actions completely out of character.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3 out of respect for the author.

I had not read the first "Tracy Flick" novel, but I had seen the film based on that book--Election. This sequel, 30 years later, Tracy Flick Can't Win, is a much more sympathetic Tracy Flick than the earlier film created. In this novel, Tracy is more multidimensional, and thus, far more interesting. Tom Perrotta creates a back story, which was missing from the film. It is the back story that plays a large part of making her more sympathetic.

The plotting of Tracy Flick Can't Win works well. There are multiple narrators, which helps to create depth for each character. Readers are given the opportunity to live within all these minds, as the narration and the plot play out. While the end of the book was not a total surprise, Perrotta provides a sensitive ending to this very fine novel. This is a stand alone novel, but I have discovered that I like Tracy Flick, and so now I will read the first novel.

I want to thank the author and publisher for providing this ARC, in exchange for my honest review. The comments above are my own thoughts and opinion. Thank you also to NetGalley for listing this novel and for introducing me to another writer, whose work I enjoyed.

Tracy Flick, from Election by Tom Perrotto, is now the assistant principal at her old high school. The principal has announced his upcoming retirement and Tracy appears to be the leading candidate for his job. When a wealthy alum wants to start a Hall of Fame at the school, a committee of faculty, students, and school board members is formed. Perrotto does an excellent job of developing these characters as well as the backstories of some of the nominees. The book takes some unexpected twists. Overall this is an enjoyable, quick read describing how school politics works in a small town. I enjoyed it and recommend it. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

3.5 rounded up

Tom Perrotta is one of my favorite white male authors and I was so excited to read this sequel to “Election.” While I’m glad I read it for the nuances and layers Perrotta is known for, I didn’t fully love this novel or my reading experience due to the multiple POVs.

This sequel begins with beloved Type A Tracy Flick as a forty something single mother. She’s an Assistant Principal, still driven and organized as we saw her as a teen in “Election” (and so iconically played in the film by Reese Witherspoon.) Tracy feels her life is fine but unexceptional, and is lit up by the prospect of being promoted to Principal after all these years. She’s also tasked with serving on the school’s new Alumni Hall of Fame. When everyone wants a horrible NFL player inducted, Tracy reexamines her own life and the hand she’s been dealt.

Perrotta is looking at “Election” and Flick through the lens of our post #MeToo era. There’s a lot to unpack here with various layers and it left me with a lot to think about. I cared about Tracy and her journey more than I thought I would when starting this book. Where the novel lost some stars for me was outside of Tracy. We see perspectives from people on the Hall of Fame committee, students, teachers, etc…and it all became a little much. Too inclusive, too broad and it diluted the novel and Tracy for me. I enjoyed this one but it won’t be in my top Perrotta picks (which are “Little Children” and “The Leftovers” for me.)

✨Trigger Warnings: Cancer, Infidelity, Mental Illness, Abortion, Racism, Violence, Sexism, Death

✨Themes: Self-Justification, Ambition, Consequences, Multiple POVs

It is curious to me how this author’s work keeps getting noticed by Hollywood in the making of movies or miniseries. And those are actually quite good., or at least entertaining. In contrast, this is an insipid book. The only book I have read by this author. Generally if one gets a book filled with one page chapters, then it is clear that nothing deep or inspiring is going to go on throughout the book. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I read about half of this one but just couldn’t get into it! I liked ELECTION more and found Tracy Flick as a teenager the more compelling version to read.

Tracy Flick is a hard-working and ambitious Assistant Principal at a suburban New Jersey public high school. She's a single mom of a ten-year-old girl who's feeling stuck in her career and her lot in life until she finds out the Principal of her school will be retiring at the end of the school year. She is reignited with new hope and purpose as she sets about proving her talent and worthiness for taking over the role as Principal. One of her new tasks is to support a burgeoning campaign to create a Hall of Fame for the school's alumni which brings with it a host of high school politics. Lots of characters and drama emerge from this story, some from the legacies of the high school's past and some from its current students and staff. It's well-written with a dynamic pace as chapters alternate from different points of view. It's entertaining though perhaps a bit disappointing with how it glosses over some deep-rooted serious topics. Tracy Flick is a likeable character, though I'm not sure how much of a connection it really makes with the first Tracy Flick book Election. I never read that book or watched the movie and didn't find much detailed backstory that told me about that part of her life. So that's good in that it's a standalone story, but worth noting that nothing compelled me to go back and read that part of Tracy's story.

How fun to revisit Tracy Flick, one of my all-time favorite book and movie characters. Less satirical than Election, TFCW still includes lots of social commentary and I appreciated the different POVs. I was a little sad about where Tracy ended up but in the end, it seemed fitting.

Thanks to Scribner for the copy to review.

I'll admit, while I had seen the move Election I have never previously read Tom Perrotta's books. This was my first one. Unfortunately I am not a fan. This story was told from the perspective of multiple characters surrounding the retirement of a longtime principal and the creation of a Hall of Fame at the school. It gave you a glimpse into the day to day lives of these characters. While parts were interesting, it felt like Perrotta was trying too hard to place in various pop culture talking points in order to make certain perspectives more relevant. Instead it fell flat. Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC.

Tracy is in school again but not as a student. She’s assistant principal and still filled with the same energy and ambition. The position of principal is in her reach and she wants and deserves it so much she can taste it. Read and see if Tracy Flick will finally get what she’s worked so far for.

Hilarious and fun. Great insights into behind the scenes school operations. Hope this one makes it to the big screen as it's predecessor "Election" did. Great read.

I enjoyed this book by Tom Perrotta. It was an interesting take on revisiting with a character from another of his books.

Confession: I never read the prequel to this book, Election. But I did see the movie adaptation. Which, now that I read it sort of sounds like saying "I'm not a doctor but I play one on tv." Anyway, I was a huge fan of that movie (in no small part due to the fact that it was filmed in the greater Omaha area by native son Alexander Payne. Also, if you haven't seen that movie but like dark humor, I highly recommend it). And again, anyway, I can't speak to how good of an adaptation it was but I knew when I saw this one that I wanted to give it a shot.

It does not disappoint. Tracy Flick is every bit the same person she was in Election but also she isn't. Life has worn her down. Whereas once upon a time, she was convinced that if she wanted something enough, it could be hers if she worked hard. Time has shown her otherwise. She did not become the lawyer (and eventual President of the United States) she expected to be. She's not even at the top of her school's hierarchy. She's never recovered from the loss of her mother and she's been disappointed to learn that she's not the mother her mother was.

Now it appears that her luck has changed at last. The principal of the school has announced his resignation at the end of the school year and Tracy has already proved her mettle when she stood in for him following a heart attack. The president of the school board also seems to be on her side...provided she play along with his plan to create a Hall of Fame in the school and to declare the school's former star quarterback the first inductee. The Hall of Fame seems like a vanity project Tracy is sure won't survive the full school board's scrutiny and Tracy would prefer to see more academic standouts inducted if it does, but she goes along because she wants to make sure she finally rises to the top.

But, as the title says, Tracy Flick can't win.

Perrota moves us through the story through a chapters narrated by several characters as he explores the new world Tracy finds herself in - a world where she at long last has come to recognize that she can say "me too" because of events that happened to her when she was in high school, a world where female ambition is still derided. It is, as one reviewer rightly pointed out, a tragicomedy which moves into more tragedy. And then, as we so often see following tragedies, everyone moves on with their lives as if nothing has happened. Count me know as a huge fan of Perrota and his ability to subtly point out our failures even has he makes us laugh.

As someone who works in a public school, this book was perfect. Tracy Flick is a long-suffering assistant principal with her eye on the soon to be vacant principal position. True to real life, she must deal with people more concerned with money, reputation and appearances than how well she can do the job. After reading this book, I now have all of Tom Perrotta's books on my TBR list!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
Fascinating study of a group of people told in short chapters. Fascinating and believable characters.

I LOVEDDDDD this book so much! It was so fun and hilarious, and it teaches a great life lesson all in the same process.

I chose to read Tracy Flick Can't Win because it takes place in a school, familiar territory to me. I didn't realize that this was a sequel but I had no trouble following Tracy's storyline.
There are many characters in this book. The author does a fine job of presenting all the backstories as well as wrapping up what happens to each of them at the end.
The issues addressed are timely and gritty, yet somehow both realistic and sometimes oddly humorous.
This is a compellingly quick read and not a book that examines all of these issues under a microscope. It was fun, fast and a book I'll happily be recommending.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC of Tracy Flick Can't Win.

This was my first Tracy Flick book, so I wasn't sure how this would go over, but it was great! I'm an Assistant Principal myself so I found so much to relate to and couldn't stop laughing (and sometimes crying) throughout.

Having read Tom Perrotta's Election and seen Reese Witherspoon's iconic performance of Tracy Flick in the movie, I had high hopes for Perrotta's novel Tracy Flick Can't Win. But after I read it, I was left wondering -- what was the point?

Fast forward decades later, Tracy is a hardworking assistant principal and single mother. When longtime principal, Jack Weede, announces his retirement, Tracy assumes that she has the principal job on lock. Tracy is also asked to serve on the selection committee for the school's brand new Hall of Fame. Among the proposed inductees is Vito Corleone, the high school's star quarterback back in the day who had a short career in the NFL. As the ceremony comes up, Tracy wonders if the principal job will really be hers or if people are plotting against her.

All of this makes for a really implausible storyline with multiple characters providing points of view (most of whom seem meaningless). A plot point is brought up (like Vito possible having CTE) and then just disappears. And the ending is so out-of-the-blue it's laughable. The worst of this for me though is that, besides the ambition, there doesn't seem to be much of the Tracy Flick we know from Election. Which again brings me to -- what was the point of it all?

MY RATING - 2

I had some memory of the book Election when I chose to read this book. As I started to read, I remembered how unlikable the people in that book were. I wonder how the same story would play now. I just don’t know about my opinion of Tom Perrota, especially as he writes women. I spent a lot of my reading time rolling my eyes. The book was OK. It wasn’t very aware of the ways high schools and school districts work at this time. I was hoping to enjoy it more. It was just OK and not terribly memorable.