Cute little story. I think this will be a great book for the beach or the pool. A little fluffy. I had a hard time keeping some of the characters and their connections straight but that's more of a personal problem, I think.

I am a fan of Amy Poeppel and always look for her new titles. This one did not disappoint. Lauren and Leo have moved into his dad's brownstone in New York City after they outgrew their apartment after their third child. It's a great location for the children's school and Leo's college campus but Lauren has to travel to Brooklyn to her art studio. She has just landed a big contract for her pottery with Felicity, an upscale shop. When Felicity steals Melinda's husband of 30 years she takes a job at the fancy school attended by Lauren's 3 kids. When Melinda gets drunk and comes into Felicity's shop she is rude and arrogant and gets Olivia fired. These three women become friends and are soon babysitting Felicity and ex husband's baby. The characters are great and easy to follow. I love Leo's attitude toward raising their children and When Lauren's mom shows up it gets to be downright funny. I was not disappointed by Amy. She has several great books under her belt and this one will rank right up there.

Pardon the repetition, but The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel is just such a sweet novel. Seemingly disconnected characters come together to form a found family -- this is a warm and lovely book. Definitely the perfect book to read during a cozy weekend.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book!

Amy Poeppel has done it again. Her trademark light touch masks the depth of her stories. At their core her novels all share a theme, human connection. I struggled with this one but in the end the struggle was worth it. Recommend to anyone who liked Musical Chairs. Less so anyone who preferred Limelight.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just okay. I wanted to like it more, but there were a few characters that made the book hard to enjoy.

This was a sweet book about family and friends and pulling together during difficult times. There were a lot of characters but each distinct so I was able to keep them straight. I have enjoyed books by Amy Poeppel in the past and this one was wonderful as well. I'll continue to look for her newest releases.

I really enjoyed The Sweet Spot and its myriad characters! It is a bit complicated at first, with its multiple plot points and many characters, but once you push past, it is quite enjoyable. Several circles of people are brought together from disparate backgrounds and help care for a new baby. I loved the found family that the characters find in unlikely places and how happenstance and serendipity brings them together. As well as the familial relationships that blossom in the story. I especially enjoyed Lauren and Leo and their relaxed, but involved parenting style where they let them pursue independence and show deep interest in what their children like. It helped me see if we let go of our rigid expectations, it can be so much easier to appreciate the people in our lives, especially children. The characters are all very distinct, largely charming, sometimes maddening, but it made them easier to distinguish. I listened to the audiobook, which may be the best way to go, as it's narrated by a full cast, adding color to the characters.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I so enjoyed this book about a house and the characters that go in and out of it. At first I had a really hard time tracking who everyone was, and one of the characters left me with a horrible taste in my mouth. But I was on an airplane so I kept going. And everything started making sense, and pretty soon you're routing for this group of very random but very connected characters. By the end of the story, I was smiling and cheering for them all. Stories like this remind us of just how important community is!

Endearing. That’s the best word to describe this quirky, little book. I *loathe* Russell, tolerate Felicity, and adore just about everyone else.

The Sweet Spot was a sweet read for me. I enjoyed the characters and there were quite a few to keep up with. They each had distinctive personalities and I love that secondary characters were fully portrayed. The storyline was interesting and kept me entertained. This was one that I could see as a movie. I will recommend to all readers looking for a character-driven family dramedy.

I really enjoyed this book and the themes of family, friends, and pulling together in tough times. There were some odd parts, especially with Evelyn and Phillip, but overall, it was a fun read and I found myself looking forward to reading it again after I put it down. A light, fun read.

This book had been on my to-read list for a bit, and when I finally picked it up, I was please surprised! It wasn’t at all what I expected (definitely judged this one by the cover), and it was full of unique, quirky characters that I quickly latched on to.

I loved the storyline of an unexpected baby and the changes he brought to an entire group of people. Each character, young to old, held a special role in this story and I truly enjoyed them all. The writing was enjoyable, laugh-out-loud funny, and heartwarming. If you’re looking for a unique and enjoyable read, this is your book!

Thank you to Atria Books for my free review copy.

Amy Poeppel writes another charming novel that celebrates love, hate and everything in between. The three ladies in this book form a friendship. A fun read to take your mind off everyday life. I really enjoyed this book.

3.5 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Sweet Spot finds three women banding together to take care of a baby thrust into their lives. This book took the “found family” trope and ran with it. I really liked the intergenerational characters. Their quirkiness came alive as I was reading. These are characters that reminded me of my own family and several times, I laughed out loud. I expected this to be a romcom but found it to be more women’s/ general fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC. The Sweet Spot is out now.

Thank you so much @AtriaBooks for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 31 January 2023)

SYNOPSIS | Lauren is an artist who specializes in ceramics featuring life-like insects. As she is filling an order for an upscale boutique her life becomes even more chaotic than normal and her family ends up looking after someone else's baby.

WHAT I LIKED:
- even though there was a large cast of characters the story focuses on love, family, dating, friendship & community
- the 'found family' trope was delightful
- I could imagine the Greenwich Village brownstone & the ceramics so vividly
- lots of drama & crises that needed resolving

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- it took me a good chunk of the book before I could keep all of the characters straight in my brain
- that the baby was abandoned by its parents for so long (even though he was well looked after by the other characters)

OMG what a cute book! This book is full of heart and humor. I kept smiling while reading this book. The characters were well done and a little quirky which is always enjoyable. This was the first book I read of Amy's and I will definitely be reading more of her book. I highly recommend this sweet and funny book!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

Incredible! Dynamic cast of characters who I grew to love. I loved the intergenerational relationships and the way in which these disparate people formed a warm and loving community. The setting of Greenwich Village was charming and felt like yet another character.

This book was so cute! It was definitely not what I was expecting. Based on the cover, it looked like a cute romcom, but it was SO much more! There was romance, there was so much humor, there was family drama, and a fun close knit community feel. I felt like I was on the set of Cheers, where everyone gathers in the local bar to chat and discuss plans. This was a solid cute book and I'm so glad I had an early review copy!

This was a great read. I loved the cast of characters! Would love to have dinner with the whole extended family.

If you were following us in 2018, you might remember just how much I loved Limelight. Well, Amy Poeppel's recent release, The Sweet Spot, is on par with Limelight's greatness. I had such a fun time reading it and felt like I was breezing through the story as it was so entertaining. I enjoyed all the different perspectives throughout, especially those of the three main characters: Lauren, Olivia, and Melinda.

Lauren was the most relatable for me, as we're probably close in age, have two sons and a daughter, and our houses are always in some stage of chaos. (Although I don't have any pets.) I felt like Amy was listening in on conversations I've had with my mother, as the dialogue was that spot-on between Lauren and Evelyn. Melinda grated on me at first, even though I felt bad for her. Taking her situation out on Lauren bothered me though. I did find her revenge tactics amusing and somewhat creative and I wish I could sic her on a certain friend's ex-husband. I liked Olivia a lot and felt like she was easy to connect with, even with the twenty years age difference between us. I hated what happened to her as part of Melinda's revenge plot and I love how she found her place with Lauren's family.

I didn't know that I'd want to read Russell's perspective, but it did clear some things up in the story and I enjoyed seeing how things were going for him given what he did to Melinda. I also didn't think I would like Evelyn all that much but she changed throughout the story and became so wonderful. I love how New York City is the backdrop, and how Amy really captures the feel of the city without having to overly describe it.

My only concern is that I felt the baby situation was introduced so late into the story. It was around the halfway point. I wish there had been more time to work with that situation and really explore it more. I also would have liked another chapter with Felicity's perspective aside from the prologue and epilogue. Having said that, none of these concerns took away from my overall enjoyment.

I've been recommending The Sweet Spot even while just in the early chapters, it's that well-written and engaging. Do yourself a favor and pick up this feel-good read!

Movie casting suggestions:
Lauren: Sarah Wayne Callies
Melinda: Lauren Graham
Olivia: Grace Caroline Currey
Russell: Pierce Brosnan
Felicity: Felicity Jones
Dan: Mark Ruffalo
Leo: Rob Delaney
Phillip: Richard Chamberlain
Evelyn: Susan Sullivan