Member Review

In the aughts, sisters Cassie and Zoe were everywhere with their music. Cassie was the plump musical genius whose singing voice and prodigious musical talent made her stand out despite wanting nothing to do with being in the limelight. Zoe was the pretty, outgoing one who wanted to be the center of attention for everyone, including the handsome guitarist who seemed interested in Cassie. How could anyone would look at Cassie when she was in the same room? Tragedy ended the band and sent Cassie into hiding in Alaska and Zoe back to her parents to raise a daughter. The daughter is now 18 and dreams of a musical career. She has talent and looks, but zero support from her mother leads her to runaway on a collision course with the aunt she didn't even know she had.

The story jumps impressively seamlessly between the past and the present. There is never any confusion about who's speaking and what time is being explored. All three leads have very defined voices and viewpoints that drive their own story while building a cohesive plot. I greatly enjoyed the little hints Weiner drops about what's to come without messing up the big reveals. It feels like building a house of cards that fascinates even after it collapses, if that makes sense. Even after all the big reveals had happened, there was character growth left to explore.

Overall, a very satisfying read with characters that pull you in and make you care about their story. It suffered a bit with me because there was so much hype that I guess I was expecting something extraordinary, which it doesn't quite reach, but it does make for a very good read.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the fascinating read!