Zoe and Cassie are sisters who really rely on each other to make it big in the music industry but for very different reasons. Cassie has very low self esteem because she is a large size and sees herself as unattractive so only wants to hide. Zoe is the beauty and wants fame but lacks talent. She convinces Cassie to go on stage with her and the scouts immediately recognize that Cassie is someone special but she can’t be onstage without her sister. In their very rapid rise and sudden fall to and from fame, the sisters tear each other apart sending Cassie to become a recluse and Zoe finding herself in a much different life than she had envisioned. Twenty years later, Zoe’s daughter, Cherry attempts to bring the sisters back together in an effort to launch her own musical career.
I found this book to be more entertaining and better written than a previous book from this author. I liked the focus on the relationship between the sisters and less on romance. Their jealousy and eventual ruin of their closeness may be extreme but definitely representative of common misunderstandings and dynamics between sisters. I do like that Jennifer Weiner often addresses body shaming in her character development and candidly describes the feelings and challenges that “big” women experience - very realistic! She makes it OK to put these women in the spotlight.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

Cassie and Zoe become the famous Griffin Sisters. While Zoe loves the spotlight, Cassie doesn't but she holds the group together with her immense talent. After Cassie disappears, Zoe is left to pick up the pieces and figure out who she really is. The secrets and betrayals in the family run deep and finding out the truth may destroy Cassie completely. This was a heartfelt coming of age story with happiness and heartbreak.

I loved this book and these characters. The Griffin sisters (and daughter) were such a delight to spend time with and the depth of the characterizations and the propulsive yet thoughtful story was so engrossing. Highly recommend!

This book read like a movie. A once hit singing duo but one sister has gone ""missing" It was gripping and sad and beautiful. It has all the Jennifer Weiner aspects you know and love; heartbreak, love, sisters, Philadelphia and a plus size diva.

The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits (Deluxe Limited Edition) by Jennifer Weiner is a playful, heartfelt chronicle of sisterhood, romance, and reinvention…with a deluxe twist. Weiner revisits a group of beloved characters as they approach midlife, weaving together nostalgia and evolution with humor and warmth. It’s the ultimate reunion you didn’t know you needed.

This reminded me a lot of the author’s early work. A focus on family with a mysterious event in their past that changed their course. It’s written with a lot of heart and emotion in both the past and present scenes of this dual timeline book. Setting this in the world of pop stars added a layer to an already tumultuous relationship between the sisters.

Zoe and Cassie are opposites in everything in their lives. How they look, their ultimate path and how they handle singing. They are very flawed and that’s what made them relatable.

I’m always a fan of sisters in fiction. As an only child, I like the dynamics between them. I was slightly more drawn to Cassie as she had a lot to deal with how the world treated her.

The writing and the story even made me a little emotional. I should preface that my life is a little emotional right now and they may have played a part. But the ups and downs of the sisters pulled a little at my heart strings.

I enjoyed the slow burn of figuring out exactly what happened to tear the sisters apart but once it was revealed it also seemed just a little out of place and the ending wrapped up a little quickly.

But as a whole I was drawn in and invested from the start. An emotional and enjoyable read.

While The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits offers an intriguing premise and a nostalgic family drama story, I found the pacing to be on the slower side, which made it difficult to stay fully engaged. The narrative unfolds leisurely, but unfortunately, this doesn't give the characters the depth or development needed to bring them to life. The characters felt more like sketches of personalities than fully realized individuals, which made it hard to connect emotionally with their journeys. Overall, while the novel has moments of charm, it didn't quite hit the emotional or narrative notes I was hoping for.

Overall, this title gets a 3/5 from me. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed reading this book. This is an author that I enjoyed reading from the first book I picked up by her. I enjoy her writing skills and her attention to details that make her characters pop off the page. This is a well written story about two sisters, one man and a great music career in the making. Zoe and Cassie are great characters that are connectable and relateable. They are both strong women that will take you on an emotional roller coaster that you don't want to stop. I enjoyed watching their growth throughout that made the story easy to read. This is a fast paced, enggaging story that is hard to put down. A story that you don't want to miss. This is a great story which I really enjoyed and I highly recommend it.

I usually love Jennifer Weiner's books, but this one just fell flat for me.

*I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a great story. As a music fan, I enjoyed reading about "the business." The relationship between the sisters seemed genuine. The ending was unexpected but very satisfying.

It's hard not to love an early 2000s era pop star book. The Griffin Sisters' story is told from multiple perspectives and while it dragged a bit in the middle, I ended up enjoying overall.

I am a fan of Jennifer Weiner, and I loved the family drama and music elements of this story. I could hear the songs as I was reading, which made for such a great reading experience. She is an auto buy author for so many of my customers, and I know this one will do well.

I am a huge fan of Jennifer Weiner's writing -- she does a great job with character development. The story alternates between different characters so we get their perspectives on the past, relationships and history of the band the sisters form when they are young. I definitely felt empathy for some of the characters and not for Zoe even though she fesses up and apologizes for what she does (I don't want to give spoilers). There were a couple of sections thrown in to try to get us to empathize with Zoe but those still did not work in getting me to like her. I liked this book but not as much as many of her earlier novels. But on the other hand, I read it straight through because there was enough mystery and suspense in how everything would turn out to definitely keep my interest throughout.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.

Jennifer Weiner hits all the right notes in The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits, a heartwarming and emotionally charged novel about sisterhood, second chances, and the complicated rhythms of fame, family, and forgiveness.

Told through the alternating perspectives of two estranged sisters—one a former pop star, the other a single mom quietly rebuilding her life—Weiner crafts a story that is both nostalgic and refreshingly current. As the sisters are thrown back into each other's orbit, old wounds resurface, secrets are unraveled, and the past demands a reckoning.

Weiner’s writing shines with her signature blend of wit, warmth, and insight. She deftly explores the pressures of the music industry, the tug-of-war between ambition and loyalty, and the bittersweet beauty of growing older—and wiser. Fans of her previous work will appreciate the emotional honesty and relatable characters, while newcomers will be pulled in by the fast-paced plot and heartfelt themes.

Poignant, The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits is a story about rewriting the soundtrack of your life, one track—and one truth—at a time. It’s a feel-good read that strikes just the right emotional chord.

I absolutely loved this story about a band featuring two sisters that fell apart, and how one of their children is working to get them back together. The story goes between different POVs and timelines, and you eventually get the story of what happened with the band and family in the past, as well as understanding the contemporary timeline. I loved the mix of contemporary references throughout, so I felt like I could really imagine the Griffin Sisters being a cultural artifact of the time. Fun, heartwarming, and excellent.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love a good music-based story. Daisy Jones is obviously my top tier point of reference for this. And since, I've been chasing that same high, looking for a book that even comes close.

I'll be real... this doesn't come close. It's no Daisy Jones. But that's okay; it doesn't need to be. I'm not someone who has read any Jennifer Weiner books prior to this (I don't think?), so I'm not familiar with her writing style. I can't say how this compares to any of her previous work. But what I can say is that it was compulsively readable. Dakota Fanning as the audiobook narrator was 100% a contributing factor to this. Not the only factor though!

The story follows the career trajectory of sisters Cassie and Zoe, the former being a musical prodigy and the latter being more interested in the fame and showmanship of it all. Together, they make up the Griffin Sisters, a band that took the music world by storm in the early 2000s. At the heart of it all seems to be the two women's mutual love for a man named Russell, Zoe's deceased husband and Cassie's primary songwriting partner. After Russell's death, the band fell apart, creating a seemingly irreparable rift between the two women. Yet, 20 years later, so much of the band's break-up remains a mystery to the general public... and to Zoe's daughter, Cherry, who is an aspiring musician, herself. As Cherry embarks on her own journey, she seeks out the truth of what happened between her mother and aunt. More than anything, she wants to receive mentoring from her Aunt Cassie, a woman she's never known, but has come to idolize. Yet, Zoe's experience with the band has left her jaded against the industry, meaning that Cherry is entirely on her own as she tries to piece together the past.

While I enjoyed reading this, there were a couple of things I didn't love about it. For starters? Cassie is described as this naturally gifted musician... but her size/weight seems to be emphasized just as much, if not moreso, as her talent. While I appreciate Jennifer Weiner's attempts at representation (especially as it pertains to the way women's bodies are scrutinized by the media), I can't help but believe there must have been better ways to go about it. Additionally, the ending of this just sort of... neatly came together. This is a long book. And after nearly 400 pages of a drawn out story, the ending felt abrupt and overly simplistic by comparison.

Overall though? A fun read to kickoff the summer season.

Confession: I didn’t think I would like this one.
Confession: I was wrong and ended up loving it!

I don’t always love dual POVs, but Weiner wrote these beautiful characters perfectly to keep them interesting while still distinct. If you’re a fan of her writing this is another superb read!

Zoe and Cassie are sisters who had a huge hit album about 20 years ago. After tragedy struck the band broke up and Cassie disappeared without a trace. Zoe had a daughter Cherry and started a new life as a "normal" PTA mom. Cherry didn't know anything about her mom's past until she was a little older and saw an album in a music store. An aspiring musician herself, Cherry wants to know as much as possible about her mom's musical past, however Zoe does not want to discuss it and she does not want Cherry pursuing music herself. This only strengthens Cherry's determination and when she is accepted to be on a music reality show she jumps at the chance and sneaks off without Zoe knowing. When she reaches the stage for a mentor there's only one person she wants - and it isn't her mother. Cherry is adamant on locating her long lost aunt and bringing her back into the spotlight.

I love every Jennifer Weiner book I've read, but unfortunately this is my least favorite. I couldn't connect with the characters at all. Cherry and Zoe were the most selfish and unlikable people ever. Everything was about them and they didn't care who they made uncomfortable in the process. Were we supposed to think at the end that Zoe had some huge revelation? Because I'm not buying it, she's just and awful person. Blech. And the constant talk about Cassie's insecurities became tiresome. We get it, you're overweight and don't like the spotlight. I also don't believe for a minute that Cassie knew nothing about Cherry. She wasn't living in a cave.

3.5 stars rounded down

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner. This one felt like catching up with old friends; warm, funny, and packed with sisterly love and life’s messy moments. Weiner’s writing is easygoing and heartfelt, balancing humor with genuine emotion. I loved the dynamic between the sisters, though I found some plot beats predictable and wished for a bit more depth in a couple storylines. Still, the charm of the characters and the honest dialogue kept me reading. If you're in the mood for a cozy, character-driven story about family, friendship, and second chances, this is a sweet pick.

I love family drama stories and this felt particularly poignant to me. I loved the aunt/niece relationship and the way it and music brought the sisters back together. With funny moments, challenging times, and a lot of love this book will break your heart and sew it back together. I loved listening to the audiobook and the added depth the narration gives to the story.