I’ve read/listened to a few of Weiner’s books in the past year or two, so I was very excited about the opportunity to read her latest book.
The narrative shifts between both sisters as well as Zoe’s daughter Cherry. The timeline is also non-linear, slipping between the sisters’ rise to fame and the present day. The reader knows from the beginning that there was a Big Incident that broke up the band and led Cassie to sever all contact with her family, but it takes most of the book for the details of said incident to come out.
And once it does, it all makes sense.
I’m approximately the same age as the sisters, so the parts that take place in 2003 really resonated with me, especially the preoccupation with projecting the “right” image by centering Zoe rather than Cassie, even though Cassie was the only one with any actual talent. The way in which internet culture and streaming has affected our perspectives is fascinating. We can look back and shake our heads at all the times in which Cassie is marginalized. That being said, the book does come off as projecting a bit of fat shaming while simultaneously promoting the message that fat shaming is bad.


Zoe is hard to like. She takes advantage of Cassie, capitalizing on Cassie’s talent in order to get famous. She rarely sticks up for Cassie when Cassie is relegated to the sidelines and only cares about herself. She also ignores her daughter’s complaints about her creepy stepbrother and prioritizes her children with her husband in order to maintain her new image as a suburban Yummy Mummy. But flawed characters make for much more interesting reading than characters who always behave in conventional and expected ways. Besides, everyone deserves a chance to make amends.
I would absolutely recommend The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits. This is a perfect summer beach read. The plot is not terribly complex, which makes it easy to keep up with, but there’s also plenty of tenderness and depth. I’ve enjoyed every one of Weiner’s books that I’ve read and this one is no exception.


I received a digital ARC of this book from William Morrow/NetGalley

I have read every book Weiner has written (except her YA novels) so I was excited to have received an ARC of this from NetGalley. I had hoped to have my review done by the time the book was released, but honestly, this book dragged on and on for me. It seemed too long and a bit too laden in unnecessary details. Often times, I found myself skimming over descriptive paragraphs about clothes or food or just those things that could have been pared down. I feel like she is such an accomplished author that maybe no one really edits her at her Publishing house??? She has a knack for highlighting the trends of the decade she writes about -- in this case it's the early 2000s. Often, that was fun to read, a little reminder of "oh yeah, that WAS a popular song then." Are we supposed to dislike Zoe? Because I did. I could empathize with Cassie a bit, but after a while, I kinda gave up on her: I get it, it is fiction, but she needed a good therapist. I am sure the die-hard Weiner fans will love this book. I certainly liked it. I just didn't love it and am not sure if I will recommend it.

3.75 stars. The Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner was not a hit for me. It should have been but it wasn’t.

Cassie and Zoe Griffin are sisters in a rock band that doesn’t last very long but has long term impact in both their lives. The band was reminiscent of Heart, who I love, but this band didn’t do much for me. The book is comped to Daisy Jones and The Six but lacks the grit and heart of that book.

The other thing is found off-putting was the over emphasis of Cassie’s looks, specifically her size. I love that Jennifer Weiner champions the fuller figure main characters but there wasn’t a lot of positivity surrounding Cassie. Honestly, not many of the characters were that likable.

There was some redemption in the ending which raised the rating some for me but overall, not my favorite book by one of my favorite authors.

Thank you to #netgalley and #williammorrow for the e-copy of #thegriffinsistersgreatesthits .

I’ve been a fan of Jennifer Weiner’s writing for many years and this story did not disappoint! This is a wonderful story about sisterhood, fame, and what one will do for their desires. Cassie is a musical prodigy with amazing talent, bus she’s shy and introverted. Zoe is beautiful and ambitious. Put the two together with a few other musicians and you have a sensational band that quickly rises in popularity. But we all know game comes with many drawbacks and soon their relationship implodes. I highly recommend this book!

The story felt realistic in that sister relationships can be complicated and messy as we see here through sisters Zoe and Cassie. The story shows their bands rise and fall and what shattered not only the band, but their relationship. Told in two timelines with the addition of (present day) Zoe’s daughter Cherry, determined to be a star herself, seeks the truth for their break-up and navigates through their past choices. Cherry does find out having it all isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. The music pretty much takes off as its own character following everything as it unfolds (throughout the book).

It had potential. But the story was just weak and it moved at a slow pace. Not my least favorite Jennifer Weiner novel but certainly not her strongest…

This book felt a little bit like a Taylor Jenkins Reid book in a fiction that could easily be based on true events-type of story. The book is the story of two sisters who ended up being discovered and become part of band in the early 2000's. The other POV is one of the sister's daughter, Cherry, when she is around the same age as the sisters at the height of their fame. Cherry also has a love for music, and she cannot figure out why her mom won't talk about her time as a famous singer as half of the "Griffin Sisters."

Now as for the characters, Zoe is a very flawed woman. She seems to be running from her past. Cassie is trying her best to punish herself in every way for the past she can't seem to escape. I liked Cassie's chapters way more than Zoe's. I also like the relationship that develops between Cherry and Cassie.

The book has no chapters but is divided into 7 parts.

This is a book about music. I would definitely recommend this for fans of Daisy Jones & The Six.

The three main characters (and POVs) are Zoe and Cassie (The Griffin Sisters) and Zoe’s 18 year old daughter Cherry. The book goes back and forth in time and alternates POVs.

In the present Cherry is auditioning for an American Idol type singing competition. I really loved this aspect of the story.

When Zoe and Cassie were that age they were becoming famous as The Griffin Sisters.

The main characters are Jewish and there is some Jewish rep.

The book spends quite a bit of time showing us what Zoe and Cassie’s life was like during their rise to fame. We find out that something happened that made Cassie go into hiding.

I did enjoy seeing how the sisters became famous. But I did prefer the story in the present and do wish that this was most of the story.

I wish that we had gotten to see even more of the singing competition. That part of the story took a different direction than I was expecting. But I did really enjoy the last part of the book. I loved the family dynamics and thought that the end was really good.

2 stars

This book broke my heart- not in a good way. It should have been one of my favorites. Early 00 music scene combined with a young musician running away from home to pursue music? YES PLEASE. Instead I got to hear over 24 times (YES I STARTED TO COUNT) what a fat ugly troll Cassie was. From birth her mom was like ew no, not her. While we get to hear a hundred times even though Zoe is a selfish talentless wannabe, hey; at least she is thin and passibly pretty. Even when Cassie has the most chosen one's voice that made sea sirens luring men to the death look tame in comparasion, we don't get break from the fatphobia, oh and did we mention she's not even "pretty" fat, she's repulsive. Even when she tries to brush her hair and bathe, it still is hardly worth the effort. OMG I was ready for the reveal to be she really is an alien slug that can carry a tune to kill all of Earth (and that would have been better). Every character is in someway unlikeable which eventually makes all the fatphobic and gross comments about people's appearance (even Cassie thinks these things about minor characters without names like radio Djs- and tell me why a girl relentlessly bullied for her looks would think about other folks that way) so hard to get through. I wanted there to be some ending or plot twist that made all of this worth it- but I promise you there isn't. I can't really look back at the good music parts fondly because I'm still asking myself why all that was necessary.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy to form opinions from.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 STARS

The Griffin Sister's Greatest Hits tells a compelling story once it gains momentum. While the beginning felt sluggish, the plot picks up in the middle with strong character development and engaging twists. Just as things get exciting, however, the ending arrives a bit too quickly, leaving some threads feeling unresolved. Overall, it's an enjoyable read with a solid story—worthy of 3.5 stars.

This is my first book by this author and it did not disappoint. The plot was great. The sisters were funny. The writing style was flawless. I will be reading more by her.

I really enjoyed Th Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits. I found Cassie to be the most interesting of the main characters. I felt such empathy for her being forced into the spotlight. I felt that Zoe was very unlikable throughout the book. Cherry was a little more likable but was also a little too hungry for fame. I really enjoyed the reality singing show aspects and the memories about the band. Overall, I enjoyed the book but wished that Zoe had had some more redeeming qualities

The Griffin Sister's Greatest Hits hit the right spot in storytelling. One sister is beautiful though mediocre in talent and her sister's protector. The other sister is a musical prodigy but lacks social graces and doesn't meet traditional beauty standards. Of course there is a love triangle. And lots of cool music. And poor young adult choices. And growing up.

Yes, the characters weren't perfect, but they were human and made human mistakes. Can they heal from them and grow in adulthood?

There is a cool innovative partnership between Jen and the indie rock band, HELLO SISTER, who wrote the main song based on the lyrics of The Gift featured in the book. You can listen along on Spotify as you read!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

Jennifer Weiner is one of my all-time favorite authors. I’ve read eight of her books, and I’m not a completionist, but I’m hoping to read more. I’ve read her women’s fiction, middle grade, and non-fiction. I was super excited to read The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits, a book about a popular musical group in the early aughts. I imagined female singers like Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, and Jessica Simpson. But what happened to the band? They just vanished! The book was so good, I couldn’t put it down. It’s told in two timelines: 2002/2003, when Zoe and Cassie become famous and go on tour. Then there’s the more recent timeline in 2024, where Cherry (Zoe’s teenage daughter) tries to make it in the music industry by competing in an American Idol-like competition. The book reveals the secrets and lies behind the Griffin Sisters’ rise and fall. It’s a wild ride! I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Dakota Fanning, and her voice was perfect. I wish the book could have been read by an ensemble cast, but the single narrator didn’t distract from the story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who remembers all the celebrity drama and gossip of the late 90s / early 2000s, actors and musicians acting out. If you enjoyed reading Daisy Jones and the Six, you’ll love The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits.

Wow, Jennifer Weiner has done it again -- woven a story with realistic, relatable relationships between sisters and dove directly into the ways we make and ruin lives -- our own and those of others. The Griffin sisters are long estranged, once-fabulously famous and successful performers now living regular people lives, virtually unknown and unseen for who they used to be for everyone else, never mind themselves and one another. I loved the twists and turns, wondering if Cassie and Zoe will ever find a way to connect with one another for who they were then and who they are now that things are totally different. A truly engaging and fun read. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

I've been a fan of Jennifer Weiner for many years, though I haven't been quite as enthralled with some of her recent beachy novels. In The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits, she has returned to the kind of novel that really hits a chord (pun semi-intended!) for me. I loved the often fraught family relationships depicted in this book, as well as the way each character struggled with choices. The settings were well-done and I liked the way the book was constructed in terms of both chronology and point-of-view. The ending provides hope for all three of the focal characters as well as the promise that their difficulties will be addressed moving forward, if not necessarily resolved. I listened to the audio version of the book and thought narration was excellent. All in all, this is one I'll recommend to readers who enjoy "women's fiction" (not a fan of that term, but it really works for this book!).

Weiner’s latest novel, The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits, follows the lives of two sisters, Zoe and Cassie Grossberg as they experience their metioric rise in the music industry during the early years of the new Millenia. Zoe, the elder by one year, was held back in school by her mother, so she could protect shy, awkward Cassie, a musical prodigy. Zoe is gorgeous and charming, everything that Cassie is not, but Cassie has the true genius and the true love that Zoe craved. Tragedy strikes the band after one very successful year touring, and spells the bands breakup. Zoe’s teenage daughter Cherry, will be the catalyst for the three women’s’ healing.

This is a story of love, guilt, betrayal, and music which will captivate and enchant readers. Recommended for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six.

Polar opposite sisters that came together as teens to form a band in the 80's. When things go awry and the band breaks up, the two sisters split up as well and take off to live very different lives. It was very interesting seeing what the grown sisters did after being stars and how their music is being brought back by a popular show and the feelings that is stirring up.
This book will make you happy, think of the best music of the time, cry and ache for a reconciliation between the sisters, truly enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an advance readers copy of this book.

This novel of two sisters has vivid characters, but its plot is both predictable and vague.

The singing Griffin sisters (actually, the Grossberg sisters) are two very different young women, close in age but widely apart in two crucial ways: appearance and talent. Teen-age Zoe, the oldest by less than a year, has the cover girl looks and dramatic personality, but limited singing ability; hulking, spotlight-aversive Cassie has the musical genius. At Zoe’s insistence, the sisters form a band that is wildly successful.

For reasons hinted at in the prologue, the sisters’ band split early in what seemed a dazzling career. However, it is a very long while until we learn what happened; all we know is that in their total estrangement both feel regret, guilt, and even shame. The plot moves back and forth between their sudden discovery and disbanding in the early 2000’s, and the current consequences of it in 2024.

At that point, Zoe’s 18 year-old daughter, Cherry, seeks her own musical stardom, and she sets in motion a reckoning with her family’s past.

It is difficult to feel sympathy for Zoe, who seems shallow and self-centered. Cassie is a cypher, emotionally closed off, phobic about being seen, and obsessively focused on what she considers her great sin of 20 years ago. Then Zoe’s daughter finds Cassie, and like her mother, tries to manipulate her reticent aunt into performing with her. The addition of creepy Bix, Zoe’s teenage stepson, seems unnecessary, mostly there to give more evidence of Zoe’s selfishness and lack of emotional care for her daughter. Zoe’s great-aunt Bess seems extraordinarily long-lived, in order to provide key information for the plot.

Moving back and forth in time, we learn what happened to the sisters and how it shaped their lives apart. But it takes too long, and is too contrived to make a good read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a music centered story with varying points of view and a plot that really kept things moving forward. It includes everything I enjoy about Jennifer Weiner’s writing—funny, heartfelt, and full of complicated, lovable characters. Themes relating to the bonds of sisterhood and how the past shapes who we become are emotional without being heavy and the ending is perfectly satisfying. A perfect comfort read with real depth. Highly recommend. I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m fully here for the recent rise of fictional celebrity stories, perhaps made popular by Taylor Jenkins Reid’s biography-like writing. Jennifer Weiner’s another personal favorite author, and I was thrilled at the prospect of her taking on a similar style. But while she writes relationships and conflict and feelings so well, I didn’t feel drawn into the plot of her latest novel, The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits, the way I did with Daisy Jones and Opal & Nev.

Weiner’s rock star story follows a band formed by two teenage sisters — one with dreams of pop stardom and the other with aspirations of hiding her colossal talent behind a piano at the back of an orchestra. Cassie, the reluctant sister (who is also fat — something none of the characters let her forget), is a piano prodigy with a voice that is Aretha Franklin meets Annie Lennox, and she’s also her sister Zoe’s ticket to fame. When the duo is discovered, Cassie’s voice rockets them to a super stardom she never really wanted.

Russell is the guitarist who helps the pair (Cassie) write their first songs, and his captivation with Cassie’s talent cements his spot in the band. Zoe (the conventionally pretty sister) decides that she wants Russell for herself, and she convinces him to date her despite his complicated feelings about Cassie. As one would expect, drama ensues. The story flips between timelines: present day, where Cassie is a recluse living in Alaska and Zoe is a suburban New Jersey mom with a disgruntled teen daughter, and the past, where the story that ruined both their lives unfolds.

I wanted to love this, and the premise of the story is top-tier, but Weiner writes Zoe as the ultimate villain — she drags Cassie into a life she doesn’t want and then promptly crushes all Cassie’s aspirations under the heel of her sparkly stiletto boot. I kept waiting for Zoe to get a hint of a redemption arc, but it honestly didn’t really happen.

Zoe’s daughter, Cherry, has her own struggles with her mother, and they mirror the ones Zoe had with Cassie (again, couldn’t she grow up at least a little bit?). When Cherry turns 18, she leaves home to audition for an American Idol–style show, which leads her to seek out her estranged aunt Cassie. Cherry is the quintessential mix of Zoe and Cassie (uber-talented but also headstrong), but she has some Zoe-esque villain moments herself that had me wondering why Cassie puts up with any of the women in her family.

All this to say, there are definitely moments to love in the story (I especially appreciated reading Cassie’s POVs, both past and present), but this fell quite short of the mark for me. Weiner’s Summer books remain personal favorites, and I’ll still lap up anything she puts out, so I’m excited to see what she has in store for us next.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.