When Cherry decided she needs to make music for the world to hear and leaves home to audition for The Next Stage, readers are taken on a journey through the early aughts as it follows Cherry’s mom and aunt, known as The Griffin Sisters, on a journey of rock and roll and heartbreak. A touching story with so many twists and turns you just can’t put it down. Another Jennifer Weiner classic!

This is my first Jennifer Weiner book—I was drawn to it because of the music aspect. I find this review difficult to classify as there were things that I loved about the novel, others that I did not.
The two sisters at the heart of this story are polar opposites—Zoe is pert, pretty and bold, Cassie is severely introverted, large bodied and sings like an angel. Zoe has little talent but is driven to become a musical phenomenon. Cassie is a musical prodigy with a beautiful voice and a talent for songwriting. Her songs are about love and loneliness. Zoe pushes the shy and talented Cassie to join her in competition, and the famous Griffin Sisters are born.
Weiner explores these two young innocents in the high-powered music world. It is not the glamorous life that Zoe imagined, life on the road is hard, and Cassie’s insecurities continue to haunt her. This is their story: of fame, of love, of deception, of heartbreak.
This book will appeal to music lovers, those who enjoy family sagas, and lovers of contemporary fiction. I found the book to be a little repetitive, with so much emphasis on physical appearances.
My thanks to NetGalley and William Morris for an advanced copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

Fun and artsy storyline that included family drama and pop culture nostalgia. It didn’t quite live up to its potential for me personally.

Following the rise and fall of sister duo, with some fame, rivalry and reconciliation sprinkled in. Some fun nods to the early 2000s and music culture that I enjoyed.

The pacing of the story was a bit off for me. Flashbacks and current timeline was woven in some numerous side stories that seemed to distract from the main story and seemed a bit unnecessary. The middle of the story had a very slow pace and the end seemed very abrupt.

All said, this would be a good read for those who enjoy stories about complicated sibling relationships, music industry drama and second chances. A nice and light option for a beach read.

3 stars - This had a lot of potential but just ended up falling flat for me. I liked the journey the sisters took throughout this book. There was growth, angst and love but it just didn’t grab me and I didn’t feel connection to any of the characters.

This one is a lot of fun and full of the trademark JW feels. So good and exciting to see this author dabbling in music fiction!

I’m saying this is a DNF right now. I don’t know that it’s a DNF for ever. I’ve only made it 11% but over the past few months of trying to read it I am not invested or reaching for it.

One of the reasons I’m struggling to read is the flashback timeline. The second is Cassie’s (one of the sisters) self loathing. I’m not truly far enough into the book to be certain but I believe I know what the author is trying to accomplish based on the authors note and others reviews.

At this point in time I’m not in a place to read this book with themes focused on motherhood and complicated familial relationships.

I will likely try reading it again in the future because I would like to know what triggered the dynamic we find the characters in at the start of the book.

📚: The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner
⭐️: 3/5

I so wanted to love this book. An early 2000s pop music setting with all the nostalgia along with a family drama centered around two grown sisters and tragedy that tore them (and their band, the Griffin Sisters) apart decades prior. It had the makings of a book I’d love.

In execution though, this fell on the flat side for me. Slow to get into with incredibly long chapters, this had a sluggish pace. The “fat sister” trope felt problematic (although yes, reflective of the era) instead of empowering to me - and it feels unresolved still at the end. And the manipulative ways that Zoe display appear in Cherry (the apple doesn’t fall far), and also lands unaddressed by the end.

Thanks to William Morrow via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits is out now.

I absolutely loved this richly characterized, emotional novel about two sisters, unequally talented, who rise to music fame in the 1990s. Beautifully written and unputdownable, this is a must-read for Taylor Jenkins Reid fans.

Whatever happened to the Griffin Sisters? That is the questions fans want to know along with where are they now? While people have all their theories and 20 years later one of their greatest hits is being revived again bringing new fans to get to know them, only two people truly know what happened or do they really? This story reminds you that there is always three sides to a story. Each person's truth and the middle ground of what they didn't truly see.

Zoe has always been the pretty and popular sister while Cassie was the quiet and awkward sister. At her sister's encouragement, when Cassie opens her mouth to sing, people are stunned to hear what an amazing voice she has. A musical prodigy since she was a toddler, Cassie feels her best when she is playing her music and the rest of the world fades away. After Zoe convinces Cassie to perform in public, the sisters are noticed and quickly get drawn into the music world. Here they learn it's not all that it's cracked up to me because fame, money and glamour isn't what both of them want. As a tragedy rocks their world, the reader gets to know the sisters in the past and twenty years in the future as they live their lives.

Zoe's daughter, Cherry has also become a music prodigy like her aunt but also has that ambition that her mother had of wanting to be discovered and be a star! As much as Zoe loved the scene when she was younger, she keeps secrets from her daughter of what happened to her behind the scenes and at first, that she was even on top of the music scene at all. This sends Cherry into searching what she wants to aspire to be and this mystery aunt she never knew about.

I found The Griffin Sister's Greatest Hits enticing and wanting to know more of what exactly happened to the sisters and why is Zoe so against her daughter wanting to seek the same fame she had along with why is Cassie hiding away? Although the story has multiple timelines, the author, Jennifer Weiner doesn't make it confusing to the reader of what is currently happening but it actually helps keep the storyline flowing. Just as you are wondering in the present timeline why someone is acting a certain way, Jennifer flips the timeline back and answers that very question. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it especially if you are a Jennifer Weiner fan which I am.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, William Morrow Books and Jennifer Weiner for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions of this book is of my own accord.

I was able to read "The Griffiin Sisters' Greatest Hits" by Jennifer Weiner on NetGalley. I don't think there is a single one of her books that I have not read that I didn't love & this one is no different. Sisters Zoe & Cassie are so well written and you end up feeling for them both! Early singing fame drives them apart and almost 20 years later are reconnected. I loved this novel!

After having not enjoyed Weiner’s last few releases, I was nervous to read this one but left pleasantly surprised! The different POVs worked well for me as well as the various timelines. I wish we had seen a bit more of the sisters getting to know each other again and less of the fat shaming.

The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits is the story of two sisters Cassie and Zoe. It’s a family drama told in the present day and in the past when Cassie and Zoe were in the band. I didnt like Zoe as a character, she was very unlikable, but Cassie was absolutely amazing.
I loved everything about this book! highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled with Weiner's most recent book. It just didn't pull me in as some of her earlier ones did.

I was so excited about this one...and then really couldn't get into it. I tried starting it multiple times and ended up DNFing every time. The concept is fabulous but the book just didn't catch my attention at all.

If I pick up back up in the future, I will update my review at that point.

This book was a slow warm up for me, but once I found the sweet spot, I was hooked and really couldn’t stop reading! The author had been an auto buy for decades with me, so I was excited to read something new from her. She did not disappoint!

Thank you to Net Galley and William Morrow Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was without a doubt my favorite Jennifer Weiner book in a while. I read it in one sitting, the story was engaging, the characters while a little flawed were relatable and I liked while there was some romance to the story, it was not the main focus of the book. The only negative for me is that there were some storylines in the book that seemed to be thrown in to touch on hot topics of the moment and they were not fully fleshed out and not truly necessary to the overall story. Otherwise this was a great read from start to finish.

My sincere thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read The Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits. I give my unbiased opinion of this book in the following review.

This is my first book by Jennifer Weiner. I have always heard good things, so when I had the opportunity to read The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits, I was excited to try it. While this book was well written and had an interesting storyline, I can't say that I loved it. There was more angst than I prefer, and I wasn't really taken by any of the characters. We have Zoe who wants to be a star but doesn't really have the talent. Her sister Cassie is the opposite. She is a musical prodigy but doesn't like the spotlight. Zoe is beautiful and outgoing while Cassie is described as overweight and undesirable. When they are discovered basically just out of high school, they reach the top of the business very quickly. When they break up, the music world is left hanging. What happened? This is what we learn as the story unfolds taking the reader back and forth in time. The third main character is Zoe's 18-year-old daughter who wants to be a star and runs away to be on a show kind of like American Idol. She hopes to find her aunt and get her to be her mentor. There are side stories about relationships in and out of the spotlight as well as difficult family dynamics. I honestly think that this will appeal to many readers even though it wasn't quite my cup of tea. Because the writing was very good, I am going to read more from Jennifer Weiner before I determine if she is an author for me or not.

This is a fun one! Jennifer Weiner is back with another hit book. This one centers around music and fame but is written in the same style Jennifer Weiner always uses and continues to capture the tension and love of sisters. Cassie and Zoe are very close in age but could not be more different. Zoe is pretty, social, and popular. Cassie is insecure, awkward, and beyond talented. The primary hiccup is that Cassie doesn't want to sing or perform in front of anyone unless Zoe is by her side. When Zoe begs her to start a band together, Cassie reluctantly obliges. This book follows their rise to fame and the demise of their band and also relationship. This novel goes back and forth between the making of their band and to modern day as Cassie and Zoe are both living very different lives- both outside of the limelight. As Zoe's daughter seeks fame of her own, she is determined to find out secrets that broke up her family. This book gives Daisy Jones and the Six vibes. I was on the edge of my seat and couldn't wait to discover the truth of what really went down with this band. I really enjoyed and hope you do too! I am thankful for the author, publisher, and net galley for the opportunity to read an advance copy for an honest review.

I’m always a sucker for a pop music story so I was obviously excited to get into this one. If you’re someone who follows music closely they always require a bit of suspension of disbelief and this one was no different, but I still had a lot of fun with one. We alternate between past and present timelines for both Griffin sisters and daughter Cherry who is trying to follow in the footsteps of her mother in current day. It’s a bingeable story but it did feel a bit long in places, but overall it was a solid popstar book!

Twenty years ago, in the height of their band's fame, the Griffin Sisters band breaks up and Cassie is never heard from again, even by her own sister, Zoe. Today, Zoe is living as a NJ housewife of two young boys and 18-year old Cherry. Cherry wants to pursue music, but her mom will not let her after her experiences in the business. When Cherry runs away to join a music show, she is tasked with finding a mentor for the finale episode. Cassie is living a remote life in Alaska and has sworn off music completely, but when a video of her singing in a supermarket goes viral, Cherry tracks her down in hopes of reuniting the Griffin Sisters and sealing her own musical fame.

Liked: I though these characters were flawed and unlikeable, but very real. I may not have been rooting for anyone, but each character felt very human. I liked the story lines about the music and creation of the songs.

Disliked: The "mystery" of what happened was too predictable. Personal preference, but I HATE when books constantly allude to a big problem ("if only she knew what would happen" "but that was before...." ). We get it! There will be a big reveal, I do not need to be reminded over and over that there is something to be learned.

Hated: The fat shaming. Oof. It was way too much and did not add anything to the story. If the story focused on Cassie's eating habits or how she viewed food growing up a bigger girl in the height of diet culture I would have totally understood it, but instead it was just cruel hammering on about how fat and ugly Cassie was. It was so unnecessary and really took away from being able to enjoy the book.

I rounded up for this- I would say a 2.5 star is more realistic. This was my first book by my author. I am willing to give another a try, but if the fatshaming is anything like in this one, it will be my last.
Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.