Music & books are definitely two of my favorite things, so a book about music is chef's kiss for me! The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner was so dang good!! I would love to see this one made into a movie!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this blind because I think Weiner crafts a great story, as she does here, but I was a little reluctant when I realized it delves into the music industry, as I tend not to enjoy such books. Well, I was pulled in by her characters and their relationships. I liked seeing the stories of the sisters in the past and present to gradually piece together what happened and how they ended up moving forward. One of the characters reveals themselves to be a truly dreadful person, but that didn’t impact my enjoyment of the book. Weiner really is a terrific storyteller.

Jennifer Weiner is one of my favorite authors, and this book confirms it. I can identify with some of the emotions and turmoil within relationships between sisters, as well as the body self images which can destroy self confidence. Cassie and Zoe are as different as sisters can be, with Zoe the pretty, popular and thin sister, while Cassie is socially inept, overweight, and self conscious. Cassie has a natural music ability that will push the sisters into the spotlight but will lead to much collateral damage. When Cherry, Zoe’s daughter begins a quest to succeed on an American Idol type of competition , Cherry discovers more about her family history than she ever imagined. I couldn’t put the book down, and was invested in Cassie’s story. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

It would be awful, in my opinion, to be pitted against your sister for happiness. Zoe is ambitious and wants nothing more than to be a star singing in front of thousands of people, being admired and successful. Her sister Cassie, wants nothing more than to play her music and be left alone. When Zoe seizes an opportunity for stardom, by making Cassie step out of her comfort zone and help her win a contest, the consequences will stretch across decades and the next generation. Cherry is Zoe’s talented daughter and she wants the same thing Zoe did and it is breaking them apart.

It was easy at times to resent the sisters and want to talk sense into them about their lives. It was a great story and I loved the elements of the concerts and the excitement of touching audiences’ lives, but it was also hard to read at times and human weakness can mess things up beyond recognition. I couldn’t stop reading the sisters’ story and hoping that they could come out on the other side of it better.

A story of the bonds of family and the betrayals that shape us. I really loved the rich characters, the great pacing, and the musical allusions. This is perfect for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six and Practical Magic. This special edition is gorgeous!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

A HUGE thank you to William Morrow Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC! I loveeeeeee the books Jennifer Weiner writes, and I am beyond grateful to have had the chance to read this! I loved the pop culture mentions...completely threw me back to my youth. =] I loved the strong females characters, the twists that were unexpected. SO DANG GOOD!!

4.5⭐️
First book to really hold my attention in a while!!

-Nostalgic music references
-Themes of loneliness in adolescence (& beyond)
-Loved the music storyline & rise to fame
-Enjoyed the multiple POVs & timelines
-Theme of societal body/size expectations for women & girls
-some romance, although not rlly main plot
-songwriting lyrics embedded in story
-Although very different, If you loved Daisy Jones, you should try this one!

Autism was brought up at the very end and I wish this was expanded on a little bit more!

If you read/devoured Britney’s memoir or Jessica Simpson’s, if you’ve spent time thinking about how horrible the media was to early aughts pop stars, esp women, you absolutely must read this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I am one of the biggest fans of Jennifer Weiner's. I read all of her books. I was so excited to get an ARC of her latest. I did enjoy the book, but it was probably my least favorite overall of hers.

The story spans over many years following sisters Cassie and Zoe Grossberg as they become famous singers and stars. Beautiful, dynamic sister Cassie dreams of stardom and would do anything for it, while sister Cassie would do anything to avoid it, but is born with the natural talent of a star!

Positives:
Many themes such as fame, freedom, ASD, parenting and family dynamics, forbidden love, etc.
Well done with the complex female relationships, especially between sisters, and mothers and daughters
Different points of view and timelines
East writing style, very readable
I liked the intro to each chapter containing allusion to the pop reference musical dynamics of the 2000s

Negatives:
The Storyline was pretty predictable overall

This book had so much early aughts nostalgia! I LOVED reading about all the singers from that time! It was so much fun to go down memory lane! I really enjoyed the story of the sisters and how they needed each other in their own ways. I loved how the story comes full circle with the daughter as well - just so much fun! I did not like how much negative body talk there was in this book. It could have been less and still received the same visual. I was glad I read this book but I didn’t love the ending as much as I wanted to.

Having read a few of Jennifer Weiner’s books, I must say that this was one of my favorites. Sisterhood, motherhood, relationships between mothers and daughters, sisters and sisters, aunt and niece, and bandmates are some of the many themes of this book.
Cassie and Zoe Grossberg are sisters born just a year apart. They are as different as night and day, with one exception- music. Cassie is a classically trained pianist with a beautiful voice that reaches many levels. Zoe loves to sing, although her voice is not the best. She is beautiful, thin, charming and is super friendly. Cassie on the other hand is overweight, shy and does everything she can to stay in the shadows.
In the early 2000’s, Zoe and Cassie formed a band known as the “Griffin Sisters”. They shot to fame rapidly with all the trappings of glamour and money. Unfortunately, within a year, their band was disbanded and the two sisters were not heard from again. Neither one speaks to the other.
Twenty years later, Zoe is a housewife with a daughter from her band days. Cassie is hiding out in an unknown location and living her life in a secluded setting where no one knows who she is. Cherry, Zoe’s daughter is a combination of both her mother and her aunt. Will Cherry discover the secrets of her mother and her Aunt Cassie? Will she be able to reunite them?
The characters in this book are so thought out. You can picture each one standing before you with the descriptions the author includes. You will feel empathy, happiness, sadness and hopefulness throughout the book. This is a book of actions taken and not taken. Which road to follow and which to ignore? Good decisions or bad ones?
The chapters are short and told from the perspective of the four main characters. The timeline begins in 1982 and ends in 2024. Each chapter is labeled with the year and place, which makes it very easy to go forward or backward in time. I loved all the music references of the time depicted in the story. They brought back lots of memories.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for allowing me to read the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Published on April 8, 2025

I loved this! The musical storyline was different and for me a breath of fresh air, which is hard to do when you read as many books as I do! But this one was great. A story of family, love, forgiveness. I loved all of it.

I loved the Griffin Sisters so much. Zoe and Cassie, Jewish sisters growing up in Philadelphia, are discovered and turned into a musical act, mostly due to Cassie's major talent, but also because of Zoe's beauty and charm. The book alternates between their rise to fame in the early aughts, and modern day, where Zoe is a stay at home mom with a daughter looking to become a singer, and Cassie is hiding out in remote Alaska, trying to stay far away from music. The story covers what happened in the past, and how the sisters reunite in the present. Their feelings, jealousy and love, are real and relatable, and I couldn't put this down, wanting to see what happened in both timelines. I have enjoyed a lot of Jennifer Weiner's books over the years, but this is my favorite.

Ahhhh. While I typically enjoy Jennifer Weiners books, this one didn’t do it for me. Ultimately I did like it, but there was too much that rubbed me the wrong way. It’s a story about two sisters who become famous overnight, they make one album and blow up, fall in love with the same boy, tragedy occurs, and then everything falls apart. Cassie has not seen her sister Zoe in 20 years, she hasn’t seen anyone. She went off grid to Alaska to live a life where “she could never hurt anyone again”. When Zoe’s daughter Cherry is following in the rockstar dream footsteps, she makes it her personal mission to find Cassie, in order to ask her to be her mentor. It was all a bit ridiculous. I couldn’t get invested in any of the characters. Zoe was horrible and selfish, Cassie was so self deprecating. The amount of times it was drilled that she was fat and ugly was too much for me. Gave me a bit of the ick. The message it tried to convey of strong women and persistence and all that was great, but it fell a bit flat.

𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐤!

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙣 𝙎𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨’ 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙃𝙞𝙩𝙨
by Jennifer Weiner
384 pages
@williammorrowbooks
Read this if you enjoy

🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 family drama
⏰ stories that unfold through flashback chapters
👯‍♀️ a story about sibling rivalry
💔❤️‍🩹 dysfunctional relationship stories
💕 second chance stories
🎶 what happened to the pop stars dramas
❓a story full of unfolding secrets

Cassie and Zoe Grossberg were thrust into the musical spotlight. Zoe longed for stardom, but Cassie reluctantly is dragged along. Cassie is the true musical prodigy, but isn’t blonde and beautiful like Zoe. Cassie prefers to write songs and hide in the shadows while Zoe sparkles on stage and in front of the paparazzi. Inevitably the band breaks up - we meet each sister individually years later and the truth of what happened unravels.

This character driven novel reminded me of elements of What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange, Beartown by Fredrik Backman and Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

I liked this dysfunctional family drama with a hint of suspense and it is a great addition to the list of family dramas this year.

I did think that perhaps the characterization of the sisters as opposites and the way Cassie was depicted was borderline stereotyping or the same ugly duckling story. I was constantly reminded of Cassie’s body image and esteem issues but could feel her emotions and anxieties ripple off the page. As much as I’ve seen this character before, I felt a connection to those feelings and to Cassie.

I thought this was worth the read and finished it in a day.

QOTD: Share a pair of titles that are great readalikes!

I shared really great readalikes for the tone, structure and plot of this novel.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my opinion.

#bookreviews #pubdayreview #currentlyreading #bookrecommendation #bookstagram

I have to start by saying that Weiner’s book GOOD IN BED is the book that turned me into a reader. So to say I am a big fan does not quite capture how I feel about her writing. So, when I say this book may be my new favorite by Weiner says A LOT! This book has everything…the story, the characters, the excitement, the emotions (highs and lows), the tension, the heartbreak…everything was pure gold! I could not stop reading/listening!!! It was brilliantly done. I was invested immediately. It all came together beautifully…but it was not without love, loss, struggles and triumphs. Such an emotionally charged read that will leave you wanting more!!! I highly recommend this amazing story.

This has been a slow reading month for me between work stuff and health issues, but I just knew Jennifer Weiner would grab my attention. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀’ 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗛𝗶𝘁𝘀 is a captivating read that intertwines flashbacks from the early 2000s (can you believe that's over 20 years ago?) with a current timeline, making it a must-read for music enthusiasts, family drama fans, and those who believe in second chances.

I love Weiner's writing. Her commitment to inclusivity always shines through, as she often features plus-sized characters, and this book is no exception. While some events unfold in the early 2000s, I couldn't help but feel a bit of a "Daisy Jones and the Six" vibe throughout. The dual timelines offer insightful perspectives on sisters Cassie and Zoe. Cassie, blessed with a gorgeous voice but self-conscious about her body, prefers to remain in the background, while Zoe yearns for the spotlight and all its allure. Weiner has said in interviews that she felt inspiration from Wilson Philips, and I can see the comparison between Cassie and the real-life Carnie Wilson.

Zoe, stunning yet vain, has spent her life shielding Cassie, who struggled to find her place among peers. As children and teenagers, Zoe made it her mission to include Cassie in social activities, much to the annoyance of her friends.

The sisters eventually find fame as the “Griffin Sisters” with their first and only album (their family name of Grossberg being deemed too ethnic sounding). Zoe’s insecurities and Cassie’s painful shyness eventually lead to a conflict lasting two decades. It takes Zoe’s daughter Cherry, a musical prodigy like Cassie was, to bring about a reconnection.

Jennifer Weiner excels at exploring the complicated dynamics between sisters. In this novel, she continues her trend of portraying one sister as the beautiful but troubled one and the other as less conventionally attractive yet possessing a heart of gold.

This novel embodies everything I love about women’s fiction. Even though there were a few minor inconsistencies in the book, I still loved the story.

Many thanks to the publisher for the gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Vanity will lift you up and then knock you flat — and this book captures that feeling perfectly. Seriously, all the feels with this one. Jennifer Weiner took this Gen X-er straight back to the 80s, right into my backyard in Margate, NJ, and then through Haddonfield and Philly — felt like coming home.
I’m not gonna spoil anything, but the story dives deep into sisterhood (with all its messy layers), rock & roll, neurodiversity, obesity, loneliness, vanity, jealousy, forgiveness, and the heartbreak of wasted time. Weiner also sheds light on the crap women had to deal with in the music industry back then — but there's a ton of girl power and heart power shining through too.
Weiner’s a bestseller for a reason, and this one totally hits the mark!

Jennifer Weiner's The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits is a page turner of a book that explores the themes of fame, family, and forgiveness. The story centers around sisters Cassie and Zoe Grossberg, who, as The Griffin Sisters, achieve pop stardom in the early 2000s. Weiner masterfully captures the dazzling allure and brutal reality of that era's music scene, from MTV appearances to the pressures of maintaining a manufactured image.

One of the most poignant aspects of the book is Cassie's journey. Thrust into a spotlight she never craved, she struggles with the challenges of being seen and judged, when all she truly wanted was to create music. Her struggle to find acceptance – both from the world and within her own family – can be heartbreaking to read. Weiner portrays Cassie with sensitivity, highlighting her musical genius while also exploring her insecurities and vulnerabilities.

The novel beautifully illustrates the power of self-acceptance and the importance of family. Both Cassie and Zoe must confront uncomfortable truths about themselves and each other, learning to forgive past mistakes and embrace their authentic selves. Weiner reminds us that family bonds, though often complicated, can be a source of immense strength and healing.

Ultimately, this is a story about forgiving yourself and those you love. It's about the courage it takes to confront the secrets we keep buried and the power of releasing them. This is one of Weiner's best, in my opinion.

I’ve never disliked a Jennifer Weiner book, which is still true, but I didn’t love The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits. Zoe’s actions and unlikeability made it difficult to read at times and I hated the cheating plotlines. I was interested enough in the overall plot to keep reading but I am honestly not sure I would recommend this book.