I really enjoyed this book about the power and complications of sibling relationships. Trigger warnings: grief is absolutely a huge part of this book so if you are looking for something lighthearted, this isn’t it. Definitely worth reading though.

I recently finished reading Spectacular Things, and I wanted to reach out to say how much I enjoyed it. Your storytelling is vibrant and engaging, and I found myself drawn into the world you created with ease. The characters felt real and relatable, and the emotional depth throughout the book was beautifully handled.
What I appreciated most was the balance between humor and vulnerability. Dorey-Stein has a knack for capturing the nuances of relationships and personal growth in a way that feels both authentic and uplifting. While a few moments didn’t land as strongly for me, the overall experience was thoroughly enjoyable.

I LOVED this book and could not put it down! This book had it all. I laughed, I cried, and then I laughed again. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and unpacking all the emotions of their complicated relationships. This novel hit home with the immense feelings of losing a mother at a young age and trying to live up to tough expectations. I enjoyed getting to know the Lowe sisters and how soccer (who knew I would learn so much about the sport) was ever present in their story. This novel explores the idea of how much are you willing to give up to protect the one you love. Do not pass on this one!

I am absolutely blown away by this book! I was not expecting to be so connected to all the characters by the end, but I was. The writing was incredible, and they did an amazing job with all the soccer lingo, and you could tell how knowledgeable they were.
It covers the nuance of grief and how different it can look for different people. There was also a huge time jump from the beginning, and I think that was a smart move to pique the readers' interest right from the start.
If you love lit fic books that are focused on family and relationship dynamics, but also very emotional, you will love this book.

Loved this book - finished it in three days. As someone with two brothers, I always find myself drawn to books about sisters (Blue Sisters, Hello Beautiful, etc) and really enjoyed the addition of women’s soccer as a sub-plot. The ending was a bit predictable but I thought the character development was strong and captivated me the entire time. Would make a great mini series one day!

I really enjoyed this book. It was extremely well written and was so original. I liked the family dynamics and the relationship between the sisters. I really struggled to put this one down and will be thinking about this book for a long time. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley. I want more from this author.

This book is the best kind to indulge in. Strong relationships and unforgettable characters that truly just warm your heart from beginning to end.
This is a book I’d recommend to all my fiction loving friends as it has a little bit of everything I love.

Spectacular Things tells the story of two sisters. The younger is the goalkeeper for the U.S. national team and the older sacrificed everything to ensure her sister's success. Ultimately, this is a story of love and loyalty, determination and resilience, and forgiveness. Of what you're willing to give up for your dream and the demands of familial bonds. I loved Mia and Cricket's relationship; it was raw and realistic because nothing was ever felt sugarcoated all their pain and anguish was on full display. This isn't an easy read, I wanted to turn away so many times but that's a testament to Dorey-Stein's writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

There aren't enough words for how much I loved this book. 10000 stars.

This is a quiet, character driven story about siblings - about how they deal with tragedy, with triumph, and with the small moments in between. I loved these characters from page one and came to care more and more about them as the story went on. It’s not an exaggeration when I say I would do literally anything for these characters. Mia and cricket and Liz will stay with me for a long time.

I don't even know what else to say, because every time I think about this book I'm moved to tears all over again. Just utter perfection. Anyone with a close sibling will be deeply affected by this story!

I really loved this book! It was such a true tale of sisterhood and family. I loved the beginning and it immediately gripped me from the start. This story beautifully exhibited sacrifice and love.

If you liked Carrie Soto is Back, I think you’d love this book. It was very much detailed in the soccer universe, but I loved that. There was so much more than just a girl trying to be a soccer star. This is a book I will remember. Highly recommend!

I always love a story about the resiliency of sisters, probably because I have sisters myself.
Spectacular Things is a novel about two sisters, Mia and Cricket, who have to choose (or not) to give up something they love, something that defines them, something they need to survive to save the one they love. 
The novel begins with Liz, the perfect daughter of a perfect wealthy couple. Liz is mostly overlooked as a child, that is, until she starts to shine as a soccer player, so much so that her parents have Olympic hopes for their daughter. That is, until she unexpectedly becomes pregnant. Having no support from her parents, Liz decides to keep her baby, and the only way to do so is to leave home. So she does, and actually manages to make a living for herself and her daughter, Mia. Liz has high hopes for Mia, hoping that Mia will become the soccer superstar Liz had the potential to be. Soon, Liz and Mia's family grows with the addition of a sister, Cricket, who proves to be born and built for soccer stardom. So Liz and Mia organise their life to support Cricket's success. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes, and Mia is forced to give up her dream of earning a university degree to care for her sister. As their lives progress, each sister is faced with life-altering decisions that force them to choose between their own dreams and the happiness of the other. The author effectively portrays how an individual can become conflicted when faced with such a heart-wrenching dilemma.
Dorey-Stein has such a wonderful writing style, it is so easy to slip immediately into the story and have the reader emotionally connect with the characters almost as if we are part of the family ourselves, we become emotionally invested to the point where at times we become frustrated with character choice much like we become frustrated with the choices of our won family members.
If you are a soccer player, love soccer, and know the intricacies of the game, its politics, training, and history. You will adore this novel. A perfect read to get you revved up for the FIFA Cup!
Spectacular Things is a heart-warming (and at times heart-wrenching) novel about family, choice, and identity. We contemplate what makes up our own personal identity, to what extent our family contribute, the choices we make, the opportunities we miss, and the dreams we pursue.

I received this book as an ARC from BookClubGirl. It really is a 4.5 for me as I thought this was a well written story about the bonds two sisters have over the span of their childhood and into adulthood. I thought the author really showed the differing dynamics at play and kept me wanting more. My busy life got in the way of me sitting down and reading chunks of this book at a time and every time I had to put it down, I did so begrudgingly and couldn’t wait to pick it up again until I had finished it.

Thank you to the publisher for the early copy!

This story has my whole heart! I haven't read a book that gets the perfect balance of romance, family, and the sport mentioned. I loved every single minute of it. A top favorite of the year for sure.

I will be posting a full review on my page soon!

I knew this book was going to gut me in the best possible ways!! The latest Reese/Hello Sunshine Book Club pick for July, Spectacular Things is a moving and heartwrenching story about mothers and daughters, ambition, loyalty, sacrifice and women professional athletes and all the things they and those who love them have to sacrifice in order to achieve lifelong goals.

This book follows a young single mother who gives up her dreams of soccer greatness when she gets pregnant and then the sacrifices she asks of her first daughter when her second seems to have what it takes to go all the way as a professional soccer player. Told from alternating POVs and with flashbacks, we follow Cricket's path to an Olympic gold medal and all the things her older sister Mia does to help get her there.

Amazing on audio, this story was captivating, emotion, and full of great disability rep (one main character has chronic kidney disease and needs a transplant and a side character has Type 1 diabetes). Highly, HIGHLY recommended, especially for fans of books like California Golden or Carrie Soto is back. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

It is the story of two sisters. One of whom is the keeper for the U.S. national team and the other sacrificed everything to get her sister there. It is the ultimate story of love, loyalty, determination, resilience and forgiveness. Of wanting something with all of your heart so you will do anything to get it and the love and sacrifice that others make for you to achieve your dreams. I loved the relationship between the sisters. I loved that everything was so raw and nothing was sugarcoated. All of the pain, grief, guilt and struggles were in full display. And I always love a female athlete superstar storyline.

Spectacular Things follows the Lowe sisters as they are raised by a single mother. Fairly early on we learn Mia needs a kidney and Cricket is the best chance. But Cricket just won Olympic gold in women’s soccer. That’s when the story goes back and fills in everything that leads to Cricket’s decision.

If you enjoyed Carrie Soto is Back I think you’ll also enjoy Spectacular Things. It is about soccer but not only about soccer. Huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending a copy to read and review. 5 full stars.

4.5 ⭐️

Spectacular Things is a beautiful, character driven story about the things you would do for your sister. As a sister myself, Cricket and Mia’s relationship throughout this book felt so realistic and I really appreciated that each character’s motivations were valid. Often times I was torn on which sister’s actions I supported more, and I think that Spectacular Things reflects perfectly what it means to be a sister and have sisters in real life.

Spectacular Things is above all about sisterhood, but it’s also about women’s soccer and ambition and sacrifice. We’re following Mia, the older sister who was forced to grow up too fast, and Cricket, the younger sister who is filled to the brim with talent and focus and drive within her athletic career. The story starts off at a place where both sisters are in adulthood and their seperate dreams are becoming reality, when something disastrous occurs and the sisters are left with a choice. Then the story shifts timelines to the past, and we watch the sisters grow up and gain insight into why they are the way they are.

I really enjoyed the nonlinear structure this story followed, and I think it provided a much deeper understanding into the characters. This book was an incredibly poignant read and such a beautiful story despite all the hardships Mia and Cricket endure. I felt that the story ended in a very satisfying way, and Spectacular Things is guaranteed to stick with me long after finishing my read.

A huge thank you to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love a story about a family and I love a story about sports, so this book about a family very ingrained with soccer was very compelling to me. I found the story of the sisters to be the most compelling part of this, with the older sister sacrificing everything for the younger sister. The story did a great job of showing the internal struggle of resenting Cricket but not wanting to really blame her.

(Spoilers ahead!!) The one thing that I really didn't like was the whole storyline around the kidney. I thought that it was crazy that Mia was just expecting Cricket to give her a kidney even though it would mean her soccer career was over forever - even though she had spent her whole life sacrificing things for Cricket, wouldn't her needing to give up her soccer career make it all for nothing? I just didn't really enjoy that.

Overall, a great story about sacrifice, family and decision making.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title. I loved this book! A family drama about the relationship between two sisters and their mother. It is so filled with heart and emotion and feels so real. The author created people that could have walked right off the page. Reminded me of Firefly Lane. I have a feeling this one will stick with me in a similar way

unfortunately this book fell a little flat for me- i think towards the end it was a sweet story about sisters and learning what is most valuable to you- i do feel like part of why it fell flat was i just didn’t feel super connected to the characters! wasn’t a bad book but just wasn’t for me- 3.5⭐️