The Smash up by Ali Benjamin started strong for me. I was really enjoying the pace and absurdity of most of the characters. This laasted for most of the book, but I did feel myself starting to get annoyed by the main characters ultra feminist wife and child by the end.

I couldn't get through this title. It ended up not being for me, but I hope it finds a hope with other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I gave this one an earnest try, but I think I can no longer read the "Trump just won" literary fiction. It's just too depressing and takes me back to a terrible headspace. I ultimately DNF'd this one so I can't speak to the plot or writing much. I think this book made sense at the time it was published, but isn't a time I particularly want to revisit -- plus I've read several books and watched numerous shows that take place during this timeline, so I think this kind of story is no longer for me, but I can totally seeing it have value and merit for other readers. My DNF is purely because of my own preferences.

I was intrigued by the blurb about the book but felt like the book fell short. Thanks for the review copy.

The story is good, but I had a hard time getting into it because the writing style wasn't engaging to me. I'm not sure why, but I had to restart a few times.

The story takes place around the time of the 2016 presidential election and the household of Zo and Ethan is becoming as dysfunctional as the rest of the country. A rebellious teen, political activism, a little toxic masculinity culture thrown in for good measure. Really, if you lived through it, you're probably going to recognize someone or something from that time.

All in all, I'm going to round up to 4 stars. It's better than middling, but the inability to grab me from the get-go, stops it from being solid for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback.

In "The Smash-Up", author Ali Benjamin has taken her inspiration from Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome (even down to the name of its title character).

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this title, but my reading interests have changed. I will not be finishing this book, but look forward to others in the future.

There was just too much going on in this novel; it needed more focus. For instance, the whole episode with the mushrooms was extraneous and didn't serve any purpose other than to take up more pages. Also, an epilogue should wrap things up, not introduce new issues. The reader is still left wondering where Maddie went, or more importantly, what happened to/with Randy after that last call, because it sounded like he was about to commit suicide. Also, Zo's character COMPLETELY turns around during/after that trip with Alex to the Boston Children's Hospital- how? Why? And who is "Jarret"/ not Jarret - where did he come from? Why was he there?

I'm rounding up my review to 3 stars, but it was really 2.5.

I really jived with the introduction to THE SMASH-UP -- the writing style and snippets of commentary worked for me in a major way.

But then suddenly the book shifts to Ethan's voice, and stays there. Ethan, who's wholly unlikeable, the kind of white man who thinks he's one of the good guys and so beyond self-improvement or learning of any sort. I think this may have been more tolerable were the writing snappier or funnier (see: I loved FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE).

Ultimately, my reading experience indicates a mismatch between the book and me -- I was hoping for something more cleverly political. What THE SMASH-UP really is though, is a modern retelling of ETHAN FROME. Rather than a sickly wife, Ethan's is preoccupied with her feminist activist group. The book is set during the week of the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings. There's a plot point relating to the #MeToo movement, a kid with ADHD, and, of course, a smash-up.

I can't help but feel that this book would have been far more interesting from Zo, the wife's, point of view.

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

Until I started reading this book, I had no idea that it was a modern-day, satirical version of Ethan Frome. Not being a big fan of that movie made it harder to get into, but as the story progressed, I liked it more. It centers around the current #metoo movement and the recent Kavanaugh hearings for the Supreme Court. The story is about the Frome family who live in a small town in the Massachusetts. Dad Ethan is struggling because his former business partner is currently faced with #metoo allegations while also focusing a lot of attention on daughter Alex who was recently diagnosed with ADHD. Meanwhile, his filmmaker wife Zo, has gotten super-involved in political activism and is headed off the deep end. Last but not least is Maddy, the young girl they have hired as a live-in nanny to help out with Alex. It is actually kind of a sad tale, yet also a very real, statement on society today. I definitely did not expect the ending! The writing was both witty and eccentric, while also being somewhat disturbing as well. For the most part, I did enjoy this book in spite of the broken family at it's center and the unsettling thoughts it brought about. Definitely will be an important book for our generation and the difficult times our society as a whole is facing right now.

I was almost done with this one before it finally came together and got my attention which is unfortunate because when it came together it was actually pretty good. The main characters are pretty unlikeable, which normally does not matter to me but in this case it did not help with my engagement in the story. There were a lot of elements that the author tried to capture in here (politics, #metoo, etc.) that again I think were altogether too many but like I said by the end it was good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the digital copy to review.

I very much enjoyed this story. It was wonderfully written. I look forward to the author’s next book!

If you've read Ali Benjamin's young adult novel, The Thing about Jellyfish and enjoyed it, then The Smash-Up is absolutely nothing like it. All in all, this book took me almost 2 months to finish. It was a struggle to get through, but I rarely DNF a novel. It finally started to gain some momentum for me about 75% in. This character driven story starts out as very stream of consciousness (channeling Don DeLillo), and then pieces of the plot slowly come to fruition. It's essentially a #metoo story, but mostly told from Ethan, a male point of view. It's not until the last few pages that the narration switches to Zo, a female point of view. I thought the strongest character was Ethan and Zo's 11 year old daughter, Alex. So much depth and wisdom. I've never read Ethan Frome, but from quick research, I can see how it is very loosely a modern day twist to the Edith Wharton classic. In the end, I think the author tried to do way too much and it pans out as a dark tragedy that comes across as judgy and preachy. The story is ALL over the place and there are some terrific passages, but there are also some sections (the mushroom trip) that are just weird, unnecessary, and distracting to the overall plot. I think in this case, publishing such a dark story in the middle of a pandemic is not the best timing.

3.5/5

An emotional ping-pong game of a novel, bouncing you from the trauma of the Kavanaugh hearings to the complete cringe of a white woman demanding to be arrested. Characters are well fleshed out but are also extreme depictions of standard tropes (dad falls for nanny, kid has extreme ADHD while medicated, etc.) which makes it hard for the reader to be invested in their lives. But maybe that's good since their lives are a train wreck and you want to keep them at arm's length.

The book is very well written and thought provoking, but it brought up to many raw emotions for me to "enjoy".

Cover makes it look like a YA novel and will be a hard sell to library patrons.

I can’t say this was my most favorite executed novel, but the premise was on point. This novel has aspects that need to be read about more.

What a fun, witty, and timely story! This smartly constructed novel shows how since 2016, there has been a divide within the country. By using this shift in the world as a catalyst, the author truly delivers a great read.

The Smash-Up by Ali Benjamin is a modern retelling of Ethan Frome, and I am a big proponent of lesser done retellings. Love me a good P&P retelling, but taking on Ethan Frome is a boss move.

That said, this is a book that's going to find a niche audience, I fear. It's setting takes place in the aftermath of the 2016 election and grapples with themes of #MeToo, toxic masculinity and mental health with a case of unlikeable characters who aren't really all that interested and/or capable of redemption. For anyone looking for escapist reading, this book won't help. Much of it's too real if not in actual writing then in felt experience.

That said, individuals who can move with these deeply flawed characters, may find a book they greatly enjoy.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

This novel has a great premise. The main problem is execution.
The situations feel somewhat contrived and in some respects almost dated. It's difficult to connect to any of the characters because they seem to be one-off stock archetypes.
I had high hopes for this work and tried to stay with it but found it did not sustain interest.