Was excited for this book when I saw it being compared to Meg Wolitzer who I love. I found the main characters to be extremely unlikable but i think that was probably the point. lots of references to current events and i like that books are being written of this era and examining the ripple effects of allegations, I think Ill have this book on my mind for quite a while.

Wow. I really have no idea how I feel about this book. I am a HUGE Benjamin fan. The Thing about Jellyfish is one of my favorite novels (not just MG novels...novels period). I love the intelligence of Benjamin's work and the way the themes and details seem to fold over each other. Everything is embedded with a deeper meaning.

I see that in The Smash-Up too. I knew Benjamin would pull everything together in the end and she totally did. I gasped at the ending. It was heartbreaking and I didn't see it coming. Really well executed. That being said, I had a really hard time getting through this book. There were pages and pages of description of a mushroom trip and long outs of exposition.

There were a lot of references to philosophers and literature that went over my head. I didn't understand the Ethan Frome reference (except the narrative structure), but I haven't read that book in a long, long time. I wonder what I have missed by not having a clear point-of-reference. Part of me thinks I wasn't smart enough to "get" the book and part of me thinks that Benjamin could have laid off on some of the more dense references. Regardless, I found myself skimming large parts of this book...except the beginning and end (which, once again, was brilliant).

I think that perhaps this book needed one more revision to tighten it up. Then, maybe I would be better able to engage with all of it.

I will end with this compliment, however, I think Benjamin captures 2018 in a way that I have not seen. Some other reviews not that "too much" was happening with politics: Supreme Court hearings, #MeToo, protests, Trump, violence etc...but I reject that critique. That's what was going on in 2018 (and still going on...including a pandemic). She captures the rage of white women, the intensity of the #MeToo movement, and the potential for marriage to stagnant in the midst of all the noise. For me, this is the most impressive aspect of the book.

So, yeah, mixed feelings on this one. I will not be reading it again, but I'm very glad I experienced it.

The Smash Up is a novel about relationships, growth, marriage and politics. Mid-life couple, Ethan and Zo, are raising their daughter Alex in the Berkshires in rural Massachusetts. The 2016 election has rattled them, and changed Zo's outlook on life and daily activities. During the confirmation of Justice Kavanaugh, their world spirals as her protests and anger conflict with growing tension for Alex at school. Meanwhile, Ethan feels the distance growing in their marriage as he faces his former business partner's "Me Too" moment and how it might affect their financial position. WIthout too many spoilers, I can't say much more, but I found this an engaging work that I read in almost one sitting. Well developed and plotted, highly recommend.

"The Smash-Up," a very modern novel with ambitious notions of capturing something important about the historical moment we're experiencing, is also a retelling of Edith Wharton's "Ethan Frome." The book explores the #MeToo movement, the Trump administration and Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation hearings. It has great potential and a strong ending, but the narrative is harmed by a sagging middle and a couple of barely plausible plot lines. Ultimately, seeing 2018 through the eyes of a liberal-leaning but basically timid upper-class white guy just isn't that compelling.

Wow. I had high hopes for “The Smash-Up.” But this book fell short for me on many levels. Unfortunately, I didn’t get into the story or characters despite the cool premise about the cultural wars, social activism and the #metoo movement.

Ethan and Zo are married and have a young daughter, Alex, who is ostracized at school. Zo is an over-the-top activist and Ethan is trying to put up with both while thinking way too much about the live-in nanny, Maddy. Then Ethan’s egocentric and super-annoying business partner, Randy, gets caught up in a #metoo scandal and drags Ethan into the fray.

While I’m interested in the fact that this book refers to the 2016 presidential election, feminist rights, mass shootings, and the Brett Kavanaugh hearing, I was disconnected. These characters were all unlikeable so I didn’t have anyone to root for. Then the ending, which describes “the smash-up” didn’t move me, either.

Thank you to Random House for an advanced readers copy, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

The first thing I want to say is that this book did take some time for me to get into. In the beginning it felt almost as a satire of liberal white women. Once the characters expressed the understanding that it’s important not to center issues around themselves, it started to put it in perspective. I really emphasized with the main characters. It was interesting seeing their different ages/experiences and how they related to the social issues going on. It was difficult to read at times, taking place during what seemed to be Kavanaugh’s controversial nomination. The book took a very unexpected turn for me at the end, but it only added depth and substance. It ended up being a lot deeper than I had thought and it left me thinking about it for a long time.

“The only thing any of us know for sure was this: on the ninth day of the eleventh month of the year of our lord two thousand and sixteen, our nation- and with it the world we’d known- had turned upside down.”

The Smash-Up comes out 2/23.

The Smash Up
Ethan and Zo live in the middle of nowhere in a town in the Berkshires. They left to get away from the craziness of New York life, where they could both focus on their work and their family. But something is missing for their marriage, and each of them is seeking to fill that void with different things. Ethan is enamored with their nanny and her youthful exuberance. Their relationship was uncomfortable at best, completely inappropriate at worst. Zo fills her time online shopping and spending time with her crew of ladies who fight for women’s rights and call themselves “All Them Witches”. She is a bit reckless in her approach at times as well. Neither are finding solace in each other and in doing so are widening the rift between them.

I kept feeling like this book was trying to give us the male perspective on the #metoo movement through Ethan and also Ethans business partner Randy. Ethan was a man who didn’t outright assault anyone, but was constantly toeing the line of propriety, and even crossed it at times. He also was a silent bystander as things happened within his company. The author didn’t outright make a villain of Ethan, but allowed the reader to come to their own conclusion about which side of the #metoo movement he lands on. Personally, though Ethan was a likable enough character, but he was complicit with what was happening at his company. I didn’t like him, but I did like how the author approached him as a character.

There were some elements about the book that made me uncomfortable, and I think that was the authors intention. Ethan was a “good guy” who sometimes was inappropriate or was silent when others were flat out misogynistic and repulsive in their behavior. Zo had good intentions, but had adopted the typical white feminism that can be borderline dangerous.

The only aspect of the book I didn’t love was the beginning and the end. Or the prologue and the epilogue. I felt it was confusing and didn’t add to the story.

The story was propulsive, well written, and I read it quickly. Overall, I enjoyed the experience of reading it and would recommend it.

Ali Benjamin’s ‘The Smash-Up’ was exhausting to read. I say this as a sincere compliment. Benjamin expertly captures what it is to deal with someone like Zenobia ‘Zo’ Frome, one of those ever-oppressed (yet suburban white) people who can’t let you enjoy anything without connecting it to their pet social issue of the day; someone who never really does anything actionable to help those social issues. The story describes the lives of Zo and her husband Ethan, who, with the recent behavioral changes in his wife brought on by the Brett Kavanaugh appointment, and the challenges of raising his daughter, becomes infatuated with the twenty-something live-in babysitter and her carefree lifestyle.

I thought the characters were relatable (the principal McCuttle was hilarious), and that the author made a good choice not to identify the key political figures by name, so as not to outdate the book in 10 years or so. Those who were around and aware in 2018 will understand the topic and remember the associated feelings strongly, while others can fill in with their own characters. I know that with the constant news-on-demand reel of today, actual political issues in fiction can be a very challenging topic, and it was admirable of the author to tackle.

I do think the story should have either done without Randy and Bränd entirely, or given Ethan more culpability in that situation. Other than Randy occasionally blowing up Ethan’s phone and a half-hearted blackmail attempt, it doesn’t really become a flashpoint in the story and Ethan is quite passive throughout the sub-plot. I also wish Zo was confronted a bit more (outside of her own family members) when she inserted herself as a victim of over-policing, as this is not a problem that disproportionately affects white women and could have real impacts on other communities.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would be interested in reading more by the author. Note: I received a free e-book copy of ‘The Smash-Up’ in exchange for an honest review.

I happened to read this during the week of the election and finished on Saturday, after it was called for Joe Biden - timely! This was a look back at the Trump presidency and its effects on one family in small-town Western Massachusetts. The characters were complicated and realistic and there's a little bit of a Fleishman is in Trouble perspective flip that brings some added nuance.

Lives are affected by the Kavanaugh heading in this book. Ethan and Zo are a couple dealing with a child with ADHD. They left the city for a better life. Their child is targeted to be removed from her private school. Zo is troubled by the way women are being treated. Ethan has a former partner facing Me Too charges. They have a live in babysitter. I related to the uncertainty of the times affecting this couples lives.
I liked how Zo uses shopping and a women's group. Ethan is contemplating an affair. His novel is going nowhere. I couldn't understand his attraction to the babysitter. She really did very little to help with Alex.. This book is worth a read. Thank you, Netgalley.

The Smash-Up was a really entertaining, if slightly unsettling book at times, given how relevant it seemed. I flew through this and would be curious to read more by this author!

ou needn't have read Wharton's Ethan Frome (not-coincidentally the protagonist's name) to be drawn into Ali Benjamin's novel. From the beginning it immerses you in the present we are all living and experiencing since the November 2016 election of "he who should not be named". Benjamin describes it as "hypereality". What is truth, what is goodness, what is real?( And this was written before the pandemic which has extended the unreality/hypereality that is our existence in Trump times.)

Ethan and Zo, parents to hyperactive/ADHD Alex are trying to live and function in the time of MeToo, Supreme Court nominees like Bret Cavanaugh being confirmed, disbelieving the victim, anti-feminist tweeters, on-line hate mongers, and activists and protestors for many and varied causes.

Zo suffers from uncontrolled on-line shopping, Ethan suffers from his inability to understand his wife and her group of "All Them Witches" as they are known. Ethan's former partner, Randy, guilty of sexual harassment and assault, denies a tactic to blackmail a victim and save their business as he keeps trying to be "one of the good ones".

Infused with guilt over what we have done to our society, our democracy and our youth, you will suffer through your reflection in the mirror Ali Benjamin holds up. The ending delivers the smash-up of the title and yet, yet perhaps a glimmer of hope? This should be on your must-read shelf.

“What happened is people were hurting. What happened is people were afraid. What happened is that anger is stronger than fear, and so, for that matter, is hate. But it is easier to know what you want to burn down than it is to imagine what you might grow in its place.”

Taking place in the week of Brett Kavanaugh’s Senate hearing, the main character, Ethan, has become starkly aware of how he and his social justice warrior wife, Zo, are growing apart in their small-town life. She’s so focused on activism and establishing equity in America that he is no longer a priority for her, and it seems like their daughter is less and less so as well as he takes over most parenting duties and she shirks her work and is rarely home unless she’s invited over the local resistance group of women, All Them Witches. The result is an introspective journey volleying back and forth from Ethan’s early career in NYC to their shared present in the Berkshires, investigating all that comes with living in present-day America.

“All of these moments, all of the others, the one he remembers, the ones he doesn’t, their whole messy, complicated everything, has been distilled into a singularity that pops like a soap bubble and vanishes forever. That’s all over and it’s never coming back.”

For fans of Separation Anxiety and Fates and Furies, this is another a book of our time that presents multiple dialogues on how messy America has become and how all types— the young and the middle aged, the wealthy and those just getting by, the single people and the long-time married, the urbanites and suburban families— are managing, or not, to get through it all. It’s a delightfully deep dive into parenthood and materialism and imposter syndrome and righteousness and nihilism and lust and aging and being alive. I’d happily have stayed alongside Ethan for longer as I so enjoyed his awkward niceties and his daughter’s brilliant charm as well as Zo’s, and the witches’, burning rage.

“The weeping woman isn’t so sure she believes in humanity, not right now. But still. She pulls the car over. And that is the answer to the question Ethan used to ask me: what, exactly, is the point of a tiny protest, in the middle of nowhere, seen by almost no one? The point is that the person who does see might need exactly this, exactly now. The point is, her individual grief can become part of a collective one. The point is, this may or may not change the world, but it will almost certainly change her.”

I loved this novel! I read it in a day, three days before the 2020 election, and it felt very appropriate following a story about the emotional aftermath of the 2016 election and what the country has experienced since. With well-written characters, an interesting plot, and at times, pointed brilliant commentary about the direction of America, this is a fantastic novel about a family and marriage with very "of the moment" plot twists. I would definitely recommend!

Wow!! This books was so real and difficult to read. It takes a bit to get into but by the half way mark I couldn't put it down. Something to know : this book takes place during the height of the #metoo movement and the Brett Kavanugh trial. I read this as Amy Coney Barrett got sworn in. A punch in the gut!
This was written from the husband's perspective, as his wife is becoming a strong political activist. Unlike some reviews, I didn't think Ethan was "a bad guy". I didn't dislike his wife either. She was caught up, like many of us right now, in politics, in abuses against women, and in the feeling of having our rights taken away. She was so passionate about her cause that her work and family were put on the back burner. And Ethan feels invisible and worse, like maybe she doesn't even like him anymore. There is so much to talk about with this one! I won't say more so that nothing is spoiled. It would make an incredible book club or a book for a couple to read together. This book will be released in February. I hope we will be in a better place to read it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read it early.

I found this a little hard to get though because I didn't like Ethan. It was very topical but I don't think there was a lot of depth in the actual exploration of the politics. It seemed a little rushed--maybe because they wanted it to come out when the hearing was still fresh in people's minds but it also made it seem instantly dated. I think I prefer fiction that is a little further removed from close events, it always comes out awkward to me.

Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book was quite the challenge for me to get into. If I'm being honest, I wasn't interested in the story until about 90% in.

All of the characters really suck. The story takes place around Brett Kavanaugh's hearing, which I never wanted to relive. Even though this is a frame story told from an unknown narrator, you mostly see through Ethan's POV, and I couldn't stand him. Not liking the main character really puts me off. They don't even have to be a good person, just give me something redeemable, ya know?

What really helped me get through the roughness was reading up on Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome, which is the novel this book is replicating. Although I admire Wharton and her work, there's no way I will ever read Ethan Frome after reading this modern retelling. A major critique of the original is how bleak it is and how there are no morally good characters. I get that it's a reflection of reality, but man that makes it difficult to read.

This book was on it's way to a one-star read, possibly even a DNF, but I pushed through, and I'm so glad I did. That ending. Oh, man. That ending. I absolutely loved it. I loved it so much that I actually retroactively enjoyed the previous 90% of the novel. I even cried.

Not sure if a strong ending is enough for most people to push through a pretty bleak novel, but if that's your thing, this is the book for you.

Happy reading, fellow feminists!

This book was hard to get into. All of the characters were unlikeable, and the setting was depressing and almost dystopian. Set in contemporary times, a supposedly wealthy young couple has moved to a fashionable suburb to live out their LL Bean fantasy life, but it all goes south, and they're left to grapple with how to make meaning in a world where truth is a manipulable and authenticity out of reach.

The main character, Ethan, is a middle-aged dad and husband who's unhappy, but not awake enough to question it. He founded a media company, along with a narcissistic and brilliant partner who is now demanding he do something completely unethical in the era of #MeToo. Zo, Ethan's wife, is swept up in the Kavanaugh Supreme Court hearings and despondent over the 2016 presidential election. She and her group of friends appear to be crazed in their feminist ragings. Alex, the 11-year-old daughter, is portrayed as somewhere between out of control and unhinged with what appears to be untreated ADHD, The fourth character is Maddie, a cynical (or quietly desperate) millennial who engages in an extremely questionable way to make money. Her job in the story is to serve as provocateur.

As we get deeper in, all of these characters become more sympathetic, but it's a bit of a slog getting there. In fact, one criticism of the writing is that at times the author goes off in meandering mind trips that I struggled to relate to the main story, but maybe that's just me. One spot of relief from the relentless negativity was the coffee shop gang, who were in the minority as real people and actual friends. Ethan is drawn to them.

The value of the novel is that it asks how one copes in a time when truth is a matter of interpretation and almost assumptively manipulable. Further, how does one find authenticity or meaning? It's a worthwhile question and I found the ending to be satisfying. However, I think this issue of how to live a relevant life in modern times was almost too much for this author, although I applaud her for taking it on.

Thank you to #netgalley and Random House for the ARC.

This book touches on a lot of things that are going on in today's times (the #metoo movement). I do feel like the book was a little more policitial then it needed to be, but it was honest.

It was a cute read!

Zoe and Ethan's comfortable suburban life revolves around their daughter Alex, whose adjustment difficulties are a perennial source of tension both at home and in the progressive private school whose other parents are increasingly vocal it about the effect Alex's behavior is having on others in the school community in this well-rendered domestic drama the larger problems of the world are subsumed by the efforts Zoe and Ethan to right the tipsy canoe of their marriage, which is threatened not only by Alex's behavior but also by pressures from Ethan's former partner - and some source of income - to intercede for him in a sexual harassment case that may destroy the form they built together but by their seductive 20- something' live-in nanny The other source of friction in their marriage comes from Zoe's increasingly militant feminism and its effect on her battles with Alex's school community While both of these plot points fill in the outlines of the novel, they're not compelling enough to illuminate the personal journeys of the protagonists and the parallel unraveling of their marriage