What a read! The characters are introduced to us and there are several. Then Amy weaves their stories together. It was a bit overwhelming at times and distracting but the cover and Amy’s past books made me want to read this. Three stars.

NetGalley - Thanks for an advanced copy for the purpose of this review.

“Olivia was finally coming to understand one indisputable truth: relationships were hideously, absurdly, almost comedically complicated. Maybe the trick was to stop taking it all so seriously.”

Set in Greenwich Village NYC, a slightly dilapidated, but well-loved apartment with a bar in the basement is home base to this story with lots of characters and lots of heart.

Melinda, Lauren and Olivia are three women at different stages in their lives. Each have people and chaos in their orbits. Their unconventional worlds converge, creating laugh-out-loud scenes and razor sharp dialogue. It truly was the perfect entry point for the segue into a new year of reading for me.
If you enjoyed any of Ms. Poeppel’s other novels (Musical Chairs, Small Admissions) I highly recommend adding this crazy and clever novel to your lists.
The Sweet Spot, indeed!

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria/Emily Bestler Books and Thoughts From A Page Patreon Community for providing the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
Available 1/31/23.

The delightful story of an unlikely community of women that comes together in Greenwich Village. Lauren is a ceramic artist who is over the moon (and overwhelmed) with a series of big orders for her work and accidentally makes a mortal enemy at her children’s new school. Melinda is a scorned woman out for revenge after her husband of 30 years leaves her for his much younger, more successful, and pregnant lover. And Olivia, newly cancelled and fired, is trying to find her way after making several life altering mistakes. There are many other characters as well and surprisingly they’re all fleshed out, fascinating, and unique. What I loved most about this book is that at its heart it’s about the nuances and complications of identity, how people are malleable and can change, and that we’re at our best when we’re willing to see the grey instead of only the black and white. This is my first by Poeppel, but won’t be my last.

I’ve read other books by this author I’ve enjoyed but I didn’t enjoy this. It felt too long and meandering with too many characters.

When Lauren gets a career-making opportunity to design a pottery collection for Felicity, one of the world’s hottest lifestyle brands, she doesn’t realize that this opportunity will set off a series of high jinks that will take her life in some surprising directions.

Laugh-out-loud funny, this is the perfect pick-me-up for the middle of winter or an ideal selection to pack for your spring break getaway. Reminiscent of old-fashioned screwball comedies or ensemble movies like “Love, Actually,” it’s filled with warm-hearted people who are completely relatable. If you like found-family novels, this is a must read.

I loved it!

Sometimes during the craziest, most hectic times, people come into your life that you never knew you needed. In "The Sweet Spot," three families all face life changing events that at first feel like world ending, but in the end feel right. Olivia, Melinda and Lauren (plus the baby) collide when Lauren inadvertently and with the best intentions tells a social media influencer she should follow her heart and be with the one she loves....and the one Felicity (the influencer) loves happens to be Melinda's husband. As Melinda raged around Felicity's store, one of the workers, Olivia, confronted her. Later, after the baby was given to them, Melinda, Lauren and Olivia met at Olivia's father's bar - The Sweet Spot" which was on the floor below Lauren's apartment.

A lot of small world moments, coupled with a dash of "Three Men and a Baby" make a funny and enjoyable read. Grab this one (or any of Amy Poeppel's other titles - they are all good!) when you are looking for your next lighthearted, real-world-with-all-its-craziness reads.

Had I known one of the central tropes in this novel was unapologetic adultery, I would never have read it. The "sorry-not-sorry I hurt you, but what I wanted was more important than your feelings" attitude of multiple characters was sickening, not to mention two characters abandoning their baby because he was inconvenient.

Beyond that, it was hard to connect with many of the characters, as they were mean, selfish, or motivated by greed. Had the author stuck to some of the ancillary characters, most of them nicer than the charmless main characters, it would've been a much better story. Also, the heart of the book, according to the official publisher's blurb, was supposed to be the abandoned baby; that didn't even happen until over halfway through the book.

The most disturbing part of the entire novel, however, was that no one was concerned about how the baby was affected by being passed around to strangers, in the short or long term. And no one was concerned about the vapid, selfish parents repeating their behavior in future. I can suspend a certain amount of reality for the sake of a good story, but not for the sake of a bad one.

*Publish date 1/31/23. Thank you to NetGalley, Atria/Emily Bestler Books, and Thoughts from a Page for the advanced e-copy*

The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel is a story about the bonds of family and friendships that become like family - however unlikely those origins might be. Lauren, an aspiring artist who makes whimsical ceramics, is discovered by an “it” boutique owner and design show host named Felicity. Olivia works at one of Felicity’s boutiques and is fired after an altercation with a customer goes viral and paints both Olivia and the boutique in a bad light. The customer, Melinda, turns out to be the ex-wife of Felicity’s boyfriend and father of her child. Other quirky characters round out the cast and help with the unexpected twists and turns of the story. I truly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend.

Pros: I first heard about Amy Poeppel’s books on the What Should I Read Next podcast, and I am so glad I did! I’ve enjoyed Musical Chairs, Limelight, and now The Sweet Spot. I appreciate that her books feature characters of all ages and love that they often end up forming a found family. The Sweet Spot is a comedy of errors as worlds collide among family, friends, and enemies to take care of a baby and each other.

Cons: There was a lot of set up to get to the “three women and a baby” part of the book, but I enjoyed getting to know the characters so much that I really didn’t mind.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the opportunity to read this book.

The Sweet Spot
Amy Poeppel
Pub. date: January 31, 2023

Thank you to
@atriabooks and
@netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have to start by saying I am a huge fan of all Amy Poeppel’s books.

The Sweet Spot is her latest novel arriving on the scene on January 31, 2023.

Read The Sweet Spot if you love great stories where you get so attached to the characters you wonder what they’re doing even after you finish the book. This book has conflict and chaos along with great heart and humor. While The Sweet Spot has a large cast of characters, the author has a gift for writing them in such a way that you are immediately familiar with each one. I daresay I would recognize them if I saw them walking down the street!
While there are different storylines going on throughout the book I love how she intertwines them so that all of the characters play an important role in the final outcome.

Preorder The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel now.
And while you’re waiting for it to arrive, be sure to check out her other books. No doubt, like me, you’ll become a huge fan too!

So Lauren told Felicity to go after what she wanted, which led to Melinda’s husband leaving her for Felicity. Olivia worked for Felicity and ended up getting fired when Melinda was belligerent in their store, and Olivia’s dad owns the bar below Laurens home. Oh and Melinda is the new secretary at Lauren’s children’s new school. These four women are all connected in this crazy way, and at the center of it all? Melinda trying to get revenge on her ex, and any woman that led to him leaving her.

Yes, I know that sounds complicated. It was however, absolutely delightful. Some of the shit Melinda came up with was just pure gold! I mean, petty as hell and super messed up, but comedic gold! Actually, every character in this book was a bit of a mess, but that only made me love them more! Lauren’s household was beyond chaotic and I adored little Waverly so much! There isn’t much to say besides this book was excellent, I highly recommend you picking up a copy, and I truly hope this turns into a movie because it would be perfection!

Amy Poeppel is becoming a must read author for me. The Sweet Spot was a fun & fast read for me. I love that her characters are multi age and range from artistic and messy to uptight and fussy. And the NY neighborhood setting could not be beat.

The Sweet Spot was the perfect title for this book, it is also a brilliant name for a neighborhood bar. When I started reading this book I was interested, then I liked the book and by the end I loved it. Amy Poeppel casts an ensemble of different, yet all quirky characters, and I enjoyed each and everyone of them. This novel captures the essence of family, found family, & community. Although the themes are not comedic this book is so funny. I was laughing out loud several times. The setting, Greenwich Village in NYC, almost seemed small town with the community that develops as these characters truly support one another through life. I highly recommend this novel and can't wait to speak to the author thanks to Cindy Burnett and the Thoughts from a Page podcast.

3.5 rounded up: I’m a big fan of Poeppel’s books and after I found her last one a bit meh, this one was definitely an upgrade. While there is *a lot* going on in this, I enjoyed many of the characters and especially the NYC/WSQ setting. Sprinkled with laughs, this was a good story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was enjoying this up until Melinda entered the story and then it started to just fall apart.
Lauren and her mother and the family struggles, excellent. Melinda’s hatred, just tedious.

DNF

This book was not what Id hoped for. I wont lie, if I bought this book I would have DNF’d it but seeing as it was an ARC i decided to push on and read it fully.
Was it awful? No. It just wasnt up to my expectations.

There were way too many characters in my opinion, the book dragged on, the plot wasnt the best. I wanted to love this book.

This was such a fun story to follow along with. I liked watching the three women's stories intertwine with one another. This is the third book I've read by the authors, and I look forward to read more from her!

This story hit the sweet spot. See what I did there?

I thoroughly enjoyed this laugh out loud story featuring a large cast of characters who create a "found family" in Greenwich Village.

A story full of complicated and unexpected relationships. There are madcap hijinks infused with humor and charm. I just felt so content the whole time I was reading this book. It was a satisfying blend of tension and levity. I found myself sighing with utter contentment one moment and then guffawing the next.

The writing is smart and sharp. The characters are quirky without inducing eye-rolls. The story had a steady beat of depth and wit that carried me through to the end.

I desperately want to meet this cast of characters for Happy Hour at The Sweet Spot.

"𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘦."
attributed to Thomas Mann but unconfirmed.

The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel is a captivating novel set in the heart of Greenwich Village. It follows the story of three unlikely women - Lauren, Melinda and Ginnie - who form an unlikely bond when a baby lands on their collective doorstep. The novel is full of humor, heartache and unexpected surprises as these three women struggle to figure out their lives and how to best raise this baby as their own.

At the center of The Sweet Spot is Lauren, who has been granted the use of a spectacular brownstone with her family. With its bohemian charm and grungy wallpaper, it's hard not to love this house - particularly when they discover a bar in the basement called The Sweet Spot. But soon after moving in, Lauren inadvertently sparks a divorce between two people she's never even met. This sets off a chain of events that will bring all three women together on an unforgettable journey of self-discovery that ultimately leads them to accept each other and embrace life as it comes.

The writing style employed by Amy Poeppel throughout The Sweet Spot is nothing short of brilliant. She skillfully weaves together elements of comedy and drama while exploring themes like motherhood, relationships, loyalty and friendship. Through clever dialogue, vivid descriptions and subtle characterization, readers will find themselves quickly becoming invested in the characters' lives as they experience the highs and lows alongside them.

The Sweet Spot is an incredibly touching novel about life's surprises and how our paths can sometimes lead us down unexpected roads. It's a delightful example of what happens when trust is built through shared experiences - no matter how strange or unpredictable those experiences may be. If you're looking for an uplifting read that will leave you with a smile on your face then look no further than Amy Poeppel's The Sweet Spot!

Amy Poeppel's novel *The Sweet Spot* is a complicated but heartwarming story about unconventional women in messy, sometimes hilarious situations trying to make the best of a world that trips them up and challenges their assumptions.

The characters in the novel are relatable and well-developed, the plot is engaging and fast-paced, and the novel is jam-packed with laugh-out-loud moments. Poeppel is an absolute master of writing comic relationship stories.

In addition to the wonderful characters and story, the book has a lot of heart. It is a story of quirky families, friendship, and finding a place in the world. I REALLY think this story needs to be made real on a silver or digital screen!

Thanks, NetGalley, for the early read!