The "Sweet Spot" by Amy Poeppel is a sweet story...and them some. This book follows a cast of characters that are unlikely friends (and some family) coming together to care for a baby. This story could end very differently but thanks to this hodgepodge group and their adventures everything turns out well. It is lighthearted, quirky, and hilarious and I would highly recommend it.

I love Amy Poeppel ‘s writing and this rollicking good time of a book reminds me why. Wonderful setting, a great cast of characters and a satisfying ending make this a must read!

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this novel. The Sweet Spot showcases how families can mold and grow with a little understanding and some common drama. Lauren and Leo are raising their children in a house with quite a bit of character. When Lauren's career takes off, she invites her mother to visit to help with the children. New relationships and friendships are formed, and life becomes full when there are new people to love.

This book is not for me. The characters are very real, very messy, and very chaotic. They're still heartwarming and the writing is excellent, but I don't connect well with books that are too "real life." This book is definitely a whirlwind, and for the right people, who love stories of family (found and otherwise) it will be a favorite. That person is not me, but I appreciate what Poeppel was aiming for here and her writing style will always stay in my heart.

The Sweet Spot is an absolute delight! Author Amy Poeppel draws us into a big, complicated, contemporary muddle of family, friends, exes, lovers, frenemies, enemies and babies. And makes it all a delightful mess - with sharp writing, distinct characters, sly observations about modern life and a great brownstone in Greenwich Village. It's a book with a plot that sneaks up on you, so give it time to get going. Then you'll be rewarded with a satisfying ending and a smile on your face. The Sweet Spot, indeed.

This book had it all for me and that was it. I had to read this to see what it was all about. I was not disappointed and enjoyed the content. Enjoyed this book. I want to find more of her books.

This was a novel I was excited for however it fell flat. It took half the novel to get into all of the characters and it felt very unorganized and too much for me. I loved the idea of this story however it was just scattered and the character build up was very slow. This novel will be for a specific reader type not all will enjoy this!

The Sweet Spot was difficult to get immersed in in the beginning. The background stories of 4 different women was exhausting; and I was unsympathetic with all of them. The coming together of narratives was executed well. This novel is for a particular taste of reader, someone who enjoys deeply flawed/ unlikable characters.

The Sweet Spot is a tangled and complex though still fun story – it definitely feels like living in a busy brownstone. It is the well told story of three women, a building in Manhattan, and the quasi-foundling who binds them together.

Lauren and Leo Shaw and their three kids have inherited the straight-from-the-seventies brownstone apartment they’re dwelling in. Their building is notorious in the neighborhood due to a legendary dive bar, the titular Sweet Spot, which is in its basement (and run by Dan). The day they move in they meet entrepreneur Felicity, who owns a hip Soho boutique and has no idea how to deal with her pregnancy – the result of her affair with the married Russell. Lauren tells Felicity she ought to follow what her heart tells her – resulting in a domino effect that puts her in the crosshairs of one very angry woman.

Melinda was married to Russell and she is not thrilled, to say the least, that Felicity disrupted their thirty year union. She tries to get back on her feet by becoming a receptionist at Lauren’s kid’s school, and when she learns that Lauren encouraged Felicity to press Russell into divorcing her, her fury knows no bounds – and results in a scene at Felicity’s boutique, and Melinda deciding to make Lauren and Felicity’s lives miserable.

Olivia works at Felicity’s company, and is dealing with her own break-up, which is probably why she snidely goes off on Melinda when she stops by to loudly disparage what they have on sale at the boutique. It’s a viral moment that embarrasses Felicity into firing Olivia and gets Olivia a nasty reputation. Fortunately for her, Lauren’s mother – Evelyn – decides that Olivia is just what Lauren’s busy family needs – a new nanny.

Into this mixed up, messed-up family situation Horatio – aka Hank -- is born. Unfortunately for Horatio, Felicity doesn’t have a mothering instinct and ditches him with his dad for business commitments and an affair. Doubly unfortunately for Horatio, Russell is more interested in chasing down the betraying Felicity, and abandons the baby, leaving him with Lauren and Leo. Lauren, Olivia and Melinda soon find themselves forming an indivisible parental unit to take care of the baby. But will Felicity and Russell ever return for him?

This book is such a fun romp that head-hops between various characters, each of whom are funny, horrifying or calamitous in their own ways. The book is a messy riot of art and romance and humor (the best plotlines are Leo and Lauren’s very stable romance and Melinda’s newfound love for Dan the barkeep). Olivia is the only weakly-drawn character in the book; I liked her but she needed to be rounded out. It’s a solid story about love, parenthood, and the pursuit of citybound happiness, and the loose camaraderie works very well and builds quite realistically.

I had to subtract some points from a final moment that's a little too saccharine. The character has barely begun to develop and when this moment happened, I absolutely cringed at the last few sentences, which left me with a sour taste in my mouth.

But perhaps you’ll be willing to overlook that last moment in the name of sisterhood. In any event, The Sweet Spot is still sweet enough to earn a recommendation.

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This book had a great premise going in and seemed right up my alley. It took half the book just to introduce all the characters (which I had a very hard time keeping track of) and get to the meat and bones of the plot. While some characters I liked (Lauren and Evelyn), some I appalled (Felicity and Russell). I just couldn’t catch my breath with this one. It was told from so many POV and was one wacky circumstance after another. Family is clearly at the heart of this story - it was just told in a chaotic way. Thanks to Netgalley and Atria for the ARC.

I really liked this novel about a family in Brooklyn living in an uncle's home. Lots of chaos and intermingled storylines involving a ceramist filling orders for a home luxury brand, a divorce, a bar under the house and fancy private school. Also, an interfering sister in law and a mother that comes to visit for the duration.

This was a really good read about a family and their extended relationships with family, friends, work friends, lodgers, and school staff.
The writing is great and there is depth everywhere. This is not a fluffy book at all, with the writing reminding me of English academics' lives rather than an American family. The story wasn't hard to follow at all, even though it had a lot of characters.
The other thing is that you can totally imagine everything going down the way it did in the story, with people's reactions and way of life being exactly what you'd expect, right down to a cheater's thoughtless behavior in his efforts to get back the woman he loves and her indifference. The ending wrapped up everything nicely too.
Amy Poeppel's writing is different in this sea of books, and I can see her growing her following easily.

A story of women thrown together by bad behavior that discover things aren't always what they seem. Together they overcome and become family

An absolutely fun quirky book about a family in NYC. I loved how the book was broken up into 3 different settings.
I adored Leo and Lauren and their children.

I also enjoyed Olivia's character and it was a true testament on what social media can do to a person. There were so many good points to this book, I don't think I can list them all. I enjoyed all the women bonding at the result of someone else's misjudgment.

As always Amy has a flair for witty fun stories. I have read all of her books. I enjoyed the family and the quirkiness of their characters. Evelyn was also a favorite of mine.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC

I loved this book after I got past the first few chapters and got my bearings with the characters. It was sweet and light and perfectly hit the spot for me.

This book was madcap, it was like watching a Three Stooges episode or a Laurel and Hardy movie; I loved that about it. I can’t count how many times I literally laughed out loud. I enjoyed so much about this story. I loved Evelyn’s character development, the precocious kids were so sweet and funny and heartwarming, the sophistication of Phillip added a touch of class, and the artistic Lauren is a busy mom trying to get her career off the ground again, and who could forget the nerdy Leo who is all heart. The unruly dog Bumper and the Gerbil Pixel that bites just adds to the chaos. I really hated the selfish Russell and felt so bad for his ex-wife, the heartbroken Melinda. I was happy to see her come into her own without him though.

This novel was witty, charming, and engaging while focusing on love, family, dating, friendship, and community. I would love to be friends with Lauren and her family, they were the highlight of the book for me. I adored most of the quirky characters…flaws and all. This is the perfect book for a pick-me-up.

A really enjoyable zany book. I could've read even more about this group of people, but the end was indeed a sweet spot. Laugh out loud funny and very much in tune with today's culture. I will definitely re-read this book!

Very sweet story of a family of quirky people who all come together in NYC, I always enjoy Amy’s books and this was no exception.

Wholly Unique.

A story of family, friendship, love, and parenthood, The Sweet Spots show that sometimes, raising a family takes an entire Village.

This novel includes a whole host of chaotic characters, whose lives are in complete disarray. As we meet them, some become friends, some enemies, and then friends. This happens through life’s many trials and tribulations, which brings this group of people closer together.

There were so many characters and storylines in this book that my interest waned a bit. From Lauren, her husband Leo and their brood, to Melinda and her ex-husband who cheated on her with a successful celebrity and their baby, to industrious Olivia and her father, to name a few, I admit to having a hard time keeping track and for me, that’s saying something. While there are parts of this novel that I enjoyed such as the character of Olivia and her storyline, on the whole this book was a bit of a mishmash that didn’t quite work for me.
2.5 Stars

Thanks to Atria Books for the arc via NetGalley.

Another five star read from Amy Poeppel. The Sweet Spot is a mixture of crazy antics, delightful banter and a feel good story. This is a must read for 2023.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.