Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a review!
The Sweet Spot is a novel set in New York where a group of women are forced to come together to care for a baby. This novel is one that will make your heart full. The unlikely friendships and chaotic characters will have you laughing out loud! I loved the themes of friendship, love, marriage, family, and more. The cast of characters can be confusing to get straight in the beginning but once you get to know them, you won't be able to put the book down!

Uuff Dah! I found this one a bit tricky with the multiple POV's and the multitude of characters. I found the story line all a bit chaotic and hard to really connect with the characters. I did enjoy how all the characters intertwined and came together at the end, but wasn't really invested in any of them, honestly. They were all pretty quirky which I found funny at times and confusing at other times. Also, some of the "revenge" schemes were over the top and kinda mean which made it hard to root for them.

I did love that the story took place in NYC at a brownstone in Greenwich Village. I love NY. It's always fun to read about a city/location you love.

Overall, it wasn't terrible but just kinda meh for me!

Read if you like...

Quirky Characters
Multiple POV's
New York City
Cute Kids
Rambunctious Dogs

The Sweet Spot is a cozy, heart filled story about three women who find their lives weaved together. This explores found family, motherhood, friendship, marriage, love, and everything else in between. You will laugh and smile your way through this one - don't miss it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC - The Sweet Spot is out now!

This is a cute story about several lives that intersect after Lauren -- very innocently -- suggests Felicity follow her instincts. After all, Felicity, after six seasons of her TV show "Felicity at Home," is known for having good instincts.

There are a ton of moving parts to enjoy here, from the cast of characters to the Greenwich Village (NYC) setting. But after having been excited for this one for months (long-time Amy Poeppel fan), I couldn't help feeling like something was missing. At times it felt like there should be another 100 pages, or this book should be setting up a series: I'd get pulled in by a particular character or scene, just to flip the page and be following someone else's perspective.

Still, I happily recommend The Sweet Spot to anyone in the mood for an entertaining read. That I wanted more time with individual characters is a good thing, really (even if personally disappointing).

You’ll like this book if you like…
- quirky and lovable characters
- NYC
- interconnected stories
- charm and humor
- unexpected friendships

Wow I LOVED this book!! The characters were so funny and lovable. I liked how their stories intertwined. This book kept me smiling and laughing. If you need a feel-good book, pick this one up!! I didn’t know where this one was going since I went into it blind, but I was delighted to see how the story unfolded

100% recommend!! I think if you were a fan of Anxious People by Fredrik Backman that you’d enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC!

Hilarious, witty, heart warming! Perfect Valentine's Day read about the importance of friendship and sticking together. Highly recommend!

The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#FirstLine ~ PROLOGUE - Felicity had walked by the brownstone on Waverly Place dozens of times without noticing it.

I loved this book! It was so original, clever, witty and unforgettable. I laughed, felt deeply for the characters and the story. It is one of those stories I wish I could read for the first time over and over again, so I can experience the story again and again. It was so perfectly plotted, with depth and tenderness. There was drama too, which helped create a beautifully balanced story! This book is not to be missed! A homerun!

New York here I come….

Oh goodie, I got to hang out in a Greenwich Village brownstone! I always like to peek inside the lives of New Yorkers. And even though this family is made up, I felt like I was getting away with something, in my secret role as a voyeur. In real life I’d be called a stalker, lol. Oh, the power of books—to visit strangers and remain invisible, and to face no consequences (other than the self-reprimand of not cleaning the kitchen when I was supposed to).

This is a cool story about a sort of oddball extended family—and I mean extended in a loose sense, as in neighbors, too, becoming part of the scene. There’s a potter and her brilliant, dorky husband and their three energetic kids. There’s a power bitch, a gay granddad, a scorned woman, an adulterous man, and a cool nanny and her dad. Oh, and a baby who has many people in charge of it. It’s a lively book, with interesting characters and a good plot—it shouldn’t be tossed into the chick lit category. Those who like literary fiction will find it more like an Anne Tyler novel. I think chick lit gets a bad rap, because often books in that genre are damn good—but that’s a diatribe for another day. Meanwhile, I have some minor complaints and some major joy.

Joy Jar

-A brownstone
-New York City
-Beautifully chaotic family and friends
-People grow and change
-Warm and fuzzy yet edgy and sophisticated
-Very creative acts of revenge
-Well-written, with lots of people to direct
-Rich, unique characters
-Would read another book by this author in a New York minute

Complaint Board

-An ADHD, developmentally delayed dog. (I’m sorry, I like calm, smart dogs the best.) And he’s in the picture, wreaking havoc, way too much at the beginning. Goofy, destructive dogs definitely get on my nerves!

-Two big coincidences. 1—A main character who works in a store that sells plates made by the potter-mom in the brownstone, has a dad who works in a bar in that same brownstone. 2—The scorned woman who has a beef with some unknown potter-mom, happens to work in the school where potter-mom’s kids go. Amazingly, these coincidences barely bothered me because I was invested in the story and the people.

-The scorned woman is a bit over-the-top in her revenge plots. I mean she is mean, man!!

-Too many characters? Occasionally it was hard to keep track of them all, but really, I liked every one of them and can’t imagine the book being any other way.

-Super nit: One character called the baby “Hal” a few times; the baby was named Hank. (Well, actually the baby was named Horatio, but the adult babysitting gang called him Hank.)

Bottom line: A feel-good book with well-drawn characters, a fine plot, and a NYC vibe. Except for the ADD dog (which, by its mere existence, is cutesy), there’s no sap. A satisfying read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

And yet another winner, I loved Amy Poeppel’s warm-hearted, witty, hilarious new book The Sweet Spot, and it‘s take on relationships, parenting, love and grief and especially it‘s take on the „it can take a village“ - sentiment (in this case maybe Greenwich Village). It centers on four very different women at different stages in their lives - an artist who could have a major breakthrough if she manages to produce enough art while taking care of her three elementary school age kids, her buttoned-up widowed mother, a divorcee in her fifties bent on revenge and still smarting after her husband of thirty years leaves her and his old life and a young woman starting out and figuring out love and life while getting tangled up in everyone else‘s messy lives). They come to gather and overcome their differences even taking care of a baby that technically belongs to none of them.
This book was funny and reflective. It made me think of the Mary Oliver quote: What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” - it was a joy to read and left me with a smile on my face !

Amy Poeppel has done it again! The Sweet Spot is a charming and funny novel set in an old brownstone in Greenwich Village with a great cast of characters. They learn to pull together when a baby is left with them and they need to rely on each other. I love her writing and really enjoyed this book. Thank you to Atria books and NetGalley for an advanced copy. The Sweet Spot is available now.

I've loved everything I've read so far that Amy Poeppel has written-I put her books up as my staff picks often and this book will join those! I adore books that show how families can grow and change and become stronger. How families sometimes are more than just who you are related to. This story is funny and hopeful and makes the world feel brighter. The icing on the cake? This book was funny-sometimes laugh out loud funny and full of great characters with great dialogue.

The story line sounded like fun, but it was very hard for me to get interested in this book. In my opinion it was a bit confusing and hard to keep the characters straight. I liked the humor, though, and laughed out loud several times. Overall, it just wasn't my type of genre.

The Sweet Spot
by Amy Poeppel
Pub Date: January 31, 2023
Atria Books
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book! It was a delight to read ! I loved the quirky and entertaining characters!

In the heart of Greenwich Village, three women form an accidental sorority when a baby—belonging to exactly none of them—lands on their collective doorstep.
This book is exceptional! I can't wait to read more from this writer! Soon, I hope.
5 stars

THE SWEET SPOT was a story of found friends and family in unexpected ways. Super “sweet”, with a quirky cast of characters, and oh so endearing.

This is one of those stories where all of these crazy random events kind of converge and overlap as the story goes on, which I think is always so fun. At times though, the quirk turned a bit chaotic for me and I found myself overwhelmed!

Despite the Valentine-y cover, there is a touch of romance, but mostly friendship at the sweetest townhome on Waverly place - which is honestly a character itself! You are guaranteed to smile with this one!

4.5, This book made me smile and laugh out loud each night I read before bed. The cast of characters was so fun! Really wish Netflix would make a movie or show out of it. This was the first book I read by this author, but I am excited to check out her other books.

Thank you Net Galley for the advance copy.

I found this book to be very entertaining with wonderful characters and an interesting story. It's not three women and a baby but it does take a village to care for children as the story unfolds. I loved how the characters all intersected and helped each other. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a feel good story full of good people and humor. Thank you to Net Galley for giving me an opportunity to read this book in return for my honest review. I give this four and a half stars.

I wish this book was longer, since I will miss many of the great characters in this funny, well written book. I absolutely loved it. Lauren is an artist who creates unique pottery, has three kids and a loving but quirky husband, Leo. When Felicity offers to showcase her work in her stores and on her popular design program, Lauren agrees and somehow becomes involved in advising Felicity on her affair with a married man. Melinda, the wife of Felicity’s lover, is an angry woman, seeking revenge on both Felicity and Lauren. Enter Olivia, another great character, Evelyn, Lauren’s uptight mother, and the unique character Philip, Leo’s Dad, and you have an hysterical mix of friends and family. I can’t recommend this book enough for giving me a break from the problems of the world. Thanks to a Netgalley for the opportunity.

What a delightful read and just what I needed. I adored this story about Lauren and the other charcters in this book. I really felt like they were all well developed and I was hooked from the beginning. This novel is a feel good book that reminded me of the goodness and importance of strong women in our lives and how we rely on each other. Her writing really transported me to Greenwich Village and into the lives of this village of women.

I was really looking forward to this one but found there was a bit too much going on with this multiple POV story that sees three women's lives becoming intertwined around a young baby who gets essentially abandoned by his mother. I didn't love the narrator which may have contributed to my feelings on the story too. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Really enjoyed my first read by Poeppel! I loved how the characters all tied together and especially loved all the kids. The first act seemed unnecessarily long.