Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book

Jennifer Weiner is an author that I automatically add to my TBR list, and someone whose books have only gotten better through the years. This book did not disappoint. I finished it in two days and couldn’t put it down. I love a story with flawed, imperfect characters, and this delivered on that front. The sisters as well as Cherry were portrayed so realistically. I never felt like saying “eh, that never would have happened”. It was a fun little glimpse into the world of pop music while being mostly a story about relationships. I was sad when it ended, and would love to have a longer epilogue that looks into the future.

I was so excited to be able to read this book early. I have read all of Jennifer Weiner's books and this was a good read as always. The story is told in three person with each chapter letting you know who's part it is. Is the story of two sisters and one of the sisters daughter. It's a tale of growing up with sibling rivalry and jealousy and how one misunderstanding and deception causes a years long estrangement with a reunitement at the end.

A beautifully told story with heart and depth, Weiner follows two very different sisters through challenges, mistakes, fame, loss and forgiveness. The author crafts a deceptively complicated tale with engaging characters who make mistakes and struggle with the aftermath, i found the ending hopeful while remaining true to the story and the character's choices. I particularly enjoyed the 90's/early 2000's nostalgia and was intrigued by her discussion of the less favorable aspects of popular culture towards women, body image and specifically female musical artists during that time, as well as currently.
This was a wonderful read that I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend reading when it's published.

Thank you Goodreads and William Morrow for an ARC copy of The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits.

This book had the elements to be a good, if not great, book. It really did. I was on the fence about even starting it, as I personally feel the author needs to do so better with heavier characters. But I decided to give her another try. I won’t be reading anymore. An author can write a heavy-set character and not be that be the sole thing about the character. How they are made fun of, how they don’t have confidence. Do better….

Zoe wants to be a music star, the only problem is her sister Cassie has all the talent. Cassie picks up an instrument easily, sings, is great at writing songs, but hates crowds and is uneasy with people. Zoe prevails and they briefly become the Griffin Sisters, the hottest group in rock and roll, until their fame crashed and burned, and Zoe takes away the only man Cassie loved. Years later Zoe has a teenage daughter, Cherry, who shows the same musical talent and wants to be a star. When her mom refuses to help, Cherry runs away trying to find her aunt who disappeared years ago and no one has seen since. A story about the price of fame, being sisters, and learning to love and forgive yourself for who you are. A great read that’s perfect for bookclubs with many discussion topics. My favorite Jennifer Weiner book in a long time.

In this book, we hear from multiple women - sisters Zoe and Cassie, and Zoe's daughter Cherry. Zoe and Cassie form a band and hit it big in the music industry. Cassie is a musical prodigy and her voice captivates everyone when she sings, but she is introverted and not comfortable with people. Zoe, the more outgoing sister, really wants to be a famous musician and she becomes jealous of Cassie as they get more and more successful. 20 years later, Zoe's daughter Cherry wants to become a musician and goes to LA to make it in the music industry against her mother's wishes. Meanwhile, the sisters are estranged, with Cassie living in Alaska and Zoe married with kids in New Jersey.

I really wanted to like this book. But there is so much fat shaming of Cassie and it was just too much. It seemed like Cassie was on the spectrum and I would have liked it if we got to explore that more. Also, Zoe was such a shallow character and a pretty terrible mother to Cherry. She didn't protect her when Cherry complained about her creepy stepbrother and she didn't seem to be worried at all that Cherry disappeared by going to LA without telling her and leaving her phone behind.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

I loved this book, thought it was one of the best Jennifer Weiner novels in years! The story and characters really drew me in and I read it within 24 hours. I’ll be recommending this book to friends.

The Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits recounts sisters Zoe and Cassie rise to fame in the 2000’s music industry..As quickly as they rise to fame , they quickly fall apart . Zoe becomes a housewife and Cassie disappears from everyone. Twenty years later, Cherry, Zoe’s daughter in her own attempt to rise in the music industry , tries to reconnect the sisters. A story of family, heartache and lies. A compelling read..
Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read and give my opinion on this ARC.

4 stars

I’m honestly not sure how I feel about this book! It definitely kept me interested, I wanted to see how it ended. But, I couldn’t think of any way it could end that would make all the emotional wreckage worth it. This book is kind of heartbreaking, where ambition, jealousy, and physical appearances leave a family destroyed.

I’ve only recently started reading Jennifer Werner and as a plus-sized woman, I appreciate the way she portrays those of us who ironically feel invisible while also standing out.

The best part of this book is I will think about it for a while. I’m not sure how I feel about the ending, and at the same time the ending gave me a smidgen of hope.

Thank you William Morris and NetGalley for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.

I was so excited to get an ARC from one of my favorite authors. The Griffin Sisters did not disappoint!

This is a story about two sisters who rose to fame with their band in the early 2000s. The talented but extremely shy Cassie and the maybe not so talented but beautiful Zoe. After their whirlwind rise to fame, tragedy strikes and the band breaks up.

Fast forward to 20 years later, Zoe’s daughter Cherry has been touched with the magical, musical gift and finds her way to LA with hopes of getting her big break. The story is told from each of the women’s viewpoints and is about so much more than trying to make it in the rock and roll world. The bigger takeaways are about love, sisterhood, relationships, ambition, and forgiveness - of other people and also about forgiving ourselves.

Overall a solid read! Thanks to Jennifer Weiner, NetGalley, and William Morrow Books for the advanced copy

I have readI read a Net Galley copy of this book in exchange for a review.

22 years ago, I fell in love with Weiner's writing with her books Good in Bed and In Her Shoes. In the years between, while I skipped a few and enjoyed a few, many of her books that I read have fallen flat for me. This one leans back towards that earlier style

My favorite part of her writing is when she talks about sisters, jealousies, resentments, but underlying love. This book does that. It also has her common theme about weight and body image. However, sometimes I feel she goes too far with this: siblings having huge misunderstandings they don’t discuss for years (in this case decades), descriptions of fat as such an awful ailment that they couldn’t possibly be beautiful, etc.

I am not small myself, and I even had an eating disorder in high school and early college, but sometimes this piece of the plot overtakes the story more than it needs to. I know Weiner herself has struggled with body image some in life. But, as a size 16, her description of Cassie in this book seemed to go so much further than those of past books. Now, in Good in Bed, It was the early 2000’s, and people hadn’t grown, but in 2024, it seems a bit overdone (but not as much as Big Summer). While the main plot time period is in the past, so it fits, it doesn’t resonate as well in this publication time period. We have so many beautiful, large, famous women that I’m not sure we needed this story with its description of legs that can’t cross and a sister who can’t imagine anyone loving such a gross body, etc. However, being in the limelight is tough, and there is one tiny bit that I won’t share that explains Cassie further that I wish had been taken more deeply, as that would explain so much more of her behavior.

Zoe was too unlikeable to be redeemable, and it’s hard to read about unlikeable people. She’s an awful sister and an awful mother and basically an awful person. I felt this way somewhat, frustrated, in In Her Shoes, a similar plot but about smarts rather than talent versus looks, but for some reason, that one resonated more. Perhaps that is because Zoe also fails her daughter in so many ways. And, their mother also failed Cassie. I think the mothers not connecting with their daughters was the most heartbreaking part of all.

I read this book in a couple of sittings. I wanted to keep hearing their story, even though some of the music industry stuff felt cliche, and there were parts of the story I wish were explored more. Like the two earlier books I mentioned, this will translate well to film, and maybe that’s a goal. It's just missing some of the lightheartedness mixed in that some of her earlier books had, making this a heavy read.

3.5 stars

Nobody does Ugly Duckling stories like Jennifer Weiner. As usual, this one delivers. When the story begins, Zoe is a wealthy housewife dealing with a blended family. Her daughter, now 19, runs off to seek fame on a talent show. Her sister is a ghost; Zoe and Cassie haven't spoken for decades. As the novel progresses, we learn why. Zoe was a beautiful, charismatic, but untalented child while Cassie was a musical prodigy with a voice that would put an angel to shame. I loved how Weiner described people's reactions to that voice. Because of Zoe's ambition and Cassie's voice, they become briefly, incredibly famous. And then something horrible happens, the band breaks up, and the girls are estranged. This book begins when the girls are in middle-age, and by the end of the book (such a fabulous, gratifying conclusion!), I was grabbing for the tissues. A beautiful, immersive, compelling story of sisterhood, family, loss and redemption. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this advanced copy of The Griffin Sister‘sGreatest Hits.

I really enjoyed this novel about Cassie and Zoe‘s journey in the music business. Zoe wanted to be part of a band and wanted to be famous. Cassie, the child prodigy was studying piano at theCurtis Institute.. Zoe manages to talk Cassie into doing an open mic night and from there their meteoric rise begins. Enter Russell, the guy sent to help them write music. Cassie and Russell bond over the music but Cassie, who has been ridiculed her whole life about being different and being a plus size girl develops her first crush. Zoe has mediocre talent, but doesn’t want to lose her place in the band so she manipulates a relationship, a marriage, and a pregnancy while having an affair of her own. One tragedy strikes, Zoe spins a tail that causes Cassie to disappear for many years. When Cherry, Zoe‘s daughter, has aspirations to become a musician, she seeks to find the truth about why her aunt Cassie went away.

The best part of this book is Cherry unraveling the past and bringing the sisters back together.

Another solid read from Jennifer Weiner. The story follows two sisters who had a huge success with a break out album when they were very young, then something happened, and the Griffin Sisters were no more.
I liked the story, but if I am honest, I was not fully invested in these characters-one was too opaque, one was kind of immature and selfish, and one was too young.
There was a lot of foreshadowing regarding the mysterious event that tanked the Griffin Sisters, and when the big reveal finally happened, I was a little let down. The big reveal was just not that big.
Still, an intriguing premise, and the characters were definitely interesting. I also enjoyed the insider view of the music business, and the contrast between "then" and "now".
Recommend.

A heartfelt book filled with longing, regrets and most of all-love. Cassie and Zoe are sisters that end up in a band. But while Zoe wants to be famous, Cassie just wants to play music and be loved. What starts out as a journey into adulthood and finding your passion turns into finding out who you really are and what/who is important to you.

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

As a longtime fan of Weiner’s books, I was thrilled to receive this ARC. This was a very engaging story and reminded me a bit of Daisy Jones and the Six. Would definitely recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced reader copy.

The Griffin Sisters felt like old school Jennifer Weiner in the best way. Following Zoe and Cassie as they make their way in the music world, and have to figure out who they are, who they want to be, and how they want to love others, was exhausting and cathartic and beautiful. This book is a prime example of how siblings can be the people that destroy you the most and also lift you up the most. For anyone who's enjoyed Jennifer Weiner books, you'll love this one.

The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits will be out April 8, 2025

Once again, an excellent study of sisterly relationships from Jennifer Weiner. This is a stunner in several ways, touching on body issues and what people with some degree of fame went through in the early 2000s because of society at that time; also touching on introversion (hinting at being on the spectrum?) for one of the sisters.

The publisher’s summary tells you what the story is about - fame, music, loss, and the disappearance of one person. Secrets are kept for 20 years; the resolution is reasonable.

I will always recommend a Jennifer Weiner book. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

Oh, my heart. Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this ARC. This story was beautifully written and the characters draw you right in. If you’re a fan of Daisy Jones or the movie Almost Famous, you will also love this book, which has a similar premise, but is set in the late 90s/early 2000s music era, which was so fun! I highly recommend this book - it tugged my heartstrings and captivated me from start to finish.

I just loved this story! I enjoyed the back and forth from the past to the future in telling the story. Cassie and Zoe went from young women with a dream into a tough business and made beautiful music. It was an honest account of how hard the music business is, how fun it can be, and also how jealousy arises within the band. Two sisters struggling with jealousy of eachother turning into a hell of a story!
I thought it was a little longer than it needed to be but still a wonderful story. This was my first Jennifer Weiner and I look forward to reading more!