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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
(4.5 stars)
Three women, all connected in ways they don’t realize, are thrown into caring for a baby that isn’t theirs in this charming NYC novel. Olivia, Lauren, and Melinda are all dealing with their own issues - job loss, too much work to handle, and a recent divorce - but when a baby is left to the group without his parents around, they need to put aside their differences and come together to take care of the baby.
With 15+ (?!) characters in this book, I found myself needing to think about who was who a lot, but otherwise this was the perfect palate cleansing read I needed after too many serious murder books/thrillers.
Three women, all connected in ways they don’t realize, are thrown into caring for a baby that isn’t theirs in this charming NYC novel. Olivia, Lauren, and Melinda are all dealing with their own issues - job loss, too much work to handle, and a recent divorce - but when a baby is left to the group without his parents around, they need to put aside their differences and come together to take care of the baby.
With 15+ (?!) characters in this book, I found myself needing to think about who was who a lot, but otherwise this was the perfect palate cleansing read I needed after too many serious murder books/thrillers.
This was a very fun read, and I loved this cast of characters. However, the pacing was very off which brought down my overall experience.
What I read: The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel
Why I picked it up: It’s a new release this year, and since I’ve read her before and liked her books, I wanted to read this one too!
How I read it: On paper over the course of this week – well, I started when I couldn’t sleep at 3:30 am one morning and then began finishing it a few days later.
What it’s about: It’s the story of Lauren, Felicity, Olivia, Dan, Melinda, Leo, Evelyn, Philip, Russell, and Hank (aka Horatio, the boy named after a street whose parents are not interested in having a baby). It’s about family dynamics, finding oneself after a breakup, caring for a child, being an artist, dealing with loss and grief, and so much more.
What I liked: There are so many elements to this story – I can’t decide which one I really liked best – maybe how happy baby Hank was almost all of the time even when his life situation was not ideal.
What I disliked: The reasons why Evelyn and Philip told Olivia to get back with Todd were awful – she had a good reason to break up with him, and he didn’t even seem to care!
Genre: Family saga, found family.
Rating & Recommendation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and absolutely! This was good – might be better on paper than audio since there are so many moving pieces and perspectives, though if the narrator does the voices well, it might be easier on audio!
Why I picked it up: It’s a new release this year, and since I’ve read her before and liked her books, I wanted to read this one too!
How I read it: On paper over the course of this week – well, I started when I couldn’t sleep at 3:30 am one morning and then began finishing it a few days later.
What it’s about: It’s the story of Lauren, Felicity, Olivia, Dan, Melinda, Leo, Evelyn, Philip, Russell, and Hank (aka Horatio, the boy named after a street whose parents are not interested in having a baby). It’s about family dynamics, finding oneself after a breakup, caring for a child, being an artist, dealing with loss and grief, and so much more.
What I liked: There are so many elements to this story – I can’t decide which one I really liked best – maybe how happy baby Hank was almost all of the time even when his life situation was not ideal.
What I disliked: The reasons why Evelyn and Philip told Olivia to get back with Todd were awful – she had a good reason to break up with him, and he didn’t even seem to care!
Genre: Family saga, found family.
Rating & Recommendation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and absolutely! This was good – might be better on paper than audio since there are so many moving pieces and perspectives, though if the narrator does the voices well, it might be easier on audio!
Sweet!
What started out as a group who didn't know one another met with anger and betrail turned into a loving system taking care of those they loved.
What started out as a group who didn't know one another met with anger and betrail turned into a loving system taking care of those they loved.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I did ultimately enjoy this book but I feel like it was an uphill battle. The characters were so flawed and unlikeable at the beginning that it took me a lot of time to get into it probably around the halfway mark.
The cover and the name do not fit with this book. It does have a bit of whimsy or lightheartedness in the writing but it's certainly not a cutesy romance. It's a tale of insanely privileged and spoiled New Yorkers but without seemingly any commentary or critique on how all of them are selfish and terrible. She does a decent job of telling a story through the eyes of almost every character (and the audiobook actors aren't bad) but this reads like a trial into perspective-taking since the first person narration is not convincing for most of them. Not to mention how NONE of the plot is believable. It also just throws in a colicky baby closer to the end and so I almost quit because of this book being mid and having PTSD from my own kid.
The Sweet Spot is a charming, witty and engaging book that surprised me in all the right ways!! I truly do not think the plot synopsis does the book justice.Taking place in the heart of Greenwich Village, it follows a family whose circle quickly expands when a newborn baby is brought to their doorstep and happens to be the child of a client. I love how Amy Poeppel methodically introduced each of the many characters and skillfully weaved together elements of humor, romance and drama (friendship, workplace, and family). The audiobook was excellent and had a full cast of 8 narrators. Since each character had its own voice, it was easy to see the story come to life and get swept into this NYC brownstone full of laughter, quirky characters, and warm-hearted relationships.
Read if you like:
-NYC setting
-Found family theme
-Unlikely friendships
-Multiple storylines weaved together
-Ethan Joella’s writing with Love Actually humor
Pub date 1/31!
Read if you like:
-NYC setting
-Found family theme
-Unlikely friendships
-Multiple storylines weaved together
-Ethan Joella’s writing with Love Actually humor
Pub date 1/31!
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes