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A review by thatsawholelotofbooks
The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 ⭐️
I feel very conflicted about this book. While I enjoyed the premise of it, there were some elements that frustrated me. To start, the constant fatphobia and comparisons between Cassie and Zoe almost made me DNF it as it gets too much to read at some points. There definitely needed to be a trigger warning for struggles with body image at the beginning of the book.
The reveal of the bands' "mystery" breakup felt very anticlimax, along with the ending of the book being predictable. The book does showcase the complex relationships between mothers and daughters with Zoe and Cherry, but I would have liked to have seen more of the struggles in the sisters' relationship that didn't revolve around their looks.
I also found part of the timeline confusing. Weiner included a Rolling Stones article that says the bands' album was turning 25 years old, having been released in 2003. However, Cherry's POV is set in 2024, only 20 years later, and it is frequently mentioned that Zoe hasn't seen Cassie in 20 years. It did feel like the timeline jumped around a lot and some of sections felt repetitive due to the multiple POVS, but eventually you do find out what happened in the years since the group disbanded.
Overall it was a good read and was well written, but it could have given so much more.
Thank you NetGalley for the early copy!
I feel very conflicted about this book. While I enjoyed the premise of it, there were some elements that frustrated me. To start, the constant fatphobia and comparisons between Cassie and Zoe almost made me DNF it as it gets too much to read at some points. There definitely needed to be a trigger warning for struggles with body image at the beginning of the book.
The reveal of the bands' "mystery" breakup felt very anticlimax, along with the ending of the book being predictable. The book does showcase the complex relationships between mothers and daughters with Zoe and Cherry, but I would have liked to have seen more of the struggles in the sisters' relationship that didn't revolve around their looks.
I also found part of the timeline confusing. Weiner included a Rolling Stones article that says the bands' album was turning 25 years old, having been released in 2003. However, Cherry's POV is set in 2024, only 20 years later, and it is frequently mentioned that Zoe hasn't seen Cassie in 20 years. It did feel like the timeline jumped around a lot and some of sections felt repetitive due to the multiple POVS, but eventually you do find out what happened in the years since the group disbanded.
Overall it was a good read and was well written, but it could have given so much more.
Thank you NetGalley for the early copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Grief, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment
Minor: Eating disorder, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail