Book Description 

Cassie and Zoe Grossberg were thrust into the spotlight as The Griffin Sisters, a pop duo that defined the aughts. Together, they skyrocketed to the top, gracing MTV, SNL, and the cover of Rolling Stone. Cassie, a musical genius who never felt at ease in her own skin, preferred to stay in the shadows. Zoe, full of confidence and craving fame, lived for the stage. But fame has a price, and after one turbulent year, the band abruptly broke up. 

Now, two decades later, the sisters couldn’t be further apart. Zoe is a suburban mom warning her daughter Cherry to avoid the spotlight, while Cassie has disappeared from public life entirely. But when Cherry begins unearthing the truth behind their breathtaking rise and infamous breakup, long-buried secrets surface, forcing all three women to confront their choices, their desires, and their complicated bonds. 

With richly developed characters, a nostalgic nod to the pop culture of the 2000s, and a resonant tale of ambition, forgiveness, and family, The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits will captivate readers from the first note to the final encore. Whether you’ve followed Jennifer Weiner for years or are discovering her for the first time, this book is a must-read for music lovers, fans of sisterly dramas, and anyone who cherishes a great story of second chances.

My Review 

I’ve read/listened to a few of Weiner’s books in the past year or two, so I was very excited about the opportunity to read her latest book. 

The narrative shifts between both sisters as well as Zoe’s daughter Cherry. The timeline is also non-linear, slipping between the sisters’ rise to fame and the present day. The reader knows from the beginning that there was a Big Incident that broke up the band and led Cassie to sever all contact with her family, but it takes most of the book for the details of said incident to come out. 

And once it does, it all makes sense. 

I’m approximately the same age as the sisters, so the parts that take place in 2003 really resonated with me, especially the preoccupation with projecting the “right” image by centering Zoe rather than Cassie, even though Cassie was the only one with any actual talent. The way in which internet culture and streaming has affected our perspectives is fascinating. We can look back and shake our heads at all the times in which Cassie is marginalized. That being said, the book does come off as projecting a bit of fat shaming while simultaneously promoting the message that fat shaming is bad. 

Zoe is hard to like. She takes advantage of Cassie, capitalizing on Cassie’s talent in order to get famous. She rarely sticks up for Cassie when Cassie is relegated to the sidelines and only cares about herself. She also ignores her daughter’s complaints about her creepy stepbrother and prioritizes her children with her husband in order to maintain her new image as a suburban Yummy Mummy. But flawed characters make for much more interesting reading than characters who always behave in conventional and expected ways. Besides, everyone deserves a chance to make amends.  

I would absolutely recommend The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits. This is a perfect summer beach read. The plot is not terribly complex, which makes it easy to keep up with, but there’s also plenty of tenderness and depth. I’ve enjoyed every one of Weiner’s books that I’ve read and this one is no exception. 

I received a digital ARC of this book from William Morrow/NetGalley