Sisters Cassie and Zoe Grossberg were born just a year apart but could not have been more different. Zoe, blessed with charm and beauty, yearned for fame from the moment she could sing into a hairbrush. Cassie was a musical prodigy who never felt at home in her own skin and preferred the safety of the shadows.
On the brink of adulthood in the early 2000s, destiny intervened, catapulting the sisters into the spotlight as the pop sensation the Griffin Sisters, hitting all the touchstones of early aughts fame—SNL, MTV, Rolling Stone magazine—along the way.
But after a whirlwind year in the public eye, the band abruptly broke up.
Two decades later, Zoe’s a housewife; Cassie’s off the grid. The sisters aren’t speaking, and the real reason for the Griffin Sisters’ breakup is still a mystery. Zoe’s teenage daughter, Cherry, who’s determined to be a star in spite of Zoe’s warnings, is on a quest to learn the truth about what happened to the band all those years ago.
As secrets emerge, all three women must face the consequences of their choices: the ones they made and the ones the music industry made for them. Can they forgive each other—and themselves? And will the Griffin Sisters ever make music again?
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I've been meaning to read Jennifer Weiner for a long time. I had heard a lot about her newest book, The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits, so I decided to check it out when I came across it while at the library. I adore the title and cover, so even if I haven't heard of the book, the title and cover will grab my attention enough to check it out. I love to read books about music, but what I admired most about The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits was that it was about sisters. One of my favorite topics to read about is sibling relationships, particularly between sisters. Zoe and Cassie's relationship was challenging. I got the impression they were jealous of each other. Zoe was jealous of Cassie's talent, and Cassie was jealous of Zoe's beauty. I don't think one of them noticed what the other was feeling. I don't think Cassie for a second assumed her sister was insecure about anything. That’s what I loved about their characters, how real they felt. Anyone at their age would experience these emotions, particularly when they are in the spotlight.
I despised Zoe, but the choices that she made especially since she knew what she was doing. I did warm up to her towards the last few pages of the book, but in the beginning, I just couldn’t. I did not blame Cassie for wanting to disappear. However, I wondered if the sisters would ever reunite, and if so, what their relationship would be like? I thought the first half of the novel was slow, and it took me some time to get into it. I also wasn't sure how I felt about the book's ending; it seemed unfinished to me. However, the rest of the book was filled with drama, and there was constantly something going on, leaving you wondering what would happen next. I wondered if the sisters would sing together again in the future. I liked how the book was told from the perspectives of both sisters and Zoe's daughter, Cherry, which allowed readers to have a greater grasp of each character. I enjoyed both the past and current timelines, but the past when the sisters were in the band grabbed my interest the most.
The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits includes everything from sister relationships, coming of age, stardom, parenthood, mystery, and second chances. To me, most of this novel felt true; I could imagine parts of it happening in real life. I wonder what happened to the sisters after the last page. I enjoyed the mystery of why the band broke up so abruptly; what had happened, and did the sisters have anything to do with it? I related with most of the characters in the book, except for Zoe, who I couldn't seem to connect with as much as the others. My favorite aspect of the book was reading about the sisters' time in the band. The descriptions made me imagine myself there with Cassie and Zoe. I'm interested to check out the rest of Jennifer Weiner's books and see what adventures she'll take me on!
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