Not one of Weiner's greatest, but still a good time

⭐⭐⭐⭐

More of a 3.5, but Jennifer Weiner's The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits was an excellent book for reading on vacation--I read this on long train rides and in a hotel at the end of long days of touristing, and this was perfect for that.

Zoe Grossberg wants to be a famous singer; she has the look but not the talent. Cassie Grossberg is a music prodigy, but is overweight and (probably) neurodivergent. Zoe talks Cassie into performing once; naturally this leads to incredible success, which ends abruptly after a year. The book jumps between 2024, when Zoe's daughter Cherry is pursuing fame herself and the sisters are estranged, and the story of the Griffin Sisters (because obviously they couldn't be the Grossberg Sisters).

I really enjoyed the story of the band and their rise and the peeks into the process of becoming a successful band in the early 00s. However, the big knock on this book is the somewhat pat characterization, particularly when Zoe and Cassie are in their early 20s. Their relationship was interesting, but they themselves at that point come across mostly single-dimensional. Even later, in 2024, Cassie remains a bit flat, possibly because she's hidden herself away. (Really, Cassie doesn't have much of a personality at any point in the book, which is a bummer.) Zoe is now a PTA mom, with three kids and a stepson (and, honestly, I probably could've done without that subplot). Her story after the end of the Griffin Sisters was probably the most interesting part of the book. Cherry is consistently fairly awful, even giving grace for her being an 18-year-old.

That said, I really liked the complexities of the various relationships--Zoe and Cassie, Zoe and Cherry, the various bandmates, Zoe and Cassie's family (with their parents, with their great-aunt), Zoe and her husband. I also really enjoyed the book's overall vibe.

So, not Weiner's best, but still well worth the read. Also, I read the hardcover version of this with really cool graphics on the sides of the pages so it looked neat when it was closed. Good job to the production team. Also, I rememeber Weiner asking on social media for potential band names in the early 00s, so it was neat to see that come to fruition.