The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits

The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner
4/8/25; 384 pages
William Morrow

The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner is a very highly recommended family drama following three women: two sisters brief career in the world of pop music and the burgeoning talent of a daughter.

Sisters Zoe and Cassie Grossberg were born a year apart and are polar opposites. Zoe is pretty, popular, and wants to be a singer in a band. Cassie is a wildly talented musical prodigy who can sing, write songs, and play anything on the piano, but she is overweight and lacks confidence and self esteem. Cassie will sing with Zoe, however, so when she is talked into performing one night the two are discovered.

They form a group, The Griffin Sisters, and songwriter Russell D’Angelo, joins them. He and Cassie immediately connect when writing songs together. Zoe, who is used to be the sister everyone wants, sets her sights on Russell, in spite of his lack of interest in her. Her actions eventually lead the group breaking up, and, inadvertently, Russell's death. Cassie flees to Alaska and cuts off contact. Zoe has a baby, Cherry, and tries and fails to launch a solo career. She then marries and loses all aspirations for fame.

Cherry shows a real musical talent, but her mother discourages her from pursuing a career in music. At 18 she auditions, gets a spot on a talent search show, and leaves home without a word. This eventually leads her to trying to find her aunt Cassie for help and, in part, to learn the truth about what happened to the band years ago.

Chapters in the narrative follows Cassie, Zoe, and Cherry in the current day and also have chapters from two decades earlier when The Griffin Sisters began allowing you to get a good sense of their personalities and proclivities. The characters are all depicted as fully realized individuals with strengths, flaws, needs, and secrets.  We know their inner struggles, failings, and thoughts. They are not all likeable, but they are portrayed as realistic with their own challenges.

The writing is excellent and the pace is fast. Once I started reading this novel, I was pleasantly surprised how quickly I became invested in the plot and caught up with the drama and complexities of the interaction between both the sisters and also the issues between mother and daughter. Knowing their inner thoughts and secrets, even those that were unpleasant and cruel, gave depth to the characters and their motives and desires. It also makes it a nuanced, realistic family drama.

This is a novel about sisters, dreams, music, motherhood, young love, forgiveness, and the courage it takes to follow your dreams. Along with that is also a realistic delineation of the adage that all actions have consequences and those consequences must be faced. Finally, clearly there is a message about not judging people by their looks.

The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits is a great choice for those who enjoy family dramas and music. Thanks to William Morrow for providing me with an advance reader's copy. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.