The Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits: Review and Spoilers
The Griffin Sisters by Jennifer Weiner brings this popular author back to her roots AND I’m arguing she’s channeling this Reese’s Book Club hit as well. It’s a fictional remix! Let’s talk about The Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits!
The Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits: Review
After getting her start in 2000s chick lit, super popular women’s fiction author Jennifer Weiner has been experimenting in the 2020s, giving us a true crime inspired mystery, a #MeToo past/present story, and a wacky farcical pandemic story which was a love letter to her late mom.
But to understand The Griffin Sisters, let’s go back to Weiner’s chick lit roots:
Weiner’s first book was the 2002 Good in Bed, about a plus sized girl whose boyfriend writes a magazine article called “Loving a Larger Woman,” plunging her into notoriety and despair. The character’s name is Cannie which proved a bit confusing for me (see below.)
She followed that with In Her Shoes, a story about a pretty sister and a smart/plus-sized sister. There was a movie in which Cameron Diaz was the pretty sister and (shockingly) Toni Colette was the dowdy lawyer.
The Griffin Sisters follows the In Her Shoes story, but adds the music industry.
Zoe Grossberg is pretty, blonde and thin. She wants to be famous. Her sister Cassie is frumpy, and has acute social anxiety. As life would have it, Zoe has an average amount of musical talent and Cassie is an incredibly gifted singer/songwriter.
- But Cassie will only sing with Zoe. So they become: The Griffin sisters.
- Zoe pushes Cassie into a year of fame, but then the sisters abruptly break up, both professionally and personally.
- Zoe’s teen daughter Cherry wants to know, because she wants to be a famous singer too.
How Is The Griffin Sisters like Daisy Jones?
- dramatic, unexplained breakup of a popular band
- the book will get to the bottom of all the drama
- love triangle with two women in love with the same guy
- one of the women marries the guy
- the other bonds with him by writing songs
- a daughter investigating her parents’ backstory
- epistolary elements
Pros and Cons of the book
- PRO: a really interesting view into the music industry
- PRO: I found the sister reunion genuinely moving
- PRO: some 80s level soap opera melodrama
- CON: the sisters were such extreme personalities that they didn’t feel real
- CON: the reason for the breakup also felt melodramatic
Spoilers for The Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits
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The Griffin sisters are paired with a talented guitarist and songwriter, Russell D’Angelo.
Zoe quickly develops a huge crush on him. But Russell and Cassie slowly bond over their deep love of music and begin to write songs together.
The book does a good job at developing Cassie’s character. She’s been bullied, she clearly has some social anxiety, and the book suggests she’s on the autism spectrum. The book repeatedly has the girls’ wardrobe coordinator give Zoe a rack full of adorable clothes while Cassie gets a pantsuit.
I get this as character development, but I did a deep dive into Wilson Phillips who, in the 90s, put Carnie in some really cute and flattering outfits.
But let’s talk about the LOVE TRIANGLE. This triangle has one of my rule breaking aspects: siblings.
- Zoe’s crushing on Russell. So is Cassie.
- Zoe is also jealous of Cassie. She’s a pretty terrible character. So terrible that she lies and tells Katie Couric that she and Russell are engaged.
- Russell feels pressured to marry Zoe.
But then, after the wedding, Russell and Cassie cheat.
Russell tells Cassie what every married man tells his mistress: he and his wife never sleep together, he doesn’t love her, and he wants to break up.
When Zoe catches them in bed together, Russell is about to tell her that he wants out of the marriage, BUT she says she’s pregnant.
(omg this gave me such 80s/90s soap opera and potboiler romance novel vibes)
But Zoe has a secret too: she’s been cheating with Tommy, another band member.
Then Russell is hit and killed by a car (he was wandering on the highway, I assume impaired…) Russell leaves a note that says “I’m sorry. I never should have touched you,” which Zoe assumes is for her.
Zoe shows the note to Cassie, who assumed it was for her.
Then Zoe goes home, hides her pregnancy, and gives birth to Cherry. She tries to have a solo career, but fails.
In the present, Cherry tracks Cassie down in Alaska. Cassie has gone COMPLETELY off the grid but Cherry wants Cassie to mentor her in a singing competition.
Zoe tells Cherry and Cassie that she thinks Tommy is Cherry’s father.
The book makes Zoe to be the villain, and she’s a pretty terrible person, but Cassie also cheated with her sister’s husband so….
Also the two of them argue over him like the last cookie. Poor Russell didn’t get much of a say.
The book ends with Zoe, Cherry and Cassie performing at Cherry’s school talent show.
Give me your thoughts in comments! Spoilers are fine 🙂
