Audio Book Review: The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner

 

Genre: Adult Fiction/Audiobook 

Pub. Date: April 8, 2025

Publisher: Harper Audio

Source: Publisher for review

Other Books By Author: Big Summer, That Summer, 

The Summer Place, The Breakaway, and Hungry Heart

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

 

Goodreads says, "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?

Zoe Grossberg has always dreamed of becoming a pop star, but it's her sister, Cassie, who has the talent. However, Cassie would rather hide and play her piano in peace; she has no interest in the spotlight like Zoe. However, once the girls' talents are discovered, they are signed to a label and the rest is history. The label changes their names to The Griffin Sisters and their first album is a huge success. Zoe, a very pretty girl, shines in the spotlight, but it's Cassie with all the innate musical talent; however, she feels she is out of place and deals with a lot of body image issues. After their first album, something happens and the band breaks up and now the sisters are estranged. Fast forward to the present day and Zoe is living in New Jersey with her family and Cassie is hiding out in Alaska, where no one knows she is a former pop star. The sisters haven't talked in years, but this all changes when Zoe's daughter, Cherry, decides she wants to make it big in music and sets out to find her aunt Cassie. Once she does, she learns about the band her mother was a part of, the band mate that came between them, and why the band broke up. Jennifer Weiner's The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits is a compelling audiobook perfect for fans of stories involving sisterhood, forgiveness, and a love of music.

To be honest, the first part of The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits story felt a bit slow for me. However, once Weiner began to reveal more about Zoe and Cassie's backstory, I was hooked. I enjoyed the details about their rise to fame and the success of their band. Zoe's character sometimes came across as a cliché—the glamorous pop star seen in music videos. She really fits the mold of a type that felt quite common in the early 2000s. On the other hand, Cassie was a more complex character, and I think Weiner did a better job developing her. I do wish there hadn't been so much focus on her body image issues; it felt like every other line referenced her weight or insecurities surrounding it. Lastly, I was particularly interested in uncovering the truth behind Zoe and Cassie's band breakup and why they stopped talking to each other. That aspect of the story definitely kept me turning the pages.
 
The audiobook was narrated by Dakota Fanning and she did a great job. I have never listened to an audiobook narrated by her, but was pleasantly surprised. So, in the comments below tell me if you are a fan of Jennifer Weiner and if The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits is on your summer TBR list.