The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner

 

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? -jenniferweiner.com

 

Whew did this book pack in a lot in just 384 pages!  You’ve got a searing look into the high stakes and pitfalls that come with sudden fame and the pressures of the music industry, plus a look into complicated and sometimes messy family dynamics between mothers and daughters and sisters.  But wait there’s more!! Do you remember those God awful tabloid headlines from the early 00s tearing apart young female celebs? Griffin Sisters takes a look back at that too plus there’s romantic drama galore.

The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits was one of the best books that I’ve read this summer and one of Jennifer Weiner’s best in my opinion.  Despite packing so much in just 384 pages, nothing felt skimped on.  All the characters were fully developed and you feel for all of them including Zoe who I thought was actually kind of a self-absorbed menace, LOL.   I also wanted to hug Cassie multiple times and be the good friend she needed.  The book also jumps from present day to the early 00’s with varying POVs but it was all easy to follow.  I devoured this book in just 3 days. I couldn’t put it down and didn’t want it to end!

I got my copy of The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits at Barnes Noble and it’s this beautiful edition with splayed edges that are all the rage right now.  That edition is still available as of this writing on their website.   You can pick up your copy there or standard editions at your favorite local bookstore, online retailer or library.

***I am not getting any compensation for referencing Barnes & Noble in any of my recent posts.  I went on a little spree a few weeks ago and picked up a lot of great books.***

Shopgirls by Jessica Anya Blau

 

Nineteen-year-old Zippy can hardly believe it: she’s the newest and youngest salesgirl at I. Magnin, “San Francisco’s Finest Department Store.” Every week, she rotates her three spruced-up Salvation Army outfits and Vaseline-shined pumps; still, she’s thrilled to walk those pumps through the employee entrance five days a week as she saves to buy something new. For a girl who grew up in a one-bedroom apartment above a liquor store with her mother and her mother’s madcap boyfriend, Howard; a girl who wanted to go to college but had no help in figuring out how; I. Magnin represents a real chance for a better and more elegant life. Or, at the very least, a more interesting one.

Zippy may not be in school, but she’s about to get an education that will stick with her for decades. Her fellow salesgirls (lifetime professionals) run the gamut from mean and indifferent to caring and helpful. The cosmetics ladies on the first floor share both samples and advice (“only date a man with a Rolex”); and her new roommate, Raquel, an ambitious lawyer, tells Zippy she can lose ten pounds easy if she joins Raquel in eating only every other day. Just when Zippy thinks she’s getting a handle on how to be an adult woman in 1985, two surprises threaten both her sense of self and her coveted position at I. Magnin.

Set in the Day-Glo colors of 1980s San Francisco, Shopgirls is an intoxicating novel of self-discovery, outrageous fashion, and family both biological and found. -harpercollins.com 

 

I’ve loved every Jessica Anya Blau book I’ve read (The Summer of Naked Swim Parties, Wonder Bread Summer and Mary Jane.)  She just has a way of completing transporting you to another place and time and fully immersing you in the story.  Shopgirls is no exception.  I loved meeting  Zippy.  My younger self could imagine being friends with her and my older self just wanted to hug her and give her some advice.   I also loved reading about the various personalities of the ladies working at I. Mangin.   I think everyone who has worked retail in their life could relate to some of the crazy experiences.  Growing up in the 1980s, mall culture and department stores were thriving.  I miss those days.  Our mall and the big department store that anchors it are now just shells of their former selves.  While we never had stores as luxurious as I. Magnin at home, our local big department store was pretty nice and I still remember how exciting it was the first time I could afford to purchase make up at Clinque counter or when my mom purchased me the prom dress of my dreams at full price (which was unheard of as we always shop the sale racks.)  Shopgirls, like the other books by this author that I’ve read, immerses you not just in the nostalgia of the time period that will leave you yearning to go back but she also grounds it with some of the harsher realities of the past decades.  I don’t want to give spoilers so I will just say that the Shopgirls does reference a crisis from the early 80s that will break your heart and make you think about how far we’ve come but also how much better we could be.  Shopgirls is definitely one of my favorite books of 2025.  I highly recommend it along with the author’s entire backlist.

I got my copy of Shopgirls at Barnes & Noble which since we're speaking about shopping is attached to one of my favorite malls which is about 2 hours from home but so worth the trip.  You feel just for a little bit that you're back in the glory days of mall culture. Although if I was really going back to the 80s, I'd love to visit the B. Dalton where I spent so much time and my dad would generously purchase my Baby-Sitters Club books, Sweet Valley High, Sunset Island or any number of youthful favorites.  Anyway you can pick up your copy of Shopgirls at your local bookstore, online shop or library.

For more information on Jessica Anya Blau and her novels, visit the author's website.   

 

 

 

 

 

Cross My Heart by Megan Collins

 

Rosie Lachlan wants nothing more than to find The One.

A year after she was dumped in her wedding dress, she’s working at her parents’ bridal salon, anxious for a happy ending that can’t come soon enough. After receiving a life-saving heart transplant, Rosie knows her health is precious and precarious. She suspects her heart donor is Daphne Thorne, the wife of local celebrity author Morgan Thorne, and begins messaging him via an anonymous service called DonorConnect, ostensibly to learn more about Daphne. But Rosie has a secret: She’s convinced that now that she has his wife’s heart, she and Morgan are meant to be together.

As she and Morgan correspond, the pretense of avoiding personal details soon disappears, even if Rosie’s keeping some cards close to her chest. But as she digs deeper into Morgan’s previous marriage, she discovers disturbing rumors about the man she’s falling for. Could Morgan have had something to do with his late wife’s death? And can Rosie’s heart sustain another break—or is she next? -megancollins.com

 

This was a fantastic mashup of the niche topic of interest for me, heroines with organ transplants with my adult passion for twisted thrillers that keep you guessing.  Growing up I loved the “One Last Wish” books by Lurlene McDaniel which centered around the hopes and struggles of teenagers dealing with severe illnesses, especially Katie O’Roark, a high school track champion and heart transplant recipient.  It’s one of the reasons I am so passionate about people registering to be organ donors and I often wondered what happened to organ recipients like the Katie O’Roark’s  of the world as they got older. 

In Cross My Heart, we meet Rosie and while she didn’t undergo a heart transplant in her teens, she is recovering from a recent heart transplant after a sudden illness while also dealing with the heartbreak of a broken engagement.  She doesn’t know who she received her heart from but she suspects it’s the late wife of her favorite author and as she begins to engage in seemingly anonymous communication with Morgan, she uncovers more than she bargained for and we learn everything is not as it seems. 

I loved that this novel had a creepy premise with a twisty plot that did keep me guessing for a majority of the book.  It was also grounded with the weight of how one does navigate life after a serious medical issue and the joys and complications that come with an organ transplant.  The supporting cast of characters such as Rosie’s parents and friends were also well developed.  I read a lot of thrillers and this one definitely stands out for me, I highly recommend it.

I purchased this book at Barnes & Noble a few weeks ago so you can grab your copy there too or at your favorite local book store or online shop.

 For more information on organ donation, visit Donate Life America.

*** If you read this post to the end, here's a little trivia question for you.  What does Rosie have in common with Terry McCaleb from Michael Connelly's novels (referenced in my review on 06/20/25)? Comment with your answer below. *** 

Nightshade by Michael Connelly

 

 Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Detective Stilwell has been “exiled” to a low-key post policing rustic Catalina Island, after department politics drove him off a homicide desk on the mainland. But while following up the usual drunk-and-disorderlies and petty thefts that come with his new territory, Detective Stilwell gets a report of a body found wrapped in plastic and weighed down at the bottom of the harbor. Crossing all lines of protocol and jurisdiction, he starts doggedly working the case. Soon, his investigation uncovers closely guarded secrets and a dark heart to the serene island that was meant to be his escape from the evils of the big city. -michaelconnelly.com

 

Nightshade is the first in what promises to be a new series of novels starring Detective Stilwell on Catalina Island.  This isn’t Connelly’s first novel to feature a Catalina resident, it was also home to Terry McCaleb (Bloodwork, A Darkness More Than Night, The Narrows) from the Bosch universe.  While this was a great mystery and cop story, it felt like it was missing something that is present in Connelly’s other series: Bosch, Ballard and The Lincoln Lawyer. I just can’t put my finger on the missing element.  Perhaps it is the fact that all his other characters are known to be in the same universe and those main characters have all worked together, are family or are personally known to each other like the aforementioned Terry McCaleb.  But here with Stilwell on Catalina, we’re introduced to a whole new cast of characters so everyone is a stranger instead of characters we’ve come to know and love.  I did love the Catalina setting and this book definitely inspired me to take a trip out there some day.  The mystery itself was also strong and layered and I appreciated the small resort town misdemeanors referenced as well.  I look forward to the next Stilwell novel in the hopes that it will flesh out the characters a bit more and give us a new hero to root for.

I got my copy of Nightshade from Barnes & Noble where I caught one heck of a deal thanks to my bestie Melanie for racking up member rewards for me! At the time of this writing, Nightshade is currently 30% at Barnes & Noble so might want to pick yours up there or visit your favorite local bookstore or online shop.