The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner

 I have read and loved many Jennifer Weiner books but this was not my favorite. Part of the problem is that I didn't like the way 2 of the 3 main characters acted. Zoe Griffin is the beautiful sister. Cassie (who, to me, seems to be on the autism spectrum) is kind of frumpy but has real musical talent--which Zoe does not. Zoe wants to be a rock star and badgers her more talented sister into joining her in a music competition as The Griffin Sisters. They catch the notice of a music producer and their career is on its way. Cassie is happy to remain in the background while all the focus is on Zoe but it soon becomes evident that Cassie is the one with real talent, and Zoe is nudged away from the spotlight. Throw into that mix Russell the songwriter. Zoe sets her sights on him early on but his real connection seems to be with Cassie, who understands music the way he does. The band has a big hit album then tragedy strikes and they vanish off the radar. We check in with them later and Zoe has become a housewife and mother, Cassie is hiding out in Alaska. And we are introduced to Zoe's daughter Cherry, who wants to be a singer and is determined to track down Aunt Cassie to be her mentor on an "American Idol" type singing competition.

This is what I didn't like about the book: Zoe is too self-centered. She knows her sister doesn't want to be in a rock band but guilt trips her into it. Then she goes after Russell, even though she can see he and Cassie have a special bond. And Cherry is a chip off the old block. She finds Cassie and relently tries to wear her down so she will be part of the TV show (that she has zero interest in performing on). When Cherry springs a surprise on Cassie to get her perform, I was glad it blew up in her face. I also wished Cassie would take some assertiveness classes to stop letting people push her around. There was really no one to cheer for in this book.