Book Club Questions for The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner

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Book club questions for The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner takes an in-depth look at this novel about sisterhood and fame. There will be spoilers so for more context about the story, check out my spoiler-free review first.

I took this novel on a vacation and I enjoyed reading this story. It’s a decent plane, or pool side read for sure. While I did think the story tried to pack in too many plot points, it was pretty good overall.

Let me know what you thought about the book in the comments section below!

The Synopsis

Cassie and Zoe Grossberg were thrust into the spotlight as The Griffin Sisters, a pop duo that defined the aughts. Together, they skyrocketed to the top, gracing MTV, SNL, and the cover of Rolling Stone. Cassie, a musical genius who never felt at ease in her own skin, preferred to stay in the shadows. Zoe, full of confidence and craving fame, lived for the stage. But fame has a price, and after one turbulent year, the band abruptly broke up. 

Now, two decades later, the sisters couldn’t be further apart. Zoe is a suburban mom warning her daughter Cherry to avoid the spotlight, while Cassie has disappeared from public life entirely. But when Cherry begins unearthing the truth behind their breathtaking rise and infamous breakup, long-buried secrets surface, forcing all three women to confront their choices, their desires, and their complicated bonds. 

Book Club Questions for The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits

1. What are your thoughts about the part of the story taking place during early 2000s pop stardom? Did you like that era of music? How has the music industry changed from then till now?
2. Why was it important for us to read about Cassie and Zoe’s upbringing, including how Zoe was protective of Cassie when they were kids? Do you feel Zoe’s pressure to protect Cassie lead to resentment later on, and vice versa? Let’s discuss more about their complicated bond.
3. There is a lot of focus on body image, particularly Cassie and her weight. How did it impact Cassie and her relationship with the outside world?
4. Cassie is a gifted musician, but is uncomfortable in the spotlight. While Zoe craves fame, and everything that comes with it. Why did Cassie eventually agree to perform with Zoe? What does it say about Zoe that she wants to be a famous musician but has little talent for it?
5. The story jumps back and forth in timeline from the present to the current one. Did you enjoy one timeline more than the other?
6. Zoe’s daughter Cherry is drawn to the music industry, and wants to be a famous musician as well. Why did Zoe discourage her from going down that path? Do you feel Cherry is more similar to Zoe or Cassie, and why?
7. Why did the Griffin Sisters experience such huge success?
8. Russell is a band member and he develops an instant connection to Cassie. But Zoe gets competitive and swoops in. Let’s talk about this complicated love triangle. Why was Russell more of a fit with Cassie compared to Zoe?
9. Jealously is a big theme of the novel. From Zoe being jealous of Cassie’s talent, to Cassie being jealous that Zoe can easily fit in with people. Let’s discuss this theme of jealously and resentment in more depth and how it resulted in devastating decisions.
10. It is eventually revealed the events leading up to Russell’s death. For 20 years, both sisters feel they are to blame. What are your thoughts about what happened to Russell that night he died?
11. Why didn’t Zoe tell Cassie the truth about her relationship with Russell? On a similar note, why didn’t they try to seek each other out in the 20 years they weren’t speaking?
12. What did you think about the eventual reunion of Cassie and Zoe? Did they finally get closure? Can they move forward now that they’re working on forgiveness toward each other and themselves?
13. What happens next for Cassie, Zoe and Cherry?
14. The Griffin Sisters touched the lives of so many people, and made them fans for life. Is there a band that has the same impact for you?

Additional Recommendations

Hope you enjoyed book club questions for The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits! Here are some more recommendations along with links to book club questions.

It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She’s immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe’s plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.

Malibu: August 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time for him to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come rising to the surface.

Happy reading!