Spectacular Things: Reese's Book Club
A Novel
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4.2 • 394 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK • Two sisters examine what they owe each other and what they are willing to sacrifice to make their dreams come true in this “epic story” (Reese Witherspoon) from New York Times bestselling author Beck Dorey-Stein.
What would you give up for the person you love most? What would you expect in return?
Mia and Cricket have always been close. The gifted daughters of a young single mother, the “Lowe girls” are well-known in the small Maine town they call home. Each sister has a role to fill: The responsible and academically minded Mia assumes the position of caregiver far too young, while Cricket, a bouncing ball of energy and talent, seems born for soccer stardom. But the cost of achieving athletic greatness comes at a steep price.
As Mia and Cricket grow up, they must grapple with the legacy of their mother’s secret past while navigating their own precarious future. Can Mia allow herself to fall in love at the risk of repeating a terrible history? Will Cricket’s relentless chase of a lifelong goal drive her sister away? When does loyalty become self-sabotage?
A sharply observed and tender portrait of sisters, love, and ambition, Spectacular Things is a sweeping story about the impossible choices we’re forced to make in pursuit of our dreams.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Spectacular Things is a deeply moving novel about sisterhood, sacrifice, and the long shadow of family history. Told across two timelines and three generations, the story centers on Mia and Cricket, sisters raised on the Maine coast by their single mother, Liz, who once had a shot at soccer stardom before an unplanned pregnancy upended her world. Now, years later, Cricket plays for the U.S. Women’s National Team while her equally gifted older sister has given up the game to become her emotional anchor. As their complicated story unfolds, we also learn the secrets their mother never shared. Author Beck Dorey-Stein writes with enormous compassion for all three women, showing how their lives are shaped by ambition, loyalty, and impossible choices. The emotional stakes are high, especially in moments when love looks a lot like letting go. With its layered timelines and flawed yet relatable characters, this is a great book club read.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Dorey-Stein's engrossing latest (after Rock the Boat) follows the struggles and triumphs of two sisters from a family of soccer stars. It opens during the 2028 Olympics, with Cricket Lowe, 25, on the U.S. team. Her older sister, Mia, needs a kidney transplant following complications from giving birth, prompting Cricket to consider giving up her athletic career to become her donor. The story then rewinds to chronicle the many sacrifices the sisters and their mother, Liz, make on the long, hard road to securing Cricket's success. Liz, herself a soccer phenom who was destined for UCLA, gives up that path upon getting pregnant with Mia, who in turn abandons her Yale scholarship to serve as Cricket's legal guardian when Liz dies in a car accident. The author excels at revealing how both Cricket and Mia are affected by losing their mother, and in exploring the limit of family obligations. The novel also offers visceral depictions of grueling soccer practices and the single-minded dedication needed to become a top athlete, as evidenced in Cricket's mostly friendly rivalry with superstar Sloane Jackson, whose talent and meteoric rise push Cricket to improve her own game. By the time the plot returns to Cricket's decision, secrets about the siblings' father have been revealed, which make for intriguing parallels with Mia's story. This one fires on all cylinders.
Customer Reviews
A sweet story, but took forever to get there.
The beginning of this book kept me interested and had good momentum, but barely halfway through and it just felt like it drug on. The feeling of the each chapter was the same, nothing really seemed to progress. I had a hard time wanting to finish it but knew the ending would probably be sweet- which it was. Just a lot of middle fluff that I feel like didn’t need to be there or could’ve been sped up.
Loved it
This story about motherhood, sisterhood, and the value of family is soo sooo good. I wept and smiled the whole way through.
Wow!
Beautiful in every way. By far one of the best books I’ve read this year!