Name: Where the Grass Is Green and the Girls Are Pretty
ISBN: 9781984855565

Lauren Weisberger

A seat at the anchor desk of the most-watched morning show, an adoring husband and a Princeton-bound daughter, Peyton has it all. Skye, her sister, is a stay-at-home mom living in a glitzy suburb of New York. Max, Peyton's bright and quirky seventeen-year-old daughter, is poised to kiss her fancy private school goodbye and head off to pursue her dreams in film. One little lie. That's all it takes. For the illusions to crack. For resentments to surface. Suddenly the grass doesn't look so green. And they're left wondering: will they have what it takes to survive the truth? Print run 200,000.

Where the Grass Is Green and the Girls Are Pretty

Liyah 🤎

This book was pretty meh. I think it was easy to listen to. It might've been more boring reading it in a physical book. The admissions scandal plot was very topical. I felt like more weight could've been given to the other sister's plot. The book didn't feel like it was about both sisters as much as it was about Payton and co. The commentary about class and motherhood felt pretty milquetoast. I feel like the book could've made more space for Sky grappling with "wasting" an Amherst education on being a PTA mom. Could be an ok club book.

KADY BURNS

I think I am the wrong demographic for this book. I was thinking it would be more of a sassy romp but it was not that at all. Just couldn't connect to the characters or the book at all.

Salam Kabbani

In this novel we follow the life of Peyton a very famous and achieved news-anchor who seemingly has her entire life put together as she is involved in the middle of a college-admission scandal involving her daughter Max and her husband Isaac. We closely follow the life of Max as well as Peyton's sister Skye and all the struggles they deal with. 

The premise of the novel surrounds the college admission scandal involving Max and her family; however, it delves into the core of Peyton's personal values and why she is the way she is as she grows and learns what she is willing to sacrifice and what she is not. 

I personally felt very neutral about the book. I didn't dislike it, but I don't think I will read it again. I honestly think it is just a matter of an age gap. I think a younger generation might enjoy this book a lot more than a woman in her 30s, only because I am so far removed from the college years, yet not close enough to the parent of a college-student years, so I found it very hard to relate to.

Kourtney

Happy publication day to Lauren Weisberger! Her latest novel, Where the Grass is Green and the Girls Are Pretty, is out TODAY! A big thank you to Random House publishers for providing me with an advanced digital copy for review!

I was a big fan of Devil Wears Prada, and have enjoyed most of her books since then. This particular book is all about the college admissions scandal of 2019. Remember Lori Loughlin? We are going back in time to where parents pay people off to give their children an upper hand, where looks are more important than anything and status is the most important thing in life. 

This book is an easy read - the focus is less on action and more on how one decision can set off a chain of events that affects those closest to you. The focus is more on the relationships between a family after one member makes a really bad choice. 

At the end of the book, in the Acknowledgement section, Weisberger indicates that she had a rough go of writing this book. Her long term editor had passed away in late 2019, and then the pandemic hit, but she was still trying to write a "beach read" novel. While it's not her typical light fare, it still is a great read.

I enjoyed reading about Peyton and Skye's relationship while they each struggled from the fall out. Even Max's sections are interesting to read as she tries to find her new path in life that she didn't think was possible. 

If you are looking for an easy read that focuses on relationships, then this may be the book for you! 

 I received a free digital copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Katie Squires

** spoiler alert **
           I received an ARC for this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

“Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty” was overall an easy and quick read that included topics that have been prevalent in today’s news cycle. The most recent college bribing scandal has shown wealthy parents who will do anything to get their children into top universities. Peyton Marcus is at the top of her game, a beloved morning news anchor who has worked hard to get to the top of her profession. She has a loving husband and a senior ready to head to Princeton. Until it’s discovered her husband is arrested in the latest college bribing scandal. What we come to find out is SHE was the one who paid off the recruiter. I wish that detail was left to later in the book, build up the suspense throughout that it wasn’t her husband. Her sister Skye is relying on an investor to open her home for struggling girls but when her brother-in-law is arrested her funding is gone. How does she get it back, especially after spending thousands of dollars in her own name? 

I felt we didn’t get resolution in Skye’s story. We didn’t find out if she confessed to her husband about the debts or how the money raised by Max was distributed at the project or about the new addition to their family.. we did get closure for Peyton, in the end she did the right thing by turning herself in, even if it meant losing her own career.