FICTION

The Sweet Spot

Atria/Emily Bestler. Jan. 2023. 400p. ISBN 9781982176457. pap. $17.99. F
COPY ISBN
Poeppel (Musical Chairs) writes charming, humorous stories, and this is a good one. Lauren is married with three kids living in a dilapidated brownstone in Greenwich Village with a dive bar, the Sweet Spot, in the basement. An artisan, she works at a high-end home-accessories store owned by TV home-improvement star Felicity. When Felicity casually mentions that she is having an affair with a married man and is pregnant, Lauren suggests she should chase her happiness. The next thing Lauren knows, Melinda, the now ex-wife of the baby’s father, is on a rampage. Melinda fulfills nearly every scorned woman’s fantasies until she realizes it doesn’t make her feel any better. When a video of Melinda trashing Felicity’s shop goes viral, both Lauren and Olivia, a bright young woman who works for Felicity, are collateral damage. But somehow the three women become friends. When Melinda’s ex leaves the baby with her to chase Felicity across the country, Melinda gets her new friends to help out in this Shakespearean comedy of errors.
VERDICT Quirky characters breathe life into this lighthearted family farce that will appeal to readers who enjoy the novels of Curtis Sittenfeld, Cathleen Schine, and Eleanor Brown.
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