A brownstone in Greenwich Village is the setting of this delightful story. Lauren Shaw, a potter trying to juggle her growing business while raising three children, lives in the home with Leo Aston, her husband. Leo is a professor, and the old brownstone, still with 70s decor, is his childhood home. The Sweet Spot is the name of a bar, which is situated below the brownstone and run by Dan. Felicity Winn, a TV home-makeover personality comes into their lives creating havoc. She decides to order Lauren's ceramic works for her local boutique. Russell, Felicity's baby's father, leaves Melinda, his wife of 30 years to run off with his much younger girlfriend. Melinda decides to seek revenge on Russell, Felicity and Lauren (who she believes helped contribute to the breakup of her marriage). Dan's daughter Olivia, who worked for Felicity, gets caught in the crossfire and after losing her job, becomes the nanny for Lauren and Leo's children. The situation gets even messier when Felicity's baby is born and the lives of all these characters become intertwined.
The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel is a charming, enjoyable tale filled with over-the-top, funny occurrences. I loved that the book was set in Greenwich Village and the brownstone was so well described. The characters are quite a quirky bunch especially Melinda, the initially bitter, scorned wife who cooks up some mean-spirited ways of seeking revenge. Everyone in the book is ultimately seeking their own sweet spot and how nice that a group of such different people can ultimately come together to make that happen. When it's time to read something joyful and light, check this book out.
(My first date with my husband, who is very ill, was in Greenwich Village so it has a very special, sweet spot in my heart. This book made me smile during a very hard time.)
Rated 4.25 out of 5 stars.
Contemporary Fiction.
Publication Date: January 31, 2023.
Please "like" this post if The Sweet Spot sounds like a book you might like to read. I'd love to know. Scroll below the photo and click on the red outlined heart on the lower right-hand side of the page. Comments can also be left below.
