Spectacular Things: A Reese's Book Club Pick

Please judge this book by its cover! Sparkly, bright, joyous, heavy, and heart-breaking, Dorey-Stein’s book captivated me from the start. The ups and downs of the Lowe sisters’ lives are so wonderfully told that they feel like lifelong friends. A book that’ll keep you rooting for all the characters, and guessing until the very end.

Are we expected to sacrifice for our family? Do we throw away our own dreams for a sister? Do you give your best friend your kidney? In this unusual novel, Beck Dorey-Stein presents the epitome of a single mother, Liz Lowe, who sacrifices for her daughters. Liz finds herself pregnant in high school. She believes the father of her child loves her but she really does not know him. She gives up her college scholarship and sets up a new life for herself and her baby girl, Mia. Her parents abandon her, and the reader never knows anything more about them Liz sets up a life for Mia involving great sacrifice and hard work. She becomes pregnant again when Mia’s father shows up and gives birth to another girl. Liz names her Cricket. The father has never paid any child support.Liz is a constant presence; she raises her daughters to live out her dream of playing soccer. I learned about women’s soccer, its search for the best players, the significance of competition, the demand of extreme training and intense competition. The details of training and competition were substantial; the reader was well aware of the detriment of a physical injury, personal competition, and the overwhelming sacrifice of this young mother. Mia and Cricket are talented and love each other with a deep respect and need to please their mother in this quest for soccer excellence. There was very little money, Liz worked two jobs; the three of them were a team determined to be successful.More disappointment and tragedy are present in this novel which makes it more realistic. It did not seem realistic that Liz's parents were never contacted during their daughter's life. The novel educates the reader about sacrifice in women’s sports. It is the author’s best book (her third). She has much to tell the reader and uses her writing talent to capture a realistic drama of a single, positive mother with a credible dream for her beloved daughters.My gratitude to NetGalley and Dial Press for this pre-published book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you, Random House publishing and Beck Dory-Stein, for this ARC.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.I did not think I would love this book as much as I did, but I truly did love it! What are you willing to do for your family? The sisters' relationship was unique, and their mother may have been imperfect, but her love for her daughters was beautiful. I cried. A lot. And oh my goodness. Oliver❤️.It was really cool how she would time jump from time to time. It really made everything flow together like a movie.

I loved the family bond w the sisters and their mom. What an incredible story about sacrifice for the ones you love and dedication to their dreams. I found myself laughing and crying through out the book. It was such an inspiring read. I loved every minute of it and can't wait to read her next book

Sisters and soccer prodigies, Mia and Cricket, were raised by their sassy single mother, Liz, who was also a promising athlete before she became pregnant as a teen. As Liz says to her parents when she moves out: 'The soccer dream isn't over, I've just moved the goalposts'. She preaches a can-do attitude to both her girls and instills a winning attitude as she teaches them how to play soccer. Before every game, she ties a red ribbon around their ponytail. Her words guide both girls through the challenges that present during their young lives. The story follows the sisters into adulthood, as Mia navigates motherhood while Cricket plays professional soccer. You don't need to be interested in soccer to enjoy Spectacular Things--there's plenty of family and relationship drama to keep things interesting!