What an incredibly touching read! Wow. I don’t have sisters, only a brother, so books that center around sisterhood always feel like stepping into an unfamiliar yet intimate world for me, but I can imagine what it feels like given how much I love my sibling and would do anything for him. And Spectacular Things absolutely wrecked me in the best possible way.

Mia and Cricket, these two sisters raised on the Maine coast, are bound together by a fierce, unshakable love. From childhood into adulthood, they’ve settled into their respective roles in the family, with one dreaming big and chasing those dreams, and the other quietly making sacrifices to help her sister soar. It’s both beautiful and heartbreaking to witness, and it really touched me.

This book asks a powerful question: how much is too much to give for someone you love? And even more than that, what happens when that giving starts to chip away at the giver? The dynamic between Mia and Cricket is so layered. There’s no villain, no resentment, just the complicated push and pull of two people doing their best for each other. I could feel the imbalance, the ache of one sister giving a little more, the other receiving a little more, and how that shaped them both. And yet, there was so much tenderness. So much love.

The last fifty pages had me sobbing. Like ugly crying, forehead on the book sobbing. Beck Dorey-Stein writes with such emotional precision that it sneaks up on you, until suddenly you’re heartbroken, hopeful, and totally undone. This was a beautifully written novel that I know will stick with me for a long time. Mia and Cricket are characters I won’t forget. Ever.

Highly recommend to anyone who loves books about complicated families, sisterhood, sacrifice, and the quiet power of love.

Thank you to NetGalley, Beck Dorey-Stein and The Dial Press for the eARC of this book.