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The Sweet Spot

A Novel

Read by Billie Fulford-Brown, Stephen Graybill, Aden Hakimi, Daniel Henning, Nancy Linari, Carly Robins, Jackie Sanders and Erin Ruth Walker

About The Book

Amy Poeppel brings her signature “big-hearted, charming” (The Washington Post) style to this wise and joyful novel that celebrates love, hate, and all of the glorious absurdity in between.

In the heart of Greenwich Village, three women form an accidental sorority when a baby—belonging to exactly none of them—lands on their collective doorstep.

Lauren and her family—lucky bastards—have been granted the use of a spectacular brownstone, teeming with history and dizzyingly unattractive 70s wallpaper. Adding to the home’s bohemian, grungy splendor is the bar occupying the basement, a (mostly) beloved dive called The Sweet Spot. Within days of moving in, Lauren discovers that she has already made an enemy in the neighborhood by inadvertently sparking the divorce of a couple she has never actually met.

Melinda’s husband of thirty years has dumped her for a young celebrity entrepreneur named Felicity, and, to Melinda’s horror, the lovebirds are soon to become parents. In her incandescent rage, Melinda wreaks havoc wherever she can, including in Felicity’s Soho boutique, where she has a fit of epic proportions, which happens to be caught on film.​

Olivia—the industrious twenty-something behind the counter, who has big dreams and bigger debt—gets caught in the crossfire. In an effort to diffuse Melinda’s temper, Olivia has a tantrum of her own and gets unceremoniously canned, thanks to TikTok.

When Melinda’s ex follows his lover across the country, leaving their squalling baby behind, the three women rise to the occasion in order to forgive, to forget, to Ferberize, and to track down the wayward parents. But can their little village find a way toward the happily ever afters they all desire? Welcome to The Sweet Spot.

About The Author

Photograph by George Baier
Amy Poeppel

Amy Poeppel is the award-winning author of the novels Far and Away, The Sweet Spot, Musical Chairs, Limelight, and Small Admissions. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Rumpus, Literary Hub, and Working Mother. She and her husband have three sons and split their time between New York City, Germany, and Connecticut. She would love to hear from you on Twitter or Instagram: @AmyPoeppel or at AmyPoeppel.com.

About The Readers

Billie Fulford-Brown

Stephen Graybill

Aden Hakimi

Daniel Henning

Nancy Linari

Carly Robins

Jackie Sanders

Erin Ruth Walker

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (January 31, 2023)
  • Runtime: 13 hours and 12 minutes
  • ISBN13: 9781797149806

Raves and Reviews

"The Sweet Spot is the name of this novel, a pub, and the feeling one gets when everything goes just right. Eight narrators bring multiple dimensions to this story about relationships, adultery, aging, parenting, and finding oneself in New York City. At the heart of the book is Lauren, an overworked mom who is trying to juggle her work as an artist while also being a good mother; these difficulties are deftly captured by Carly Robins's narration. Aden Hakimi brings three distinct tones and nuances to his vocal interpretations of Leo, Harrell, and Charles, with Leo's absent-minded professor quality transmitted perfectly. Lastly, Jackie Sanders introduces listeners to Melinda, a betrayed wife out for revenge whose maniacal ramblings are just cover for a wounded human being."

– AudioFile Magazine

Awards and Honors

  • ALA "The Reading List" Selection

Resources and Downloads

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More books from this author: Amy Poeppel