A few weeks ago, I read and reviewed the highest-rated (according to Goodreads) Reeses’s Book Club book, Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale. Unsurprisingly, considering its scores of diehard fans, I really enjoyed it, and it got me thinking: What’s the lowest-rated Reese’s Book Club pick? And does it deserve to be judged so harshly? In the name of research, I picked up The Jetsetters, a novel by Amanda Eyre Ward that has a 3.08 rating on Goodreads (compared to The Nightingale’s 4.64), and while it wasn’t the best book I’ve read recently, I don’t think it deserves that lowest-rated spot. Here’s the deal.
I Read the Lowest-Rated Reese's Book Club Pick—Here's My Honest Review
goodreads reviewers did not hold back
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Published Apr 29, 2025
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Emma McIntyre/getty images
cover: Ballantine Books; background: getty images
Published and picked for Reese’s Book Club in March 2020, The Jetsetters centers on Charlotte, 70-year-old woman who submits an essay to win a contest for a European vacation. Her dream is to reunite with her estranged children: Lee, an almost-famous actress; Cord, a Manhattan venture capitalist; and Regan, a harried mother. During the trip (scenic descriptions of which will have you reaching for your credit card to book a flight), long-buried secrets are revealed and old wounds are reopened, begging the question: Can Charlotte and her grown children make peace with one another and reconcile their childhood aches?
Touted as being in the vein of The Nest and The Vacationers, I found The Jetsetters to be witty and heartfelt story about family bonds and traumas. I will admit that based on the description, the book’s cute and sunny cover and Reese Witherspoon’s propensity for selecting fun rom-coms, I was expecting it to be a bit lighter and breezier—a novel in which the dramas were not all that dramatic, and quickly resolved. Instead, The Jetsetters deals with heavier topics like addiction and suicide.
According to negative reviews, some readers were similarly surprised by the dark tones and felt that there wasn’t enough resolution, nor were the characters fully fleshed out and sympathetic. One writes, “The characters are just okay, the character growth is minimal. The writing was jagged and scattered and I found my attention wavering frequently. Not to mention the conclusion, that was very abrupt and didn't even make sense. Probably the only thing I liked was the history and descriptions of the cities where the cruise ship made stops.”
All in all, while it’s not a novel I’ll reread, I certainly don’t think it deserves so much criticism. Still, if you’re looking for something a hair more fun, might I suggest one of the 15 best titles Reese’s Book Club has recommended?
