Spectacular Things follows the Lowe girls, sisters Mia and Cricket, and their mother Liz Lowe, as the three women navigate love, sacrifice, ambition, sisterhood, and the tangled question: What would you do for the ones you love, and what would you expect in return?
Set in a small Maine town, this heart-wrenching, beautifully written novel explores the cost of athletic greatness, generational trauma, impossible choices and the quiet power of devotion, sacrifice and makes you question, how far would you go in the name of those you love? What should we sacrifice in the pursuit of our dreams?
Spectacular Things by author Beck Dorey-Stein is Reese’s Book Club Pick of July. Read our full summary and review below.
This post contains spoilers.
Spectacular Things
Description
Mia and Cricket have always been close. The gifted daughters of a young single mother, the “Lowe girls” are well-known in their small Maine hometown. 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.
As Mia and Cricket grow up, they must grapple with the legacy of their mother’s secret past while navigating their own precarious future. Can Mia allow herself to fall in love at the risk of repeating a terrible history? Will Cricket’s relentless chase of a lifelong goal drive away her sister? When does loyalty become self-sabotage?
Synopsis
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Mia Gives Birth to Betty and Cricket Wins Olympic Gold
The story begins with Mia waiting at a stoplight at a raised drawbridge, like she has done countless times before. This time, though, she’s in labor, and she’s waiting while watching the final moments of her sister’s Olympic gold medal match.
On the TV, it’s the US Women’s National Team competing for gold. Mia’s sister, Cricket Lowe, is the reserve goalie.
With seven minutes left in the match, Cricket’s friend and longtime rival, Sloane Jackson, shatters her femur. Cricket is subbed in.
It’s finally her turn to shine.
In the final minutes of the game, Cricket saves a critical goal, securing the gold medal for the U.S Women’s Soccer team.
Meanwhile, Mia delivers her daughter, Betty, but then begins to hemorrhage. She’s rushed to the OR.
Cricket returns home to Maine just in time to find her sister still in the hospital. Due to the complications from labor, Mia is diagnosed with acute kidney failure. She’ll now need dialysis three times a week until a donor is found. Mia’s kidney failure is so drastic that if she misses even one session of dialysis she might die.
Mia’s younger sister Cricket is a match.
She volunteers immediately, but Mia and Mia’s husband Oliver tell her to think about it. If Cricket donates her kidney, her competitive soccer career will be over.
Now Cricket faces an difficult decision. Her sister’s life or the future she’s worked for her entire life.
Liz Lowe, the Soccer Prodigy and Her Two Daughters
Liz Lowe is born into a wealthy family that prioritizes social engagements over their daughter’s company.
When Liz is sent to a summer camp, she falls in love with soccer. She turns out to be gifted, a natural on the field.
Once her parents realize Liz’s talent can open social and academic doors, they begin investing in her soccer career.
Liz heads into high school with a red ribbon tied to her top bun for every game, a quiet symbol of confidence and control.
But in her senior year of college, Liz becomes pregnant.
Despite plans to attend UCLA, Liz decides to keep the baby. Her parents disown her. She packs up her car and drives off with her newborn, Mia.
She chooses Victory, Maine as her new home, where she begins raising her daughter alone.
Liz gets a job at a dental office. She’s optimistic, vibrant, and teaches Mia to stay positive. Every morning, Liz takes Mia to the beach, and the two of them play soccer, engraining the sport into Mia’s life from the very beginning.
One day, when Mia is around five, a man named Q arrives. He reveals himself to be Mia’s father.
Liz takes him back, and for one summer, the three of them live like a family.
Eventually, the summer ends. One morning, Q leaves. Liz falls into a deep depression.
Shortly after, Cricket is born.
While Mia, with her brown eyes, takes after her father, Cricket is a copy of Liz with blonde hair, ice-blue eyes, and long limbs that earn her the nickname Cricket.
Cricket Plays Soccer, Mia Steps Up, and a Tragedy Befalls the Lowe Girls
The three Lowe girls continue their life together, and it becomes clear that Cricket has a natural gift for soccer, even more so than Mia ever had.
In order to support Cricket’s growing soccer career, Liz takes on a second job. Her dream is for Cricket to become a successful soccer player. She asks Mia to step up around the house. That means Mia must give up her own life and her own dreams of playing soccer, which she agrees to without question.
Cricket begins playing for the Stallions, a local team coached by Oliver. Liz goes to every game, with Mia joining in as much as she can.
Their mother becomes focused on two things: soccer and survival. Their lives begin to revolve around her.
While Cricket’s star continues to rise, Mia becomes the quiet anchor her family cannot survive without.
Cricket begins gaining national attention, while Mia starts to shine in school. She’s admitted to Yale, and for the first time in her life, she realizes she can make decisions for herself.
During her time at Yale, Mia searches for her parents online. She discovers that her father, Q, was actually Liz’s high school soccer coach. Since then, he has been accused multiple times of sexual harassment.
Devastated by her mother’s lie of omission, Mia decides it’s time to stop living for others and finally live for herself.
Liz scores tickets to the Paris World Cup, and the three girls go together. On the way back, Mia confronts her mother about the truth behind her father’s identity.
Liz tells her that she believed they were in love, and that Q had promised to leave his wife. But eventually she realized he was also an alcoholic. When she found out he had been driving Mia around while drunk, she cut him out of their lives and never looked back.
The two make up and the close bond between them emerging stronger than ever.
Shortly after Mia returns to Yale, Cricket attends a summer soccer camp with Coach Oliver.
After dropping Cricket off, Liz is hit by a speeding car on the drive home.
Liz Lowe dies instantly in the car accident.
The Lowe Sisters Work Through Their Grief
After their mother’s death, Mia drops out of Yale to become Cricket’s legal guardian. She gets a job at a veterinary office and does what she’s always done. She takes care of her sister.
Devastated by their grief, the Lowe girls do what they do best. They survive.
Cricket eventually returns to the soccer field. She begins hearing her mother’s voice at the goalposts, and it becomes her lifeline.
When she’s invited to the national team camp, s`he meets her new rival, Sloane Jackson. Sloane and Cricket quickly become fast friends.
They call themselves ambitious witches and promise to push each other to become better.
Sloane has everything Cricket doesn’t have: money, the full support of her parents, and a wide open future.
Meanwhile, Mia and Oliver begin growing close. They resist their connection at first, but eventually they give in to their feelings and become a couple.
Cricket is briefly jealous of her coach and sister’s bond, but she eventually gets on board and supports their relationship.
Cricket is accepted into UCLA, the dream school her mother once gave up. She joins the UCLA soccer team.
Sloane goes pro instead, a decision that leaves Cricket questioning her own progress and whether she’s falling behind.
At UCLA, Cricket meets Yaz, and the connection is instant. Eventually, the two fall in love and become a couple, while Cricket begins to find her footing and herself in her new life.
Spectacular Things Ending Explained
After graduating from college, Cricket is drafted to the Chicago soccer team. Her relationship with Yaz strains under the pressure of long distance, and they eventually break up.
Cricket is devastated, but soon after, she’s invited to join the US Women’s National Team, where Sloane has been the starting goalkeeper for years.
Cricket, now closer than ever to her lifelong goal of winning an Olympic medal and a World Cup, is thrilled. She’s finally about to fulfill her mother’s dream.
Mia’s journey continues as Mia and Oliver begin trying for a baby. Sadly, they experience a miscarriage.
During the tournament, Sloane is selected to start as goalkeeper. Cricket has been outperforming her, and the decision causes a massive fight between them.
The fallout shatters years of friendship.
Months pass.
Mia and Oliver become pregnant again. At the same time, Cricket continues training for the Olympics, her relentless pursuit of greatness finally within reach.
During the Olympic final, Sloane shatters her femur. Cricket is subbed in and saves the game-ending goal.
Shortly after, Mia experiences complications with her pregnancy and requires a kidney transplant, bringing the story full circle.
Mia and Cricket do not speak for months after Mia leaves the hospital.
Cricket, so close to achieving her lifelong dream, cannot bring herself to make a decision. Her guilt eats away at her. Mia, heartbroken and in recovery, is devastated that her sister ghosted her when she needed her the most.
While preparing for another national tournament, Cricket finds out that Sloane is in rehab.
Sloane apologizes, and they mend their friendship. In that moment, Cricket realizes she has feelings for Sloane. They share a kiss and finally get together.
Mia, Betty, and Oliver attend one of Cricket’s games. But Mia’s body cannot handle the trip, and she collapses.
Cricket skips the game for the medical emergency and rushes to the hospital. Mia is on dialysis, but she will recover.
Realizing how close she came to losing Mia, Cricket understands that her soccer success means nothing and the love between her and her sister is the most important thing in the world.
She agrees to the kidney transplant.
Cricket donates her kidney to Mia, and they both make a full recovery.
Sloane and Cricket get married.
Cricket becomes the head goalkeeping coach for the US Women’s National Team. Sloane completes rehab and returns to the field.
Together, they start a foundation to support single mothers raising children alone, to honor the sacrifices Liz made and give back to women like her.
Review
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Overall Impressions 😊
If I could give this book infinite stars, I would.
As a fellow parentified oldest daughter, a woman who has stayed strong and independent throughout, and having had to face lots of struggles of my own, I loved each of these women deeply.
Towards the end, my heart ached and I was a blubbering, sobbing mess as I finished listening to the book.
What I found to be an unrealistic and huge request at the beginning of the book turned into the bare minimum one of the girls could do for the other near the end. It was cathartic, devastating, and also healing.
My opinions on the events of the first chapter had changed dramatically by the end, with me reflecting on what I know of the characters now and thinking about my own mom and sisters.
Rarely does a book make me think so profoundly about my choices, and yet this one did.
Perfect For Fans Of… 🌟
If you like heart-wrenching stories about strong women that make you reconsider your own choices, or love following characters who feel like people you’ve known, or like versions of yourself, you’ll likely enjoy this book.
I’ve been a fan of Reese Witherspoon’s picks, especially Broken Country and Great Big Beautiful Life, which were top reads of the year for me.
If you’ve enjoyed previous Reese’s Book Club selections, this one is nothing short of a top choice.
Characters 👥
All three Lowe girls are precious and should be protected at all costs.
I loved reading about Liz. Seeing her as a strong young woman navigating single motherhood, raising two kids, and trying to survive in a world not built for her was deeply inspiring.
She was beautiful, strong, and positive. You could feel how captivating she was just through the page.
But what I truly loved was how nuanced and flawed Liz turned out to be. I’m not talking about her being distracted. I’m talking about how, while trying to do better than her own parents, she unintentionally inflicted generational trauma on her daughters. Liz’s obsession with soccer is an essential part of the story and so much emotional depth in a way that made the story even more special.
She loved them more than anything, but her values became so tightly bound to soccer that it shaped how she showed that love. It wasn’t intentional, but it was damaging. This book shows that most of us are just trying our best, and that doesn’t mean we don’t make mistakes.
Cricket was the perfect baby of the family. She was a bouncing ball of energy chasing soccer stardom, Olympic dreams, and a World Cup title. Cricket’s relentless chase of her lifelong goal and trying to keep the legacy of their mother alive was nothing short of amazing.
Getting a window into the demands of a competitive athlete’s life and seeing the resilience Cricket Lowe showed throughout her career, through rivalries, challenges, and devastating events, was admirable.
But no one came close to Mia for me.
She loved her sister fiercely. She showed up for her family in every way, constantly sacrificing her own dreams to be their anchor. Her loyalty is just unmatched. She stepped into the position of caregiver at the cost of her own precarious future, and never once complained.
I loved Mia not because we should romanticize her self-sacrifice. In many ways, it was self-sabotage. I loved her because she is an homage to all the parentified older sisters who hold everyone together.
As a character-driven book, Spectacular Things absolutely delivered, and I couldn’t have asked for a better trio. This tender portrait of sisters wrapped in a sweeping story was everything I could’ve asked for in a story about the gifted daughters of a young single mother.
All in all, I loved reading the amazing story of the high stakes the Lowe girls worked through, exploration of sibling dynamics, and these girls bending over backwards to make their mother’s dreams come true.
This fierce mom and the tight knit sisters was everything.
Plot 🗺️
If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for a woven timeline.
This book doesn’t quite do that. Instead, we start in the present and are forced to make a quick initial judgment. Then we’re thrown into the story from its very beginning, which completely reshapes our opinion by the time we return.
I loved that we made a full circle in the timeline structure. I was so conflicted after reading that initial chapter, but my opinion completely flipped as I read through the story.
It made me question a lot, not just about the characters, but about my own instincts and assumptions.
It’s very character driven, in the sense that we’re seeing all three Lowe girls grow through the major events of their lives. We follow their journey all the way from Liz’s childhood up to the events of the first chapter.
It’s a long, powerful timeline that’s full of emotional and personal growth, character development, sisterly love and a picture perfect depiction of complexities of family.
I loved watching them grow up, both physically and emotionally. The story was written in a way that never let me go.
The ending was perfection. It was a little sweet and a little expected, but in a way that felt exactly right. I want Mia to have everything she deserves in life, alongside Cricket and Oliver, so I truly enjoyed it.
I was a sobbing, blubbering mess through the final chapters.
My heart was so full, and the weight of this family’s journey is something that’s going to stay with me for a long time.
Writing Style and Narration ✍️
This was the chicken noodle soup of books — the kind you read while sitting on a window perch on a sunny winter afternoon.
The story is made of short chapters, about 5 to 20 minutes each, and the pacing felt gentle and digestible without ever losing momentum.
I read this in audiobook format, and the narrator did a phenomenal job bringing these kind characters to life.
The performance captured Mia’s quiet determination and soft-spoken nature, as well as Cricket’s burst of energy, in a way that made the whole experience immersive and lovely.
Beware: It might make you want to call your mom 📞💖
I think this might be my new sick day book.
On the days when I’m curled up in bed and just want to feel better, I’ll cuddle up with Spectacular Things so it can warm me up from the inside out.
Even just thinking about it makes me tear up in the best way possible, and I cannot wait to read the next work from Beck Dorey Stein. It’s such a well written novel and heck of a good story. You won’t miss this emotional journey, it has enough drama that will leave lasting emotional impact on your soul.
Should you read Spectacular Things?
Only if you like — nope. You should read it no matter what.
It’s a profound experience that will make you think about your own family dynamics and the lengths you’d go for the people you love.
I, for one, wanted to call my mom and sisters right after finishing, just to tell them how much they mean to me.
Did you read Spectacular Things? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!
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