Full disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book to read and review for my blog.  All opinions are my own.

Giveaway details will be given at the bottom of this post!

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Twenty-five years ago, a group of ninth graders produced a Saturday Night Live-style videotape to cheer up their ailing friend. The show’s running time was only ninety minutes, but it had a lasting impact: Becca laughed her way through recovery, and the group—Jordana, Seth, Holly, and Lex—became her supporting cast for life.

On the silver anniversary of Becca Night Live, the friends reunite over the Fourth of July to celebrate Becca’s good health—but nothing goes as planned. The happy holiday card facades everyone’s been hiding behind quickly crumble and give way to an unforgettable three days filled with complex moral dilemmas and life-altering choices. Through humor, drama, and the alternating perspectives of five characters, The Cast explores the power of forgiveness, the importance of authenticity, and the immeasurable value of deep, enduring friendships to buoy us when life plays out differently than expected.

My Thoughts:

(Disclaimer: I will never post spoilers in my reviews HOWEVER the comment section is completely fair game to discuss any and all specifics including spoilers)

I really enjoyed this book. There were so many interesting storylines and characters.  The relationships that they had with each other combined with their individual stories made this such an interesting read.  Each story was equally interesting, I love when that happens because I usually don’t feel that way.  I want to see Becca Night Live!

I found myself running late for our NYE dinner because I HAD to finish this book before I could leave the house!  The ending totally sucked me in and there was no way I could finish off 2018 without knowing what was in store for Becca and her friends.  Speaking of endings, this book is just begging for a sequel…

This book explores that true depths of what it means to be a friend and to stay a friend over time.  I loved the comfort level that this group of friends had with each other even though for many of them, it had been years since they had been together.  That comfort level is so special and reminded me of my own group of friends from high school…we have it, too!

Bonus for local friends: parts of this book take place on the North Shore!  Reading those parts was such fun for me!

A Conversation with Amy Blumenfeld, in Her Own Words:

How did you create the idea for your book?

There were a few sources of inspiration for this book. The first was a videotape created by 10 families (40 people in total) comprised of my parents’ friends and their children. Like the video in The Cast, it was ninety minutes of complete silliness with the single goal of making me laugh while I was undergoing treatment for cancer as a child. This was one of the greatest gifts I have ever received and a model for the power of true friendship.

The second source of inspiration was the master’s project I wrote in graduate school about adult survivors of childhood cancer. I spent several months learning about the physical and psychological long-term effects of childhood cancer treatment and meeting and interviewing medical experts, survivors, and their loved ones. At graduation, my professor suggested I turn the project into a book. I suspect he meant non-fiction but somehow, all these years later, it turned into a novel.

The third source of inspiration were the conversations I had with my friends when we turned 40. We were all having these deep discussions about relationships, religion, parenting, where we were in our lives, where we thought we would be at this point, what we hoped to accomplish, etc… and I suddenly had an idea. Why not combine the important messages from the master’s project with the topics my friends and I were discussing and weave them all together into a novel that centered on the power of true friendship? I created a bunch of relatable characters and interesting story lines and decided to write the type of book I liked to read – thought-provoking, smart, and fun contemporary fiction. And, I used the videotape as the glue that bonded the group together. I had no formal experience writing fiction, but hoped that my passion for the characters and the issues I wanted to bring to light would propel me through the process.

What audience would be most interested in your book?

Book clubs, women or men looking for a fun and thought-provoking beach read, people who enjoys stories about lifelong friendships, readers interested in Jewish observance

Where can your book be purchased?

Anywhere books are sold!  Barnes & Noble, independent retailers.  Also, you can visit my website and click on direct links to retailers:  http://www.amyblumenfeld.com

Use 3 adjectives to describe your book:

Heartfelt, thought-provoking, moving

***GIVEAWAY DETAILS***