Read with Fern

For two decades, Del and Dinah Newman and their sons, Guy and Shep, have ruled television as America’s Favorite Family. Millions of viewers tune in every week to watch them play flawless, black-and-white versions of themselves. But now it’s 1964, and the Newmans’ idealized apple-pie perfection suddenly feels woefully out of touch.

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

This book is part of a highly specific sub-genre: 1950s & 60s Hollywood historical fiction. And if that’s a sub-genre you’re familiar with, you know there’s some specific tropes. There’s a lot of glitz and glamour, references to movie stars, other famous celebrities, and major news events of the time period, and an exploration into the changing world around the main characters.

Meet the Newmans follows the Newman family. There’s Del and Dinah, and their two sons, Guy and Shep. They live and work together as their real-life identities are also used in a fan-favorite TV show about their daily lives. But it’s not until Del has a mysterious car accident that Dinah begins to realize just how different each of their experiences on and off the screen has been.

Meet the Newmans is trying to do two separate things at the same time. First, the main character is a woman who begins to realize her lack of autonomy as a woman in the 1960s. Second, the Hollywood setting allows for an exotic & exciting environment with a diverse character list, but the plot focuses on a white nuclear family. This creates a story that is trying to say a lot of things all at the same time, trying to hit on every social issue simultaneously while also following a Hollywood plot. I was intrigued by the concept of the birth of reality TV, as well as the 1960s historical dynamic, but unfortunately, the book didn’t nail either concept for me. Instead, it felt like I was reading two disjointed plots, with each chapter switching back and forth.

This was a book that I didn’t love, but kept me interested. I really enjoyed the narrator, Marin Ireland, and felt like she added a layer of depth that the book itself was missing. Overall, this is a book I’d recommend if you enjoy the genre, but it wasn’t for me!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the free advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review!