Review: Spectacular Things by Beck Dorey-Stein
- amiller8979
- Jul 24
- 3 min read
by Amber Miller
July 20, 2025
A Heart-Wrenching Tapestry of Love, Sacrifice, and Dreams
The best read of the summer and this year so far! Beck Dorey-Stein’s return to fiction with Spectacular Things is a stunning literary achievement that checks all the boxes for me - sister drama, a coming-of-age journey, sacrifice, a budding romance that blossoms into lasting love, unanswered questions, a hint of mystery, and all the beautiful chaos of family life.
The novel opens with a line borrowed from Ada Limón’s poetry that reverberates throughout: “Look, we are not unspectacular things. We’ve come this far, survived this much.” Dorey-Stein’s story celebrates the extraordinary nature of ordinary love, loss, and loyalty in a realistic and gripping way, making it impossible for the reader not to connect with the hopes, aspirations, fears, and losses of each compelling character she has masterfully created. The novel's resounding themes of sacrifice and loss shed light on the unforeseen twists and turns of life that ultimately shape who we are and the choices we make for the ones we love most.
Spectacular Things centers on the Lowe women: Liz, a former soccer prodigy whose dreams were derailed by teenage pregnancy; Mia, the responsible eldest daughter who sacrifices her aspirations to support her family; and Cricket, a talented goalkeeper carrying the weight of everyone’s hopes. Set primarily in Victory, Maine, the novel spans decades, weaving between past and present to reveal how one moment of tragedy can reshape entire lives.
The heart of the novel lies in the relationship between sisters Mia and Cricket. Mia’s journey from a promising student at Yale to a dialysis patient is handled with unflinching honesty. Her chronic kidney disease becomes more than a medical condition—it’s a metaphor for the ways life can suddenly veer off course, demanding sacrifices no one should have to make. Cricket’s arc from enthusiastic nine-year-old to the elite goalkeeper is equally compelling. Dorey-Stein expertly captures the physical, mental, and emotional demands of professional athletics while never losing sight of the human cost. The tension between personal dreams and family loyalty reaches its crescendo when Cricket must choose between her soccer career and becoming Mia’s kidney donor.
Liz emerges as a deeply relatable and complex figure - simultaneously protective and reckless, wise and naive. Her relationship with her high school soccer coach, revealed through Mia’s devastating discovery in college archives, adds layers of complexity that avoid simple victim narratives. Instead, Dorey-Stein presents a nuanced exploration of power dynamics and their long-lasting consequences. As a mother of two daughters, I connected with Liz and understood why she continued to romanticize her relationship with Q long after she learned his truth, to protect her daughters. Liz lived her life for her daughters and sacrificed more than Beck-Stein’s writing could acknowledge, which is why seeing Liz through Mia’s young eyes was at times painful, but ultimately rewarding as Mia matured and grew to love and understand Liz for who she truly was.
Similar to TJR’s Carrie Soto Is Back, Dorey-Stein's writing transcends the sports novel genre to deliver something far more profound: a meditation on the impossible choices families make in pursuit of dreams. The author's background as a former soccer player is displayed in her authentic portrayal of the sport. From youth league practices on Maine beaches to the electric atmosphere of the Rose Bowl, each scene radiates with genuine energy and technical knowledge.
Spectacular Things explores themes extending far beyond the soccer field. Questions of what we owe our families—and what they owe us—permeate every page. Dorey-Stein doesn’t shy away from examining the darker aspects of familial love, including guilt, resentment, and impossible expectations. It also explores the heartache of dreams deferred and the ripple effects of trauma. Liz’s teenage pregnancy doesn’t just end her soccer career; it shapes the dreams and expectations of her daughters. Motherhood and unconditional love are explored through multiple lenses. Liz’s fierce protection of her daughters, Mia’s struggle to be present for Betty while battling illness, and the way maternal love can both sustain and suffocate.
Dorey-Stein has written a story that honors the spectacular nature of ordinary and unconditional love between mothers and daughters, as well as between sisters who fight and forgive, who hurt each other and heal together, who discover that being family means choosing each other. This novel serves as a reminder that we are, indeed, not unspectacular things.
For readers who enjoyed Spectacular Things, consider these compelling titles:
~ Hello Beautiful, by Ann Neopolitano
~ The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo & Carrie Soto is Back, both by Taylor Jenkins Reid
~ Commonwealth by Ann Patchett