As a fan of Laurie Frankel's "This is How it Always is," I couldn't wait to get my hands on "One Two Three." There were so many elements in this book I loved. Unfortunately, they were overshadowed by some significant problems in execution.

Mab, Mirabel, and Monday are three triplets in the town of Bourne, a small rural community still reeling from the presence of a chemical plant that leaked toxic chemicals into their water years ago. As a result, many individuals in the town experience developmental delays and various health problems. When the CEO's son moves to town to revive the chemical plant, the residents of Bourne are forced to choose between allying themselves with their enemy for the sake of economic regrowth, and holding them accountable for their crimes.

The story is told from the view point of the three sisters, alternating between chapters entitled 1, 2, and 3. While I loved these 3 girls, I found their voices homogenous and really struggled to keep them straight. The villains of the story seemed a bit caricatural - the heartless, evil corporate CEO poisoning residents while loading his pockets with cash seemed a little overdone. Additionally, the pace lagged throughout much of the book, accelerating dramatically at the end for a resolution that spanned...1 chapter.

The themes of this book are important: the pressure of small towns to cave to corporations for economic sustainability, rethinking the notion of disability, never underestimate the cleverness of teenage girls. The plot wavered too much though, in its direction and ultimately in its purpose.

This Is How It Always Is was going to be a tough act to follow for me because it’s one of my favorite books. But, Laurie Frankel does it again....and was very successful with One Two Three in writing another interesting story with memorable characters and the combination (as with her previous books) will make you laugh, cry, and keep reading!
Mab, Monday and Mirabel are 16 year old triplets living with their widowed mother in the fictional town on Bourne. Each of the triplets, along with the town, are facing their own challenges. The structure of the book enabled each of the triplets to develop individually as a character since they alternated chapters.
Frankel does such a wonderful job of capturing her teen age characters. You feel like you really know each of these kids and care about what happens to them as their lives progress.
Wrapped around the triplets and their mother are storylines about environmental contamination, corporate misconduct, illness, birth defects and death. It sounds gloomy, but it’s not and you’ll want to add One Two Three to your TBR list!
Thanks to Netgalley and Henry, Holt and Company for the opportunity to read One Two Three in exchange for an honest review.

I am sad to give this book 2 stars after enjoying Frankel’s This Is How It Always Is a couple of years ago. I had a very hard time both getting in and staying in this book, in fact, I put it down twice and completely read two other books while getting through this one, Even though I appreciated the creative way Frankel tried to help readers keep track of the triplets, I thought their personalities were sometimes a bit over-done and repetitive, and it still took me until about 1/4 of the way through the book until I was no longer mixing them up. There were times when the writing was excellent, and I enjoyed the relationships between the sisters, and between them and their mother, But the story just seemed to go on and on, I found it to be a huge investment in time and persistence with not quite enough reward,

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review,

A fine book with interesting, flawed but wise characters. I had a hard time getting into the story, but once I did… Away I went!

Frankel has a magical way with words. The depth of her characters draws you in from the beginning of the story and keeps you until the end.

Started slooowwww but i stayed focused and glad I did! She sure can write. The story was great and I always love her characters. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

Laurie Frankel wrote a stunner of a book in This is How it Always Is, which sets the bar high for any future titles from this Author. What Frankel does better than any writer out there is character development Within the first several chalet we is this book you get a true sense of who these triplets really are. I would not say this book is a fast paced read, or a “page turner” but in typical Frankel fashion it is well written and developed plot wise. Thank you for
the advance copy and I will continue to look for future books from this author.

I am a huge fan of Laurie Frankel and this book cements my love for her work!

I'll be honest, this burns like a slow candle at first and takes a little pushing through to get to the heart of the book but its so worth it. Three sisters, three triplets. whose town has been destroyed by a chemical plant. A place that represented hope for the people of this town. Now its threatening to destroy the town and its people. This story has everything and I loved every minute of it, I love how Frankel tells her stories and how much time she spends on her characters. They all jump off the page and come to life. I loved getting lost in this story.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc!

I loved getting perspectives from all 3 sisters. They’re all so different and diverse and see the world in a distinct light.
Each of the girls told their story through their lens and they were all captivating.
I’ve said this many times, but I love a good slow burn, and this was right up my alley.
This story dealt with tough issues, but did it with grace and delicacy.
It really captivated me and I didn’t want to put it down.
I can’t wait to put it on my bookshelf when it comes out!

More a story about life in a small town with significant issues caused by greed than a story about the triplets. Well wriiten, well researched, and we'll presented.

I loved This Is How It Always Is. It is one of my favorite books of the past few years. I was very eager to read Frankel's next book. Uncharacteristically for me, it took me a while to figure out what I thought about this book. There are clear strengths and it has a brilliant premise, but it had some plotting issues.

Where Frankel soars is crafting believable characters. Just as with the brothers in This Is How It Always Is, the triplet sisters in this book, who call themselves One, Two and Three, are beautifully written. Two have disabilities that are treated with care, and, as a mother of a child with a disability, I appreciated this. So many books get disability wrong and this book did not. This alone deserves all the praise. The relationship between the siblings is the heart and soul of this book. The manner in which these girls relate to each other is something I will think about for a very long time. They have their own internal language and cadence and they are loyal to each other in a way that makes me long for sisters. Despite my misgivings about the plot, I am thankful to have read the book for this aspect of the experience.

The plot starts off with a bang. The premise is a great hook. I was all in. The pacing starts off fine and it read like a page turner. Then, about 1/3 of the way through, it went off the rails a bit. Not much happened. I'm an avid reader of literary fiction, so I don't need strong drive, but the plot really was floundering. I could see what Frankel was trying to do, but I felt the air leave the sails midway and she never did find her way back. The ending was very disappointing and, I felt, beneath a writer of her caliber.

I will continue to read her work, because she is very gifted and I have faith in her.

This was definitely not my typical style of book, but I also really enjoyed.it! I loved how each narrator had such a clear "voice" that I could easily tell who was narrating. I found the story compelling and I was really rooting for Nora and her girls to "win". It was amazing how well Frankel captured the emotions of a teenager. I definitely will be recommending.

At the beginning I was a bit confused but as the story progresses I learned the different voices of Mab, Monday, & Mirabel.
This is a story not only about these triplets but about the town of Bourne and how it has shaped them to be who they are.
A very in-depth story that will resonate and stay with you for awhile.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

This book was the perfect escape. It was lovely and fun. It was my first book by this author and I will definitely be on the look out for more!!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. This book is tells the story of a town hit hard by a chemical accident. Told through the perspective of triplets it takes you on a suspenseful journey. I was intrigued by the plot and appreciated the Variation in narrative as each sister told chapters. A book worth reading!

“One Two Three” by Laurie Frankel is unlike any book I’ve ever read before. It is wholly originally, complex, compelling, profound, quirky and brilliant.

When I saw this book on Netgalley, I knew I had to read it, as I loved Laurie Frankel’s prior book, “This is How it Always Is.” This novel is completely different though it is also utterly compelling.

Triplets Mab, Monday and Mirabel are teenagers who live in the town of Bourne. Raised by their single mother Nora, the four of them are as close as can be, even though all they have ever known is struggle. The same goes for every other resident who lives in Bourne.

Bourne isn’t an ordinary town you see.

Years ago, Bourne was polluted, the water unsafe to drink, all because a chemical company screwed up and then closed up shop. Nora has been fighting for justice ever since.

What is amazing about this novel is that the story could have been depressing but somehow told through the eyes of Mab, Monday and Mirabel, (also referred to as “One Two Three”) who are kind, funny, and utterly captivating, it became something else entirely. Sweet, funny and charming, these three characters stole my heart for reasons you will have to find out for yourself. How this book about environmental contamination, birth defects, cancer, and a legal battle evaded being wholly depressing, I cannot begin to explain except to say that Laurie Frankel’s characters brought this story to an entirely new level. The characters are adorable, quirky and deftly written and they will stay with me for a while. This novel made me laugh a lot (yes, I know that sounds strange considering) and tear up a bit but all in all I enjoyed it immensely. While this novel was a tad bit long and drawn out in a few places, I truly enjoyed it and would recommend it to those who enjoy character driven fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company and Laurie Frankel for the arc.

Published on Goodreads on 11.24.20.

I wasn’t sure about this book during the first chapter. But then I read Chapter Two and it was pretty interesting. Then I read Chapter Three and I was hooked. I don’t read much YA but I’d call this YA, suitable for age 14+, with one vague allusion to teen sex and a fair sprinkling of swear words.

So, the plot. So good. It’s about a small town that has had more than its share of bad luck. It’s about teenage triplets who are loved so very much by their mom, their town, each other. It’s about teen love, the truth, making grown up decisions, and making your own way. And it’s about justice - for yourself, your community, and your family. Beautifully written, wonderfully developed.

Charming characters, interesting plot. Recommended.



Review copy provided by publisher.

(I write short reviews; it's the nature of my blog.)

Good book overall. I felt like I was reading a side story of Erin Brokovich though so I don't know how original the plot is. I loved the three triplets narrating alternating chapters with their distinct voices. I will say I went back to look how the book was classified and was surprised it was not a YA novel. It's worth a read!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sigh. Okay. I have loved this author’s previous work, and I was pumped to read this one. I’m sad to say that this wasn’t for me. It was too long, rather boring, and just a lot of stuff about dams. I was super intrigued by the plot - a whole town of people poisoned by their own water supply - but about 3/4 of the way through I was getting annoyed at how slow and drawn out it all was. It could have been a GREAT book if it was maybe half as long. I will say that I loved our three main characters and found each of their voices to be strong and likable. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.