Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of One Two Three by Laurie Frankel.

On the the story. This is when rating gets hard. If I were to rank it based on just my personal feelings and interest of the story, I would give it a 2.5-3 stars. If I were to rate it on the story's complexities, characters, intricate and well fueled plot, I would probably give it 4.

This is a story about a set of triplets, born in a town that has been poisoned by a big, money making company. It has left many in the town, including two of the sister, disabled in some way. Now, after years of being left to pick of the pieces of the damage the company has left, big Poisonous Corporate has returned. But they have amended their ways and are even offering desperately needed jobs to the town's citizens.

After watching their mother, and other members of the town fight exhaustively for justice for what happened to their town, the sisters finally decide that it's up to them to save Bourne. But if lawyers and threats don't work, what will?

Again, well written, well thought out story. Honestly, my biggest complaint was the length. It was just way too long for what it was, which made it feel like it was really insisting upon itself. Like, yeah, it's a good story, but it could have been a good story if it was cut in half. And because of that, it did give it an overbaked flavor. The characters got a bit sloppy, the details of the story got a bit mooshed. It was just too much for me.

I jumped at the opportunity to read this book early given how much I loved Frankel's book "This Is How It Always Is" - unfortunately, I this book didn't even come close.

One Two Three is the story of three sisters, who are triplets, living in the town on Bourne. Bourne's water supply is poisoned by a chemical company, which leaves many of the town members sick and ridden with birth defects. The story is told through alternating points of view of the three sisters - each chapter alternating to one of the three sisters points of view.

This novel has all of the characteristics for me that make an enjoyable novel - character driven with a captivating story arc that drives the plot forward. Unfortunately, none of these aspects worked well together here. I felt as though none of the character development was executed properly - none of the characters had a proper arc and, while not unlikeable, I simply wasn't interested in any of their stories.

I think a lot of my dislike here has to do with how this was written - they author went on tangents for pages about items that didn't add to the story at all or help further develop her characters. And the writing here isn't powerful enough to justify page-long tangents of her characters' internal ruminations.

Overall I wouldn't recommend this book - I was very close to a DNF many times. This certainly did not have the same impact that Frankel's other novel did.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Henry Holt & Company for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really hard book to both classify and describe. It doesn’t fit neatly into any box and I’m sure that was author Laurie Frankel’s intention. Years ago a terrible environmental disaster occurred in the quiet town of Bourne. A family owned chemical plant was producing & dumping toxic waste into the waterways poisoning the soil, citizens and destroying the innocent community. Now three teenage sisters, the Mitchell triplets, are taking up arms against the plant’s owners. Each sister is unique and has their own special strengths and weaknesses. Helping the sisters is River Templeton, the young family scion.

I switched between both the digital ARC and Audio ARC. I found the audio really well done, with three different narrators for each sister, helping to personalize their storylines.

Overall I enjoyed this book however, when the story entered angsty YA territory (and it was VERY OFTEN) I found the story/dialogue cringey. Additionally, the book was a bit predictable and felt longer than necessary.


Thank you to NetGalley and both Macmillan Audio and Henry Holt & Company for gifting me with a digital and audio copy for review.

One, Two, Three by @laurie.frankel is about triplets Mab, Monday, and Mirabel and the town of Bourne, which is struggling to thrive after a chemical plant poisoned its water 16 years ago. It’s a fight for justice and a coming of age story with a lot of heart and some mystery too.

I LOVED this book. The characters are so vibrant that they jump off the page. The rotating POVs of each sister worked perfectly and balanced out the darker moments. They’re honest, witty, observant, and passionate. You WILL love them without a doubt.

There are so many important themes woven in too - capitalism, environmental justice, ableism. I loved how the story showed teens fighting for change about an issue they didn’t cause and had no voice in, but will inherit the enduring consequences of it. This rings true so much in our lives, particularly with climate change.

I highly recommend the audiobook as well. It uses a different narrator for each sister which really brought the story to life.

Don’t miss this book when it releases on June 8!

4.5 stars

Laurie Frankel creates the most beautiful and memorable characters. She writes stories that stay with you long after you finish the book. Her characters care so deeply and profoundly that it's impossible to read her books and not feel the same way.

"This is How it Always is" was my favorite book the year it came out so I was incredibly excited to get to read One Two Three and it absolutely did not disappoint.

This story is about triplets Mab, Monday, and Mirabel who live in the town Bourne where a terrible tragedy occurred seventeen years ago and the town is still reeling from it. The girls' mother will not stop fighting for justice. A new family moves into town for the first time in a long time and things start taking a most unexpected turn.

The story is told from the perspectives of the three girls, each of whom have a unique and memorable voice. The audio version of the book is exceptional, especially with what it did to make Mirabel come alive. The overarching story is about eco-terrorism and what the chemical plant did to destroy an entire town. But then there are stories around teen love, around what it means to be sisters, around parenthood, around wishes and dreams.

This is another moving story by Frankel that will make you think. It will make you angry, it will make you sad, and it will make you cheer loudly for three girls who are so incredibly brave and mighty.

With gratitude to netgalley, Henry Holt & Company, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I've read by Laurie Frankel, but now I'll be looking for more.

Seventeen years ago, the small town of Bourn welcomed a new chemical factory that promised a better economy for residents and delivered poisoned water, death, and birth defects before closing down.

Norah Mitchell has headed up a class action suit that never goes anywhere, but she continues looking for the smoking gun, undeterred by setbacks.

Her daughters, triplets, are the voices in the story. Mab (One), Monday (Two), and Mirabel (Three) have grown up in the damaged town and provide the narration. Mab is "normal" in appearance and behavior; Monday is on the high end of the spectrum--bright, but obsessive about being touched and extremely literal; and Mirabel is a genius, but wheelchair bound and unable to speak without the aid a vocalizer.

Sounds depressing, doesn't it? And yet as we meet each girl, we are immediately and irrevocably drawn into their relationships with each other and with other members of the town. The writing is neither sentimental nor maudlin, and the girls, each in her own right, are forces to be reckoned with. I was immediately captivated with One, Two, and Three and engaged with each one in their struggles to prevent a repeat of the previous disaster...because the chemical plant wants to re-open--promising that all the problems have been rectified and offering much needed well-paying jobs. Who will trust them this time?

Poignant and funny and suspenseful.

Highly Recommended. Loved it.

NetGalley/Henry Holt

Coming of Age/Topical. June 8, 2021. Print length: 416 pages.

Nothing new ever happens in the town of Bourne. Everyone knows everyone. So when the moving trucks arrive, it causes a stir. Bourne is a town known for one thing: seventeen years ago, their water turned green. Many of their citizens of died, others have cancer and other illnesses, and others gave birth to children with birth defects. You'll never find a town more accommodating to wheelchairs. But it has one doctor (also the priest) and one therapist (Nora Mitchell). Bourne houses Nora's triplets, beloved by all: Mab, the "normal" one, who is expected to go to college and escape this place; Monday, who runs the town library from their home and prefers yellow everything (food, clothes, and more); and Mirabel, the smartest of them all, confined to her wheelchair, dependent on her sisters and mom for so much and on a computer to act as her Voice. Nora has been fighting for justice since the water turned green. When the newcomers come to town, the past roars up, involving the Mitchell triplets and bringing to light decades old secrets. How hard will Mab, Monday, and Mirabel fight for their town?

This is such an original book from the author of THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS. It sneaks up on you with its quiet and touching story. Frankel weaves an emotional tale that makes you think. It's utterly fascinating, this devastated town and its broken people. So many of its citizens are sick or have lost someone they love. Yet there is a lot of hope in Bourne, especially as the story is told through young Mab, Monday, and Mirabel's eyes. They've only known their mom's sadness and bitterness, never having met their father, yet each has their own (often quirky) way of looking at life.

Frankel alternates viewpoints from each triplet, naming her chapters One (Mab), Two (Monday), and Three (Mirabel) and repeating from there. It takes a moment to get into the groove of each triplets' voice, but once you do, it's easy to get attached to them. Mab feels the weight of the world on her shoulders, sweet Monday takes everything literally, and Mirabel must remain cheerful, despite all her medical issues. Their mom holds a variety of jobs, including town therapist and working at the local bar, and maintains a decades long lawsuit and grievance. It's hard to know what the triplets' life might be like without Nora's anger and bitterness.

Still, ONE TWO THREE highlights the power of sisterhood and family. You'd think a book about a broken town would be depressing and a slugfest, but it's anything but. In many ways, I found this to be almost a mystery, as the sisters work together to figure out about the newcomers in their town and how they relate to the years of devastation wrecked upon Bourne. The result is utterly compelling, with years of intertwined secrets making for a fascinating read.

Still, at the core, this is a story about teenage girls and how they relate to the world. It's sweet, heartbreaking, and extremely well-written. There are a few points where I wish the plot sped up a bit, but overall, this is a touching and lovely story about a family and their small town.

Reasons to read One Two Three, Laurie Frankel’s much-anticipated new novel following the success of her beloved This Is How It Always Is:

1. Mab. The first triplet born to Nora, named with one syllable, who at 16 years old loves with all her heart while carrying the burden and guilt of being the “normal” one.

2. Monday. The second triplet, two syllables, lover of books, defender of truth, physically capable but mentally and emotionally unique.

3. Mirabel. Third triplet, three syllables, insightful, empathetic, and eloquent but confined to a body that doesn’t work, only able to communicate through the tap of a finger or a robotic-sounding AAC device, and my favorite literary character of the last several years.

These three young women are the bright shining lights of this story about a small town dealing with the aftermath of Big Factory chemical pollution. Frankel has set them up to be the super heroes of her tale, the purveyors of justice. While I frequently winced when the action veered too close to Scooby-Doo “meddling kids” territory, I never stopped rooting for them to topple their Goliath.

I received an advance copy from Henry Holt & Company via NetGalley for review. One Two Three is slated for US publication on June 8, 2021.

One Two Three by Laurie Frankel is a work of fiction (she makes sure the reader knows that from the start), set in a fictional town but based on the actual events that occur when a corporation devastates a community's health and livability. The story centers on Nora and her teen triplet daughters, Mab, Monday, and Mirabel- the "One," "Two," and "Three" of the title. Like so many others in the town, the girls have been affected by the events that occurred at the time of their conception and birth. Frankel starts each chapter with the number of the daughter who is narrating. That takes a little getting used to, but the bigger problem for me was that the voices of the three weren't different enough to keep them straight. One Two Three is very much a story of sisterhood, resilience, and what it means to be a community and face hardship together. I loved all of those elements, and I could picture the town of Bourne, both what it had been and what it had become. My interest in this book (thanks, #Netgalley) was that two of the three daughters have diagnosed disabilities, ostensibly due to the chemicals that have invaded the water system. I might have been concerned about inauthentic portrayals or ableism in the story, but I trusted Frankel to get it right. I've read Frankel's previous work, This is How it Always Is, which also dealt with a marginalized child and family sensitively and accurately. Monday and Miracle both experience disability, but Frankel draws them as whole and three-dimensional characters. She also uses the plot to show that while disabilities are socially constructed (look at how Bourne Memorial High School categorizes their tracks by perceived ability/potential), the girls each possess strengths and unique abilities that give them agency and opportunity. Frankel doesn't shy away from the complicated stuff, like when Mirabel and her mom have an emotional conversation about the paradox between believing your kids are perfect as they are and then engaging in a decade's long legal battle about what made them the way they are. Or when it doesn't occur to Mab that her sister would be able to fall in love, just like she did. I'm sensitive when I feel an author uses disability as a trope to manipulate the reader into feeling something. In this story, the disabilities that town members live with become part of the fabric of a community that accepts and accommodates their needs. Mirabel and Monday, especially, are active and valued contributors to the town. They also grow, and the story ends on a hopeful note.

This story is told in one, two, three points of view. Triplets Mab, Monday, and Mirabel are growing up in a dead town that was poisoned by a chemical company. I adore the three girls who are all very clever and smart but definitely unique. I was worried that it would be hard to remember which sister was telling her story but they quickly became easily identifiable without even looking at the chapter title. No one would ever confuse these young ladies for their siblings! It was wonderful reading how they viewed and supported each. The town of Bourne is so well described that it becomes its own character in the story, which is quirky and endearing. The story is a terrific balance between the seriousness of the lingering damage of the chemical company and the love of a small town. I really enjoyed reading this book and the characters will stay with me for awhile.

I really wanted to like this book about teenage triplets living in a town that was devastated by water pollution that ended up maiming many of the citizens. Their mom has numerous jobs but the most important one is acting like an Erin Brockovich type activist.

The book is told from the triplets' view points. One triplet is exceptionally smart, the second has autism and the third is in a wheelchair and doesn't speak.

I should like it. I've loved the author's other books.

DNF at 50%. I wanted to love this book. I loved THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS. And I did really enjoy certain aspects of it: the naming convention of the 3 sisters, their unique personalities, the writing. But the slow pace and repetitiveness of this book made it difficult for me to maintain interest. The sisters often had interiority that seemed similar to their thoughts in previous chapters, especially, Monday. The pace was the dealbreaker for me; I kept being pulled from the book and wondering when things would get moving, especially because certain conversations seemed implicit when initially learning about the town's situation, such as Nora's failed efforts with the lawyer to get justice for the town.

The other piece of this book that made me less excited to keep reading was the subject itself: a town poisoned by water. I attribute this to my error rather than the author's--after the chaos of the last 1+ year and learning more about climate change, social activism, and other key topics, when I read fiction I want a break. I want to escape. This book didn't allow me to do it because I kept thinking of Flint, MI, and my mood would be altered (and not in a good way).

One Two Three are triplets - Mab (One), Monday (Two), and Mirabel (Three). They're coming of age in Bourne, a small, poor town that was devastated by a factory around the time they were born.

Laurie Frankel's latest got to a slow start for me, as I wrapped my head around this town and its characters. I especially liked the sisters' distinct voices -- they're truly individuals. Without being too heavy-handed, Frankel showed the ways in which we have different bonds with close siblings, our immediate family, friends, and neighbors. And what it is we owe them (or don't).

I appreciated this books themes of justice and restitution, as well as the ways in which it discussed ability. It's fiction you can sink yourself into, that becomes a page-turner toward the end.

I was so appreciative of the chance to read Laurie Frankel's new book One Two Three as I am a big fan of This is How It Always Is. What can I say about this book? It is timely in its focus on environmental threats, delightfully quirky, written with a wonderful amount of detail but with a light hand (so messages are not pushed on the reader but are just there for the reader to discover), and the book is a again another celebration of daily life, families, and diverse bodies and characters. Ms. Frankel's love for her characters is always to be admired as is her ability to respect the reader to understand the messages she wishes to convey while allowing the reader, and her characters, to uncover meaning on their own.

As with This is How It Always is, One Two Three reflects Ms. Frankel's joyful celebration of all voices, bodies, and her emphasis, to me, on how young people are to be celebrated and respected. I loved how I came to admire each of the three sisters (triplets) in this novel and how felt like I was a part of the small town Bourne, impacted by a chemical pollution scandal and possibly pervasive secrets around the town's past; these characters were presented as strong, capable, and valued members of their community and I appreciated the details about how this unique community responded to, and did not reject, deny, or give up on each other and instead found ways to make space for each person. The story was unfolded as a journey of love, strength, justice, and diverse bodies and minds and it was a wonderful journey to be read.

For me the strongest themes in Ms. Frankel's work are also social justice, family, strength, endurance/resilience, and an ability to laugh, see humor, in every day life and in persistent challenges. I love the respect for the characters, the quirkiness she integrates into their voices and interactions, and that she see strength in people when others may only see weakness. This book is filled with unique voices, joy and humor in the face of adversity and challenges, and a celebration of small towns, strong women, and sibling love. This is a vibrant story filled with timely topics about ecological welfare, the impact of pollution on communities, social justice, and diversity. I look forward to rereading this book with my book club as I am sure it will be a popular choice and sharing it with those I know will appreciate this topics and quirkiness that this book embraces.

I’ve seen this book around a lot recently, so when it popped up I knew I had to request it. The premise is unlike anything else I have read before! Those who enjoyed Good Neighbors will also enjoy this read, though.

On audio, I was worried that it would be difficult to keep these three sisters straight, but that wasn’t the case at all, thanks to a clever little trick the author tells us right in the beginning. The three narrators also do an incredible job of making their voices sound like the character’s personality, if that makes sense. Especially well done are the voices of Monday, who is autistic, and Mirabel, who is unable to speak without the use of technology. I loved how each of the triplets was telling her own perspective of the same story, but how the three different narrations came together to tell the whole thing. I thought the overlapping points of view were very well done.

Frankel attacks many complicated themes, foremost being the environmental and political issues that the chemical plant poses. She also addresses disability, misdiagnosis of diseases, ableism, elitism, and income inequality.

Overall, this book was extremely clever and unique, both in the plot and also the characters and the narration. This is definitely one you should try to get your hands on!

The Mitchel sisters are well loved in their tiny town of Bourne. Each has their own individual quirks however, because 17 years ago, the water in Bourne turned green and was no longer drinkable. The residents of the town however, had already been poisoned by the water. The girls mom Nora has fought since then to hold the correct people responsible. Now that the family has returned and wants to reopen the plant that poisoned the water, the Mitchell girls are determined to stop them.

When I saw Laurie Frankel had a new book coming out, I needed it asap. I loved This Is How It Always Is so I was so excited to read her latest novel! The characters in this book were so quirky and I just loved them. I immediately fell in love with Mab, Monday and Mirabel! This book took an important issue, and put it into a readable, and enticing story, and I highly recommend it!

One, Two, Three by Laurie Frankel
This is How It Always Is is one of my favorite books and Laurie Frankel's second book was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. This is another wonderful read about family and the choices we make. There are many questions it poses about right and wrong, second chances, and how to manage a struggling town. The story is told from alternative POVs from the triplet sisters, Mab, Monday, and Mirabel (1, 2, and 3 syllable names).

I love that Laurie writes inclusionary fiction and that this story focuses on, raises awareness for, and broadens our sense of 'normal' for these sisters and focuses on a wide range of disabilities so respectfully. Laurie is a compelling story teller and the story is tender, inspiring, and enlightening. Laurie always does such a wonderful job building these characters you feel so connected to and educating you on a group that is not commonly seen in literature.

The story felt very much like Erin Brockavich - a small town that was blindsided by a chemical company that ended up polluting the town's water supply, affecting the health and livelihood of all inhabitants. The three sisters will hold a special place and I adored each of them. I listened to an audio copy of this one - huge thank you to @librofm for my advanced copy. This a fantastic audio read; one of the sisters uses a voice communicator to speak and this is done very well.

This was my favorite combination of sad, uncomfortable and unsettling content told with a youthful, hopeful, joyful buoyancy. It wrestles in the grey areas of wright and wrong, good and bad of a struggling small town. Told through alternating perspectives of 16-year old triplet sisters, Mab, Monday and Mirabell (1 syllable, 2 syllables, 3 syllables inspiring the title and helps keep them straight). The connection between these three uniquely different sisters was precious. I loved Laurie Frankel’s writing style and the way she introduces the characters right away while the story of this town unfolds slowly. As a reader, we zoom in close and then pull away to see the bigger picture. I went in not knowing anything and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

As a school counselor and previously a special education teacher, I appreciated the wide range of disabilities respectfully represented in a way that inspires and broadens what we consider “normal”.

I will be thinking about this one for a long time. This is my first book by Laurie Frankel and will not be my last.

Wow! Laurie Frankel knows how to do justice to hard topics. This book was BEAUTIFUL. I loved all three siblings so much and they were so fully developed. Run, don't walk, to get "One Two Three"! All readers!

Laurie Frankel’s new novel One Two Three is the story of a little town whose people were blindsided by the chemical company that came to town one day offering the moon but instead ruined everything in its path — including the town’s water supply and health of almost everyone who lived there. Seventeen years later, Bourne is a community filled with disabled young people and memories of people who died way too soon.

One Two Three is both tragic and hilarious. The Mitchell girls and their mother are the best thing about the novel, and the unique relationships between Mab, Monday, and Mirabel are unforgettable. This is a character-driven novel making the plot almost secondary.

There are not many books that do not grab me from the beginning. One Two Three though, I could not get into. I pushed through, hoping it would grab me, but I was never vested in the story. The writing style and the different POV’s made for a confusing read.