The Stepsisters by Susan Mallery tells the story of Daisy, Sage and Cassidy. Sage and Daisy were stepsisters who despise each other. They have nothing in common except for their half sister Cassidy. Sage and Cassidy were close, leaving Daisy out in the cold. Their relationship was further affected when Daisy and Cassidy’s dad divorced Sage and Cassidy’s mom.

Eighteen years have passed with no form of communication between the sisters. However, unforeseen circumstances will lead to a reunion forcing them to confront their issues. A situation which resulted in restoration of their relationship.

Throughout the story, Daisy portrayed an inner strength one could only admire. It could not have been easy. Welcoming back Sage and Cassidy into her life despite the way they treated her in the past, but she did it anyway. To know their return coincided with her husband’s (Jordan) decision to leave the matrimonial home must have been a bitter pill to swallow. Especially given the history between Sage and Jordan.

I admired her willingness to fight for her marriage. My respect for her went up a notch at her willingness to acknowledge her role in the breakdown of her marriage. Although, I have to say I found her husband to be weak and pathetic. He took pleasure in playing the blame game. Also, his many attempts in making everything about him revealed his selfish nature. I wasn’t too fond of Sage and Cassidy in the initial stages, but they grew on me as the story progressed.

Each of the sisters went through a phase of acknowledgement, acceptance, healing, and forgiveness. They encountered many bumps on their journey through these phases. Their love for each other proved more powerful than any of these bumps.

The story captivated me and kept me entertained from start to finish. Drama and tension flowed from the pages. The Stepsisters proved to be a powerful read. It delivered an interesting story about sisterhood, family, love, healing, and forgiveness. Mallery did a wonderful job of capturing the intricacies of siblings, marriage, and blended families.

Overall. a wonderful story and one I recommend to fans of both the author and the genre.

Daisy, Sage and Cassidy are stepsisters who have a difficult and complicated past.

Daisy who is going through a separation from her husband is trying to keep it all together working and raising her two children. The last person she expects and wants to see when she is stranded on the side of the road is her stepsister, Sage. Could her day get any worse?

Sage is back in town after three divorces trying to figure out what to do with her life. She is closer to forty, than thirty and is not happy having to live with her high needs mother. She is trying to change her ways, and when she tries to rescue her stepsister Daisy from the side of the road, she is met with a standoffish attitude. Maybe some things never change.

When Cassidy has a tragic accident, which leaves her in need of someone to take care of her, the last woman she wants to live with is her stepsister Daisy. Life is just way to complicated and this is the last thing she needs.

This novel surprised me. It was not all rainbows and roses. The sisters all faced life crisis and had to work through some difficult choices about their own lives and their relationships with each other which I loved reading about. It was what real women face each and every day. The story was written beautifully, and I enjoyed the story immensely. My thanks to Harper Collins, Susan Mallery and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy. All opinions are unbiased and entirely my own.

I usually enjoy Susan's books but I could not enjoy any of the main characters. Once the big reveal happened and the why was explained, I still felt like everyone sucked.

I would describe this book as a family drama. Daisy, an anesthesiology nurse, is estranged from her stepsisters. This is the story of their relationship. After a chance encounter with Sage, one stepsister, she begins to repair relationships with her stepsisters. At the same time, her husband of 13 years moves out suddenly. Overall, I really like this book however there is a twist that I wasn't particularly fond of.

What happens when a blended family fails? That is what has happened in the case of Sage, Daisy and Cassidy. Sage and Daisy's parents married but Sage and Daisy did not grow especially close, especially when the parents divorced. Even though they were rather yong children, Daisy and Sage never got along, even though they eventually shared a half-sister named Cassidy. Interestingly, Sage and Cassidy were quite close, despite their age differnce and the fact that their parents divorced. Three sisters, step and half, truly affected by divorce.

They are all adults now and Cassidy has been seriously injured in a climbing accident. Cassidy is the apple of her and Daisy's father's eye, and he pleads with Daisy to allow Cassidy to stay with her until she recovers. This proves to be a challenge for more reasons than one. For starters, Cassidy hates Daisy. What is more is years previously, Daisy married the man Sage fell in love with. Though now seperated, this only alienated Daisy and Sage even more. But with Sage and Cassidy so close, Sage becomes a daily visitor at Daisy's house.

Three sisters and with all of this drama you might feel you might get lost in the story. No worries. Each sister is different, as are their individual lives. Daisy is now recently seoa single mom to two children, Sage Cassidy has been living abroad, but has recently returned home due to seeing about her mother. And Sage is a travel writer, and travels constantly. Due to miles away from another and a difficult childhood, the sisters have become estranged.

Now that Daisy has but to choice to accomodate Cassidy, Sage spends far too much time at Daisy's house. In fact, the two had not seen each other for twelve years, and now they have to face each other on a daily basis. Drama, tension, a painful past, problems about Daisy's marriage and more are explored in this engaging read by Susan Mallory. Is Cassidy's accident going to be the catalyst to burying the past and starting over? Have the hurts the relationships among the sisters been too much to overcome, or will their relationships suffer even more, completely building higher walls than any of them can overcome?

None of the sisters is the ideal character in this story. They each have their own flaws, but what they are is human, and human enough to perhaps have room in their hearts for forgiveness - and moving forward? Well, you will just have to read this book to see how the sisters cope with their changing circumstances and if the power of forgiveness weilds a strong enough influence.

Many thanks to MIRA and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

A very good story. Happy endings. Did not want to put book down. Read the book. You will like it. Cannot wait for the Christmas book.

Daisy is confused. Her husband Jordan has notified her he’s moving out via text. She wasn’t even aware they were having problems.

Now, her kids are sick and on top of that she runs into Sage, her once step-sister. Daisy hasn’t seen Sage in years, actually since Sage made a scene at Daisy and Jordan’s wedding. Sage dated Jordan in high school, and at Daisy’s wedding, Sage, in a drunken state, professed her feelings for Jordan.

Now, Sage is reeling from her own failed marriages and maybe its age and maturity, but she realizes that she wants stability in her life, so she sees Daisy as a possible friend. Adding to the mix, Cassidy, the little sister both Sage and Daisy have in common, is hurt in an accident and comes to stay with Daisy.

Once cruel and manipulating, the women begin to realize that they have a special bond as sisters and friends. Yet one decision might shatter it all.

Set in sunny California, this book had me longing to be sitting by the pool. I had very conflicting feelings toward many of the characters, and there aren’t a lot of twists and turns. But this is a solid chick-lit read that will have you flipping pages to find the resolution of these flawed and broken relationships.

Thank you @harpercollins @susanmallery for an invitation to this tour and @netgalley for a digital copy.

I will pick up a Susan Mallery stand alone before even looking at a synopsis and such was the case with this one and even though I don't love reading about troubled marriages, I was thankful that this book more focused on these three women with a troubled marriage on the side!

Daisy is the main character and she is the one with the marriage on the rocks as her husband Jordan abruptly announces he is leaving and isn't sure of their future. She has two sisters, one is Sage and she has returned to Los Angeles after her third divorce and has no idea what is next for herself. The other sister is Cassidy and after an accident she has returned to Los Angeles and with these sisters each going through something they may be able to reconnect and form close bonds while helping each other out with what they are going through.

I love a good story about sisters and the ups and downs of that unique relationship. Susan Mallery can write a woman who is so full and honest and I love how she shows women in moments that show real vulnerability and then growth. In each of her books, especially the stand alones, I find a woman who I can relate to or who I would love to be one of my best friends! I hope she continues to write these as they are perfect books to intersperse in my reading life.

Nothing seems to cut quite as deep as the hurts, real or imagined, delivered by family. Some of them keep families apart for years if they ever manage to mend fences. Add in the complications of a blended family and the problems seem to multiply. Susan Mallery gives us a healthy dose of that in The Stepsisters. The story is told in dual POV, so we only get to hear from 2 of the sisters, but Mallery still paints a complete picture. I've read a few books by this author, and I've come to expect a story that pulls me in and holds on tight. I was completely invested in the relationship between these women. It's a well-written, compelling read from start to finish.

***I received an ebook copy from the publisher at no cost***

Sage, Daisy, and Cassidy are a trio of stepsisters with a rocky past. Sage and Cassidy are close but Daisy has always been the outcast of the trio, having been bullied and treated poorly by Sage while they were growing up.

Daisy’s life is turned upside down when her husband decides they need some space and peaces out. She’s left trying to balance her job with the needs of two young kiddos … and then Sage shows back up in town. Daisy is less than thrilled to see her sister, given their history and the way Sage treated her when they were younger. The drama continues when she finds out that Cassidy, the youngest of the trio, has an emergency situation and needs Daisy’s help.

I enjoyed this story overall. It progressed at a good pace and the events felt natural, not forced. The relationships between the 3 sisters was at the center of the story but, there were other smaller plots going on, like the issues between Daisy and her husband, Sage and her mother, and Sage’s spending time with the neighbor. I thought Mallery did a beautiful job of developing all of the main characters in this book. By the end, each one was at a very different place in her life, had gone through trials and tribulations, and had come out a stronger woman on the other side.

There’s some fluff in here but this story is mostly about family, self-love and compassion, and finding the way home. I was very satisfied with how the book ended.

Four stars to this novel!

4.5 stars

Last summer I read this author’s The Friendship List and vowed to move her books up higher on my TBR list. I really enjoyed her storytelling. Well, here I am almost a year later and I still haven’t done that. Luckily, I was offered an ARC of this book as well as a spot on the blog tour. This book punched me in the gut and tugged at my heartstrings.

There is a whole lot to unpack in this book. This is the story of three sisters, but the narrative is from the point of view of only Daisy and Sage. We meet Cassidy, and even get a lot of her story, but this is really the tale of the two older siblings. Cassidy is the half sister to both Daisy and Sage while they are stepsisters. Daisy and Cassidy share a loving, boisterous, generous father. Sage and Cassidy share a greedy, needy, vindictive mother. Daisy and Sage were only living under the same roof for a few years, but they continued to go to school together after their parents divorced. Sage was the popular girl and made sure to use that popularity to keep Daisy down in the social standings at school. Daisy was the shy, smart girl who excelled at all she set her mind to.

These character descriptions are, of course, generalizations. There is so much more to all of these women. I found I sympathized with Daisy the most. She truly is a very good person. She’s kind and generous and hard working. Daisy is having marital problems that came as a surprise to her. But she’s determined to do her best and figure things out. Her husband is not very cooperative although he claims to want to work things out. I won’t give too much away, but Daisy’s husband is extremely frustrating and I often felt hatred for him. Yet I couldn’t help wondering if the author was throwing in some character bias since we were only seeing things from Daisy’s viewpoint and not his. I’ll let you learn what the truth is on your own here. Daisy also has kids at home which makes things even harder on her end. Throw in the fact that she is opening her home to an injured Cassidy, who she hasn’t spoken to in years and who is not very nice, and poor Daisy could really use a friend and some time to herself. How many directions can one person be pulled before they tear apart?

It’s harder to sympathize with Sage, but she’ll grow on you. She makes quite a few mistakes along the way, some of them major. Some that even made me wonder if she’d ever be redeemed. Sage is a very flawed human, yet she tends to learn her lesson each time she slides back into her old ways. From the outside, she has it all and has no remorse for any misdeeds. In truth, Sage is fighting tooth and nail to get people to respect her for what she’s accomplished and not just how she looks. It’s taken her a very long time to learn what’s important in life, she’s only hoping the lessons didn’t come too late.

The way the story unfolds between Daisy and Sage kept me engaged. The author did a beautiful job of building their relationship with each passing day. It’s not an easy thing to take two women with a lot of baggage with one another from enemies to civil to friends to sisters all in the span of one book. Susan Mallery not only achieved that feat, she did it seamlessly.

I found this story to be a reminder that there is so much more to people than what they allow us to see, no matter how close we are to them. We all have walls up in some way or another. To see these women come together and reform their family in a way they never would have imagined was possible was inspiring, heartbreaking, and extraordinary.

Terrific drama-filled story of love, family, choices, and second chances. I could not put the book down. Years ago, when Daisy was eight years old, her widowed father remarried. His new wife had a daughter, Sage, who was a year older than Daisy. While Daisy was excited about having a sister, Sage did not return the sentiment. Instead, she did everything possible to make Daisy's life miserable. Several years later, their parents added Cassidy to the family, a half-sister to both girls. Even then, Daisy couldn't catch a break, as Cassidy aligned herself with Sage. The relationships broke down completely when their parents divorced. Sage continued her tormenting all through high school, where she became the stereotypical mean girl.

Twelve years after the last time they saw each other, circumstances bring the three women back together. When Cassidy is badly injured in an accident, their father arranges for her to recover at Daisy's house. To make matters worse, Sage is back in LA after the end of her third marriage, so she'll be dropping in every day to see Cassidy. The icing on the cake: Daisy is married to Sage's high school boyfriend, who just walked out on their marriage with no explanation.

I loved seeing the changing relationships among the three women. All of them have vivid memories of their childhoods, and each is wary of their new circumstances. Daisy resents her father's assumption that she'll take Cassidy in but caves to his expectations and hopes for the best. Sage is at a crossroads in her life and must decide what direction to take. Cassidy is the one who was caught in the middle and forced to choose sides.

With Cassidy's arrival at Daisy's home and Sage's frequent visits, Daisy takes a good look at her choices. She can continue to keep them at a distance or take the high road and see if the relationships could change. There is still a part of her that longs for the sisters Daisy wanted when she was a child. Can she take a chance that enough time has passed that they can overcome the issues that drove them apart? I enjoyed seeing Daisy slowly open her heart to both Sage and Cassidy. It wasn't an easy process, and there were a few bumps along the way. One of the things I loved was the support Daisy received from them as she dealt with her husband's actions. The author is great with these kinds of situations, notably in her Fool's Gold series, and I always enjoy the vision of women looking out for each other. As the weeks went on, the three women experienced a growing love and trust, as they discovered that not everything in the past was exactly the way it seemed.

After the end of her third marriage, Sage returned to LA, looking for a new direction for her life. Raised by her mother to look out for number one, Sage discovered she didn't want to live that way any longer. Stuck living with her mom, Joanne, for now, Sage has plans for her future that entail significant changes. She looks back at her past with regrets over the things she did and wonders if there's a way to make amends. I liked seeing her reach out to Daisy, admit to her mistakes, and confess to what drove her. Sage's connection with Cassidy also changed as she helped Cassidy see the past through different eyes. I ached for Sage as her insecurities led her to make a hurtful mistake with terrible consequences. Now she must decide whether to try to fix what she did or run away from the family she loves.

Cassidy is the youngest and never felt she fit in on either side of her family. As a result, she fears any commitment and uses her work as a travel writer to hide from it. Her childhood, heavily influenced by her mother's attitude, left her often feeling invisible. She came across as quite a brat at the beginning of the book, but with some straight talk from Sage, she discovered a connection she didn't know she craved. I especially enjoyed seeing Cassidy connect with Daisy's kids. Her insecurities keep Cassidy from believing that any relationship lasts.

It wouldn't be a Susan Mallery book without some romance. Cassidy has a boyfriend that has her running scared. She loves him, though she won't admit it and won't give in because "it won't last." Desean's love for Cassidy gave him a tremendous amount of patience as he tried to get past her issues. I loved his conversation with Sage and Daisy and how they encouraged him not to give up. I loved how her sisters' support helped Cassidy get past her fears.

After three marriages, Sage has pretty much given up on relationships and plans to concentrate on her future instead. She doesn't expect to run into a high school classmate living next door to her mother. Adam is a widower still grieving the loss of his wife but can't help reacting to Sage. She, too, is attracted to him. With neither looking for a relationship, they settle on being friends. I enjoyed seeing them spend time together. Their teasing banter was fun to follow, and they clearly had a lot in common. Adam is a refuge for Sage when her mother gets to be too much. There is also a sweet scene at their high school reunion when Adam helps Sage escape the clutches of an old friend. I liked seeing the feelings between them deepen and ached for Sage and her fear that she'd do something to mess it all up. When her fear comes to pass, Sage must face those she hurt and hope for forgiveness.

As for Daisy, her husband of twelve years blindsided her when he moved out with no explanation and no notice other than a text. Jordan initially refuses to tell her why simply telling her "you know why" when she has no idea. Even with counseling, he continues his passive-aggressive attitude. The longer Jordan stays away, the more Daisy begins to suspect that her marriage is over. I liked seeing her go from practically begging him to come back to confronting him over his continued misbehavior. I loved seeing her finally put her foot down. Jordan was quite the man-baby, and I got very tired of seeing him try to blame Daisy for everything and whine about not being the center of her attention.

The other character that was unlikeable was Sage and Cassidy's mother, Joanne. During her marriage to Daisy's dad, she was nasty to Daisy and sabotaged Daisy's relationships with Sage and Cassidy, which continued after the divorce. In the current day, we see Joanne in her pursuit of the net rich man she can latch onto. She continually pushes Sage to do the same thing, including urging her to go after Jordan. Joanne's actions once again attempted to sabotage Sage's relationship, all to suit her own desires.

The epilogue was good. I liked catching up with everyone after the dust settled.

Susan Mallery is one of my favorite authors. From her series to her stand alone novels, she is a force to reckon with in the writing world. The Stepsisters appeals to me because it deals with two women who share a sister, but who are not all that sisterly, until they have to be. Mallery has a way of creating characters that are both lovable and exasperating. I love the cover as well. Mallery's book is a great summer read and she dazzles readers with her skill to spin a yarn that you never want to end.

a poignant and heartwarming story about family and forgiveness.
I loved the flawed character, they are well thought and realistic. You cannot help loving them and feeling for them.
The plot is fast paced and kept me hooked.
An entertaining, moving and compelling story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

3.5 Stars

Being a blended family must be hard, but add a toxic mom/stepmom to the mix and it’s brutal. The sisters have never gotten along (thanks to the Mom) but after all these years, they are learning to see things for what they were/are. Sisters thrown together after one suffers an accident. Can they learn to love each other?

Talk about flaws! These characters have quite a few! Can’t say any are really likable…spoiled, clueless, mean. The ‘mom’ is just a horrible person. I was surprised with the direction the author took one of the characters, and I must admit I wasn’t a fan of it! But it did show another character’s true worth. Definitely a line was crossed. Enjoyable for a quick, summer read. As always I enjoyed this author’s writing style, but the story isn’t a favorite.

Thanks to Ms. Mallery, Harlequin Books and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone!

Daisy Bosarge is a nurse anesthesiologist whose been married for twelve years and is the mother of two young children. When she was eight years old, her widowed father remarried and she gained a stepsister. Daisy was excited at the prospect of having a sibling but nine year old Sage wanted nothing to do with her and became her tormenter. Later, they shared a half sister, Cassidy, who decided to ally with Sage when she got older and ostracized Daisy, too. The relationships were permanently fractured when their father divorced Sage and Cassidy’s mother. It’s been twelve years since Daisy last saw Sage and circumstances have now reunited all three. Cassidy was injured in a climbing accident and her father arranges for her to stay with Daisy, which means Sage will be a daily visitor. Oh, and did I mention that Daisy is married to Sage’s high school boyfriend and he’s decided he needs a break but can’t define from what?

It didn’t take long for me to get drawn into this story that had all the signs of being a predictable (but juicy) soap opera. However, it also didn’t take long for me to recognize this was so much more than a salacious family drama. Each sister had layers of issues to explore that factored greatly into the dynamics of their combined relationship. While there were a few Cinderella-esque moments, this was not a retelling of that story. Daisy is a pleasing person with subtle imperfections; Sage is someone who relies on her beauty and is largely superficial, even to herself; and Cassidy is the one who fell through the cracks, forced to choose sides in order to survive.

What I loved most about this story is how it shifted my perspectives about these women at every turn. Every time I thought I had them figured out, they’d show me something different. It was lovely to see them awkwardly create a new way to relate to each other as adults and embrace being sisters. It was a gradual process that wasn’t all smooth and bump free. But that’s what made it authentic. I opted to listen to the story and the narrator delivered a strong performance for each of the main characters as well as the storytelling. She was so good I finished in one day, unable to figure out a decent stopping point. It’s a strong tale about blended families and the powerful forces that can make them work…or break them. I enjoyed this one immensely.

During your teenaged years it is tough to love a sister you've grown up with, much less a step-sister your age whose strengths are your weaknesses. No, Sage and Daisy didn't like each other, but they both loved Cassidy and by helping her they learned that the other wasn't so bad.

Sage has lived a rough life--her mother was a woman who married for money but never managed to stay that way, probably because she never learned to love. Sage sees that she is heading down that same road and decides to change--but then there is the BIG thing. I'm all for forgiveness but in this case that forgiveness seemed to come awfully easily.

I enjoyed the book and enjoyed watching these three women outgrow childhood animosities and realize that they are loveable, but some of it just seemed too easy. Grade: B.

Once, Daisy and Sage were stepsisters when Daisy’s dad married Sage’s mom. But Sage was always the popular and beautiful one while Daisy always felt like the smart but socially awkward one and as Sage dealt with her beauty as a weapon and put Daisy down, always trading her looks for popularity. As their parents divorced, they drifted apart until Daisy married Sage’s first love and Sage fled the country. Now years later, Daisy and Sage are brought back together as sisters as their youngest sister, Cassidy, needs them more than ever. But Daisy is dealing with a fragile marriage and Sage is trying to grow up and deal with her choices-bad and good. As the three sisters’ bond and find themselves growing closer, friendship blooms between them. Until one careless act manages to destroy the fragile bond they have. As Daisy, Sage and Cassidy find out, sometimes families make mistakes, forgive and move on but it’s up to them to decide if forgiving is an option or drifting apart is better.

THE STEPSISTERS is Susan Mallery’s newest book that delves into the relationships of sisters-step and half siblings- and how the past can color the memories as well as taint the present lens we see people with. I really enjoyed how Sage and Daisy find their way to one another again as sisters as they help Cassidy deal with her issues. As with all families, sometimes the memories you hold fast to might not be the whole story as you have just one part of a whole. I really liked Cassidy and how she was like all annoying little sisters/siblings but also how much the bond and fragile truce that sprung up between the three girls helped heal some rifts even as they worked through things from the past to get to where they were in the present. The characters are quite vibrant and entertaining to me. I loved Esmerelda as a secondary character as her wit and caring came across wonderfully in the pages and I enjoyed how Daisy finally stood up for herself and put herself first as she dealt with her marriage ending. The story flows seamlessly and you get a sense of how each of the three sisters continued to grow and move on as they finally dealt with past mistakes, issues, etc.

THE STEPSISTERS is more than a book about siblings, it’s about family, forgiveness and how to move on when you make a mistake that hurts the one you love. I love how each sister is so different from one another and how their personalities really shine forth. Daisy- mother of two who is dealing with a troubled marriage that has her in knots, Sage, who was married and divorced three times but never truly in love before and Cassidy, so afraid of love she would rather be alone than take a chance on trusting herself and the man she is in love with. All three are wildly different but also the same. Each has insecurities, fears and at the core, a deep love for one another along with regrets of past mistakes. Each page showed me how dynamic these three are apart but together, they are exceptional people. Susan Mallery delivers a timeless classic that will resonate with the reader and deliver a satisfying ending that will leave you in tears and a wide smile on your face. The last half of the book moved really quickly, and I won’t spoil what happens but suffice to say I was even shocked by what went down. THE STEPSISTERS is a wonderful book to read on a lazy afternoon or at the beach. I look forward to seeing where Ms. Mallery goes next and if we will meet up with these three characters again in the future. I would love to know how all moved on and if they got their own happy ever after.

This is an objective review and not and endorsement.

I enjoyed reading about this family’s dynamics, and the relationships and friendships (or lack thereof) between each of the sisters. There are power struggles, hurt, and resentment that has built throughout the years and they are now faced with having to overcome these, as one of the sisters now needs help from the other two sisters. Daisy and Sage are the two oldest sisters, becoming a family when Daisy’s dad married Sage’s mom. Together they then had their youngest sister Cassidy. Sides are taken within the family amongst the sisters, and they can never seem to get along.

I enjoyed Daisy’s character and couldn’t help feeling sorry for her as I read from her point of view and seeing things from her perspective. She had a lot to deal with not only from her step-sister Sage but also from youngest half-sister Cassidy, who always seemed to take her mom’s side, as well as Sage’s side, leaving Daisy the odd one out. Not to mention the fact that Daisy never did get along with her step-mother.

A great book that I recommend you read!

This is 100% family drama from beginning to end, and I couldn’t put it down.
Right from the beginning, I knew that the story would have many tense situations. I’m not exactly sure how I knew that based on a child throwing up (opening scene). But it certainly seemed to set the tone.
The author did a good job of making each of the stepsisters (Daisy, Sage, and Cassidy) individuals with their own sets of issues. None of them were a stereotype, and all three seemed like real people with real problems.
They each had very different lives from each other and from anything that I’ve known. I also couldn’t relate to them personality-wise too much. But I still liked them.
Sometimes a character is so different from what a reader personally knows or is familiar with it makes it hard to understand their motivations. That wasn’t the case here. The author succeeded in making the sisters understandable, if not exactly relatable.
That sounds weird, I know. I think it was more that I could read from a detached point of view instead of being swayed by one sister’s story over another’s.
It goes without saying that all three ladies experience tremendous personal growth over the course of the story. What I found interesting was that not only did they share a dad, but they could all pretty much trace their problems with each other to Joanne (Cassidy and Sage’s mother).
She was a real piece of work. And it was also interesting that she continued to be a thorn in Daisy’s side even late in the book, as I see her as directly responsible for knowing how to manipulate Sage.
(No spoilers, you’ll have to read it to understand what I mean).
I found myself wondering whether Joanne was bitter toward Daisy for perceived wrongs in the past and was actively still trying to hurt her emotionally. I think maybe that’s accurate.
Sage was an interesting character as well. She obviously had the brunt of Joanne’s dysfunction and carried it into her adult life. I had an aunt like that (not the same dysfunction as the book but being exposed to a situation for longer and carrying it into adulthood).
I also liked Esmerelda. She was no-nonsense and loyal to Daisy. It seemed as if she served as Daisy’s conscience at times, or maybe her alter ego, being tough when Daisy couldn’t be.
As far as the plot, there’s too much to recount. But the stepsisters journey together to a place of new understanding as each of them recognizes their perspectives and how they were shaped by events they didn’t have full understanding of in the past.
I know that was convoluted. But as I said, it’s a family drama, and those are never straightforward. If you’re looking for a more dramatic beach read, I would definitely recommend this book.