All families are imperfect in my opinion. Everyone struggles with something at some time. Luckily, we usually make it through. Will that be what happens for the Frederick sisters?

There are three of these siblings. Ginny is the one who has the most outwardly visible issues. She has some intellectual impairment and also the physical challenge of diabetes. As the book opens, Ginny’s younger sister Maggie has traveled to Maryland in order to move Ginny up to New York. It is felt that Maggie can no longer live on her own. The third sister, Betsy, is a surfer and on the west coast as the novel opens. Not much help there, Maggie concludes.

Will these three come together? Who will teach whom what? What will the reader feel for these characters and who might be a favorite? Read this book to see.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Thank you for the opportunity to review "The Frederick Sisters are Living the Dream" by Jeannie Zusy. This isn't the sort of title/story I'd usually request through NetGalley, but I think that some of my own recent life events drew me to this, based on description. It is a quick, easy read, and certainly entertaining. Perhaps not entirely my cup of tea for future reads, but that's not the author's fault at all. She did a great job with this. Just not really my type of story. I do appreciate the opportunity to branch out and explore. I am awarding 4 stars for the obvious quality of the work.

After Maggie's developmentally delayed sister Ginny ends up in the hospital and needs more care, Maggie drives her from her home five hours away to live nearer to Maggie in a rehab facility. Maggie is juggling her work and her relationships with her sons, her ex, her other sister Bets while trying to settle Ginny and her angry dog into a new life. It took me a bit to get into this one but it ended up being pretty good. 3 stars.

I really appreciate what the author is trying to do here. I do think it’s difficult when a blurb of a book mentions that it’s like a book I adored (Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine). It makes it a challenging bar to exceed.

The writing style of this novel is stream of consciousness. We hear a steady stream of Maggie’s thoughts with sudden time jumps. It almost reads like a long four-part diary entry. I think it might work better as a diary with dates added, or the writing should be a little tighter if the author wants it to remain a novel.

Then let’s move to disability representation. Ginny is Maggie’s older sister, and we are told Ginny has been intellectually disabled since she was young; she repeated sixth grade, and then she was sent to a special school. Throughout the book, we are exposed to two pieces of evidence of this repeatedly: 1) she soils herself (which is a recent phenomenon) and 2) she can’t spell. That’s it. And for the record, plenty of people do both of these things and aren't intellectually disabled. Ginny wears bright clothes and uses accessories like fanny packs, but I don’t consider these characteristics of someone who is intellectually disabled. Her dialogue doesn’t seem substantially different than your uncle would say at Christmas dinner. Do I give too much latitude as a reader for what I’d consider intellectually disabled? Or is this character unfairly labeled? Nothing she said seemed to be particularly dense, so I had a lot of eyebrow furrowing as I was trying to decipher what the author was trying to do and make me feel because I don’t think I “got” it.

The main character Maggie is a mess, a much bigger mess than her older sister Ginny in many ways. I don’t want to spoil how she’s a mess, but take my word for it. I feel like the whole novel I felt that, but I think the author thought this was supposed to be our grand conclusion even though I already got there by the time I was 10% in the book.

I’m hopeful that some of these nitpicky things will be cleaned up in the published version, as we are still 5 months out from publication. Again, I think the guts of this are good, but I think the execution needs some work.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Every once in a while you read a book that truly stays with you for a while. This was one of those books.
Jeannie Zusy’s story of the Frederick sisters paints the picture of an adult with a disability in a way that few authors can. GinGin is not always loveable and not always agreeable. She faces the world with a long list of challenges and yet somehow she strips away all the unimportant and knows what really matters. Zusy’s characters are broken and searching, but the story is told with incredible humor and care.
This book made me think about what it is like to be the care-taker of an adult sibling from close by and from far away. It reminds us of our family roles and how those roles evolve, but never truly change. This story is about caring, family, and using humor to diffuse difficult times. You will grow to love these characters and root for their success. Jeannie Zusy has written a wonderful book!

This was a longer book, but the story was also told over the span of a few years. I loved that this wasn’t a romance necessarily, but more about the relationship between sisters. There were a lot of characters that I wanted to grow a connection with, but didn’t. BUT I fell in love with the crazy dogs, which makes sense. My biggest issue I think is I like to know the timing of the story, and sometimes you had to guess where you were in the story (timeline wise), which to me made it feel choppy at times.

I would highly recommend this story to someone who wants a story about family relationships, the good, the bad, the and the ugly.

The Frederick Sisters are Living the Dream
by Jeannie Zusy
Pub Date: September 20. 2022
Atria Books
Thanks to the author, Atria, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I really wanted to love this book because it highlights the struggles and demanding nature of caring for a family member with disabilities in a real authentic way. You can feel Maggie's frustrations with both her sisters. But it didn't come off as moving or funny as I thought it would be.
It was hard for me to get through this book. I did not enjoy the style of writing. I cannot recommend this book.
3 stars

No matter how hard we try to understand the members of our family, we will always fall short. Though we lived in the same house for years, each of us remembers the events differently which leads to bad feelings, harbored guilt, and the greatest misunderstandings of our lives. Add in a family member who is mentally challenged, and guilt and blame hide in every corner.

Ginny is mentally disabled - a little bit. Bets lives in California and appears to be irresponsible and is never around to help when things go wrong. Maggie takes everyone's problems on her shoulders. Each remembers the events of their growing up years differently. When Ginny faces a health crisis, Maggie jumps in to solve the problems and assume the care of Ginny.

Can this family ever understand each other and put their lives back together?

Reading this story of one family's struggles puts the reader in the middle. It evokes sympathy, anger, pity, and hope.

Maggie’s life has shifted as she finds out her sister, Ginny, will need someone to take care of her. This is the story of two sisters and the bond they share, lives changed and the love of a woman and her sister who has intellectual disabilities and Diabetes. This book was well-written, quirky, and an absolute gem!

Maggie, a separated mother of two soon to be adult boys, works as a storyboard artist, flavors her daily coffee with Baileys Irish Cream, and finishes her day with a bottle of wine. Maggie takes care of her special needs sister, Ginny, who lived in Maryland, but now, due to health issues caused by a love of sugar, lives outside New York City near Maggie. Betsy, the oldest sister is a California surfer and business woman, searching to reignite her fame with a stint on Dancing with the Stars. The Frederick Sisters are Living the Dream presents many family issues among a small extended group: guilty, health, responsibility, and love are just a few. The novel is funny, sad, and at times, written a bit over the top. And there are dogs. Readers cannot help but like Ginny who is a sage at times, and other time a rage.

I really like that we are seeing more books with diverse characters, including characters on the spectrum as is the case in this book. This story was very original, realistic, and refreshing. I think those who have gone through caring for a special needs individual, have teenagers/older children, have been married/divorced, basically those who have life experience will enjoy this book the most.

Synopsis:

After retiring from her janitorial job and being hospitalized for sepsis. Ginny who is intellectually disabled with diabeties can no longer return to her home in Maryland where she lived independently with her dog Rascal. Instead her younger sister Maggie becomes her caregiver and moves her into a seniors home where Ginny would have around the clock care. After Ginny becomes extremely unhappy because she has been separated from her dog Rascal. Maggie helps Ginny move into a new house close by and hires two immigrant caregivers that provide her with 24/7 care. Maggies is also trying to navigate her freelancing art career, separation from her husband after 20 plus years of marriage, and relationships with her two young adult sons. Meanwhile the oldest sister Bets is living her best life in California leaving all the decisions regarding Ginny up to Maggie.

I really wanted to love this book because it highlights the struggles and demanding nature of caring for a family member with disabilities in a real authentic way. You can feel Maggies frustrations with both her sisters. But it didn't come off as moving or funny as I thought it would be.

Thank you to @netgalley and Atria books for providing me the ARC of The Frederick Sisters are living the dream in exchange for an honest review.

The story of 2 middle aged sisters navigating life's complications together. I loved the premise, and am always here for characters who are at later, less explored stages of life. However the stream-of-consciousness style of writing was so all over the place that it became a distraction for me and I couldn't enjoy the story.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this e-ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

The Frederick Sisters are Living the Dream
Jeannie Zusy
Publication: August 2, 2022
This book was one thing...... REAL LIFE!!!! You will become wildly invested in the Frederick sisters and their lives. Maggie, the caregiver, Bets, the free-spirited surfer, Ginny, the special needs sister but, all of them were so much more then those basic labels. Mix in the other characters and you have a recipe for a delightful book! The character growth that you see through out the story is fantastic! I highly recommend this read! Glad I can add it to my 2022 list!

Separated, raising two teenage boys, and now faced with caring for her disabled sister, Maggie has a full plate. Navigating life is messy and maybe by trying to take on everyone else’s problems, she’s actually neglecting the relationships she holds.

This book was filled with deep family trauma. From an undiagnosed, handicapped sister who is fighting for her independence to the other older sister who is thought to be living the glamorous and free California life, to Maggie- the middle aged, separated, mother. The character develop of Maggie learning to let go of control and embrace her own life and individuality was heartwarming. The author does a beautiful job at showing things aren’t as they always appear and having those support networks is what keeps you going. Maggie is a lovable character and relatable in the sense of trying to put every one else’s needs first, trying to be the caretaker and peacemaker. She’s overbearing at times and neglects to open up to herself or anyone else but her growth throughout was beautiful. If you’re searching for some diverse family dynamics and hard life choices with a mix of letting go and personal growth- this one is for you.

I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the Frederick sisters. The stream-of-consciousness narration style invites the reader into the complicated web of family. A vivid representation of sisterhood. Anyone who has experience caring for a loved one (and knows firsthand the accompanying layers of frustration, love, obligation, and sacrifice) will connect with this story immediately. 4 Stars.

I was very excited to receive this advance copy especially since it was compared to Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Where'd You Go, Bernadette. However, I found this book to be quite different and so much more about the complexities of family, care giving, and love. I liked the book - the three Frederick sisters are all very different - and react differently when an emergency arises. Author Zusy does an excellent job weaving the history and emotions of each character into a unique and enjoyable story.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited to read this book, I loved Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Where’d You Go, Bernadette but was very disappointed in this book. I found it very hard to read due to the writing style. It was like a stream of consciousness writing where nothing was very deep. I found that Maggie would jump from thought to thought with nothing connecting them. I wanted more story from Bets and while Ginny could be overwhelmingly frustrating, I wished there was more story with her and her caretakers while Maggie was not around. The story is really more about Maggie and not them as sisters. I found that this book was easy to put down and I had a really hard time finishing it.

The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream
A Novel
by Jeannie Zusy

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.
A story of sisters, I can't see the dream though. It was a kind of read where Maggie finds herself caring for Ginny, her older sister with intellectual disabilities and health challenges. I loved Maggie. She also had me misty-eyed.. I found little or no humor.

This book explores the complexity of family relationships and caretaking of an adult sibling. For the three sisters, Maggie, Betsy, and Ginny, they are each faced with secrets from the past and have to navigate through boundaries of sisterhood. The middle sister Ginny, is diabetic and special needs, certainly put Maggie through some challenging times. Overall, the book flows nicely and gives each of the characters a chance for development. It is a sentimental and compelling.