Quick Take:
This was an adorable story about some quirky sisters and a great cast of side characters - and - my favorite part - two dogs! I love a sisters story - in this one we have Maggie and Ginny who both are dealing with some life issues - marriage, health, motherhood, all the things. I didn't feel as emotionally invested as I expected to but overall this was a nice read and made me want to go hug my big sister. The chapters were LONG so I feel like it would have moved a bit faster if the parts were split up into shorter chapters, but overall this is a good read filled with unique and quirky characters and the bond that sisters share.

I was able to download this title from NetGalley. I was drawn to the book because of the description. I had just finished Eleanore Oliphant and I really enjoyed it, and the description on The Frederick Sisters said fans of Gail Honeyman might also enjoy this.

The description of The Frederick Sisters was hilarious and made me laugh out loud. I wanted to love this book, but I made it about ten percent through before deciding this wasn’t for me. My main issue is with the pacing and organization of the story.

I didn’t love that there was so much backstory immediately. The two sisters are driving from Maryland to New York but most of the story is a callback to when Ginny and Maggie (and Betsy, who I immediately decided I didn’t like) are kids. We also get a peak into Maggie’s current relationship situation with her ex. It all just felt like too much to be introduced to so early in the book.

Maggie find herself suddenly having to her her sister's caretaker, with their other sister living on the other side of the country.
The story itself was too slow for me.

Quirky and fun - with some un-put-downable moments. I read this in one sitting and was genuinely curious about how the sisters would navigate it all. Great read covering a variety of real life struggles and the motives of why we do things as a family. I appreciate the the copy of this for a review. I would give it 3 stars as there were moments that I felt myself pushing through rather than reading through with anticipation.

"The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream," by Jeannie Zusy is a story about family and how we try to care for eachother, even during the most challenging of circumstances.

Maggie Frederick, a separated, broke, mother of two, is forced to move her sister, Ginny, a woman with special needs, from her home in Maryland after having a near-death infection. It comes with many challenges, least of all, that their older sister Bets is living "The Life," in California and is not interested in helping at all.. Over the course of a couple of years, we see how Maggie, Ginny, and Bets lives intertwine in heartfelt ways.

While, I liked the character development, I felt the story was slow and mundane. I appreciate how the characters change, but found that it seemed to happen with time and not with any great plot development. Nevertheless, thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

One of those books with "quirky" characters like Eleanor Oliphant, it's the story of three sisters. There's one responsible one, one free spirit, and one who is special needs. Despite all their flaws, they're a loving family. It's funny, sweet, and dramatic in places. The frustration of being a caregiver for a sibling, and feeling like you're doing it all while other siblings do nothing, is perfectly captured in Maggie. And the lesson that each of the sisters learns is that thinking "the grass is always greener" most often in discovering it isn't.

All the characters are well written, likeable, except perhaps Betsy, but eventually it is revealed why she has chosen to live her life the way she has. Maggie's narration is like the Energizer Bunny on Red Bull. A lot of the time it's just stream-of-consciousness, as if the reader is there and she's just filling silence, but having been a caregiver for both my parents for many years and watching my brother do nothing until it was time for the will reading, I get Maggie so much. And Ginny, she's something else. Sometimes she comes across as the smartest of all of them, besides having some mental disability.

I loved this book. I look forward to more by this author.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions offered are mine and freely given.

This was a really slow-moving plot for me. It felt like a stream of consciousness that I couldn't keep up with and one that won't stay with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books as well as the author for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
#NetGalley #AtriaBooks #JeannieZusy #TheFrederickSistersAreLivingTheDream
What a sweet book! Not my usual genre but, when there’s a dog in the story I usually can’t resist. I’m glad I read this one.
When the E.R. calls Maggie to tell her that her neurodiverse and diabetic, older sister has been brought in for trouble with her diabetes, she knows Ginny can’t live alone any longer. Maggie will now be her caretaker. What follows is a sweet story about family and the difficulties of being a main caretaker.
This story is full of emotion and hard truths. Anyone who has been the main support system for someone knows this theme well. The difficulties that include guilt, time constraints, and the feeling that nothing you do helps or is even appreciated. This book is written from the point of view of the main character so the reader is treated to all of her struggles as a mother and a sister, even as a wife. There are a lot of high-running emotions as well as some laughs and, of course, the dogs. The dogs were my favorite part.
Parts of the book were a bit slow, but, overall, it was a great book. 4.5 stars

The Frederick Sisters are Living the dream is about the realities of life.

Bets, the oldest, is a surfing superstar. She left home at 18, and has rarely looked back. She feels that everyone should do what feels good and live only in the moment.

Virginia, the middle child, was born with special needs, and is on the spectrum. She's retired from her job as a school custodian. Her uncontrolled diabetes has caused disabilities that mean she can no longer live alone.

Maggie is the youngest. She's separated from her husband, has one son in college and another in high school. She's stepped up to oversee Ginny's care.

This is a story of familial relationships and the challenges that they bring. I would recommend this title to everyone, particularly those in the "sandwich" generation.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a free digital copy of this title to review.

#TheFrederickSistersareLivingtheDream#JenniferZusy#NetGalley

Thanks so much to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advance read in exchange for this review.

Maggie gets a call from Maryland and her older sister with intellectual disabilities can no longer live on her own. She picks her and her dog up and drives them both back to New York. There's another sister, but of course she is on the other coast and cannot help.

Maggie is in the middle of a divorce, is raising 2 boys, works in advertising, and is now a caretaker. There is humor and sadness as she tries to deal with everything that comes along when you are a caretaker.

This book was hilarious. I loved Maggie. I was hesitant to read this after reading some of the other reviews, but now I think those reviews were too harsh. The book is glimpse into Maggie's life as she cares for her sister. I thought the author did a good job of handling a delicate subject but also adding so much humor to it. Maggie thinks she is doing what is best for her sister, but Ginny has her own antics and ideas.

The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream by Jeannie Zusy is a heartwarming novel that delves into the complexities of family relationships, especially when it comes to caring for a sibling with special needs. When Maggie's sister, Ginny, who has intellectual disabilities and diabetes, overdoses on strawberry Jell-O, Maggie takes her in to live with her in upstate New York.

The story explores Maggie's journey as a caretaker for Ginny, and the challenges she faces in juggling her responsibilities as a mother, freelancer, and now, caretaker. The novel is filled with humor and compassion, as Zusy delves into the intricacies of the sisters' relationships, including the tension between Maggie and their other sister, Betsy, who is against the idea of Ginny living with Maggie.

Zusy does an excellent job of capturing Ginny's character and her struggles, from her addiction to sugar, to her porn habit and reluctance to cooperate. The story is told through Maggie's perspective, and her dark humor and patience in dealing with Ginny's antics are endearing.

Overall, The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream is a touching novel about the importance of family, the challenges of caregiving, and the power of love and compassion. It will make you laugh, cry, and appreciate the bonds that hold us together, even in the most difficult of circumstances.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Didn't enjoy this one. Kind of dragged along, boring, nothing really happened. Felt like it was trying too hard at some points.

This book is a little different from the normal books I read, and I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy it. I found myself really engaged with the story, however, and I thought the dynamics between the sisters was entertaining and realistic, with the added element of Ginny’s disability and Maggie’s continued caregiving brought some depth to the story.

Ginny’s antics while Maggie tries to do her best for her are hilarious, and I love the way disability was portrayed in this story. I appreciate that Ginny had just as much character and development as the other characters.

4.5/5

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Three very different sisters who both dearly love and deeply resent each other navigate themselves and each other through middle aged crisis after crisis. The novel is raw, sad, hilarious, and hopeful.

I love it!

As someone who was a caretaker of her parents, both with debilitating illnesses, this book hit a bit harder in some places than others .

I laughed through the tears as Maggie navigated becoming the primary caregiver to her sister Ginny and tried to work through issues with her other sister, who wasn't really in the picture.

Maggie's journey was sad, funny, and truly a love story for her relationship with her sisters and immediate family.

I'm going to buy a copy for my sister!

Maggie Frederick might be the youngest of three sisters, but going against the sibling stereotype, she’s also the most responsible. Her eldest sister, Betsy, conveniently lives on the other side of the country. There she’s seemingly sitting pretty- making a name for herself as a professional surfer and flirting with a Dancing With the Stars stint-all while successfully shirking any familial responsibilities, that is.

Meanwhile their other sister, Ginny, has intellectual disabilities that Maggie has tended to (on some level) all of her adult life. Then one day, Maggie gets a call that the diabetic Ginny is in the ER. Realizing Ginny is no longer capable of living completely on her own, Maggie moves her to be closer to her. Initially Ginny is placed in a care facility, but she quickly overstays her welcome. Before long Maggie makes the difficult decision to hire home care, allowing the fiercely independent Ginny to be as self sufficient as possible.

The complicated sister dynamic is the root of this story, but this book is also a unique blend of humor and heartbreak. Although it’s told solely from Maggie’s perspective, both Ginny, and even to a certain extent, Betsy’s wants and needs shine through. Walking the fine line, writer Jeannie Zusy painfully outlines what it’s like to be the care taker for a mentally challenged sibling, all while managing to inject some much needed laughs to diffuse the situation. After all, they don’t say you laugh so you don’t cry for nothing!

In some ways this book reminded me of the movie Rainman in its descriptive depiction of the difficult power struggle that can occur when one sibling is aware they have to me the taker and never the giver. The ironic title is not lost on this reader, how its poignant message is whet will really stick with me.

After looking at the GoodReads reviews for this one; I’m definitely in the minority. The plot was too slow for me and I just didn’t find myself reaching for this one.

I wanted to get back to reading it as quickly possible!
I was not sure about this book but it's such a good surprise . I love the diversity in representation in it and the authenticity of the characters. None of them is perfect there all a little frustrating but with time and understanding they look more and more lovable.
There are some very touching moments and some very deep one but it's stay an easy and light read. I could have stay in this book for days !!

Maggie's older sister, Ginny, is intellectually disabled, and when she needs care, Maggie moves Ginny to NY to live near her. She becomes a caregiver for Ginny, but Ginny doesn't want Maggie's help-resisting her suggestions at every turn. Maggie is a mess, agonizing over her decisions, her children, her job, her ex-husband, her love life. Maggie means well, but doesn't seem to have a great handle on things.
Ginny loves sweets but she is diabetic, which increases her risks. She also loves a dog, Rascal, and a baby doll. She is also known to place orders on Amazon, and has an obsession with hot men and sex.
The story also touches on another sister, Bets, who lives in CA, and isn't keen on the idea of Maggie taking Ginny to NY.
Some funny moments, but I tired of the mess that Maggie was. The sweet part was the love the sisters had for each other.

What a wonderful story. And what a wonderful depiction of the dynamics between 3 sisters, one of which has special needs. It's hard to know how you would deal with a sibling with special needs and especially after the parents are gone. I really enjoyed this story and would highly recommend it.