This is a lovely, sometimes hard-to-read story about a woman trying to let go of her need to be needed while dealing with the guilt of being the primary caregiver for her special needs sister. It took me a little while to get into but it was very worth it. The narrator’s voice is honest and self-deprecating and she is a real woman with flaws that is just trying her best and sometimes getting it right and sometimes royally f**king it up.

I especially liked that this is a book about a middle-aged woman who is having a hard time letting go of being needed by people around her because I think that speaks to a reality of motherhood that sometimes isn’t addressed. You go from being intensely needed by your children for EVERYTHING and then they’re adults and you have to redefine that aspect of who you are. And, in this main character’s case, it’s doubly complicated by her separation from her husband of over 20 years and the fact that she feels she is responsible for her sister.

Just a really well-written book that I really enjoyed.

In her debut, Zusy explored family dynamics and the ups and downs of being a caregiver. As I read this book, I couldn’t help but think of my aunt who spent her life caring for two children with intellectual disabilities. In fact, Ginny reminded me a lot of my cousin Theresa. She could be difficult and constantly tried to work around my aunt’s rules, but I also have fond memories of her and the love my aunt shared with her.

The strength of this story was that Zusy was able to show me both sides so well. Ginny was a diabetic who almost died of sepsis but was quite unwilling to alter her diet. Maggie was on the brink of giving up, time and time again, but then she would reflect on her childhood memories of Ginny and how much joy Ginny brought to her life. I also thought the exploration of caring for an adult sibling was interesting, in that Maggie grew to recognize and respect her sister’s autonomy. I imagine that can be really challenging given the situation, but such an important thing to consider.

The beauty of this story was in all the relationships, but especially in recognizing that Ginny enriched the lives of all those around her. Through the laughter, the tears, and the frustrations experienced by everyone, it was easy to see how much they brought to each other lives, and I was happy to be a part of this journey.

Phew this was not for me. The writing was uncomfortable and the characters were cloying. I couldn’t keep track of all the quirks. The sisters seemed to not care about each other at all, bordering on abusive towards each other. Not very nice to read about.

I'm not really sure what I expected from The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream, but it certainly was not the completely charming, true-to-real-life heartwarmer that I just finished! When Maggie Frederick gets the dreaded call that her diabetic older sister Ginny, who also has intellectual disabilities, is hospitalized after eating too much jello, the reality that Ginny is no longer able to live independently. The decision to move Ginny close to Maggie, and to hire full-time home health care to assist her sister, is one that many of us have to make, and like most such situations is not easy on any level.

The synopsis sounds fairly serious, but there is a lot of love and humor portrayed on the pages. I enjoyed 'watching' the growth in the sisters' relationship, as well as the interactions with the oldest sister, an aging surf star who lives across the country. The situations that the women found themselves in were realistically written, as were the interactions between all the characters in the book. The humor is tasteful, funny without mocking or silliness, and not over-the-top goofy.

Anyone who has a relative who needs help living independently will recognize themselves between the pages of this novel, and those who do not find themselves in that circumstance will be able to relate to the family dynamics.

Maggie has her hands full and all of the emotions too. This was a very realistic story and situation. I found it hard to stop reading.
Many thanks to Atria Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I had to DNF this book. It just wasn't for me. The plot was cute, but for me, the story moved very slowly.

I don't think this was the book for me. I didn't connect with any of the characters and had to DNF less than halfway through. It was pegged as part Eleanor Oliphant (which I loved!), but I don't think I made it far enough to notice any similarities.

I think this would be a great book for the right reader.

I absolutely loved Elinor Oliphant, so when this book was compared to hers, I was excited to read it. Ultimately, I struggled a bit to get through this one. I am one of three sisters, and I could really relate to Maggie’s character, and her desire to make sure Ginny, a sister with disabilities, as well as everyone around her, is taken care of. The relationship dynamics between the sisters was very relatable and I love the true and raw portrayal of helping a loved one. Overall, the story dragged for me though. I struggled a bit with the writing style, and some parts felt more rushed, while others too long. While this debut was not my favorite, I am interested to see what Zusy writes next.


3.5 Stars

Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for the early copy

Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒
Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream by Jeannie Zusy is a look at a woman who is a caretaker to her sister with intellectual disabilities. It’s emotional, funny, and a bit chaotic, but totally worthwhile reading.

Maggie is the youngest of three sisters and lives just outside of New York City with her two almost adult sons. Betsy is the oldest and is living the dream out in California, running a surfing school. Ginny is the middle child and she is diabetic and has intellectual disabilities and lives independently in Maryland where the family grew up.

When Maggie gets a call that her sister, Ginny is in the hospital, she doesn’t hesitate to drop everything and go help her. But, when she gets to Maryland, she realizes that Ginny needs more help than she expected. She decides to bring her to New York where she can live closer. But, Maggie has her own chaotic life. She’s separated from her husband and trying to date while raising two boys and keeping up with her freelance job.

Maggie is far from perfect and makes her own mistakes in her life, but her love for her sister is never in question. I liked how the book demonstrated both the highs and lows of being a caretaker. Ginny was my favorite character. She was always so frank, and her observations of the family were sometimes right on point.

The writing was a stream of consciousness from the main character, Maggie. We all find out how her actions affect others around her at the same time she does. I thought the middle was a bit slow, but it was also full of the frustrations and challenges of caring for an adult with intellectual disabilities and day-to-day family issues.

Overall this is a heartwarming story about the difficulties of being a caretaker, a mother, a wife, and a sister, and still trying to be her own person.
I highly recommend The Frederick Sisters are Living the Dream to anyone who enjoys heartwarming fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Okay story. I felt, though, it didn't deliver fully on the premise of dealing with a person with special needs;it became more of the caretakers story. It's as if the author tried to juggle too many storylines and none of them received full coverage.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The premise to this novel sounded excellent, but I found the writing to be a bit too bland for my tastes.

This book made it very easy to empathize with the main characters pain and the struggle she faces while being responsible for her disabled sister. There were certain additions to the plot that made no sense to me but all in all a good read

This beautiful book blew me away. I went into it with little expectations, just hoping it was good. I was immediately drawn into the powerful story about sisters and the struggles of caregiving. While it's heavy and serious at times, it's also light in other moments with some fantastic humor. The characters and their interactions are realistic and I felt for all of them at different times. Being a caregiver myself, although not to this same degree, I feel the author truly captured the moments of frustration and despair as well as the moments of joy and love. My only problem with the book was I was left wanting more closure at the end. I highly recommend this one.

Perfect vacation read, a sweeping family epic of three sisters, all very different, learning to adult.  At times darkly funny, but also an honest look at supporting an adult with disabilities and health issues.  I loved the characters, human and animal, the relationships and the way many different issues were portrayed with love and honesty.   I also want to mention the caregivers and how wonderful they were.
Lovely, dysfunctional, sad, funny, and quirky.  Great debut!

I’m sorry I cannot give feedback for this book. I read the first 20% and it wasn’t for me. I didn’t want to leave a bad review on a book I did not finish. Thank you for this opportunity.

I enjoyed this book quite a lot. Zusy created a bunch of complex characters. While most of the book reads like a stream of consciousness from the point of view of youngest sister, the caregiver Maggie, there is also plenty of humor and heartwarming moments. It felt like I was sitting on a couch with Maggie, a glass of wine in hand, listening to her experiences about juggling caregiving for her sister, being a mom of two boys, one in HS one in college on top of a demanding career. 
While quite entertaining this book made me think a lot. Like would I be as patient and generous with Ginny as Maggie was without receiving any form of appreciation. It also raised many questions: One was where does the autonomy of a person with intellectual disabilities ends? Ginny has diabetes but won't stop sneaking in sugar. Does Maggie and Ginny's nurses let Ginny whatever she wants or whatever is best for Ginny?

I believe Maggie's heart was in the right place. She thought she would "brighten up Ginny's dark life, open up her small world" but in the end Ginny is an individual and change is hard for everyone. When Maggie gets frustrated she reminds herself that Ginny is doing her best she could in her personal capacity. She gets that Ginny doesn't want to be a burden and that she has enough pride that she doesn't come right out and ask for assistance, so she'd drop hints about whatever it was needed to have fixed. 

There is also family anonymity. Oldest sister Betsy is distant and doesn't help much. Through the end of the book, we find out Bets's truth. And there is some sort of reconciliation between the sisters.

At the earlier parts of the book, there were sections that made me feel bad because it felt like I was laughing at the expense of Ginny or rather her disability. I considered not reading the rest. But I also had a feeling the author was speaking from experience. Upon reading the acknowledgements I understood that she was. Her gratitude for her late brother's caregivers is apparent in the book. Ginny's two nurses Philomena and Lika are painted in such a bright light. 

This was an impressive debut and I'd pick up what Jeannie Zusy writes next

The Frederick Sisters are Living the Dream was a mixed bag for me. Maggie is the youngest sister tasked with making sure her mentally challenged sister Ginny is rehabbed after experiencing a fall. The book begins with Maggie moving Ginny to a facility close to Maggie’s house. Maggie is very relatable- trying to keep her own life together while helping Ginny. Ginny is a piece of work- somewhat like an overgrown toddler who knows how to use Amazon. While I loved their interactions and struggles, the story dragged, especially the beginning. We never get a full picture of the third sister, Bets. Hidden in the story are some good life lessons- like always listen to your people.

A very unique story that ultimately was just not for me. Being a SLP I was happy to see a main character with ID and enjoyed that angle, but I found the plot a bit too slow paced to stay interested.

I am the older sibling to a brother who has special needs, and given this personal connection to the story, I was very excited to read it. Unfortunately, this one did not deliver in the ways I had hoped. Perhaps it tapped into my own worries about the reality that I will one day be financially, medically, and emotionally responsible for him, but this was not my favorite portrayal of life as a sibling. That said, it did have some realistic moments--particularly the struggles of trying to provide your sibling with agency and autonomy, while also acknowledging that they may not be capable of making all life-related decisions on their own. Maggie's overwhelming life, in turn, made me very overwhelmed and tainted my overall experience of this book.

This was the perfect reset book for me. I’ve been reading only romance and needed to change things up a bit. This was probably one of the most real books I’ve read in quite some time.

It was dark, it was funny, it was sad. It’s been a long time since I read a book that made me feel things and have to think about how I’d react in the main character’s shoes. This book made me feel all of those things and ask really hard questions. This was a very good read. Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.