The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream could be called The Curse of the Caregiver. The guilt. The anger. The lack of time. The feeling that no matter what you’re doing it’s wrong/not enough/unappreciated. Maggie gets the call no one wants to get. Her developmentally challenged sister is in the hospital. She’s been living independently down in Maryland, but she wasn’t handling her diabetes, has gotten sepsis and now needs rehab. So Maggie brings her and her ornery dog north to NY State. And it’s not like Maggie doesn’t have other things on her plate - she’s left her irresponsible husband, has two teenage sons and a demanding job. Her older sister is living her own life on the west coast and can’t be bothered.
I felt for Maggie. Zusy takes her time setting up the story and fleshing out both sisters. Ginny is with it enough to want her independence, even if she can’t fully understand the repercussions of some of her actions. Maggie has always been the responsible sister and it’s weighing on her. She’s drinking too much and forgetting how to have fun. We don’t get a real sense of Bets until well into the book. And even then, I struggled to accept what she saw as her reality.
The story has a lot to say about the right of someone to make their decisions. It was a reminder that being mentally challenged doesn’t mean you still get a say in your life.
My dad had hired caregivers at the end of his life and these folks (so often foreign born because of our visa program) are some of the most caring folks imaginable. Zusy really captures their willingness to go above and beyond.
This wasn’t a humorous book except sometimes in a sad ha-ha way. Still, it resonated with me and was a heartfelt reminder of the power of families.
My thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book.

I understand that the author based this book on her experiences with her brother. My younger sister, my husband, and I had similar issues with a loved one (my mother), and we didn't have any money, so I think I see things from a slightly different perspective. It's either that, or I am just a cold-hearted bitch. Many issues could have been handled differently, but again I am seeing this from a different perspective. We had legal guardianship of my mother, and I had a steely heart. (enough about my life, I'm just letting you know that a lot of others have gone through similar things but had different outcomes.

Where anyone found humor in this book, I just can't tell you because I found absolutely none.

This book is filled with things that may set sensitive people or people being caregivers off. This seemed like more of a book about slow suicide than anything else, and the fact that the younger sister could not make consistent caregiver decisions.

My mom did not have developmental problems (she was a drinker), but in the end, she was no different than Ginny (Gin-Gin ).

Yes, this is a book about sisterly/caregiver relationships, but it took nearly the entire book for me to get the feeling that anyone was giving honest reactions. Yes, I realize that this is fiction, but for me, it just hit too close to home.
There were a couple of interesting twists at the end, but for some reason, this book didn't seem finished (If you know what I mean) to me.

All in all a good read but a mostly depressing one and no humor to be found.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Atria Books, the author, and NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for this ARC in return for an honest review. I was really hoping to enjoy this book more than I did. The storyline was one that sparked my interest but I found it to be rather slow going. Although it was compared to Elinor Oliphant I did not really connect with the characters here. And found their stories seemed to make the book drag for me. Given the other reviewers that seemed to enjoy it more I rated it as a 3 Wish I could have enjoyed it more, it just wasn’t one for me.

The character development was excellent and the story strikes a pretty powerful balance between quirky and serious. I enjoyed the book but ultimately had a hard time finishing once I started. It dragged in multiple places and likely could’ve been much shorter. Also I just did not care about the famous surfer sister — I kept forgetting she existed. Maybe if the book had pulled her storyline in earlier, I would’ve enjoyed the tension more?

Thank you for the advance copy! Looking forward to seeing more from this debut author.

As the mother of a child with developmental disabilities, I found this book difficult to read. I also questioned the accuracy of some of the book. Ginny functions on the level of a 3rd grader and yet is able to completely care for herself- and with diabetes on top of her delays. This had me questioning the whole book.

There is a part where, as a child aged 12, Ginny is responsible for the death of the family kitten not understanding that it needs air to breathe. At this point I was wondering why her parents weren’t doing a better job of observing her- they are discussing putting her in a special needs school but leave her completely unsupervised the whole night?

As an adult she still seems to need help. Ginny goes surfing with her sisters and nearly drowns because she can only doggie paddle. Whose idea is it to let her surf?

The writing style of this seems rambly to me. As someone who has a close relationship with developmental delays I just wasn’t a fan, unfortunately.

I simply adored this book! Definitely a top ten read for 2022!

Maggie has always has a special relationship with her older sister Ginny who has intellectual disabilities. So when Ginny ends up in the hospital in Maryland because of her diabetes, Maggie doesn’t hesitate to bring her sister and her to dog to live closer to her in New York. Ginny isn’t the easiest person to care for, especially with her sugar addiction, porn habit, and stubborn nature. But you can’t help but love her! Between Maggie, her two sons, two feuding immigrant aides, a soon-to-be ex-husband, and a barely present older sister who lives in California, you’re bound to laugh and cry at their attempts to work together as team for Ginny’s sake.

The relationships between these characters were at times dysfunctional and yet completely relatable. Jeannie Zusy did a wonderful job of approaching this complicated family dynamic with tasteful humor and an empathetic attitude. Overall, I thought this was a fantastic book and I can’t recommend it enough!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing a copy of this book to review.*

Thank you so much Atria Books for an advanced copy of ‘The Frederick Sisters are Living the Dream,’ by Jeannie Zusy

This book was chaotic, raw, and real. The story focuses on Maggie Frederick and her relationships with her sisters, sons, and ex-husband. Though funny, there is a lot of emotion.

There are a lot of trigger warnings as the story deals with a lot of sensitive topics such as addiction, infidelity, caregiving for a sibling, etc. Please do your research if there are topics you are sensitive too! (Feel free to message me)

I highly suggest reading the acknowledgements- Zusy gives glimpses into her relationship with her older brother who lived with disabilities.

Bets,. Ginny, and Maggie are the Frederick sisters whose relationships are featured in this novel. Maggie the last sister, becomes a caregiver for special needs sister Ginny, while the oldest Bets lives a life of surfing in California.

Sisters and how they relate to one another, the sacrifices they make for one another, or sacrifices they don't make are the themes of the novel. A surprising turn around at the end of the novel shows the three sisters in a new light, although the novel takes too long to get to this point, frustrating the reader. The book could have been shorter and some of the middle events cut short or omitted in order to get to the ending that the author intended.

I enjoyed the first three-quarters of the book and wished the main points, though surprising and thought provoking, could have been reached earlier.

This story is a touching, raw, real depiction of what it’s truly like to care for a family member that can’t care for him or herself. Having had firsthand experience with my own mother requiring round-the-clock care, reading about main character Maggie’s experience in caring for her older, special needs sister hit close to home. Honestly, at some moments, it was almost TOO realistic, to the point of bringing up painful memories, but it was also of some solace to realize that as challenging as the experience was at times, I was not the only person to ever deal with a situation like this. It clearly illustrated the love, responsibility, worry, and even embarrassment that can come with caring for someone who didn’t follow doctors’ orders, or who might be a challenging patient. Some of the things that were said or done in the book were so similar to my own experience that it was downright eerie, and yet, through all of the challenges, fights, struggles, and drama, love was there, in spite of everything. It was a beautiful story because it was real…this is no “Hallmark movie”, but it is deeply relatable, and it is a good reminder that EVERYONE deserves dignity and respect, regardless of background, intellectual ability, or personal shortcomings. I highly recommend this book!

By looking at many of the reviews on Goodreads and NetGalley, I appear to be in the minority of not really enjoying this debut novel. Personally, it was a very slow moving plot, the angle of the novel was to write as a stream of consciousness from the point of view of youngest sister, Maggie and I felt this kept me at arm's length of really understanding Ginny or Betsy. Although there is a beautiful moment between Maggie and Bets later in the novel which explained a lot of the tension within the family, it came too late to build that connection. It is easy to see that the author creates complex characters and I am sure this will draw many readers in. For me, I sometimes felt like not finishing it BUT kept on pushing because it was an ARC.

On the other hand, did Jeannie Zusy illustrate the ups and downs of being a family member's caregiver? Absolutely! I think if I walked away with anything from this novel, it was how difficult it can be to be put in that position. Making decisions that the person you are caring for doesn't always appreciate. Like Maggie's oldest son says, Maggie had a lot of patience for the way Ginny sometimes acted or reacted to her younger sister's arrangements.

All in all, there were some touching moments between sisters but the story as a whole didn't grab me.




Expected Publication Date 20/09/22
Goodreads review published 27/07/22

This book depicts three sisters' struggles and the relationship they have with one another. What is really interesting is that one of the Frederick sisters is a special needs adult. I requested this arc as it compared itself to Elinor Oliphant, a book I absolutely adored. Unfortunately, it did not live up to Elinor Oliphant. Although both books have overburdened, somewhat morose characters I did not connect as deeply with this MC. Maybe because I did not connect with the characters the long interludes into the past did nothing to enhance the story and in fact made it drag a bit.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for allowing me to review this arc.

This book took me on a wild ride of emotions: sad, mad, glad, empathy, sympathy and horror. Never having been a caregiver I cannot imagine it being easy and this book probably has more truth then fiction to it. It was a hard book to read fast because I had to keep putting it down to digest and reflect. A great book for anyone who is a caregiver as it might help those hopeless moments.

Dnf over 50% this one just didn’t do it for me. I really wanted to like it but I just felt it was moving too slow and I wasn’t invested in the story.

I loved the characters in this book and the relationships between the sisters. However, I felt like the plot was lacking for me as it just told a story with no definite climax, resolution, etc. Thanks the NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Loved this portrayal of a set of sisters with unique challenges and joys in their relationships, as well as a look into the need some of us have to control and make everything okay for everyone else. Three sisters with very different needs and personalities, one of whom is designated “special needs,” work through the complications of being adults without living parents anymore. I particularly liked the fact that the book makes clear that any one person’s view of their family is just that—one view, one perspective among many others. Would have given it a higher rating but it needed a tighter edit. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

4.25/5⭐️

15% in, I almost gave up on this one, but I’m glad I stuck with it.

This debut novel centers around three sisters (in their 50s), Maggie (youngest), Ginny (middle) and Betsy (oldest). Ginny has some special needs, and after having a serious diabetic episode, Maggie moves her from MD closer to her in NY to oversee her care. Bets is a free-spirit famous surfer who lives in CA, owns a surf shop and rarely visits (or calls). Maggie is separated from her free-wheeling husband (she cheated on him) and has two sons, one in college and one in high school.

This is a story about caregivers…why/how they do it, how much they give of themselves, how the responsibilities affect their relationship with those they are caring for as well as any other people in their lives, etc. And what’s more, the author is speaking from personal experience.

I almost gave up on it because in the beginning it felt monotonous, ponderous and a bit disjointed, but I think I just needed to adjust to the author’s writing style. I especially enjoyed the flashback moments from their childhoods and felt it really added a layer of depth to their present lives. As you’d expect, lots of emotions in this one…humor, anger, frustration, guilt, envy, sadness, lots of love, etc. And sometimes I felt frustration myself when characters did not act/react the way I wanted/expected them to, but I feel that’s what the author was aiming for.

It was fairly predictable, and things were tied up a bit too neatly, but it was definitely an interesting story.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and Atria Books for providing the free early arc of The Frederick Sisters Are Living the Dream for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

This is a great sister book, showing the relationship of three sisters one of which is special needs and the conflict the other two have regarding her care and the obligation they feel they have toward her as caregivers. I kind of enjoyed it…it seemed realistic in portraying the conflict of whether the special needs sister was in control of her own life and health vs how her younger sister wanted her life to be.

This is a story about a woman who struggles with self doubt and constantly worries that she isn’t enough for her family. As a mom myself I relate to that so much, so it had me slightly in my feels. I really enjoyed that the autho touched on the topic of learning disabilities and showing the struggle in it for the person and the family. And the humor to lighten the topic made it easy to flip page to page.

This book really hits you in the heart! I love Maggie'a character and feel that I would react similarly in certain situations. Ginny is a strong woman who knows ahat she wants. Even if she doesnt always make the right choices for herself.

These strong women need to find a way to work together to move their lives forward and find themselves again.

What a great novel with a lot of real emotion within it.

This book was such a sweet, endearing read! I giggled and laughed and genuinely cheered for the characters. I loved the relationships in the books and how the sisters ALWAYS came through for each other, often with humor and love.