The book kept my attention for a decent amount of time, but the momentum faded the longer I read the story. Despite so much information about each character coming out during their individual chapters, who the characters were still remained unknown. They weren't as individualistic as they should've been, and I stopped caring about the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I waited a long time to collect my thoughts before writing this review, and I'm still not sure I could do the story and its contents full justice. This was a tough yet incredibly impactful (and unfortunately, realistic) read. The writing was a bit more simplistic than I would have liked, but the author handled the main topics in what I thought to be a sensitive and appropriate way. The relationship between the sisters carried a deeply hopeful undertone despite all they went through, and the strength of their friendships was incredibly empowering. Definitely a very heavy read (I had to take breaks myself), but still one that carries the hopes and dreams of several islands of powerful women.

Content Warnings (I may have missed some): domestic abuse, racism, sexual assault, misogyny

I appreciate that the author highlighted such an important topic but the writing style just wasn't for me. At time's it was too simplistic. to the point where it felt like a first draft that was simply outlining events and ideas that would later be fleshed out. It wasn't horrible but it didn't allow the story to impact the reader in the same way.

The subject matter was handled with care and was emotional while getting the point across. I loved getting a POV from each girl in the group as each had a totally different personality. They said exactly what they were thinking even if it would hurt another’s feelings, but they knew it came from a place of love. The shared experiences that brought them together were horrible, but they found comfort, love, and acceptance in their friendship. They had such a tight bond and a whole lot of fight in them. There are many forms of abuse, not just physical, and each girl faced it in a different way. The physical abuse involving rape was not detailed, but I still knew exactly what was happening. I wanted the girls to get the life they wanted so bad, and the ending gave me hope while also breaking my heart.

Thank you @mickimorency3588 @bhc.press @suzyapprovedbooktours and @netgalley for the gifted copy.

𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵-𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭!

What a story, so hard to read at times but impossible to put down; heart wrenching and heart warming. A story about friendship, love, loss and resilience.

Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours for this tour invite.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 by Micki Berthelot Morency, Author releases June 20, 2023.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬
𝐁𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐁𝐇𝐂 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟔.𝟐𝟎.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

These four women come together over their shared experiences with abuse and trauma. As difficult as the topics are, the author did a great job of making each woman’s journey their own - giving them their own voice. And yet, the women form an incredible bond due to their scars and their Island heritage.

This is an emotional read, as it discusses the important and timely subjects of domestic abuse, addiction, misogyny, and racism, to name a few. All this, woven with the highs and lows of friendships and the hope of healing, makes this debut a bright stand-out.

Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours and @mickimorency3588 for a spot on tour and a gifted ebook.

Four women who find strength in their friendships. Each woman face challenges beyond belief but they thrive on each other and their determination is above and beyond.

These four ladies, Monique, Cecilia, Lanei, and Ella are lifetime friends. They are very different and approach life in different ways. But they are each knocked down and they struggle but they all succeed. Now, this book has some major traumas. So, be aware, there are some triggers. I could not stop reading to find out what happens.

Now, this book has some issues. It is a bit jumbled and the conversations are a bit canned. But, this is minor. The story itself is something everyone should read. It is about courage and hope!

Need an emotional story…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the author for a honest review.

These “sisters” all share a common background coming from Caribbean Islands and having survived a tough abusive life. While the subject matter of their lives can be tough for some, how they grow stronger and support one another to heal was inspirational. They are resilient through their struggles and collectively offer some hope.

I’ll admit to taking a few breaks as I read this one due to the weight of their struggles, but ultimately appreciated the author not shying away from the story she wanted to tell. The courage it takes to make it through this.

TITLE: THE ISLAND SISTERS
AUTHOR: Micki Morency
PUB DATE: 06.20.2023 Now Available

THOUGHTS:

What an empowering read, and the voices of each of these women -so unique in each of their perspective, that also touches upon themes and issues women from any background can find something to relate to such as motherhood, female friendships, and the challenges and sacrifices faced. I found the read very emotional but also hopeful and heart felt.

This is a powerful book about friendship. It does have a lot of violence against women which could be a tough subject for some. I’m glad each of the 4 characters were equally represented and the chapters were short. This book is a lot to digest and is not a light read.

Four women from Haiti, St. Thomas, and Guam meet at a college counseling session for first-year students and learn they have a shared history of abuse. Dubbing themselves the "island sisters," their unyielding friendship is their touchstone across oceans, through labyrinths of forced marriages and violent men, motherhood, and their dreams of freedom.

Strong-willed and hot-headed Monique, quiet and romantic Cecilia, devout Lanei, and determined Ella are four friends who seem to makeup for what the other lacks. But no matter what is happening in their lives or the struggles they face, they share an unbreakable bond of friendship that serves as their anchor, helping and supporting each other through and through.

To succeed, each woman must make choices that will challenge her long-held cultural beliefs, choices that will come with consequences, in the pursuit of her own individual freedom.

𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵-𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭!
What a story, so hard to read at times but impossible to put down; heart wrenching and heart warming. A story about friendship, love, loss and resilience.

Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours for this tour invite.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 by @mickimorency3588 releases June 20, 2023.

Four women from Haiti, St. Thomas, and Guam meet at a college counseling session for first-year students and are bonded by their shared stories of abuse. I can see this book triggering victims of domestic violence and abuse, but other than that it was a true story of sisterhood.

The Island Sisters by Micki Berthelot Morency is a story concerning four women that come together during counseling and form a friendship that is shared for years. We see the growth of these women as they endure circumstances that would break most people. I would recommend this book to others.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, I am leaving my review voluntarily and the opinion expressed here are my own.

All from the islands, Guam, St. Thomas and Haiti, Lanie, Ella, Monique and Ceecee become lifelong sisters, enabling them to overcome rape, abuse and manipulation and control. Well written with very well developed characters, provides for an engaging read.

I was drawn to this book because I love books about sisters so I was excited to read this one. This book isn’t about blood sisters, but it’s a good reminder that family comes in all different forms.
Ella, Lanei, Cecelia, and Monique met their Freshman year of college and they all bonded together with their being from the islands. Ella and Monique are from Haiti, Cecelia is from St. Thomas, and Lanei is from Guam. Another tie that binds them together is the fact that they are all suffering oppression, either from their families or their men. Taking place over a 6 year span and told from alternating chapters we watch each young woman grow and learn to be the person she was meant to be.
This was a really hard book to read in the sense that the amount of abuse that takes place feels insurmountable. Micki Berthelot Morency states at the beginning of this that all 4 women are based on real women which made this even harder to stomach.
I really loved the growth each of these women had and watching them come to realize their worth made me so happy, but it didn’t take away from the anger I felt during the hard parts.
I feel like this is an extremely important book to read because it brings domestic abuse front and center. While this book takes place in the 1980’s and the majority of the characters are from the Caribbean, domestic violence happens during all times and in all cultures. The way Ms. Morency incorporates therapy and the counselor is fantastic. I feel like she does a real service in reminding women that therapy only serves to help better you.
Thank you to NetGalley and BHC Press for an advanced copy of this book. This hit the shelves June 20th.

Feeling so lucky to be in the marriage I am in after reading The Island Sisters. Kept asking myself what I would do given the lives these four bonded women led…thankfully they had each other through it all. I cannot imagine living in Haiti with the lawlessness as described in this book.
Monique, Lanei, Ella, and Cecilia met as freshman at college in the 1980’s in a support group for abused students and their immediate bond formed as they each were from an island. They each are abused in different ways, unfortunately with several of them the abuse is accepted by their culture. I am hopeful that things have changed in the last 40 years although sexual abuse within the confines of marriage is still prevalent. The Island Girls was truly an eye opener for me and I did appreciate learning about the local customs and snippets of life in Guam and Haiti, although I am so glad I do not live in either country.
The topics of rape, abuse - both physical and emotional, male dominance, women’s expected subservient behavior, cultural expectations, political unrest, racism, children, women giving up their education/careers to raise children, family dynamics, religious expectations, and family expectations all play important roles within this enthralling story about these four women each striving to rise above and live better lives. Loved the line that they crossed paths with the wrong men…they certainly did!
I felt a connection with each of the women and felt such disgust for their husbands/boyfriends, until Nate saved the day for the males in the story. Loved the concept of the bracelets.
Although the lives these women led were difficult to read I am heartened that Micki Berthelot Morency will open more eyes than mine and cast a bright light on some of these ongoing issues so that others can fight for these women and children that are in peril. Thank you Micki Berthelot Morency for sharing this story about these four women who never gave up in spite of so very many barriers in their way.
Many thanks to Micki Berthelot Morency, BHC Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this eye opening book that has just been published.

Per the preface, this novel is inspired by the alarming domestic abuse against women and children and the negative effects it has on generations. Four collegiate colleagues (Monique, Cecilia, Lanei and Ella) from differing socio-economic backgrounds in differing island nations bond at a campus counseling center. Their abusive backgrounds bring them together to form a lifelong friendship (a sisterhood) and the novel traces their choices, life’s trajectories beyond college, and fates as they grow into womanhood and motherhood.

This novel is obviously steeped in trauma on nearly every page. Each woman’s story is told in alternating chapters and the reader follows them as they grapple with abandonment issues, dysfunctional marriages, poor partner choices, unplanned pregnancies that thwart plans, overbearing parents, demanding/controlling and insecure/problematic partners, financial challenges – there’s a LOT going on that lead to derailment of their lifelong dreams. The ramifications of these abusive childhoods and marriages leave emotional, physical, and psychological scars.

These characters experience unimaginable circumstances with varying outcomes. There are some heavy, dark and disturbing scenes; however, the silver lining of the novel is the encouragement, justice, peace and healing that some characters gain via counseling, activism, and leveraging the laws of protection that are in place.

Thanks to BHC Press and NetGalley for an opportunity to review.

WOW! Micki Berthelot Morency, the author of “The Island Sisters,” has written a powerful, intense, and riveting novel. This fictional novel took my breath away, and I read this in one sitting. Be warned, have some Kleenex ready!

I love how the author vividly describes the scenery, landscape, story, and characters. The author describes her dramatic characters as complex, complicated, and flawed. Some are courageous and determined, and others are mean-spirited. Some of the families can be described as dysfunctional. Some themes in this story are physical and emotional abuse, family expectations, self-worth, and the importance of therapy, family, and friends. The author emphasizes making choices and advocating for oneself.

Four women from the Islands (Haiti, St. Thomas, and Guam) meet at college and become as close as sisters. Each individual has their own personality and their own story. Their sisterhood is symbolized by the gold bangle bracelets that each wears. Through their challenges and difficult circumstances, the sisterhood provides emotional support.

Each woman has to make the correct choices or face devastating consequences. Each had goals, and they had to work hard and have hope. I highly recommend this amazing, thought-provoking, and memorable novel to other readers.

I was warned about the content of this book before I started to read it. It still made me uncomfortable to read about the abuse that each women suffered. The story was a good one, although difficult to read. Sad, but so true on so many levels.

This incredible book hooked me right out of the gate. I became immediately invested in each of the four women. They all experienced so much pain but their sisterhood was a powerful blessing. The compelling stories of each Island Sister plus short chapters made this a real page turner.