Sisters with a Side of Greens, by Michelle Stimpson, is an entertaining and comical book. Sisters Rose and Marvina are estranged but trying to mend their relationship. Rose joins her baby sister in their hometown in hopes of obtaining their mother's spice mixture recipe. As luck would have it, she must stay longer than anticipated.

This book is about the relationship of the two head-strong and stubborn women. Over time, they both realize that they must forgive each other and accept the past for what it is. A stranger comes into their lives unexpectedly, and they are forced to come together a family.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @bookmarked for an advance copy of SISTERS WITH A SIDE OF GREENS in return for my honest review.

Loved it!

I love a coming of age story - and this one is a beautiful example of how that can happen at ANY age.

Feeling restless after retiring from her career with the US Postal Service, Rose Tillman decides to take a risk and chase her lifelong dream of owning a restaurant.

There’s only two problems:
1. She can’t remember how to make her mama’s secret spice mix
2. The only other person who knows the recipe is her estranged sister Marvina

SISTERS WITH A SIDE OF GREENS was just an absolute joy to read. Two sisters - one God fearing and selfless, the other witty and independent - have very different recollections of the cracks that caused the canyon between them. It just takes a pregnant teen runaway to help the sisters find the love and forgiveness that they’ve been too stubborn to find on their own.

Filled with heartwarming moments and hilarious side characters, this book left me feeling inspired and hopeful. It has actually made me consider a big career change! 🫣

@stimpson.michelle, please please please tell me you’re writing a sequel about Rose’s love life, Marvina’s reunion with Walter Jr., and a Secret Spice restaurant run by Sasha, Ta’riq and Lil’ Smoke! 🤗

Read this book if you love…
👯‍♀️ Your sister
💕 Found family stories
🍗 Southern home cooking
🌶️ Some SPICE! (In your food :)
🤗 Loveable side characters

💭 Has a book ever inspired you to make big changes in your life?

What do you get when you mix two strong-willed sisters, a grudge, a misunderstanding, a dream deferred and perfectly seasoned fried chicken? Sisters with a Side of Greens. In this new novel, sisters Rose and Marvina haven't spoken in years—not since Rose sent Marvina $40 to register their business and Marvina spent it on something else.

Fast forward; Rose is retiring from the post office and Marvina's services of cooking fried chicken dinners for the church fundraiser is no longer needed. Still wanting the dream of opening a restaurant, Rose shows up on her sister's doorstep unannounced for their mama's special spice mix recipe and hopefully a way to turn their mama's legacy into a profitable future.

Sisters with a Side of Greens is recommended for fans of Terry McMillan, Kimberla Lawson Roby and Southern fiction. It is a family drama with the right amount of conflict and hope. At times, the story was slow with unnecessary dialogue that I was tempted to gloss over but not enough to quit reading.

Author Michelle Stimpson provided enough backstory that led to a plot that actually made sense. I understood the character's actions better. I stayed invested in the relationship between sisters Rose and Marvina. I rooted for them and hoped for a happy ending. Without giving the story away, Sisters with a Side of Greens has a satisfying end!

Happy Pub Day, Michelle Stimpson! Sisters with a Side of Greens is now available.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

DNF at 29% for me unfortunately. I'm having a hard time getting into the story and honestly the characters are all merging together which means I'm really not paying attention. It is a cute story just not for me.

A tale of two sisters.

We have Rose, who believes the trajectory of her life was altered because of $40. While Rose is looking for what to do next in her life, she comes across plans for growth in her home city.

Then we have Marvina who is struggling to find a new direction after her church starts to make changes.

This story is about 2 sisters navigating through life while dealing with the heaviness of the past. Just because you remember something a certain way doesn't mean that's how it actually happened. There's always two sides to the same story.

I enjoyed this story. It was occasionally too slow paced. Kerresha was a nice addition to the story. I would recommend to anyone who likes stories of sisterhood and forgiveness

I enjoyed this story. It’s a nice wholesome story which consists of sisterhood, forgiveness, hospitality and family legacy. Sisters Rose and Marvina haven’t spoken in decades. They have lived separate lives and are now single, parentless and retired. What will the next phase of their life look like? That is the question they both must answer.

There was a cool plot twist in the story that worked well in helping the sisters consider their wrongdoings that contributed to the demise of their relationship. I appreciated watching them work through the family drama and their individual experiences and apologizing to each other and their loved ones.

However, I would have liked to see some accountability from the church leaders in their decision making. Additionally, some closure to all of the talk about the developments in Fork City, Texas and their impact on the local community.

Overall though, I thought the story was encouraging as it showed forgiveness and reconciliation.

Best friend. Worst enemy. Sisters. Set against the backdrop of a small Texas hometown and delicious southern cooking, Michelle Stimpson has given the reader every twisty turn of the emotional drama of two sisters who have nursed wounds for forty years. There are two sides to every story and in this dual POV family drama we get get to see the mistakes, the crossed communications and the hard truths that drive a wedge between sisters. Well plotted with misunderstandings and secrets that ratchet up the tension throughout the novel.


Chef’s kiss and 5 Stars for Sisters with a Side of Greens by Michelle Stimpson

A touching novel that will remind you that sisters are the best even when they aren't. Rose and Marvina have been estranged but now Rose has reached out because, to be honest, she needs something, That's one thing but then as it turns out, she's going to help Marvina in unexpected ways. There's a faith component woven throughout this. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Relatable characters and fine storytelling make this a good read.

Thank you Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for this arc.


It was the cover that got me. And though the book has some heavier subjects than the cartoon cover might imply, it also has a lot of humor and heart. Plus enough talk of yummy sounding food that I wish I could actually try the Dewberry sisters’ magical seasoning.


There is a lot more going on in the book. Let me first tell people that the book is very Southern. Southern food, Southern culture, Southern dialect. Marvina is very dedicated to her conservative church and her religious beliefs – and Rose’s lack of them – figure prominently. The small town in which most of the book takes place is a hotbed of gossip. Past red-lining of Blacks into a certain section of town is mentioned and there is a reason why Marvina and her adult son don’t communicate much.

It’s not so much miscommunications that have separated the sisters as it is misremembering or not having the full picture of past events. Neither sister is at first willing to let go of her “truth” and a major reason they haven’t talked is due to not wishing to criticize their (now dead) mother who was a strong influence on them. It will take a long time before Rose is ready to test the waters about her plans with Marvina and even then things won’t go smoothly.

At one point, one of the sisters (paraphrasing) describes Kerresha as an old soul in a young body. Nineteen year old Kerresha doesn’t initially understand some of the sisters’ expressions and Kerresha’s Insta-talk baffles Marvina and occasionally Rose but Kerresha isn’t one to not speak her mind. She doesn’t hold with sticking to old customs “just because” and her blunt observations give (mostly) Marvina a lot to think about. I could understand why her character was there – to (respectfully) shake things up and highlight where Marvina and Rose were butting heads for no good reason but after a while, her comments seemed a little bit too on point. Still I liked her freshness.

Marvina and Rose have a lot to learn about what really happened in the past and unlearn a great deal of what they thought they knew. Given how long these wounds had festered and how settled the sisters were in believing they were right and the other was wrong, it’s understandable that it takes most of the book to work these out. Brava that these things causing the estrangement between them are believable even if I wanted to throw my hands up at times. In the end, they both get a new outlook on the past and move forward with a plan that suits them both. B

4.5 stars

I have a feeling I’m going to absolutely love this one 🤞🏾and love I did!

Whew! What a rollercoaster of emotions 🥹 I was hooked from the get go. I enjoyed the complexity of these two sisters, Rose and Marvina’s journey from rehashing painful past to forgiveness and healing.

The story was well written and the characters were amazing and easy to connect with…..from Rose’s sarcasm to Kerresha’s realness and Marvina’s stubbornness. Loved them all. David was a real delight too. Their bantering and bickering was top notch. I wish we had more of Marvina and Warren Jnr connecting though.

Overall, this was an emotional story about family, love, forgiveness, healing and some excellent food. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Very beautifully written story of sisterhood, family, remembrance, growth, and second chances. And I am a sucker for any story set around food. I’ll be recommending this to all my literary-bend friends who love a story centered around relationships. The author did a beautiful job.

This book hit close to home. Maybe a little too close to him. This book is extremely relatable and real. It is all too common for family members to not speak and carry grudges. But seeing how they work to overcome these issues is extremely important to see. I loved to see Rose and Marvinas relationship, especially when it came to their issues with one another. Because the book did the great part of showing that memories and peoples perceptions of events always change.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sister With a Side of Greens is a redemptive story of two estranged southern sisters who are brought together with the help of their mother's secret spice mix recipe and an unmarried pregnant teenage girl named Kerresha. Rose Tillman and her sister Marvina Nash have been fighting for so long, but they will both tell you the reason for the fight is something different. In this story, the sisters are forced to confront their feelings and acknowledge their part in the conflict as well. Both women are strong willed and it feels like fighting has become the easy thing for them to do. I enjoyed getting to know the women and learning about their pasts. Seeing things from the lens of another person is such a valuable lesson, and it made me love the story even more. A story of family drama between the sisters was ultimately a beautiful heartwarming journey.

Thank you NetGalley an Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sisters. Two very strong willed sisters. Rose and Marvina haven’t spoken in a long time. Rose sent Marvina $40 to register their business but Marvina used it for herself.


But Rose is retiring and wants to revisit that dream business. A restaurant.
She has been saving her mother’s secret spice recipe for just this purpose. But now she’s lost the magic recipe. And only one other person knows it. Marvina.


Rose drives the two hours to speak to Marvina. Marvina, meanwhile, has her own version of events and is going to let Rose know just that. But of course, that is not that. As the sisters argue,cry, laugh and forgive, they also give hope to a community.


Beautiful and so southern!


NetGalley/ Sourcebooks Landmark March 05, 2024

Sisters with a Side of Greens gives you the elements just as its title suggests-family, soul food, and the notion of adding the right amount of each part to create something good and hearty. We have two sisters, Rose and Marvina, who are in the middle of a sibling rivalry brought on by misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and miscommunications. What they do agree on is that their mother has left them her prized seasoning recipe and that the recipe is worthy to be shared with others. When a stranger enters the two women’s lives with a problem, the two sisters come together to give the stranger the love and support needed. This rekindling helps the sisters to face and overcome all the should haves, would and could haves, and reconnect on a more organic level. This novel was so good at putting the reader in the middle of the family strife and rooting for these sisters to find their way back to each other, such a feel-good novel.

The plot was uplifting, maybe nothing extraordinary but I was very much impressed by how good the characters were written. Loved both sisters even when they were arguing, the fact that they were at fault at times made them more realistic. I will certainly read more from this author.

I requested this ARC on a whim, bc my maiden name was Green. But I really enjoyed this! Similar vibes to an Elin Hilderbrand-type family saga; except set in rural Texas. It features two estranged Black sisters — Rose and Marvina — and their path to reconciliation.

I’ve never read Michelle Stimpson before; but I’ll definitely have to check out more of her books.

fantastic and feel good book with family drama and bonding, and a lot of food discussion. would recommend. thanks for the arc.

Wow, I really enjoyed this read. I left feeling like I really got to know sisters Rose and Marvina and definitely wanted to purchase a bottle or two of Vine & Rose! Lol We got a great inside view of each sisters individual journey and were able to see growth in them both by the end of the read. Ms. Kerresha proved herself a force to be reckoned with. I can’t say enough good things about this read. Bravo 👏🏾 👏🏾

📖: Sisters With A Side of Greens
✍️: Michelle Stimpson
⭐️: 5 of 5
💬: You can't just break a woman's heart Monday, say " I'm sorry" on Tuesday with a teddy bear, and then expect her to wake up Wednesday morning and cook you a hearty breakfast.

Troupes & Themes:
- Sisters
- Family Drama
- Faith
- Church Hurt


My Thoughts:
I loved this from the get-go and pegged it as a 5 star read before the first chapter was even over. It never disappointed. Yes, I do think the whole $40 drama was a little petty to not talk to your sister, but siblings do be petty, and every family is dysfunctional in some way. I can understand how their relationship spiraled in the events afterward as both sisters went through real-life trauma and hardships.
Even though the characters were much older than me, I really connected to Rose and felt so seen with her struggle with infertility. I felt her emotions and pain right along with her.
I also loved faith elements in this book, and the realness of Marvina's experience with church hurt. Her struggle was a very real problem we often see today. The whole situation was very well done.
There was a brief conversation about sex and circumcision between the sisters, but it wasn't descriptive. They also mentioned seeing and hiding a dirty magazine as a youth. I could have done without it, but it didn't bother me enough to affect my rating as they are honestly real-life conversations we have with those we are close to.
I am very much excited to see that this is a seasoned author with a blacklist and I can't wait to read more from her. Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark, for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful advanced copy.