This simple story of two sisters is packed with so much complexity. Michelle Stimpson has written a beautiful narrative of familial love. Rose is retired and ready to move on to another chapter of her life, but she needs the help of her sister Marvina and their mama's secret recipe to move forward.

Marvina is content and set in her ways back home working for the church and giving back to her community. When Rose returns, her perception of past events is challenged.

Throw in a pregnant teen at Christmas time, and we have a beautiful story of how family is sometimes chosen instead of born into.

These two have their happy ever afters, and they work towards it with grace and love.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Sisters with a Side of Greens sparkles with personality and wit. The chronicle of two sisters who have nothing (but really everything) in common, it captures two personalities at loggerheads who crackle and clash in beautifully realistic ways.

Years ago, Rose Tillman and Marvina Nash planned on opening a soul food restaurant – a plan that died in its infancy when Marvina used the money they planned on using to register the business for personal reasons. The sisters have been estranged since that day. Though they have not spoken to each other for decades, Rose suddenly needs something from her sibling.

Rose has finally retired from her decades-long position at the postal service – and, being divorced, has no family, not even a pet, with which to while away her golden years. She decides to subvert her colleagues’ whispers about her stock-solid dependability by doing something unexpected, so returns to her old dream of being a restaurant owner. Her plan to lean on her much-missed mother’s recipes is thwarted when she tries to mix up a sample batch of her famous fried chicken and cannot recall the blend of spices she used.

Only one other person knows what went into her mama’s chicken except for Rose, and that’s Marvina. In the years since they parted, Marvina has become a church lady with fading vision, cooking their mama’s chicken every Sunday after services and still jealously guards her mother’s recipes. She begrudgingly agrees to speak to Rose when she drives two hours to see her.

Unfortunately for Rose, her already-injured knee gives out on her, and Marvina plays a semi-unwilling host. Left with no other option, the women parse out their completely different points of view on their mother and childhoods, and the grudge between them might yet dissolve. Then they catch a pregnant, homeless teenager named Kerresha trying to break into Marvina’s house. Given a new purpose and drive, Marvina and Rose find themselves making room in their hearts for the possibility of new love

This is a terrific set of dual character portraits that works beautifully. Knowing and yet open-hearted, Sisters with a Side of Greens reminds us of what sibling bonds can do. It reminds us of the healing power of cooking, and it has a sense of humor as well as a big heart.

Neither of the sisters are perfect people, but they’re both quite likable, and the reason for their estrangement makes complete sense. Stimpson does a great job painting this southern world from which both women emerged.

Kerrsha happened to be my favorite character in the entire book – imperfect, scarred, but trying to do what she needs to do to survive. The complicated sisterhood soon opens to include her as well.

Tangled, funny, warm, sweet and filled with spirit – that is what Sisters with a Side of Greens is, and it comes highly recommended.

This book reminds me of two films: Soul Food & The Secret Life of Bees. A beautiful story steeped in the roots of Southern Christian beliefs, family recipes, community, & sisterhood. The story will make you crave your grandmother’s cooking as well as a big hug. It should be on everyone’s TBR! I will definitely recommend this as a must read to all of my book club friends.

As usual, Michelle Stimpson's writing shines! This is a wonderful story of pride, strained relationships, and redemption. Sometimes the slightest infractions can lead to petty squabbles, and steal much of the little time we have here on earth. I enjoy the character development, and the way things come together in the end. Great read!

I loved this book. It was very realistic. Two sisters who let something from the past stand between them. Rose was on the verge of a new beginning when her life took a turn for the worse. Because of the rift between Rose and her sister Marvina she needed help and did not feel like she could reach out to her. When she needed her sister for an ingredient for the family recipe, she had to reach out to her. When a person enters their life that needs help, they join forces. They still bicker. They do learn to agree to disagree. This book can give hope to estranged family members if the point of the book is taken. The point is love wins. I read this author's books and I always feel the need to love people more. I also feel the need to not be so quick to judge a situation and look at all sides of the story. That is what this book is about.

I enjoyed this book. It was a little slow at times. The author did a great job with connecting you with the characters and I enjoyed the plot. It was great how she used two generations to encourage, uplift and show forgiveness. This book will have you experiencing different emotions because of the family drama, friendships, relationships and love. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review ARC.

I give this book 4 1/2 stars. It was truly an interesting read. Rose and Marvina are estranged sisters trying to mend their relationship. Along the way they learn that things in their past aren' how they remember them to be. Rose visits her baby sister in their hometown in hopes of getting the recipe of their mother's spice mixture. Circumstances cause her to stay at her sister's house longer than she anticipated.

Both of th sisters are strongwilled and set in their ways. They have to learn to forgive and accept the choices they made in the past. When a pregnant teen comes in their life unexpectedly, they come together to forge a family.

Rose never gave up her dream of opening a restaurant with her sister. Though illness and disagreement derail that dream, the makeshift family finds a way to make other dreams come true.

This was a good read and I enjoyed it. It was touching but also lighthearted and funny at times.

Rose and Marvina's relationship is a true testament of how two people can have totally different perspectives on events within the same household. While Marvina had an almost reverent relationship with their mother, Rose's relationship with her was tormented. Because they have different frames of reference when it comes to their mother, Rose and Marvina's relationship suffers and the sisters lose 40 years of sisterhood and friendship. It takes an optimistic Keresha and their mother's secret spice recipe to bring these two sisters back together. This book shows how lack of communication, judgment, fear, vulnerability, pride and plain old selfishness can hinder someone from achieving their dreams and keep one stagnant in life. I enjoyed seeing Rose and Marvina's worlds turned upside down when Keresha entered their lives. She was such a breath of fresh air even while dealing with her own issues. Would love to see a follow-up short story or novella about Keresha, Falcon and Jasiri. I also wouldn't mind a short story about David as he ventures into his own healing journey.

I received a copy of the book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review of my own thoughts and opinions.

When Rose retires from her job at 59 and immediately gets injured due to a bum knee, she gets confronted with the emptiness of her life. In an attempt to restart her old restaurant dream, she goes to visit her estranged sister in their home town, to get the recipe of their mother's special seasoning and maybe even start a restaurant together. But old hurts won't stay buried just because you refuse to talk about it, and with life and God throwing obstacles in the path of these two sisters, it's a question if they can ever truly heal together.

I absolutely recognize that this is a good book, it's just not written for someone like me. I'm a romance, fantasy, new adult, scifi reader, and this book is sooo slow compared to the books I usually read. Also I'm not the person to appreciate religion and God in the way they were both very prevalent in this book.

But! I enjoyed myself, especially in the last 3rd of the book. Things picked up from there, character development started developing and Kerresha is 100% the reason I kept reading. That girl kept it real in a way both Rose and Marvin's couldn't, in their own way.

The way this book handles grief, family, and love is really special. I wholly appreciated the way both women changed, in the end, though I was hoping for a bit more of a change. But my atheist ass just isn't able to appreciate the calling that is God and religion.

It's hard to give this book a rating, because I have very little to compare it to. In the end, this is a book that I struggled to come back to because the pacing felt off for me, so I can't in good conscience make it 4.

This book was everything! There is so much dysfunction in families today. Family members who refuse to speak to each other. There are so many strongholds that we carry from childhood to adulthood. Oftentimes, it takes an outsider to see what we can’t see. These sisters, with the help of others, broke thought the barriers that separated them and found healing. I laughed and connected with them on so many levels. It is a must read!

I loved Michelle Stimpson’s upcoming release Sisters and A Side of Greens. The characters were well developed and relatable. The story evoked many emotions from tears to laughter. Fellow readers you will meet two sisters Rose and Marvina, who are like night and day, oil and water. Yet they both love fiercely and are in need of forgiveness. I loved how Ms. Stimpson touched on many current issues from generational issues to family challenges. The answer to them all is “love”. Great job Michelle. This release is at the top of my list for my book club to read early 2024.

I enjoyed reading about Rose and Marvina and how they rekindled their relationship. I liked the food throughout the book and how cooking brought the sisters together.
This was a lovely read about family and starting over at any age.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.