Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Singer Sisters by Sarah Seltzer!

Hey, book lovers! So, I just wrapped up The Singer Sisters by Sarah Seltzer, and I’ve got some thoughts to share! 📚✨ This novel revolves around the complex lives of three sisters as they navigate family dynamics, secrets, and their own individual paths. It’s a heartfelt story that definitely explores some heavy themes, which I appreciated.

However, I did struggle a bit with the time shifts. The constant jumping between past and present, along with different points of view, made it a little confusing at times. I found myself wishing for smoother transitions because I wanted to stay fully engaged with the characters’ journeys without getting lost in the timeline. It’s like trying to piece together a puzzle, and while I love a good mystery, this one left me a bit tangled.

That said, Seltzer’s writing is beautiful and evocative, and there are moments that truly shine. I loved the exploration of sisterhood and how their relationships evolve over time. It’s definitely worth a read if you enjoy family dramas that dig deep into emotional territory!

3.5 ⭐️

I love stories that have a music theme to it. This one takes place in the 60s and 90s with a mother/daughter dynamic & two different timelines. Story is filled with a lot of drama. I loved the way Sarah weaved music into the novel bringing the characters voices to life. I just didn't feel like I really connected with the characters. But it was an overall enjoyable read.

Generations of family drama and trauma in the context the music industry from the 1960s - 90s! YES this is exactly what I've craved!

I don't normally bother with books that focus on music after Daisy jones blew them all out of the water but this book really hit its mark.
It has a really gritty edge and the writing is phenomenal. There is a lot of drama in the family and you can see how well the author has carefully crafted a story so real and raw, you won't be sorry you picked it up. Even with all the fame, you can see how unhappiness reigns supreme. the characters were colorful and edgy and I was really entertained.

3.75 rounded up to 4.

An interesting dual timeline story of family, fame, choices and how they not only collide, but also how they are passed on to another generation.

Advance reader copy provided by Flat Iron Books and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

Rating: 3 stars
The Singer Sisters by Sarah Seltzer

The Singer Sisters tells a touching story of three siblings, each trying to navigate their own lives while remaining tied by the unbreakable bonds of family. Set against the backdrop of the music world, it shifts between the folk scene of the 1960s and the alt-rock era of the 1990s, beautifully illustrating the generational shift in their family’s legacy. One thing I loved was how Seltzer weaves music into the emotional core of the novel, bringing each sister's voice to life, both literally and metaphorically.

The dynamic between the sisters felt genuine, highlighting their struggles, love, and the inevitable tensions of close relationships. For fans of heartfelt family dramas, this book offers a compelling journey filled with art, love, and history.

I struggle with this review. First, thank you NetGalley & the publisher.

2.5 stars
I wanted so desperately to enjoy this one… I was a huge fan of Daisy Jones, and quite a few other musical novels. The reason for the two stars wasn’t because of the writing… I appreciated the lyrical prose when it came to the songs, representation of all walks of life spanning from the 60s to the 90s… it hit hard topics for sure. However, at no point did I ever connect to the characters… quite a few times I wanted to DNF it but just kept going thinking something would just grab me… sadly it didn’t.

One or two reviews in here say they liked it better than Daisy Jones —in the end, I have to go with the fact that I am not going to remember 95% of this in a month. 🥺

I really enjoy a multi-generational story when it's done well, and this was done beautifully. Both the 60s and 90s are such iconic and distinct decades in music, and each shines through uniquely. I also love the poetry and lyrics included.

The Singer Sisters, Sylvia and Judie were a folk duo in the 60's. Judie was the songwriter while Sylvia had beauty and the better singing voice. Judie met and eventually married another performer Dave and had two children with him. Told in the present day as Judie's daughter Emma is making music. There was a lot of back and forth between the past and the present. A big part of Judie's personal history becomes known during the book. Definitely a story dealing with family dynamics.

An interesting story of music, culture, family, mothers and daughters and sisters. The relay hips between the characters were complicated and mostly realistic. Thanks #NetGalley

The Singer Sisters has an intriguing idea but was slow to execute for me. I liked the early descriptions of the characters but struggled as their development lagged. May be a good read for those interested in girl bands and music.

Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: 𝐸-𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀 & 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 𝐈 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞—𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬, 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐎𝐕 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜, 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡! 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐣𝐨𝐛. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝑫𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒚 𝑱𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔 & 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒊𝒙 (𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝) 𝐨𝐫 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐤/𝐚𝐥𝐭-𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲. 𝐈𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐦𝐦𝐚’𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫-𝐝𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬. 𝐖𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞’𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐤 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟏𝟗𝟔𝟎𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐦𝐦𝐚’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐭-𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟗𝟎𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲-𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐭.

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒮𝒶𝓇𝒶𝒽 𝒮𝑒𝓁𝓉𝓏𝑒𝓇, 𝑀𝒶𝒸𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒶𝓃 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜, 𝐹𝓁𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓇𝑜𝓃 𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀𝓈, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

The title gives the impression that this is solely about two sisters who sing together, but it is so much more than that. It was a shorter book but an enjoyable one.

“The Singer Sisters” is by Sarah Seltzer. This book is about family drama .. and music. I so wanted to like this book more than I did. I like reading about the music industry - especially during the 1960s and 1990s, but somehow this book just fell short of being entertaining and/or educational. There was a lot of family drama … and a lot of whinging. There are family secrets … family issues … but those high tension issues didn’t work for me. What also didn’t help was that I couldn’t really connect (or feel connected) to the characters, although I so wanted to connect somehow to Judie. This book may be one that is better listened to, opposed to reading for me - as I see that the audiobook has some high praise.

“The Singer Sisters” by Sarah Seltzer is the story of 2 female folk musicians who are sisters from the 1860s. It follows their difficult path of trying to make their own way while growing up in a very musical and dysfunctional family. I am always drawn to this type of book because I love stories about Hollywood and the entertainment industry. I did learn a lot about the difficulty of becoming successful during the folk rock era especially as women. Unfortunately, this novel just didn’t work for me. I wasn’t engaged by the characters and the story just didn’t hold my interest. I almost stopped reading but wound up skimming hoping it would pull me in. I know I’m in the minority with this review so I suggest you give this book a chance if you have an interest in the music industry, and the ability for women to be successful musicians at that time in our history.

Thank you NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Yes to family drama and family secrets, but for whatever reason, The Singer Sisters did not capture my interest. It was going to be a DNF, but I decided to skip ahead to some of the denoument scenes. Ultimately, not my kind of book, although I had thought it would be.

Sarah Seltzer gifts us a unique mother-daughter tale with a folk music soundtrack. Emma is the neglected daughter of folk legend Judie, & set to make a name for herself. While creating her future, she drags Judie to confront their past. Once you decide who to root for, the table is flipped, and you begin to understand how one makes the best possible decision at the time, even if it breaks your heart.

I really wanted to love "The Singer Sistrs" by Sara Seltzer, but I just couldn't. It's becoming more and more clear to me that I don't really enjoy books that operate on duel timelines. So this isn't the book's problem, but mine.

This is the story of a mother and a daughter, two folk singers with different careers and different motivations. Secrets, no matter how old they are, will come out eventually and cause problems. Unfortunately, I was never 100% invested in the story or the characters.

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I'm sure that there will be a lot of people out there who will love this book.

Two generations of musicians. Judie was a folk star in the 1960’s. Now her daughter Emma is breaking out in alt-rock in the 1990’s. As she gets deep into her mother’s music, she uncovers old secrets.
This is more than a story of sisters, mothers and daughters. It's a perfect summer read with Daisy Jones and the Six vibes. Music, family and secrets blend together to make one heck of a debut novel. Told in multiple POVs.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this e-arc.*